good evening. we begin tonight with a milestone in the effort to create more jobs in america. a key number, an indicator of our recovery is finally back where it was four years ago. the number of americans requesting unemployment benefits has dropped dramatically. so, we want to break down these numbers. what are the jobs, who is getting them? men, women, younger workers or older workers? and we found some surprises. abc's david muir is here with the answers. >> reporter: we were talking, this is a real signal that mere in america, they are hiring. we ask right here what so many are asking. who is getting hired? as diane, men or women, how old? where are these so-called new jobs? tonight, a real signal. companies big and small now hiring. number of americans filing for unemployment, the lowest since april '08. back then, seven americans fighting for every one job posted. and for months we were stuck at four americans competing for every job. now we finally dip below that. 3.7 americans for every one job. a lot of americans simply want to know, who is getting hired? >> certainly seeing more men getting hired than women. and that's similarly because the jobs that have employed men, those industries are coming back. >> reporter: more american hired in manufacturing, automotive, even retail. willing to take jobs they didn't wan before. but women are certainly in the race, too. kara clark wrote me on facebook. she was laid off enough times to make her nervous. she moved home to iowa, began applying everywhere and tonight, she's in san francisco, got a job doing e-commerce for the gap. and we wanted to know where are the highest paying jobs? they painted us to technology, health care. >> you see a range between $80,000 and $100,000 f. >> reporter: and what age? who is getting hired first? younger or older work earls? turns out older. they are looking for more skilled workers? >> yes, if an employer has a choice to get somebody with more experience, they are definitely going to hire them. >> reporter: a premium on experienced workers. the harley-davidson plant in wisconsin. workers working out. and ginn physical therapy on the job. >> kind of right here. >> reporter: investing in them. debbie, a machinist, on the job. because studies show older workers take fueler sick days, less likely to quilt. and quite simply, they get along bet earl with customers. at duke energy in north carolina, listen to this. it takes eight years and a lot of money spent to train workers on the line. half the techs are over 50. which is why their work day starts with a workout, hoping to stretch their time on the job. older workers more patient with the customers. and just today, president obama signed jobs legislation aimed to put small business on the fast track to raising money, going public for so many americans dream canning of creating the next facebook. all of this comes on the eve of that all-important jobs report >> any clue about the percentage it's going to be somewhere. >> reporter: economists across e board estimate 200,000 jobs, slightly lower than what we've seen, keeping unemployment about the same as more people now enter this force with hope. >> okay, thank you david muir. and now, our washington watchdog on patrol. we have new video to show you. it sparkled outrage today and shows those government workers who travised to las vegas and spent money on mind readers and party clowns, all with tax payers footing the very big bill. here's abc's jake tapper. >> reporter: this video uncovered today shows a federal government employee dreaming about someday being a free-spending commissioner of his agency. ♪ i'd buy everything your field office can't afford ♪ >> reporter: part of a talent contest, the employee raps his vision of being a commissioner dispensing cash bonuses to his fellow bureaucrats. ♪ donate my vags ♪ love to the nation ♪ i'll never be under oig investigation ♪ >> reporter: "never be under oig investigation," he raps. but the video has emerged in the context of an oig investigation, office of inspector general. one that this week cost the job of the actual head of the agency, the general services administration, or gsa. the president asked her to resign because the gsa in 2010 held a boondoggle $823,000 conference at the m resort outside las vegas, one that included $3,203 spent on a mind reader/motivational speaker. >> what's the name of the animal that passed away? >> reporter: and $6,300 for coins in el vvelvet boxes. the gsa, by the way, is tasked in part with helping the federal government keep its costs down. >> the president was outraged by the excessive spending, questionable dealings with contractors and disregard for taxpayer dollars. >> reporter: and now this video pops up. >> this administration knew about this 11 months ago, and they didn't act until the press got wind of it. >> reporter: a spokesman for gsa today called the video -- "another example of the compete lack of judgment