this morning on "world news now," the pope's historic journey to america. >> after his rock star following in cuba, pope francis heads to the u.s. in just a matter of hours. the unprecedented security and whirlwind agenda. >> your voice, your vote. cross scott walker off the long list of republicans running for president while carly fiorina talks about a controversial opponent on late night tv. emotional interview. the county clerk from kentucky who refuses to grant same-sex marriage licenses. the tough questions that brought her to tears. it's an abc news exclusive. and later, the muppets return to tv tonight. all the tension between kermit and miss piggy as we take you behind the scenes for details. you won't get anywhere else. it's tuesday, september 22nd. from abc news, this is

"world news now." >> good tuesday morning. we're talking about the pope. >> yes, we are. it's an exciting day here in america because the pope of course, is landing in just a matter of hours. >> you've got your bags packed. you're going to meet him. >> well, how can i meet him? >> you're coming close to meeting him. >> i'm going to be in the same venue as the pope. a small house called the white house. but it will be fun you know heading down to d.c. later on had morning. as i mentioned his first ever trip to the united states hours away. >> pope francis wrapping up his visit to cuba today with a mass in the city of santiago after urging cubans to be willing to change. here's more from abc's aaron katersky. ♪ >> reporter: children sang and danced for pope francis as he arrived in santiago, the final stop on his visit here to cuba. vatican flags waved with cuban flags in holguin when he arrived

for a big outdoor mass. a pope had never visited before. the last three days here have been joyous, a smiling pope from latin america seemingly at home in cuba with fidel castro, raul castro or hundreds of thousands of people. the pope's message of compassion this woman said -- >> [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: cuba and the rest of the world really need. today it's onto the united states. >> the holy father is coming to our country is is exciting. >> reporter: flags and fences are in place around washington where the pope will address congress about the vatican says he prepared by meticulously practicing his english prerecorded in his message to philadelphia. >> you will be there. see you in philadelphia. >> reporter: here in cuba, the pope kept his remarks mainly spiritual, gently encouraging tolerance and change. in the united states, the vatican expects an explicit call

to end the embargo and the pope to talk about immigration and climate change. he wades right into the american political debate. aaron katersky, abc news, havana. and be sure to look for our special report on the pope's arrival. george stephanopoulos leads our live coverage this afternoon at 4:00 eastern. >> a scene at a target store in northern california after a gun battle broke out. police say two officers were trying to serve a warrant when the shooting started. they were hit but both expected to survive. the suspects both killed. a navy jet crashing on a training mission in california. the fighter jet crashed into a field near la more naval air station in central california burks the pilot ejected safely. in fact, he walked away from the crash site to the paramedics who were waiting for him. there were no injuries. huge cloud of smoke though was seen for several miles. a former republican

presidential candidate scott walker is back to his regular job as governor of wisconsin this morning. walker surprised supporters by dropping out of the white house race late yesterday. now the remaining candidates are scrambling to get walker's endorsement. his supporters and his donors. here's abc's tom llamas. >> courses saying he just ran out of money. >> i believe that i'm being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive conservative message can rise to the top of the field. >> reporter: walker's working class roots and tough stance on unions made him a republican favorite. just before entering the race, the governor and his family sitting down with abc news saying they were ready for the fight. but in the spotlight, walker withered. fumbling policy questions and failing to catch fire in debates. now he's out. and a call for another republican to drop out, as well. dr. ben carson under fire after

this answer to the question of whether a candidate's faith should matter. >> if it fits within the realm of america and consistent with the constitution, no problem. >> so do you believe that islam is consistent with the constitution? >> no, i do not. i would not advocate that we put a muslim in charge of this nation. i absolutely would not agree with that. >> reporter: the only two muslim members of congress slamming carson as out of touch and simply ridiculous. but carson doubling down. in an interview with the hill saying whoever takes the white house should be sworn in on a stack.bibles not a koran. several rivals including senator ted cruz and hillary clinton pointing to article 6 of the constitution which states no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office. islam a campaign flash point for days, since this moment at a donald trump can campaign event. >> we have a problem in this

country. it's called muslims. >> trump refusing to challenge the man. tom llamas, abc news, new york. in the meantime, republican carly fiorina weighed in on the carson controversy last night on the tonight show and said car on is wrong and that all americans have the right to be president. no matter what their religion. fiorina also talked about russian leader vladimir putin whom she once met for about 45 minutes waiting to address a conference in china. she called him a formidable add ser sear. >> he's a kgb guy. he lusts for power and he's gathered up a lot of it and hs a very bad actor. it's a very bad thing that his fighter jets and his soldiers are sitting in syria right now. >> fiorina farn also said putin and donald trump have a lot in common but didn't elaborate on that one. she claimed putin needs to see more strength and resolve from the united states which she said is not being shown by president obama. same-sex marriage supporters

