>> the subject is in custody because of the weapon he owned is forensically linked to the crimes. >> reporter: in video posted on what seems to be his facebook page is merritt's gun. and robert mcdonald missed being struck. >> i came 24 inches from losing my life. >> reporter: with the arrest, police are still on the lookout. investigators say ballistics connect the suspect to 4 of the 11 highway shootings in phoenix. that means there could be copycats still out there this morning. police still asking the public for their help. and tomorrow the suspect is expected in court to face several felony charges, including negligent discharge of a firearm and criminal damage to property and assault. we heard this earlier called

domestic terrorism. it is still too early for that charge. erica, back to you. thank you, gadi. >> now to the race for the white house. democrats and republicans alike slam donald trump for something he did not say this week. he skipped a major gop event last night in south carolina just about 24 hours after he failed to challenge comments made about president obama. nbc's kristen walk elker is live at the white house with more. >> reporter: good morning, craig. could this be the issue that burst the trump balloon after the comments of the president and muslims go unchecked. meanwhile other candidates are back on trail for a busy weekend of campaigning. ten gop hopefuls descending on south carolina friday night. donald trump was a no show. canceling last minute. trump's campaign said he wasn't there because he was closing a

this came on the heels of the moment at the new hampshire town hall thursday. country. it's called muslims. one. american. birth certificate, man. >> reporter: trump was immediately slammed from all sides for failing to correct the false claims about president obama who is christian and american. >> if someone brought that up at a town hall meeting of mine, i would say let's clear it up for the audience. >> i was appalled and calling on him and anyone else seeking the highest office of the land to start behaving like a president. >> reporter: still trump's poll numbers have surged. >> no one can make money betting on trump's future. there is a feeling he may be topping out. that doesn't mean he may be dropping. >> reporter: the flop could create avoid for other candidates to step in.

a strong showing at the gop debate. she flexed her muscles friday night. >> how hypocritical of hillary clinton to be running on her record of protecting women's rights. >> reporter: meanwhile the heat is on for democratic frontrunner hillary clinton. with the e-mail issue looming, she will stump in new hampshire today where she is fighting for first place with bernie sanders. a group of party fund-raisers on friday began circulating a letter to encourage vice president joe biden to run. it is an indication there is jitters within the party of hillary clinton's candidacy. craig. >> kristen welker at the white house. thank you. a county clerk in kentucky is coming under fire again this morning for removing her name from marriage licenses.

she is refusing to issue to same-sex couples. kim davis did this after order by the judge not to interfere with the documents. janet shamlian has more. >> i don't want to be in the spotlight. >> reporter: this morning, kim davis is back in the spotlight after returning to her job this week saying she won't issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but won't stop deputies from doing so. >> any marriage license issued by me. >> reporter: a judge ordered davis should not interfere with issuing of licenses to eligible couples. emphatic. >> reporter: and deputy clerk brian mason says davis may have violated the order by making modifications. including deleting her name and all mention to rowan county. the changes may have quote raised to the level of

interference against the court's orders. davis' attorney downplays the issue and kim davis said her name and title would not appear on the forms. later that day, the governor said the forms were valid. in a separate filing, the american civil liberties union called into question the licenses. saying they create an unconstitutional two-tier system of marriage licenses issued in kentucky. davis was jailed five days for refusing to issue marriage licenses. for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news. a story developing overnight where the migrant crisis is getting worse. >> sheinelle has the story. >> the hungarian military is calling up troops after a train carrying 1,000 migrants crossed

and another child refugee has died after her boat sank off the coast. and rioting has broken out at a refugee shelter. and a georgia police officer shot after a showdown with suspected gun runners. police tried to pull over the suspect's car on friday, they crashed into a gas station, jumped out and fired shots at the officer. that music is coming from the car of another driver passing by who caught the shootout on camera. the suspects were arrested and the officer is out of the hospital. the archbishop of boston is offering to bury baby doe. the girl's death is gaining national attention. the toddler was identified as bella bond. bella's mother and her mother's boyfriend are under arrest and blaming each other for the killing. to washington where president obama has tapped a long time pentagon official to be the army secretary.

be the first openly gay in military service. the lead investigator in the bowe bergdahl case, says the army sergeant should not go to prison for walking away from his post six year ago. one testified that he was treated worse than any american p.o.w. since the vietnam war. he was swapped for five taliban commanders held at guantanamo bay. tiger woods says he is out for the rest of the year. he underwent another back surgery in arizona on thursday. and finally, channelling your inner pirate will get you a doughnut or two at krispy kreme today. anyone who talks like a pirate will get one of the famous glazed doughnuts for free. if you go into the store dressed like a pirate, that will get you a dozen on the house.

i have to say, before you run in, you have to look at the krispy kreme web site. the list. it is easy stuff. here. >> how annoying is it to work at krispy kreme today. >> it will get old. >> dylan, give us a forecast in pirate talk. >> do i get a dozen doughnuts? >> arrrgh. we have strong storms to talk about. we have to take this seriously. let's look at video in hildale, kansas. this is on the east coast of kansas outside st. louis, missouri. funnel cloud developing from the storms. one minor injury reported from a camp site in that area. several homes and buildings damaged. really strong storms yesterday. i don't think we will have that threat today. the cold front as it moves east is really fizzling out.

pockets of heavy rain through buffalo and erie, pennsylvania and northwestern ohio with the downpours. they do include lightning. stay inside while the storms pass through. the temperatures will still be 5 to 15 degrees above average. the front moves through and we sag back into the lots of sunshine and also a slight chance for a shower popping up, especially off to the south. tomorrow we cool down. 75 on sunday, mostly dry. maybe a shower in the morning. and the 70s continue monday and tuesday. forecast. >> thank you, dylan.

