good evening. we begin tonight with american jobs. and a number we have not seen in nearly four years. unemployment, now 7.8%. a surprising dip, dropping after 43 months above 8%. 114,000 new jobs added last month. and with it, 32 days now until the election. and your voice, your vote. abc's david muir is here with us, right now. david? >> reporter: great to see you in person, diane. not only were the jobs numbers a welcome sign for the americans lucky enough to get those jobs, they were very welcome by the president today, fighting to keep his job. and after that debate performance this week, tonight, that spring in his step is back. bounding up to the podium, the new jobs numbers were more than just a economic jolt, they were a political one. today, the president in the battleground of virginia. >> this morning, we found out that the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since i took office. >> reporter: hours later, in the battleground of ohio. >> it's a reminder that this country's come too far to turn back now. >> reporter: today, after nearly four years of unemployment above 8%, what economists called a sharp drop. down to that 7.8%, a psychological benchmark, broken. and a boost for the president, just days after his disappointing debate performance against a challenger who came ready. >> but you've been president four years. you've been president four years. >> reporter: for months now, central to mitt romney's stump speech, his laser focus on unemployment above 8%. >> 40 straight months. not been below 8% for 41. for 42. 43 straight months with unemployment. >> reporter: and just as romney travels to florida this weekend, a message from florida's republican governor before romney even arrived. the governor tweeting about huge economic gains there. "tampa, st. pete, clearwater and miami area experienced largest unemployment rate declines in the country." a tricky balance for romney, arguing voters change course amid an improving picture. romney emphatic it is not going quickly enough. >> the reason it's come down this year is primarily due to the fact that more and more people have just stopped looking for work. >> reporter: but economists say in this jobs report, that's not entirely the case. some have dropped out, but there's also been a surge in the number of baby boomers retiring. and there was more hiring in recent months than first thought. and romney working to win over voters who are out of work. now offering this about those comments he made about the 47%. the americans, he said, he doesn't worry about, those he said he can't convince to take personal responsibility. >> clearly, in a campaign with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question/answer sessions, now and then you're going to say something that doesn't come out right. in this case, i said something that's just completely wrong. >> reporter: now, all day there's been chatter among some well-respected names that this unemployment number, now below 8%, just weeks before the election is, well, suspicious. i asked the romney campaign late today if they believe the numbers are legitimate. one key romney adviser said they'll leave the speculation to others, that, quote, we'll deal with the numbers, diane, as they've been reported. >> all right, david muir, good to have you back in from the campaign trail. and amid those questions being asked, we decided to track down some answers. abc's jonathan karl spent the day looking into these new numbers and what they really mean. >> reporter: as soon as the new 7.8% unemployment rate was announced, rush limbaugh and other conservatives said the white house had cooked the books. even jack welch, the former ceo of ge, went on twitter to accuse the president of changing the numbers. >> i tell you, these numbers don't smell right when you think about where the economy is right now. >> reporter: the labor department called the allegations ludicrous. we went directly to the place where it's all done. this vast government building, a couple of miles from the white house, houses the labor department's bureau of labor statistics. the bls has been tabulating the monthly unemployment rate for more than 70 years. it's all based on a survey conducted in person and over the phone of 60,000 households every month. and here is where the numbers get crunched. amid a sea of high-walled cubicles, inside of each one, an economist sworn to secrecy and working on a specific aspect of that employment survey. tom nardone is in charge here. he's worked at bls since before ronald reagan was president. he introduced us to the economist who actually wrote this morning's unemployment rate announcement. how much of a secret is that number before you put it out? i mean, you can't call me up and tell me what the number is going to be? >> no, i can't tell anyone. it's a complete -- a complete secret. >> reporter: before the release, they are literally sworn to secrecy. the white house doesn't see their work until it's done. and nardone keeps the report in a safe in his office. you've been working here more than 20 years. have you ever had a situation, or heard of a situation, where somebody at the white house calls and says, hey, can you move the number a little bit? >> absolutely not, has never happened. >> reporter: could it happen? >> a lot of people would be leaving this building if it did. it would not happen. >> reporter: today, the american enterprise institute, a prominent conservative think tank