>> reporter: yes, pope francis is set to arrive at joint base andrews at 4:00 this afternoon. the president and vice president will be waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs of the airplane, a rare and memorable welcome for a pope that has never stepped on american soil before. pope francis celebrated a final mass with thousands of the faithful in santiago, cuba, this morning. he called can a thole residual the cuban identity and tenderness askew bans rediscover their heritage. in washington, d.c. security teams are making their final preparations for the pope's arrival and he will be greeted by president obama and the first family on joint base saint and trues, and he will tour the u.s. , with several high profile events in three of the nation's biggest cities,

and law firm assigned to watch over the pontiff, as well as the millions that want to see him. security planners studied every attempt on a pope's life in the last 40 years. the breed is the concern on the attack of a lone wolf. >> you can never 100% stop everything. >> reporter: in planning for the big visit the secret service even went to the vatican to study the pope's movements. he will go to the vatican embassy where he will be staying and there is a fema struck parked outside in case -- trucked outside in case of a emergency. weijia jiang, live in washington, d.c. cbs2 news. >> thank you, weijia. the pope's arrival on thursday will be the first for the head of the roman catholic church there. are concerns about mixing politics and religion. >> i think we will see a different reaction on both sides of the aisle. the republicans will be

of the things he said while better. and the other, democrats enthusiastic on some of the things he said while the republicans are sitting on their hands. please anybody. his job is to please god. >> reporter: the pope's hope with the visit is to reawaken the spiritual sentiments with the people. the address will be broadcast around the world. before that address with the congress the pope has a full day of events tomorrow in washington. he begins the day at the white house and president obama. then he visits the cathedral of saint matthew for a prayer service and the basilica of the national shrine for mass. security is taking place in new york for the pope's arrival on thursday. we have cbs2 news janelle burrell live with more on what is being done. >> reporter: the pope will have

you can see a mobile command unit behind me already set up ahead of his visit. really throughout the city we are seeing the signs of the security plans starting to take shape, one of the largest operations the police department has ever seen. police this morning are setting up security cameras along central park west as tow trucks make the rounds up and down the avenue, forcing the people parking ban now in affect near the park and some of its side streets. >> it is a celebratory event for everybody else. for us it is a security event, one at the highest level. the secret service is the lead agency for providing security for the pope. we are in support with them and we are pretty tightly coordinated on this. >> reporter: the nypd getting ready to carry out one of the biggest security challenges they ever faced, with pope transition in -- pope francis in town along with leaders of

this area is set up in columbus circle and in madison square gardens the pope will hold a mass. and there are rows offense police cars at the brooklyn army terminal, home base of the massive police operation under way for the pope's visit. >> when you look at the 1,073 police cars laid out here and the 6,000 police officer, everybody will be challenged. you can have a uniform and marked auto, but if you come up to a checkpoint, you have to identify yourself with the right credentials. >> reporter: because he is known to be a pope of the people, a key concern for law enforcement, keeping him protected if he goes close to the crowds. >> we have to recognize that his holiness will want to stop and greet people and it is our job to protect him no matter what he does. he will make that choice. we feel confident we have the personnel, equipment and training, the pieces are in place.

says there aren't any specific terror threats against the pope they are aware of but closely monitoring activity online. >> a lot of this now is internet driven in terms of the threat nature. that means if the conspiracy is between a glowing laptop screen and somebody's dark bedroom in their mind it is very hard to penetrate from an intelligence standpoint. >> reporter: commissioner bratten says the security plan is truly unprecedented for the department. they are working with the fbi and secret service and also working closely with the police departments in washington, d.c. and philadelphia, as well, as part of this operation. reporting live this afternoon from columbus circle, janelle burrell, cbs2 news. >> janelle, thank you very much. a live look right now. the plane is on the tarmac ready for departure. pope francis is on the plane leaving cuba for washington, d.c. it is a story, of course, we are continuing to follow when the pope does arrive in

