this could be as damaging as mitt romney's 47% comment last cycle. his campaign out with a new ad, counting faster than they have before. >> viciously deemoonizing hard working people like you. >> reporter: but for a controversial candidate, a new poll shows 60% of americans think trump is biased against women and minorities. >> it could remind many voters about his extreme supporters and about his intolerant year. >> reporter: late tonight clinton on twitter hit trump's running mate mike pence, who declined to call former kkk leader david duke deplorable, but pence did clearly denounce the support of duke and anybody else who thinks like him. lester? >> hallie jackson, thank you. overseas tonight, a fragile ceasefire is holding in syria, after so long the bojing has finally stopped, after a hard-fought deal struck by the u.s. and

it hold? and can relief reach so many families trapped by this war? we get the latest from our chief foreign correspondent richard engel. >> reporter: the battered city of aleppo, a pause today in the relentless bombing. but it will last? people came out to shop and to play. because at sunset, a hard negotiated u.s.-russian ceasefire came into effect. across syria, both regime forces and relativelily moderate hold their fire for a full week, allowing humanitarian aid. >> translator: god willing, this truce will hold, give us some relief. enough. >> reporter: don't trust the regime, cautioned a man. aid agencies also have many questions. >> exactly who is going to be allowed to get the aid in, what the approval process is going to be, what the mechanism is going to be, we're still waiting for some of those details.

there are so many armed forces involved in this war, and only some of them have agreed to stop shooting. the syrian regime has the support of russia, iran, and hezbollah, a lebanese militia. on the other side are islamists and secular rebels, the kurds, isis, and a few hundred american advisers there to fight them. it's a puzzle with mismatched pieces. and today syrian president assad promised that his troops will liberate every it hardly sounds like peace is in the air. still today secretary kerry was cautiously optimistic. >> the earliest reports are that there's a -- some reduction in violence. >> reporter: a much needed evening without bombs. but few are even daring to hope that this is the beginning of the end of a vicious war. there are already some accusations that this truce is being violated. lester, i think we'll know if it's working if over the next 48

convoys are allowed to reach places like aleppo. if only that happens, it will be welcome relief to the people, but is it the start of the end of the war? not a lot of optimism. >> richard, thank you. back home, investigators have released surveillance video of a possible suspect in a fire they believe was deliberately set at a florida mosque. that same mosque had been attended in the past by the orlando pulse nightclub shooter. now our kerry sanders explains authorities are asking whi >> reporter: with just minutes to go on a solemn date, 9/11, an arson fire at a florida mosque. a likely hate crime, say agents. at the same mosque where pulse nightclub gunman omar mateen occasionally worshipped. tonight investigators have a useful clue to find the arsonist. a security camera caught a man running from the scene possibly because he burned himself when he set the fire.

a motorcycle. 911 calls came in shortly after. >> i it looks like a church. >> do you see flames coming from the roof? >> yes, and i see like a whole bunch of smoke. >> reporter: witnesses say the fire spread quickly. >> we have one commercial structure. it's about 25% involved at this time. flames through the roof. >> reporter: this morning, more than a hundred members of the mosque had planned to hold service here for eid. the holiest of days. instead this they joined a congregation at a nearby mosque. >> everybody's obviously saddened and scared about it. but, you know, our community is bigger than a building. >> reporter: ever since omar mateen claiming allegiance to isis killed 49 people at a guy nightclub in orlando, there have been numerous threats at the ft. pierce islamic center. in july, a member of beaten up by a stranger in a parking lot. >> it's unacceptable to think that because of the actions of one criminal individual,

to be held accountable for it. that's unamerican. >> reporter: tonight with the possibility the arsonist may have burned his arm, authorities are checking with local hospitals and hoping if somebody knows something, they call the police. >> thank you. a devastating house fire in memphis has claimed the lives of nine family members. among the dead, three adults and six children, ages 3 to 16. a fourth child is fighting for life tonight. authorities say this is the single memphis since the 1920s. the cause remains under investigation. a horrific crash in colorado is raising more questions about the safety of our nation's school buses. the driver was killed and several members of a high school football team were injured when their bus veered off the road and slammed into a concrete pillar at denver's international airport. miguel almaguer has the latest. >> reporter: loaded with a high school football team, the

