also spoken out against the acceptance of capitalism. is it going to be an awkward relationship as he comes to the united states? >> i think people, everybody that i've talked to is excited. they admire this man, they admire his simplicity, how he's leading as a pastor really, poverty, global warming, he is a welcome change to a church that three years ago was immersed in a sexual abuse scandal. did the pope really say that, did he really talk about women, did he really say don't judge, i feel so much better about my faith, so i think he will, you know, obviously i think as george said he's going to be kind of some people say an equal opportunity disrupter, but he is also in cuba he calls us all out of our homes, calls everybody to be of service. he said when god is in your presence, he gets your heart

beating, your legs moving and gets you to get out there and serve and i think he wants us to reach out to our fellow man and woman and see how they are struggling and lead with a revolution of tenderness and compassion. >> it's notable that this entire visit will be centered on the east coast of the united states, washington, d.c. and then up to new york and finish up over the weekend in philadelphia. there's a lot written about how the demographics have shifted fundamentally away from that european roots in the east to more of the west and south. you won't see that, missing something? >> i go to mass in massachusetts in the summer, i see one kind of congregation and go to my local parish in california, los angeles, it's a completely different demographic. and if he had had his way, he would have focused his first

trip to the united states on the west coast. he would have perhaps come through the border. >> this was all -- this whole trip was set up attending the world meeting of families in philadelphi philadelphia. >> that's where the growth is. in my parish, standing room only. out the door and down the steps. obviously, incredibly growi ini hispanic part of the church. >> a lot of the church is going to be in philadelphia, all over the country. a story in the washington post this morning about a family that's driving 13,000 miles from buenos aires in a volkswagon to see pope francis in philadelphia. that's where you're going to get the mosaic of the catholic church in america. >> obviously, seeing the door now open and the official greeting party has gone onboard and we're waiting to get our

first glimpse of the pope. chris jansing, what are you seeing from your vantage point there? >> well, i can tell you that the people who are gathered here let out an incredible squeal when that door opened. many of them had gone through incredible security, spent many hours and, of course, very lucky to have one of these few tickets. in addition to that, you can see the red carpet was rolled out and a bit of rain that started to fall and i was checking people out, hasn't bothered anyone at all. overcast skies, very pleasant here, but we see the many dignitaries who are here from the catholic church, including the d.c. cardinal and the cardinal emeritus. especially military members, they talked about the excitement, the honor they felt and the sense they have of the historic nature of this, and

another cheer going up from the crowd. big grins, big smiles as the president approaches the red carpet. we expect to see pope francis momentarily to come out and make the official greetings. of course, he'll have an official visit to the white house tomorrow morning. one of many moments along this trip that we'll have potentially political overtones, because the pope has been very outspoken at some of the issues that are near and dear to this president's heart, including climate change. he, of course, was also instrumental in bringing the u.s. and cuba together to begin normalization of relations. so this will be closely watched meeting, this what we're about to see here, simply very formal in his greeting. 27 people.

there we see him now on the right side of the screen.

>> what is the crowd chanting? i can't make it out. >> welcome to the usa, welcome, there are cheerleaders positioned, has a feeling of a pep rally, but i also think it's worth noting how rare it is what we're seeing. presidents of the united states come to joint base andrews to get on air force one and then they deplane off of air force one. it is so unusual for them to come and meet even a head of state, but, of course, the pope is in a category, different category altogether, and he and president obama established a relationship last year when he went to the vatican and told pope francis that he was a great admirer and, in fact, they met

longer than anyone expected, about 50 minutes, before some of their aides came in and before leaving, they had a warm embrace, a hug, and the president asked him to pray for his family. he feels his senior aides say, a special connection with this pope, and so it's not a surprise that he came out here to greet him today, as rare as that is. >> and we understand some school children are also there who will be presenting themselves. >> yeah, and i hear -- i can see out of the corner of my eye some kids who are dancing. they can hardly contain their excitement, lester. >> the pope making his way down the receiving line, and as we said, he will some point go in a distinguished visitors area behind closed doors for more formal greetings and be out of sight for that period. there will be no other public appearances today. the plan is for him to motorcade