pope francis is high in the sky jetting his way to cuba. at the capital of havana, anticipation is building for his visit. historic trip to bring him to the united states for the first time as pontiff. nbc's anne thompson with the preview of what's in store. >> reporter: for pope francis, this is a trip of firsts. first visit to u.s. and cuba. he starts in cuba. the third pope to visit in 17 years, there is special interest in the son of latin america. once officially an athiest union. now pope francis is already living up to his twitter handle. it means bridge builder. hospitals events at the vatican and easing the roles of the cold war foes.

wednesday he makes from serra of california a saint. on thursday, francis becomes the first pope to address a joint session of congress. he visits ground zero in new york on friday and saturday goes to philadelphia. all along, francis is expected to inspire americans as well as challenge them. he is critical of capitalism, the economic backbone of america. >> is the pope coming to scold americans for the way they live? >> no, he may call on americans to live up to our founding ideals. he will challenge americans. he will not be scolding americans. >> he has been accused of being a communist. that is not true. >> reporter: his desire to reach out will give headaches to the secret service in charge of his security. it is what francis and the people want. >> a one-on-one papacy.

that is something we never had before in rome. >> reporter: now coming to the united states. for "today," anne thompson, nbc news, rome. >> it will be a big week. >> yes, it will. up next, a look at the biggest headlines from the raging wildfires out west and the devastating flooding in utah. and matt's interview with the woman who helped two convicts escape from prison. but first this is "today" on

we are back with "the download" on this saturday. our chance to look at the week's biggest headlines. >> our way to remind you of the stories everyone was talking about this week. >> fast moving flames. scorching close to 150,000 acres in northern california and destroying nearly 1,000 homes. >> this was winnie's home saturday night.

this is what it looks like today. >> normally i can't fight. >> from a wall of flames to walls of water in utah. >> oh, my goodness. it went over the fence. >> two vehicles filled with three families. 16 people disappearing. >> 12 people confirmed dead. flash floods killed six people hiking in nearby zion national park. fight night at the republican debate in california. donald trump lashing out once again. >> i never attacked him on his looks and believe me. there's plenty of subject matter. >> and getting hit himself. >> donald trump's face said it all as carly fiorina responded to comments about hers. >> donald trump said the following about you, quote, look at that face. would anyone vote for that. >> i think women all over this country heard very clearly what mr. trump said. >> in an emotional interview with matt lauer, joyce mitchell explained why she helped two

killers break out of an upstate new york prison. >> i didn't feel like my husband loved me anymore. it was me. i guess i was going through depression. i guess they saw my weakness. >> you were looking for something. you were looking for attention. >> yes, they're attention made me feel good. >> a frightening scene caught on camera. a train slams into a school bus minutes after the kids escaped. >> the two-section bus got stuck on the railroad tracks in germany after the driver did not make a sharp enough turn. students. injuries. trouble in texas. 14-year-old ahmed mohamed hand school. >> i went to show my teacher. in my perspective, it didn't >> it lit up the internet. even president obama issued this invitation. cool clock, ahmed.

want to bring it to the white house? this is a story that savannah pitched that she did not want to read. >> this next headline had our team giggling. >> you look up at the sky and you may be seeing a shooting star? it may be the result of an astronaut going number two. >> and speaking of bathroom humor. a jeopardy contestant. >> mr. reynolds changed his name to turd ferguson. >> nope. sorry. >> that woman has become an internet hero for getting alec x trebek just to say turd ferguson. could you imagine your own choices, jane! farewell, cookie dough ice cream. what's that you're drinking? it's trop50. it's fine. it tastes delicious and has 50% less calories.

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it is 27 minutes after 7:00. as we take a live look there at the george washington bridge. in the news this morning pope

new video showing the pope boarding that flight to cuba, the first stop on that ten-day trip that will eventually bring pope francis to the united states and here to new york city. our darlene rodriguez is in cuba. watch for her reports later on this morning. a look at the weather. >> the fog is going to do the same thing as your voice. it's going to go away as the morning goes on. a couple of showers, then we're drying out again. tomorrow is cooler, 75.

the country could not turn away six years ago with the thought that a young boy was trapped inside. he was never in there.

the family came under fire when they said they made it up as a publicity stunt. we will talk to them about what happened since then. the heene family. they are excited to be here. >> that gives you a clue. meanwhile, outside on the plaza on this saturday morning, september 19th, 2015. we have quite the good crowd. very excited to be here on the last weekend of summer. fall starts on wednesday. >> 5:00 a.m. >> equinox? >> autumnal equinox. here is what is making headlines today. one person in custody with a series of shootings that terrorized drivers on i-10 in phoenix. police arrested leslie allen merritt jr. saying ballistic evident matched the shootings of the first four shootings. and kim davis says she won't issue same-sex marriage licenses

could be in trouble again. she removed her name from the licenses in what is in direct order from the court. and pope francis set to arrive from cuba in hours. it is the beginning of a week long visit to cuba and the united states. his stops here will take him to washington, d.c. and philadelphia and new york city. a lot to get to, but let's start with the big budget movie in theaters right now getting attention. "everest" tells the story of the tale on the world's largest mountain. one woman is speaking out. sheinelle. >> sandy hill, known as sandy pittman was in the disaster. she is talking about how she was portrayed in the book that led to the movie.

makings of the blockbuster. a host of fascinating characters and plenty of drama. >> it is a blizzard on top of the world. >> the events made headlines 20 years ago on may 10th, 1996, climbers from two expeditions started the ascent on mt. ever est when a storm hit. it is portrayed from the book "into thin air." sandy hill was portrayed as a diva socialite who paid her way to the summit. she was completing her goal to become the second american woman to ascent all seven summits. >> i have been training all year. >> she brought an espresso machine on the climb and carried

she was stated as quote i was an easy target and they had a vested terest. >> sandy hill has been unfairly characterized. she was ideal client. she was in shape. strong. >> reporter: the 1996 disaster may go down as one of the most storied expeditions, but it is not the deadliest. in 2014, 16 people died in an avalanche on mt. everest. this year, 18 people died in avalanches. >> it doesn't matter what happens, people will always try to climb everest. >> hill also told the post she suffered from post traumatic stress from the disaster and still mourns the loss of her climbing guide featured in the film.

