on the broadcast tonight, a new wave of attacks in iraq just as u.s. combat troops come out, this deadly message arrives. what happened during an awful chapter in our recent past were police in a major american city told to shoot unarmed civilians? turnaround. until recently there was no treatment for this woman's cancer. now, a new drug may be giving her and a lot of others new hope. texting too much. growing concern over america's kids and a modern day addiction. and it's all perfectly legal. also tonight, a new debate. should families with kids sit in their own section on the plane? should families with kids sit in their own section on the plane? "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. it was just last week we saw those historic images of the last u.s. combat troops leaving iraq, but as we warned that night on the air, this would not be the end of bloodshed in that country. nothing close. well, today, a devastating wave of attacks across iraq designed to show the insurgents can still attack when and where they want and to show how vulnerable iraq is during this time of transition. we last saw our chief foreign correspondent richard engel reporting that night from a moving u.s. army convoy, part of the last out of there. and tonight, he is here with us in new york. richard, what does today mean? >> this is a very serious day for iraq. this is exactly what many people in that country feared would happen. as u.s. troops pull back, attacks rise. today, there were more than two dozen attacks in 14 different locations. more than 50 people killed.

it was a two-hour assault on the nation of iraq. coordinated bombings in more than a dozen cities and towns, starting at 8:20 a.m. in baghdad, rush hour. the explosions quickly spread nationwide like a blast from a shotgun, from kirkuk in the north to falluja to the sunni muslim heartland and into the shiite cities of basra. the likely culprit -- al qaeda claims they are infidel american creations. why now? it's all about timing. there is a political vacuum with no government in baghdad, nearly six months after elections. there is anger on the streets because iraqi politicians have utterly failed to provide basic services. and now, there is an american pullout. last week, we watched the last

american combat brigade, the 42 strykers, leave iraq for kuwait. 300 of the 42 strykers returned to fort lewis in washington today, reunited with their families. >> it's awesome. >> it's been too long. >> reporter: the first kisses after a year deployment. among those home today the 42 stryker brigade commander colonel john norris. >> we put an end to seven years of operation iraqi freedom. i like to think the soldiers brought honor to all the soldiers that have gone before us knowing we have officially put a transition to the iraqi security forces for a sovereign nation of iraq. >> reporter: 50,000 american troops remain in iraq as trainers and advisers. they are armed and can fight. but that's not supposed to be their mission. they are supposed to help iraqis fight. with the withdrawal of american combat troops, brian, iraq is

entering a new phase. today, al qaeda in iraq made it clear what it want that is phase to look like. >> like day one of the new phase. richard engel back with us. good to have you. thanks. to politics now. here at home, some hard fought primaries were decided last night. one of them still up in the air at this hour and our chief white house correspondent chuck todd, who is also our political director, is with us tonight with what we have learned from all of it so far. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: it's been a wild, wild year so far. anyway, let's get to the latest numbers out of alaska. tea party and sarah palin-backed newcomer joe miller is now clinging to a 1500 vote lead over alaska senator lisa mur cow ski, someone with a famous name in alaska. her campaign believes as many as 15,000 uncounted absentee ballots. we may not know until after labor day. that's when all the votes could be counted. even in limbo what happened is resonating in washington in both parties as they are taking

lessons from her campaign. she made a decision to run a record, talk about what it was like to bring federal money back to alaska. it didn't resonate with alaskans or her opponent as he explained last night at his semi-victory party. >> it is not a partisan republican message. it is a bipartisan message that, look, the federal government is open. we need to get back in control of the destiny of alaska here in this state. that's a message that carries to both parties. >> reporter: look, this was alaska, a state that gets a lot of federal government dollars. the message resonated. john mccain was as vulnerable as murkowski, but he chose to forego talking about his 30-year record of washington accomplishment. instead, he focused only on his opponent. he went negative early and often on j.d. hayworth and won by 20 points. of course this all started in florida which also held primaries last night. the main event was to be crist

and rubio, but charlie crist is now running as an independent. we had the democratic primary last night. kendrick meek is the nominee. so they are having a three-way race which could be decisive on who controls the u.s. senate. all of it is about voter anger at the federal government and it's playing inside the republican party. we saw it from florida to alaska. >> chuck todd in our washington newsroom tonight with a wrap-up of all of it. chuck, tanks. we got more news on the economy today, more disappointing numbers from the housing market. new home sales slumped in july, down almost 12.5% to the lowest level since they started keeping track of those numbers back in 1963. wall street held its ground though. the blue chips managed a gain of almost 20 points. we are just four days away now from the fifth anniversary of hurricane katrina.

tonight, there is some disturbing new information from within the new orleans police department about what they were told to do if needed to take control of that city. our own thanh truong was a local reporter in new orleans during katrina and he's with us from there tonight. you were there, i was there. a lot of this, we have to say, does fit in the kind of danger and violence that was in the air during that week. >> reporter: brian, in the days following hurricane katrina here, the chaos, fear and violence were well documented. what's not so clear nearly five years later is whether new orleans police officers were given permission to shoot unarmed citizens. in the confusion and conflict following hurricane katrina's landfall, new orleans police officers with guns drawn, faced off with civilians who appeared to be looting downtown stores. five years after these images, a new orleans police official now says officers were ordered to shoot. >> i can't give you the exact words, but it was clear. he specifically said for us to shoot looters.

