outside for their chance to hear pope francis' second day of his u.s. tour. >> reporter: it's a history-making morning on capitol hill, as francis is the first pope to address congress, in what is expected to be a 30-minute speech delivered in english. he'll be introduced by the house sergeant at arm, as the pope of the holy see. unlike these scenes with lawmakers competing to shake the president's hands, congressional asked members to be in their best behavior, refraining from conversations and handshakes along and down the center aisle. the pontiff spent his first day tackling hot-button issues on the left and right, applauding president obama on climate change and wading into the debate of immigration. >> as the son of an immigrant

family, i'm happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by uch families. >> reporter: he also echoed conservative's concerns over religious liberty, making an unscheduled stop to meet with the little sisters of the poor, a religious order suing the obama administration over the affordable care act and its requirement that employers provide insurance that covers birth control. the pope spent wednesday on a whirlwind tour of the nation's capital. from the oval office to a prayer service at st. matthew's kathie cathedral cathedral, to a mass for junipero serra. crowds were flocking to see him, with his personal touch at every turn. kissing babies, blessing the disabled, snapping selfies with the faithful, including this 16-year-old. >> it was pretty nice

experience, seeing him and actually shaking his hand and taking a picture with him. >> reporter: it is a stunning morning out here. there was a heavenly sunrise you referred to, and here is the crowd that's already gathered. many people getting here shortly after midnight, waiting behind the security gates for their chance to get an up close and personal look at the pope. we met students from st. francis school. they said it feels like we're going to see a rock star until their teacher said to me, we wouldn't do this for a rock star. we would only do this for our pope. >> i think he might get a better reception. thank you so much. there were a lot of memorable moments we want to show you from the pope's first full day in america. during the parade, he greeted a 5-year-old named sophie cruz. she handed him a t-shirt and handwritten letter, asking him to protect her parents, who are undocumented workers, from being deported. sophie recited a portion of the

>> all immigrants just like my dad deserve to live with dignity. they deserve to live with respect. they deserve immigration reform. >> another picture of the day a lot of people are talking about, the pope's first meeting with beau and sonny obama. let's go over to top costello, outside the papal residence in washington. he's waiting on the pope to start his day. tom, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we're in northwest washington known as embassy row. he has the norwegian embassy near him. this city is completely gaga for the pope right now, which is refreshing to see. it's been a lot of fun to see. i'll tell you what's been moving to see, with tens of thousands of people pouring out, are how

they want to get closer to the poem pope. we've seen children with spy that -- spina bifida, several people with cancer. in particular today, the governor of maryland will be having a semi-private meeting with the pope. he himself is battling cancer. he plans to ask for a papal blessing. people who may or may not be catholic just wanted to get closer to a man they believe embodies love, forgiveness, sacritifice. i've heard myself from several people again, who may not be catholic, jewish friends said, maybe this man can bridge, can actually bridge ligs religions and faiths at a time there seems to be animosity in the world and even here in washington. the entire city looking forward to this day. back to you. >> people wanting to hear the call for unity. tom costello, thank you so much. maria shriver was at the white

she's with us this morning. good morning. >> good morning. >> what were your impressions of the pope's first day. >> i thought his speech was inspiring. the president was terrific, when he said, all these people are here because you're pope, but most are here because of the person you are. picking up, i think, on what tom was saying, i think when he was saying that people of all faiths hope he'll be able to bring people of different faiths together in a message of unity. people feel it for the country. there's much made about, will he disrupt the democrats, disrupt the republicans, will he press the hot-button issues? yesterday, we heard him speak about our common home. i think he will come here -- he's not coming to speak to democrats or republicans. he's coming to speak to americans and to the world and people he believes in their heart want to do good with public service. i think his speech will be well received. some people will try to put it in a box but this is a man you can't put in a box. he's complex, like the american

catholic. i think he will speak to us largely as a nation and how we interpret that is up to us. >> maria, great to have you with our coverage. we'll check in with you in a matt? >> thank you very much. we are standing here, sitting here, with a wonderful view of st. patrick's cathedral. pope francis will hold evening prayer here this evening following his arrival in new york. timothy cardinal dolan, the archbishop of new york, joins us. >> appreciate being on. i took care of the weather. >> al usually takes credit. we wanted you to feel at home with the cathedral behind you. ready? >> are we ever grateful that's done. we've been working on that for four years. the goal was christmas, and we -- i'm grateful to the workers. they said, we'll get it done by the pope's visit. >> you watched what the pope had to say in washington yesterday. what jumped out at you?

>> you wouldn't be surprised i was attentive to what he said to my brother bishops. i couldn't be there because of the preparations for today. i admired so much. matt, he is for us what we're supposed to be for the people. he's supposed to be our bishop. he's the bishop of bishops. he spoke to us in a very affirming yet challenging way, like a father, like a shepherd. that moved me. i read it for the second time for my morning prayer. it was inspirational. >> one of the things he said to the bishops yesterday is sparking controversy. he praised them for their courage in dealing with the church sexual scandal. he has sympathy for the fact they've had to deal with the fallout from that and victims were angry, saying he should have also mentioned the victims. did he -- was it a misstep in? >> i don't think so. i think what he said was beautiful. he spoke about the courage, spoke about the ongoing sorrow. most importantly, he spoke about the fact that we can never drop

we've always going to be as vigorous as we now are. >> he's talking about climate change, immigration, two issues that are front and center in the political debate in this country right now. he's going to walk into congress today and speak to some of the most powerful people in this nation. he can make a point there. i was curious, yesterday, he said he's going to offer words of encouragement, not a lecture. can he stay above politics? >> there will be political implications to what he says but his talk is not going to be political. he's going to be on principles. you're right, matt, he's a jesuit. they're great teachers. he knows one of the ways you make a point is by affirming the poz sieve sitive positive. you compliment the good and everybody says, we want to match that. i think he's going to praise the united states for what's always been its most -- our most noble and uplifting virtues in the

world, and offer a subtle conscience, like are we living up to that? >> you're going to greet him as he lands at the airport. >> jfk. >> then take the trip to st. patrick's. you will escort him as he walks through the doors. >> yeah. >> what will you be feeling as you enter that cathedral and see the faces of some 3,000 people who are there to see this pope? >> that's what it's about. it's going to be exhilarating for me. almost like welcoming, holy father, welcome to our home and here's my family. you're on to something. i have to say, i've been fatigued, been immersed in the details, that until yesterday, i didn't have the sense of enthusiasm. yesterday, matt, i walked around the cathedral, inside and out, and i met all the people. their excitement is contagious. now they have me on a high. >> the cathedral looks beautiful. >> thank you. >> nice for a lady 130 years old. >> not bad. you and savannah will be on

before he arrives, right? >> we're the warmup for the pope. how about that? let's go back to savannah. >> thank you so much. we're going to have more on the pope's visit. we'll bring you his arrival and speech to congress live. now the other thing getting attention in washington and across the country, the the leading republican candidates, donald trump and carly fefiorina, faced off at separate events. trump's feud with fox is reaching heights this morning. hallie jackson has more. >> reporter: the latest national poll reinforces who is leading the race, donald trump, ben carson, carly fiorina, but marco rubio is pulling, as trump opens a new line of attack. facing fired-up crowds at dueling town halls in south carolina, two of the top candidates in the republican race, carly fiorina and donald

trump, who has a new target. senator marco rubio. >> overly ambitious, too young and i have better hair. >> reporter: after it got testy between the two at the debate last week, rubio hasn't backed down, and neither has trump. >> he hasn't answered serious questions about national security. there should be concerns. >> he said, donald trump didn't talk about foreign policy. i didn't want to tell too much. >> reporter: the fight with rubio, one of many for trump, as the front runner feuds with fox news, which just aired this vivid exchange. >> carly cut his [ bleep ] off with the precision of a surgeon -- >> what did you say? >> he knows it. he knows it. >> you can't say that. >> he's insulted and bullied his way to the top of the polls. >> trump tweeting fox owes him an apology for the foul language. it's the latest in a string of duals with rand paul, jeb bush, fiorina and hillary clinton.

>> hillary has become shrill. you know the word shrill? >> reporter: clinton is winning praise from an unlikely source. >> hillary clinton is a very smart, hard-working woman, and she's dedicated herself to public service, and i admire that. i disagree with her profoundly on virtually every issue. >> reporter: ferae that open e rae iorina opening up about her strategy. personal insults is off the ut of the question, but policies are fair game. >> she's lied about her server. >> reporter: the clinton camp doesn't cioffi see fiorina as a threat but they plan to challenge her on her position on planned parenthood, for example. >> hallie jackson, thank you so much. we're hitting the campaign trail. i will be in new hampshire on monday morning, october 5th, talking to hillary clinton

during an exclusive live town hall meeting. you can see it right here on "today." for now, let's go back to new york. natalie has the other top stories of the morning. good morning. >> good morning. we start off this morning with tragedy in saudi arabia, where more than 300 people have been killed at a stampede at the pill pilgrimage pilgrimage. 450 were wounded near the outskirts of mecca. it's not the first incident to mar the pilgrimage. china's president is making his first state visit to the u.s. and bringing big business. president xi jinping college pledged a collect with contract with boeing. he'll come to washington, d.c. and have dinner with president obama. he's pledging to work with the

u.s. on fighting cyber crime. two texas high school football players who blind sided a referee were assigned to an alternative school for the next 75 days. they attended a disciplinary hearing on wednesday. the punishment comes three weeks after the players tackled and speared a referee in the middle of a game. the assistant coach is said to have directed the players to target the ref for making racist comments. the referee denies the allegations. now to video giving meaning to the phrase, flying through the intersection. take a look. >> whoa! >> are you kidding me? >> a driver in california captured the incident with his dash board cam. the plane was getting ready to land when the engine apparently failed. thankfully, no one was hurt. amazing stuff there. heads up play during a high school football game getting

a midland, texas, kicker was attempting a kick, and you can see the referee. it went through the uprights. yes, it counted. the ref, of course, considered part of the field of play. the good news is, the ref is okay, and it counted. it's all good. >> it's been a rough -- >> nobody got hurt. >> rough couple of weeks for refs. >> it has been. this one at least everybody is okay. >> thank goodness. let's take a look -- show you what we have going on. we have some really interesting weather going along with southeastern coast. we've got this area of low pressure along the southeast coast. big area of high pressure along the canadian maritimes. the two are going to converge, in between -- we have pressure gradient, a strong difference between pressure systems. so wind gusts over the -- toward the end of the week, 40 miles per hour along the southeastern atlantic coast, into the mid-atlantic. threat for rip currents, three

the outer banks, six to nine feet surf. it's going to go for at least three or four days. in fact, i've never seen this before with the national weather service. it issues a crashing wave alert for head and neck injuries if you're swimming. beach erosion is going to be a big problem. look at all the rain. we're talking from three to five inches of rain, especially around charlotte. flash flooding will be a big problem as we move on into

we're going to get to it's a cool morning out there. low 60s in the city. suburbs, a lot of 40s showing up. 43 sussex, long branch, 50 degrees. most of the island in the 50s. look for sunshine though and a quick warmup today. back to 81 degrees this afternoon. tonight we're back in the low 50s, 60 suburbs. more clouds in the mix. turns breezy. temperatures in the mid 70s. the weekend windy, saturday, sunday, monday. variable cloudy skies and we warm it back to 80 on tuesday and wednesday. >> that's your latest weather. impressive move. >> amazing. >> sprint. not bad, huh? i'll catch my breath. coming up, volkswagen ceo resigns amid a scandal to cheat u.s. emissions tests. can the u.s.'s largest car maker survive? from washington, we are ready to bring you the pope's arrival on capitol hill, live. plus, we introduce you to the man always by the pope's side. in fact, come call him the mini pope.