greeted at the tarmac by the president. >> and he will receive a special trip from a long time friend when he arrives from new york. a silversmith from china donated this charm, it has red, white and blue jewels and a design inspired by saint patrick cathedral. >> it is all american silver from our citizens, representing the simplest and humblest citizen of the united states. >> the artist is excited to see the pope that officiated in his wedding and baptized his daughter in argentina. you can take a look at all the coverage on wcbsnewyork.com and we will continue to cover all of his activity, including his mass at madison square gardens,

a man crashed a maserati into not one but two stores. we have steve langford live on the scene. >> reporter: yes. 10:30 last night and and a italian sports car smashed into the remains of these two businesses. we don't know what happened but we have a very good idea of the destruction here. the 2010 maserati caught on surveillance video, sparks flying as it heads straight toward the bagel shop and chicken store. it does not appear to slow down. the destruction of the business reveals the devastating impact, as well. >> that guy came from there, okay? he came, missed that tree, came over that curb and crashed into this building and ripped this whole thing down. >> reporter: the driver of the car, 40-year-old michael bedetti is being treated for non life-threatening injuries and the businesses here are out of commission for the foreseeable future.

customers say they always worry about this stretch of road. >> the cars go very fast here and the school kids are here getting bagels. >> reporter: the maserati did not hit customers since the businesses were closed at the time but both businesses here have taken a serious hit. the maserati such as it is has been impounded as part of the police investigation into this brutal crash. in west iceland, long island, steve langford, cbs2 news. nypd police officer pleaded guilty in the off-duty ambush shooting in westchester county last season. he fired 14 shots at a car stopped at a traffic light in pelham. the attack came after a day of police weapons training and heavy drinking. he is a week to surrender. and michael grimm, former

today after a delay because of an undisclosed surgical procedure. he will be at a institute in pennsylvania. he was sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to tax fraud. and in new mexico flames broke out at 1:30 -- in new jersey flames broke out at a home at 1:30 this morning. the man was able to get out but the flames were so hard it damaged homes neighboring his, as well. and yom kippur begins september 13th. observant jews will fast for 24- hour, soul searching and fraying for forgiveness. and much more at noon. shocking price hikes. how a drone maker prosed raising the price of medication 50%. >> and a desk that will make

>> sign me up! >> well, he did -- we did it 41 times. can we do it again today? and what about the rest of the

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5,000% is defending his decision. one tablet of the drug used to be $15.50. now it is $750 a tablet. with he have more now with the company's founder and ceo to demand answers. >> reporter: why was it necessary to raise the price of deraprin so drastically? >> it depends on what you define as drastically. the company selling it was losing money, now it is profitable. >> reporter: this drug works against an infection caused by a parasite by drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated meat. when the price of the tablet was raised to $750 a atlanta

the cost of using it by a patient rose from $130 to $653,000. >> you can see how greedy this move looks. >> i think it looks greedy but this is a disease where there hasn't been one pharmaceutical company focused on it for 07 years. we are now a company dedicated to the treatment and cure of toxic plasmosis, now we can use the profit to spend on the upside of research for patients. >> patients should pay for the drug they are getting and what they need in the situation they are in. >> reporter: this oncologist is a cbs news medical contributor. >> it is predatory practice. it is inappropriate and we have to take a stand. >> reporter: but according to scraley, the new cost of the drug is appropriate. >> there is no doubt we are

the first and primary stakeholders of the patient. no doubt about that. >> and scrutiny of the practice led another tuberculosis drug to rescind this type of practice. now to jim. what is going on? >> reporter: we are over the livingston portion of staten island. a large portion of a tree broke and fell on several parked cars and took out power line, as well. off to the right you can see where part of the tree broke clean off, and the large trunk coming across several parked cars. we are not aware of injuries or when the tree fell but it appears it missed a house close to the one across the street. power lines were taken down. you can see the wires laying in the street there as well as the utility light, street light that is on top of a parked car.

the number is not known at this time but, again, when this large tree came down, no injuries being reported. live in chopper 2, jim smith, cbs2 news. >> thank you, jim. well, the ultimate in relaxation promised, and it contains no drugs and alcohol. a bar in the east village is serving up a new shot that helps to relieve anxiety and healthy feelings without the feeling of booze. what is it? you can find out more about that on cbs2 news at 11:00 right after the series premier of limitless. some summer weather is on tap for the first day of fall.

