making news in america this morning, making history. pope francis arriving with the message. >> god bless america. >> his first visit to the u.s. kicking off with a visit to the white house. the encounter with a 5-year-old. the letter she gave to francis and today's schedule. we're live with the details. new feud. donald trump lashing out, this time aiming at fox news again, in full attack mode in a half-filled ballroom. >> breaking overnight, a pile of smoldering rubble where homes once stood. people surveying the damage this morning after a massive explosion. caught on camera. emergency landing giving new meaning to flying through the intersection.

and we say good thursday morning to you and, of course, we'll start with pope francis. a busy day ahead. traveling here to new york from the nation's capital. >> his first full day in the u.s. was filled with excitement and emotion, you can see it here as francis made his way to the altar of the nation's largest cathedral, the faithful reaching out to touch him. security guards trying to keep them out of the way. some images from behind the scenes. take a look. pope francis and the president on the white house colonnade and the pope, president and first lady waving to the crowd from the blue room balcony and also inside take a look at this, the pope officially meeting the entire obama family greeted here by first dogs bo and sunny, these images posted by the white house official photographer. and we want to give you a live picture now of the capitol building where this morning francis will become the first pope to ever address a joint

meeting of congress. lots of excitement in washington, d.c. stephanie ramos is there for us. stephanie. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and reena. this is a highly anticipated ee seepts here in washington. nearly every member of congress will be in attendance for the pope's speech and given what we've heard from the pope so far we expect he'll challenge some of the beliefs and policies of both parties. this is the view the pope will have later this morning when appearing on the capitol balcony after his historic speech to congress. it will be another day of firsts for the pope. ♪ amid the fanfare for his arrival wednesday, the pope injects humility pulling up for his first visit to the white house in a tiny fiat. then giving his first speech to the american people in english. >> as the son of an immigrant family, i am happy to be a guest in this country, which was

largely built by such families. [ applause ] >> reporter: the holy father also called for tolerance and for action on climate change before heading into the oval office to meet with president obama. the pontiff then boards the popemobile, greeting the thousands lined up for hours just to catch a glimpse of him. some getting a little more. a kiss on the head for this baby boy. another little one, 5-year-old sophie cruz makes her way through the barricade as police move her back, the pope calls her over and then a kiss as she hands him a letter. how did it make you feel? >> happy. >> exciting. so excited. >> reporter: another massive crowd at least 25,000 greet the pope at the country's largest cathedral for the first ever canonization mass in the u.s., the late spanish priest junipero serra is the first saint named on american soil. i was there at the basilica yesterday and you could just

feel pure excitement and joy from the crowds that were in when pope francis arrived. now, later on this afternoon, pope francis will head to new york where he'll lead an evening prayer service at st. patrick's cathedral. reena. >> we know that the members of the senate and house of representatives will be at the pope's speech but what the supreme court justices? >> reporter: we know six of the nine justices will be on hand. three of the most conservative and catholic members of the supreme court justices scalia, thomas and alito will not be attending. no reason given as to why they're not attending. back over to you. >> very interesting that the wa thank you. of course, the pope touches down in new york city this afternoon. 6,000 police officers are right now at the ready. >> the pope actually made it clear weeks ago he did not want the fences but the secret service had the final word. fences are eight feet high and they're now surrounding venues where the pope will appear.

that includes a large section of central park as well as st. patrick's cathedral. >> okay, so from the start here's what's in tore for francis today. he starts this morning with that first ever speech bring a pope to a joint session of congress. abc will have live coverage and then he'll visit catholic charities of washington, d.c. and meet with hundreds of homeless people this afternoon he flies to new york city. >> after arriving at jfk airport he'll take a helicopter into manhattan and finally francis will participate in an evening prayer ceremony at st. patrick's cathedral. well, the pope is closely monitored the growing refugee crisis in europe. even housing a syrian family at the vatican and now european leaders are giving a billion dollars to relief organizations who help feed and provide shelter for the refugees. this morning, "the new york times" reports that the situation has grown so dire that president obama will try to meet with russian president vladimir putin next week in new york. it will be their first face-to-face in nearly a year.

