secrets of war, what the military really new. campaign swing -- with ten days, the president on the road and fighting hard. tonight, why one of the most populars running may still lose his race. after the quake -- ten months later. the new race against time in haiti. hitting home, how the drug war next door is even closer than y think. and making a difference. they say no one is giving these hard times. they say no one is giving these hard times. tell that to this 5-year-old.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television > good evening. it was just a little over 24 hours ago, we got our first glimpse at the tusands of secret war documents released by wikileaks, largely compiled from battlefield accounts is revealing aicture of the iraq war far more grim than what we were told. from a staggering civilian death toll to americans turning a blind eye to iraqi brutalities to iran's deep involvement in the clon flikt, rewriting much of a history of this war. in amoment, richard engel will tell us how it squares with what he saw on the ground, but let's start with jim miklaszewski. what's the pentagon's retion. >> reporr: pentagon officials have condemned the wikileaks release of military secrets.

4000 raw reports from battlefield commanders on t front lines iraq, while much has been report to some extent it provides a deeper look into the darkest side of e iraq war. >> the leaked documents cover the deadliest year of the iraq war and for the first time provide evidence iqi civilians covered the heaviest losses. the secret records show in all 109 iraqi soldiers were killed. but more than half 66,000 were civilians. higher than previously disclosed. london, julian assange accused of u.s. of hiding the truth. >> iraq, as we can see was a blood back bath on every corner. >> 861 were killed at u.s. checkpoints alone. they insist military tactics

were have improved. >> we have gotten better borough texting ourselves while at the same time protecting civilians approaching checkpoints, but we have not been perfect. >> it was also revealed that u.s. military knew that military forces were tortured detainees. it was reported up the chain of command. one document states an american soldier watch an iraqi off ter ser strike a detainee with a batten and one. the soldier reported the incident but the document shows there was no investigation. amicans also obtained video showing iraqi soldiers and an officer executing a detainee. that incident was also reported, butine days later, the case was closed. >> it is very good that this data has been collected. but is it wrong and unjustifiable that it has been kept secret for so long. >> perhaps more troubling in the long run, the secret documents

show iran exerted more influence and had a bigger role in fomenting violence in iraq than first thought and is still flexing significant muss until iraq today. >> the real irony here is that the united states has overthrown and stabilize iraq to a certain degree, iranny influence has never been higher inside iraq. >> wikeaks say they released the stolen documents in the name of truth there. >> is a public right to know. >> but u.s. officials fear the details of u.s. military tactics contained in the documents will give the enemy a newfound advantage on the battlefield. >> they're looking for vulnerility, trying to exploit them in future tae, thas why these documents are so dangerous to our forces. >> reporter: in addition, a document abo those thr american hikers taken int custody by iran crates the three were clearly in iraq when grabbed but the trio was warned in advance about traveling to that yeah and the seemed intent on creating agitation and

publicity. ed as for the overall lea pentagon officials don't expect any major fallout from these latest disclosures but it it's not over yet. wickky election intends to release another 17,000 documents from the war in afghanistan some time soon. >> jim miklaszewski in washington. thanks. richard engel has covered the iraq war from the start. he's here with us in washington tonight. do these jibe with what you saw in your years? >> they ye, they do. particularly durinthe worst years. you read these report, they're snapshots from the battlefield and describe the consistent problems with security contractors and brutality by the iraqi security force and american troops in the middle of it. the problem is they don't reflect what we were being told by the military at the time particularly before the surg the military was saying that the situation on the ground was better than was being reported, that it was reporters who were exaggerating the probm. these documents show that the military knew full well how bad

the situation was and was telling itself and reporting it internally that there was a really serious situation in iraq. >> i know you spent the better part of the day going throh as many documents as you could, did you get a sense as to how and why they were generated? >> every time a patrol goes out, soldiers gather information, if they go it a c bombing or an incident where civilians he been shot, they will gather information, they'll talk to people on the scene and thil write back a little cable to their commanding ficers these short messages about what they saw on the ground, their internal database, if you there is just what just got leaked. >> richa engel, our senior foreign county, thanks. with just ten days to go before the midterm eltion, president obama has wrapped up an impornt western swing. tonight, he's heading back home after a last stop in minnesota. mike viqueira is on the road with the president tonht. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester, another town, another rally, another big crowd for the

campaigner in chief. this time in minnesota as he wraps up a five state swing or the course of the last four day, his mission to fire up core constituency, many of those same grou that sent him to the oval office just two years ago, like young voters he had a h rallies here in washington state, california and with women, had a backyard discussion in seattle about economic challenges they face. all along the way, he was raising millions for democrats as he bashed republicans over and er again. another immediate goal, lester, should sure up democratic incumbents in blue states bike patty murray and barba boxer, and key ally harry reid had a fund-raiser last night for harry reid. there's more campaigning on the way for the campaigner in chief over the course of the next ten days, so go to ohio, illinois, connecticut and pennsyania trying to close the deal with the voters or at least keep republicans from getting control of the senate, a lot of democrats will privately tell