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>> announcer: live, this is "news 4 new york" now. good morning, 7:26. thursday morning, september 24th. i'm darlene rodriguez. manhattan streets already shut down in anticipation of pope francis's arrival today. katherine creag gives us a look at what's going on. kat, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. secret service agents, nypd officers by the dozens are here on east 42nd street and madison area. the people who live around here they fully expected this area to be shut down, but it's actually a huge area. east 72 between park and fifth avenue completely off limits to regular drivers. only police officials are allowed around here and then, darlene, as you know, mid town is closed as well. back to you. >> katherine creag, thank you. let's have a look at the morning commute.

the u.n. general assembly and closures around the fdr. midtown streets by saint patrick's open now. they will shut down by 10:00 a.m. a live look outside at the alexander hamilton bridge, very heavy delays. we're looking into an accident but it's causing a 30-minute delay at the george washington bridge. >> we'll take a break. we'll be right back with chris's forecast. starting up the low 60s in the city. 50s and 40s in the suburbs.

we warm it up from the 70s to low 80s. 81 degrees forecast high. a nice breeze throughout the day i should say. 63 with a partly cloudy sky. 40s and 50s in the suburbs. seven day forecast slowing down a bit with the temperatures. back to the mid 70s. gets breezy in the afternoon. fine for the pope's visit. windy with variable cloudy skies. low 70s. we warm it back up to 80 tuesday and wednesday. coming up on the "today" show. facing your financial fears. it continues with some of your trickiest questions. stay tuned. i'm michael douglas, and new york is my home. there's no place like it in the world. and there's no time to see it like the fall. take metro north to take in the beautiful fall foliage from high above the hudson. swing a club at one of america's greatest courses... see spectacular sights

...or thrilling sights above it. there's so many incredible ways to experience the fun of fall in new york state. plan your trip at iloveny.com. there's something for everyone. back now, 7:30 on this thursday morning. sun is coming up. september 24th, 2015. remember that day, it's a historical day in this country. the pope has come to america and will address congress for the first time ever. look at that, the crowds are really growing on capitol hill. we're expecting tens of thousands of people to come and catch a glimpse.

house speaker, john boehner, himself a devout catholic. all eyes will be on the house chamber as the pope addresses a joint session of congress later. on wednesday, the pope awoke to excited crowds outside the apostolic building before making his way to the white house. he was greeted by the president and first lady and 11,000 others, speaking briefly in english. after that, it was on to the popemobile for a parade along the national mall and a midday prayer with u.s. bishops. the pope wrapped up his first full day in america to cannonize a saint. >> he had a busy day. hopefully he got rest last night. look at some of the other headlines this morning. the president welcomes another dignitary to the white house later today, after spending a few days in seattle. the chinese president arrives in

he'll have a private dinner with president obama tonight. republican candidate candidates donald trump and carly fiorina held dueling town hall meetings in south carolina last night. trump plans to get more specific on the campaign trail next week when he is set to reveal his tax plan. major league baseball caused to honor the late yogi be are rra last night. this tribute video played before the yankees took on the blue jays in toronto. here in new york, the empire state building was lit in pin striems s stripes of blue and white to honor berra. let's begin with the scandal rocking the world's largest car maker. volkswagen ceo resigned after his company admitted rigging emissions test in the u.s. and around the world. at least 11 million cars were involved. janet is at a volkswagen dealership in texas. good morning to you.

the fallout from the scandal is rippling across the country, from the dealerships to the half million u.s. drivers who own one of them. these are vehicles now polluting the environment at up to 35 times u.s. air standards. this morning, one of the world east most trusted auto makers is in a world of trouble. volkswagen admitting it cheated on the pollution test of a half million cars. customers dealing with a different road rage. >> l ne bp, with the oil spill. >> reporter: social media calls for execs to face criminal charges. others tweeting, they're done. i'll never buy or promote this dishonest brand again. for many, volkswagen is an iconic brand. remember herbie the love bug? just this year, volkswagen became the world's largest auto maker.

they're in damage mode. >> they apologized and problemed a swift investigation. the question now, how quickly can they come up with answers? republican >> reporter: the first signs came from research finding the emission standards higher than allowed. >> it led to an investigation. >> it is a company that has a lot of potential but they're in the midst of a terrible mess. >> reporter: so are dealers, now struggling to sell cars. how much of sales dropped in the last few days? >> literally, we went from selling 13 new cars on saturday and 1 yesterday. >>f reporter: volkswagen saying the matter is being referred to german authorities for possible criminal charges. there is no word on the country in what drivers in this country can do to fix their vehicles. back to you. >> thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather from al.

brought to you by ihop. everything you love about breakfast. >> folks, we have a picture-perfect papal prognostication today. >> what was that again? >> picture-perfect papal prognostication. >> there you go. >> we started in washington, d.c. today for the holy father and all the thousands who will be gathered to see him. he leaves around 4:00, heading up the coast here to new york city. he'll arrive at a beautiful day. gorgeous weather through saturday. when he leaves for the city of brotherly love, he will arrive with sunshine, but clouds will then hang around. we may see some showers on sunday for the pope's outdoor mass. we're hopefully going to hold those off. i think you're on to something there, al. we've got plenty of sunshine for the pope as he comes in later

this afternoon. 81 the expected high. light breeze out of the north and east. low temperature, 63 in the cities. for the pope and the rest of us, looking at mid 70s. mix of clouds and sunshine. quite windy saturday and sunday. lower 70s. much the same on monday at 73. back to some sunshine tuesday and wednesday warming again with temperatures near 80. >> that's your latest weather. get your latest weather on the weather channel on cable and weather.com online. >> good advice. coming up, scientists answer the question, why do babies smile? it's not what you think. savannah? >> i'm interested in that one. weim're lucky to have maria shriver with us, helping us cover the pope. i'm not sure she broke laws yesterday, but maria got next to the pope's fiat yesterday. >> yes. i touched it. >> have you washed your hand since? >> i haven't. it was an exciting moment. >> we'll have more with maria.

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welcome back. it's a beautiful morning on capitol hill, where pope francis is expected to arrive just after 9:00 this morning. he will deliver a historic speech before both houses of congress. by his side will be his ever-translator, who is becoming

a celebrity in his own right. nbc's special anchor maria shriver has his story. >> beautiful morning. mike miles is the man you've seen that never seems to leave the pope's side. the 48-year-old is a loyal, devoted aid of the pope, helping to spread his message all across the world. >> reporter: he's the man, known to some as the mini pope. >> he expressed compassion for particular cases. >> reporter: by his side as he arrived in the u.s. right behind him as he greeted the faithful in washington, d.c. of course, there h was, playing wing man at the white house. his nameees monsignor miles, the translator of the holy see and the pope's right-hand man. mu they have similar personalities. when you're translating, you don't want to just say the words, you want to say how you said it, with enthusiasm.

>> reporter: that sincerely shining tchough during a trip to thave philippines, where locals were still reeng after a devastating typhoon killed thousands. his sensitivity making him an internet sensation. with fans on twitter posting, thank you very much to your translator. he's real good conveying not just your words but also your feelings. another writing, his accent is really good. one even calling him adorable. >> i think because you see him smiling and enjoyi the crowds, and because he looks like colbert, on twitter, people say, he's colbert's twin. i wonder if he's as funny. it's fascinating this man, who is always one step behind the >> pope, is getting so uch attention. >> reporter: pope francis is expected to speak english at only 4 of his 18 scheduled speaking events in the united states. monsignor miles will play a key

impression of this pope. >> every mother and father -- >> reporter: some noticed his translation may be better than his actual english. when asked for an interview recently, he declined, citing office policy, saying, quote, we're stringent about interviews. adding, i'm afraid that i am pr hetty boring as a customer. perhaps what's most important to pope francis is more than words. >> he needs someone that can be unon unobtrusive or doesn't interfere with the encounter that means a lot to him. he seems to be doing marvelously. it's wonderful to watch him. >> it's a cute picture. he's craning in there to t an to ar. the pope is going to be speaking here on capitol hill today in english. they say the speech will be 30 minutes. yesterday, the speech would be shorter than it was because he

y and kind of srolls his words, which is very cute in english. i think it'll probably be longer than 30 minutes. >> gives us time to absorb the meokssage. t's bring in our senior vatican analyst. good morning. >> good morning. >> it seeks we s good morning. >> good morning. >> it seeks we ske eems we got a flavor yesterday with the pope's remarks at the white house. he has strong words but a gentle approach. >> i think this is a challenge for the papacy, as well as the congress. this is the first pope to address the congress. it's the f iirst time,a pope has yo dressed a national legislature not f his own country. john paul ii spoke in poland. pope benedict spoke in germany. this is different. i'm expecting the pe to celebrate america as a nation of high moral ideals and moral purpose, challen us to do better in living out those ideaps. i think his challenges, the

specifics he gets into, will cut across the conventional left/right divides of our policies and address everyone. but i'expect him to thank the american people, as well, for their generosity in the past, being a welcoming nation, and ask us to be a bit more of that in the future. >> let us not forget, people tend to focus on the politics in this town. maria, there is a spiritual message here, of course. >> i think it was evident yesterday at the basilica, when he spoke to all of us. he talked about trying to avoid a numb heart. he talked about the challenges of modern life. he talked about going out and really exper'siencing thl gospel of jesus christ and bringing joy to people, to not forgetting the people on the margins, that we're all in pain and all ffering. it was almost, you know, like you could read a self-help bs kk something. i was struck by how serious people were when he was speaking. they asked when he was finished to have a minute of silent

reflection, to let his words settle and for you to think about his words. he also had a motto, keep moving forward. you get a sense that that's the tomotto a little bit.t he keeps moving forward, staying at 30,000 feet and encourages us to be better. >> we see him as an evangelist, for sure. stick with us. we have more to come from here. we expect to see the pope for the first time today in our next hour. we will bring that moment to you li (dog) mmmmm. beneful, look at that, meaty chunks, carrots... i don't know what kind of slicer

