US presidential debate expected to be rare draw in polarised age

New York

The uniquely uncivil presidential campaign is about to produce one of the biggest civic gatherings in decades: for 90 minutes on Monday night, a polarised nation will pause to watch the first head-to-head encounter between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

The total audience, network executives and political strategists say, could be as high as 100 million viewers - Super Bowl territory. Th…