>> reporter: new orleans police captain harry mendoza says then deputy chief warren rilen issued that order in the days after hurricane katrina hit. riley refused to comment but he denied giving the order. mendoza said he never relied the order to officers. >> i was shocked in the chaos that existed and the circumstances that were prevailing both the citizens and for the police that these orders were going to be issued. >> people were shot and killed by the new orleans police department. >> reporter: in a pbs frontline documentary "law and disorder" airing tonight, those terrifying and often lawless days get another look through the prism of time and new information. >> federal prosecutors say there is no evidence the police were under threat. in fact, the police were firing on unarmed civilians. katrina survivors searching for food and medicine. >> reporter: james bernizani ran the field office at the time and

said when communications went down, officers faced unprecedented challenges. >> when you lose command and control. when you have a collapse of the infrastructure, something that never happened in this country before, a lot of officers banded together and they were on their own. >> reporter: new orleans mayor mitch landrieu said the force must find a way to regain the trust of people they are supposed to protect. >> the trust has to be restored or there is no way the city will ever take off. >> reporter: mayor landrieu appointed a new police chief earlier this year. it is unclear any order to shoot looters will play in the federal trials against police officers accused of shooting unarmed people. brian? >> thanh, we'll see you down there. we'll be in new orleans with extensive coverage of the anniversary beginning tomorrow night live in new orleans for this broadcast. on friday night, our msnbc documentary airs. it's about what we saw during those first awful days. then on sunday, we'll have a special edition of "meet the e press" from new orleans. after that, president obama agreed to sit down with us for an exclusive interview which

we'll air on "nightly news" sunday from there. an update on hurricane season now, the current one. hurricane danielle continues to churn in the eastern atlantic. 85 mile an hour winds. danielle could brush past bermuda on sunday. look at this graphic. three systems out there. there is a new tropical storm on the map today. earl, expected to become a hurricane. the last one they are calling a disturbance off the african coast. we'll keep an eye on all three. now to that drama playing out deep underground in chile where 33 miners found trapped but alive are huddled in a small space. it's probably going to take until about christmas to get them out. extraordinary efforts are under way to keep them alive and comfortable. our story tonight from angie sandoval from telemundo tonight who is at the scene. >> reporter: rescue workers celebrate as emergency equipment

and supplies arrive at the site. the miners are now getting regular deliveries of glucose, rehydration tablets, oxygen, medicine, even lights, along with messages of love and support from family members. they have been trapped deep under ground for almost three weeks until a probe reached them sunday, a lifeline just six inches wide. [ cheers ] >> reporter: but as the initial euphoria fades, the focus is on the job ahead. drilling the escape tunnel could take up to four months. so experts are working on how to keep the men healthy and sane so they can survive. they have even asked nasa for help. the challenge will be to keep spirits up and minds sharp. the men will be given tasks to perform. they will be sent playing cards and dominoes, but they haven't yet been told how long this could take. as families prepare for the long

wait, they have been instructed by health officials not to tell their loved ones they may be stuck underground until christmas. the miners are confined to a poorly ventilated safe room about 30 by 20 feet in a section of the mine shaft below. officials say the space will be sectioned off into a clean area for eating and exercising and a dirty area to limit the risk of contamination and disease. experts say the ordeal ahead will be tough, but not impossib impossible. >> you have to focus and get yourself mentally set that, hey, i may be here for the long haul. >> reporter: the miners have already defied the odds. their optimism will now be put to the test. for nbc, angie sandoval in northern chile. the new york city skyline may be about to change in a big way with the addition of a new giant just 900 feet away from the iconic empire state building.

tonight, despite considerable controversy, the new york city council has voted almost unanimously to let the giant project move forward. this is the one-year anniversary of the death of ted kennedy, the man remembered as the liberal lion of the senate, the massachusetts democrat who died of brain cancer a year ago. he was remembered today at a family mass at a church on kennedy's beloved cape cod. when "nightly news" continues in just a moment, from dire cancer prognosis to a new lease on life for some. is this new cancer discovery really a game changer? later, technology plus kids plus friends equals sleep-deprived little zombies in a lot of american homes. how parents can try to stop it. . about how fusion is projected to hold its resale value better than camry. and has better quality than accord. as a matter of fact, people like what

we're saying so much, ford fusion is now the 2010 motor trend car of the year. the fusion, from ford. get in...and drive one. [ but aleve can last 12 hours. tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours. and aleve was proven to work better on pain than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain. introducing total plus omega-3 honey almond flax cereal. all the nutrition of total, plus 10% daily value omega-3 ala, and a delicious honey almond crunch. new total plus omega-3. i'm friend, secret-keeper and playmate. do you think i'd let osteoporosis slow me down? so i asked my doctor about reclast because i heard it's the only once-a-year iv osteoporosis treatment. he told me all about it and i said that's the one for nana.