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>> announcer: live, this is "news 4 new york" now. good morning, everyone. 7:56. it is a thursday morning. 64 degrees out. i'm darlene rodriguez. it's a day the commuters have been bracing for. the arrival of pope francis. a new report from nyu's center for transportation policy and management agrees, it predicts only minor disruptions on the subways. we spoke with some commuters this morning who are preparing for the worst. >> it's going to be horrible. i mean, i've seen when they've had the president in town and this is probably twice as bad. >> the long island railroad, n.j. transit all plans to have extra trains running when the pope makes his way around manhattan. >> here's lauren scala. thanks, darlene. we have an accident on 78 eastbound by exit 17 in clinton, new jersey. we have one of the truck lanes

before exit 13a causing issues here. the upper level of the gw bridge, 30 minute delays there. delays less at the lincoln and holland. let's check the weather. lots of sun. high of 81. patchy clouds. 63 degrees. tomorrow 75 the high. saturday high of 74. sunday more of the same, high of 73. coming up on the "today" show, time-saving tech tips to help

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, pope, politics and the people. pope francis making history as the first pontiff to address congress. as his whirlwind tour moves on. ask sude ze. she's here live to help you face

your financial fears. watch what happens when andy cohen stops by. he's here to talk "housewives" and how he's bringing his gift of gag to the radio. today, september 24th, 2015. new york >> we welcome pope francis! >> we came to see the pope for my birthday. big lights be inspire you >> i'm 40 today, matt, come out and kiss me. >> celebrating 50 years of friendship. >> sisters of new york. >> back now. it's 8:00 on thursday morning, the 24th day of september.

we're coming back with a very appropriate throwback thursday song from natalie. >> that's right. of course, the holy father coming here to new york later this afternoon. we're getting him a little "empire state of mind." >> perfect sense. i love this song anyway. >> me, too. >> the pope begins his day in washington. of course, he'll speak to congress. that is where savannah is this morning. good morning. >> he's in a washington state of mind this morning, guys. here's the quick run down of what's on the pope's schedule today. should arrive at the capital in an hour with his speech to congress beginning at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. following that speech, he'll greet the thousands of people gathering outside the capitol. he will stop to meet with the home less less at a charity center, then a flight to new york city, where the pope is expected to hold evening prayers at st. patrick's cathedral. it is looking absolutely

the result of a three-year, $177 million renovation, just in time for his arrival. it was completed but, of course, this morning, it is all about the historic speech on the hill. what are we expecting from the pope this morning, peter? >> reporter: good morning. there is an atmosphere of energy here on the west front. they've just started a military here. you have the blend of patriotism and faith on this historic day. more than 50,000 people are expected to come out here for their first opportunity to see pope francis in person. he's going to come to the speaker's balcony. we're told he will be the first person ever to do it, delivering raurk remarks from the speaker's balcony. that's before the joint meeting of congress. he'll have a private session where he'll meet with congressional leaders, as well, many of whom are hoping to receive his blessing on this day. there is a unique element to all of this. unlike the state of the union

comes into a joint session of congress, here on this day, congressional members have been warned not to yell, not to scream, not to try to shake hands or even touch this pope. it's been described that some have been told to serve as blocking backs, to keep their fellow legislators from getting too close to the pope. people are energized because of the historic nature of the moment. we met a bus load of individuals that came from nashville, tennessee, driving 12 hours overnight. 22 students that came from a school there today, and they came, they said, with a prayer book that was signed by so many members of their community, in hope that pope francis will not just bless them, but will bless all the people that aren't able to share in the special day in person. >> peter, thank you so much. we, of course, are happy to have nbc's special anchor maria shriver with us for our coverage this morning. the pope, as you and i have talked about over this week,

defies our congressional left/right political categories we have, but it doesn't mean people don't try to put him in one. >> he's walking a fine line here today. liberals might be disappointed. moderates and conservatives might be disappointed. those in the clergy are not unanimous behind this decision to speak here today and about what he might say. >> we talked about the politics. let's talk about the pope as a person. two and a half year aces s ago, his life changed as much as you can imagine any life changing in the matter of an instant. >> the popemobile two and a half years ago, different name, lived in a different city, different friends, and his life changed overnight. people have talked about how the actual assuming of this position has changed him personally. he's more demonstrative, seems happy in the role. i have to think they're calling

a new group of friends. >> it's a transition for anyone. he's a 78-year-old man who has a ton of energy, as far as i can tell. you'll stay with us as we bring the pope's arrival live to you. let's go back to natalie with the other top stories of the morning. >> good morning, everyone. rescuers are finding more bodies at the site of an overnight stampede during a religious pilgrimage in saud a i arabia. more than 700 were injured and hundreds were killed after the crowd surged forward during the pilgrimage during the holy city of mecca. some 2 million people are taking part in the event, which began on tuesday. republicans donald trump and carly fiorina campaigned in south carolina on wednesday but did not aim their sharpest attacks at each other. fiorina targeted hillary clinton, calling her a smart, hard working woman, but she also labeled clinton a liar and said

she disagrees with her on virtually everyish ish sue. trump went after marco rubio, saying he's overly ambitious and too young. adding, i have better hair than he does. volkswagen's board is meeting to choose a new leader. the ceo resigned over the company's admission that it cheated on diesel pollution tests. a sample ing of dealers in the u.s. seem to show car shoppers are staying away. as for car owners, the company hasn't said how the cars will be repaired or replaced. an explosion in maryland wednesday night left two people injured. the blast destroyed a townhouse in columbia, maryland. people in nearby homes had to evacuate. the cause of the explosion is under investigation. one neighbor said a utility worker had been checking on reports of a natural gas smell. a hunter who survived four days in the wilderness with a shattered leg said it was faith

john was bow hunting in montana when his foot was wedged between two logs and snapped the bones in his right shin. he wrote farewell letters to his wife and two children, but he trapped his inner strength, made a splint and dragged himself for days. >> i'm a faithful man and prayed the whole time. it was my fuel. >> he was found by two motorcyclists who called for help. he says on his next hunting trip, he will take a satellite phone or gps locater. probably a good idea there. incredible story of survival. back over to matt. >> that man is very lucky. thanks very much. >> like my hat? it's from the up of michigan. right there. >> i have one of those hats. i ordered it. you know who wears those? jeff daniels, the actor. >> yes. >> he loves those hats. coming up next, who knew that nuns tailgate? how the pope's tour is playing

proof that even stars get star struck. anne hathaway lost it at the premiere of her new movie. watch what happens live when he turn the tables on andy cohen. there's no pleading the fifth here.

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go to kohls.com to download your savings pass. plus, everyone gets $10 kohl's cash for every $50 spent. kohl's. we're back at 8:12 with the stories that have you talking. time for what's trending today. ready, folks? >> ready. >> we've been watching the pope's every single move and so

nearly 1.3 million tweets about him in the last 24 hours alone. let's get to some of the top moments. first, this image. >> picture of the day. >> love this. they tailgate. >> nuns having tailgate party in their mini van. i love that. >> what are they eating? >> drinking bud lights. >> they were not. >> waiting for his holiness on the campus of catholic university in washington. a bus of bishops taking a group selfie. they drove from washington -- to washington from oklahoma. about 20 hours. what else do you do? take a bunch of selfies. >> nice. >> that's a good one. >> the winner may be this boy. he got a selfie with the pope. >> huge. >> hash tagged it, selfie goal. selfie sticks in the city today are banned, can't do it. >> now to the answer of the nagging question i think a lot of parents have. why do babies smile? >> i thought it was gas. >> i thought that.

is it something more? they actually want you to smile back. researchers at uc san diego say it isn't accidental. babies know what they're doing. they're manipulating us, like seasoned speed comedians, timing their smiles to get the best reaction from the crowd. >> the minute she smiles at me, she's a year old, i smile for me. >> how do they figure that out? how do you know? you can't interview a baby. how do they know it's not gas. >> i don't know. good question. >> maybe the scientists were other babies. >> it's obvious if it's gas or not. day to day, how many apps do you use on your phone? >> not a lot. >> maybe five. >> at least a half dozen, probably. >> for most people, it's three. according to a survey, 80% spend most of their time using three apps. >> first of all -- >> it's probably true.

>> something like that. >> how many do you use? >> five or six. >> i use a news app and weather app. twitter, maybe. >> yeah. >> carson? >> i've been listening to radio in my car using apps, the weather, i do sports. there's always new ones. there's the new emoji thing. >> it's amazing. >> changing my texting life. >> really? >> more than three. >> you do have children. >> true. >> there's a new pope selfie out if you didn't get a selfie with the pope. >> there's a pope emoji, too. >> good one. i downloaded that today. >> the most iconic song ever written. the superstar that left anne hathaway star struck at her own movie premiere. pop start. >> the most iconic song ever according to computers, yesterday, we talked about the most feel good tracks. using software, scientists have come up with a list of songs

coming in third, "one" by u2. runner up, "imagine," by john lennon. what song could beat that? according to computers, number one, nirvana "smells like teen spirit." >> can we make an admission? >> i've never heard this in my life. >> not true. >> i'm telling you, i've never heard this zblong song. >> come on. >> i don't know if it's the most iconic. >> i've never seen "ghostbusters." >> serious? >> no, i've seen it. >> 91 days until christmas. mr. lawyer, matt, i got your christmas gift. a coffee book of giselle. 537 pages, only 1,000 copies will be release and had she signed every one.

