Tonight, breaking news as we come on the air from Philadelphia, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, meaning face to face for the first time ever, just a short time from now, the ABC News presidential debate. Also developing tonight, two passenger jets colliding on the taxiway, a tail ripped off. And we're tracking a tropical storm set to become a hurricane now and expected to hit the U.S. First tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump right here tonight at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Candidates making their case to the nation, Vice President Harris preparing for this moment for days. Donald Trump also preparing and coming into the debate saying he feels great, but acknowledging "you don't know what to expect." The race for the White House essentially a dead heat, the newest poll, 49-49. Mary Bruce at Rital Scott, right here in Philadelphia. Also tonight, the image is coming in the moment two Delta passenger planes collide on the taxiway in Atlanta. The wing of one plane tearing off the tail of the other. Nearly 300 passengers forced off the planes. Tonight, that tropical storm set to become a hurricane and set to hit the U.S. Dangerous winds, the storm surge up to 10 feet. Ginger Z is here. The new wildfire exploding in size in Southern California, the airport fire, accidentally started by public works crews. Destroying more than 9,000 acres already and now threatening communication towers, thousands told to evacuate. The disturbing body camera video now made public tonight showing the moment Miami Dolphins star Tyree Kil is forcibly taken from his car following a traffic stop. Minutes later, he's on the ground and in handcuffs. Tonight, Israel releasing chilling new images inside the Hamas tunnels, 60 feet underground, where the Israeli military says six hostages were killed, including American Hirsch Goldberg-Poland. Here in the U.S., the manhunt intensifying for the sniper suspect accused of shooting and wounding five people in their vehicles on I-75 and the new warning now from authorities. SpaceX launching its newest mission to perform the first private spacewalk in history, hundreds of miles above Earth. And back here in Philadelphia tonight, we will set the scene right here at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The intimate setting here, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, they have never met before, and we will show you where they'll debate in just hours right down on the floor behind me, 9 p.m. Eastern, here on ABC. From ABC News, this is ABC World News Tonight with David Muir, reporting tonight from Philadelphia. Good evening tonight from Philadelphia, we're at the National Constitution Center where a short time from now, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will face off in the most consequential moment of the race so far. They're first and possibly only presidential debate right here on ABC. The candidates will make their case to the American public with the latest polls showing they are locked in a dead heat, the race tied naturally, and the two candidates neck and neck in the key battlegrounds. What happens here tonight could give one of them the momentum to break out ahead. At the stage is already set tonight, ready for the candidates to arrive, Vice President Harris will be at the podium on the right there, former President Trump will be at the podium on the left. They will be just six feet apart, as I set a very intimate setting, no audience. Just the candidates, I'll be moderating with our Lindsey Davis. The Vice President has been preparing for this moment with days of traditional debate prep, a campaign source saying Harris is not, quote, underestimating Trump. This will be his seventh general election presidential debate. This is her first. And her task is to reach voters who say they still don't know enough about her. Former President Trump spent the last few days at Mar-a-Lago preparing by answering questions and talking policy with aides. In an interview today, the president saying he feels great about the debate, but acknowledging, quote, you don't know what to expect. At just a short time ago, President Biden saying he spoke to Vice President Harris to wish her well, he says she seems calm, cool, and collected. ABC is very Bruce Lee to get soft. She's right here in Philadelphia tonight. Tonight, the highly anticipated showdown, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump about to meet here on the debate stage, coming face to face for the first time ever for 90 minutes that could make or break their campaigns. Harris arriving overnight in Philadelphia after days of intense preparation, holding mock debates on a stage with full TV lighting. Harris turning to Hillary Clinton, the two speaking in the last week, and Harris leaning on advisers who prepped Clinton for her debates with Trump, one even dressing up like the former president to play him in rehearsals. President Biden tonight telling reporters that Harris is ready. I spoke to the Vice President, she seems calm, cool, and collected. I think she's going to do great. Sources telling us Harris is not underestimating her opponent, that it would be a mistake to do so. This is Trump's seventh general election presidential debate, more than any candidate in modern history. The stakes could not be higher, with just 56 days to go until election day, the race locked in a dead heat. Harris heading into the most critical night of her political career with recent