no matter how people are introduced to the mountain and what it takes to get there. >> greater respect for them, too. >> absolutely. dylan dreyer outside with another check of the last forecast of summer. >> it is actually going to feel like summer. i'm distracted by a sign full of shoes. we know sarah jessica parker has shoes. do you have the matching pair? >> yes. i did actually buy two. i bought a right and a left. >> what size? nooct my size. out west, we do need things to be cooler. it is actually going to start heating up again. temperatures 5 to 10 degrees above average. n francisco up to 80 on sunday. vegas back up to 100. southern california is back up over 100.

not a lot of rain until next week as the remnants of the tropical system brings rain to that part of the country. a couple of showersrand storms. th > are heavy through northern ohio and into western new york. those will fizzle out east. it will drag in cooler temperatures. 60s to the midwest and 60s and visibility is way down. it will improve over the next few hours. temperatures back into the upper 70s. a little muggy out there. it's the last official weekend of summer. 2 82 for your high today. tomorrow's high temperature with sunshine, 75 degrees. forecast. guys. >> dylan, thank you. up next, where are they now?

the infamous balloon boy and his family and what they heard from the whole thing and whether they incident. and maybe play the drums? listen up team, i brought in some protein to help rearrange the fridge i'm new ensure active high protein. i help you recharge with nutritious energy and strength to keep you active. come on pear, it's only a half gallon. i'll take that. yeeeeeah! new ensure active high protein. 16 grams of protein and 23 vitamins ard minerals. all in 160 calories. ensure. take life in. morning ted! scott! ready to hit some balls? ooh! hey buddy, what' s up? this is what it can be like to have shingles. oh, man. a painful, blistering rash. if you had chickenpox, the shingles virus is already inside you. 1 in 3 people will get shingles in their lifetime. after almost 3 weeks,

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when things just come together? build a beautiful website with squarespace. back now on a saturday morning with where are they now. our series as we check in on the most intriguing stories we covered over the years. this morning, we are talking to the family that became well associated with what was known as the balloon boy incident. the heene family is in the studio and we will talk with them in just a moment. first, a look back at their story. >> this thing is really motoring along. >> it was richard heene's latest invention. flying saucer broke loose from his backyard. for two hours, the nation chased the helium balloon on live tv. curiosity soon turned to panic.

>> a 6-year-old child has been in this balloon. >> reporter: a parents' worst nightmare. richard and mayumi heene claimed their boy was trapped in the balloon. the balloon soon began to lose helium and lt.anded in an open field. re wscuers rushed to the scene. >> no sign of falcon heene. >> where was balloon boy? safe at home in the attic the entire time. >> why were you in the attic? >>e i was scared. >> what were you scared of, falcon? >> my dadiyelling at me. >> reporter: later that night, the family appeared on cnn and their story began t' unravel. >> we did this for a show. >> that comment leading plenty to wonder whether it was all a hoax. the family previously peered on abc's "wife swap" and speculation the balloon m have been richard heene's a ttempt of

>> one said it was for a tv e show. >> in the end, the couple was sentenced to jail time for false reporting and attempting to influence a public official in the greatest balloon ride that never was. >> so richard, falcon, bradley, rio and mayumi are here. nice to have you here. >> yes. >> it has been six years, almost. it is hard to believe. you look at the kids and they clearly have grown up. falcon, yoou are not 6 anymore. richard and hemayumi, this is seisrious. you both did time in jail and pled guilty and maintained this was not a hoax. clear it up. why plead guilty? >> the threat of deportation of my wife was eminent. when that came on the table, i had to take he deal that they prheoposed te me.ccmy at orney said, richard, it is a 90-day stay. y at was a long time for me, but it really went by quickly. >> you understood at the time people thought it was a hoax. you apparently shopped a reality

show. an d theme songs on the internet. when people come to you and say clearly this was a hoax. how do you answer that? >> it is not a hoax. it is what i do. i invent. we are trying to keep it on the lowdown in the backyard. we didn't want our neighbors seeing us build it. it was a test. when it took off, it became what it did. >> a thing you wish you did differently as you look back nokew? >> no, no. we live a policy in our life where you don't live n regrets. you become a victim. victims cannot help themselves. we live a life for a reason. >> the boys have a band. when you talk about learning lessons, falcon, what is it like for you? you were 6. people did not know you as falcon heene. v ey knew you as balloon boy. that thrust you into the spotlight.

as a kid?ea>> it did make us move on. not just lik that, but then we band. that's better. >> how did that bring your family together? wh--at did it change for you if you don't live in regret? >> what happened is we discovered how important your kids are.usimagine losing one. that is what hit us hard. we wou the kids. i had a goal when he turned 50, i would pay attention to the kids. that goal has been moved up by three years. >> you were able to do at? >> i said the heck with it. what do you want to do and they said they wanted to be in a band. guitar, drums and bass and lead vocals. >> how is the band going? >> awesome.

>>ew any balloons in the musical? >> no. >> rock orchesintra. >> do people bring this up? you actually moved and live in a different part of the country. does it come up? >> once and a while it will come up. they will go hey, you are that guy. johnny vegas came up to th. were at a supermarket. a clerk said they were talking about you. >> my more balloons built? >> not like that. >> all right. nice to have you here. ad are you doing well. thanks for coming in. >> thank you. >> we will send it t dyn who is with "today's" plaza fan of the day. >> we have this mike. is nice. i forget names. mike, mike and mike. you are with the drill team.

