In for lester who is getting ready to moderate tonights president ial debate. The stage is literally set right behind us. There are the two podiums where Hillary Clinton and donald trump will take their positions in just a short while from now. And the stage is set in every other way. In expectations, in stakes, in suspension, in importance to the choice voters make in 43 short days. Tonight, a string of new polls shows the race is nailbitingly close for both candidates. Our new nbc News Survey Monkey poll shows Clinton Holding on to the lead by five points. Other polls show a tie and some in key battleground states as well. Some are estimating a total audience on the order of 100 million tonight and thats super bowl level. We have our Political Team assembled and ready to go. Nbcs Hallie Jackson won the coin toss, and she starts us off this evening. Good evening. Reporter good evening. And if were sticking with the football talk, put it this way, donald trump cannot afford a fumble tonight. A senior aide said the candidate spent the day relaxing. Trump has seen the stage where you are, but neither he nor voters have seen anything like whats about to happen. Thank you, everybody. Reporter tonight, despite all his time on tv, donald trump is facing his biggest audience yet, and to prepare, hes doing it like he always does his way. No mock debates, no practice podiums, but hes looked at game tape of Hillary Clintons past debates. Huddling with advisers like chris christie, rudy guiliani, even disgraced former fox head roger ailes. Watch for trump to go after clinton on National Security and foreign policy, inviting to former generals along with i gold star mother. In his 11 past primary performances, trumps had president ial moments like his rebuke to ted cruz after the senate slammed new york values. We rebuilt Downtown Manhattan and everybody in the world watched and everybody in the world loved new york and loved new yorkers. Reporter but those moments havent lasted. So tonight, thats trumps most important play proving he has the temperament to be commander in chief. Insults could backfire if he comes off like a bully. Crooked hillary. Reporter and trumps tendency to fudge facts may put him in risky territory. The Clinton Campaign has been gaining the wrath, been talking to the media media saying its your job to make mur donald trump is factchecked in realtime. Reporter if she manages to get under his skin, no telling what trump could do. Always unpredictable, unfiltered. Donald trump comes into the debate with serious questions about his fitness to be commander in chief, questions about his temperament, he needs to show steadiness and the American People need to see someone, if hes going to be successful, who is applausible commander in chief. Reporter and underscoring the stakes, our new polling shows 34 of americans say tonights debate will be important in deciding their vote. Savannah . Hallie jackson in the spin room, starting us off. Now for how Hillary Clinton is preparing. She is an experienced debater, comfortable with the ins and outs of policy, but her challenge tonight, issues of trustworthy and character that have dogged her throughout this campaign. Reporter Hillary Clinton bracing for the biggest moment of her political life, aides say leaving nothing on the table. Even today a lastminute prep session, after latenight mock debates all weekend. Rehearsing at 9 00 p. M. To adjust to the latenight start time, with former aide felipe ryanas, a scrappy new yorker playing donald trump. You have 90 minutes and its just a moderator and two of you on stage, you can run but you cannot hide. Reporter even with 40 debates under her belt, tonights challenge for clinton, not knowing which trump will show up. Shes prepping for a gracious, polite trump, not the bombastic reality tv star. She needs point out that different parts of the country are gone regardless of how he comes. No one has any question about her intellect, erexperience, the way she understands the world. What they need to see tonight is more whats in her heart and her gut. Reporter a vulnerability shes struggled with for years. They seem to like barack obama more. Well, that hurts my feelings. [ laughter ] i dont think im that bad. Youre likeable enough, hillary. Expect her to hit trump on his temperament, controversial statements about muslims, mexicans, and women and his praise for vladimir putin. Raising the stakes for clinton tonight, new polls showing shes losing ground. Trump has closed the gap in colorado, now a virtual tie there and in pennsylvania. A state clinton aides say is their fire wall dweans a trump victory. Her battle plan includes playing mind games with trump, inviting his rival mark cuban to sit in the front row, prompting trump to tweet he might invite gennifer flowers. But today a clinton aide trying to provoke trump, tweeting if he cant handle mark cuban, how is he going to be commander in chief . Reporter tonight is such a big deal that bill clinton may actually show up tonight, aides say. Whats harder to predict are the verbal gaffes or the body language that may tell a lot more about a candidate than all the rehearsed statements. This is the first president ial debate pitting a woman against a very unpredictable man. Andrea mitchell, thank you. We want to bring in katy tur and kristen welk welker. Katy, who is trump trying to win over tonight . Reporter right now, he has a ceiling of about 40 in the polls and thats not enough to win in november. So what operatives say he needs to do, focus on those who still have their doubts. How by not doing what he did in the primaries, by doing the opposite, by not letting