new arrests in boston as the case widens. now three friends have been charged in connection with the marathon bombings. pushing back. a tense moment as a u.s. senator gets an earful about her no vote on gun control. with lawmakers home from washington on a break, is this about to start happening more often? the food safety alert that's getting attention because of what consumer reports found in certain types of turkey at supermarkets across the country. and the secret to success at a school once known for failure. tonight, the story of an amazing turnaround. tonight, the story of an amazing turnaround. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. we learned today the investigation into the boston marathon bombings is far from over. three more people were swept up today and charged by the feds. they were brought into court in handcuffs and shackles because

of the role the feds say they played as friends of the bombers. the question now will become what did they know and when did they know it and what are they accused of doing? today we learn more about what investigators say was going on behind the scenes in the hours and days after the bombing. nbc's pete williams starts us off again tonight from our washington newsroom. pete, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. the authorities stressed that there is no indication that these three young men charged today had anything to do with planning or carrying out the bombings. it's what they did afterward that's now landed them in federal court. the fbi says three days after the devastating bombing at the boston marathon, three college friends of the surviving bombing suspect, dzhokhar tsarnaev, fearing he might have been one of the bombers went to his college dorm room and found a black backpack containing empty fireworks tubes. they decided to take it and throw it away. after searching a boston area

landfill, the fbi says agents found the backpack five days ago containing the empty fireworks tubes that so alarmed tsarnaev's friends. federal bomb technicians say they believe the marathon bombs were made using explosive powder from fireworks. the three charged today -- robel phillipos of cambridge, and two men from kazakhstan here on student visas, dias kadyrbayev and azamat tazhayakov face charges of obstructing justice and lying to investigators. the three became concerned the night pictures were released of the bombing suspects. >> somebody out there knows these individuals as friends, neighbors, co-workers or family members of the suspects. >> reporter: but investigators say instead of calling the fbi with their suspicions, they did something entirely different. court documents say kadyrbayev texted his friend tsarnaev that he looked like one of the suspects and tsarnaev responded

"lol" and texted, quote, come to my room and take whatever you want. barely an hour after the fbi released photos the three friends did go to his college dorm room. kadyrbayev decided they should take the backpack with the empty fireworks tubes in order to help his friend tsarnaev avoid trouble and knew when he saw the empty fireworks that tsarnaev was involved in the marathon bombing. the next morning the fbi says at the new bedford apartment of the two students from kazakhstan, the three men saw television news reports identifying their friend as one of the bombing suspects. >> known as suspect number one in the black hat, number two in the white hat. >> reporter: they decided to throw the backpack away, quote, because they did not want tsarnaev to get into trouble. a lawyer for kadyrbayev said his client wasn't trying to hide anything from the fbi. >> he did not know those items were involved in a bombing or of interest in a bombing or had any evidential value. >> reporter: the fbi says earlier this year tazhayakov and tsarnaev along with other friends set off fireworks along the banks of boston's charles

river. the two foreign students told the fbi a month before the bombing tsarnaev told them he knew how to make a bomb. lawyers for all three men say they cooperated fully with the fbi and had absolutely no involvement in the bombing and they deny the charges against them. brian? >> is there evidence the feds have been watching these three from about the start? >> reporter: yes. from the day of the shooting in watertown, shortly thereafter. it comes partly from looking at the text messages of tsarnaev from the cell phone they recovered. he saw they were in touch with some of the men. partly from talking to the actual roommate tsarnaev had who they say was not involved in this. they have been watching them and questioning them off and on ever since then basically. >> pete williams has been leading the coverage of the story for us in our washington newsroom again tonight. pete, thanks. there is a developing story tonight in southern california. those santa ana winds that blow east to west toward the ocean, they are back and they have

sparked a large wildfire now burning out of control. it's that time. it's threatening homes and tonight evacuations are under way. nbc's miguel almaguer monitoring it in los angeles. good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. the santa ana winds, hot, dry winds that blow in from the desert are kicking up all across this region tonight. that blaze burning just outside of palm springs is being fuelled by winds that could top 60 miles an hour this evening. the summit fire kicked out of control this afternoon. several homes are damaged, many more threatened as the blaze races across dry terrain with the wind to its back. with more than 200 firefighters battling the flames, the fire is at 0% containment. 400 to 600 homes are impacted with limited evacuation orders in effect. today, firefighters warned of these very conditions. rising temperatures and falling humidity. this entire region is in an elevated fire danger. crews call the conditions a recipe for disaster.