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welcome back to "today" on saturday morning. if you are noticing craig is missing, it is because he found his own fancy plane on the >> i wish. >> is this yours? >> maybe one day. we fly domestic. super rich fly private. and some want to make them more approachable. they see a future where you and i are soaring through the sky in a plane like this. could flying a plane become as common as driving a car? >> if you like the outdoors,

this gives you a front row like imax theater. >> reporter: meet the icon a-5. >> you get to see what you want on your terms and explore the planet in the visceral way. >> reporter: you store it in your garage and officials say they teach you how to fly it in two weeks. for the ceo founder and fighter pilot, it is about democratizing aviation. >> we bring planes to the people. we consider this freedom and adventure. >> reporter: the a-5 can fly as fast as 110 miles an hour and climb as high as 15,000 feet. while icon wants to bring flying to the public, the plane is not cheap.

it costs about $200,000 and the sport pilot license runs another $10,000. despite the price, sales are taking off. 1,500 orders and deposits are on the books. one has shipped out. if you order one today, expect delivery in 2019. >> automobile takes about five or six years to bring to market. airplanes take seven to ten years. >> reporter: among those on the wait list, eric schmidt and jetblue chairman jeff peterson. >> this is a game changer, especially if they can produce it in the quality and volume that they are planning. >> reporter: aviation experts are bullish for a few reasons. a cockpit that looks like a video game display and it is fuel efficient. you can go 400 miles on one tank and an parachute for the entire plane.

>> the pilot actions are the cause of about 3/4 of aviation accidents. icon's challenge is to stamp out that impulsive behavior through education. >> reporter: transforming how we fly won't happen fast, but icon hopes to be at the frontier. >> one day, we humans will move in three dimensions. this is the beginning of that process. this is how we get there. we get there by getting more people engaged in aviation. >> i want one. >> let's go in on one. >> 2019. we have time to save up. >> we could get in on one. >> the hope is that as they produce more, the costs come down. $200,000 is a lot of money, but 10 or 15 years from now? >> i like the parachute for the whole plane. >> cool. craig, thanks. we're back in a moment. but first this is "today" on

here's the deal. we heard a lot about one of our producers. today she is our bar wench. it is national talk like a pirate day. we talk about the orange room and it looks like a genius bar. we thought it was a great bloody mary bar. sheinelle is having her first bloody mary in her life. >> oh.

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dressed up like a pirate. coming up next on "today in new york" -- >> reporter: the mta has scheduled maintenance that's affecting riders in two burro burroughs. >> and we're saying good-bye to summer. we'll take a lack ook at the seven

. pope francis will touch down in cuba this afternoon. >> what you need to know about the transit alert. >> please. >> okay. sir. >> please. please. >> sir, we have them on the way. a frantic call for help after a family pit bull turns on its owners. what police believe is behind that attack. good morning and welcome back to "today in new york"thrilled you could join us. >> great weather continuing. we do have some fog and visibility issues out there.

times this morning. also some low clouds out there. but it will be mostly dry today and tomorrow. plenty of dry weather to enjoy this weekend. temperatures turning to the 80s on this saturday and down to the 70s tomorrow. high pressure sb high pressure is continuing to dominate our weather. that fog is going to take a little bit longer to burn off. up to 70 degrees right now. we're headed to 79 by lunchtime. it's bright and warm through the afternoon. a great day to enjoy some muggy warmth. and now we want to tell you about that transit alert that could impact your entire weekend. >> it's a major one. the number one train is going to stay closed through sunday.

in to help riders out. >> reporter: when people show up to the train station here on 242nd street, they won't be able to get on the train, but they will be able to get on some of the shuttle buses on both sides of the train station here on broad way to help them get to different points on the line. they shut down that line for planned service and they won't reopen until 5:00 a.m. on monday. during that time, crews will work on scheduled maintenance. if you depend on the one train to get around, the two and three trains are running local between chambers and 96th street. and of course there are free shuttle buses. already this morning we have seen crowds of people using it to get around. >> i'm going to google it and

guess. or i'm going to take a taxi. >> reporter: and the mta released a statement saying in part that we understand that these service disruptions are inconvenient for customers. this work is being performed simultaneously during the weekend when ridership is lowest to reduce the impact to our customers. again, pat and gus, trains on the one line will not be up and running again until 5:00 a.m. monday. that's the latest here in the bronx. >> a lot of folks changing their plans because of that. police are calling this a case of separation anxiety. >> a pit bull went wild, bit a mom and also her 31-year-old daughter on her arms and legs when they tried to leave the house. we have exclusive details from south brunswick. >> what's going on there.

>> my dog just bit my daughter. she's bleeding from one of her veins. >> we've got them on the way. they'll be there. >> please, please. >> sir -- >> please. >> we have them on the way. >> please. oh god, please. >> reporter: the mixed pit bull, police were told, had separation anxiety for the 19-year-old daughter who left for college. but this man had a different experience with their neighbor's dog two weeks ago. >> he ran out of the out and straight at me. >> reporter: and then he swerved away. a police dash cam captured the mother's explanation. >> jumped on her. he turns around and jumps on me. he doesn't like anyone to leave the house. >> only the second dog was home when we called here. the attacking dog taken to an animal hospital. but as attached as people are to

their dogs, animals can be to their owners. but with separation anxiety the injuries are usually not severe. >> the intent the animal has isn't to hurt or harm, but it's just please stay, stay with me. >> reporter: what happened here is a second case of a dog attacking its owners in less than two weeks in this town. >> not typical to have this many people bitten in this short of a period of time. >> reporter: doctors say there are drugs and therapies that can ease signs of anxiety in a dog. in south brunswick, brian thompson, news 4, new york. a brooklyn man is behind bars in connection with the deaths of two women found in hotel rooms. he is charged with murder in the death. she was found in the manhattan

he is also a suspect in the death of another woman found in a bushwick hotel in july. police have identified baby dough, a doe, whose body was found in a trash bag back in june. the mother's boyfriend is expected to be charged with murder in that case. bella's mother may also face charges. there is a lot of relief for people in phoenix. police say they have arrested the shooter who was terrorizing drivers in that area. leslie allen her merit, police say is, responsible. the gun reportedly found at a phoenix pawnshop. >> the man who we believe was responsible for starting this spree is in custody.