trump be trump. Focusing on what he has to offer and avoiding unnecessary attacks on Hillary Clinton, avoiding insults. Proving to moderate republicans and women that hes not a risk. But trump is a wild card and anything can set him off. Thats why you could see his most memorable line, his best zinger in the first 30 minutes of the debate, a headline grabber that could drown out a misstep or a gaffe later on, or a potentially week showing. Remember, trump doesnt necessarily need to win these voters over. Hell settle on keeping them from voting for Hillary Clinton. Savannah . Katy tur outside the debate hall here. And kristin, as i turn to you, andrea mentioned one of the voting blocks that clinton needs to win over, millenials. So whats the plan . Reporter thats right. Clinton is aiming for undecided and especially younger voters. They were critical to the Obama Coalition in 2008 and 2012. And secretary clinton needs them to turn out in force in order to win the white house. Right now, she is struggling a bit. Remember, during the primary, they overwhelmingly went for senator bernie sanders. Our latest nbc News Survey Monkey online poll shows many of them are leaning toward thirdparty candidates, gary johnson getting 16 of millennial voters. So tonight the strategy is to talk about the issues they care about, issues like college affordability, climate change, and also jobs. Her other challenge is restoring trust while being relatable to a younger audience when the stakes couldnt be higher. Savannah . Kristen welker, thanks so much. And katy tur as well. A Quick Program guide as we watch tonights debate, its scheduled to last 90 minutes, no breaks. It will be decided into six 15minute segments, the debate topics selected by the moderator, will include americas direction, achieving prosperity and securing america. Hillary clinton won the coin toss and will get the first question. If you notice a different in the podiums, trumps is higher to make up for the ten inch height difference between them. That brings us to moderator of meet the press chuck todd and tom brokaw who needs no introduction. Neither candidates cruising in, hoping for the status quo. They both need to put points on the board. A hundred percent. History says we hype them up, they dont move the needle that much. But this debate is different. Theres one in seven voters right now that say theyre for gary johnson or jill stein. Theres another 10 that are undecided. Theres more fluidity to this race going into a first debate than any eye would argue going back to 1992 since ross perot, and frankly, this is why im looking forward to this debate as much as i was on that one. I dont think weave seen anything like it, nor a political environment like were in. There are real stakes here. Tom, this is a once every fouryear ritual in our political system, why the it does feel in some sense historical with these two candidates. They always have a builtin drama. Everything up to this point has been an outoftown tryout. Now theyre on stage. The first woman running for president against a renegade who is a very successful investor in realize and a Reality Television star who plays by an entirely different set of rules. Its not just what we show tonight. Theres going to be live streaming. People will be on social media. This new environment, atmosphere, that we live in, this universe, theyll have a lot to say. Whether they can move the needle or not, i dont know. One thing i know about these debates, they always produce a surprise. The ufo is out there. The unforeseen will occur. A good note to leave it on. Thanks so much. Were all going to be here for the debate. Its moderated by our own lester holt, it starts 9 00 eastern, 6 00 pacific. We want to turn to other news now and the horror on the road today in houston. A gunman firing randomly at cars. Injuring nine. He was killed in a shootout. He had nazi paraphernalia among his belongings. We get details from nbcs blake mccoy. The morning commute turned terrifying in this quiet houston neighborhood. A gunman opening fire for 20 minutes. Jeez. Reporter randomly shooting at drivers near a strip mall. I was driving to the gym as usual and suddenly just felt like an explosion inside of my car. And glass everywhere. I heard a few pops, maybe two or three, could smell the powder and hot air from the bullets just flying by. Reporter six people shot, a total of nine injured. The gunman killed in a shootout with police. Multiple officers engaged the suspect, who was shooting randomly at passers by as well as anybody he could put his sights on. Reporter police say he carried out the attack with a militarystyle uniform and nazi emblems were found on m of his plongings. At the neighborhood was put on lockdown. Residents told to shelter in place. Jennif jennifers husbands car was hit. He was screaming, crying, im hit, jen, im hit. Reporter police say the shooters car, a black porsche was found nearby. Officials have not named the gunman, but say he was a lawyer who lived in the neighborhood and recently had issues with his law firm. Police say theyre investigating the suspects problems at work and Law Enforcement sources tell nbc news, they do not believe the shooter has any connections to terrorism. With the motive still unclear, this is a Community Shaken and on edge. Savannah . Blake mccoy in houston for us, thank you. In the midwest, deadly floods have 13 iowa counties under states of emergency tonight. The rivers there are rising. Businesses are submerged as the flood waters move downstream toward cedar rapids. Thousands of residents have been told to evacuate. Hundreds of National Guard troops are helping