on the broadcast tonight, battleground. the one state where the stakes could not be higher in this race for president. both candidates are making their case. our political team is on the ground. plus, the countdown to biden versus ryan in the next debate. the sentence today for jerry sandusky, his defiance in court, and the dramatic moment when his victims had their say. under fire, in one of the most volatile places on earth, where men with guns showed up at a school to assassinate a 14-year-old girl. and the world is expressing shock as this story gets out. also tonight, taking away the keys. a tough moment for elderly drivers and their adult children. tonight, what some older drivers are doing to stay on the road. "nightly news" begins now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening, we've got exactly four weeks from tonight until election day. when you hear us talking about battleground states, here is what we mean. right now it's ohio that means everything to these two candidates. and it's news that the romney campaign is suddenly this competitive in ohio. no republican has won the white house without it. president obama carried it last time, and ohio itself has supplied us with eight american presidents over the years. both men running for the job were in ohio today along with nbc's peter alexander, traveling with the romney campaign, and starts off our coverage in cuyahoga falls, ohio. peter, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. we're seeing real evidence that this race is tightening, not

just nationally, but in crucial battlegrounds like here in ohio. with both candidates descending on the buckeye state, the o in ohio could easily stand for offense. a poll released late this afternoon shows president obama's lead has shrunk to just four points. touching down on akron on the last day ohioans will vote. mitt romney will campaign here four of the last five days. the president just wrapped up his 17th rally here, more than any other state. >> do not delay, go vote today. what do you think? all right, buckeyes, we need you. >> reporter: why all the attention on ohio? no republican has won the white house without it. romney advisers insist the race has fundamentally changed here since last week. just weeks ago, the campaign briefly considered its path forward without ohio. >> we feel it's going to be close again until the end, but we feel we have an enthusiasm

edge working in our favor. >> reporter: consider the electoral map, if romney loses ohio's 18 electoral votes, he needs to win six of the remaining seven swing states. all of which voted for mr. obama four years ago. after being dominated on the airwaves here this summer, ads that painted romney as an out of touch corporate raider, the romney campaign is intensifying its efforts. >> because ohio families can't afford four more years like the last four years. >> reporter: for its part, the obama campaign is trying to make a punch line out of romney's call to end federal subsidies to public broadcasting. now the subject of this mocking new ad. >> one man has the guts to speak his name. >> big bird. >> big bird. >> it's me, big bird. >> reporter: in ohio today, romney tried to turn the president's policies into his own punch lines. >> these are tough times, with real serious issues, so you have to scratch your head when the president spends the last week talking about saving big bird. >> reporter: and brian, one other note from today's poll, one in eight ohioans said they could still change their minds before november.

>> peter alexander in the crucial state of ohio starting off our coverage tonight. thanks. meanwhile, we are just two days away from biden versus ryan and the next debate this time for the vice president and the man running to replace him. both teams spent today preparing. nbc's ron mott traveling with the republican candidate, paul ryan. >> today congressman paul ryan sparred again with his debate partner inside this florida hotel. preparing to square off thursday against joe biden. >> we think he's probably going to come at me like a cannonball, more pressure, because mitt romney put on such a great performance, and the bar is pretty high. >> reporter: ted olson reportedly went back and forth in three mock debates in an indoor tennis court. in between, he worked in some r & r, picking pumpkins with his kids over the weekend. for his part, mr. biden has practiced with chris van hollen. ordering sandwiches from his

favorite deli in wilmington, delaware, and lots of gatorade. he's also scouted ryan's speeches and poured into his book "young guns" written with a pair of fellow conservatives. >> i just want to make sure that when i say these things that i don't have the congressman saying, no, no, no, i don't have that position or that's not the governor's position. >> reporter: many political observers discount the importance of vp debates, arguing they rarely if ever have tipped the outcome of the presidential election. that doesn't mean these meetings have been meaningless or for gettable. in 2004, dick cheney was in a similar position, tasked with reversing momentum after john kerry was viewed as the winner in his first matchup with george w. bush. cheney attacked edwards as a sort of johnny-come-lately. >> the first time i ever met you was when you walked on the stage tonight. >> reporter: there was lloyd benson's zinger against dan quayle. >> senator, you're no jack kennedy. >> reporter: and this from ross perot's running mate. >> who am i?

why am i here? >> reporter: questions unlikely to surface thursday night, at least by these two. ron mott, nbc news, st. petersburg, florida. and a reminder, we'll have live nbc news coverage of every moment of thursday night's debate, including our correspondents and analysis. that's thursday night here on this nbc station, 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific time. in pennsylvania, this was sentencing day for jerry sandusky. convicted earlier this year of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. tonight a judge has sent him to prison for what will most likely be the rest of his life. but not before the former penn state assistant coach had his say in court. nbc's john yang has our report from the courthouse. >> reporter: jerry sandusky said nothing as he arrived in a red prisoner's jumpsuit over a bulletproof vest, looking thinner after 112 days in jail. inside, he sat passively, as three of his victims told the court of the psychological effects of sandusky's abuse when

they were young boys. his voe choking with emotion, the man known in court documents as victim six spoke of his sense of betrayial. the very kids you claimed to help were the very ones you victimized. victim five asked the judge to consider the tears, pain and private anguish i and others have suffered. they spoke to a hushed courtroom. nbc news national investigative correspondent michael isikoff was inside. >> the most powerful moment came when victim four addressed sandusky saying, i'll never forgive you. because of you, i can't allow my only child out of sight out of fear of what might happen to him. >> reporter: sandusky, who did not testify at his trial, delivered a rambling 15-minute statement about what he called the worst loss of my life. he repeated points he made in a defiant three minute statement broadcast on penn state's campus radio station. >> they can take away my life, they can make me out as a monster, they can treat me as a monster. they can't take away my heart.