next. what do a nascar driver... a comedian... and a professional golfer have in common? we talked to our doctors about treatment with xarelto . xarelto is proven to treat and help reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots. xarelto has also been proven to reduce the risk of stroke in people with afib, not caused by a heart valve problem. for people with afib currently well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. i tried warfarin before, but the blood testing routine and dietary restrictions had me off my game. not this time. not with xarelto . i'll have another arnold palmer. make mine a kevin nealon. really, brian? hey, safety first. like all blood thinners, don't stop taking xarelto without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of a blood clot or stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto can cause serious,

and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto , watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto , tell your doctor about any kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto has been prescribed more than 11 million times in the u.s. and that number's growing. like your guys' scores. with xarelto there is no regular blood monitoring, and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto was the right move for us.

. welcome back. the justice department is launching a protocol into the cheating of emissions tests. a stunning admission was made that 11 million diesel scars worldwide were fitted with software designed to sheet u.s. emissions tests.

the models span from 2009 to 2015 versions of the beetle, gulf, jetta, pa sat and audi a3. the company's u.s. ceo apologized yesterday. >> our company was dishonest and weeing. >> the epa says the vehicles do not represent safety risks to drivers and they can stay on the road until the automakers have a fix ready. they could face millions in fines. and a live picture of the plane about to take off. the pope is on board leaving cuba on his way to washington, d.c. in a number of days in the island nation and now the holy father making his way to the united states for the first time, landing in washington, d.c. in a few hours to begin his three historic days in d.c., then in new york and philadelphia to cap his world window trip to the united states. >> a very -- worldwind trip to

the united states. >> yes. the way. stay with us. everybody is ready for this. visit? yes. plane. the weather will cooperate. if you want to see what the going on with the weather watchers, you will see cool readings. hey, it is supposed to be summer but we have upper 60s. some readings in the 70s, brooklyn, 68 for the north shore. ahead a little cooler up north. adele has 65. kind of a cool way to wrap up summer but adele, at least the birdbath isn't frozen, so you have that going for you. someone told me marine de blasio yo is such a good reliable weather watcher someone told me it is her birthday. oh, yes, she did. happy birthday, maureen.

as we scan the sky, yes, with reseeing gray. we have -- we are seeing gray. we have our work cut out for us. 57 in monticello. we have some observations in the low 70s. yesterday we hit 73. we are shooting for 74 today. talking about normal. what a stretch! 41 consecutive days at or above, sometimes well above normal. if we hit 73 or 74 today, we will continue that. pollen count in the mid to upper 3s today through the rest of the week. you can see the wet weather in parts of passaic county to the north and sullivan and ulster county. we would like to see more rain. we are desperately in need of it. the deficit for the year is over 7 inches. a passing shower north and east and then the clouds break. then, there you go, for the

as we usher in fall. thursday and friday look relatively quiet with temperatures a little above normal. >> beautiful. beautiful weather. >> very nice. thank you, john. when we come back, the perfect desk for up anyone

office! tt2watx# g4 p bt@q((, tt2watx# g4 p "a@q8$h tt2watx# g4 p bm@q3/d tt4watx# g4 r dztq f=0 tt4watx# g4 r entq 69p tt4watx# g4 r gzt& />( tt4watx# g4 r hnt& ?0d tt4watx# g4 r iztq uy< tt4watx# g4 r jntq g)\ tt4watx# g4 r alaska. finally. the search for brown bears begins. denali highway. low on gas. pit stop. fill up. double points. yep, that's cold. tired. day 2. coffee. eggs. double points. beautiful. majestic... nothing. where are you, bear? warm. warmer. warmer. yes. wherever the journey takes you, carry american express gold. it's more than a card.

desk with a full length bet underneath. this idea came from the office. production just why et. >> that is it for us at noon. for us and john and the entire cbs2 news team, thank you for joining us. i am mary calvi. >> and i am chris wragge. i want to put my head down on that desk. >> me, too. >> don't forget our full coverage of the pope's arrival in washington, d.c. begins at 4:30.