here in washington, dismissed suggestions that the white house had interfered with the unemployment number, saying talk like that, quote, should be confined to crazy town. diane? >> all right, jon karl reporting in from washington. and there will be a lot more on all of this, sunday on "this week," george stephanopoulos will break it down with bill o'reilly, james carville and mary matalin. and we turn next to new clues in the mystery surrounding the death of the u.s. ambassador, chris stevens, and three other americans in libya. there is a report that two men from tunisia were held for questioning in turkey. and abc news has a provocative document tonight. it is a request from the americans on the ground in libya for help with protection. it raises the question about the state department's response and abc's jake tapper shows us that document. >> reporter: the members of the u.s. military serving as a security support team at the u.s. embassy in tripoli, libya, wanted to keep a small airplane in the country. according to a government source, that was so the team, charged with providing extra security at diplomatic posts, could travel more efficiently around the country, along with their weapons. but state department officials in washington denied that request, according to a may 3rd e-mail obtained and first reported by abc news. copied on the e-mail was u.s. ambassador chris stevens, later killed in a terrorist attack on the diplomatic post in benghazi on september 11th, along with three other americans. an attack that has prompted a house oversight committee hearing on whether diplomats in that country had adequate protection. >> we need to operate in a country like libya with erring on the side of security. >> reporter: the dc-3 plane had been sent from iraq for use by the americans in libya at a time when there were no commercial flights. >> we provide these kinds of services in places where there isn't a commercial airline service in place. >> reporter: but security in the country began deteriorating, with armed gangs, militias and militants. >> there was a constant flow of various and disturbing and escalating security threats that were causing people on the ground to say, "this is not getting safer, this is getting less safe." >> reporter: even after commercial flights began, the security support team requested that the plane remain in libya. but under-secretary of state patrick kennedy denied the request and the state department maintains the decision has no bearing on security. this evening, the state department issued a statement, calling this plane issue irrelevant to the issue of what happened at benghazi and there's no evidence that had the plane been there, any lives would have been saved. but diane, what critics suggest is that this denial by the state department reveals a mindset that was not on top of how bad things were getting in libya and not on top of the security needs of the americans in that country. diane? >> all right, jake, thank you so much. and now we move onto a new report tonight about that shootout near the mexican border this week, the one that killed a u.s. border patrol agent. sources now say they suspect that agent, nicholas ivy, was killed by friendly fire. authorities tell abc news ivy and two other american agents, one of whom was wounded, may have accidentally fired at each other in the dark of night. the agents were reacting to a motion sensor that sounded an alert in the arizona desert. and we turn to the growing outbreak of meningitis tonight, contracted through that common remedy for back pain, steroid shots in the spine. today, we learned there are now 47 cases across seven states, at least five deaths. and a lot of people are wondering if they need to be frightened, too. hundreds of calls pouring into health clinics and hospitals. abc's chief medical editor dr. richard besser has answers. >> reporter: millions of americans get these steroid shots for back pain every year. and today, the fears of tainted injections. >> you're scared to. you don't know what to do now. >> reporter: so, hospitals like this one in tennessee are tracking down hundreds who may be at risk. >> and you do have several symptoms listed on here. >> reporter: the cdc has opened their emergency operations center today to deal with the outbreak. more than 17,000 vials of the injectable drug were shipped. some contaminated with a fungus that goes into the spinal fluid, up to the brain, and causes a rare form of meningitis, whose symptoms can look like a stroke. >> to have a shot, six days later, you're fighting for your life. >> reporter: health officials tracked the problem to the new england compounding center in massachusetts, which has closed down operation. there are more than 7,500 compounding pharmacies in the country. they make 1% to 3% of all prescription drugs. and they can be lifesavers. custom mixing their treatments for patients with special medical needs. but they operate with little federal oversight. >> this sort of contamination of material from a compounding pharmacy has happened before. these compounding pharmacies are not under the rigorous regular supervision of the food and drug administration. >> reporter: and now, patients in pain worried about what to do next. >> i'm not just concerned for me, i'm concerned for many. >> it is such a tense time. so, what do you do if you think you need this shot now? what do you do next? >> reporter: thankfully, this was all recalled last