be the indians? we're there. good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a wednesday night. and less than a week to go until election day. more than 31 million americans have already voted. and this race is tightening tonight. let's get right to the battlegrounds, new numbers from the key state of florida at this hour. hillary clinton at 46%, donald trump at 45%. state, very tight, clinton, 47%, trump, 44%. in pennsylvania, considered clinton's firewall, the race tightening. and in ohio, trump in the lead and the new abc news tracking poll shows this race is a dead heat, 46 apiece. tonight here, the closing arguments. you will hear from trump's family in a moment, but first, the president and his plea today. off. >> reporter: hillary clinton mobbed today in florida, cheering on early voters during an unannounced stop at a polling place. hillary clinton is leaving one battleground state and heading to another. nevada first, and then arizona. a democrat hasn't won there in 20 years. clinton boarding that cross-country flight, knowing her squad of surrogates is swarming the battle if grounds. in north carolina, long lines. people waiting hours to see president obama. >> you know what, she's not flashy. as a consequence, sometimes home. but she made me a better president. >> reporter: the president today with a direct appeal to young and african-american voters. >> back in 2008, i won north carolina by 14,000 votes. that's about two votes per precinct. how can you say your vote doesn't count? each of you could swing an entire precinct for hillary, if >> reporter: in florida, vice president joe biden turning the focus back to donald trump. >> this guy's got a fixation. have you heard anybody, ever, talk as much about, and be so preoccupied with women's bodies? this guy doesn't deserve to be president by any account. he really doesn't. >> reporter: and vouching for clinton. >> we've been friends a long time. look, she not only gets it, she'll finish the job we started. >> reporter: with the polls tight, team clinton is now looking beyond the battlegrounds, dispatching bernie sanders today to blue states michigan and wisconsin. >> the choice is clear. >> reporter: states trump is trying to win, too, by appealing to white working class voters. >> not only is he going to lose on november 8th, but he and his friends, his billionaire friends >> reporter: with just six days to go, some clinton supporters already looking ahead to the history should could make as the nation's first female president. >> i just wish my mother and dad could see all of this. >> reporter: in prescott, arizona, 102-year-old jerry emmett, born before women had the right to vote, remembers watching her own mother vote for the very first time. >> they all came down to watch the women get to vote. even the men were happy. >> and cecilia vega joins us from las vegas tonight. and cecilia, president obama today campaigning for hillary clinton, but also weighing in on fbi director james comey, who, of course, went public just days before the election, saying they were looking at newly discovered e-mails that may or may not be significant. here's what the president said. >> you know, when there are investigations, we don't operate on innuendo, we don't operate on incomplete information, we don't >> cecilia, you heard the president say there, we don't operate on incomplete information. was this aimed at the fri director? >> reporter: david, it sounds like it. but the insinuation right there, the president is not happy. tonight, the white house is trying to downplay these comments, saying nothing has changed from the president's initial plan to neither criticize nor defend comey on this one. david? >> cecilia vega leading us off tonight. cecilia, thank you. as you saw there, as hillary clinton flies across the country, deploying her army surrogates, tonight, donald trump with his own surrogates, too, and many of them with the same last name. the trump children, out making the case for their father, as they have since day one. abc's tom llamas on donald trump's closing argument. >> reporter: donald trump today taking florida by storm, urging supporters to fight like underdogs. >> pretend we're slightly behind. you got to get out. we don't want to blow this. >> reporter: trump casting this election as the final battle for the heart and soul of america. >> the future lies with the the critics, certainly not the media, aye. we are asking for the vote of every american who believes truth and justice, not money and power, should rule the day. >> reporter: trump beginning this race as a family enterprise, and that's how he's ending it, as well. his children out today, campaigning in five key states. ivanka trump with three stops in north carolina. in detroit, don jr. pushing the campaign's message on jobs and trade. >> he wants to infuse common >> reporter: and with hillary clinton's e-mails back in the headlines, trump's new appeal to democrats -- it's not too late to change your mind. >> wisconsin is one of several states where you can change your early ballot if you think you've made a mistake. a lot of stuff has come out since your vote. >> reporter: he's right. people who've already voted in wisconsin are allowed to switch their votes. same goes for michigan and pennsylvania. it just doesn't happen that often. on "the view," campaign manager news/"washington post" poll, showing trump and clinton neck and neck. >> we're loving the abc news polls. >> didn't you guys say the polls were rigged? >> never me, never me. >> will it be crooked again if he slips in the polls? are we back to crooked? >> no. what i think you need to do is get ready for a chiron that says president elect, donald j. trump. >> reporter: but the campaign acknowledges trump still has to close the gender gap. he's still struggling with women, so now the campaign is starting to hand out these pink you see them just as much as any other sign now. supporters we spoke with, convinced he's going to win. >> the media says he's losing everywhere, but this is really encouraging, seeing all the people here. >> reporter: so, you're motivated? >> i am. >> going to wake up november 9th and the country will