to washington, d.c., the vatican, where he will spend the night before tomorrow. the public will get their first chance to see him when he takes part in a parade around the south of the white house. ann, give us some of the colors, did he take any questions during the trip? >> lester, he did. he answered seven questions, including one about all the criticism that he is an anticapitalist lefty, and criticism that he's not catholic enough to be the pope. the pope says every word he says comes from the social doctrine of the church. he says he understands that some people might consider what he said a little leftish, as he termed it, but he said no that would be a misinterpretation. he did give us a preview of what he's going to say to congress on thursday when he addresses that

historic joint session. he said he's not going to bring up the u.s. embargo on cuba. he said that is part of the negotiations between the two countries, but he said he is going to talk about the importance of multinational agreements. the pope is a big backer of the iran nuclear deal. the open also described his meeting with fidel castro, saying it was informal. lester, i have to tell you, i'm just stunned by this welcome. there are kids screaming and singing and dancing. and you can absolutely feel the energy out here. it really is remarkable. you know, i wondered after cuba if we would get the same type -- if he would get the same kind of reception, and it is clear that's exactly what's happening here. >> well, he'll probably find it a bit more comfortable, little cool here in the washington, d.c. area today. obviously, very hot in cuba. this is not a young man and this is not an easy schedule for

anyone. he's got a very full schedule over the next six days here. >> no, especially when you consider he has one lung, one lung that works well. he's got a bad hip. he's a little overweight. his doctors would like him to lose a few pounds, but you know what, lester, the truth is, he seems to feed off the crowds. when you meet him in person, he's almost shy. his humility really reels you in, but when he gets in the pope mobile or walks across the tarmac, he just soaks up the crowd. he loves that energy, and that, the crowd's energy, gives him energy. we saw that in cuba. we're seeing it here today at andrews air force base. >> and you noted that he was not planning to talk about the trade embargo, which is obviously a source of pain in cuba. at the same time did he even get in the area of human rights in cuba?

>> no, in fact, one of the questions were you were too soft on cuba when you were there, and he said he wasn't soft on cuba. he said he had spoken in pastoral context because this was a pastoral visit. he also explained why he did not meet with cuban dissidents. they did require a audience but there were lots of requests from private audiences, including one from a head of state, but he turned them all down. the nunciature in cuba offered him a chance to come in the studio and stand in a receiving line to shake the pope's hand. the pope said he didn't see him there, no one identified themselves as a dissident so he blessed the sick children that were there. the pope said he did not know that anybody had been arrested or detained trying to reach him.

>> anne thompson, as we noted and as you saw, the pope and the greeting party now retired indoors for about a 15-minute period of time we're told before they leave and make the drive into washington, d.c. i want to bring in nbc's andrea mitchell to talk more about what we can expect here in washington. andrea, there was a time the republican party really embraced the pope and it was almost seeming to flip-flop now, democrats look at him, look at the messages, the things he's tried to champion and embraced him more. how are those dynamics played out at the white house and later when he addresses congress? >> certainly, the white house is trying to take advantage of the fact that the pope has been such a strong supporter of the iran negotiations, and that he was a fa till at a ticilitator that bo parties together in rome when these secret talks have been going on for months and months

and really sealed the deal for u.s. and cuba to normalize relations through trade of prisoners, so this has been a major contribution to legacy of barack obama, the two things he's certainly going to point to down the road are iran and cuba as two things he's really managed to change. now, at the same time, the pope is critical of europe and the united states for not doing more for the refugees from syria and for not doing more to end the civil war in syria, so it's kind of like a political cafeteria, if you could talk about the old cafeteria of catholics, took one thing or another from them. these politicians are taking what they want and we're going to hear republicans taking his concerns about syria, the civil wars, and about the refugees and democrats are going to take the opening to iran potentially and