week, so, if you are in this kind of pain, go ahead and get your treatment. but if you got one of these injections since july, visit our website, see if your clinic was involved. and if it was, call your doctor to see if your drug was part of the recall, so you'll know whether to watch for symptoms. >> all right. go to the website, check in with dr. richard besser. thank you, rich. and coming up, we showed you tsa agents stealing your personal items as you go through security. abc's brian ross exposed the story and he's back tonight with a giant new crackdown. abc news gets action, next. i knew it'd be tough on our retirement savings, especially in this economy. but with three kids, being home more really helped. man: so we went to fidelity. we talked about where we were and what we could do. we changed our plan and did something about our economy. now we know where to go for help if things change again. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get free one-on-one help from america's retirement leader. [ male announcer ] how do you make 70,000 trades a second... ♪ reach one customer at a time? ♪ or help doctors turn billions of bytes of shared information... ♪ into a fifth anniversary of remission? ♪ whatever your business challenge, dell has the technology and services to help you solve it. last week, brian ross brought us that groundbreaking investigation, showing tsa officers taking ipads, cameras and other items from your bags at the airport. thousands of you responded after seeing it and tonight, there is action. abc's chief investigative correspondent brian ross, following up. >> reporter: the tsa is now being asked to do the same thing across the country that abc news did at ten airports, testing the honesty of checkpoint screening officers. traveling incognito, abc news producers left behind ipads at airports with a history of tsa theft to see what would happen. nine out of ten were returned. >> i believe you lost your ipad with us when you flew out today from delta. >> reporter: but a tenth ipad was tracked as it moved 30 miles away, to the home of a tsa officer, andy ramirez, who blamed his wife for taking the ipad. >> i'm so embarrassed. >> reporter: your wife? >> my wife says she got the ipad and brought it home. >> reporter: ramirez has since been fired by the tsa. and senator chuck schumer wants the tsa to see if there are more officers still stealing. >> and the best way to find them is by random sting operations that catch those bad apples and punish them appropriately and, of course, get them out of the tsa. >> reporter: the tsa says it has done some stings, but often only after specific reports of problems. one led to the conviction of this tsa officer in kona, hawaii. dawn keka, caught taking $200 in cash out of the backpack of an undercover agent, posing as a japanese tourist. senator schumer says the tsa needs to conduct such stings system-wide. >> so you can find the people before they steal or right at the beginning, if they're stealing. >> reporter: and convicted tsa thief pythias brown, who took some $800,000 in passenger valuables, told abc news that tsa still has not done enough to make it harder for people like him to steal, including screening the screeners when they leave their shifts. was there any kind of a search of a bag? >> no, they never searched our bags. they never searched us. nothing. >> reporter: that's something the tsa is also being asked to correct by senator schumer. in written statements, the tsa says the vast majority of its officers are honest, hard working individuals and that the tsa has a zero tolerance policy for theft. but again today, as it has for weeks, the tsa turned down our request to interview the agency head, john pistole, or anyone he would designate, diane. >> okay, brian. but the pressure is on. >> reporter: indeed. >> thank you tonight. coming up here, a new twist in the story of that tv anchor, criticized for her weight by a viewer. we track down that viewer. >> do you think you're a bully? >> we'll tell you what the anchor is now saying tonight. 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[ male announcer ] humana. and a picture in the news tonight. the best streets in america, as voted by city planners across the country. here is one. wall street, but not the one in manhattan. the one in upstate kingston, new york. there it is. most of the top ten were small town streets. shaker boulevard in cleveland, duval street in key west. and broad street in charleston, south carolina. the only really big street? ever glamorous fifth avenue in new york. and a person in the news, royce white, newly minted member of the houston rockets, their first round draft pick. the trouble is, he has an intense fear of flying. he missed the first day of training camp because of it. he's offered to take a bus to away games and says he's seeking treatment for his anxiety. and our quote of the day is, apology accepted. that is what jennifer livingston said today. she is the local news anchor criticized by the viewer who e-mailed her, saying she was not a role model for young girls because of her weight. and that e-mail, her bold response, went viral. >> so, you know nothing about me, but what you see on the outside. >> well, abc news finally tracked down the viewer who wrote her, kevin krause. and last night, he told us, he never meant to hurt her. >> i truly apologize to jennifer. that's the last thing i ever wanted to do. >> he says he's no bully, just