be red. >> reporter: amid all the excitement today, this ominous image. an african-american church in vote trump. >> and tom llamas is with us tonight. disturbing images of that church. and tom, we know the trump campaign has condemned violence before. but they are reacting to an endorsement from the ku klux klan newspaper? >> reporter: they are, david. they are calling that newspaper repulsive, saying the publication does not represent the views of the tens of mfls of supporters that are supporting the trump capable right now. david? >> much. let's get wright to the map here tonight, because it's all about the battle the grounds and, of course, that past to 270 electoral votes. let's bring in jonathan karl. donald trump's pathways seem to be opening just a bit here. and does hillary clinton still have a firewall? >> reporter: the map still favors hillary clinton, but donald trump has momentum. look at our ratings. every state we've looked at, the red favor trump, blue favor hillary clinton. and two states since we last spoke have moved towards trump. states to advantage donald trump. getting him closer to 270. but david, he still needs to win all the remaining tossup states, arizona, florida, north carolina. if he wins all three of those, he goes to 259 electoral votes, still short. >> still short. so, he has to pick off a couple of the blue states. >> reporter: and he's got good news on that front. in the state of pennsylvania, a new poll out today shows trump within four. within six. and joe biden is going to wisconsin on friday, a sign they are nervous. look what happens. if he wins pennsylvania, he wins the presidency. if it's wisconsin, 269-269, we've got a tie, there's no co-presidency. congress chooses. >> a nightmare scenario, which is why the clinton team is doubling down on pennsylvania and wisconsin. jon, our thanks to you. that map will change right up through election night, and a reminder, six days from now, on election night, our coverage at 7:00 p.m. eastern, i'll be joining george and the entire powerhouse political team. we will be here all night long. and if jon's suggestion is true, we could be here for weeks. in the meantime, we do move onto other news tonight, and to the deadly ambush in iowa. two police officers killed, as they sat in their patrol cars. the shootings triggering an urgent manhunt. tonight, a suspect is in custody. abc's eva pilgrim is in iowa. >> reporter: tonight, this man in custody after two iowa police officers were killed in cold blood. >> these officers were ambushed. it doesn't look like there was any interaction between these officers and whoever the coward is who shot them while they sat in their cars. >> reporter: officials say the attack started just after 1:00 a.m. 24-year-old justin martin is shot and killed sitting in his police car. >> polk county does confirm officer down. >> reporter: 20 minutes later, more shots, just blocks away. >> another officer hit over there. in his car. ambulance rushed him to the hospital, but he does not survive. the manhunt now under way. at 7:00 a.m., authorities identify the suspect as 46-year-old scott michael greene. officials shutting down area schools. then, at 9:00 a.m., a break. >> subject is in custody. >> reporter: officials say the suspect is on a rural road when he turns himself in by flaking down a passer-by. >> have i committed a crime? >> we're asking you to leave. >> reporter: authorities investigating a video of this incident two weeks ago. greene was kicked out of a high school football game after complaints he was flying a confederate flag in the stands. he apparently filmed as he argued with police. >> when you fly a confederate flag standing in front of several african-american people, that's going to cause a disturbance. i'm not saying -- i never said it wasn't your right. not been charged yet. here, we have seen a steady stream of people in urbandale. this is the first officer killed in the line of duty for this department. david? >> eva pilgrim there in iowa. eva, thank you. we turn next here to a new flashpoint at the site of a controversial pipeline plan in north dakota. new arrests tonight amid a clash at the scene. protesters crossing a river to reach the construction site, then met with police in riot gear with pepper spray. here tonight, abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: on the banks of this north dakota creek today, police hit protesters with pepper spray as they tried to cross the water on a makeshift footbridge. this latest standoff is part of a protest that's been going on for months. 140 protesters were arrested last week after building roadblocks and setting cars on fire. they are trying to stop construction of a 1,200-mile pipeline from north dakota to illinois. saying the pipeline would sites. the pipeline company says it would be safer and cheaper than using trucks or trains. today, president obama says the army corps of engineers is looking into the possibility of changing the pipeline's path. >> my view is that there is a way for us to accommodate sacred lands of native americans. >> reporter: but that decision could take several more beweeks. in the meantime, protesters say they're not going anywhere. david? >> clayton sandell tonight. clayton, thank you. next, to alabama, and to news. a state of emergency remains in place tonight after a deadly explosion there. tonight, the fire is now contained, but still burning, and the line from houston to north carolina is still shut down. the full line reaches all the way to nbew jersey. prices at the pump are expected to rise, especially in the southeast. the company hopes to have that pipeline repaired by this weekend. overseas tonight, and a new analysis of that mysterious end to malaysia airlines flight 370. cruise position. in fact, they now believe the plane ran out of fuel and spiraled down, increasing in speed until it crashed into the indian ocean. 