>> reporter: today in court, he did not repeat his contention that he's the victim of a conspiracy by his accusers, the media, investigators and even penn state. he seemed close to tears when he spoke of being separated from his family, imposing sentence, the judge calmly told sandusky, you abused the trust of those who trusted you. the sentence of the court is for an aggregated term of no less than 30 years, and no more than 60 years. >> from an emotional perspective, i believe that the victims in the room probably would have felt a little better with larger numbers being handed down. >> reporter: but for the 68-year-old sandusky, 30 years is tantamount to a life sentence. tonight in the eyes of the law, jerry sandusky is a sexually violent predator. he's in a state prison reception center where he's being evaluated, so officials can figure out exactly where he'll be imprisoned. brian? >> john yang after spending the day at the courthouse in pennsylvania for us, john, thanks. overseas now, look at what happened when german chancellor

angela merkel visited greece today. her first visit since that nation's meltdown began. police clashed with thousands of protesters. angry at germany for imposing tough austerity measures on greece in return for a bailout. merkel was there to support greece's embattled prime minister, who said his country is flatout exhausted. germany happens to be the most powerful economic engine in all of europe, and has a lot of sway in economic matters. it's been four weeks since the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya that killed our ambassador and three other americans. and in this political season, the attack is increasingly becoming a political issue. a congressional committee will hold big hearings tomorrow. a preview tonight from our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: as house republicans prepare to hold hearings on the benghazi attacks, mitt romney disclosed

he met one of the victims, former navy s.e.a.l. glenn doher doherty. >> you can imagine how i felt when i found out he was one of the two former navy s.e.a.l.s killed in benghazi on september 11th. >> reporter: doherty's family confirmed the two met at a neighborhood christmas party a few years ago. this as republicans accuse the state department for rejecting the request for more security for ambassador chris stevens, slain in the attacks, so washington could say libya was becoming more peaceful. investigators say two months before the attacks, the state department concluded the risk to u.s. personnel was high. republican congressman jason chaffetz is just back from tripoli. >> twice in the six-month leadup, you had bombings at our compound in benghazi, and it's 9/11 in libya. what other warnings do you need? >> reporter: there were two assassination attempts against the ambassador in recent months. state department documents obtained by nbc news list 230 separate security interests in libya in 2011 and 2012. according to former resident

security officer eric nordstrom, these incidents paint a clear picture that the environment in libya was fragile at best and could degrade quickly. tonight four republican senators led by john mccain are demanding answers from the cia director and other top intelligence officials in what is becoming an explosive campaign issue. the state department denies it rejected requests for more security, but says house republicans cut $300 million from their security budget. tonight four weeks after the attack, the department gave its first blow by blow account of what was clearly a well organized assault, never a spontaneous demonstration as officials first claimed. brian? >> hearings tomorrow. andrea mitchell with our story. thanks. from pakistan tonight a truly shocking story of brutality against a 14-year-old girl targeted for assassination by the taliban because she dared to stand up and speak out. the world is just now learning about this. and reacting to it in horror. we get our report tonight from our nbc news pakistan based

correspondent amna nawaz. >> reporter: she's known as a fighter for peace, for the right of girls like her to go to school. that made 14-year-old malala an enemy of the taliban. today, gunmen hunted her down at her school in pakistan. police say her classmates tried to protect her. but the men waited until she came out and they shot her, once in the neck, once in the head. a taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they wanted to kill her for at least a year, to silence a voice that dared to speak out against them. >> they cannot stop me, i will get my education, if it is in home, school or any place. >> reporter: this 2009 interview with a journalist was one the girl gave as one of the best known, most outspoken and youngest critics of the extremist forces ravaging her country. >> i was very scared. the militants threw acid on my face. they can do anything. >> reporter: she refused to let

fear silence her. in her diary, translated and published by the bbc, she described life under taliban rule. i was afraid going to school, she wrote, because the taliban had issued an edict banning all girls from attending school. she went anyway. inspiring others to do the same. her diary was nominated for the international children's peace prize. >> coming from a child, it's innocent, it's honest, it's open, and i think that's what was so threatening. >> reporter: tonight malala remains in critical condition at a military hospital at this hour. doctors believe she will survive, but some are expressing concern that she may have trouble speaking again. brian? >> amna nawaz, our pakistan based correspondent, thanks for the reporting on this awful story. amna, thanks. still ahead for us as we continue, the difficult conversation millions of families across america have to have. and it has to do with taking away the car keys. and later, some good news

for a change. the incredible comeback in one of the most beautiful spots in our country.