to secure the city and theres more misery to the south in antonio, where torrential rains led to a number of water rescues today. Still ahead here tonight, hail to the king. So many tributes rolling in for golf legend Arnold Palmer. Well have a look back at his amazing life and incredible career on the course. Also from nixons perspiration to gores sigh, the gaps of approaching medicare eligibility . Dont put off checking out your options until sixtyfive. Now is a good time to get the ball rolling. Consider an aarp Medicare SupplementInsurance Plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Like any of these types of plans, it could help you with outofpocket medical costs. Call now and request your free decision guide and explore the range of aarp Medicare Supplement plans. Start gathering the information you need. To roll into sixtyfive with confidence. My lineage was the vecchios and zuccolis. Through ancestry, through dna i found out that i was only 16 italian. He was 34 eastern european. So i went onto ancestry, soon learned that one of our ancestors we thought was italian was eastern european. This is my ancestor who i didnt know about. He looks a little bit like me, yes. Ancestry has many paths to discovering your story. Get started for free at ancestry. Com [ cough ] shh. I have a cold with this annoying runny nose. Better take something. Dayquil liquid gels doesnt treat a runny nose. It doesnt . Alkaseltzer plus cold and cough liquid gels fight your worst cold symptoms including your runny nose. Oh, what a relief it is guess what guys, i sprint . Im hearing good things about the network. All the networks are great now. Were talking within a 1 difference in reliability of each other. And, sprint saves you 50 on most Current National carrier rates. Save money on your phone bill, invest it in your small business. Wouldnt you love more customers . I would definitely love some new customers. Sprint will help you add customers and cut your costs. Switch your business to sprint and save 50 on most current verizon, at t and tmobile rates. Dont let a 1 difference cost you twice as much. Whoooo for people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay. Com. Were back now with a tribute to an american icon. Golfing great Arnold Palmer died on sunday in pittsburgh. He was 87. A true class act, palmer was credited with bringing the game out of the country clubs and to the masses. He became a legend over a career that spanned five decades. Nbcs joe fryer now with a look back. Reporter they called him the king. Not the kind who rules over people. Quite the opposite. Arnold palmer was the man who took an elite sport and made it a pastime for all. Arnold palmer was the first sprrps of the Television Era in golf and he had a personal magnetism that almost burst through a black and White Television screen. A birdie for arnold. Reporter its even said palmer sold a million color tvs, he was that popular, parading across the fairway, flanked by loyal fans, known as arnies army. Got to thank god for the game of golf and what it has meant to me. Reporter his strong yet unorthodox swing was far from textbook, his career was one for the history books. Palmer won seven majors, often battling his oncourse rival and offcourse friend jack nicklaus. When i heard the news last night, i just was crushed. It just sort of felt like a part of my life went with it. We all try, but we all never live up to his standard. He made the difficult look easy. Reporter he paved the way for generations of stars, including tiger woods, who says, he meant so much to the game and to me personally. I knew that i could always call him for advice. Palmers legacy never stopped growing, whether through his multi Million Dollar golf empire, or his trademark drink, a mix of lemonade and iced tea. Across 87 years, Arnold Palmer kept his scores below par and his life well above average. Joe fryer, nbc news. And when we come back, with the suspect in a deadly boost its about moving forward not back. Its looking up not down. Its feeling up thinking up living up. Its being in motion. In body in spirit in the now. Boost. Its not just nutrition, its intelligent nutrition. With 26 vitamins and minerals and 10 grams of protein. All in 3 delicious flavors. Its choosing to go in one direction. Up. Boost. Be up for it. If youvtry clarispray. Mes to escape your nasal allergies. From the makers of claritin. Clarispray provides 24hour, prescription strength relief from sneezing, runny nose, and nasal congestion. Return to the world. Try clarispray today. Clean better than a manual. Electric toothbrush was going to he said sure, but dont just get any one. Get one inspired by dentists, with a round brush head go pro with oralb. Oralbs rounded brush head cups your teeth to break up plaque and rotates to sweep it away. And oralb crossaction delivers a clinically proven superior clean vs. Sonicare diamondclean. My mouth feels super clean oralb. Know youre getting a superior clean. Im never going back to a manual brush. Is depression more than sadness . Its a tangle of multiple symptoms. Trintellix vortioxetine is a prescription medicine for depression. Trintellix may start to untangle or help improve the multiple symptoms of depression. For me, trintellix made a difference. Tell your healthcare professional right away if your depression worsens, or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior or thoughts of suicide. Antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. Trintellix has not been studied in children. Do not take with maois. Tell your healthcare professional about your medications, including migraine, psychiatric and depression medications to avoid a potentially lifethreatening condition. Increased risk of bleeding or bruising may occur especially if taken with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners. Manic episodes or vision problems may occur in some people. May cause low sodium levels. The most common side effects are nausea, constipation and vomiting. Trintellix did not have Significant Impact on weight. Ask your healthcare professional if trintellix could make a difference for you. The suspect in a Washington State mall shooting that left five people dead has reportedly confessed. 