>> does it come with a coffee table? >> it should come with giselle. >> richest supermodel in the world. >> google her and hit images, and it's free. >> put your phone on the coffee table. >> finally, anne hathaway, proving movie stars are like us. on the red carpet of the premiere of her movie when she spotted a superstar behind her. the moment left her a bit star struck. make a look. >> no, no, no it's fine. i'm going to meet her when the time is right. i love this is on camera. is she in the background? >> there you go. we don't know if the two met. you can seema mariah in the background. >> i wasn't sure who she was talking about. >> anyone left you star struck after years of doing this job? >> sting. first time he was here in studio, i was like, ah!

i couldn't talk. >> clapton. >> when mr. dinero is here. >> dustin hoffman. >> always. >> maybe the pope. carson, thank you very much. mr. roker, check of the weather. >> we have an anniversary to take a look at. 2005 was one of the worst hurricane seasons ever in this country. we're tracking rita, one of the deadliest on this day that made landfall. passed 46 miles south of key west on september 20th, 2005, then made its way, strength bd bdened on september 21st, causing one of the largest evacuations in u.s. history. then on this date, it made landfall in texas. september 24th, category 3. 120 miles per hour winds. it was devastating. fifth major hurricane of the season. lowest pressure in the gulf of mexico caused 120 deaths.

it's effects were felt all the way into illinois, spawning at least 90 tornadoes, causing $12 billion worth of damage. our weather today, not quite as bad. high surf advisories along the carolina coast. lots of rain in the southwest -- southeast, i should say. lots of sunshine in the great lakes and more rain in the upper al, thanks very much. another beauty on the way. we warm it up again to a high of 81. cool start. nice, mild finish. partly cloudy. 63 in the city. 40s and 50s in most of the suburbs. for tomorrow, the pope continues 75. beautiful sunshine. windy later over the weekend. saturday, sunday, monday, lower 70s. we warm up again tuesday near 80 degrees. >> that's your latest weather. matt? >> thank you very much.

we're helping you face your financial fears this week with a little help from suze orman. on wednesday, people on the plaza and online opened up about their worries over bills, retirement and more. suzy gave them great advise and began giving away a personal online finance course for free. so far, 130,000 students and climbing have signed up. she's back with us today. hi, suze, good morning. 130,000 is. you touched a nerve here. just for people you weren't watching, what is the course and why are you giving it away free? >> we're giving it away because it's a charity. the pope is saying, let's be charitable. it is on yon kippur. giving this extensive course away for free. every person can get it. >> the response was enormous yesterday, especially on our facebook page. some questions about starting to save. this one is from kate.

i'm 33, self-employed, starting to think about savings. i have no debt, and i hope to buy a home one day. i've not set up a retirement account yet. should ifo focus on retirement, savings or saving for a home? >> you should be doing both. maybe you'll buy a home one day or maybe owe ewe you don't. you need money in retirement. you're young, and these are your compounding years. make retirement the number one priority and then a house. >> here's one, i can't wait to hear how you answer this. jackie wants to talk about a splurge item. i'd love to take my dad for a trip to hawaii for his 75th birthday. i have no savings and would put it on a credit card. would it be crazy for me to do this? >> jackie, i'll answer this one simply for you. so crazy, i can't even tell you why. you have no savings. something happens to you, who are you going to go to for help? your papa. he's going to think back to, why would jackie have taken me to hawaii?

you will ruin the whole thing. you really want to give your papa something for his 75th? give him love. write him a letter and tell him everything you've ever felt about him. it won't ever go. the trip will. >> medical bills and prices. how can i negotiate down a very high hospital bill to something that i will actually pay off in my lifetime? >> if you will actually pay it off in your lifetime, make sure the hospital knows that. go to the hospital, whoever you created this bill with, and tell them, you can't pay it in a lump sum, but they most likely will negotiate with you. people don't think they will, but they will. go to them and talk to them. is it that simple? it probably is. >> we have a lot of questions about student loans. one real quick one. does it make sense to go into student loan debt today? most have thousands of dollars in debt and end up with a minimal job that doesn't leave much left to pay on loans.

have a problem with that, but don't take out more of a loan than you'll earn in the first year out of work. if it's more than that, you'll never pay it off. nothing wrong with going to community college, people, and not having to take out a loan, at all, if you ask me. >> smart, practical advice. thank you. don't forget, you can get suze's personal finance course at today.com. it's available for free until tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. once you have it, it's yours forever. thank you. >> any time, matt. >> carson? >> thanks. we're all familiar with the famous story of the boy who never grew up. howbecome peter pan? the orphan discovers his destiny with help from a friend, james hook. take a look. >> at least you know where you come from, born to a warrior, heir to a prince. i don't know.

i don't know if there is a one. >> garrett hedlund here. you played james hook. >> good to see you. >> did you grow up loving this tale of peter pan? >> i think the first time i watched it, i watched "hook," but i never watched the original until we actually -- i signed on to the film. >> no kidding? >> yeah. >> didn't have it on the cattle ranch in minnesota? >> no. we had three channels and, yeah, i don't know if it's really depressing or not, but didn't grow up with fairy tales so much. >> what was front for you for this movie? this is reimagination of the original classic. things are different. tell me about james hook and how he's not actually the hook we know. >> he's hook without the hook in this one. it's an origin story, wonderful story written by jason, and the script was wonderful. when i read it, and joe wright, one of the best directors in the

excited to see how this would go down. it starts off with peter in the orphanage, and he's kidnapped and whisked away to the mines in neverland to be a slave for blackbeard. that's where you meet hook, he's been a slave, deflated version, and he meets peter, who eventually flies, and thinks he's always been able to do it. he sees what he thinks is his golden ticket off the island. they are allies and try to overcome the obstacles to get home. >> we think of hook, the pirate and the mustache and the hat. you have a cowboy twist as james hook. >> when i first met with joe wright, he said, we're doing a new flip on blackbeard. we're doing a twist on tiger lily. i always imagined hook to be somebody that would be out of an early john ford film. if he wasn't on neverland, he'd be happy to be on a horse in the

>> give me 20, 30 seconds on blackbeard, hugh jackman, one of the nicest guys in hollywood. >> it's a broken record, but he is, indeed, one of the nicest people in the world. he's also one of the hardest workers. i think he sets quite a high standard out there for young male actors. mentally and physically. >> he is a villain in this. >> yeah. he's awesome.

good morning. 8:26 on september 24th. final security preparations are being put in place ahead of pope francis's arrival this afternoon. streets are already closed. more will be shut down later today. the commissioner had a reminder for drivers. >> people are going to have to avoid bringing cars into this area of manhattan. it's not going to work walk, take subways if you can. let's take a look at the morning commute. >> very heavy delays northbound on the fdr drive. it was shut down by 61st. they had to back an unauthorized tractor trailer off the roadway.

before exit 30 an accident causing heavy delays there. disabled vehicle off the upper level and lower level. it's a 30-minute wait. back to you, darlene. >> thanks. a check of the weather. lots of sun is. high of 81. tomorrow, be mostly sunny and comfortable. 75. saturday, windy with a mix of sun and clouds. up. zachary levi stops back to talk

caring about the things that make each of our clients unique...

morning. >> it is 8:30. it is thursday, the 24th day of

september, 2015. take a look at some of the nice people who stopped by our plaza this morning on a really pretty day. pope francis will make his first visit to new york city this afternoon, and the town is buzzing. >> it really is. everybody is so excited. >> really going to be great. >> also coming up, one of our favorites visiting us. andy cohen of "housewives." now, he is expanding his empire. yes, the empire is yours, andy. the interesting game we have lined up for andy. ready? >> i guess so. >> always ready. watch what happens live, andy. >> okay. racked our brains on this one. >> doesn't look ready. >> if you're having a group over to watch football, see iri has two dips sure to score with your guests. >> let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> let's show you what we have coming up. we are looking tomorrow as we get your weekend planner going, along the southeastern atlantic coast and the mid-atlantic,

going to be west. sunshine out west. wam,rmer temperatures in los angeles. beautiful in new england. as we get to the weekend planning, your wet weather will continue into appalachians with high surf advisories along the coast. western third of the country is spectacular. sunday, sunday, rip currents all the way up to the new england coastline. we're l king for beautiful weather in the pacific northwest with temperatures on the cool side. look for more weather down through the peninsula of al, thanks very much. temperatures climbing back through the 60s. mid 60s in the five burrows. as the sun goes to work, temperatures quickly climb. a high this afternoon of 81 degrees. beautiful afternoon. nice. patchy cloud, low of 63. 40s and 50s in the suburbs tonight. still dry. same thing for the weekend. clouds and wind. lower 70s.

>> that's your latest weather. got some cutis over here. what's everybody's names? >> christian and chloe. >> very nice. let's go to another cutie, mr. lauer. >> you do flatter. andy cohen is here, the man behind the "real housewives" empire. he's adding to his already impressive res pay ume, taking his talents to radio. >> radio andy. a few notches away from the "today" show channel. i'm in the hood. >> exactly. >> yes. i'm next to howard and below you. >> you are getting close to howard as the king of all media. you have the "real housewives," "empire," the love to get you drunk late night talk show. >> yes. >> ewe you're an author. >> yes. >> now radio. you have four of your shows on this channel. >> true. >> and you program theothers. >> it's true. it's been incredible.

years, and sirius said, would you like to progr,m your own channel? i said, this is great. i'm looking for ways to get fired for saying something inappropriate. >> there are ways. >> i'm scared. my nightmare is -- here, we're having fun. my nightmare is we're going to end up in the interview area one day in a paula dean type situation -- >> i'm debriefing you in what put you in the headlines. >> exactly. >> when a camera is on you, you get a self-governing switch. >> yes. >> a microhone there, you might say something. >> i'm scared. >> i donhi mean to jinx you. >> i have no alcohol in the morning so that's good. >> you have made a mark on pop culture. not to brag on you, but having en a und you a little bit, i think the reason is, you'v got something about your personality, that when you're with people, it causes them to let their guard down. >> yes. >> it's not -- i'm not talking about the drinking at night. >>h, right. >> have you always had that?

as a kid, did your friends share things with you? >> yes. i like getting information out of people and, also, i'm an enthusiast and co-dependent. i want you to leave having had a great time. i don't want you to leave being mad at me. i think that that comes through, certainly o "watch what happens live," and on the radio. >> you use this tool of games that also takes the guard down even a notch lower. have racked our brains. >> i knew this was -- yes. >> e put the best minds on this and created a game. it's original, called "plead the fifth." >> really? never heard of it. >> i'll explain it. i'm going to say thi s to nou, and you get to plead the fio fth -- >> one time? >> this is good. you're catching on. >> turning the tables on me. >> ready to plead the fifth? who is the most famous contact in your phone? >>, madonna. >> really? >> yes. >> cell phone, home phone? >> just cell phone. >> really? >> yes.

happens live" was the biggest diva and i'll-be ll-behaved? >> the biggest diva was probably mariah carey, but i think of that as a good thing. >> why? >> because i like the drama and the pageahtry of a lady with big hair and heels and lots of action around her. >> give you something to work with on the show. >> put a fan in front of her. >> anderson cooper is a friend of yours. >> he's on cooper. >> has he ever let you see him without the toupee? >> without the merkin? >> i said the toupee. >>er i have not seen anderson without his very aggressive hair system. i did not plead the fifth. >> we have one more. >> you do? ok w. >> if you were straight -- >>t that's a big if, matt. >> which real ousewife would

yok wantvto have a one-night stand with? >> i think i would go with joanna krupa, a miami housewife. she's a model, big pouty lips, great body, and i love a blond, as you know. do you know that? >> never heard that before. >> i feel lik her. i till haven't pled the fifth, matt. >> i know. joanck, very flattered somewhere. >> yes. >> always good to have you here, taking over radio. i'd love to come on and see you. >> i love it. >> i'll be careful about what i utsay. >> smart. get ready for the apps nd gadgets you need to make life easier to manage. first, on a thursday morning,

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everywhere you want to be. >>y' 8:39. between the kids, their activities, your job, compute muting, you have a tough job getting everything done without chaos. tlie e three experts with us to help us put ease and simplicity into yoenur life. first up, with time-saving apps, . good to see you. >> good to see you. >> you have one for shopping, slice. what is it? tee best way to track anything you buy online. if you buy something online, you will not only be able to track the shipments of the location of the packages, but you'll also get e-mail confirmations of all the receipts. if you need to return anything or anything like that, go to the app, not digging through the e-mail h >> iftthere's a recall on an item you boug, it gives you an alert. >> the price drop. i can track multiple shipments. >> tryingwho grt e rything together with kids and their homework and school activities. >> yes.