you the house, pretty much at this point, lester is gone. >> mike viqueira, thank you. meantime in west virginia, a democrats has been called one of the most engauging effective governors in the history of that state who many thought would be a slam dunk in his race for u.s. senator now finds himself in ann extremely tight ra, the reason is in a word -- obama. >> reporter: the good news for governor joe manchin, he's more popular than almost every politician in the country. >> born and raised in farmington, west virginia, a coal mining town, iote heart and soul of west virginia. >> reporter: but many of the same voters who praise manchin are ready to vote against him in a very tight senate race. >> i would love to see him be governor for life. reporter: is this election about your performance or the president's? >> it's not, right now, you know it's not about my performance. >> reporter: at the first lunch diner charleston, voters worry manchin would support the

president's agenda. >> my dad was a coal miner and my dad was a democrat. myad was a coal miner, he was a democrat. if they knew i was going vote for some republican guy, they would probably roll over in their grave today. >> reporter: thisace was never expected to be close. democrats have long history of winning here, but being a democrat in west virginia is different than other places. voters say they're more conservative. republican senate candidate john raese built his campaignround linking manchin to present obama. >> will he go to washington and about rubber stamp? i think west virginia thinks so and i think so. raese runs his families a mine and steel companies. his fight against health care reform is popular here. >> i think it's unadultated socialism, it's government control over our medicare and health. i thisotally unacceptable. >> reporter: his appeal, exper say, goes beyond this race. >> i think for those who are supporting him, it has more to

do with sending a message to washington that the current policies are not popular re. >> reporter: trying to move away from the president manchin opposing the cap and trade plan widely rejted in coal country. though he supports health care reform, manchin adopted the tea party label obama care. >> i'll repeal the bad parts of obama care. >> reporter: you callt obama care. why? >> this is the president's health care. he fought to get health care. now there's a lot of things he has overreached on that we don't in west virginia agree. >> reporter: for manchin to win, needs voters to decide they like what he's done at governor more than they dislike what president obama has done as president. for more perspective on all this, we're joined by david gregory, moderator of "me the press." we just heard two different accounts of how the president is playing for and against mbers of his own party. how does he wal that tight rope? >> he goes to where he can actually help. in this case, it's go to go sta

to states wheree won in 2008 or saw high enough approl rating he can turn out democratic vote. those first time voters from 2008, younger voters, african-american, other minority, will, he'll go to california nevada, with the hispanic ve are high and try to get voters concernedbout change and republican rule. >> we we saw sarah palin beating the drum against beat government. she also cuts two ways for republican but they do all benefits about the enthusiasm she's generating? we hear about the enthusiasm gap. >> there's no question about it, conservatives are ready to send a message to washington, a mess amp opposition to democrats. sarah palin has gotten that group energized, got. conservatives energized, got the tea parties energized, there's ups and downs, the down part is there's christine o'donnell who sarah palin handy now she's way behind in delaware and yet she's done more damage as frankly a poor candidate. she's also hurt the republican

and and is start to infect the race in pennlvania, helping the democrat there because there's some independent voters in that yeah who say wait a minute, this note the nservative movement i want to be a prtf it. >> give us a status check in the final days, are there any signs this may not follow the conventional script that many think it will of a big republican victory? >> there are some political advisers who argue that could be the case, something of a split decision decision here. they're focused on holding onto the senate. that's why the proceed is going where he's going. californ, neff za, washington state. they look at governors races like florida and ohio are promising democrats, perhaps california as well. and they'll look to democrats in congress who though vuler inable might be still fighting it out, doing okay, more conservative districts. these are, however, democrats trite trooig to create distance between themselves and the democratic control of washington. >> all right, david gregory,

thanks very much. the countdown to election day will be the focus tomorrow here on "meet the press." up next for us are as we contins for this stat, the war next door, what is it about one american city that makes it a major hub for mexican drug traffickers and the violence that follows them. later, random acts of kindness who put thousands of dollars in a donation box at ground zero and then disappeared? do you often experience the feeling of a dry mouth?

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we are back now with a gruesome new development in the mexican war on drugs and violence that goes with it. 13 people were killed when a 15-year-old birthday party was attacked just across the border from al pass so texas. it's suspected to be connected to the ongoing turf war over drugs. tonight in his continuing rerts about the war next door. mark potter s the story of an american city that finds itself under siege as a crossroads in this bloody drug tra. >> a weeks ago, mexican authorities arrested la barbie, righ away officials in atlanta wanted the first crack at putting him on trial because that's where he is already charged with distributing tons of cocaine. >> it's possible there are more drugs that have come through quinn net county in atlanta that ever came through miami during

