breaking overnight on "world news now," death row drama. the tense legal battle to stop a mother convicted of a murder plot from execution. the decision a short while ago from the supreme court. and new this half hour, same-sex marriage and the pope. >> details emerging about the county clerk from kentucky who refused to issue marriage licenses. she says she met with pope francis. political fight. bill clinton speaking out about donald trump, the presidential campaign's latest war of words. and later, lady gaga is number one. and we're not talking about her latest single. we're talking about something bigger. that's in "the skinny" this wednesday september 30th. ♪ tonight >> announcer: from abc news,

this is "world news now." stumped you, huh? >> you did. the best lady gaga song she asked me. that seems like a contradiction. >> because they're all so good. >> no, because they're all so bad. >> are you kidding me? i put lady gaga on and it's the only time i run faster. >> really? >> yeah. the twice a year when i go running. i always make sure lady gaga. >> lady gaga does it. >> "bad romance" gets in your head -- >> "bad romance." i can't remember the other one i have on my i -- i use an ipod. am i the only person in america who still uses -- i'm the only person. >> i have a boombox that i carry. >> i look forward to seeing that one. but we do have some very serious breaking news at this hour from georgia. the state's only female inmate on death row was executed just after midnight. this case even getting the pope's attention. >> yeah. the lethal injection carried out after a third appeal to the u.s. supreme court was denied. abc's lana zak has been n watchg the events unfold. >> execution of kelly gissendaner was carried out in accordance with state law.

>> reporter: not prayers or even a plea from pope francis could save kelly gissendaner's life. for the first time in 70 years the state of georgia executed a woman. tears and frustration as supporters stood in the rain. hours after the scheduled execution the georgia supreme court weighed in, deciding not to spare her life. in 1997 a jury convicted the mother of three of orchestrating the murder of her husband doug, convincing her lover to stab him to death. gissendaner was not present for the murder. behind bars the 47-year-old had been a model prisoner, expressing remorse, even studying theology. >> family life is sacred. >> reporter: tuesday pope francis sent a letter asking the georgia parole board to commute the sentence to one that would better express both justice and mercy. her children have been pleading for clemency in videos like this. >> every day i feel like my world is just falling apart. >> reporter: the kids had to choose spend time with their mom

or appear at a hearing to plea for mercy. they chose to fight for her life but the board refused without explanation. gissendaner sent this final message for her daughter and sons. >> i love you, i love you, i love you, i am so proud of you. >> reporter: she had been scheduled for execution back in march but it was postponed because of a problem with the lethal injection drug. gissendaner was the only woman on georgia's death row. lana zak, abc news, washington. this morning we're hearing about a big surprise from the pope's visit that we didn't know about until now. kentucky clerk kim davis met with pope francis in washington, d.c. this according to her lawyers. davis and her husband joe met with the pope at the vatican embassy according to a statement from the liberty council. the pope reportedly told davis to stay strong, and he gave her a rosary. the vatican, however, has not confirmed such a meeting took place. a convicted killer is on the loose after the man was mistakenly released from a

louisiana prison. ben jewel johnson was being transferred to another prison last week after completing a prior sentence. it was five days before officials realized the mistake. they blamed missing paperwork and miscommunication. his family says it doesn't know where he's located. now to the extreme weather soaking the eastern third of the country. no, this isn't joaquin. now strengthening off the east coast. but another storm. the heavy rain in the south like here in virginia forced the evacuation of homes and road closures. some schools closed early just in time for the kids to see halloween pumpkins wash away down a creek. there is also a state of emergency in the florida panhandle with major flooding. many homes and farms are cut off with roads impassable. businesses closed early. drainage systems are overtaxed. and the rain raised the shoal river's water level by more than ten feet. that rainfall from the southeast is also drenching the northeast. >> and right behind this storm is joaquin, growing into a