exhibited during the conference." our agency continues to be apalled by this indefensive behavior." of course, two years ago, gsa had a different take on the tape. we won an award. in addition to the administrator resigning, four regional commissioners have been put on leave, including the one who wanted this conference to be over the top, at a time that unemployment was almost over 10%. diane? >> all right, jake tapper at the white house with the tape tonight. and in medical news tonight, a new clue about the terrifying number of children in america with autism. there is new evidence that the age of the father may play a role in some cases. and here's abc's medical editor, dr. richard besser. >> reporter: autism is one of medicine's greatest puzzles. another piece was found today. a piece about autistic children with dads older than 30. men like ray. >> we first noticed something was going on with our son, because he had a pretty large vocabulary. delta, taxi, bagel. and over a period of time, he lost those words. >> reporter: ray's two sons, oscar and hugo, were each diagnosed with autism in early childhood. it's possible their autism is connected to changes that happened in their dad's genetic material. >> these spontaneous mutation are probably more often inherited, at least in autism from dad, and maybe a little more common in older dads. >> reporter: dads who are over 50, compared to dads over 30, have twice the risk of having an autistic child. and this study may help explain why. pointing out spontaneous genetic glitches connected directly to autism. medicine already knows that older parents, moms and dads, have a higher risk of having kids with down syndrome, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. the older the parents the greater the risk. >> we don't have the answer. we have lots of answers and lots of suggestions. this is often the way with interesting science. it raises more questions than it provides answers. >> reporter: of course, ray and his wife don't know what caused their sons' autism. if anyone knew, this devastating syndrome would be easier to treat. >> let's figure out if it's one thing or many different things. let's figure out if there's a je mettic factor, environmental factor. >> reporter: another piece of the puzzle, with so many more to go. every advance medicine has made begins with basic research. that's where we are now in fighting autism. these new studies are very exciting and they offer incredible promise. >> what does this mean for men, that men now have to consider that they have a kind of medical biological clock that they have >> reporter: i think they do. this study showed age was a factor. but it only accounted for about 5% of the increase in autism. so, older men can have children. but i do think that not only women have a biological clock. >> all right, so, go ahead make your plans but know that this is out there and it is at least a preliminary clue. >> that's right. >> thank you. and now we have an jupdate for you on sergeant robert bales, accused of the massacre of 17 afghan civilians. today, u.s. yinvestigators had their first chance to talk to the witnesses inside those villages. they waited this long, the investigators did, more than three weeks, because of the danger from the afghans so angry at the u.s. and back here at home, the news about the dangerous weather system that spawned those tornadoes in texas and fueled extreme turbulence in the air. tonight, the system is moving east and to alabama, florida, georgia and south carolina. and now, they are getting hit by that golf ball-sized hail and winds up to 50 miles an hour. and in parts of missouri, they are saying they are seeing more tornadoes. and a smoking gun emerged today in the allegation in pro football that players on the new orleans saints were paid money for hitting players with such brutal force it knocked them out of games. today, our partners at yahoo sports uncovered a recording and on it, a new orleans coach graphically telling players to inflect injuries in a big playoff game. here's abc's josh elliott. >> reporter: even in the brutal and hyper-violent world of the nfl, america's unquestioned secular religion, the words are a stunning sacrilege. >> kill the head and the body will die. >> reporter: you are listening to new orleans saints defensive coordinator gregg williams, firing up his players before a january playoff game against the san francisco 49ers. in the tapes, recorded by a documentary filmmaker and first obtained by yahoo sports, williams seems to exhort the team to deliberately injure 49ers players, targeting old injuries and, in the cases of niners tailback frank gore, his head. >> we've got to do everything in the world to make sure we kill frank gore's head. we want him running sideways. we want his head sideways. >> reporter: but perhaps most troubling, a reference made to a bounty on driving san francisco quarterback alex smith from the game, as