tonight it's crunch time. the whirlwind final hours for hillary clinton and donald trump. the campaign nearly over, the polls soon to open, both sides barnstorming battlegrounds with rallies past midnight. and after a marathon campaign it all comes down to this, the math and the map. who has the upper hand? also tonight, securing the elecon. intelligence sources tell nbc news it's all hands on deck. an unprecedented plan, top secret facilities, secure locations underground, and a massive show of force in new york city, where team clinton, team trump and the eyes of the world will converge. we have it all covered, our team is in place. "nightly news" begins right now.

>> good evening from the nbc news election center, tomorrow we elect a president, and for many it can't come soon enough after a campaign that has repeatedly turned modern history on its head. as we near the 11th hour of the race, our latest polling the nbc news survey monkey puts hillary clinton ahead in a four-way race with 47%. donald trump at 41%. but this is a battle that hinges on a handful of states and tonight barely 24 hours before the first poll closings and with the electoral maps still influx, clinton and trump are on the move making their closing arguments and planning big late night finishes. we have expanded coverage of the state of the race on this election eve. we start with nbc's andrea mitchell in philadelphia and the clinton campaign. andrea, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. it has been a long and often

painful 18 months until the very last moment clouded by our choice to use personal emails but now hillary clinton clearly feels she is on the verge of going where no woman has ever gone. hillary clinton heading out for the final campaign sprint, chasing a prize she's pursued for years. her last chance to connect with americans with a closing argument she acknowledges needs to erase many voters' nagging doubts. >> i think i have some work to do to bring the country together. absolutely. i love this country, and i believe in our people and i do think we'll bring the country together. >> after relentlessly negative campaign now she's going positive, boosted by the fbi director's decision to end the email review, but you won't hear her comment on that decision. her campaign telling nbc news "that would only remind swing voters of the email controversy" brushing off my question about it today. making a last-minute push to defend democratic territory in three battleground states,

starting in pennsylvania where she needs suburban republican women and a big turnout of minorities in cities like pittsburgh. >> tomorrow, we face the test of our time. will we be coming together as a nation or splitting further apart? >> reporter: and trying to hold michigan traditionally democratic, but where clinton aides tell nbc news they worry the trade issue could help donald trump flip a blue state tonight appealing to undecided voters. >> i know that, for many people you've gone back and forth, you've thought about what 20 do, but let me say this, let me say this. this election is basically between division and unity. >> reporter: also trying to push clinton over the finish line president obama who crushed her white house hopes eight years ago and is now her strongest salesman. >> whatever credibility i've earned after eight years as president, i am asking to you trust me on this one. because i am absolutely

confident that, when she is president, this country will be in good hands. >> reporter: tonight clinton making a personal appeal a two-minute tv ad in prime time hoping to reach as many as 0 million people. >> i want to be a president for all americans, not just 240thos who support me in this election, for everyone. >> reporter: and she's firing up celebrity wattage in the closing days,byon shea and jay-z, katy perry and lebron james and tonight, here at independence hall, hillary clinton will be joined by both obamas and her husband and daughter, hoping at independence hall where the founders formed a more perfect union to make history herself and make it more inclusive tomorrow. lester? >> andrea mitchell in philadelphia, thank you. meantime donald trump is barnstorming battleground states at a breakneck pace hitting five battlegrounds on this final day of campaigning, rallying his supporters one last time and continuing to go hard at hillary clinton. nbc's katy turr has the latest

on the trump trail. >> reporter: donald trump is trying to close the deal hop scotching across the country to give his final pitch to the american public. >> this is it. this stp. ment good luck. i got out there, i did my thing, i worked. >> reporter: trump hitting nine cities in nine states over the weekend. today alone in florida, north carolina, pennsylvania, new hampshire, and michigan. >> nice set of hair, i'll say that. >> reporter: this morning in saraso sarasota, almost giddy. >> is there anyplace more fun to be than a trump rally? >> reporter: the campaign, like their candidate, is feeling good. over the past week and a half, the race tightening so dramatically even his'sonned aides were surprised, buoyed by nine days of innuendo after the fbi revived its investigation into hillary clinton. >> i would bet anything, some of those emails are so bad, they're so classified, they're beyond

classified. >> reporter: the fbi closed that investigation again sunday afternoon, but so far no correction from trump. >> they went through 650,000 emails in eight days. yeah, right. >> reporter: only hours left and trump still hasn't released his taxes, hasn't quashed perceived conflicts of interest between himself and his company, should he win and hasn't been cleared of fraud charges again his university. then there's uncertainty surrounding how he would govern. nbc learns from senior campaign sources trump won't talk transition because he doesn't want to jinx his channelses but his staff is, posturing behind the scenes and talking about newt gingrich as secretary of state, rudy julian knegiuliani,e priebus as chief of staff. whatever happens, politics will not be the same. >> there is everybody possibility the trump faction of the republican party will