polls showing nearly a third of likely voters say they still don't know enough about her. Trump departing Florida today said to be in good spirits, today previewing a possible line of attack, saying Harris has changed all of her policies over the years, that she's no longer believable. The historic face-off happening right here inside the Kimmel Theater at the National Constitution Center. An intimate setting, no audience, the two candidates alone on the stage, just six feet apart. Harris selecting the podium to the right, Trump winning the coin toss, choosing to deliver the final closing statement of the night. No topics, no questions have been shared with the candidates, and no pre-written notes are allowed, no huddling with advisers either. Their microphones will only be turned on when it's their turn to speak. In front of them, the countdown clock, two minutes for rebuttals, and one minute for any follow-ups, clarifications or responses. Though this will be Harris's first general presidential debate, the former prosecutor is known for her punchy comebacks. In 2020, making a point of showing, she can hold her own against Mike Pence. I'd like you to answer the question. Mr. Vice President speaking. I'm speaking. Now tonight, the candidates preparing to take this stage before what will likely be their largest audience, the world watching. And so let's get right to Mary Bruce. She's here at the National Constitution Center tonight. Mary, the Vice President likely knows this is her moment. To really speak to the American people and the voters who revealed in that latest New York Times poll that they want to know more about her and where she stands. David Kamala Harris is well aware that a large slice of those critical, independent voters feel they simply don't know enough about her. Tonight, she intends to fill in the blanks, but also to put Donald Trump's record in the spotlight, to make clear to voters, the stark choice they are facing in this election and outline their very different visions for the future of the country, David. Mary Bruce leading us off. She's live outside the Constitution Center. Mary, thank you. Let's get right to Rachel Scott. She's covering the Trump campaign. And Rachel, you learned the former president is going into this debate, ready to talk about the issues. Yeah, and his advisors are certainly hoping that it stays that way, David. Former President Donald Trump has been preparing, not doing any traditional debate prep, but the former president has been holding these informal policy sessions with his advisors, including former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who challenged Harris on the debate stage back in 2019, also involved in his debate prep, is Congressman Matt Gates, who we are told is firing some tougher questions at the former president on a range of issues, including abortion, as well as his legal troubles. But even those close to the former president admit they don't know exactly which version of Donald Trump is going to show up tonight. They are hoping that he stays on message and away from those personal attacks, David. Rachel Scott, back with us tonight as well. Rachel, thank you. Of course, the ABC News presidential debate Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on the stage right down here behind me tonight. I'll be moderating with our Lindsey Davis, the debate right here on ABC 9 p.m. Eastern, a short time from now. Of course, we will see you then. But we do move on to the other news tonight. The image is coming in, the accident on a taxiway at the Atlanta airport, the busiest in the world, a flight taking off for Tokyo, clipping a plane bound for Louisiana, ripping its tail completely off. Nearly 300 passengers on both planes forced off ABC's Steve Osensami from Atlanta. This is runway security camera video at the world's busiest airport showing this accident in real time. Both planes belong to Delta Airlines, and it's the large plane coming towards the camera that doesn't see how the tip of its wing is about to break off the tail of the smaller jet. All right, we just hit something on the taxiway. Could you tell us what it was? That was the pilot of the larger plane with more than 200 passengers heading to Japan, telling airport control that something just went really wrong on the taxiway. Gran Edwards and his wife were on that plane and felt it happen. We were settling in, getting ready for a long 15-hour flight. All of a sudden there was a bump, and it was a hard bump. It was a whole plane shaking. More than 50 people were on the smaller regional jet headed to Louisiana, and they could hear the loud sounds of twisting metal. The whole tail of that CRG's off. Yeah, we got this CRG 9 p.m. It was a tail off here, off of the rock truck, too. On board, the smaller plane were journalists from our ABC local stations in Tampa and Cincinnati who were on their way to the coming hurricane. Paul Whedon is a photographer for WCPO in Ohio. It felt and sounded like a car crash. There was, you know, kind of that crunch. There was that push that you get. They report that no one was hurt and recorded these pictures as they were removed from the plane and bus back to the airport terminal. The Tokyo flight had a damaged wing, but could still make it back to the gate. All of these passengers were put on other flights safely on their way, and tonight federal investigators are here trying to figure out why this happened. Whether or not it was, for example, a pilot's error or something as simple