the agreement with cuba. so i think barack obama by going with michelle obama, with the kids, the bidens, as well, by this strong gesture in showing he wants to fully embrace pope francis and he's avoiding the political as much as he can. pope francis took raul's hand, former defense minister, hard liner. cubans have never seen him smile so much, took his hand and put it on his heart, and that was such a symbol, as well as the fact that raul had attended all of his public appearances, so catholics and others interested in human rights in cuba are now

saying even though not get a private audience, are saying this could really tell major changes there. >> anne thompson, you have covered this pope and flew in on the papal airplane. he is known for surprises, going off script, getting out of vehicles, did he catch anybody off guard in cuba during this trip? >> in fact, worst job in the world is to be pope francis' speech writer, because twice on the trip he threw the prepared text away and spoke off the cuff. he did that at a vespers service involving religious priests and sisters in cuba, and then again at a youth rally. he likes to speak off the cuff and especially when he's speaking his native spanish, but you know, the other thing, lester, that's remarkable about this is that when you think back just 50 years ago, little more than 50 years ago, in 1960 when john f. kennedy was running for president, in this country, he's had to assure people that he

would not take orders from the vatican. fast forward now to 2015, and we have a pope that the current president wants to be seen with. he is seen as a very popular figure, not just among catholics, but among people around the world. because he's seen as a voice of moral authority in this day and age. >> that's a good point to bring in marie again, how he's viewed as a moral authority. if you are not catholic, you're watching this and watched these crowds, what we saw in washington, help us understand how he is viewed almost separate and apart sometimes from the doctrine of the church. >> we did a poll this week and it showed people see him as a religious figure primarily, but also a political figure. he's the kind of person you take your kids out of school to meet. he's the kind of person that there's tremendous respect and i've talked to people who are

musl muslims, jews, and tomorrow the day of atonement he'll begin his official duty, they think he's done so much to bring peace in the world, that he asks journalists the other day to try to find peace with their work, that he is about bringing faith together and about urging us all to find common ground. so i think that as we said, a big moment for catholics, big moments for collapsed catholics, but big moment for all faiths and i think you've seen that play out and will see it play out even more over the next couple of days. >> george, weigh in a minute. >> i think the pope embodies something the world needs, even if it can't articulate it, and that's a pastor. the world is very divided place today. there's a lot of bad stuff going on. here is someone who wants to summon the best out of people.

he's not naive. he knows there's evil in the world. this pope had talked about s ab more than any pope in my lifetime, yet he wants to invite people to a richer encounter with each other, to generally multicultural figure. in that sense of the term, but he's also a man of truth. in pope francis' mind, truth and mercy go together. if you speak the truth without mercy, it's not going to be heard, but mercy without truth is a fraud. so he's a both end guy. >> and we should note we have been competing with the music and i'll remind you again, we're on the campus of catholic university right now, the basilica of the national shrine of the immaculate conception over our shoulder, the pope will be celebrating his cannonizatio mass here tomorrow, so they are doing a sound check. here we see him re-emerging here now from the distinguished visitors lounge at joint base

andrews, again with the president, all smiles after a short private greeting. now they'll make their way into their respective motorcades. and chris jansing is watching it. chris, the crowd still there to watch this? >> i am, people are starting to shout again and hoping that the pope will go off script as he does so often. this is one of the things that makes this pope so popular. his unpredictability, frankly, and i think that his natural inclination would be to wander into the crowd here. he does it in that way, but he is said before, kind of joked, but it happens to be true he's had to apologize to his security detail in the past because he caused them so much angst. you can see him now, the way he's moving and talking to the president, getting much closer to the people, and seeming to make his way back in that direction. and we see the photographers

running, as well. he also attempts to go off script in what he has to say. he'll throw entire speeches away, and, of course, surprised many in the catholic church with some of his pronouncements, but i was thinking as he was walking with the president coming down the red carpet, that protocol would tell him, would say, that, you know, this is going to be very brief, he's just come off a grueling schedule, he's going into another grueling schedule here in the united states. but you see how much he and the president have had a conversation, and a wave to the crowd. this is the moment they were waiting for. the chance to get so close to him, lester. >> the pope getting into his vehicle now. the president into his. this will not be a parade, of course, it will be a cleared motorcade route.

