Tonight the manhunt to find him. Nightly news begins right now. Good evening from lex headquarters on super tuesday, a night that could be the Tipping Point in both the republican and democratic races for the president ial nomination. 12 states are in play tonight with the first poll closings just a half hour from now. But ahead of that, we have a new snapshot of the state of the race nationally. Republican donald trump has a 21 lead over marco rubio, whos now in second place, according to a new nbc News Survey Monkey poll. Democrats, Hillary Clinton with a 10point lead nationally over Bernie Sanders. Will she pull away from sanders for good . Will trump close the deal tonight . Theres an awful lot to cover. Our team is in place. Lets start with the trump reporter another dramatic entrance for whats shaping up to be a dramatic super tuesday. Trump is riding high. Chris christie by his side. And brushing off the insults. He said i had small hands . Theyre not small, are they . Ive always had people say, donald, you have the boast beautiful hands. Reporter nine months ago his Unconventional Campaign and the outsider is poised for a blowout. Confident enough to call on marco rubio to quit on fox news. I think he has to get out. You know, he hasnt won anything. Ted cruz very rightfully points out marco has not won. Reporter if trump wins big tonight there is already talk he might refuse to take part in future gop debates. The next on thursday in detroit moderated by fox news and megyn kelly who trump has repeatedly trashed for reciting his own words back to him during the first debate. The campaign telling nbc news it hasnt even thought about thursday yet. But that there is a lot of trump late today saying he wont skip it. No, im not going to skip it. But i think these debates are ridiculous. Donald trump has played by his own rules since he started this Campaign Last summer. Should he not choose to play by them now i dont think we should be surprised. Reporter the bombastic millionaire promising to turn to the general election and Hillary Clinton. Hillary cannot make america great. She was talking about something yesterday, making america whole. Whole. No, no. I dont want whole. I want great again. I want great again. I dont want whole. Reporter meanwhile, the grand old party is worried about its grand old legacy. After trump failed to immediately condemn the kkk over the weekend. If a person wants to be the nominee of the Republican Party there can be no evasion and no games. They must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry. Reporter ryan said he will support whomever the party nominates but gop sources tell nbc news there is real concern staff will cooperate with the party. And whether hell quit calling people losers and start acting more president ial. To put it into perspective, that is campaign that started out with Little Organization and no backing from the republican establishment. A campaign that many called a joke. Despite all of that and despite all the drama, donald trump is expected to run away with the majority of delegates in 11 states tonight. All right, katy. If trump dominates as many suspect the most suspenseful storyline of the night may be the republican race for second place. Both marco rubio and ted cruz are competing to be the face of the antitrump effort within their party. As nbcs Hallie Jackson reports both campaigns believe they have viable pathways to the nomination. How are you feeling . Reporter ted cruz cant afford a misstep here, voting today in his houston hometown. How do you feel . I feel very good. Reporter its the biggest super tuesday prize, 155 delegates where cruz leads and needs a win. Also watching arkansas. If you think reporter spending more money there in the last 24 hours. His campaign privately acknowledging to nbc theyre all but conceding vermont, massachusetts, and virginia. Why should i cast my vote for you instead of donald trump . Reporter cruzs argument to voters like cindy that trump has a ceiling. Him. By that same logic, 80 of republicans are not backing you. 85 . It is qualitatively different. Why . Donald trump loses the general election and republicans recognize that reporter cruz wants a twoman race by tomorrow. But wont get it. With marco rubio in the mix. I will campaign in all 50 states reporter hes again shifting his strategy against trump, not below the belt now you know what they say about men with small hands. Donald trump has small hands were not talking about that today. I want this to be a serious election reporter his aides telling nbc rubio wants to focus on more serious warnings, calling trump dangerous. The florida senator hasnt won anywhere yet and probably wont tonight unless he pulls off shocking upsets in virginia or minnesota. He needs to get his fair share of second places. Reporter even if rubio drops 15 in a row his campaigns looking to the 15th of march where he has to win his home state. John kasich needs a win in his home state too. Ohio in two weeks. Hes already looking past super tuesday. But ben carson is not. On political life support, a top Campaign Aide acknowledging how important these primaries are to carsons future. The bigger storyline, thats cruz, rubio, and this showdown for second as they hope to prove one of them can slow down donald trump. Were joined by nbc news if trump wins in a big way tonight will sound we hear be the sound of the Republican Party fracturing . I think the Republican Party is already fractured along the lines hallie laid out. Cruz represents and the people hoping for cruz to have a strong night, win his home state, represent those that feel trump is inadequately not conservative enough. Rubio represents the last best hope of the establishment. All the warring, excitement and momentum is behind donald trump and what hes captivated in this republican electorate. Thanks very much, good to have you on. Turning to democratic race, Hillary Clinton also expected to have a very big night. Her Campaign Hopes that tonight spells the beginning of the end for opponent Bernie Sanders. As our Andrea Mitchell reports clinton is already looking ahead to the general election and sharpening her attacks against donald trump. Reporter trying to run up the score, frontrunner Hillary Clinton today in minnesota, a Bernie Sanders stronghold. I need your help with the caucus tonight. Boston challenging sanders in the new england senators backyard backyard. The clintons tag teaming sanders, trying to put the nomination beyond his reach. Meanwhile sanders voting this morning in his home state of vermont where hes expected to coast to victory. I know that Bernie Sanders here in vermont got at least one vote. I was working on my wife but i think i probably got two. Reporter no matter tonights result, sanders vows to fight clinton all the way to the convention. Hes got the cash to do it, raising more than 41 million in the last month alone. Mostly from small online contributions. Thousands turning out yesterday for his rally in