as we mentioned earlier, the moment is always so tough for older drivers and their adult children when the time comes and the judgment of those around you to stop driving. the good news is, the accident rate for older drivers is down of late. the chance of older drivers

being involved in a fatal crash has been rising. nbc's miguel almaguer reports tonight on a growing subject for a number of americans. >> don't brake. keep your speed up. >> reporter: with 61 years of experience behind the wheel, joan never thought she would have to go back to driver's ed. >> go when it's safe. good. >> reporter: she's never been in an accident, never had a ticket. but when the 81-year-old suffered a stroke, her driver's license was restricted by the california dmv. >> the physician told me he was required by law to report to the state that i had had a stroke, and that meant that they would -- they may take my car keys. and that to me was like a death sentence. >> reporter: when it comes to older drivers and the dmv, requirements for driver's license renewal vary from state to state, whether it's a vision, written or driving test, there is no standard national guideline. california and five other states require physicians to report

patients who may be a risk on the road. but experts say with more americans driving into their 90s, more scrutiny is needed. >> put your brake on. >> health care providers are not really knowledgeable about driving, and what are the circumstances in which somebody should not continue to drive. >> reporter: aaa is trying to avoid accidents involving senior drivers. in 2003, an 86-year-old plowed through a santa monica farmer's market killing ten. two months ago in los angeles, a 100-year-old driver hit a group of school children. >> these serve as wakeup calls, not just for older drivers, but for their families to have the conversation and plan ahead. >> reporter: joan johnson's family is beginning to have that conversation. >> you don't want to be the person that takes away someone's freedom and independence. >> reporter: their grandmother remains determined to drive well into her golden years. >> i'm glad they're concerned, i'm glad to know that they care. >> reporter: she's now willing to listen when her family and

doctors say, it's time to talk. miguel almaguer, nbc news, san diego. when we come back in a moment, what a new study says about an established way of losing weight.

some big shifts to report in the religion of americans, specifically the rise of what pollsters call the nuns, not the catholic kind it's spelled none. it means the people who when asked about their religion check the box that says none. while americans are still religious and plenty spiritual, a record number one fifth of us are not affiliated with any specific church. and for the first time in u.s. history, protestants have dropped below half. they now number 48% of the u.s. population. more numbers, apple prices are soaring. for once it's not iphone related. the actual apple crop this year as you may know has been hit

hard. we had that record warmth in march, then cold in april, that did huge damage to the blossoms. michigan lost 90% of its crop this year. new york 50%. north carolina, canada also hit hard. a farmer's market in cincinnati says they can't find enough apples to sell. prices could spike up $1 a pound. in the fight to lose weight, there's new research that shows the tried and true, old school weight watchers or other group program method works better than trying to do it on your own. the study published in the journal obesity found the weight watchers group lost more than those who did the expensive one on one counselling. and the key to success appears to be group camaraderie, the support. the positive kind of peer pressure that happens when you're inspired by the success of those around you. up next here tonight, the new boom in the water in the american west.

finally tonight, we're happy to report we have rare good news on the environmental front. this story is from the american west where wild salmon are making an incredible comeback as you're about to see in vivid

detail. our report tonight from nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: early morning on california's klamath river. stunning, sparkling. but it's what lies beneath that has people cheering. chinook salmon, thousands of them, huge and healthy. what's the biggest day you've seen out here this year? >> 8,000 fish. >> reporter: more than they've caught in decades. >> this year the river run site is projected to be 380,000, which is nearly double what the largest run has been on recent recorded history, since 1978. >> they're moving pretty good? >> reporter: these brothers are members of the local urack tribe. >> i've been doing it since i was six. >> reporter: they depend on this river and suffered through its tough times, like 2002, when the klamath saw one of the biggest fish kills in northwest history. >> it's sad it had to come down to a big fish kill like that for everyone to open their eyes.

>> reporter: for years it was caught in a tug of war between fish, farmers and hydroelectric dams, all fighting for the water. until the once bitter enemies came together. even reaching an agreement to remove the dams. compromise and conservation efforts that experts say helped create this year's bonanza. and this is where all those salmon are headed, up river where they'll spawn. it's not just about this year, a healthy return now means even more fish returning in the future. but the future is far from certain. is this river healed? >> we still have a lot of work to do. >> reporter: the federal government still has to approve the billion dollar plan to remove the dam. and every day health assessment teams carefully wash the fish for any sign of disease. for now, at least, there is reason to celebrate. >> there we go. >> thanks to the salmon's robust return. kristen dahlgren, nbc news,

klamath, california. that is our broadcast on a tuesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. right now at 6:00, it's decision day. we're live as the supervisors prepare to vote. and surveillance drones could be coming to the bay area. at nbc bay area, reality check as san jose voters prepare to decide whether to raise the minimum wage. >> nbc bay area news starts now. good evening, everyone, thanks for joining us. >> happening now, the 10-month drama surrounding the sheriff is