note, this was not a limo in the way you think. that's, in fact, a fiat 500 four door. >> vatican license plate. >> vatican license plate. this is a pope that's certainly shunned some of the trappings of celebrity and excess and no better example than getting into that fiat 500. hot little car, but not a limo, as we tend to think of it. >> you have to sense the president had a great deal of pride there walking with his holiness and kind of showing off the reception that he was getting on his first trip here to the united states. looked so proud, i thought, to have his family and to be introducing everybody and showing them this great american welcome. >> anne thompson was saying about the extraordinary change in this country over the past 60 years. i remember being on the north

lawn of the white house when the baptist jimmy carter welcomed the polish john paul ii. nobody expected to see that. eight years ago, george w. bush went out to andrews to meet pope benedict, called him the greatest spiritual leader in the world. this is a rather extraordinary transformation in our own country, and there he goes. >> waving at the crowd. we're told normally it's about a 40-minute drive from joint base andrews into the city. i'm going to guess their make better time, maybe 20 minutes or so, but this will not be a formal parade, but a motorcade. we'll see him tomorrow and the public will get a better chance to view him here in washington, d.c. let me quickly turn to pete williams, our justice correspondent. pete, the security operation not only around to washington but over the three cities, philadelphia and new york, is unlike anything we've seen because of multiple events, especially in new york. how is all this being handled?

>> lester, that's a nifty little car the pope is in and he can probably find a parking place in washington if there were any. the vast stretches of the district will be closed to parking, closed to traffic. the same thing in new york, same thing in philadelphia. this is undoubtedly the largest security challenge ever in the united states. the secret service director joseph clancy was at andrews air force base to watch the pope come in. his people had been in rome to learn more about what the pope does and he's riding in a vehicle you can roll the windows down in. that's not something a presidential limousine can do. so many differences and it's a challenge because of so many other things going on. the district is still open. the pope is going to find less traffic because people are obeying the rules to stay home, federal employees to work home if they can, but in new york it gets more complicated because of the fact that the u.n. general assembly will be meeting 170 heads of state that have to be protected and then when he moves

on to philadelphia, the security problems get even bigger because it's a smaller area and it's a city that isn't as accustomed as washington, d.c. and new york having heads of states come and shut the city down. plus, the city officials have said that if the visitors that they expect to come actually arrive, it will almost double the population of philadelphia. he comes here at a time when the cities are still in business, cities still open for business, lots of security, huge headache and enormous undertaking to make sure the pope is safe and people who come to see the pope are safe, as well. >> odd sightseeing that small fiat surrounded by all those big black suvs. obviously, a well thought out security plan. by the way, there's the president who's continuing to greet the pope there after his private meeting with the pope and looks like he's now heading to his own motorcade. slightly bigger car, for his trip back to the white house.

these two will have a chance, there will be a formal welcoming ceremony at the white house tomorrow morning, and a formal meeting and part of a full day of official events that will conclude where we are here in catholic university with a canonization mass. let's go to nbc's tom costello right now at the other end of the pope's motorcade, the nunciature. >> we have several hundred people outside the vatican embassy. it's the nunciature here, behind these folks on the hill is the vice president's residence. it's all behind that steel fence, if you will. we've now got several hundred people gathering over the last few hours and many of them are spanish speaking. they come here because they believe this pope speaks to them. he speaks to their issues, their concerns, and he speaks to their love of faith. i want to bring in a 14-year-old

girl i met here in the crowd. 14 years old. why are you here today, noelle? >> i'm here to see the pope, because i really believe in what he's doing with the world right now. that's why i'm here today. >> you told me off camera that his message of love speaks to you. what do you mean by that? >> well, in the way he says loving people isn't the way we normally would think it is, but it's about serving other people, not just being affectionate towards them or giving them everything, but to really serve others. >> what are you hoping for today? are you hoping you see the pope brian, come this way. lester, let me show you where the pope will arrive eventually over the top of these people is the actual nunciature, the vatican embassy, if you will, here in washington, and this is where we expect the pope to arrive in the next couple of hours and you can see security quite tight here.