say kentucky county clerk kim davis is still not cooperating. the aclu says deputy clerk in her office are altering the marriage licenses they issue to gay couples so that the licenses are invalid. davis's attorneys tell abc news she is is making a good faith effort to xom apply with the court's orders. davis says what others say about her does not defive who she is. she talked exclusively to paula faris. >> i know it hasn't been easy for your family. you've received death threats. >> i have. >> a lot of negative e-mails and fans, critics. >> uh-huh. >> what's hurt most. >> what people say about me does not define who i am. that's everybody's opinion. that's everybody's right. i've been called hitler, hypocrite. i've been called a hoo phobe. i've been called things and names that i didn't even say

when i was in the world. those names don't hurt me. what probably hurts me the worst is when someone tells me that my god does not love me or that my god is not happy with me. that i am a hippocrit of a chris yan. miss faris, i'm just a normal person. >> and you can see much more from paula's exclusive interview with kim davis later on "good morning america." the head of volkswagen in the u.s. says quoting here, we have totally screwed up. vw's stock lost as much as 20% after the german automaker admitted rigged some of its diesel cars to report lower emissions. stocks of other german automakers were dragged down.

volkswagen could face criminal penalties here in the u.s. and investigations in europe, as well. while many owners feel angry and betrayed. >> can you believe it it, fall starts tomorrow officially. >> wow. >> plenty of football plenty of leaves. >> yes. >> plenty of preparations for oktoberfest and halloween. what would fall be like without the pumpkins? >> absolutely. or side ciders. here's a pretty big one. it weighs more than 2,000 pounds. they are calling it the biggest pumpkin on record in north america. >> the which is man who grew it is gene mcmullen. he'll beat his own record. last year, his record set tipd off the scales at 1600 pounds blown away by this year's monster. >> what does he do to get it so big? >> all right. >> i don't know. coming up "in the mix" a wannabe bruce wayne create areal life bat cave. you have to see this one. >> also ahead, all the tension

between kermit and miss piggy as the muppets return to tv tonight. >> the gas explosion that is leveled a texas home. latest on the survivors and what you should not do if you smell gas in your home. >> check out our behind the scenes pics. you're watching "world news now." rented this resort, hid smelly objects all over each villa and plugged in febreze. then real people were asked to stay for a long weekend. would they smell anything? the room itself was like [sniff] ahhh. feels like someone has pumped fresh oxygen into the room. on the last day we revealed everything. oooooohwoww. we were sitting right on it. febreze is stunningly effective. continuously eliminate odors for up to 45 days break out the febreze you plug in [inhale + exhale mnemonic] and breathe happy. we've been changing things up witoh yeah.ve. it's a pleasure gel that magnifies both our sensations. it gives us chills in places we've never gotten chills before. yeah, it makes us feel like...

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saudi arabia. a sheet of glass falling on to a man. ow, from a skyscraper. amazingly, it only struck him a glancing blow to the head. knocking him to the ground. but he's able to get up and walk away. isn't that unbelievable? >> that's insane. i can't watch it. i know. >> and i love that we repeat it several times. >> you can't take your eyes off. >> he survived. he didn't know what direction he was going in or what time of day it was but he survived that. back here at home, there's another type of invisible danger to talk about. hiding in houses across america and it may be the cause of a massive explosion in texas. >> at least three people are hurt and yet again, the question was natural gas to blame. abc's ryan owens reports from the scene. >> we heard the explosion and felt it. >> reporter: one home obliterated, nine neighboring ones damaged mostly by flying debris. here is what the home looked like before the blast at 8:00

there's just nothing left. three people are injured. the two who lived in this house severely burned. >> nothing short of a miracle. that nobody was killed in this. >> reporter: last month, dozens of guests at this hotel in seattle barely escaped when a natural gas explosion ripped off the side of a building. and dashcam catching this new jersey home blowing up earlier this year. safety experts say there's not much you can do but rush out of the building if you smell natural gas. they do warn you not to turn on the lights and only call the authorities once you're a safe distance away. neighbors say they did call the gas company over the weekend. but investigators here are still on the scene trying to find the exact cause. although the fire chief does tell us a natural gas leak is "the chief suspect." ryan owens, abc news, wox an hatch chee, texas. >> frightening scene there in texas. it's fortunate more people weren't more seriously injured

in that one. >> coming up, the alarming story of a teenager registered as a sex offender when police found nude photos of his girlfriend on his phone. a lesson for kids and parents in the age of the smartphone. but first we go behind the scenes with some really huge superstars. the muppets as they get ready for their premiere of their new show. all the antics and dramaia in an exclusive backstage pass. you're watching "world news now."

