on the broadcast tonight -- eyes of the world on the atrocity in syria. new bombings in the villages where so many children died. and tonight what could be new evidence. the surprise moment live on the "today" show. the revelation that the man who exposed u.s. military secrets now says he is a woman. should he get hormone treatment in prison? out of control and running out of cash to fight the worst fire season in years, as the flames close in on yosemite. and telling her story. an nbc news exclusive, kidnapping survivor hannah anderson sets the record straight for the first time since her harrowing ordeal. "nightly news" begins now.

>> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news with brian williams". good evening, i'm lester holt in for brian. they are horrifying images that will instinctively make you want to look away, yet they can't be ignored. in a long war that's brought death and misery to both sides, the video evidence of what may have happened inside syria, a mass chemical will weapons attack, has shocked the world. hundreds, many children, are dead. tonight the claims of a chemical attack have still not been verified. from the syrian regimes, denials, which the obama white house which for a year has called the chemical weapons use in syria a red line is now being cautious as it calls for an investigation. you're about to see what the rebels say is the evidence, some of it very graphic. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel joins us now with that. richard? >> reporter: good evening,

lester. more videos emerge from syria today. they are unconfirmed by nbc news, but they are consistent with the accounts of witnesses we spoke to. and, again, these images are graphic. the syrian government bombed villages outside damascus today, the same villages hit yesterday by what looks like a war crime. an outrage. hundreds killed by chemical weapons, the rebels say, many of them buried today in mass graves. a syrian cameraman contracted by our partner itn filmed people looking at an exploded rocket. near it, dead bodies. nbc news has no way to confirm that the casualties were caused by this weapon. there is still no definitive proof that chemical weapons were used or by whom. but how can anyone fake rows of dead children? no apparent injuries. no blood. just lifeless bodies, their arms

folded. so many they're not even named, but numbered. this is baby 11 from the village of duma, the number written on a burial shroud. in syria, outrages have long gone unpunished. a vicious civil war now in its third year, more than 100,000 dead, nearly 2 million refugees. >> there's no end in sight. there is no light at the end of the tunnel. >> reporter: can anything be done? options include a no-fly zone to ground assad's air power. expensive and a long-term commit, not actively being considered. arming the rebels. but washington worries, who would get the weapons? the rebels are divided with some linked to al qaeda. what about a military invasion? u.s. boots on the ground. for war-weary americans, that's not even under consideration. today a senior official says the u.s. must be, quote, humble

about what we can and cannot do. and with assad backed by russia, iran, and hezbollah, there is little the world can do. the u.n. has proven to be utterly powerless. it has inspectors in damascus right now, just a few miles from where so many died yesterday, but the syrian government won't let them see what could be the worst atrocity in syria's atrocious war. it's unclear, lester, if this will be a turning point or just another horror in a war no one wants to seem to have anything to do with. lester? >> richard, thank you. egypt's former president hosni mubarak is out of prison tonight, a day after a court ruled he had to be released, wearing a white t-shirt he was moved from the prison with he spent the last two years to a military hospital where he'll receive medical treatment and be held under house arrest. there's a big controversy tonight after a surprise moment

that made news this morning. on nbc's "today," the army private at the center of the wikileaks scandal, bradley manning, declared he is woman, as he heads off to begin his sentence at a military prison sot question tonight, will he get hormone treatments at ft. leavenworth? jim miklaszewski joins us from the pentagon. >> reporter: good evening. bradley manning arrived at the prison late today, convicted in the biggest leak in u.s. secrets in history, but it appears manning had one last secret left. just one day after bradley manning was sentenced t 35 years in a military prison, the army private dropped a bombshell on nbc's "today," in a statement read by savannah guthrie. >> i want everyone to know the real me. i am chelsea manning. i am a female. >> reporter: from this day on, manning asked to be called only by the name chelsea and the female pronoun "she," not "he."

the evidence was already out there, this photo of manning wearing a woman's wig and lipstick was presented by defense lawyers during manning's military trial for leaking u.s. secrets, as proof of transgender issues. but manning wants to take it one step further toward actually becoming a woman. >> given the way that i feel and have felt since childhood, i want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. >> reporter: a statement from the military prison at ft. leavenworth says the affirm does not provide hormone treatment or sex reassignment therapy. manning's lawyer promises to take it to court. >> it is cruel and unusual punishment not to provide necessary medical treatment. >> reporter: transgender advocates argue that the ultimate decision for hormone treatment should be up to manning and a doctor, not the warden. >> private manning is transgender and has a gender identity of female regardless of what the army does or doesn't do or thinks it will or won't do.