williams rubbed his thumb and fingers past, suggesting financial reward. we hit [ bleep ] smith right there. remember me. i've got the first one, i've got the first one. >> reporter: the nfl has cracked down on the abuse. suspending williams indefinitely for his role in the bounty program. also suspended? saints head coach sean payton for the whole season and general manager mickey loomis for half of it. meantime, the players association has hired an attorney to defend players against any possible criminal charges. but no this explosive tape brings new pressure on the n 23 l. keep clean a sport so violent, for at least one time, so apparently dirty. >> here's why we care and we want to know that there is at least some effort, by the powers that be, that ensure these are not modern day gladiators who are melt foficily being thrown to the lions. >> josh is here now. so, you have to explain something to me. what is realistically going to happen next? this is football. are they just going to wink and nod? what's going to happen? >> reporter: they certainly can't. again, roger goodell, the nfl commissioner, has been committed to cleaning up the sport and keeping it safe for the players. you have to remember, in gregg williams, on that tape, said something else. never apologize for the way you compete, suggesting a business as usual aspect here. and you wonder, well, where is the line? and here is the line. in a hyper-violent sport, the players accept that violence but not the willful intent to maim, to con kucuss, end careers or m worse. >> but he wasn't rogue, do you think, or was he a rogue coach? >> reporter: in the years i spent covering the league, i had several intanstances on differe teams of unofficial bone tips, player to player, high money veteraning playing a rookie to maybe knock a guy out. >> it mail just go under ground. all right, thank you, josh. and still ahead, the new crime wave sweeping suburban neighborhoods. why your local drugstore may be a danger zone. americans are always ready 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[ horse neighs ] hold up partner. prilosec isn't for fast relief. try alka-seltzer. it kills heartburn fast. yeehaw! so, before the break, we showed you these two paintings, and asked if you could pick out which one was worth a million dollars. here it is. did you guess it right? as we said, it's the fantasy of anyone who has wandered into a thrift shop. to find the treasure that changes your life. as abc's david wright tells us. >> reporter: when andy field took his family to vegas, he hit jackpot. not at the casinos, but at the garage sale. he bought this picture, not even realizing what he had. >> when i was reframing this, underneath this picture, it turned out to be this. >> reporter: one of the earliest warhol's, worth a lot more than the $5 he paid. >> he said, let's start at $2.1 million. >> reporter: remember here's flowers? the indiana man who paid 30 bucks for them at a thrift store was surprised to see a picture of his painting featured in the board game "masterpiece." the museum of fine arts in houston bought it for $1.2 million. a philadelphia man paid $4 for this old copy of the declaration of independence. an original, sold at auction -- for $2.4 million. and retired truck driver terry horton spent five bucks for a painting she doesn't even like. it may be a jackson pollack, worth more than $50 million. >> just blew me away. i thought, my god. something this ugly, to my girlfriend, we were going to throw darlts at it. >> reporter: today with appraiser in toe, we went to the council thrift shop in l.a. what are our chances of finding the megamillions? >> probably one in thousands. >> reporter: as he was telling us what to look for, he got a call. someone in lincoln, nebraska, looking for answers. >> it's a real painting, it's going to have texture. >> reporter: did they say where they found it? >> she found it in a thrift store. >> reporter: this thrift store, the biggest bargain to date wasn't art, but sneakers. >> i saw them, said, you know what, let's put these on ebay. >> air jordans. >> reporter: $1,100 for sneakers? >> yeah. >> reporter: one person's trash may be someone else's jackpot. david wright, abc news, los angeles. and thank you for watching. we are always here at abcnews.com. "nightline," of course, here later. and as we said good night, who doesn't know, this is opening day for america's past time. baseball is back. and all across the country, we gathered up some small but xub ranlt fans who paid tribute in the way we always do. have a great night. >> are you excited about opening day? >> yes! ♪ take me out to the ball game ♪ take me out to the crowd ♪ buy me some pea nuts and cracker jack s ♪ ♪ i don't care if i ever get back ♪ ♪ root root root for the ♪ cubbies ♪ if they don't win it's a shame ♪ ♪ for it's one, two, three ♪ strikes you're out ♪ at the old ball game captioned by closed captioning services, inc.