>> police say they are still searching for possible copy cat shooters . slow venia slovenian police say thousands packed a train station last night. that country is overwhelmed and closed its border with serbia. a lot of migrants left croatia traveling to hungary by train. our papal visit coverage continuing today. a special tune will play during pope francis's visit here in new york and we'll have the story behind that song. plus -- raphael will join us

all right. it's 8:08. a little hazy. visibility going to be an issue as you get going this morning. but you're going to love the long-term forecast. good to be with you here on "today in new york." at this point, we are getting close, just three days now until pope francis arrives for his first trip to the u.s. he's going to be here in new york next thursday and friday. when the pope steps into madison square garden for mass, a special sound will fill the arena. we have the personal story of the man behind the music. >> reporter: one score, three popes. >> i'm the luckiest guy on effort. >> reporter: it's hard to believe this beautiful music all started 20 years ago with an everyday sound, a phone call. >> he said the pope is coming to central park.

can you make it an eight minute piece because we need to cover his entrance from fifth avenue to the park which takes eight minutes in the popemobile. >> reporter: the broadway composer immediately began pouring his seoul into oul into the keys of this century old steinway. right here in the upper east sidewalk up. give us an example. >> this is the fanfare. >> reporter: procession al for al for a pontiff was written. >> this is the main thing when you see him for the first time.

back in 1995, a 40-piece similar fon similar symphony orchestra thundered. >> what do you say to a pope? >> then 13 years later the phone rang again. >> michael, pope benedict is coming. we'd like to use the piece again again. >> reporter: and now with pope francis, another phone call. >> they said we'd like to use it at madison square garden as well. i said, three popes? how lucky am i. >> reporter: imagine three popes using your music. this didn't happen after i'm gone. so many composers get recognition afterwards. >> that's amazing. this beautiful piece of music that has saluted these popes now, three for three. >> impressive.

visibility. we have our view on the streetd here. not too bad. >> here in the city we've seen some low clouds. but the dense fog has been in the suburbs west of town. again, in the city we have some sunshine already. looking good, looking bright out there. temperatures in the low 70s right now. it's 70 degrees and we have partly to mostly sunny skies around the ski. dan danbury down to zero, white plains, west chester county, sussex sussex, this fog has staying power. going to take one or two hours to fully lift. storm tracker right now shows sunshine in the hudson valley where you don't have the fog. that's where you have the sun and it's quiet. high pressure in control today

again. it's 5 in armonk. a little cooler north and west of town. 70 in central park and 70 in islip. field. hot and dry by then. 80 degrees. it's kind of a summery feel on this saturday. it's going to be a little hot for some of you who are ready for the fall weather. maybe a stray shower down the jersey shore. otherwise we're keeping it dry for this saturday. sunny around 4:00 or 5:00. here comes a cold front. lots of clouds with that front. not a lot of rain, though. maybe a few showers, hit or miss type through the morning hours. then we're going to clear things out very nicely by tomorrow afternoon. then it gets breezy. the mugginess is gone and temperatures dropping down a

it's going to be hot today show. we should only be in the mid 70s by this time of year. no drought relief, guys. we need the rain. we're not going to get it. one or two showers tomorrow. 75, it's breezy tomorrow afternoon. for the first day of fall on wednesday we're back to near 0 degrees, keeping it dry. stay up to date with the news app. you could see the latest forecasts, interactive radar and how to submit your own weather video. it's available in the app store right now. there are concerns at the jersey shore this morning over a boat water logged an a busy water way for weeks. locals and visitors believe it also poses a threat to public safety. ted greenberg has our story.

>> reporter: as the tides rise and fall, the nor'easter ii goes nowhere. >> it's an eyesore. it's a danger. >> reporter: it's been water logged since it sank in cape may harbor a month ago. the second time it went down here this summer. >> anyone who drives by, they almost always pull over just to get out and check it out. >> reporter: especially folks visiting the popular nature center of cape may. and they've been doing more than just gawking. we watched as a kayaker er er er er climbed aboard. >> there will be debris all over the harbor. >> reporter: sea tow captain tells us its owner donated it to a charity, which in turn sold it

buffalo new york. >> i don't think he was completely aware of all the facts involved in the boat. >> reporter: moran says the new owner tried unsuccessfully to raise the boat himself last week. so far he's been unwilling to pay a salvage company thousands of dollars to have it removed and demolishes. new jersey state police tell me he is cooperating. the boat's fuel and oil were pumped off after its seconding singing. but the storm of concern likely won't sub void side until it's out of the water for good. still ahead on this saturday morning, decision 2016. >> as candidates continue to campaign in iowa the fallout for how donald trump handled those antimuslim comments made by a supporter. and it's time to ask produce pete. >> hey good morning. today we're talking about

coconuts. coming up next all you want to know about coconuts. and people have been asking

just hours ago pope francis boarded a plane in rome on route to cuba where he'll begin a ten-day journey that will eventually bring him to the u.s. in our neck of the words.