>> reporter: but there's also concern about manning's safety. the army reports that transgender prisoners are more likely to be assaulted by other inmates. officials at leavenworth insist they've taken steps to protect those prisoners like manning who may be at high risk. as for the name change, the army is not buying it. letters sent to manning at ft. leavenworth have to be addressed to bradley. chelsea won't make it. lester? >> jim, thank you. now to a big mystery this evening after hours of chaos on wall street. a glitch that halted trading on the nation's second largest stock exchange where people trade huge companies like apple and facebook. experts are calling it unprecedented, and tonight it's raising a lot of questions. cnbc's brian sullivan is live at the nasdaq with late details on all of this. brian, what happened? >> well, lester, what happened is, what began as a relatively slow summer day turned into anything but right around 12:30 eastern time, unexpected halt of trading began. you mentioned some of the names apple, you've got google,

microsoft, even facebook. it was a glitch, and we've finally gotten a statement from the nasdaq about an hour ago, but they didn't go into detail about exactly what happened. will all we know is that stock trading for nasdaq-listed stocks did cease for about three hours today. now, prices in the names you mentioned and other names were not impacted and with about 30 days left in trading, there was a resumption. however, many market participants are calling this yet another black eye for not only the nasdaq but for this highly technical style of trading that we have driven into. remember, with facebook and their ipo there was a problem. we had, of course, the big flash crash on may 6th in 2010. many saying that, while underlying prices, lester, may not have been affected, it is yet another black eye to electronic trading as well as confident. the dow, s&p and nasdaq all ended the day higher. a tour bus headed for a

casino overturned on a southern california will freeway today. 55 people were injured, although most of the injies happily were not serious. at one point, with the freeway closed in both directions, and emergency crews helping the victims, the backup of traffic was said to be 30 miles long. some people got so tired of sitting still they got out of their cars and walked around, right there on the freeway. in san diego, after weeks of scandal over multiple allegations of sexual harassment, mayor bob filner may be in the final hours of his job. there are multiple reports he is resigning tomorrow. after negotiations behind closed doors over the past three days, filner has reportedly agreed to quit in exchange for the city handling some of his legal costs. city council is said to be vote tomorrow. now to the massive fire fight across a huge part of the country. at least 51 wildfires now burning out of control. and there's word tonight the federal government is running out of money and resources to

fight them. and in california will there are new evacuations near yosemite national park as a huge fire there closes in. nbc's miguel almaguer has made his way near yosemite. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening. 84 square mile sz what's been lost here because conditions in this forest are so dry the growth potential for this fire is extreme, and it couldn't come at a worse time. near yosemite national park, 1300 firefighters are on their heels, face-to-face with a firestorm. the rim fire raging out of control, tripling in size overnight. with two homes lost so far, 2500 structures are threatened. thousands have fled their homes, and summer camps forced children to leave, too. don matter isn't ready to go. he watches flames close in, as his family of seven anxiously wait. >> it is what it is. we live where we live because we enjoy it, but there's also risk.

reporter: ripping across forest land, smoke and flames are headed east. we're just 15 miles away from yosemite national park. nbc news is embedded with the pike hot shots in the beer creek fire in idaho. today another 16-hour shift. they don't know where they'll be needed next. the boots on the ground are a sign from the national interagency coordination fire center in boise. this is mission control, the morning meeting. >> they were reporting more than the 29 fires. >> reporter: with 33,000 fires so far this year, scorching almost as much land as the state of connecticut, the u.s. forest service is quickly running out of cash. after spending almost a billion dollars for fire suppression this year, the agency only has $50 million left, just enough to last a few days. the forest service forced to divert $600 million from areas like recreation to keep crews on

the front lines. >> when one pot runs low, we have to reallocate just like you would with your home budget. >> reporter: c-130s are ready, but it costs $12,000 an hour to fly these planes. for the moment, they're staying on the tarmac. tonight, money is short, resources spread thin, as fire season continues to grow with the dry months of september and october still ahead. the cost to fight the rim fire here has already topped nearly $3 million. this blaze is only 2% contained. it will burn for days, if not weeks. the good news, yosemite national park is open and smoke-free. lester? >> miguel, thanks. our exclusive conversation is ahead with kidnapping survivor hannah anderson. setting the record straight on her abduction and coping tonight with terrible loss. and later on the newscast, she comes from racing royalty. now she's on track to follow their lead while leaving a lot of boys in the dust.

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we are hearing more tonight from hannah anderson, the 16-year-old held hostage in the idaho wilderness for nearly a week by a family friend. she spoke out exclusively to nbc news and tonight a lot of people are reacting to her story. nbc's kate snow has our report from san diego tonight. >> it's kind of hard, but i'm hanging in there. >> reporter: it's been less than three weeks since hannah anderson was abducted by family friend james di naimaggio. >> this gentleman that was a friend of ours for a long time has taken everything. >> reporter: hannah had no idea there was an amber alert across the west. >> i love her dearly. >> reporter: she didn't know dimaggio had killed her mother and 8-year-old brother ethan. >> i had a really big heart and -- >> reporter: the family had clearly trusted the man they called uncle jim at his