persist and there will be a fight over the soul of this party over the next four years. >> reporter: in the final hours donald trump has repeatedly said that he will do well among african-americans and latinos by simply saying he will. tomorrow his strategy will be put to the test, but tonight he is not done yet. he'll be in manchester, new hampshire, and tonight end in grand rapids, michigan, his 510th day of campaigning. >> katy thank you. we turn to chuck todd, moderator of "meet the press." i've seen you at that board all day. i'm fascinated to know what you're looking at and focusing on tomorrow. >> you want to look at certain demographic groups. interesting things from our final nbc/"wall street journal" poll. among all white voters donald trump was leading hillary clinton by only by 15%, which is actually less than myt mitt rom 2012. is there enough white voters to

propel trump if he doesn't do well with non-white voters. look at this non-college educated white voters have been the backbone for trump in this primary ands' doing better with them than romney did but by only five points. this will be fine if he does well with other white voters but clearly he's not. let me show you and this could be the key to this election. college educated white voters a stunning result in our final nbc/wall street poll not only was clinton leading she was leading by ten points. romney won this group of voters by 14. what does this mean for the map, this is what it would mean, florida, chrnlg, north carolina, maybe arizona, you name it, a state with big suburban populations of college educated whites if it hillary clinton is winning them by ten points this is going to become a much bluer map, much quicker >> it could be game changing stuff. >> a game changer absolutely. >> chuck todd thanks. we turn to steve schmidt republican strategist and political analyst.

you worked in the mccain campaign. give me the inside view, 24 hours before an election, what's going on? are you going on data or gut as to where you need to on? >> you're looking at both. certainly in the 2004 campaign with george w. bush we were three points ahead in the final polling averages. we were nervous, but we were feeling good, but you come into this night, it's a long day ahead. all of the action is slowing down. there's not a lot that you can do. you sit, you hurry up and wait, wait for the polls to close. it's as long a day as you can possibly imagine. >> it's going to be a long 23450inight tomorrow. thanks very much. one of the biggest factors could be the influence of the latino vote. early voting suggests it's an all-time high in the all-important battleground state of florida. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in central florida and has a closer look for us. >> let it's talk to these folkso are out and see. >> reporter: in the toughest of battlegrounds the war is

changing. >> the latino community know their future, families, education, health care, jobs, all of that is on the line here in 2016. >> reporter: christina hernandez runs "vote my people." for months the group in central florida scrambling to energize an underrepresented demographic long considered a sleeping giant. >> the latino vote in the state of florida has exploded. >> reporter: in florida, hispanics have so far cast about 15% of the more than 6 million early and absentee ballots, boosted by puerto ricans fleeing the island's debt crisis. turnout among latino is surging in arizona, nevada and parts of texas, where immigration is a top concern. >> latinos are much line all americans, that they vote on different issues and different local issues. >> reporter: despite his controversial comments about mexicans, donald trump insists he's gaining ground. >> we're going to do great with the hispanics. >> latinos for hillary! >> reporter: among latinos

hillary leads him by 45 percentage points. since winning the white house in 2004 the gop has lost more hispanic support each election cycle. >> sometimes i think that donald trump looked at that gop autopsy after 2012 and decided to do the exact opposite. >> reporter: you don't like either candidate? >> really? no. >> reporter: a puerto rican voter disgusted by trump but skeptical of clinton. still she voted early for the democrat on the road to the white house, what was once a sleeping giant, is stirring. gabe gutierrez nbc news, ki kissimmee, florida. the fbi director some republicans are questioning the fbi's claim that agents got through thousands of emails, some potentially related to mrs. clinton, in just eight days. it's yet another question for james comey, who found himself widely criticized by democrats and republicans for his actions during the campaign. no matter what happens tomorrow night, comey's relationship with the next president could be

strained. we get the latest from our justice correspondent pete williams. >> reporter: the fbi says agents worked 24 hours a day to sort through the emails found on anthony weiner's laptop. >> so sad what's going on. >> reporter: though donald trump and his supporters say it's not possible to go through 650,000 emails in eight days. fbi officials say most of the process was automated. step one, check email headers to isolate those sent to or from huma abedin while hillary clinton was secretary of state. then use a program like this to eliminate dupe capitals of the thousands of emails already seen on the clinton server. only a small number the fbi says had to be individually read. the investigation is over, but fbi director james comey is left with lots of explaining to do. >> hillary clinton is guilty, she knows it, the fbi knows it. >> reporter: donald trump supporters say she should have been prosecuted over the emails. she said the fbi should never have brought up the latest

emails without looking at them first. >> the director himself has said he doesn't know whether the emails referenced in his letter are significant or not. >> reporter: fbi officials say comey wants to give a full accounting of his role in all this, including the decisions he made, which he might do in a couple of weeks and whatever his own plans, members of congress are eager to pull him up for hearings but these officials lester say he intends to stay for his full ten-year term which would mean another seven years. >> pete thanks very much. still ahead tonight on high alert, top secret underground op centers where u.s. security stands ready to react amid heightened concerns over outside interference in america's election. we'll be right brac.