he said reclast can help restrengthen my bones to help make them resistant to fracture for twelve months. and reclast is approved to help protect from fracture in many places: hip, spine, even other bones. [ male announcer ] you should not take reclast if you're on zometa, have low blood calcium, kidney problems. or you're pregnant, plan to become pregnant or nursing. take calcium and vitamin d daily. tell your doctor if you develop severe muscle, bone or joint pain, of if you have dental problems, as rarely jaw problems have been reported. the most common side effects include flu like symptoms, fever, muscle or joint pain and headache. share the world with the ones you love! and ask your doctor about reclast. once-a-year reclast. year-long protection for on-the-go women. we mentioned this earlier. we're back now with encouraging health news about treating advanced melanoma, the life-threatening form of skin cancer. for the second time in just a few months here, there is word of yet another drug that could

help save lives. our report from our chief science correspondent robert bazell. >> reporter: emily black is only 25 and has been fighting advanced melanoma for five of those years. >> relating to people my age was difficult. it was hard to see people going to class and, you know, just living life normally and not even realizing how good they have it. >> reporter: until recently the outlook for people whose melanoma had spread beyond the initial skin tumor was bleak. black took part in several clinical trials. nothing worked until she started taking an experimental drug -- plx-4032. it targets a genetic mutation that appears in about 60% of people with melanoma. her results, clear on the scans, were dramatic. >> the tumor shrunk by at least 50% within a month.

it was incredible. >> reporter: the results out today show in those with the genetic mutation, more than 80% saw their tumors shrink. some were alive and healthy two years later. >> almost all at once with one type of treatment we had the feeling that for half the patients, we'd made a monumental leap. >> reporter: the success comes three months after news that a separate drug called ipilimeb appears to cure 20% to 30% of patien patients with melanoma by stimulating the immune system. the drugs are not related. some patients may benefit from both. >> the results give the strongest sense that we might actually have a foot in the door in terms of management of this disease. >> reporter: so far plx 4032 has been given only to patients with advanced melanoma. doctors hope it will work better earlier in the disease. the two new drugs could help

more than half of melanoma patients. of course, everyone wants 100%, but, brian, as we discussed before, this targeted therapy is the way advances against cancer work now. >> take the good news as it comes. robert bazell, thank you, as always. welcome william saxbe has died. president nixon made him attorney general during watergate. he was a tough ohioan who was no fan of nixon. he famously called white house aids haldeman and ehrlichman a couple of nazis. when we come back, is there a place to put the little ones when they are all on an airplane together? s when they are all on an airplane together? your blood sugar. you struggle to control you exercise and eat right, but your blood sugar may still be high, and you need extra help. ask your doctor about onglyza, a once daily medicine used with diet and exercise to control high blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. adding onglyza to your current oral medicine

may help reduce after meal blood sugar spikes and may help reduce high morning blood sugar. [ male announcer ] onglyza should not be used to treat type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. tell your doctor if you have a history or risk of diabetic ketoacidosis. onglyza has not been studied with insulin. using onglyza with medicines such as sulfonylureas may cause low blood sugar. some symptoms of low blood sugar are shaking, sweating and rapid heartbeat. call your doctor if you have an allergic reaction like rash, hives or swelling of the face, mouth or throat. ask your doctor if you also take a tzd as swelling in the hands, feet or ankles may worsen. blood tests will check for kidney problems. you may need a lower dose of onglyza if your kidneys are not working well or if you take certain medicines. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about adding onglyza. extra help. extra control. you may be eligible to pay $10 a month with the onglyza value card program. [ smack! ] [ smack! smack! smack! ]

[ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum ta tum tum tums got the gecko t-shirt... on is "4 million drivers switched!" gecko water bottle... notebook... chamois... gecko: sir, i feel a little bit uncomfortable with all... you know... with all this. i mean, it's not about me. should be about how geico's the third-largest car insurance company in the nation. things like that. boss: oh, of course! we're not gonna get carried away. gecko: uh...yeah... all right as long as we don't overdo it. vo: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. no pills, no pain. how can you get pain relief without taking pills around the clock? try thermacare heatwraps, for all day relief without pills. i was surprised, thermacare worked all day. you feel the heat. and it relaxes and unlocks the muscle. you've got to try it. [ man ] thermacare, more effective for back pain than the maximum dose

of acetaminophen, the medicine in tylenol. go to thermacare.com today for a $3 off coupon. thermacare. no pills. no pain. just relief. here we are in summer vacation season, the perfect time to stop perhaps a robbery in progress. this happened twice recently in novel fashion. first, guy from dallas vacationing in connecticut had purchased a new five dollar iphone app that alerted him that his home was being broken into. so he was able to watch the intruders enter live on his web cam on his iphone. he called police back home. police entered the home and scared them away but the people are at large. and look at this, a nice picture of the myers family visiting the state capitol. mr. myers set the timer on the camera. what's that in the background? that would be a guy stealing their bag. when he realized what happened,

mr. myers took the photo to the police who recognized the thief and arrested them. by the way, when they found him, he was still carrying the stolen bag. speaking of vacation, how is the obamas' summer break on martha's vineyard going, you may ask? rain and wind for days. when it stopped today, the first couple dashed out to lunch. mrs. obama said it was merely a chance to dry out. the president was later able to get in nine holes of golf. and this summer flying season a stressful one. people are being honest on a travel website's internet poll about the distinct pleasure of flying with small children. over half of respondents said they would favor a family section of the plane. there's a good euphemism for you, where families with children would sit separately the way we used to treat smokers. one airline expert said it would be near impossible to enforce and he said crying babies are really pretty much part of the flying experience. when we come back tonight, a

story about kids and sleep and what to look for the next time you try sneaking into their rooms at night. the next time you try sneaking into their rooms at night. no oil has flowed into the gulf for weeks, but it's just the beginning of our work. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility r focle upthn ea in the gulf n and that incdekes eping you informed. my job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. that means working with communities. we have 19 centers in 4 states.

we've made over 120,000 claims payments, more than $375 million. we'vto an independent claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. we'll keep looking for oil, cleaning it up if we find it and restoring the gulf coast. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal... until we make this right. [ but aleve can last 12 hours. tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours. and aleve was proven to work better on pain than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain. [ man thinking ] i'm so stuffed with gas. ohh, noo, not that! not, not here! [ male announcer ] prevent uncomfortable gas moments with gas-x prevention.

just one before meals helps prevent gas before it starts. from gas-x, the gas-xperts. >> let's not be quite so formal.

why don't you just call me kermit and i'll call you -- well, uh, what would you like me to call you? >> chet huntley. >> okay, chet huntley. >> that's the original kermit the frog with an approximate puppet version of chet huntley. it was on in the '50s where kermit actually got his start on a show called "sam and friends." now the original kermit and his friends have been given their permanent place in history, donated to the smithsonian by jim henson's wife jane. the original kermit was a duller green than the kermit we know from "sesame street" and the muppet show because his body was made from an old coat thrown out by henson's mother. it is back to school week across this country for millions and that means resetting the kids' sleep schedule. having gone through that in our house, good luck with that. they're coming off summer and

then you add in the technology the average kid has access to. here's the problem. four out of five teenagers surveyed say they sleep with their cell phones on, either in bed or right next to them. so our report tonight comes from veteran parent kevin tibbles. >> reporter: it's late. and do you know where your teen is? sure, they are in their room, but are they asleep? like so many her age, high school senior alex elich is often wide awake in barring ton, illinois, texting friends. >> text them now and have a social life or go to bed and be a loser? >> we'd normally like lights out between 10:00 and 10:30. does it happen? no. she goes upstairs, talks on the phone or texts. >> reporter: today, 75% of 12 to 17-year-olds have cell phones. 77% of 17-year-olds text their friends daily. just 34% communicate with them the old-fashioned way -- face to face.

between cell phones, texting, social networking and games, there isn't much time for rest. research shows burning the midnight oil using electronics can adversely affect teenagers' development. so when they go to bed they really should go to sleep. >> it's necessary to disengage. that means turning off the electronics, doing a little bit of wind-down to transition your body into sleep mode. >> reporter: and educators say more kids arrive at school bleary-eyed and too tired to work. >> the occasional "i'm up too late" incident is not a big issue, but students are really getting sleep-deprived night after night. >> reporter: alex is no exception. >> you wake up and you regret it. it's now 5:00 in the morning. i got four hours of sleep and a test today. >> reporter: experts say there should be a bedtime for gadgets so kids can recharge their own batteries. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> time to turn in.

that's our broadcast for this wednesday night. thank you, as always, for being here with us. i'm brian williams. a reminder, we'll see you tomorrow night from new orleans. a reminder, we'll see you tomorrow night from new orleans. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> no need for the air conditioning repairman now. big changes moving into the bay area. >> good evening, everyone. >> we're about to beat that heat in a big way. yes, that is the fog. here it comes. a live picture shot. you can see a huge fog bank rolling in. >> jeff, any records today? i guess we're going