massachusetts where the race is tightening. Your state led the american revolution. Now it is time for massachusetts to lead the political revolution. Reporter but clinton with overwhelming support from africanamerican voters is counting on a southern firewall tonight. Texas, tennessee, and georgia. According to our nbc news wall street journal maris poll, already confident enough about the nomination to start focusing as well on donald trump. Im just speaking out against bigotry and bullying wherever i hear it. Reporter Campaign Officials telling nbc news the strategy against trump includes hitting him early and often, portraying him as dangerous and bigoted because of his comments on race and ethnic minorities, energizing minority voters to turn out for her. Clinton already testing new attack lines against trump. You know, america never stopped being great. Weve got to make america whole. Reporter trump is threatening to turn the campaign into a knife fight. I guarantee you one thing, were going to be talking about those emails every moment of every day. The clintons know that donald trump does not play by the rules but the clintons are also known for their tough campaigning. So if clinton and trump become their parties nominees, you well put, andrea, thank you. Were joined by chuck todd and savannah guthrie, joining super tuesday coverage in primetime. Chuck, im always curious what youre going to be watching tonight. Let me start with the republican super tuesday map here. Theres really four states im watching. Early on its going to be virginia. It should be a competitive race tonight. Can marco rubio do well with the mostinformed electorate in the country . Then arrange, oklahoma, texas. Ted cruz has to do well. If there are going to be places cruz and rubio can beat trump it is in these four states. Thats why i think they matter the most. Lets move on the democratic side of the super tuesday map. Its slightly different. Theres basically a northsouth strategy. In the south its about Hillary Clinton, she expects to do well, minority voters. Where sanders hopes to have better nights is in the northern states, fewer minority voters, well see. I think the targeting, he may have missed opportunities in a couple of southern states. We have learned a couple of experience versus outsider. Whats interesting on the republican night, not surprising, want for an outsider president ial candidate, half of republicans in all the super tuesday states said shouldnt that. Only 40 want experience. On the democratic side, 80 want an experienced next president versus an outsider. Thats good news for Hillary Clinton. Let me turn to savannah. Youve been working the phones for the campaigns. Rubio and cruz, what do they see as the pathway out of super tuesday . They see two different paths ironically theyll see a path without the other and theyre focused on that even though both have fired on trump more in the last few days and weeks than they had before. Rubio has said it plainly and his advisers repeat it behind the scenes, hes it in all the way. They think he has the money. They think this whole part of the Republican Party that is mortified that trump could be the nominee will come to them. Troouls thinks, im going to win texas tonight. Hoping to pick up a couple of border states and cobble together enough delegates to challenge trump. All the way to the convention. Good to see both of you. Youll be with me on our 10 00 primetime broadcast. Well have live updates throughout the night as results come in. Ill be joined by chuck and savannah and our entire team across the country starting at 10 00 p. M. Eastern with all the breaking news. The battle between apple and the fbi reached all the way to capitol hill today. Apple is fighting the fbis used by one of the San Bernardino attackers. As our Pete Williams explains, both are asking congress to play referee and find an answer. If you would please rise ill begin by swearing you in reporter the fbi director faced a skeptical House Judiciary Committee over requiring apple write special software to help the fbi unlock an iphone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers. Essentially were asking apple, take the vicious guard dog away, let us try and pick the lock. Reporter comey said the fbi government to crack the phone and concluded only apple health the key. When has it been the function of government to compel or force a private citizen or a company to act as an agent of the government to do what the government couldnt do . Reporter apples top lawyer warned if the fbi gets what it wants the software to disable an iphone security could get into the wrong hands. We think that protecting the security and the privacy of hundreds of millions of iphone users is the right thing to do. Thats the reason that were doing this. Reporter but some Committee Members worried about phones keeping evidence out of the reach of law enforcement. You can go into peoples bodies and remove bullets but you cant go into a dead persons iphone and remove data . I just find it baffling. Reporter the federal judge in brooklyn has ruled for apple in a battle over access to a drug dealers locked iphone, saying the government cannot force apple to bypass the security measure it markets to its customers. Something the judge said would for now apple is on a roll, a win in court, its stock price up. Next the San BernardinoCourt Hearing in three weeks. Pete williams, nbc news, washington. Tonight. Back on the stand, more andrews. The trauma she still feels years after a stalker secretly taped her. The defense firing back suggesting the incident actually helped her career. Also police say he led them on a chase in a hummer Holding Children hostage. But he slipped away. Now the manhunt is i built my business with passion. But i keep it growing by making every dollar count. Thats why i have the spark cash card from capital one. I earn unlimited 2 cash back on everything i buy for my studio. 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Always have to go get treatment for this, always go need to talk to somebody about because this will always be on reporter she was particularly emotional when describing what could eventually happen when she has kids. What happens when my kids come home from school, mom, kids are saying youre naked on the internet. Reporter traumatized, andrews says she now does a thorough sweep of every hotel room. I look for lights, i look for red lights, i look to see if theres cameras. Reporter her testimony complete. The manufacturer rin andrews rests her case. Reporter its up to the defense to make their case. First up former employer espn. Do you see her suffer in any way as a result of the actions of mr. Barrett . No. Reporter the hotels legal team trying to convince the jury seven women and five men that the hotel shouldnt pay for a video that wasnt their fault and that didnt damage her career. Your income has gone up substantially since this occurred. 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