president obama and raoul castro spoke last night about advancing cooperation between the two countries. the obama administration announced new policy changes aimed at easing sanctions and normalizing diplomatic relations with cuba. >> reporter: more moves by the obama administration to further normalize relations with the island nation that will ease sanctions on travel and expand telecommunications and services. in addition, american business sectors limited to agriculture and construction will be able to set up the physical presence in cuba. >> we believe the regulations will improve the lives of ordinary cubans. >> reporter: the obama administration first announced the start of normalizing relations last december. probably the most symbolic move occurred just last month as the american flag was raised over

the u.s. embassy in havana. now cubans are preparing for a visit from the pope. >> i think pope francis will encourage people, encourage in faith to get the new opportunities that being opened in cuba. >> reporter: the new rules are limited. the 53-year-old economic embargo remains in place and can only be lifted by an act of congress. and here in the u.s. president obama is preparing a big welcome for pope francis. the white house says it's invited 15,000 people to the pontiff's arrival. they're going to pack the back lawn at the white house. and while he's in washington, pope francis will speak to congress and celebrate mass at the national shine of the immaculate conception. and we've created a special section on our website with

about the pope's visit. head to nbcnew york.com/pope. well, the segue. that means it's time to ask produce pete. today we're talking coconuts. yeah, we think tropical. pete say this is fruit can be a tasty treat in the winter. >> october through april is when the bulk of them are in. we don't realize that coconuts for thousands of years provided fuel, provided food, oil, provided housing, provided clothing. >> clothing? >> yeah. coconuts are a mainstay. you have to remember this is a seed. so what happened was, because during the storms and stuff the coconuts would fall into the ocean, these float. so they floated to different islands. that's why you see so many palms throughout. this is the coconut that ke

we see in the store. this thai coconut is getting popular. i'll talk to you about this in a minute. very very simple when buying a coconut. shake it, make sure the juice is in there. coconuts last for months and months. once you cut them they only last a couple of days. shake it to make sure there's juice on the inside. how do you get into the coconut? it's kind of hard because this thing is -- unless you have a hammer and want to go outside and hit it -- what we do is something really quick. first of all, i take a screwdriver or a nail. the three eyes in the bottom, you want to poke those in and then -- see we've got the juice coming out that we can drink and everything? you want to take the three holes and open the three holes. then put this into an own, ven, 320

degrees for about 0 minutes. it cracks it open and does nothing to the fruit or flesh on the inside. that way you can get to it. last night what i did was i threw it in the oven for about 20 minutes. it cracked it. and then all you have to do is pull this apart. take a hammer then, hit it like this and take all the pieces off and then you have it. it's really, really easy to get on the inside. >> okay. or you can buy them like this, pete. >> this is different now. see this is what we call the thai coconut. you see these in the stores. this is actually a baby coconut. it takes about a year, a little over a year for the coconut to get to this stage, the hard stage. now, a lot of times they open coconuts a little earlier. if you open it in six months it will be a little softer and will be the white coconut on the outside.

this is a thai or a baby coconut. how do you get on the inside of this? >> this isn't actually the -- this is still the shell. >> after they take the green husk off the outside. >> it's still hard. >> this is what we're going to do. leave the plastic on it. then you're going to take a sharp knife and peel it on the top, about an inch from the rim you're going to peel it like that. then you're going to take the bottom of the knife here and hit it like this. what you're going to get -- this is what it looks like. then you see this little thing here? once you go around you get a cap that comes out like this. >> isn't that precious. was all that in there? >> you get about 12 ounces of juice. see the flesh here? it's very soft. it's very good. you'll get about 12 ounces of use.

is, you see the juice that's in there, you can drink that juice. make sure the juice is nice and clear. another thing, quick. when buying these shake them. you don't want to hear the juice. this is completely different. you don't want to hear the juice because that means it's breaking down on the inside. shake this. you don't want to hear the use. that juice. that's what you do. >> that's a lot of coconut there. >> that's right. >> that's so smart. >> lookcat this. take spoon, go in here and you're going to be able to eat this meat which is really, really good. with this meat in here it's very tender and good. they're out there. they're available. look for them in the stores. and betty made coconut cookies, which is really good. coconut is really good for you.

a lot of vitamins and stuff. they're out there. you see these thai coconuts. they're really easy to open. look at that. simple. evppen i can do that. >> have pete do it for you. thank you, pete. >> coconut. >> you can send your questions to pete at producepete.com. you can find him on facebook. he's on twitter.

live look there at the bridge on a saturday morning. you're watching "today in new york" and we appreciate it. >> a lot happening this morning but right now we want to get to havana, cuba. good morning, darlene. >> reporter: good morning, pat and gus. good morning from cuba. when the pope arrives here later today, it will be his first official visit to havana cuba. since the first time i was here in 1999 this country has changed so much. there are yellow taxis and internet cafesthnd small businesses. when the pope arrives today, the people of cuba will be looking to him for a lot more than spiritual guidance. we found parishioners hanging this line welcoming pope francis. when he lands later on this afternoon, 11 million cubans

father who's credited with helping to open up that dialogue between the u.s. and cuba. this church in size is the largest in all of cuba. his congress dpags gation awaits the holy father with anticipation and hope. he is a pope that is close to us. speaks our language. >> i think pope francis will encourage people, encour ge in faith. encourage people to their own destiny, to open their eyes and spirits to get the new opportunities that are being opened in cuba. >> with the catholic church essentially banished from cuba

empty or boarded up for decades. people can worship now. but only a small percentage of cubans identify as catholic anymore. either ww , the cuban people understand that pope francis's visit could potentially change their future, with president raoul castro saying that he someday might become catholic again. the pope leaves rome at about 10:00 a.m. 's expects to arrive in havana around 4:00 a.m. there will be an arrival ceremony and the pope is expected to make some remarks. tomorrow morning at 9:00 p.m. a huge open air outdoor mass in revolution square. we will be there. reporting live from havana cuba,