239 people were lost when the plane vanished more than two years ago. back here at home tonight, and from wisconsin now, there is growing outrage after an experiment meant to scare teenagers into driving safely. the school and the student council in on it, announcing the deaths of four students in a texting wh d but later, it was revealed it wasn't true, they were alive. tonight, at least one parent is calling it a barbaric scare tactic. and here's abc's gee jeon benitez. >> reporter: it's a morning announcement like no other. >> there have been a series of wrecks and multiple reckless driving things happenings currently around brodhead. we've currently lost a handful of fellow students. >> reporter: students sitting on camera announcing the death of four schoolmates who died in a car crash. some kids were crying. the truth. students told, there was no accident, and their classmates were very much alive. those four students and their parents in on the secret. it turns out, the school says it just a simulation, intended to teach a lesson about distracted driving and safety on the road. and some parents are fuming. one mother sounding off on facebook, saying, "enough with the barbaric scare tactics." tonight, the superintendent telling us, "the district would like to apologize for any unnecessaryes activity caused." but still, he defends bringing awareness to a serious issue. and david, that idea was approved by school officials, but it came from the student council. and one member there saying it was worth it if even one life was saved. david? >> all right, gio benitez tonight. gio, thank you. there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this wednesday. the out of control bus slamming into a home, and the dramatic wmur driver behind the wheel there. on that mystery illness growing in numbers, affecting children. the 6-year-old boy who has died, and what we've learned tonight. and then, the world series moment of truth is here. and we want to hear from you tonight. tweet me. will it be the cubs or the indians? a lot more ahead. a lot more ahead. stay tuned. d? no, only lawyers do that. so when you got rear-ended and needed a tow, your insurance company told you to look at page five on your policy. overed!" on page five? no. it said, "blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah..." the liberty mutual app with coverage compass? makes it easy to know what you're covered for and what you're not. liberty stands with you?. man: i accept i'm not the deep sea fisherman i was. i accept i'm not out on the ocean wrestling marlin. i even accept i have a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. but i won't go after anything with less than my best. so if i can go for something better than warfarin, 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counting. at least nine cases in washington state paralysis, blamed for the death of a 6-year-old boy. here's abc's neal karlinsky. >> reporter: in seattle tonight, a terrifying medical mystery. when 6-year-old daniel ramirez first got sick, it seemed so ordinary. >> had a fever. wasn't wanting to eat. >> reporter: but it quickly escalated. they took him to seattle children's hospital. >> basically within a couple of hours, he was basically paralyzed. doctors suspect he had afm, acute flaccid myelitis, a rare illness that can cause polio-like symptoms, including paralysis. even more troubling, seattle childrens is now seeing a cluster of cases, nine suspected so far. doctors now investigating why the sudden uptick in cases. >> whenever you see a cluster of illness like this, you got to jump on it, investigate it, figure out if they're related, and if so, what you n >> reporter: so far this year, 89 confirmed cases in 33 states. the cases here range in age from 3 to 14. so far, five of those kids recovered enough to go home, but doctors here tonight remain very concerned, david. >> all right, neal karlinsky in seattle. neal, our thanks to you. when we come back tonight, the new head call headline this evening, new hope of a possible alzheimer's drug being put to the test. that collision sending a city bus crashing into a home. the driver struggling to keep the bus under control. you see the surfer, but it's what they don't see right beneath them. we'll be right back with the index. fifty years ago, humpback whales were nearly extinct. they rebounded because a decision was made to protect them. making the right decisions today for your long-term financial future can protect you and your family, and preserve your legacy. ask a financial advisor how retirement can help you plan for your future. i thought i was managing my moderate to severe crohn's disease. i didn't think there was anything else to talk about. but then i realized there was. so, i finally broke the 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"live in the moment." excuse note to fill out. i filled out mine. "please excuse alex perez from class, work or other responsibility." i wonder if i can send one of those notes upstairs to the bosses. you know, you can feel the excitement and anxiety in the air. the long-standing drought for one of these teams is about to end. david? >> alex perez with the best assignment of the day. alex, thank you. and thank you for watching. we'll see you right back here tomorrow night. i alone can fix it! bomb the [bleep] out of 'em. i'd like to punch him in the face. i like people that weren't captured, okay? he's a mexican! she ate like a pig... i did not say that... i love war. yes, including with nukes. blood coming out of her... they're rapists... wrong. there has to be some form of punishment. such a nasty woman. i wanna be unpredictable. ...on 5th avenue and shoot somebody... she's a slob... i don't remember! and you can tell them to go [bleep] themselves! priorities usa action is responsible >> now, a commitment 2016 special, presented by wmur and the new pension union leader -- the new hampshire union leader. the granite state debates. mr. mcelveen: the political as the nation are focused on new hampshire. >> the u.s. senate in play, the stakes couldn't be higher. >> i wake up everyday with a sense of purpose to make a difference in washington. >> i will put new hampshire first, and that will be what this campaign is about. >> each candidate is laying claim to the label of outsider. >> what we see is a system rigged by corporate interests. >> i see her being a rubberstamp the docents best the democrats and what -- in washington.