we've got the steel and concrete barricades up. very heavy police presence as they have now closed down massachusetts avenue, a very major artery here in washington, d.c. lester, back to you. >> i can only imagine as we approach rush hour here in washington, d.c., what it must be like there. that's an area where the vice president's residence is nearby, but an exciting day. he'll be in the pope mobile, we should note, tomorrow for a parade around the ellipse area just to the south of the white house. the public will have a better chance to see him and he's been known, as we noted, to sometimes get out and work along the crowd. >> we'll see if he does it tomorrow. i've been talking to some of the people in recent weeks who have been in the security and it has been a bit of a work between what the pope wants. he wants to do what he does and the president has ordered the

highest possible level of security for him and the secret service takes that seriously. there's been a lot of back and forth about this and i do hope people are not offput by that and make the effort to get to these events, where they can celebrate with him, because aside from the inevitable political aspects, catholic visit to the united states, and it's a great opportunity for this enormously diverse church, which i think is the most vital and vibrant church in the western world, to celebrate that with its spiritual leader and to encourage him. one of my hopes to this visit is the pope takes home to rome a sense of how immensely vital catholicism is in america. marie spoke about the crowds in her parish, same as the crowds

in my church in bethesda, maryland, over the weekends. >> francis effect and the effect he's had on the church. i was in a seminary in philadelphia last week talking to seminarians who answered the call because of them. >> there's a lot of problems with the catholic church, they don't have a lot of new priests, not a lot of new nuns, so they are going to have to make changes to survive, to keep young people in the pews. >> especially changing demographics. >> very vibrant church, but one that has to make decisions moving forward. >> marie and george, good to have you here. reminder, tomorrow at 9:00 eastern live nbc news coverage as the pope makes his visit to the white house. we'll air that, of course, during the "today" show, 9:00 eastern on nbc. and, of course, full coverage on today's event, the arrival on the pope in america on the nbc

nightly news coming up in a few hours. for now, i'm lester holt, nbc news, washington. nbc news special report. pope currently on the rope right now headed to washington, d.c. as we continue to follow his busy schedule, let's talk about where he came from. he flew up from cuba. >> historic trip in cuba. he called on the cuban people to rediscover their catholic heritage and live a revolution of tenderness. today pope francis met with families in the cathedral of our lady of assumption. this is in santiago, cuba. also left the city from outside the cathedral, but before the pontiff left cuba for washington, a special farewell ceremony was held at the santiago de cuba international airport. >> today the world meeting of families congress began at the convention center. 18,000 catholics from around the

world are in town for the gathering. also today the no parking zone expands to old city, philadelphia, as the city prepares for the pontiff's speech at independence hall. we're monitoring the traffic as more closures and people slow down drivers all around philadelphia. nbc 10 has live team coverage today. we'll bring you what's happening and how it's impacting people around their area. we start with nbc 10's tim furlong high above the action in sky force 10. what do you see from that vantage point, tim? >> it's finally here, pope is on american soil, world meeting of families is officially under way. take a look at the ben franklin parkway. closed to traffic, setting up equipment and building a security perimeter for the pope's visit. it's a major undertaking and all happening not too, too far from the convention center in center city where thousands of people, you see the convention center there, thousands of people are now inside, finally, the world meeting of families.