>>nc thank you. amazing reporting there. now we've got to talk about this, a transit alert and a big one here. the number one train shut down overnight. and it's going to stay closed all weekend while they do maintenance. >> the information you need to know so you don't get stranded. >> reporter: yes. and folks who rely on th rune train north of 96th street will have to use shuttle buss to get around. there are buses on either side of this train station to help people get from point a to b. late last night they shut down the one line from planned service and they won't reopen until monday morning. and crews during that time will be working on scheduled maintenance. well, if you depend on the one train to get around, the two and three trains are running local between chambers and 96th

streets in manhattan. and y t can also take the a and the c as alternatives. there are free shuttle buses. we've already seen people taking advantage of thosebuses to g to different points in the bronx. >> i'm gring to google it and nd how to take the bus, i guess, or something. or i'm going to take a taxi. >> reporter: thank god for smart phones. the mta released a statement saying we understands hese service interruptions are in convenient for customers. this work is being performed simultaneously during the weekend when ridership is the lowest to reduce the impact to our customers. tramains are going to run again on the one line starting at 5:00 a.m. on monday. reporting live in the bronx. >> thanks for the update. well, a brooklyn daycare

thatforgot a toddler in a parn.k has been shut down. the quality of life academy left a two-year-old alone on a playground. luckily a person notice and contacted authoteties and reunited the t isoddler with his mom. we have reached out for comment but have not heard back. now to decision 2016, donald trump expected to be back on the camp efgn trail in iowa today after he was a o show at friday's forum in south carolina. >> he was absent amid controversy over a question he fielded thursday about muslims and president obama. >> reporter: donald .ump so often center stage was not on stage at a candidate forum in south carolina. his campaign said it was because a business transaction. but the event comes just one day after a controversial exchanget with a suppo ofer in n hampshire. >> we have a problem in this country. it's called muslims. we know our current president is one. >> right.

>> you know he's not even an american. birth certificates man. >> we need this question. >> anyway, we have training camps growing where they want to kill us. >> mm-hm. >> that's my question. >> we're geing to be looking at a lot of different things. a lot of people with saying that and bad things happen out there. we're going to be looking at that and plenty of other things. >> reporte trump failed to correct the man about president obama's citizenship and religion, to say nothing about the antimuslim rhetoric. >> he should have from the beginning repudiated that kind of rhetoric. >> reporter: rivals also weighed in >> he doesn't have the character or gravitas it would take to be president. >> if you want trump to pay attention to a question, you've got to mention his name. he's a narcissist. >> reporter: trump's

standing as the front runner so far. president obama is expected to nominate pentagon official eric fanning to be new secretary of the army. if confirmed he would be the nation's first openly gay leader of the military. he brings experience and leadership to the role. he's currently the army's acting secretary. still ahead on "today in new york,"'re counting down to the papal visit. >> the special teens who sred a chance to meet him.

news 4 anchor has the story. they're proud to be scoring a once in a lifetime goal, meeting pope francis. it's no secret pope francis is a soccer fan ever since he was a boy. so these local boys have a special surprise for his holy father. >> we're going to present to pope francis a soccer ball. and we hope to present to pope francis his own soccer jersey. they're really great kids. >> it's not the boys' soccer skills that make them to special. it's the team they're part of the catholic charity archdiocese of new york. >> pope francis specifically asked if he could meet some of those people whom catholic charities is helping. and that it worked out that he

particularly is meeting with the groups of immigrants and refugees, that really makes me excited. >> from their downtown offices, catholic charities helps refugees with legal services. and this man who fled south india after experiencing religious persecution. >> i want to live in usa. >> reporter: this is a migration charities. he walks teens through the them know their rights. >> i came here as an unaccompanied minor ten years ago. and now i'm happy that i can do this type of work. because once you leave your country, you leave everything you know in your life. your family, your friends, everything.

>> he also coaches a soccer game next yankee stadium. >> the pope said that humans are here to leave their footprint. it is great that in a way catholic charities is doing something that is great for the community here in the bronx and just letting these kids play soccer is fun. >> the teens will be will be meeting the pope in east harlem friday afternoon. don't forget we've created a special section on our website with everything you need to know about the pope's visit. we're going to have wonderful weather for the pope's visit to us.ayall fall into place. >> it is. >> he's going to be in central park. people are going to be in the park, i'm sure, hours ahead of time if the secret service

allows. hoping to get a glimpse of the pope. >> it is muggy out there, though. maybe the last muggy day for quite some time, though. it's a way for you to bond with summer for one last day, say good-bye, get ready for fall a little bit. 70 degrees outside right now. mostly sunny skies. maybe make it a beach day today. not a bad idea. it's going to be a great day down the jersey shore, temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s. wind out of the south today. not too breezy. water temperature is still mild. you could see the uv index is up there. it's six, so you need the sunscreen still even though it's the last weekend of summer. no advisories in effect today. and there's a low risk of rip

currents, though you always want to be careful if you're going in the water. the fog is still around. dense fog is going to take a couple of hours to burn off. trenton, you're dealing with that visibility down to a quarter of a mile. stubborn fog in the suburbs. storm tracker looking good right now. 71 city island. rand educational background see temperatures are in the 50s in sussex. taking a look at future tracker. heading into the afternoon, this is 2:00 today. it's still dry. maybe some more clouds and a sprinkle or two down the jersey shore. otherwise, don't worry. your beach day is going tor be fine. isolated shower possibly to the

otherwise looking good from new york city. this krontd is cold front is approaching. maybe a few showers tomorrow morning and extra cloudiness. it's gone by tomorrow afternoon. 3:00 p.m. tomorrow. this is a great picture. sunshine breaking out all around the tri state. it's not muggy tomorrow. it is muggy today, though. it is cooler for sunday and we stay in the 70s once we get there. monday's high 74 degrees. fall arrives. temperatures are warming up again. temperatures to from the upper 70s to the low 80s. news 4 new york app is available in the app store right now. while you're online, you want to

play our interactive trivia game. today it's all about international talk like a pirate day. we're going to test your knowledge of all things pirate related. trivia is coming up. everyone is saying, "hey! you gotta get fios!" but why? well, fios is a 100 percent fiber optic network to the home, so you can get access to the fastest internet and in-home wi-fi available. and fios gives you big capacity too. so everyone in the house can get online. but the main reason to get fios? we're rated number 1 in customer satisfaction.