well, today president obama meets with another top leader, the president of china. near seattle yesterday xi jinping met with mark zuckerberg own other top executives. donald trump back on offense boycotting fox news after the cable network canceled his upcoming interview on "the o'reilly factor" saying he's being treated unfairly. >> they don't even put me in the headline and i'm crushing it so you'll all figure that out. the press is very dishonest, not all of it but much of it. >> also wednesday a rare scene for trump, look at this. speaking to a half filled room, the campaign claiming it was just a speaking event, not like trump's event later that night that attracted more than 2,000 people. on the democratic side the latest poll numbers show joe biden gaining support even though he has not decided whether to run for president. the bloomberg poll finds clinton

with 33%, biden, 25% and bernie sanders at 24%. well, serious weather situation unfolding in the heartland this morning. the radar showing the problem area right now. you see it there, a huge system stretching from oklahoma to wisconsin bringing heavy downpour, flash flooding is also possible. and still ahead here for us, apple fans will not be able to walk into a store and buy the new iphone in certain states. >> plus, ducking for cover. people at a gas station in the line of fire. the wild shootout caught on camera. and strange sight. drivers in traffic and a plane riding by.

gorgeous look there at the u.s. capitol and a few hours pope francis will be there to deliver the first ever papal address before a joint meeting of congress. house speaker john boehner has told lawmakers that the pope transcends politics. he's asking them to be receptive of the pope's message. well, breaking overnight a quiet neighborhood in columbia, maryland, rocked by a massive explosion. one town house completely collapsed and the fire spread to three other homes. leaving them totally destroyed or badly damaged. the blast briefly trapped several residents and sent glass and debris flying 50 feet across the parking lot. two injured including an inspector who was looking into a complaint about a natural gas odor. volkswagen's board of directors set to meet tomorrow to consider potential replacements for its ceo who stepped down in the wake of the smog test cheating scandal and more heads are likely to roll in the coming days. the scandal is taking a huge toll on angry car dealers with inventory they just can't sell

and frustrated owners stuck with vehicles they don't want anymore. well, the hack attack on the government personnel office was worse than thought. the fingerprints of 5.6 million people who applied or received a federal security clearance were stolen, not 1 million as first reported. it's believed the chinese were behind the attack. the white house has said it's going to discuss cybersecurity with the chinese president when he visits today. well, the latest iphone is hitting the shelves tomorrow but not in every state. apple is not allowing walk-in purchases of the iphone 6s or 6s plus in four states without sales tax. that means people in alaska, delaware, new hampshire and oregon will have to wait for their new phones unless they've preordered. well, apparently we'll be spending a lot less on halloween this year. the national retail federation says americans will spend about $74 on halloween. that's compared to $77 bucks last year of total halloween

spending is projected to be if nearly $7 billion. i like the little thunderstorm. >> we spent a lot on that. that sound effect. all right, when we come back a hunter stuck in the woods for days with a bad injury, crawling for miles, how he was finally discovered. and what a picture. you see here,s that a professor holding a toddler, the mother in class so why is this image going viral? with the pain and swelling of my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis... ordinary objects often seemed... intimidating. doing something simple... meant enduring a lot of pain. if ra is changing your view of everyday things orencia may help. orencia works differently by targeting a source of ra early in the inflammation process. for many, orencia provides long-term relief of ra symptoms. it's helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments.

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new york's empire state building lit up in the blue and white stripes to honor the late yankees catcher yogi berra who died tuesday night at the age of 90. well, tonight berra will be honored with a moment of silence before the yankees game against the white sox. it's time to check out this morning's road conditions. the main trouble spots are in the southeast stretching to the gulf coast where it's a bit slippery and from kansas to wisconsin you'll run into very heavy rain. >> okay, so say you're flying. well, delays are possible in minneapolis, miami and atlanta. in the meantime, in phoenix that area has been on edge since a serial sniper started terrorizing drivers along an eight-mile stretch of highway. >> at least 11 separate incidents are under investigation and the suspect is in custody. but now we're just learning how frightening it was for those in the sniper's crosshairs. from those newly released 911 calls.

>> i think my window just got shot. >> okay, are you injured? >> i don't feel anything because i just got so scared because i heard a big bang and the window shattered. >> the suspect leslie merit jr. charged with 16 felony counts and continues to insist people have arrested the wrong man. well, police near atlanta are trying to track down two gunmen after a wild shootout was caught on camera. the men opened fire on a car in the middle of a gas station sending people ducking for cover. as bullets flew by the pumps and a tanker, one man was caught in the cross fire shot in the foot. police are hoping someone recognizes the shooters from this surveillance video and it's frightening scene there. the two texas football players who tackled a referee during a game have been given their punishment. the players have been assigned to an alternate school for 75 days and won't be able to participate in any other school activities. a coach at the school admits he told them to attack the ref.