hurricane. here's meteorologist justin povick at accuweather. hey, justin. good morning to you. >> reena and kendis, thanks. and good morning to you. we're tracking more heavy rains throughout the northeast into portions of new england. and i do suspect this is going to cause additional flash flooding problems all throughout the day. new york city north and eastbound toward bangor. in fact, i wouldn't be surprised if some areas receive close to ten inches of rain before it's all said and done later on this week. then we have to worry about joaquin, which again is a strengthening system moving off to the west, bending to the north. reena and kendis, back to you. >> all right, justin. thank you there. president obama is back in the white house this morning, following a historic meeting with cuban leader raul castro. the two men met yesterday here in new york city. it was their second meeting this year and the first time a u.s. president has talked with his cuban counterpart on american soil in more than 60 years. they spoke about ways the u.s.

and cuba relations can continue. mr. obama also raised the issue of human rights in cuba. well, russian president putin is getting support from donald trump. the presidential candidate says he has no problem with russia's recent military build-up in syria, and he says he thinks president assad may be preferable to the kind of people the u.s. is, quote, supposed to be backing. and the war of words between trump and clinton is heating up. here's abc's tom llamas. >> reporter: former president bill clinton taking on donald trump. >> you shouldn't be able to insult your way to the white house. >> reporter: for months trump's attacks on hillary fast and furious. >> easily she's the worst secretary of state in the history of our country. >> reporter: but now hillary's husband is firing back, calling trump fact-free. >> the day after you take the oath of office -- >> it's yours. >> -- you can't go to an insult or have -- you're not in an episode of "survivor." you're actuallsupposed to show up and run the show. >> reporter: hillary clinton is

using trump's words against him. >> and hillary, who's become very shrill. you know the word shrill? she's become shrill. >> reporter: in a new fund-raising e-mail the clinton campaign painting the remark as sexist, saying "is the woman who asks for the raise she deserves shrill?" trump insists he wasn't being sexist. the gop front-runner whose new tax plan was praised by some republicans, getting clobbered by a conservative tax group. the tax foundation saying trump's plan would add more than $10 trillion to the deficit, something trump denies. expect to see a lot more of bill clinton on the campaign trail. he's about to hit the road in support of his wife, raising money. he says he wants to let people know what she can do. tom llamas, abc news, new york. >> thank you, tom. stem cells may soon be used to reverse blindness. british doctors have treated the first of ten patients in a test. the 60-year-old woman has age-related macular degeneration in the procedure, eye cells are implanted in the back of the retina to replace diseased blood

vessels. so far the researchers say the first patient has had no complications. >> what we're hoping to do is reconstruct the macula so you don't have the disease. this is a different way of doing this and for the first time we feel we're actually delivering a treatment to try and cure, as it were, the disease itself. >> one researcher says the test is important not only for treating a major cause of blindness but also for understanding how stem cells can be used. so a big announcement coming today from one of nascar's most recognizable drivers. tony stewart will make it official. he'll be announcing his retirement. the three-time nascar champion is expected to say he will be ending his sprint cup racing career after next year's season. but he's not leaving racing, at least not completely. stewart has several business interests that will keep him connected to the track. and there were a dozen major league baseball games last night with many thousands of fans in attendance. it's safe to say that none of

those fans getting as much attention as a guy at the yankees game. >> this was just embarrassing. we should say he's getting attention for the wrong reasons. the guy in the light blue well-starched shirt and glasses there, he couldn't catch a foul ball. then he botched a foul grounder. >> this isn't fair. this would be me with the glasses out there. finally the ball boy tossed him a ball in sympathy. and then he messed that catch up too. >> one, two. three. >> he had to lean over and get the ball off the field actually. but he was a good sport about it. and so was his female friend in attendance. >> no, she was hiding her face. well, the yanks have been like stumbling their way toward a playoff. >> come on, he doesn't have a glove. a mitten. what do you call those things? >> a mitten. a mitten, yes. a dolly. >> a dolly? i'd take anything. a towel, for goodness sake. give him a break. even the baseball players don't catch them -- >> you're really giving him a break. >> i am because i feel for him. i don't think we should be playing this on national television.