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once we officially begin, the questions are going to pop up on your tv screen and you'll have 12 seconds to choose an answer while selecting those options on your browser. let's get that countdown clock started, guys. shiver me timbers. arghh are you ready for some trivia? naj national talk like a pirate day. pie piracy led to the creation of the u.s. navy. let's get ready to test your knowledge about pirates to see if you're a true swashbuckler. you want to answer as quickly and correctly obviously as possible. good luck, everyone. finish this phrase.

yo ho ho and a bottle of gin, rum or vodka? 15 minute on a dead man's chest. pirates drank a mixture of rum sugar, lemon juice and water called grog. what is a spanish dubloon. they are number one, a gold coin. these illustrious coins were melted, cut and shaped entirely by hand in the colonial times. another name for a pirate is -- is sit it a buccaneer, a buster or a banshee? today the word we know as number one, buccaneer. the dictionary also defines

buccaneer as someone who barbecues. we've got lots of buccaneers around here. question four, these pirates are a professional baseball team for which city, key west, slice pittsburgh? the answer is number two, pittsburgh. they changed their name to the pirates after the team was accused of stealing a second baseman from the philadelphia athletics. going way back there. question number five, legal pirating was called pirateering, or privateering? number three is the answer. privateer, sir francis drake was nighted by queen elizabeth the

question number six, why do pirates wear i eye patches? only two are known to have wooden legs. what's with the eye patch? number one, it's to see in the dark. captains needed to see quickly below deck. they kept one eye covered to see in the dark. which of these following was a real pirate? he was a pirate who joined major general andrew jackson in defending new orleans from the invading british forces. question number eight, what's the classic '80s movie about

it was number three, the goonies of course. it was a great movie from the '80s. a pirate flag is known widely as sour sam, jolly roger or unhappy hagrid. i don't know. not all pirate flags just had a skull and cross bones but they had the same nickname, jolly roger. question ten, what does a red pirate flag mean? no drinking new york city sing ingdrinking, no singing or no mercy? no mercy. when a pirate ship hoisted the red flag, it meant they would leave no survivors on the ship that they were attacking. what do you do in that

situation? i guess you're kind of stuck. great game, everyone. we have a winner. let's check out the number. 9939. awesome job, winner. and congratulations all of our top tens. big improvement over last week.

a dwuz ozen donuts. there you go. >> before we go. weather. we do have visibility issues. >> the fog is still an issue this morning. you have to be careful, especially north and west of town. wait until the fog burns off before you travel out there. it will get better as the day goes on. afternoon. saying good-bye to summer. it's the last weekend, guys. >> oh my. >> i know. tomorrow morning when you wake up, maybe a shower out there. otherwise we're rain free this weekend. it's a dry weekend. it's muggy today.

it's not muggy tomorrow. it's not breezy today. it is breezy tomorrow. kind of some contrast going on. fall arrives and the pope ray lives in the middle of the week. nice and warm for the pope and for all of us next week. temperatures continue to be above average. >> sounds fantastic. >> we're back here tomorrow morning at 6:00.

-hello, i'm jared. -i'm landon. -and i'm guy allen. and we are the allen family. and we are in east hills, new york.

15 and jared is 13. -i'm surprised he got that right. -i do have to think about we bought this house about eight years ago the challenges of raising two boys, you know, at their ages-- it's really, really hard in so many different and they excel at so and require my, a which i want to give, which i want to be there for them. -my dad is very important to me. like, he's always there when you need to be, he's very reliable, he's really funny. he's really nice. he's just a all around great guy. -daily stuff, making sure the meals are prepared, for carpools, for you know, making sure landon's suits are pressed, and he knows how to put on a tie for his mock trial competitions, and make sure jared's soccer uniforms are ready. to throw that on top of

and uh, it's, it's, it's tough. -he's always there for you. he's always-- it's the person who you can depend on. he's not really a good cook at all. he, uh, i mean, he tries. he definitely does try, but it never really turns out well. -he's good at making pasta. -he's very good at making pasta. that's his specialty. and that's his only specialty. -and bacon. -yeah, and that's about it. -thanks, jared. -you're welcome. [love song playing] -put those hands together. make some noise for mom and dad. -linda and i originally met at the concord hotel in kiamesha lake new york. it was up in the catskills. she taught, uh, she served lunch around the pool on sunny days, and i taught tennis. and one thing led to another, and we got married. it was, it was one of the best days of my life. i remember it vividly to this day. it was a, just a great, great moment, and it's nice when

one of your best friends. my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer around hurricane sandy time in october or november of 2012. the cancer had spread to her brain in july of 2013, and she had passed away on december 7, 2013. i said i would marry her over and over again, even if i knew what, what i'd have to go through, because she gave me 19 of the best years anyone could ever happen to have. and we were just, we were just short of 20. you know, we didn't make it. but, you know, she gave me two wonderful kids. that's one thing she always made, made me promise. i'm a little bit more laid back. she goes, "you just make sure you're there for the kids when they need you, or-- so, that was my pledge to her. to always be there for the kids and i always will be. -we always tried to stay