violent, driver carrie chopper died on scene. three adults suffered serious injuries. 15 students sent to the hospital. police don't know about the bus veered off the road at denver international airport. >> the tire tracks did not show any sign of left or right turns, simply drove straight off the roadway into that pillar. >> reporter: with students and staff grieving, tonight new questions over safety. michelle crawford refuses to let her children ride the bus, because they have no >> i don't think it's a lot to ask for a three-point lap shoulder belt that they're using in their car every single day. >> reporter: though school bus crashes are rare, the accidents are high profile. 29 were hospitalized after a rollover in indiana. in houston, two children killed when their bus veered off an overpass. 26 million children ride one every day. from 2005 to 2014,

were killed in school transportation crashes. federal law does not require but federal officials now support seat belts on every bus. >> lives will be saved if we put three-point belts buses and they are used. >> caller: school buses have long been the safest way for children to get to school, but many say more needs to be done to keep it safe. much more to tell you about tonight. still sky high medical costs. how to shop around for the treatment you need and get the insurance company to actually pay you for it. also, flu season is just around the corner.

we're back now with a new effort against sky rocketing health care costs. by paying patients to effective option. with health care costs expected to rise 6% this year and next, some employers and insurers are encouraging customers to shop around, even giving them a kick back on the savings. drr the drug treatment paula receives should require a $30 insurance co-pay. instead, she's the one getting the cash. >> i'm not paying that. >> reporter: making money because she's treated at this new hampshire clinic

nearby. >> i get $500 every time i go in for the treatment. >> they pay you $500. >> they pay me, because the savings is that substantial for the insurance company. >> reporter: very substantial. the treatment costs $4,000 at the clinic, $40,000 at the hospital. it's called smart shopper, used to drive down medical costs by giving patients a cut of the savings on and surgeries. from lab work to mris, not cancer, not heart surgery. in miami, gal bladder surgery can cost anywhere from 5 to $19,000 depending on the facility. yet both are highly rated. >> if i choose to have my gal bladder removed here, which is cheaper, you're going to send me a check for 150 bucks because of the savings. >> correct. and it will cost you less as well. your out of pocket. >> reporter: some is

that paying patientings might persuade them to choose cheaper and low quality care. but studies have shown often the best care isn't the most expensive. yet very few patients shop around. >> we have no idea if the bill is going to be $20 or $400. where else in your life do you shop that way? >> reporter: paula is convinced she gets better care at a small clinic. >> this is really about your quality of life. >> yes, it is. >> reporter: and you get paid for the treatment? >> i do. >> need anything se >> reporter: no co-pay and pocketing $3,000 a year. tom costello, nbc news, bedford, new hampshire. we're back in a moment with the unlikely way a

the man who attempted to assassinate president ronald reagan is now free from a mental hospital after decades. john hinckley jr, now 61 years old, was

his elderly mother in virginia. he was spotted yesterday shopping at a target store. a judge ordered his release after declaring that psychiatric treatment has been effective and hinckley has no signs of any violent tendencies. an alarming new warning for families as flu season draws closer. a new study finds over 80% of parents have accidentally given children the wrong dose of liquid medicine, which can use an overdose. researchers suggest using an oral syringe because t o four times less than using dosing cups that come with medicine bottles. you'll be seeing new faces live from new york this fall. "saturday night live" announced today it's adding three new players to the cast are if the upcoming 42nd season. mikey day, alex mofet and melissa villa sennor. they'll be featured players, following the departures of jay pharaoh, kill ham and

man working with a ? music ? extraordinary starts here. new k-y intense. a stimulating gel that takes her pleasure to new heights.

finally tonight, the race is on in memphis to build nearly two dozen homes for families in need. the man leading the effort truly knows the value of having a home to call your own. he's getting help from a former commander in chief. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more on someone who is inspiring

north of downtown memphis, home is a little sweeter. >> i think my greatest joy definitely is seeing the families get the keys to the home. >> reporter: dwayne spencer is the local president and ceo of habitat for humanity, now working side by side with president jimmy carter to house 21 families this fall. >> everyone deserves a decent place to live. >> reporter: he would ow did you realize what type of poverty you were in? >> i did. and i was embarrassed by it. >> reporter: in the early '80s his family lived in crippling poverty, in a shack with almost no running water in rural tennessee. their home burnt down when he was 16. this is the first time he's returned in years. >> i'm thinking that we used to walk down this hill to actually use the bathroom. it makes me emotional. >> reporter: his steep