>> it's embarrassing. he should have caught the ball from the ball boy. >> give him a mitten and try it again. >> a mitten. coming up in "the skinny," who will play the role of a young nicki minaj in a brand new tv show? >> also ahead, put away your phone and have a conversation face to face. imagine that. one expert admits it's not as easy as it sounds. later, taking a spin in a new car that has no steering wheel. is google's new ride a smooth one? but first today's forecast. you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" weather. brought to you by no-no hair removal.

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caribbean. more than $40 million worth of cocaine and marijuana. the shipment was first spotted by coast guard plane off the dominican republic, then intercepted by a cutter. the suspects threw some of the drugs overboard. the coast guard says this is a record year for drug busts by the service. seizing more than $4 billion in cocaine just in the past year alone. a change is coming at the top of one of the most famous american fashion empires. ralph lauren is giving up the title of ceo at the company he founded nearly 50 years ago. lauren is not leaving his company completely, though. he'll remain as executive chairman and chief creative officer. the president of old navy will take over as ceo in november. >> boy, he just had some great -- a great run over there, ralph lauren. great visionary. i love their clothes, i have to say. but they never retire, do they? >> they never retire. they hang on and there's no way he can let go of that brand that he's been with. >> i hope he hangs on because i've liked the revolution -- the

evolution of it. well, turning now to our phones, many of us feel we can't live without them. while that might be true, one thing's for sure. we can't live without each other. >> yes. and as abc's dr. richard besser reports, it's something we know very, very well. so why don't we put down our phones and simply just talk with each other? so what i was saying was -- >> reporter: our technology keeps us constantly connected and plugged in. >> hey, jake, you want to pass the salt, please? >> reporter: but it also has a down side. take this youtube parody, "pass the salt." viewed over 13 million times. revealing dinner time forever changed. [ typewriter sounds ] >> dad. >> sorry. i must have been a little distracted. >> before we had our phones, conversation was the way in which we satisfied our need for stimulation. and now we have so many other

ways to be stimulated that we sort of forget what conversation offers. >> reporter: in a recent "new york times" article and in her book "reclaiming conversation: the power of talk in a digital age," m.i.t. professor sherry turkle says our dependence on technology has dialed down human contact. >> face-to-face conversation. conversation where you make eye contact, conversation where you are giving your full attention to someone else, lays the groundwork for empathy. >> reporter: but 78% of people say using their phones in a group setting is a way to share, not to disengage. >> a lot of times, you know, i'll bring up a picture of my family for my friends who haven't met my famy, or i'll bring up something that i saw on instagram i thought was really, really funny. a lot of times it ends up actually adding to the conversation rather than taking away from it. >> reporter: and yet professor turkle says being constantly plugged in ultimately makes it harder for people to think for themselves.

>> we think we're doing ourselves a favor by sort of always being able to distract ourselves, but actually we're working against our best interests. knowing who we are and really developing our own identity. >> reporter: dr. richard besser, abc news, new york. >> we should probably take a selfie. >> we should do a selfie. but does it matter? does it help if i send my family an emoji? >> an emoji? >> does that count as communicating with loved ones? >> i'm not sure. >> coming up, the rat pack reunited. plus, who's naming lady gaga the woman of the year? "the skinny" is next. did you take it already? what are you taking -- >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our

