barring a big last-minute change, large portions of the federal government will shut down tonight at midnight eastern time. the first time in 17 years. this simplest way to put it is this -- the republican-controlled house is passing bills the democratically controlled senate keeps rejecting. the bills would keep things operating while stopping aspects of the new health care law. that's where we are. live pictures tonight show both ends of this drama in washington. this is in the hands of congress which now enjoys a 10% approval rating from the american people in the latest polls. this will be a long night. a lot of government services appear poised to go away, at least temporarily. it's where we begin tonight with nbc's chuck todd on the white house lawn. chuck, evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. 10% means it's just friends and family for members of congress. as of this hour it doesn't appear congress is closer to getting a deal to fund the government. republicans are working on a new spending bill.

it includes more provisions to delay parts of the health care law and senate democrats and the president say any bill like that is dead on arrival. when this clock gets to zero, the government begins to shut down. yet this morning the house and senate in washington-speak, were in recess. still many member s found time to play the blame game. >> it essentially hold it is american people hostage. >> a banana republican mind set >> they need to act like adults. >> i don't care what john mccain thinks. >> the hard right is demanding a pound of flesh. >> reporter: as for the budget bill house republicans passed one saturday night to keep things going through the middle of december. but it delayed the new health care law for a year. >> we are not going to mess around with obamacare. no matter what they do. they've got to get a life. >> reporter: when they finally got back to work after lunch today the senate quickly stripped the health care provisions out of the house bill and sent it back. >> the aye s are 54, the nays

are 36. >> reporter: behind the scenes some senators seem more concerned about how this is playing with the public. >> i think we should stay here. people have said these things have happened before. >> i think at some point the president needs to speak up. >> reporter: late today he did, blasting the republicans. >> one faction of one party in one house of congress in one branch of government doesn't get to shut down the entire government just to re-fight the results of an election. >> reporter: a new poll shows republicans would bear more blame for a shutdown. 36% put the responsibility on the president. 46% on republicans. in washington today, some frustrated visitors said they rearranged things to cram in smithsonian visits before a shutdown. who are you blaming? >> me personally, i blame both sides. >> reporter: if it shuts down, who are you blaming? >> oh, man. i'd say everybody.

>> why is it last minute? we had how long to figure out a balanced budget. i don't get to do this at home when i'm balancing my budget. >> it's partisan politics. the more you dig your heels in the less you get done. the less you get done the more angry you get, the more you dig your heels in and the less you get done. it's a vicious circle. >> reporter: late word this evening, brian. the president placed calls to all congressional leaders including speaker boehner -- their first conversation in over a week. >> all right. chuck todd at the white house. let's go to the other end of town. kelly o'donnell with a late development on capitol hill. kelly, all eyes have been on the moderate republicans, some of whom think it is a suicide mission to go after a three-year-old settled health care law in this. >> reporter: well, brian, moderate republicans may be the key here. they don't want to see the government shut down and they don't want their party blamed for the harmful effects. i'm told new york republican peter king is working with a small group of non-tea party republicans, more moderate who are trying to vote against their own plan from the house

republicans to stop that in its tracks and then try to work with democrats with enough time tonight to keep the government opening. it is developing. it's not done yet. there is clearly a move among some moderate republicans who don't want to see the government shut down. brian? >> as we said, either way it will be a long night. kelly o'donnell on the hill. thanks. let's take the story out of washington where the talking is going on, where what we just saw is already hitting home across america, after all, and could get a lot worse for a lot of families if there is a shutdown overnight. nbc's kevin tibbles with us from downtown chicago. kevin, good evening. >> reporter: brian, tonight as the hour approaches, thousands of americans who work in and out of government are bracing for the consequences of a shutdown. at chicago's federal building today, dozens of government workers gathered to protest a possible shutdown. elizabeth leidel came on her he

lunch hour. are you worried? >> oh, yeah. yeah. i'm the only breadwinner right now. >> reporter: she works for the epa. a mother and grandmother her husband was laid off. she is frustrated, angry and worried. >> congress needs to be turned over somebody's knee and spanked hard. they are acting like small children. >> reporter: as the business of government is poised to grind to a halt, federal employees across the u.s. head home not knowing what tomorrow brings. >> scary how we are going to pay our bills. >> reporter: it is not just federal workers. maliq sells souvenirs near the statue of liberty. >> if the statue is closed there won't be business here. less tourists. >> reporter: the most visible effects of the shutdown, padlocking national parks coast to coast along with the national zoo and museums in the nation's capital. the shutdown will also put federally-backed loans for things like small businesses on hold. delay tax audits and refunds and suspend the special sup le men

tall nutrition program for women, infants and children. difficult for single mother christina crowder. >> how do we feed our kids. >> reporter: services that won't be affected include essentials like mail delivery, air traffic control and the tsa along with tax collection, social security, unemployment, food stamps, and pass ports. while more than 800,000 federal workers stand to lose a paycheck, the president and members of congress will still receive them. >> i think they can take those congress persons' paychecks away. >> if you feel government employees shouldn't be paid you should give up your check. >> reporter: as for elizabeth leidel, she needs to report to work tomorrow to find out if she'll be sent home. >> they are in the sandbox, kicking sand into the american people's eyes. it hurts. >> reporter: many estimates suggest a shutdown could cost the government between $40 million and $80 million a day. that could hit very close to home for many american families.