you guys kicked the whole thing off. >> yes, we were so excited. the little kids with the big voices kicked off the world meeting of families in an event three-plus years in the making. how do you think you guys did? >> i think we pulled it off. >> almost 18,000 people from 100 countries are registered to be here, the largest world meeting of families to date. you couldn't miss the 200 visitors from the dominican republic, all counselors who work with struggling families. >> we work with the families. we make some advice how you can -- what can you do with your children when you have a problem. >> that's what the meeting is about, there's fun to be had, funny t-shirts to be bought, but ultimately focused on issues that address families. >> the challenge of child rearing between husband and wife, finances, the care for

people with disabilities and the elderly. >> and, of course, the meeting will culminate with a visit from the pope. many fans here, including those who see him as a more tolerant and forgiving pope then seems to be working hard to bring back catholics who felt abandoned by their church. >> forgive them, bless the woman who aborts, have her communion again. they can come back now and be part of the catholic church. >> as you come back live, it's getting difficult to tell what traffic problems are or are not related to the papal preparations, but the vine street expressway beyond logan circle westbound is a mess right now. 76 west no picnic either. both roads closed friday night. doug shimell is on the ground in old city with that part of the story. we'll hear from him coming up soon. for now, tim furlong, nbc 10 news. >> tim, thank you. 6:00 tonight the third phase of parking restrictions begins in philadelphia. >> crews will begin towing cars

in the area you see shaded here in blue. this is so they can make room and start preparing for the events that will be held at independence hall this weekend. the no parking rule is already in effect for the areas around the parkway that you see in green and purple. nbc 10's doug shimell is live where the transformation for the weekend is under way. doug? >> reporter: exactly. and the block of chestnut in front of independence hall closed for most of the day, reopened now for rush hour. as you can see, some of those superstructures starting to go up in front of the hall. they are gradually closing off the front of independence hall. the skeleton is starting to take shape for the stage that will frame the pope for a speech to 40,000 people late saturday afternoon. and the process of clearing people and cars out of the way

continued in the old city part of the security box. the parking authority says they expected to tow over 600 cars by now, but carted off a little more than 200. 90% compliance, they say, and officials say there should be plenty of parking placards for residents to give them until thursday and then a space in the garage. >> we will not sell more placards than we have spaces. yesterday we were up to about 700 placards, we have 2,200 >> and the signs of the crowds to come keep going up. and, of course, as you mentioned, 6:00 the cutoff time for parking along the streets in this third part of the security box. of course, when you have the placards, you have until thursday about 10:00 to get the cars moved and they guaranteed there will be spaces in those garages. they won't sell more placards

than spaces. doug shimell, nbc 10 news. combined road closures and thousands of extra people and you're going to get a slowdown on the roads. her eye on troubled spots. >> let's go over the closures be impacted around the area. kelly drive and additional we know the ben franklin parkway is closed to logan circle so that's right in this area. you can see the most heavily affected right now is the vine street expressway. the schuylkill is doing okay. also the no parking zones are having more people fan out and be around the area, so center city area is where you're seeing the biggest impact. no problems heading in from new jersey, but when you look at the schuylkill expressway, we're okay. light volume here, as well as yesterday. westbound and eastbound, the most it's going to take 23 minutes and that's typical drive time for afternoon rush. when you take a look at the

actual vine street expressway, ten minute drive westbound into the center city area. >> all right, jessica. another complication besides our camera there in the pope's visit this weekend, receiving communion. >> that is not a complication, church officials are figuring out how to let thousands of people receive communion all at one time during sunday's parkway mass. father dennis gill says they have been preparing for the papal mass for three years. trying to deliver communion to as many in the crowd as possible. they have enough wafers for hundreds of thousands of people. father gill said with your insight of the altar on the museum steps, you have a good chance of taking part. >> at one time we expect to have as many as 500 priests lead the sanctuary area to take communion into the congregation and they'll be accompanied by a communion assistant, that is someone who will carry a gold and white umbrella over the

sacrament. >> father gill says it's their intention for everyone to receive communion. >> you can count on nbc 10 for your coverage of the pope's visit to the u.s. rosemary connors and matt will report on francis' stops at washington, d.c. cydney long and katie zachary pick up from new york on thursday. don't forget about the nbc 10 news app. it has everything you need to know about the changes over the next five days. unfortunately, big crowds are the perfect setting for pickpockets. helping you avoid becoming a victim. what the bad guys look for and how you can protect your purse and your pocket.