20yearold arcan cetin appeared in court today. According to court documents, he admitted entering the mall with the rifle on friday and shooting those five people. He was caught on saturday after a massive manhunt. The motive is still a mystery tonight. And he faces five counts of murder, bail set at 2 million. The Miami Marlins are taking the field tonight with heavy hearts. Their first game following the death of star pitcher Jose Fernandez in a boating accident. Every player will wear his jersey number, 16, tonight. Fernandez and two others were killed when their boat struck a jedi on sunday morning. The boat was registered to fernandez, but its unclear who was driving and that crash remains under investigation. Bad weather put a damper on the royal familys visit to canada. William and kate were forced to cancel an aerial tour of a rainforest in british dlumia. For Princess Charlotte this is her first royal tour, but all eyes were on older brother george, when he shut down Justin Trudeaus request for a high five. And when we come before it became a medicine, it was an idea. An inspiration. A wild whatif. So scientists went to work. They examined 87 different protein structures. Had 12 years of setbacks and breakthroughs, 4,423 sleepless nights, and countless trips back to the drawing board. At first they were told no, well. Maybe, and finally yes. Then it was 36 clinical trials, 8,500 patient volunteers, and the hope of millions. And so after it became a medicine, someone who couldnt be cured, could be. Me. I love that my shop is part of the morning ritual around here. People rely on that first cup and i wouldnt want to mess with that. But when my back pain got bad, i couldnt sleep. I had trouble getting there on time. Then i found aleve pm. Aleve pm is the only one to combine a sleep aid plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. For pain relief that can last into the morning. Look up at a new day. Hey guys now im back. Aleve pm for a better am. And thats a live look at the stage, hofstra university, the site of what is arguably the most anticipated event in modern political history. With so many eyes on donald trump and Hillary Clinton, the pressure is on to avoid any unforced errors on the debate stage. As our Peter Alexander explains, those unexpected moments can often make or break a candidate. Reporter its the highest of high wire acts, 90 minutes in front of a national audience, uninterrupted. On this stage, how you appear, sometimes matters more than what you say. Take the first televised president ial debate 56 years ago today. Kennedy looking poised. Nixon famously wiping away sweat. Tonight the debate hall will be cool, including air conditioning vents equally spaced above the candidates. Even the slightest wrong move on stage with leave a mark, like president bush appearing disinterested, checking his watch. Al gore not faring much better against george w. Bush. The Vice President rolling his eyes and engaging in what viewed as intimidation that left some voters unimpressed. Trumps podium is slightly taller than clintons. Unlike past years, theres no signed agreement between campaigns on mechanics, which Means Nothing stops the candidates from asking each other questions, calling out someone in the audience, or even declining to participate in the remaining debates. Tlul one glaring gaffe can bring down an entire campaign. Jerald ford in 1976 during the cold war. There is no soviet domination of eastern europe. Reporter a good line can diffuse a liability. For reagan, his age. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponents youth and inexperience. [ laughter ] reporter tonight after months of fierce attacks, an unpredictable faceoff. Their first real face to face interaction since trump sweating 11 years ago. Peter alexander, nbc news, hempstead, new york. Thats going to do it for us on a monday night. We mentioned the president ial debate airs tonight at 9 00 eastern, 6 00 pacific. Im savannah guthrie. For all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and goodnight. Well see you in a few hours. When pat toomey went to washington, he didnt stop. Working for wall street. Toomeys plan would risk Social Security on the stock market, lining bankers pockets with fees from our benefits that. Could total billions, even if the market crashes, and seniors lose everything. Katie mcginty is working for us. A mother of three, and ninth of ten kids, mcginty knows what matters. Shell fight for equal pay, affordable college, and. Shell always protect Social Security. Dscc is responsible for the content of this advertising. Nbc 10 news debate night sponsored by david dodge. Ive always been your dealer even if you didnt know it yet. Two candidates, one stage. I am your voice well fix it together tonight an american tradition. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponents youth and inexperience. Youre no jack kennedy. Cant let the man continue with fuzzy math. Its 1. 3 trillion. He wanted to run against president bush, you should have run four years ago. The 1980s are now calling