♪ skinny ♪ so skinny all right. topping our "skinny" headlines this morning mama monster herself, lady gaga. >> she's being bestowed with the honor of woman of the year. billboard made the announcement yesterday that gaga will receive the award in december during its annual women in music event. the magazine says it picked gaga for her contributions to entertainment. >> the 29-year-old gaga has taken on many causes through music, including the empowerment of marginalized youth. she's also shown her versatility

in style, performing everything from pop to jazz. lady gaga now joins taylor swift, pink, katy perry, and beyonce with the honor. congratulations for her. >> good for her. turning now to another star that is being honored, the incomparable sammy davis jr. it has been 25 years, can you believe it, since his death. and yesterday a roadway in las vegas was named after mr. show business. >> members of davis's family attended a ceremony yesterday, unveiling the new street signs and the renaming completes a reunion of sorts. sammy davis jr. drive intersects with streets already named for fellow rat pack performers frank sinatra and dean martin. >> what took so long? by the way, davis's daughter tracy said, quoting here, "i'm so happy to see my father reunited in the town we have loved with his best friends. i'm sure uncles frank and dean along with my legendary father are smiling right now." >> we love any reunion of these guys. we'll take it. and next up, nicki minaj we know from one of her songs that she's feeling herself. >> i'm feeling myself. >> but she's -- but now she's

actually looking for herself. >> that's a different song by the divinyls. nicki's on the hunt for a younger version of herself since news broke yesterday of her deal with abc family. the rapper and singer can add television producer to her list of accomplishments. >> minaj is working on a comedy based on her life growing up in queens, and she's already revealed that the first episode will center on her preteen self. she took to social media to launch a nationwide search for an 11 or 12-year-old to play her and will also be writing raps that will be performed by the actress to be named on the show. >> okay. well, good. we'll see who they get for that. finally, 007 racking up some major numbers when it comes to his car collection. >> according to an interview in "the daily mail" with the chief stunt coordinator for the new james bond film "specter," $36 million worth of cars were destroyed while shooting. >> that includes 7 out of 10 aston martins, a land rover and a concept jaguar. or as bond would say,

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for cooling relief in a snap. ♪ and finally this half hour, a commuter's dream. a car that drives itself. you know, they've been in development for many years and even spotted on some roadways, and now we're one step closer to the future.

>> abc's neal karlinsky got a first look at google's self-driving car, taking cameras along for a ride in the passenger seat because, well, there's actually no driver's seat. >> reporter: here it is. it just pulled up all by itself. at google's normally secret google x facility in silicon valley the future is now, and it comes in the shape of this little round bubble of a car. google invited us to be among the first outsiders to ride in their prototype self-driving car, a ride like no other. >> we haven't gone very fast, although i can't tell you how fast we have gone because there's no speedometer in here. there's no control at all. >> reporter: we were on a closed course for a four-minute ride, filled with obstacles meant to simulate the real world. this is what the car sees through a series of cameras radars and lasers. it identifies people, other cars, everything. apple, uber, and tesla are also said to be working on

next-generation cars. no steering wheel, just two seats and the hum of the electric motor. feel free to text and drive or take a nap for that matter. not coming soon exactly, but according to google sooner than you think. neal karlinsky, abc news, mountain view, california. >> i'm not so sold on this. i prefer e.t. on a bike. with a basket. >> the part that scares me is that they've had a dozen accidents in the six years of practicing it. but they say it's all because of humans. but you know, it's a good concept. they're going to continue to work at it. but it might be the way of the future. it allows you to drive and text. did somebody say road trip? >> not when you're in the front seat. >> why do i get to drive? women have come so far along and yet. i'm the driver. >> i'm scared of you driving. >> you should be. i try to practice like a new york cabbie. >> oh. >> announcer: this is abc "world news now," informing insomniacs for two decades. "world news now," informing ins

making news in america this morning, tracking the tropics. joaquin gaining strength overnight. who should be on alert. plus, another weather event happening right now. housing surrounded by water. a college campus flooded. we have the details. breaking overnight, a georgia woman executed despite a plea for mercy from the pope. what she was saying during the execution. a plane coming in for a landing. the wick scraping the ground. fan fail. a major league spectator going viral for his inability to catch. good wednesday morning to you. we're tracking two very serious weather situations right now. >> yes, the system is dumping a lot of rain on more than