brian? >> kevin tibbles in chicago for us tonight. kevin, thanks. couple other notes tonight. while bickering over this, washington politicians haven't suspended their own effort to retain money for their own jobs. both parties collected almost a billion dollars in the first half of the year according to federal records. tonight they were scheduled to raise more at a big gala for the republican national committee in a government building not far from the capitol. speaker boehner was supposed to attend and cancelled. the gop turned to newt gingrich who spearheaded the last shutdown 17 years ago. democrats have their own big ticket event next week at the fair mont hotel in san francisco featuring house minority leader nancy pelosi and special guest michelle obama. millions of americans with money in the stock market are paying the price for this budget fight. stocks sank today on wall street

in new york. worried about the effects of a possible government shutdown. all three major indexes down today. the dow off more than 128. now to the other big story of the day. the other big deadline at midnight. the new health care law at the center of the showdown in congress. a big part of the law will start to take effect tomorrow when people without health insurance can sign up to buy coverage. our new poll with the kaiser family foundation shows 70% say they are very or somewhat worried they will have to pay more for health care or health insurance. 62% of those without insurance say they are confused about the new law. our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman sat down for an exclusive interview with the woman in charge today, health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius. >> with all the run-up time to the eve of this, why the confusion today and why not more enthusiasm?

>> i think it still isn't real for a lot of people. there is a lot of confusion. >> is that your fault? >> i think we bear part of the responsibility of not being able to get through a lot of the noise. >> one of the big concerns is as numbers were tossed out there we don't know how things are going to fall and that the middle class may really take it on the chin. >> the middle class, i would say, depending on where that middle class employee works, has been taking it on the chin. >> when the president says this is the cost of your cable bill or your cell phone bill that's not quite true. >> 6 of 10 people will have the choice, if they choose to make it. the choice of a policy for under $100. >> the back end hurts. >> it's a debate. do you want to have protection for every check-up, every visit, everything you do or do you have a situation where you are making a determination where you and

your family don't use medical services that much and you want to make sure you have protection if something goes terribly wrong. >> is it conceivable to you that the number of a $5,000 or $6,000 deductible for a middle class family is a feasible number? >> well, i think families can make a budget choice. if that isn't something they can pay for -- and a lot of people couldn't pay that out of pocket -- they will want a lower deductible. >> what does success look like? >> i think success looks like at least 7 million people having signed up by the end of march 2014. >> this is coming tomorrow. people without insurance can start signing up to buy it. tomorrow, october 1, the benefits then kick in january 1, 2014. you will have until march 31 of next year to enroll. i think a lot of people will start to look at health care.gov where you can look at the marketplace in your state and explore options for your coverage. there are a lot of options out there.

i think people are going to be a little overwhelmed when they see what the new marketplace looks like. >> what a time beginning with the 24-hour period. dr. nancy snyderman, thank you. >> you bet. as the president tried to manage his end of the budget showdown he met for several hours with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu days after the president's phone call with iran's president. netanyahu said to keep up pressure on iran to dismantle the nuclear program and said iran remains committed to the destruction of israel. he's expected to deliver the same message tomorrow at the u.n. in new york. in chicago tonight, several dozen people are injured, though not critically, thankfully, after a frightening train crash during the morning rush. two trains collided head on. officials say one was in a railyard for repair. somehow it rolled out of the station. no one at the controls. it was doing about 20 miles an hour when it hit the other train head on.

the ntsb is investigating. tonight the head of one of the largest construction companies in all of southern california and his son are believed to have been on board in a fatal crash of a twin engine cessna that slammed into a hangar at the santa monica airport last night. federal investigator on the scene says no problems were reported at least before impact. still ahead for us on a monday night an nbc news exclusive, a mom and her five kids separated, trapped in the mall in kenya. a rescue captured in an unforgettable image. tonight their story of how they got out of there. later, trading places. big news tonight about two of the most well known brand names in all the world. in djibouti, africa. 2004. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection

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they are describing for the first time how they were able to make it out of there. their story tonight from nbc's ron allen in nairobi. >> reporter: the walton family is grateful for each day together. catherine and her five kids were rescued from the nairobi mall, including 4-year-old portia, a moment captured in this iconic image. dad philip was miles away in north carolina on business, as his family lived through a nightmare. how long were you trapped? >> three and a half to four hours. it was terrifying. >> reporter: catherine and the three girls had come down the main escalator. this escalator in ruins after the four-day siege. >> there was a loud explosion, sounded like breaking glass. then people started screaming and running. then i grabbed the girls and started just running. >> reporter: the two boys were trapped in the grocery store. here is that store after the siege. the most intense fighting happened here.

these exclusive photos show the mall ravaged by gunfire, explosions and fire. after becoming a battle zone. >> reporter: portia laid down flat as she could on her stomach, put her hands in her ears and laid there for hours motionless and quiet . >> trying to stay alive. >> reporter: local businessman abdul haji came to the mall to help his brother. when he spotted the waltons he called to portia. >> i stretched my hands out, and i asked her to run. she just ran towards us. at that point i thought she was very, very brave. >> reporter: what do you say to her to convince her to go? we teach our kids not to go to strangers. >> i think she knew it was a chance to get out. >> reporter: you're a father of four yourself. >> she's pretty much the same age as my daughter. >> reporter: catherine and the girls got out and learned the boys had already escaped. haji and the waltons now share an intense bond. >> love him to death.

you know, when we met him for the first time after this started, i put my arms around him and started crying. >> reporter: a family with a brave little girl and a stranger who came to the rescue. ron allen, nbc news, nairobi. >> incredible story. we are back in just a moment with the big announcement today about one of the most beloved figures of modern times. n times, consider this: when the storms are this powerful, the batteries had better be powerful, too. introducing duracell quantum. only duracell quantum has a hi-density core. and that means more fuel, more power, more performance than the next leading brand. so, whether you're out on the front lines or you're back home, now you have the power. new duracell quantum. trusted everywhere. as your life changes, fidelity is there

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original miles on the odometer. folks who make up the best brands annual report which not surprisingly ranks the best brands, have put apple in the number one position worldwide. coca-cola dropped from first to third leaving apple and google in the top two slots. the apple brand name is valued now at close to $100 billion. when we come back, something wild, something incredibly beautiful that might just fall victim to washington. incredibl beautiful that might just fall victim to washington. arms were made for hugging.] hands for holding. feet, kicking. better things than the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. if you're trying to manage your ra, now may be the time to ask about xeljanz. xeljanz (tofacitinib) is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well.

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androgel 1.62%. our final story tonight is about an event that takes place only at this time of year inside yellowstone national park. it draws american families from all over across the country. because of what's happening in washington right now, sadly -- and somewhat unbelievably, this year's show might be cancelled. the story tonight from nbc's harry smith. >> reporter: every fall for just a week or two, you hear it -- [ animals trumpeting ] an eerie call that echoes through the valleys and canyons of washington national park. if you're an elk, that's a love

song. hearing the elk is one thing. getting a good look back here in the wilderness, not so easy. but, boy, is it worth it. it's mating season up here and the bugling bulls are letting other males know they should not even think about disturbing their harems. for park visitors hearing the el ing is as good as seeing old faithful. >> eerie at first if you don't know what it is. being from los angeles, we don't hear that often. it was very cool. fascinating to see that. >> reporter: at park headquarters, a herd has set up camp which makes elk viewing easy. beware the amped up bull el ings says the ranger. >> we have had people injured before. we have had a lot of cars damaged. you have to watch when you exit a building.

look both ways so you don't step in front of a bull elk. >> reporter: even with summer family traffic long gone, autumn is a busy season. rooms are hard to come by. for julie mckinnon, her trip to yellowstone is an annual ritual. for her friend martha, it's her first time. >> when you hear the elk bugle, what do you think? >> it's like the spirit of the forest. it echoes through the trees. >> reporter: what does it mean to see these animals this close. >> it puts you back in touch with nature. it's just amazing. >> reporter: a visit to yellowstone affirms our belief in america as a special place. if the government shuts down, so will the park. and that's a shame. harry smith, nbc news, yellowstone national park. let's look at one more beautiful thing. this is in a troubled place. our cameras picked up another gorgeous sunset tonight in washington. the question there is when we see the sun again tomorrow morning will it rise over a city paralyzed by a government shutdown?

again, it will be a long night. that's our broadcast on a monday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we of course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

>> kim and kanye take paris by storm. after this encounter in l.a. on friday, wait until you see what happens when kanye ran into the french paparrazi. i'm shaun robinson. >> behind the scenes for new oprah. our tint oscillating week starts with a bang. >> will web absolutely floored. >>