the '80s, durpg the time of the miami vice era r. mexican car tells fighting a brutal war south of the border have now penetrated 270 u.s. cities but atlanta is the major smuggling hub with hundreds o traffickers operating there. near atlanta with well kept homes and quiet street, u.s. drug ages make a shock discovery, a kidnapped drug dealer chained and beaten. >> look around, quiet tree lined street, hard work people here gointo work every day raising families and next door you have members of the gulf cartel tour churg someone for not paying on a drug shipment. >> reporter: hardest hit is begin net county northeast atlanta because of its large spanic population, mexican traffickers easily blend n the reason they're attracted to the atlanta area is the same reason

many legitimate corporations are here. the web of interstate high ways going in and out makes atlanta the southeast's most important transportation hub. mexicans smulingly trucks to the border repackage them befor driving them nth to cities along the eastern seaboard. >> we'll see that arrive at the truck stop, be escort typically to a warehouse, there's a sea of warehouses out there. >> authorities first realized they had a big problem nine years ago when a georgia state patrol car was rammed by mex smugglers guarding a drug shipment in this begin net coty home, agents found a huge methamphetamine lab and down this dirt road hidden from the street anotherouse with millions of dollars in mexican drug cash. but it's the soaring amount of mexican heroin and other drugs flooding the streets that has

mary reiser fearing what s calls death by injection. >> there's a syringe instead of a gun but people are definitely dying at this end of the war on drugs byhe mexican cartel. >> reporter: now firmly entrenched across america among unsuspecting neighbors. there is much more of mark potter's extensive reporting of the door next door on our website "nbc nightly news." a new health crisis is spreading in haiti and so a fears of a worst case scenario. desperate for nighttime heartburn relief? for many, nexium helps relieve heartburn symptoms caused by acid reflux disease. and for the majority of patients with prescription coverage for nexium, it can cost $30 or less per month. headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain are possible side effects of nexium. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. ask your doctor if nexium can help relieve your heartburnymptoms.

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it has been an unusual day at one of america's most prestigious univeities, police arrested three men accus of creating a drug lab in freshman dormitory in georgetown university. it was setp to a make a hall lose nettic drug. the bust happened after someone reported a strange odor. 300 student was evacuated from the dorm. ten months after port-au-prince was rocked by that deadly earth kwa, haiti tonight is experiencing another kind of aftershock. a widenly cholera epidemic among quake survivors that has already claimed more than 200 lives. tonight inside makeift homeless camps, there's a race under wayo prevent thousands of others from falling ill. it's a race against time, the government and international aid agencies are expanding efforts

to contain an epidemic that killed 208 people. chera is spread through contamated food or water and is typically found in places where access to clean sweater limited. >> drinking from the river is contaminated. >> most of the deaths have occurred in central haiti. frank thorp visited a hospital there. >> there are mothers holdi their children on the floor in the hospitals, people are signature on chairs in the hallways, attached to iv drips. there just aren't enough b.e.t. beds in the hospitals here to hold the amount of people that have cholera. >> experts predict the number of cases will rise. the fear is that the disease may reach pt-au-prince, haiti's capital. haiti is still struggling after the devastating earthquake in january killed 300,000 people and displaced or a million. many of them forced int makeshift camps. like those we visited while cover t earthquake, an

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earlier this week show donations have dropped at america's biggest charities even as more people need more help in this difficult economy. tonight, we end our brocast that a reminder that even in tough times that a lot of people, including as you'll see a little boy, are still giving and maki a differen. here's nbc's ron allen. >> reporter: at the ground zero visitors center, who in the ground put $10,000 cash in the collection box and left without a trace? a donation to the new $300 million dollar 9/11 memorial set to open next year. >> i would love to say thank you to the person and it's a shot in the arm for those working on is project. >> reporter: fund-raising has been tough because of the economy. charities report receiving less while people need more fortunately, there a people trying to help. stephanie and shamari tillman know a lot about receiving and giving. they now own a graphics design business in kansas city but it was just a few years ago, they

had hit hard times and had to move to a salvation army homeless shelter. >> it was the realization that oh my god, a week ago we got married and this is how we're getting ready to start our new life. >> it was very embarrassing, it was humiliating, it just made us feel low. >> reporter: over slowly over the years, last month they fledge give $25,000 to the salvation army over the next five years. >> when they pick you up at your most broken place, we'll be forever loyal to them as an agency. >> reporter: magnus neson fement felt that as he was ready to celebrate his birthday. >> i told my friends to make small donation to the ronald mcdonald house. he raised $288. several acts of kindness. one anonymous,ne from a

grateful famil and one from a small boy whose gift seemed as big as any other. ron allen, nbc news, new york. >>that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday, i'm lester holt reporting from new york, i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today" and then right back here tomorrow evening. "today" and then right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com toy, it's nearly double. and nearly a quarte of a million marylanders are looking for work. in addition, we face a national health care plan that will hurt small business and cost us jobs. soe have to ask, are you better off today than you were four years ago? we're heading in the wrong direction. we need strong leadership.