burned-out home, letters were found. >> the letters were from like a year ago when me and my mom weren't getting along very well. me and him would talk about how to deal with it. >> reporter: dimaggio would often give hannah rides to and from activities. that, she explains, is why the two exchanged 13 text messages on the day of her kidnapping. >> he was picking me up from cheer camp and he didn't know the address. >> reporter: but after picking her up, he drove her to this remote part of idaho where a group of horseback riders saw the odd couple and alerted authorities. >> i don't know if we saved her life. i know we set the stage for somebody else to save her life. >> i'd like to say thank you because, without them, i probably wouldn't be here right now. >> reporter: within days, hannah appeared at a car wash fund-raiser for her family, posted photos and messages online. >> it just helps me grieve, like post pictures and to show how i'm feeling and i'm a teenager. i'm going to go on it.

>> reporter: but that opened her up to judgment from complete strangers. >> i didn't know people could be so cruel. they don't really know the story so they kind of have their own opinion on what they hear. >> reporter: even today while some offered prayers after seeing hannah on the "today" show, many were except skept skeptical. >> she says her mother raised her to be strong. >> if i can get through this, i'm sure i can get through a lot more. >> reporter: when we asked what she's learned, she hints at pain and regret. >> to just not hold a grudge because you never know when someone can be gone. >> reporter: hannah says she's getting ready to go back to high school the day after labor day. it will be overwhelming, she says, because so many people now know her story and are so vocally critical of her. but she says her friends have her back, and, lester, one thing she emphasized is she does not want anyone to see her as a victim but as a survivor. >> well, she is strong and certainly a remarkable young lady. kate snow, thanks.

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when he started the job as head of the fbi, nobody including robert mueller himself ever imagined what was about to happen just a week later. it changed america, the fbi, and the world. tonight, as he prepares to leave the job, the longest serving fbi director since j. edgar hoover speaks with our justice correspond enent pete williams. >> reporter: robert mueller became fbi director a week before the 9/11 attacks. some question the sting cases, some people expressing only a desire to adak. >> i ask, when do you know when that person who harbors an intent to harming citizens to picking up a pistol and killing

13 people. >> i was looking at your picture in the lobby and you have more gray hair now than when you became director. >> i'll also mention, so do you. >> all right, fair enough. >> reporter: he says it's been an intense 12 years and remembers the toughest times. >> the hardest days that you have are those when you lose an agent in the course of duty. >> reporter: and the moments of uncertainty, like the chaotic hours after the boston marathon bombing. >> the investigation had more twists and turns in that very short period of time than in many investigations. you were up in the air in terms of whether you were doing the right thing, making the right decisions. >> reporter: as for threats, mueller says threats remain high that terror groups might use an airliner. are you going to miss all this? >> yes. great people, great challenge. it's been a great opportunity. >> reporter: pete williams, nbc news at the fbi in washington. we have some pictures tonight you have to see to believe. in western russia it was a quiet day at the beach. suddenly, this showed up, an

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for my pain, i want my aleve. [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. finally tonight, a young lady with a legendary name now going into the family business. more than 13 years ago when the great dale earnhardt died in a crash at the daytona 500, he was just 49 years old, and his granddaughter carson was just five months old. tonight, nbc's katy tur introduces us to the newest member of the earn hart racing family. >> reporter: on the outside, carson may look like your typical pre-teen, riding bikes, styling hair and snapping selfies. but on the inside, she's an

earnhartd, race car royalty. >> like i've got cars going through my blood veins. i know it sounds crazy but it's true. >> reporter: pedal to the metal, 45 miles an hour on a dirt track. why do you like racing so much? >> i like racing because i like ing fast. >> you like a little danger. >> yeah. >> reporter: for the last few months, carson toured the west racing with her dad. call it her summer school. >> i knew that my grandfather and my uncle were race car drivers, famous ones, but it didn't all start really sinking in, and i didn't really start thinking about it until i was 11. >> she reminds me of my dad and especially her aggressive nature on the track. >> reporter: carson is literally grown up on the tracks, but a few years ago she decided it was time she took the wheel, racing and winning with her granddad's legendary number 3 nickelodeon noticed in june and sponsored

her cart. are they intimidated by you, do you think? >> probably. most likely. >> reporter: why is that? >> because i come on strong. >> go get them, girl. >> thank you. >> reporter: tonight's race is her last before school, and she is lapping the competition until carson clips another car and goes headfirst into the wall. a scary moment for the pre-teen, even scarier for mom who ran to her side. but carson was okay, one crash not enough to stop her from racing. >> accidents can happen anywhere, and you can't live life in a bubble trying to prevent something from happening or you're going to lose what life is about. >> reporter: by monday, the crash is old news. for now, it's back to school but never quite back to normal for a girl with the legacy of champions and the drive to live up to it. katy tur, nbc news, salisbury, north carolina. that's our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for being with us.

i'm lester holt in for briechb. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.