>> chores in the home. cozi can help. >> it's a calendae but also a family-sharing app, to-do list. i can share everything about the tasks, things we're going to do, grocery lists we're going to buy at the store, even a checkoff list, as well as being able to get a to do list. this is recipes you can do. en a to do list for the house. even my son, christopher, has tasks he has to do inside the app. >> let's move on. homework and learning. can no longer do fifth grade math with my kids. >> it's tough. >> can this help me? >> this is all about helping understand your study patterns and your study habits and making the information available in a way that you can learn best. this will help you do flash cards that are really multi-media. they talk to you, you can listen to them. it's a new way of trying to study from your phone. you can have collaboration and study groups with other people from your class or family. >> finally, keeping your family safe. this is called life 360. >> love this app. we as parents -- i'm a parent,

you're a parent -- we want to keep tabs on our kids. we don't want to put them in embarrassing situations. i can track them through the app and they can check in at locations. if they're in a panic situation, they can hit the panic button. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> over here to carson. >> it is time for tiee-saving badge badge et gadgets. jason jason, it might be time to turn in siri and say hello to alexa. >> here's a lot of energy going on about voice-activatedn gadgets, opposed to typing or pushing buttons. the echo was the first to do this. this was from amazon, came out last year. it was rocky but they've been improving the ai. you can plug it in and ask it anything. for instance, alexa, did the mets win last night? >> last night, the mets lost to the braves. >> wow. >> 6-3. they'll play tonight at 7:10

>> alexa, do i need a coat today? >> currently, in hackensack, it's 62 years with clear skies and sun. >> impressive. >> today, you can expect mostly sunny weather with a high of 82 and a low of 59. >> especiallily good if you're going to hackensack. >> does she answer, what's the aning of life, those answers? >> some of them. alexa, tell me a joke. >> what do you call a cow with a twitch? beef jerky. >> that's funny. wow. >> there you go. >> we have al roker all in one device. what is doxyi ie? >> you want to write-off receipts on your taxes, you can bring it with us. don't plug it in, it's battery charged. feed it in here, and it will -- >> score it tore snit. >> what if i need this two

months down the line? >> this is a receipt from the hampton inn, and you type it in and it'll come up. >> this is cinder. >> we got an early look, it's coming out next year. this is a smart cooking device and uses algorithms to tell how thick, for in ance, your steak is. it will cook it to just the right temperature, and it will actually -- you don't touch it at all, and it'll leave it for anh hour. >> there's a steak in here. you literally -- >> here it is. >> inch and a half steak, you drop it down and the technology will cook it. >> perfectly. >> incredible. will it go -- >> it'll be $249. cinder cooks.com is the website. >> cool stuff there. thank you very much. we're back in 30 seconds with

look at that wrangler. on commercial debut, our friends like wrangler can be big-time consumers. part three of the time-saving ideas, we're turning her attention to our pets. good morning. >> good morning. >> got your friend moxie here. >> first thing, apps will help us take selfies with the pets. it's hard to get your dog to pose. >> this app called bark cam has this -- these noises that get their attention. >> there we go. i'll hold, and you take the picture. >> has all these sound effects and gets their attention and they're looking at you. you get a great picture.

no time wasted. >> next thing is making sure your pets are getting the right amount of activity. you have a fitness tracker for them. >> this is like the fit bit but for the dog. it's the fit bark. it's goes on the collar and keeps track of their steps during the day. if they're running or sleeping, it knows the difference, and it gives them bark points. you don't wonder, what was my dog doing? this will help show what they do. >> i love the idea of this. it's hard to get out and get treats for your pets. you can have them delivered directly. >> if you want to get cute treats and toys for your dog every month, you can get this. this is a new subscription service, pooch perks. $20 to $50 customizable boxes. comes with snacks, treats, gadgets. you can save the time and not go to the store every month. she can play with something new

every month, and you've saved a bunch of time. >> you can customize, so if you don't want them to get as many treats, maybe more toys. >> you can do just toys or just treats, mix and match, do all price points. >> fantastic. thanks so much. find more at today.com. coming up next, food, siri makes your party a success with a fresh take on dips.

back now at 8:49 with "today" food this morning. the easiest ever slow cooker recipe recipes. today's food contributor is my fiance, and she's here with tasty "today" original recipes.

>> i felt like you were cheating on me a little bit. it's all right. this is a slow cooker buffalo chicken dip, perfect for fall and football. i would eat this every day if i could. we have chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese, sour cream, blue cream and scallions. first, we're going to put the chicken in the slow cooker, and you can use chicken breasts. >> dry, right in there? no broth? >> you know what i do first? spray it with cooking spray so it won't stick. nothing else. if you want to grab the hot sauce and pour that in -- >> this is a buffalo sauce? >> frank's red hot sauce. >> the whole thing? >> yes. all we're going to do is put the lid on that. >> what chicken did you do? just brus s easts? >> yeah. we're cook it an hour and a half on high. over here, you can also skip that and get a rotisserie chicken and you don't have to worry about that, which i do a lot at home. >> then i have to debone it.

>> after an houralready shredded some of it. i take two forks and go like that. >> break it apart. >> i appreciate it. >> announcer: this is an nbc news special report. pope francis in america. here's matt lauer. >> good morning, everybody. welcome to the nbc news special report. you're looking right now live at the scene just outside of the apostolic building in washington, where pope francis is building his second day of full activities in our nation's capital capital, in his first ever trip to the united states. he's leaving the residence where he's stayed overnight, after a very long day on wednesday. he is greeting some of the people who have been waiting for hours to get a glimpse of him. just as he did yesterday morning, before he made his way to the white house.

the capital, where he will address a joint meeting of congress, members of the house and members of the senate. some invited dignitaries. that's a speech that is very highly anticipated. people wondering what subjects the pope will be touching on as he addresses those lawmakers. it's been a whirlwind of a 24 hours with the pope appearing at the white house, holding mass at aca- a cathedral, canonizing a saint. tom, describe the scene for me. >> reporter: this is essentially the vatican's embassy in washington. the police have now moved into position. they've now shut down this massachusetts avenue, this main thoroughfare, as they prepare for this rolling motorcade for pope francis. outside where i am, across the street, we've now got us several hundred people who have been

morning, cheering and praying, waiting for some view of pope francis. on the driveway where pope francis is, throughout the last couple of days, groups of school children have been escorted up to greet the pope when he emerges. we presume that is the situation again this morning. although i don't have an identity of who the kids are, but clearly, all of the kids, all of the people who have been gathering gathering for the last two days, have been hoping for this moment, for a glimpse, for a blessing, for the chance for a selfie in some cases, to shake his hand or to touch him. many of the people, matt, have some very -- have some stories of personal sacrifice or sadness or illness, and hoping for some blessing from him. it's been really a moving experience. he takes time to talk to them, takes time for pictures before the motorcade starts rolling. then it's anybody's guess as to

decide he wants to stop and get out and see the crowds. that's been the speculation all along. it's been the wild card for security here in washington. what he does today as he makes his way to the capital. later in the day is, at this point, anybody's guess, matt. >> tom, there were spontaneous moments yesterday as he was in the motorcade around the ellipse, where he took moments and children were brought to him so they could greet him and hand him a gift. in one case, a letter. there was also an unannounced visit last evening to the little sisters of the poor. a group not far from where he is staying. the group, by the way, noted for the fact that they actually sued the federal government over some mandate that was a part of obamacare. he went there and visited with the nuns there. of course, he has stopped to shake hands on other occasions during his first 24 hours. i want to go to maria shriver who is standing by. she was joining savannah this

morning at the capitol, where the speech will be held in a short time. what's the crowd like there? >> reporter: there's a lot of anticipation, a lot of excitement. people everywhere across this city have been coming in here since early morning hours to try to get a position to try to be that one person that the pope turns to. i should also say that there's a lot of excitement amongst elective leaders coming in here. i saw two congresswomen who said, we're not catholic but today, we'll be catholic. we're so excited. i spoke to governor chris christie, a plus one invitee today, who said that he thinks the pope has been great for people of the church. he's excited to be here. that he is looking at the pope, as so many do, he said, as someone who is a religious leader, but also a political leader. he said, i can respectfully disagree with some of his politics, but i'm excited to see what he will have to say. i'm excited to be here. i think that there seems to be great anticipation about this speech.

people are trying to say, well, will he give it to the democrats? will he make the republicans uncomfortable? from everybody i've spoken to said, remember, this is a man who stays at 30,000 feet. he's going to talk to all of us, of all faiths. he's going to talk to americans, old and young. in that chamber and conscious of the americans outside of that chamber. speak to us all, call us to be better in our own lives and remind us of the issues that plague this country and the world at large. >> maria, if you hold on, give people an idea of the pope's schedule today. he is scheduled to depart from the location we're seeing him right now any moment. about 9:15, he will arrive at the east front of the capital. 9:25, he has a scheduled meeting

john boehner, who invited allow him to get to the podium a little quicker. 10:05, he will become the first pope to ever address congress. peter alexander is also at the capital, talking about what we can expect. peter, can you hear me? >> reporter: i hear you well. this is a remarkable scene. 50,000 tickets have been handed out for people to have this opportunity. they will be watching on jumbotron jumbotrons. as we said earlier today, speaking to folks, i said, it feels like it's a rock star event, doesn't it? a student said to me, we wouldn't do this for a rock star, only for our pope. we've met so many nice people, including this family from chicago and memphis, most recently. >> tennessee. >> thanks so much for being here. you're brave. you were here yesterday to see the parade.

what makes this meaningful? >> we're part of the action. >> you've been snapping photos. i'm sure the kids will remember this. your grandmother is 93 years old, always dreamed of seeing the pope. for you so experience this, what does it mean in a family like yours? >> we're taking a lot of photos for her. she's on the canadian border in northern minnesota. she's always wanted to see a pope. when i said we were going to make the trip, she was excited. >> reporter: what's unique to this pope? >> i'll take him. hey, buddy. >> it's going to be okay. >> pope francis is everybody's pope. he cares about the disenfranchised as much as he cares about all of us. it's an inspiration. >> reporter: you're troopers. nice to see you. enjoy the special day. matt, this is the experience

we've had over the course of this day, meeting so many people. families, many of who -- they came from tennessee. a bus from nashville with 22 students came. a prayer book where everybody from the community wrote blessings they hope they could receive from pope francis today. just by being in his presence, they felt they could bring home the message to tennessee. >> good news for the children. they won't have to wait much longer. we've seen images of the papal motorcade leaving the church. he should be at the capital in short order. i want to bring in bishop robert barren, a bishop who los angeles, nice enough to join me on the lawn of the white house yesterday and is now with me in studio 1a in new york city. good to see you again. based on what we heard from the pope in his remarks at the white house, what does it tell us about the tone that he'll take in his speech to congress?