firefighters are throwing every resource they have at this fire right now. but tonight, brian, they are losing the battle as they face those razing, gusting winds in 80-degree temperatures, brian. >> hot work digging fire breaks by hand. miguel almaguer tonight. thanks. today is the first of may, a time we are supposed to be celebrating spring but believe it or not it is snowing in a big part of the country tonight in the rockies, the plains, the dakotas. they are setting records, in fact. as much as 8 to 12 inches when it's over. it may not be over until friday in places. the good news is snow will melt away as fast as it seems to be coming down. now to the lingering effects from the recent no vote on expanded background checks for gun purchasers. after the vote went down to defeat in the senate we kept hearing this is a 90% approval issue in this country. polls show 9 of 10 americans support expanded background checks. with lawmakers now home on break, there is evidence they

are starting to hear about it. we already saw that happen to one member of the senate. we get our report tonight from our capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: senator kelly ayotte has done 22 town hall meetings, but this was different. >> they may work for you, but -- >> reporter: home in new hampshire tuesday after her no vote on expanded background checks for commercial gun sales. >> mental health is the one thing i hope we can agree on going forward. >> reporter: critics call her position a political disconnect. >> she wasn't voting for what the people had decided they wanted. she voted for the republican nra party line. >> reporter: in another politically charged moment summer 2009, town hall meetings became a potent tool. then it was health care reform. the late arlen specter came under attack. >> your cronies in the government do this kind of stuff

all the time. >> reporter: but are lawmakers facing that kind of heat over gun reform? like ayotte, also a no vote, arizona republican jeff flake took to facebook to acknowledge his sudden drop in voter approval. given the public's dim view of congress in general, that probably puts me somewhere just below pond scum. and the ad war is on. though ayotte isn't up for re-election until 2016. >> why didn't she listen to us in new hampshire? >> reporter: the nra is offering support on radio. >> kelly had the courage to oppose misguided gun control laws that would not have prevented sandy hook. >> reporter: the daughter of the slain principal at sandy hook elementary drove four hours from connecticut to confront ayotte. >> i'm just wondering why the burden of my mother being gunned down in the halls of her elementary school isn't as important as that. >> i'm obviously so sorry. everyone here no matter what our views here for what you have been through. >> reporter: tonight ayotte's advisers tell me they think the

meetings were more cordial than you might expect. they say the senator is open to constructive steps that both parties could work on. they don't think there is enough political momentum to bring up the issue again soon with hot topics coming up like immigration reform. brian. >> kelly o'donnell in washington tonight. kelly, thanks. an early heads-up on the next story for those watching with young ones present. it is a grisly subject matter. a jury in philadelphia ended its first full day of deliberations without reaching a verdict in the high profile trial of an abortion doctor accused of murder. there were six weeks of testimony, much of it difficult to hear. our report tonight from nbc's stephanie gosk in philadelphia. >> reporter: what dr. kermit gosnell allegedly did behind the walls of this clinic for years is too gruesome to describe in detail. the women's medical society was one of the only places in this low income neighborhood in philadelphia where pregnant woman could afford to go for abortions. the grand jury report states he