you just watched this live here on nbc 10. pope francis walking off his plane about 30 minutes ago at joint base andrews in maryland just outside of our nation's capital. traveling via motorcade to his residence at the apostolic nuns

ciature. >> the first mass at the world meeting of families is under way. it started about ten minutes ago at the pennsylvania convention center. it will run until 6:00 tonight. more than 18,000 people are expected to attend the events of this world meeting of families conference. for everyone going to see the pope, a warning from the nbc 10 investigators and a former criminal that we are all targets. >> pickpockets see an opportunity. nbc 10 investigative reporter harry hairston joins us with some tips to keep you safe and also protect your wallet. >> that's right. the best way to learn something is to go to an expert. we found a guy to show us how to take your money. >> see a person walking down the street, a nice person or a family walking down the street, you'll walk up, you'll distract

one of them, once you distract them, that's when you're going for the kill. >> reporter: just like that, former pickpocket tracy bryant says you can be separated from your money and with an estimated 1 million people coming to see the pope, criminals will be coming to see you. is that the kind of crowd pickpocketers are going for? >> yes, yes, big events like that. mega events. >> reporter: pickpockets usually work in teams of three, four, and they'll be determined. there's going to be hundreds of law enforcement, local, state, and federal with pickpocketers. >> don't care. >> reporter: how easy it can be in a location where he says in his past he pickpocketed plenty it didn't take long to find potential victims. >> right here. both of these women right here in line. >> brian notices two women purses hanging on their backs.

>> you are an easy target. what do you think you should do now? >> i think i should probably put my purse this way. >> reporter: down another aisle, a woman enjoying lunch with her purse on the floor. he shows us how distraction is a pickpocket's tool of the trade. >> is the food good here, ma'am? very good here? all right, all right. >> reporter: he says while they were talking, one of his partners would have grabbed the purse. >> oh, dear. it's not like i haven't been coming here for 20 years and i shouldn't know that. >> mindful of those situations when you're in a large crowd. >> reporter: philadelphia police lieutenant warns people to be mindful of their surrounding and anyone who makes physical contact with them. >> pad their pockets. that's one of the techniques they use. >> reporter: police also recommend you carry no or little cash, bring only one credit

card, put items in your front pocket and if you have buttons or zippers, use them. >> it's going to require more work to get your wallet out or your money. >> reporter: bryant says these are good tips but won't stop pickpocketers from trying. >> they come out to fight us and stop us, we didn't care. we'd go above and beyond. >> reporter: philadelphia place say they'll be on the lookout for pickpockets, as well as any other potential crimes while the pope is in town. harry hairston, nbc 10 news. sheena? finally more sunshine comes back in the forecast for tomorrow with a warmup. also we're tracking a chance for any showers for the weekend. those details coming up.

now, nbc 10 first alert

weather with meteorologist sheena parveen. >> well, another cool day for us and overcast skies. the clouds are still with us, but we'll see more sunshine tomorrow for the first official day of fall and it's actually going to be a warmer day tomorrow, so a warmer start to fall. we will cool back down again over the weekend, just about the mid 70s and we are watching any rain chances for the weekend. i'll show you that in just a second. right now overcast through the philadelphia area. this is near the art museum and schuylkill river. clouds have been with us all day. not much in the way of rain. few light showers this morning, but otherwise we've stayed cloudy and cool through the afternoon. right now 72 degrees in philadelphia and elsewhere we're already dropping to the upper 60s in reading and pottstown, 68 degrees, 69 in westchester, mid 70s for millville, also dover and as we go through tonight, another cool night and we'll start to see the clouds finally breaking up. here is a look at satellite. no rain around, but we have the clouds pretty much over the