i think he will challenge both left and right. i think the basic message is going to be positive. he'll compliment america for the moral values we represented. i think it'll be an encouraging talk to the congress and, through them, to the country. we'll hear a challenge, for sure, but i'm looking forward to something uplifting. >> he's not a man who has shied away from scolding some in the past for sort comings, but when he spoke at the white house yesterday, something caught my attention. in previewing his speech and what he'd say before congress, he said, i'm going to offer words of encouragement. that's different than saying, i'm going to deliver a lecture. >> he has been willing at times to scold. sometimes very sharp, direct ways. i think we'll get some of that, but i'm looking forward to an affirmation of american values, better. to live up to our ideals. that's what i'm anticipating. >> you stick with me, if you will, please. andrea mitchell is also joining us.

andrea, what are the key words? what are the key phrases? what are the subjects that will make lawmakers in that chamber sit up and take notice when he speaks? >> reporter: certainly, matt, he is going to be speaking about immigration, about reaching out to the migrants, about conflict around the world, about weapons. that will, of course, resonate with those who, in the administration, believe he is reflecting their values, but he's also in this speech, we expect, going to elude to human life. that will be seized upon certainly by the republicans who are later today going to have another effort to try to strip planned parenthood funding out of a spending bill on the senate side. that war goes on, and there will be struggles, votes coming up in the next not only today but the next week over whether or not the government is shut down. people are supposed to be on their best behavior, leaders on both sides warned the senators that they should in the behave as they do at a state of the union speech. this is the first pope to

address a joint meeting of congress. they're told not to grab at him and not to try to get a picture, as they do with the president of the united states. they're going to be hall monitors among the members of congress and the senators told to sit in the aisle seats and physically block some of their colleagues from acting out. you'll hear him, as you did in an unannounced stop last night to the little sisters of the poor, which is the group, the sisters whose organization, this group of nuns were the chief litigants against the contraception in obamacare. in stopping and paying an unannounced visit to them, he is certainly going to speak about human life, the things he didn't say in the president's backyard. in this joint meeting of congress, i think he's going to reflect all of his values in a much -- in an inclusive way, but certainly, people are going to

be reading the language about human life, also about his opposition and the opposition of the american bishops to the death penalty. all these are going to be touched but it's going to be a broad speech. 30 minutes in english, this is going to be a moment for this pope, challenging also for the members of congress. by the way, we are on a balcony overlooking the east front, and we expect this could be the way the motorcade comes. we'll show you those pictures live. he's also a little behind schedule because of his obvious impulse to reach out to people, as he did when he left the equivalent of the vatican embassy here. >> just to put a period on a point you made, we shouldn't expect to see the same behavior we see, for example, when a president delivers a state of the union address to congress. there won't be, based on certain lines that are in or out of the speech, applause from one-half of the room and not from the other. they will sit silently and not show their approval in that way, or disapproval?

have been told. that's what their guidance has been. i think they're all going to try to not do, you know, basically the equivalent of a football stadium wave, which has been increasingly what happens at the state of the union. it's reflected the partisanship in our politics. what the leaders on both sides are hoping for, republicans and democrats, house and senate, is that this really will be uplifting. this is going to try to heal the souls of the american public and the american politicians. >> right. >> reporter: something we need these days. >> let me see if i can bring peter alexander back in for a second. peter, can you talk about what is undoubtedly a second day of just unimaginable pressure on the secret service and other law enforcement agencies in the washington, d.c. area, when you look at members of the congress and senate, invited dignitaries and the pope in one location,

what are the challenges they're facing? i'm sorry. we don't have peter. >> reporter: i hear you. do you hear me? >> yes. peter, take it away. >> reporter: as i'm walking out here on this west front area where they have 50,000 individuals, and to give you a sense, this is an unimaginable challenge for the secret service. there were mags, as they call them, the metal detecters, all over this place on multiple sides in order to deal with this rush of individuals this morning. the blessing, if there were one today, i guess, would simply be the fact that everybody has been in such joyful spirits. the crowd has been accommodating. they've been thanking the law enforcement for their service. as you were speaking to me, i was speaking to a member of the u.s. army who is here as part of a medical team, as well. obviously among the challenges is, from this distance, there's any fear anybody would try to harm this pope, who will be several football fields away, ultimately, from us, even from the distance, most people will be watching him on the jumbotron. what's striking not just about

the historic nature of the remarks he'll make to congress in the joint meeting today, but when he comes out on the speaker's balcony, where he'll be accompanied by vice president biden, speaker boehner, mitch mcconnell, the senate majority leader, he will become the first person ever to deliver remarks, we're told, from the speaker's balcony today. even here, people will be witnessing history, even if they can't be inside the chamber. >> peter, thank you very much. bouncing around a lot here intentionally. maria, i'll bring you back in. we spoke at length yesterday, actually, off camera, and i heard you made comments yesterday afternoon, over with brian williams, that you're really hoping that the -- as we watch the motorcade getting close to arrive -- that the pope addresses the issue of women in the church. what do you want to hear? >> reporter: well, that we're valuable parts of the church. i think every woman who is a catholic knows that women are running a lot of the parrishs. they're doing a lot of work. i think the pope said several

months ago that it's not enough for women to just be in the choir or to run small things. there are obviously some women who want him to address women as priests. catholics said they were overwhelmingly in favor of that in our poll. he's close td door d the door. perhaps the option of married priests. women would be in different positions of power. young women look at the pictures from yesterday and, while they love what the pope might be saying about calling us all to be better, to be more compassionate, to be of service, they look at all of the men there and say, where is there a place for me when there are so many other options for young women today? and women of the church. >> all right. bishop, we'll bring you back in as we watch the motorcade, at a greater rate of speed this morning than we saw yesterday in most of his appearances. maria shriver talking about some talks on what the pope could say about women and their role in the church.

anything that will give american women a reason to be optimistic? >> well, i don't think in this speech he'll focus on this, but he said a lot about women of the church. we can overstress the importance of the priesthood. the whole purpose of the church is to produce saints. we have so many great women saints who are models of what holiness means. that's what the church is about. the pope has spoken about putting women in greater positions of power and authority, which he's doing, and which many bishops around the world have done, as well. the main thing, the vatican said the role is to sang ctify the world. the priests are there to sanctify the others. power is in teaching and business and investment, all these ways that both men and women can sanctify a secular society. that's the focus for women in the church today. >> for those of you who are just joining us, we're hearing from

auxiliary bishop of los angeles. pope francis' motorcade is headed to the capitol building, where the pope will be the first pope ever to address congress. he should do that at 10:05 this morning. a highly anticipated speech. just to give you an idea of what his day looks like after that, after the speech, he will depart for st. patrick's, actually, here in new york city. he'll take off at about 5:00. landing at jfk about 5:00. excuse me. then he'll make his way to lower manhattan and come to st. patrick's cathedral for an evening prayer service. it'll be hosted by timothy cardinal dolan, while he's here in new york. we'll get to walk into the splendor of the newly renovated cathedral. some 3,000 people will be inside that cathedral to welcome the pope. right now, all of the action is

at the u.s. capitol building, where the pope will arrive for the speech. i want to go back to peter alexander on the ground. have the people gotten word of the fact that the pope is approaching? >> reporter: well, they have had these big monitors back here, so they're watching much the same way we are. the monitors show the view from on the speaker's balcony, the west front of the capital olcapitol. some of the shots earlier, they know he's up and on his way. as they saw the first images of pope francis on this day, a lot of people who had been getting here as early as 5:00 this morning, seated on blankets, drinking coffee and enjoying the anticipation, quickly rose to their feet. for the first time, we heard the thunderous applause that greeted pope francis over the course of yesterday, as he went around the ellipse during the parade route, as well. what's notable, i've seen several people today i saw yesterday during the parade. people who thought the

a lifetime, but perhaps twice in a lifetime, on back to back days. they didn't want to miss any one of the moments. that's why they came back again today. those who were able to get access to witness this moment in person. >> i think it was you or maria a second ago who said they saw governor chris christie, who had been invited. she called him a plus one invitee. other dignitaries there. we should mention, peter, that there are some members of congress, members of the senate, who are running for president. the this is a big moment for them, as well. >> reporter: that's exactly right. obviously jeb bush was among those in attendance yesterday. ben carson said to be attending today's remarks as a guest at congress itself. i think one of the questions that a lot of people were asking themselves as they saw president obama stand alongside pope francis yesterday was, perhaps, the best test of who you could see, certainly for these people, catholic americans and others, who you could see as a president was who can you imagine

delivering remarks alongside someone with the stature of pope francis yesterday. a question each of us will have to answer for ourselves. obviously, so many of the presidential candidates, six of them on the republican side who are catholic, of course, the vice president joe biden, he is not announced as a candidate, at least at this point, he is catholic, as well. for his family, this has been a meaningful and humbling time, with the loss of his son not long ago. >> yeah. we should mention, i believe something like 30% of members of congress identify themselves as catholics. andrea, i'd like to bring you back in. talk a little about the fact that this pope is going to walk into this room filled with the most powerful people in this country. he clearly understands the themes and the issues that they are dealing with on a daily basis in the political world they inhabit. how keenly aware is he of the key players? does he know the names? does he know the faces of the

tentious issues? >> absolutely. this pope has met with many of these people who paid visits to the vatican. post. it is a state, and that's why he has all of the diplomatic standing. that's why it was a state visit to the white house. many of these leaders here certainly pelosi and the others have been to visit him. we see the motorcade just below me. this is thrilling. i just can see the pope through the open window. he's waving to -- this is a very small crowd here, obviously, because we're in a secure area. if you can see below my balcony, looking out at this extraordinary motorcade, with all of the usual large suvs and then the one very small fiat 500, with the open window, ignoring security, he has kept

the window open since the moment he left andrew's air force base. even when he's not waving, he likes to have the arm out. he's arriving at the east front of the capitol, matt. the first pope to arrive and speak to a joint meeting of congress. technically, he's not the first religious leader to speak here. that was queen elizabeth ii back in 1991. spoke to a joint meeting. >> andrea, let me jump in one second. i understand maria shriver is where the pope is arriving. what can you see, maria? >> reporter: i can see -- well, you heard some cheers. i can see every member of the press corps taking pictures with their iphones. the pope's fiat has just pulled up to the front of the capitol. you can see it there.

it's now -- all the police are getting out of their cars. we can't get a clear view of him because he's inside of the -- you just hear a lot of screaming and applause. we should mention, matt, i think it's important, one of the things governor chris christie said to me, coming into this body, the politics in the vatican are kind of even more serious than the politics of what he's walking into here. we should remember, also, that many people are not in the vatican are not overly as enthuse yaz ic iastic about what this pope is saying and doing. several priests and bishops i spoke to is say he's walking a tight rope here. this speech will move bishops and priests that will be favorable to him. to push away from him.

they are watching. >> you mentioned a second ago the politics of the vatican, the bishop smiled. it can be a rough go with the politics. >> it's natural, when human beings are coming together, there's disagreement, especially about these issues. what i'm struck by is the history here. you and i sat here two years ago watching pope benedict's helicopter fly away. first time the pope was addressing the congress now, which would have been unthinkable before. now, we see it, which is an extraordinary moment. >> john boehner invited the pope to speak on this ecation. marie -- occasion. we had a funny moment yesterday, the pope's motorcade passed 50 feet from where we were, and so watch the rush of photographers and journalists trying to get a glimpse of him was funny, wasn't it?