regularly and illegally delivered live viable babies in the third trimester of pregnancy and then murdered the newborns. the doctor allegedly hired unlicensed workers including a 15-year-old. investigators described this clinic as outdated, filthy, and horrendous. the police found rusty instruments, dirty equipment and blood on the floor. >> happening now, a jury deliberates for a second day in the murder trial of dr. kermit gosnell. >> reporter: gosnell pleaded not guilty to the charges including four counts of first-degree murder involving infants, one count of third degree murder of a patient. three previous charges of first-degree murder were dropped for lack of evidence. gosnell's defense rested without calling witnesses including the defendant, and accused prosecutors of extraordinary hype and exaggeration. if found guilty he faces the death penalty. the grand jury criticized pennsylvania health officials for not doing more. the clinic wasn't inspected for 17 years, despite repeated

complaints. local crime reporter larry miller grew up in the same neighborhood. >> that particular part of the city feels as though they have been left behind, that they have been ignored by the government, by the local government, the state government. >> reporter: is that because they are poor? >> it is because they are poor. >> reporter: the department of health has since changed its laws. clinics who provide abortions are now subject to random inspections and face the same regulations as outpatient surgery clinics. a horrifying case used as a rallying cry for change. stephanie gosk, nbc news, philadelphia. here in new york that large piece of wreckage from one of the planes that hit the world trade center on 9/11 was removed from a narrow space between two downtown buildings today. investigators said there were no signs of human remains found at the scene. it's a three by five-foot, 250-pound wing flap mechanism discovered last week by a construction crew.

workers and on-lookers said watching the removal was emotional for them. it's such a visible vestige of 9/11. for now this wreckage will be sent to the nypd property clerk's office. still ahead for us tonight for a lot of families it's the healthier alternative to red meat. tonight consumer reports is sounding the alarm about what's in some kinds of ground turkey at supermarkets across the country. later a big idea for students making a comeback of their own. their own. right next to my spine. clusters of pustules, pimples. the soreness was excruciating. it was impossible to even think about dancing. when you're dancing, your partner is holding you. so, his hand would have been right in the spot that i had the shingles. no tango. no rhumba. you can't be touched. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com

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health n health news tonight includes this. it has long been marketed as an alternative to hamburger. ground turkey. but a new investigation by consumer reports has today found that some packages of ground turkey could be a breeding ground for some dangerous bacteria. our report on this tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: ohio school van driver diana goodpastor hopes she'll never be as sick as she was two years ago when she was hospitalized for five days with salmonella poisoning. >> it was very serious. thank goodness to a good doctor. she saved my life. there is no doubt about it. >> reporter: tests showed she likely contracted salmonella from a turkey burger. now a consumer reports analysis of turkey bought nationwide has found more than half the samples

contained fecal bacteria including e. coli. 90% contained potentially dangerous bacteria. most disturbing, nearly all were resistant to common antibiotics. farm animals are regularly fed antibiotics to keep them healthy. >> the problem with feeding low level antibiotics on a daily basis is you are increasing the number of super bugs that can be found. >> reporter: the turkey industry stay criticized the study, its findings and the small sample size and insists turkey is safe. the fecal matter found is generally not harmful and giving birds antibiotics makes sense. >> our members use antibiotics judicially to protect the health of their flocks. flocks. so, no. that use does not raise a concern. >> reporter: the fda is concerned about drug resistant bacteria dangerous to humans and animals and is rolling out a three-year program to reduce the amount of antibiotics in animal feed. meanwhile, to ensure the ground turkey you and your family eat is safe, experts recommend cooking it within a few days of buying it, storing it at 40 degrees or cooler or freezing

it. cook ground turkey to at least 165 degrees. always wash your hands and counter tops and consider buying organic or nonantibiotic turkey which consumer reports says contained far less antibiotic-resistant bacteria. tom costello, nbc news, washington. when we come back here tonight, why one of the great names in rock and roll won't buy an ipod. s in rock and roll won'y an ipod. the only thing we'd ever grown together was a record collection. no. there was that fuzzy stuff on the gouda. [ both ] ugh! when it came to our plants... we were so confused. how much is too much water? too little? until we got miracle-gro moisture control. it does what basic soils don't by absorbing more water, so it's there when plants need it. yeah, they're bigger and more beautiful. guaranteed. in pots. in the ground. in a ukulele. are you kidding me? that was my idea. with the right soil... everyone grows with miracle-gro.