school. >> it was the beginning for me. to be able to move out of that situation into something, into the 21st century. >> reporter: the past still haunts maria mckinney, who remembers the day she couldn't make ends meet and learned she and her kids would be evicted. until habitat and dwayne spencer gave her much more than four walls. >> our family needs a good stable home to raise their children in. >> reporter: under spencer'sad size. >> i don't think your past is completely indicative of what your future will be. >> reporter: in some ways, he's come quite far from his humble beginnings. in others, he's never felt closer. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, memphis. and that will do it for us on a monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and

these are not deplorable people. i can tell you. my wife and i represent non-deplorable people. >> i am probay things. deplore sabl not one o them. >> as donald trump tries to capitalize on his opponent's "bask of deplorables" description of his supporters, a fight breaks out in north carolina. >> hillary clinton recuperates at home. bizarre moment for ryan lochte as two women crash the stage during with the dancing with the stars".

over what some states call discriminatory law. plus, fox news removes roger aile's' fame from the newsroom. dangerous dancing like you've never seen, "early today" starts right now. right to be with you. i'm francesry ver have a. i'm ayman mohyel the first presidential debate, hillary clinton is staying off the trail recuperating from pneumonia. she explains why she kept it a secret. >> i just didn't think it was going to be that big a deal. i felt dizzy and i did lose my balance for a minute, but once i got in, once i could sit down, once i could cool off, once i had some water, i immediately started feeling better.

if it happens to and are you a busy, active person, you keep moving forward. you know, i think it's fair to say, anderson that people know more about me than almost anyone in public life. >>:t tweeted she was feeling fine and is anxious to get back on the trail soon. this morning we are learning clinton will have a well known institute substitute in her of fund raise, in the coming days t. former president now says his wife has experienced similar episodes several times before. >> when you look at that collapse, that video that was taken, you wonder if it's not more serious than dehydration. >> she's been, if it an, it's a mystery to me ap all of her doctor, frequently, not

many, many years, the same sort of things has happened to her when she got severely hydrated. >> here's what the democratic presidential nominee said when asked how many times she has been side lined with an illness like this over the last few years. >> oh, i think really only twice that i can recall. you know, it is something that course of my life and, you know, i'm aware of it and usually can avoid it. >> the clinton camp says they will release more extensive records a. move donald trump told cnbc he also expects to make. it isn't checkpoint's health serves as a campaign issue. her "basket of deplorables" remark is rearing its new head. first in a new ad by trump and

>> from my opponent's slammeding you as deplorable and irredeemable. i call you hard working american patriots who love your country and want a better future for allory people. our stigs vision of hope stands in stark contrast to my opponent's campaign of hate. hillary clinton has been rni campaign with no policy, no solutions and no new ideas. >> watch trump heil his supporters yesterday, first by bringing them on stage, then by bashing clinton for her deplorables dent in. it didn't work out as plan as protesters punched each other in the face in that same ramally. a democratic anti-trump group is seeking charges for quote

>> that all came as a former cia director under president clinton joined trump's campaign as a senior adviser. today on the trail, he is joined by daughter ivanka in pennsylvania. he will give a tax reduction on chime care expense, his running mate, mike pence, heads for capitol hill and meetings with gom leaders. vice presidential pick tim kaine will conduct a discussion in colorado and chelsea kane opposite a field office there and thing is are mains at her home recuperateing. two men stornld the "dancing with the stars" in protest of ryan lochte's performance. >> you have a long way to go. swiming is a, excuse me, hey, back off! >> so it wasn't, you know, it

but security took the two men down before tom bergeron threw to a commercial break. audience members noticed four people that appeared to be a part of the group were excourted off the premises. the men wearing anti-lockie tee shirts were arrested. they have moved all championship events out of south carolina due to the controversial hb 2 law. the school year will be relocate and 2nd round nauch madness games later this year. mark emret says the board of governors took this action, because we believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events and are committed to providing the best experience possible for college athletes. fans and everyone taking part in our championships. assuming that is drawing intense backlash, north carolina spokesperson says the decision is quote so absurd it's almost comic am.

ncaa merging all men's and women's teams together as a singular, unified, unisex teams, under the ncaa's logic, colleges should make people share hotels, showers. if you are unwilling to have women's bathrooms and locker rooms, how you do have a women's team? i wish the ncaa were this concerned about the women raped at baylor. perhaps the focus their energies on making sure our collegiate ath lets are safe both on and off the field. the nba moved it's all star game out of charlotte as well. a fragile week long cease-fire is holding while area bombardments continued in other areas.