>> reporter: it was. your camera pros were tripping over each other, trying to get a shot. i was just looking at john boehner's face. we have to remember that when the pope will be speaking, john boehner, joe biden, both catholics. this is a huge personal moment for boehner who, as you said, invited the pope. he looks a little nervous there himself. kind of walking around. i think this is a huge personal moment for him and, as you have said also, for the vice president. both of them, who will be sitting behind the pope. as you mentioned, several people running for president. in the poll we did, matt, it said that 1/3 of catholic americans who were polled still think if a catholic is elected president, he or she would first have to answer to rome before the american people. young people especially felt that, which i thought was pretty stunning, since we kind of wept nt

electing a catholic president. it's amazing to me how many people still feel that way. >> bishop aaron, what's your reaction to that polling statistic? >> i'm surprised by it. you know, it's a complicated question in some ways. the pope arctic ticulates principles that catholics are to follow. when it comes to judgment, people of good will can disagree. politics of a given issue, sure, we can disagree. might disagree with a particular recommendation the pope makes if it's at the level of judgment. that the president would be under or in with the pope is an odd way of thinking of it. jfk said if there was a breech of conscience, on a basic issue of principle, yeah, i mean, he would have to follow that. it's not a question of the pope being politically in control of the american system. >> if you are just joining us, you're looking at some of the

massive crowd that has gathered at the u.s. capitol building. pope francis arriving there, just a few moments ago, that that fiat 500 sedan. he will first go in and meet with the speaker of the house, john boehner. we have that meeting down from 9:25, a couple of minutes from now. you can see speaker boehner is in his offices, waiting for the pope to arrive. we also have the next event on our little calendar of events to be 10:00, when pope francis will enter the house chambers. it would seem the meeting with speaker boehner may be extensive, perhaps lasting as long as a half hour. no word on what they will talk about. once he enters that chamber, you'd imagine to thunderous applause, he'll take his place at the podium and deliver a speech that will touch probably on all of the large themes that people want to hear him talk about. religious freedom, climate change, although that will be a subject of contention inside that chamber. talk about immigration and a lot

of other topics that are in the news in this country right now. after that speech is over, he will depart. couple of other stops in washington, and then he'll make his way on to new york city. it will be kind of a remarkable sight, bishop aaron, when he arrives here in new york. biggest city in the country. he'll take his place in st. patrick's cathedral. >> yeah. for me, it's really a thrilling day. i speak as a proud catholic and proud american. it's great to see the pope in this environment. >> little difficult to hear what speaker boehner and the pope are talking about. they'll take their seats. the pope was speaking to john boehner. i thought it was touching yesterday that he made that speech at the white house in english. a clear gesture to the american people. >> improved quite a bit. >> cardinal dolan said he's been practicing.

who is he meeting now? >> the president of the american bishops conference. >> morning. >> that's the man's home in which he was -- staying. >> a huge occasion for those men, raising the profile of the church in this country. intense media scrutiny. scrutiny on social media, as well. something they're used to to a degree, but not this degree. >> it's giving them an opportunity to help the pope understand this country better. it's his first time here in his life. i think they're taking the opportunity to inform him about the church in the united states. >> we're going to stick with this for a minute or so longer, as the press gets a chance to get their images of the pope and john boehner together. that meeting will then become more private, and we'll cut away. we will, however, bring you the pope's speech before congress

live when that takes place. for now, we return most of you to more of "today." for others, your local programming. i'm matt lauer. this has been an nbc news special report. l fungus. ask your doctor today about kerydin. we continue our series. you share your fall passion. >> take a hint. >> my family fall is football in america! i didn't do that right. no matter how far apart we are, my family's in texas, football always brings us together this time of the year. my favorite fall family pastime, football! i'm a texan. how many times have i said that on the show, but it's engrained.

it's a part of who i am. it's a part of my family. my brother played football. my nephew isaiah played football. my dad was a die hard cowboys fan and sitting with my family taedlking about the cowboys or watching the cowboys, that's what football means for us. >> a few years ago i was at the white house correspondent's dinnerl you know, there are people from all over, lawmakers and famous celebrities and i caught a gl aimpse from afar of tony romo and it was like, get out of the way, everybody else, i've got to see tony romo! fall has such a beautiful, crisp smell that it actually -- something about it is so beautiful and just gets you. i do think of being out at the foouotball games and having a nice blanketvind in texas hot coco and what we call frito pie.

it's a bag of frito chips, cut the top off, pour chili inside, shredded cheese, onions, get a spoon and you eat it out of the frito bag. so that is like so fall to me and just, ahhhh. listen, you can take the girl out of texas but you cannot take the cowboys out of my heart, never! >> this is genius. >> isn't it great? >> simple. >> i think of it as recycling in a sense. you don't have to get an eytra bowl. you get your fritos, whatever toppings you have because we're in new york city they gave me fancy cheese. i just like kraft, shredded kraft cheddar. raw onions added in. >> they sell at the game? >> a lot of the high school football games you go to and get frito pie. if you're at home you can do a more formal thing using a baking pan. this is cool because then you just dump it.

>> everybody gets to make their own. >> this is almost like the episode of "seinfeld," soup in a bread bowl. it's all gone. >> never had it in the bag. i love frito pie. it's great. >> tony, we're thinking about you. i know you're injured, but you'll be back. if you want a frito pie recipe -- why do i sound like a hill by all of a sudden. today.com, ladies and gentlemen. coming up though, two ladies who may not approve of my frito pie, joy and jenna. >> uh-oh. >> they are back to get you in shape for the new year in our 16 to 16 challenge.

break and what makes a subway footlong the biggest, bestest sandwich? you do. 'cause it's all about your choice. of freshly baked bread. tender meats, melty cheeses, and everything in between. the handcrafted subway footlong.

. 9:27. george washington bridge. thursday, september 24th. pope francis is now at the u.s. capital. nbc news will have live coverage as soon as the speech gets under way.

pope francis ear in new york. scheled to land at 5:00 p.m. right up to st. patrick's for prayers. the holy father will spend the night at the papal residence on the upper east side. 81 today. tomorrow, mostly sunny, comfortable, 75. saturday, wind and sun. 74. sunday more of the same. coming up, a nurse gets a new surprise.

taking a look at the headlines. olkswagen's boa is meeting to choose a new leader. the automaker'shceo resnned on we nssday over the company's admissions that it cheated on diesel testsffecting 11 million vehicles. meantime, the sales at volkswagen dealerships shows that customers are staying away.

it hasn't said how the cars will be repaired or replaced. there's more information on the dangers sa of secondhand smoke. children with asthma who ari exposed to secondhand smohe at me have a high risk of being hospitalized. they're almost twice as likely to be admiteed to the hospital than asthma particular children living in smoke free homes. researchers say the immaturity of children's lungs and immune systems leaves them more vulnerable to cigarette smoke. millennials may be more likely to save for their kids' education. 74% of parents age 30 to 34 have put money aside versus 58% of parents the same age hold back in 2007. nearly half of millennial parents plan to shoulder most of the costs for college. macy's is inviting college students, retirees and others to apply for 85,000 temporary holiday jobs nationwide. that's about the same amount of seasonal help last year. many of the new hires will

telephone and on the internet. elsewhere kohl's will hire 69,000 seasonal workers and toys"r"us, 20,000. some americans will choose tricks over treats this coming halloween. this is according to consumer spending survey released today. it finds the average person will spend $74 for halloween this year. that's down from $78 last year. about 93% of halloween shoppers will buy candy. nearly 45% will decorate their home or yard. right foot red, left foot blue, right, at&t stadium in arlington, texas, was the site of this. the latest guinness book of world records for twister players. ews spent five hours combining 1200 twister boards and hundreds of people as youee showed up to take the record -- to give the record spin. the giant mat covers half of the football field. my kids would love that. that is so much fun. >> how many chiropractors

standing by? >> afterwards, a lot. >> do you have the weather for snus. >> you bet, nat. et's show you what we have for your week end planner. wet weather along the southeast coast. high tides. rip kurntsz up to new england. sunshine for the wsestern part of the country the exception showers in the pacific northwest. then as we move in saturday, more wet weather along the mid-atlantic coast. the sunshine state into the northeast. across much of the country. few showers in the nortoern pla ns then sunday, su day we are looking at rough surf continuing along the eastern seaboard. scattered showers throughout the mid section of the country. sunny and hot out in the southwest and more rain for the more blue sky, more sunshine heading our way. a few igh sir russ clouds from time to time. high of 81. well above normal even after this cool st t.

should do it in the 60s. 40s and 50s in the suburbs. morrow, the pope will be out and about. clou mixed with sunshine. breezy are at times. high of 75. monday, low 70s. it warms back near 80 tuesday and wednesday. that's your latest weather. willey. >> thank you very much, al. 16 to 16. show viewers and you at home to get healthy by the end of the year. today we're sharing an essential 16 item shopping list and a 16-minute routine workout routine. we'll start in the kitchen with "today's" joy bower and a participant mary lemur if i. i know the answer to this question. joy -- >> mary jean -- >> how has she done? >> she has lost 8 1/2 pounds during the first week. >> that's an exorbitant amount. i don't want everybody that's watching to expect that loss. the first week is typically the most.

you lose fat and you lose some water. this is one smashing start. high five. >> has it been tough? >> no, i've got to tell you it's been relatively easy. i feel great. my energy is up. i'm eating all the time. it wasn't hard at all, i don't think. i have been cooking recipes from -- joy has a bunch of recipes up. >> no one's starving. >> no, i'm not. >> eating better. >> eating better than she did before. >> we announced that we were going to donate $16 over the next 16 weeks for every pound you lose to feeding america. at the rate you've just gone, 8 1/2 pounds times 176 meals which is what that dollar would represent to feeding america, you're giving 1500 meals away in your first week. >> wow, what a feel good. >> keep it up. >> that's the best part. >> it is. >> let's talk about the shopping list. 16 essential foods. >> 16 foods will be on the website. i'm going to highlight two from each category. >> okay. >> let me show you in the fridge. first, i love apples.