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it was ten years ago today, an event known forever for two problematic words. on the deck of the aircraft carrier abraham lincoln off san diego, a day the bush white house would regret, the banner behind the president read "mission accomplished." it was not. the iraq war dragged on and changed shape for years to come. president bush started that day in a flight suit making a carrier landing on the deck.

today, ten years later to the day, a notable day as well for the former president because his new presidential library opened to the public for the first time on the smu campus. there aren't that many genuine cathedrals of baseball left. fenway is one of them. wrigley field is another. it's old school baseball, the brick, ivy. no lights until 1988. so far at least it has gotten by without one of those truly giant video walls. the current chairman of the cubs says if he doesn't get modern improvements, electronics, signage, what have you, he will consider moving the cubs out of wrigley, a threat that has not gone over well in chicago. netflix is taking a hit. they are losing the streaming rights to over a thousand movie titles. the films are from warner brothers, mgm, universal. mostly older films, some classics. "dr. no" and "goldfinger." woody allen's "stardust memories" and others.

netflix says it is part of what they call their normal churn of movie titles and series. it is axiomatic in the economy in this country. when people start feeling good, they start buying cars, and they are. ford, gm, chrysler, nissan all reporting sales up double digits last month. oddly toyota and vw were down despite big ad campaigns. pickup trucks remain huge. big gains for dodge ram, chevy silverado and the ford f series. this was something of a surprise to learn today. keith richards says in an interview he doesn't own an ipod. he believes listeners are short-changed by digital sound quality. a lot of people agree with him. he uses cds, vinyl and the occasional cassette tape. the originator of some of the great riffs of our time is a year shy of 70 and the only one in his family without an ipod. when we come back, the big idea that led to an amazing turnaround at a school for a lot of kids. break a leg!

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metropolitan area has been in the news lately as it was again tonight at the top of this broadcast for all the wrong reasons. this next story, however, is about something good. a big idea showing successful results. our story is from the roxbury neighborhood which had more than its share of crime and poverty to deal with over the years. but in this case, they have decided to take the hundreds of thousands of dollars being spent on security and put it to a completely different use at school. our report tonight from nbc's katy tur. >> reporter: it was known as a drop out factory. three years ago orchard gardens school in roxbury, massachusetts, was plagued not only by low test scores, but violence. >> going to the stores in the middle of classes, barging into rooms. it was crazy. >> reporter: students couldn't carry backpacks out of fear they would use them to hide weapons. in the first seven years there were five principals. every fall, more than half of

the teachers didn't return. that all changed in 2010 with principal number six and his bold idea. >> i had a huge security infrastructure. i decided to eliminate it completely and reinvest that money into the arts. >> reporter: principal andrew's goal was to use the arts as a tool for academic success. >> a lot of people would say you realize orchard gardens is a career killer. there was a disbelief anybody would choose to come. the school definitely had a prison feel. >> reporter: not anymore. with the help of the pumped-up arts program orchard gardens went from among the worst performing schools in massachusetts to having one of the fastest student improvement rates statewide. >> it develops the whole student. you're going to see improvement in other academic areas. >> reporter: tell me, did the hallways look like this? >> no. there was not this level of student work on the walls. now the hallways capture the spirit of the school. we are far from done.

we are definitely on the right path. >> reporter: 8th grader keyvon little embodies that turnaround. once struggling he's headed to the competitive boston arts academy for high school. >> now the teachers help me, push me on the right track. i can actually see a future for myself. >> reporter: a future made a lot brighter by a crazy idea that now looks more like a stroke of genius. >> this school is awesome. >> reporter: katy tur, nbc news, roxbury, massachusetts. that is our broadcast on a wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we sure hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. we sure hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good night.

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