a, quote, working stiff, who once had a weight problem of his own. and, by the way, the anchor, livingston, saw our interview and decided to close the chapter, saying, she's grateful for his apology. and, coming up -- >> bond. james bond. >> on this 50th anniversary of james bond, which is the most memorable scene of all? what's your vote? and we have a new message from the bond who started it all. for my type 2 diabetes. me... thinking my only option was the vial and syringe dad used. and me... discovering once-daily levemir® flexpen. flexpen® is prefilled. doesn't need refrigeration for up to 42 days. no drawing from a vial. dial the exact dose. inject by pushing a button. flexpen® is insulin delivery... my way. levemir® (insulin detemir [rdna origin] injection) is a long-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes and is not recommended to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. do not use levemir® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, confusion, and headache. severe low blood sugar can be serious and life threatening. ask your healthcare provider about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. other possible side effects include injection site reactions. tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions. get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions, such as body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, or sweating. with flexpen®... say good night to vial and syringe. ask your doctor about levemir® flexpen. covered by 90% of insurance plans, including medicare. find your co-pay at myflexpen.com. i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still stubbed up. 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[ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. ♪ listen up. that is the brand new song for the new bond movie, sung by adele and just released today. and it is hard to believe it is 50 years since the first james bond appeared on the screen and introduced movie-goers to a whole new kind of rogue hero. 22 movies later, we decided to look back, with the man who set the standard, sean connery, our "person of the week." >> bond. james bond. ♪ >> sean connery, of the extravagant eyebrow. and what he says is the secret behind every seductive, dangerous move. >> the essence of it, for me, was always to make everything look easy. simple. now, don't go to any trouble on my account. to be able to do the dance. >> reporter: he is the man who gave us the most popular hello in any bond film ever. >> who are you? >> my name is pussy galore. >> i must be dreaming. >> the man who introduced a whole new way of looking at a laser. >> do you expect me to talk? >> no, mr. bond. i expect you to die. >> not to mention all the technology that seemed impossibly sci-fi then. and from the moment he appeared, every man imagined they had a little bond inside them, too. >> so many people identified with somebody getting away with all these dollies. the food. and, a matter of killing, well, you were licensed to kill. >> but in fact, the mythic action hero -- >> i think he got the point. >> was constructed by a kind of committee. the real connery was born in poverty. his mother, a housekeeper. he quit school when he was 13. not only did he change, he changed us. before bond, gin was the number one drink. after him? vodka martinis. >> medium dry martini, lemon peel, shaken, not stirred. >> vodka? >> of course. >> and after he left, so did the cloud of smoke. it won't come again. and so did all that chest hair. chest hair then and now. daniel craig says every single bond who has come and gone and come and gone knows at the end of the day, they owe it all to him. >> it's the lone hero. and it was sean and it was this magnificent man who just -- you know, that's the person everybody, every male wanted to be. >> today, connery is age 82 and knows it's always a time when you can use a little trip -- >> oh. >> into fantasy. >> soldiers, sailors, fat guys, thin guys, older guys, younger guys. i still get stuff sent to me and, you know, notes, sexiest man alive and all that stuff. my name is bond. james bond. >> and so we choose sean connery and we asked if he would send us a message today and he did. and here is what he told us to tell you. "i'm sitting here, reading a great book, thinking how happy i am that someone else gets to keep mi-5 safe. cheers." thanks for watching. we're always here at abcnews.com. "20/20" later. and do not forget, david muir right at this desk over the weekend. see you monday. skyrocketing gags prices. why have they risen so fast? and who is doing what to reverse this trend? >> two teenagers shot, one killed an ill-fate add tempt to stop a restaurant robbery. a killer will not face charge autos and abc 7 news exclusive. obtaining surveillance video showing how vulnerable you can be riding muni with a smart phone. >> and what to expect getting around town on the weekend of special events. >> lines are forming tonight at gas stations, prices have gone through the roof. drivers hoping to fill up before they climb higher, good evening, everyone. >> you know there seems to be no end in sight. there is a seven day run off in prices in which even some dwreerlz are refusing to fill up because of the costs. sheer where prices stand as of right now. you'll pay 4.51s ndz santa rosa. 4.53s ndz san jose. and 4.59 tsdz in san francisco. and overnight, 37 cents in just a week's time. and a few cents shy of a record, by the way