you've got to have them in the fridge because they're portion controlled. they're under 100 calories each. you can tote them along with you. they're filling. it's a perfect snack. i love non-fat or low fat greek yogurt first because it has a lot of protein. you couple that with a piece of fruit, great snack, great breakfast. itl's a cool substitute for fattening sour cream on a baked potato or dips. >> i love the baby carrots, too. >> so easy. >> let's move into the freezer. >> in terms of the freezer, frozen chopped spinach needs to be ydur best friend. it is one of the most super store nutrient packed vegetables. if you nuke it in the micro wave, get rid of the water, mix it with ground turkey you have spinach turkey burger. frozen shrimp. only 8 calories per shrimp. work it into stews. now open the pantry. >> all right. >> i love canned salmon.

it's inexpensive. it's sort of like the new tuna salad. also beans. canned beans, dried beans. protein and fiber. super filling. on the go, people know nuts and bananas. lollipops. only 60 or 70 calories. it's pure sugar. put that in your purse. >> mary jean, keep up the good work. >> ohhh. >> let's send it to natalie. >> i'm here with jenna wolf and ken and rochelle wilson. >> we heard 8 1/2 pounds. >> rochelle and ken. ken lost 8 pounds this week. >> yes. >> rochelle lost almost 6 pounds. >> amazing. >> let us keep in mind they only made tiny, tiny changes. they moved a little bit more and ate better and that's the results they saw with only those minor changes. >> what's been most challenging for you guys with working out? >> finding time?

>> no, i'm able to make time and i've adjusted the foods so i'm ot hungry. i'm not hungry, all kinds of stuff toonat all the time. >> nutrition has been the biggest change for me. >> you're going to give us a quick pyramid. >> yes. >> 16 minutes of exercise, right? >> yes. these two guys are runners. you're a runner as well. i'm trying to find ways to make their workouts more creative so you're not just running every day and get bored. i put together a four exercise pyramid. natalie, you and i have done ten exercise pyramids. we're going to bring this down. we'll work every muscle n the body. if you can get through the pyramid in four minutes, you do four of them, if it takes you eight minutes, you do two of them. the bottom line, working out 16 minutes. >> ba utt kicker. pushing slightly from right to left. she's insane. i love her. you try to hit your butt exactly. get the heart rightup.

go side to side. >> do 40 reps. 40 butt kickers. now we're going to get down to the ground and do 30 mountain climbers. kick up and up. >> heels, jenna. >> so we're doing 30 of these. then those work your shoulders, these work your triceps. >> this is a cardiohip press. >> thank you for telling us. if you can, i want you to kick up with your feet. see if you can do it. >> good. >> if you can't, rochelle i want you to kick one and one. >> the last exercise is a plank toe lift. so you're basically in a plank position. your core is tight. 40, 30, 20, 10, that is one pyramid. aim for four of these or two and there's your workout. >> great job! . great job, joy, jenna, ken, rochelle. for joy's full 16 item shopping list and 16 minute working out, i'm out of breath.

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no matter what happens, a reliable network has your back. it's time now for hits and clips. we have the most entertaining videos online. >> "right this minute" is all about finding incredible videos. good to see you. >> happy to be here, guys. >> we put these clips up on our website. our viewers have spoken and voted them in order of their favorite ranking. start with number three. >> still a good one. >> yeah, it is. it's a gender reveal. >> that's right. >> willey and i have yet to do this. this little boy's mom is pregnant and wants to show a little creativity by revealing what the baby's sex is based on the frosting inside a cupcake. >> that's right. it's either going to be pink or it's going to be blue. she has the camera set out and

she's like, go in, open up the cake, you'll find out if you are having a brother or a sister. >> let's check it out. >> what color is that? >> what's that mean? >> oh. >> you're going to have a little sister! oh, my gosh. >> he's so excited about it. >> funny. >> oh, man. >> that's why the video is going viral because that little man, he just could not hold it in. he has all his emotions on show for everyone. i'm from the timy sure, i think he wanted a brother. >> he'll come around. i'm sure he will. let's go t number two on our countdown. bicycle ballet. >> this is nicole and it's from a competition in austria. artistic cycling. we have this video on "right this minute" it had hardly any views. over the next week we saw this explode. it was all over my facebook feed because people were kind of blown away.

from "flashdance" on the bicycle. the crazy thing about this video, guys. it's gone viral. everyone is impressed by it. she came fifth. what are the other people doing? >> i'm telling you. >> how do you even practice that? >> she's been doing it since she was a kid. she does incredible things. >> number one by a landslide. very tenacious raccoon. >> this is rocksy. >> basically takes a rock. >> this is a mom. what happened was she was leaving food out for her cat in the bowl. this raccoon was stealing it. she found if she put more food out she would eat it. if she doesn't eat it rocksy picks it up and bangs it against the glass. >> scratching up her glass. >> she has absolutely. she's fine with it.

humans have trained rocksy or rocksy has trained the humans. >> thank you so much, ali. up next, the new animated show your kids will be watching this weekend, it's called nina's world. you may recognize one of the voices because it belongs to the great rita moreno. roxy they call selling 18 homes? easy. building them all in four and a half months? now that was a leap. i was calling in every favor i could, to track down enough lumber to get the job done. and i knew i could rely on american express to help me buy those building materials. there are always going to be unknowns. you just have to be ready for them. another step on the journey... will you be ready when growth presents itself? realize your buying power at open.com it's always worth remembering... that icing the cinnamon rolls is a privilege not a right.

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ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz is a small pill, not an injection or infusion, for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can relieve ra symptoms and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma, and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz if you have any infection, unless ok with your doctor. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts, and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz, and routinely check certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you have been to a region where fungal infections are common, and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take. one pill, twice daily, xeljanz can reduce ra pain and help stop further joint damage,

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the oscar tony. >> now rita is immortalized into a cartoon as the voice of abulista on the animated show nina's world. >> our sister network, brout. >> that's so cute. >> that's adorable. actually, she almost looks like -- >> i was thinking the same thing. >> you know what happened accidentally, they made the drawing. someone said, you know, that's beginning to look more and more like rita moreno. >> absolutely. that's how it happened. >> your hair now is exactly like hers now. >> i know. i know.

the best show, by the way. it's the best show. it's very authentic. i know we don't have a lot of time. let me tell you why it's great. it takes diversity to a new level. for instance, we have a little boy who is deaf, mico in the show, and it's played by a real little boy who is deaf who reads lips, who signs, and speaks! this is a little person who has never heard a sound in his life and when you hear him and you understand him, you're mind boggled. isn't that astonishing? >> i love that. >> that's diversity. we have an indian couple from india. they're actors from those places, chinese couple, chinese people. it's a terrific show. it's not noisy. it's not whacky. no one talking in funny little voices there. >> sweet. >> don't you get sick of that? it's a real neighborhood. it's a real authentic show. >> little grandmother.

>> what is your relationship with your granddaughter? >> oh, my gosh. i take her on adventures and all kinds of stuff, and like the museum is closed and nina's very disappointed so we take her into the garage and say, let's have our own museum and see what we find. finding things, mexican-american child. she finds things about her mother's past, her father, the history of mexican history. >> i love that. >> it covers everything. and even -- oh, you know what, i've got to say good-bye. i was just told to shut up. >> you were paying attention to our stage -- >> this is what happens when you have a professional. our stage manager giving us the good-bye. >> no, i asked her to give it to me so you wouldn't appear rude. >> oh. >> true professional. >> you're in trouble. >> you're a true professional. >> and an album coming out tomorrow. >> in spanish. >> rita moran know. >> can you give us a little

>> and we're back in a moment.

five

september, 24th. pope francis scheduled to make an address to congress. nbc will have live coverage as soon as it gets under way. the pope will arrive at kennedy airport 5:00 p.m. and celebrate evening prayers at st. patrick's cathedral at 7:00 p.m. live coverage on air and online. if you can't get to a tv or computer, download the news 4 new york app. let's check the weather. lots of sun for the holy father's arrival. 81. tonight, patchy clouds, 63. this is an nbc news special report. pope francis in america. here is matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone. coming up on 10:00 on the east coast, 7:00 a.m. out west and history is being made on capitol hill.

the house chamber and deliver the first speech ever by a pope to congress. we expect him to touch on sensitive issues for some of the lawmakers in that room. it will be a lengthy speech. it will probably take half an hour to deliver. he is walking into a very political room. chuck todd is moderator of "meet the press." he is at the capitol and chuck, what are those politicians expecting to hear? >> well, i think some of them are going to like what they hear and some won't. this isn't a pope that fit into the red-blue prism that we talk about in politics. i think he'll be challenging each side. i mean, he'll be challenging the left when it comes to moral issues, whether it's on abortion, or on marriage. he'll be challenging the right on some social justice issues. you will hear him talk about the climate, but also the refugee

crisis. so this is a not surprisingly the pope going to be very principled about this. through his prism how he defines all things having to do with life. and i don't mean that just on the issue of abortion, but when you throw in all of those things, the planet, the refugees, he'll talk about the conflicts in the middle east in terms of saying it's our responsibility to be worrying about these issues. look, he'll challenge everybody in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable even as they feel comfortable on other issues. >> we look around the room, speaker boehner there, vice president biden, members of the president's cabinet. they have been introduced and walked into the room. there are certain ground rules that have been put into effect.

kelly o'donnell is insue the chamber. >> reporter: unlike the state of the union where you had members who would be reaching into the aisle, trying to have a moment with the president of the united states, today, different rules for decorum. you have members who are on that aisle who have been instructed by leadership not to interfere, not to try to have that moment with the holy father. but to be a bit more restrained. we know that there are catholic members along that row. i have actually seen some holding rosaries so i think today is really a much more personal day for speaker john boehner. he has waited 20 years. he has invited three popes and today is the culmination of his long attempt to have a pope address the u.s. congress. this is a man who went to church every day, attended mass as a boy. and then his parents who put all 12 of his siblings through catholic school. this is very personal for him. now -- >> kelly, let me just interrupt because we are seeing the pope making his way to our side of

the house chamber door and when he is introduced, we will sit back and listen to the reaction he gets. you mentioned john boehner. he had a private meeting with the pope in his offices about half an hour ago. it would have been interesting to have been a fly on the wall in that meeting but obviously just an enormous moment for speaker boehner for the reasons you just mentioned, kelly. >> reporter: and matt, i spoke to two of the presidential candidates who are here as guests today. dr. ben carson and chris christie. who -- >> mr. speaker, the pope of the

>> a little welcome to pope francis. you notice the only person he stopped and address the hand of is secretary of state john kerry.

>> members of congress, i have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you, pope