beyond the candidates themselves, the searing rhetoric, and all the unforeseen twists and turns, there is another reason why this election is unprecedented. the security operation on election day, aimed especially at a potential cyber attack, will be like nothing the government has ever mounted. we get more on this tonight from our senior investigative correspondent, cynthia mcfadden. >> reporter: at 6:00 this morning, a high level intelligence official told nbc news, preparations and nerves are at the frenzy level as the federal government gears up to protect the country on election eve.

it's all hands on deck, says a second official. multiple officials say concern is so high, for the first time in conjunction with an election in several top-secret facilities, including underground bunkers like this newly refurbished one located somewhere on the east coast, hundreds of federal employees, including both military and intelligence cyber experts are monitoring incoming intelligence to react to any threat to the federal government's communication and command systems. this morning, former nato commander admiral james stavridis discussed the type of russian threat he was concerned about, from a dump of false documents, to an attack on the u.s. power grid. >> there's maybe a 1 in 3 chance of this happening, but it's not insignificant. >> reporter: the scope of government readiness is unprecedented, including the six national cyber centers and 54-state emergency operation

centers. including here in new york, where both candidates will host what they hope are victory celebrations. new york police department and counter-surveillance teams are already at work. 5,000 uniformed officers on the detail. comparable to the pope's visit. it's the first time since 1944 that both candidates are from the same place. it too was new york. the candidates, roosevelt, and dewey. but unlike 1944, the cyber genie got out of the bottle this year, and won't ever be put back in. cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, new york. we're back in a moment with some of the day's other news, including the latest on the earthquake that struck in the middle of the country.

we're back now with some of the day's other news. janet reno, the history-making first female attorney general of the united states, who served under president bill clinton, has died. reno's justice department oversaw a number of headline-grabbing cases, including the 1993 world trade center bombing and the 1995 oklahoma city city bombing. but she was criticized for her handling of the 1993 waco siege, and the elian gonzalez battle in 2000. reno was diagnosed with parkinson's while in office and died due to complications from it the disease. she was 78. officials in oklahoma said yesterday's powerful 5.0 earthquake damaged 40 to 50 buildings. not far from oil terminals. a facility in cushing was not damaged and no injuries were reported.

oklahoma has experienced thousands of earthquakes in recent years, most linked to underground injection of wastewater in oil and gas production known as fracking. whenever you think you've had a terrifying experience flying, imagine being on this flight in mexico. yeesh! when a snake emerged from the overhead luggage area and then dangled from the ceiling. at least one passenger was able to get past the terror and film it. aero-mexico officials are investigating how the snake got on the plane and say they're taking measures to make sure it doesn't happen again. when we come back, they've got quite a batting average when it comes to picking presidents, but how are voters in this battleground county feeling this time?

welcome back. we've stepped outside our studio to what we we're calling democracy plaza, the centerpiece for tomorrow's decision night in america coverage. we're going to conclude this part of our broadcast tonight with a story from a battleground state where the people say it's not battles they want from the candidates but rather answers and solutions to real problems. here's nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: as the seasons change, so will the presidency.

we've returned to pemberville, ohio, whose county picked 23 of the last 29 presidential winners. bob frobos runs the family meat market. >> where's the beef? >> reporter: a year ago, he was frustrated because he didn't hear much about where candidates stood on the issues. >> i have not made a decision yet, by any stretch. >> reporter: but a campaign filled with hostility and name calling has left him worn out and frankly demoralized. >> at my age, i'm shocked that our country has gotten to this point. >> reporter: as the people of this swing state town prepare to mark their "x" there's also a lot of trepidation. how are you feeling on the eve of the election? >> very anxious. nervous. >> reporter: last year, diane hopkins was leaning democrat. >> the american dream, you know, have a home, start a family. >> reporter: but tomorrow, she says, she will vote republican. >> i believe in what he brings to the table. which is a lot different from a year ago. because i just didn't know enough about him.

>> reporter: todd sheets owns the general store. >> you're hearing a lot of people say that, you know, they're not excited about either candidate. that's kinda sad. >> reporter: and if trump wins? >> continue on. >> reporter: here, what people want most of all is to get past the angry shouts and get back to their everyday peaceful lives. >> the good part this is, come wednesday morning, the sun is going to come up, no matter if your candidate wins or loses, it's gonna be okay. >> reporter: kevin tibbles, nbc news, pemberville, ohio. that's going to do it for us on this monday night. a reminder, our election coverage begins tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. eastern, 4:00 pacific. we hope you'll join us for decision night in america. for some of you, we'll continue with a second half hour of this broadcast. for others, it will be available live streaming on our website. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and goodnight.

some didn't mind sacrificing the privacy to speed through the process. damian is live in san jose where people are still going through that line. we can see dropping their ballots off in that locked box. >> reporter: it's been a steady flow all morning and afternoon at the register's voter's office in san jose. these are vote by mail folks and parking had become an issue for people needing to go inside to vote. people waited in this line for up to a half hour at the register of voter's office. and it might be more of the same on election day. there could be some lines tomorrow, be prepared, get out there, vote early but make sure you vote. >> reporter: she didn't mind the wait