as the way the traffic lines are drawn on the taxiways. David. Steve Osinsami, live at Atlanta tonight. Steve, thank you. We turned out a tropical storm-front scene on track to become a hurricane set to hit the Gulf Coast. The storm surge up to 10 feet. It's outer bands reaching the shore, rain and flash flooding in Brownsville, Texas. This map showing more than 3,000 offshore oil rigs in Francine's path. Some workers now being evacuated. Let's get right to cheap meteorologist Ginger Z with the newest track, Ginger. Hey, David, you know, Francine's moving northeast at 10 miles per hour, so in the next 24 hours we'll have a landfalling hurricane in coastal Louisiana. It's going to skim by most of southeast Texas, so coastal Texas could pick up some of those outer bands. But other than that, it's all about those hurricane warnings from Grand Isle back to Cameron. Baton Rouge included tropical storm warnings over to Mobile, including Gulfport. Let's go ahead and time it out for you and give you all the impacts. 5 to 10 feet of storm surge on coastal Louisiana is the big first one, but those outer bands could make it to you by tomorrow morning. So if you have any last minute, anything you've got to get done, it's got to get out in the next couple of hours, because tomorrow is going to be really tough to get around. With that big bubble of water coming on shore, the worst or the dirty side of the storm is that right side, so New Orleans is now in it with Lake Pontchartrain expecting two to five feet of surge, a little bit less as you go east. But watch this thing carefully because not only do we have that storm surge, which is the largest loss of life and property, David, but also inland rain that by the end of the week could go all the way up with up to, you know, four to six inches in southern Illinois or western Tennessee. All right, we'll be watching it with you, Ginger. Thank you. We're going to turn to the fire emergencies in the West near Los Angeles, a new fire tonight, exploding in Orange County. The airport fire accidentally started by public works crews and threatening communication towers that are critical to this firefight. Thousands told to evacuate ABC's Moa Lanky is there tonight. Tonight, communications towers surrounded by flames, the out of control airport fire burning through crucial infrastructure in southern California. The battle is to save Santiago Peak. You can barely see it through the smoke there. That's a major communication hub, but look at that. The Orange County blaze exploding to more than 9,000 acres in less than a day after work crews moving boulders accidentally started it. Families from 1,400 homes forced to flee. The rapid growth fueled by California's warmest summer on record and shifting winds that have turned much of the West into a powder keg. In LA County, new evacuation orders overnight, families grabbing what they can before fleeing the fast-moving bridge fire. Right now I'm grabbing anything that has a base on it. East of there in San Bernardino County, the National Guard now joining an all-out assault on the line fire that's burned more than 40 square miles. Officials expanding evacuation orders, some 65,000 homes and businesses now under threat. David, back here in Orange County, two firefighters fighting the airport fire were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries, excessive heat warnings are in effect through tonight, David. All right, Mola Lengue with us tonight as well. Mola, thank you. Next tonight here, the disturbing body camera video now being made public tonight, showing the moment Miami Dolphins star Tyree Kil is forcibly taken from his car following a traffic stop. Minutes later, he's on the ground and in handcuffs. The team calling the officers behavior despicable. Here's Victor O'Kendo. Tonight, you're watching the disturbing moments Miami Dolphins receiver Tyree Kil was forcibly pulled from his vehicle by police and detained for a traffic violation. In newly released body camera footage, Miami dead police seen pulling over Hills black sports car near the stadium hours before kickoff. They don't knock on my window, let it in. Officers ordering him to step out. Keep your window down, I'm gonna get you out of the car. Moments later, Hill taken to the ground and put in handcuffs. The 30-year-old superstar calling out to his teammates who were trying to help, later handcuffed by police, too. Police citing him for careless driving and a seatbelt violation. Watch as Hill speeds past an officer. The driver's reckless sits behind the term fight, and that's the reason they called out your vehicle. But I don't think he's the reason for me slashing out my car, dude. In a statement, the Miami Dolphins calling this despicable behavior and urge bullies to take swift and strong action against the officers. The officer who is on leave is Danny Torres, a 27-year veteran. His attorneys are calling for him to be immediately reinstated. Tyree Kil's agent says that all the officers should be fired. David. Victor Kendo with us tonight, Victor, thank you. Overseas tonight, Israel releasing chilling new images inside the Hamas tunnels, 60 feet underground, where the Israeli military says those six hostages were killed, including Israeli-American Hirsch Goldberg-Poland, ABC's Matt Gutman in Jerusalem tonight. Tonight, Israel releasing video of that Hamas tunnel, more than 60 feet underground, where they say American Hirsch Goldberg-Poland and five other hostages spent their final minutes. The IDF's top spokesman pointing out those bottles and buckets to Washington. They were here in this tunnel in horrific conditions, where there is no air to breathe, where you cannot stand. The IDF believes the hostages were held in this two-foot wide tunnel for weeks before Hamas executed them. Hamas saying they did so because they heard Israeli soldiers operating nearby. And overnight, an Israeli airstrike in a designated humanitarian zone, leaving 19 dead, according to Gaza health officials. Rescuers scratching through the sand for survivors. The IDF said it killed three senior militants. And it comes as America's top diplomat issued a blistering rebuke over the IDF's killing of the U.S. citizen and activists, a Senor Egi at a protest in the West Bank, calling it unprovoked and unjustified. Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement. Egi shot in the head the IDF claiming she was hit indirectly and unintentionally. David, I've spoken to the families of some of the American hostages. They tell me that they have watched that video inside the tunnel. They also tell me that over the past week, they've spoken to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan twice. And at this point, they are not optimistic about a deal despite these intense U.S. efforts. David. Matt Guppmann, in Jerusalem tonight. Matt, thank you. Back here in the U.S. tonight, a solemn ceremony of the Capitol to honor the service members killed in a suicide bombing during the Afghanistan withdrawal. The event to award Congress's highest honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, to the 13 troops who died at Abbey Gate near the Kabul Airport just over three years ago. Leaders from both parties, from both chambers of Congress addressing families at the event. And tonight, the mother of the Georgia school shooting suspect is speaking out for the first time in an exclusive interview with ABC News. Marcy Gray says when her son Colt texted her that morning with a simple, "I'm sorry, Mom." She knew something was wrong. She called a school counselor, she says. The counselor said, "Well, I wanted to let you know that earlier this morning, one of Colt's teachers had sent me an email that said Colt had been making references to school shootings." About 30 minutes later, her son allegedly opening fire, killing four people. When we come back tonight, the manhunt intensifying tonight for the sniper suspect accused of shooting and wounding five people on an American interstate and the new warning from authorities coming in tonight. And later here, we'll show you where the two candidates will be debating one another right down here behind me, just a short time from now. If you're dealing with a lot of stress, these feelings don't just disappear at bedtime. Trouble falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night or not feeling rested in the morning, these are all signs that your bedtime routine could use an upgrade. Calm can help you learn to de-stress and fall asleep faster so you can get a restful sleep every night. 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They are searching thousands of acres now, including a heavily wooded area, urging people to stay off the trails. The reward for information is now up to $35,000. When we come back here tonight, SpaceX hoping to make history with a civilian walking in space and we'll show you the debate floor right here behind me tonight. You're a podcast listener, and this is a podcast ad. Reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Lips and Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements, or run a reproduced ad like this one across thousands of shows to reach your target audience with Lips and Ads. Go to Lips and Ads.com now. That's L-I-B-S-Y-N ads.com. Ryan Reynolds here from Midmobile. With the price of just about everything going up during inflation, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a thing. 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Reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Lips and Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements, or run a reproduced ad like this one across thousands of shows to reach your target audience with Lips and Ads. Go to lipsandads.com now, that's L-I-B-S-Y-N ads.com. You're a podcast listener, and this is a podcast ad. Reach great listeners like yourself with podcasts advertising from Lips and Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements, or run a reproduced ad like this one across thousands of shows to reach your target audience with Lips and Ads. Go to lipsandads.com now, that's L-I-B-S-Y-N ads.com. Tonight, a note before we go, a look at the debate stage right here behind us. You can see the two podiums were Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will stand. The candidates will meet for the first time right here tonight on this stage. It's a quiet, intimate setting because there will be no audience in the room. They're microphones only on when they're speaking. Lindsey Davis and I will be seated right there at the desk moderating the debate. For Harris and Trump, it's their only debate firmly scheduled so far. It could be the only time voters see the two go head to head before the presidential election, which, by the way, is exactly eight weeks from tonight. We'll see you right here tonight for the ABC News presidential debate begins at 9 p.m. Eastern here on ABC. Until then, I'm David Muir from the National Constitution Center here in Philadelphia. Good night. good night.