♪

generation after generation, the muppets have taught us that despite our differences, humor is one thing that makes us all human. >> abc's been trying to keep it a secret, but tonight is the night when the gang takes their unique brand of humor to primetime television. it's been awhile, but it's a welcome return, and abc's rachel smith spent some time on the set of their new show. >> hello, world. it's moi. >> yep, they're back. >> our show is not like anything you've seen us do before. >> so i walked into the middle of all the cameras and chaos to get the scoop. all your favorite muppets working on miss piggy's late night talk show and now with documentary cameras following them around on stage and off. >> one-on-one interviews? what an overused device. i hate these interviews. i love those interviews. great device. >> welcome to up late with miss piggy. this is where we call home. over here is where the divine

miss piggy sits. >> that is her royal throne. can i try it out? >> no, no, please, don't do that. she's got cameras on that seat 24/7. >> fozzie is her sidekick on the show in charge of warming up the audience. >> i have this funny funny joke. >> tell me. >> what's brown and sticky? >> i don't know the. >> a stick. that joke never fails. yeah. >> outside of work, the show will definitely into fozzie's personal life including his new girlfriend. >> yeah, i'm going to introduce her to my parents just as soon as they get out of hibernating >> are you planning on adding a laugh track to this interview at all? >> reporter: back in the writers' room. >> we should learn to type. >> reporter: not much writing was going on. >> have you ever had any luck dating? >> yes, of course i've had luck. >> how many dates. >> it's not good luck. just luck sflook i just want to

have a thought. >> what is your phone number? >> what are you doing? you can't do that. rachel is interviewing us. >> why, are are you married? >> i am not married pepe. >> okay, then what is your number. >> did she give you her number? >> almost. she gave me the area code. >> reporter: over in kermit's office, we talked about the challenges of being executive producer. to your ex-. there's a lot of talk and chatter of you and miss piggy in the headlines these days. >> well, you know, i mean, working with miss piggy has always been a challenge. >> what is she doing here? really kermit? >> this takes it from mildly impossible to borderline unbearable. for the first time in my life it, i don't have to worry about having an attractive woman in my office. is piggy here yet? >> rumor has it kermit has moved on to a marketing exec named denise. >> i'm an aattracted to pigs.

>> is it safe to say you have a type? >> i do have a font. i like times new roman. >> will kermit and piggy get back together? will fozzie and his new girlfriend? will pepe ever stop flirting. we'll have to watch the show and see. >> good luck with the new docusears. >> it's wonderful to see you. it's a french thing. the only french thing i do. >> rachel, abc news, los angeles. >> nicely done. >> is it wrong to say i'm actually looking forward to that show. >> no i can see exactly why everyone is looking forward to it. tell miss piggy this he always come back. don't you worry even if you don't want them. >> clearly kermit is down with the swine. that's his type. what time is the show, jack? >> tonight. >> thank you, tonight on abc. be sure to tune in. >> look forward to that. coming up the latest sexy halloween costumes.

>> really, donald trump and sexy? does that go together? "the mix" is next. i did everything i could to make her party perfect.

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three words that have never been mentioned in the same sentence. sexy donald trump. there is a sexy donald trump halloween costume. of course, we've become familiar with this. and that just reeks of sexiness. >> with the hat. >> the hat, the lips and now you have this costume that's out this halloween for 88 bucks. it comes with the hat. the making america great again hat. and they do their own little take on it. it is a female costume. >> it comes with that hair. >> it comes with the comb over. it's real, real hair, as well. as donald would say. it comes with the attitude. >> oh. >> racist jokes are your own. >> racist jokes not included. >> exactly. oh, boy, well emojis. i'm not into emojis.

but there is a guy who is. he created a keyboard. 1,000 emojis included op his latest, including the latest updates. he must have way too much time on his hands. tom scott built that keyboard for a desktop. it's got all these. >> it has all the emojis. >> this is heaven. >> yeah. >> benito only speaks in emojis. he's like a 12-year-old. all emojis all the time. this is his dream. >> you should get it. >> should. here's a dream home. there's fantastic home in melbourne, australia. you have a rich guy look at this house. absolutely beautiful mansion there in the middle of melbourne, australia. this guy has a thing for the dark knight. so he decided he was going to create his own dark knight bat cave. that's the actual garage. not the one from the movie. that's his actual garage.

>> that's not the bat cave. >> that's not the bat cave. this is his bat cave in melbourne, australia. >> what? >> they excavated the property surrounding his house so that this company could build this garage. and beyond that, it's also covered up by the tennis court. >> smooth. >> you have no idea where you're driving in. of course, he has stayed a little bit anonymous since then. but yeah. rich guy with people problems. >> there you go. it is pretty impressive. >> it is very nice. >> the last one is a trick play. at a high school football game. the kickoff, right? then they all get in together. the ball falls in a certain place. they hudded youal together. who's got the ball. then they run. and then they're kind of the other players are kind of baffled. >> it worked. >> could he? >> and does. score. he does. >> oh. >>

this morning on "world news now," coming to america. the pope is just hours away from his first trip to the u.s. the strict security and final preparations before history is made. facing justice. the mother of boston's so-called baby doe and her boyfriend in court after months of mystery, the outrage in front of a judge. and new this half hour bionics for a man who was severely injured. >> doctors replaced part of his leg with hi-tech prosthetics. it's so advanced it's adjusted with an app. >> and later, tense moments between miss piggy and kermit just hours before their primetime premiere tonight. their appearance last night on jimmy kimmel. it's in "the skinny" on this tuesday, september 22nd. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> it does loo