entire area. the poconos starting to see more sunshine. then we have moisture off the carolina coast and that's what we're going to be watching into the weekend. so take a look at future weather. there's the area of low pressure. as we go through the rest of the week we'll be staying dry. more clouds move in to start the weekend, but take a look at saturday, moisture still to the south and the newest updates that just came in for sunday keeping the moisture just barely to our south. so as we go over the weekend for the papal visit, saturday mid 70s, as well as sunday, but sunday a chance of showers and mostly south of philadelphia, but, of course, forecast can change as we get closer, so we'll be updating that every day this week so you want to stay right here for updates on those increasing rain chances. tonight, though, mostly cloudy, late clearing. around 50 degrees areas north and west. tomorrow mostly sunny, but warmer, 80 degrees for the first day of fall. average high 76. little bit above average to start fall, but still nice, dry, and sunny and going into the

weekend, that's when we cool back down. stay tuned, we'll be right back.

this just in, the phillies have a new manager for next season. moments ago the team named pete mackanin, who's served as interim manager since june. the team announced this afternoon it's extended his contract through 2016. the clock is ticking for the pennsylvania office of the attorney general one day after kathleen kane's law license was suspended. officials say they had 30 days to comply with the state supreme court's decision. kane's ability to practice law has been stripped. she can still make administrative decisions. kane's lawyers have yet to comment on whether they'll appeal the suspension. the decision came less than a month after authorities charged kane with leaking secret grand jury information. the budget stalemate continues in the pennsylvania state house. lawmakers are now heading home

after a house session today. billions of dollars have now been held up in harrisburg for 83 days and schools and nonprofit organizations are struggling to get by without the funding. today's session was held so that lawmakers can take a vote later this week. on a republican stop, gap budget proposal that would be a short-term solution. tom wolf is likely to veto the bill, saying lawmakers need to pass a long-term budget. we have new information now about an attack in a school near pittsburgh. a teen suspect is being charged as an adult after police say she doused a school security guard with gasoline. she was arraigned this morning on aggravated assault and other charges. police say a 16-year-old poured the gas after she was stopped from going inside the school. the security guard was not seriously injured, says he was simply following school protocol when the attack happened. >> it was thrown in my face. in my face, got into my mouth,

on my clothes, that was enough to where i really wanted to go hands on with her, but the fact is, i don't want to lose my job or my clearance, so she was restrained the way you're supposed to be restrained. >> school officials say he won't return to work as this investigation continues. all new on nbc 10 news at 5:00, philadelphia's pope security plans now in place. >> but the nbc 10 investigators have learned that the secret service may change that plan. what we learned from the special agent in charge of the pope's visit. plus -- >> only nbc 10 goes behind the scenes with south jersey law enforcement to show you what they are working on right now to make your journey from new jersey to see pope francis in philadelphia smooth, safe, and secure next at 5:00. and we have a warm up coming for the first day of fall, too. also any chance of showers for the weekend forecast, i'll show you those details coming up. and you're looking at a live

picture of the motorcade with pope francis. we saw him touch down at joint base andrews outside washington, d.c., where he was greeted by the president and numerous onlookers. we see some onlookers there, as well. we'll keep you updated as the pope is now in america.

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swing a club at one of america's greatest courses... see spectacular sights underground... ...or thrilling sights above it. there's so many incredible ways to experience the fun of fall in new york state. plan your trip at iloveny.com. there's something for everyone. sflnc nbc 10 news starts now.

>> right now on nbc 10 news at 5:00, here's a look at the papal motorcade and that's the sound people made waiting for him. he found his way through washington, d.c. there he is, pope francis arriving on u.s. soil about an hour ago arriving right there at the apostolic nunciatury before a busy day on capital hill tomorrow. turning back time, we watched as pope francis touched down on american soil for the first time. the president was among those there, too, to welcome him to the united states. nbc 10 has your complete coverage of the pope's upcoming visit to philadelphia. >> but we begin with his stop in washington, d.c. rosemary connors is live there tonight. >> rosemary, a lot of excitement. >> reporter: keith and jacqueline, plenty of excitement, plenty of joy. over an hour ago the pope arrived in washington, as you can see, his chartered plane