we may learn more about his fate after a hearing today. a hunter in idaho is sharing details of being injured in the wilderness. he was alone in the woods when he fell and broke his leg. he had no cell service so he used sticks to make a splint then he crawled three miles over nearly four days in so much pain he considered shooting himself but he had a change of heart when he started to write a good-bye letter to his wife and kids. >> that's it. write the letter to my family and that just -- that settled it. i said there's no way i'm doing this. i will get out of here. >> sain was so motivated he kept crawling and praying and that's when he was spotted by a group of bikers who called for help. well, rush hour tough enough but nobody needs a plane, yeah, zooming right through an intersection landing on a busy street. that's what happened in the southern california city of irvine last night. engine trouble. that's what forced this small plane to make an emergency landing which was caught on dash

cam. amazingly it touched down safely without anyone getting hit. >> and without getting a speeding ticket. that's clearly a 25-mile-an-hour zone there. we move on to some sports. week three of the nfl gets under way tonight with an nfc east battle, the redskins versus the giants. >> as for last night's baseball highlights from espn. he's stan. i'm neil. i left the coat unbuttoned to get the full effect of the tie. >> let's move on to baseball. yankees wearing a number 8 patch on their sleeves as they remember yogi berra. a moment of silence in toronto as the yankees took on the blue jay, bottom six, kevin pilar with a base hit. blue jays take a lead. bottom seven, martin at the plate. one-two count. bailey thought that was strike three. he was wrong. he was wrong with his placement there and martin touching him up

for a three-run home run, his 21st of the season. give him some more love. jays win it, 4-0. the lead is 3 1/2 now. so the rangers control their own destiny in you believe in that. they are in oakland and ellis andrews -- >> got his blue suede shoes on. >> his seventh of the season for due bronts. look at him. he's just happy. handshakes. >> look at that. look at that. this is why baseball is cool. this is why the rangers are doing so good, a loose bunch. adrian beltre, he homers two-three-run shot, not as loose. rankers win 10-3. >> we've taken too long in that inning. >> feel free to touch my hair. >> back to you. >> i loved he wanted us to get the full effect of his tie. >> see what i'm putting out

there. the pope's visit, tailgating nuns and the staggering amount francis' autograph is selling for online. and it's good. the extra point that was needed. a little help from a referee's head. ut of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness.

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as we age, certain nutrients... longer than ever. ...become especially important. from the makers of one a day fifty-plus. new one a day proactive sixty-five plus. with high potency vitamin b12... ...and more vitamin d. ♪ it is the time for "the pulse" and we're going to start with some fun surrounding the pope's visit. it all starts with a group of ladies who are hanging out like they were at a football game. >> there they are. nuns tailgating before the pope's big mass in washington, d.c. they brought out the folding chair, had a snack. the group from georgetown visitation monastery. >> as the pope embarks on the second leg of his trip a longtime friend says he's looking forward to enjoying a slice of new york city pizza. one pizzeria whipped up a special pie in his likeness,

made out of ricotta and his face raspberry dressing. >> the hot item on ebay. the pope's autograph, one sold for $2300. >> wow, i knew i should have tried to get closer to him. the best rock song ever? >> something by guns n' roses. >> okay, usually a matter of opinion, better than taste. >> british scientists have gone a step farther using special software to measure things like beats per minute and lyrical content and this, they say from these guys is the most iconic song ever. ♪ here we are now >> nirvana's "smells like team spirit." fiat sponsored the commission hoping to find the best song to sell its 500 car before the pope's fiat. an image going viral this morning. and it's really cute, a professor holding a toddler in his arms. >> the little boy brought to class by his mother. when she couldn't find child care she was worried about what

the professor would say but obviously wasn't an issue. >> he went to my professor and put his arms up like that and without missing a beat my professor picked him up. >> we're all in this together. >> mom was moved to tears by the gesture. they've been -- there have been thousands of sympathetic messages on social media. here's a high school football team in texas that really knows how to put some adventure into extra point attempts. this happened under the lights last friday night. >> high snap. the holder gets it down, the kick comes out a little low, it went off the ref's head. skimmed the crossbar and it went through the uprights. >> doesn't really matter how it goes in, right? >> no. >> chalk up another point for the rebels. >> only the giants could sign up that kid. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else "america this morning" continues. hey mcmellin' you gellin'?

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>> good morning, i'm tamala edwards, thursday, september 24. security fences are going up and around the benjamin franklin parkway. we're three days away from the pope's arrival. we're live on the street closures, parking restrictions and transit changes. pope francis makes history again becoming the first pontiff to address congress he will touch on climate change and other political issues before he heads to new york city and philadelphia. police commissioner charles ramsey is talking more than haircuts as he hits neighborhood barber shops. we'll see you in two. us papal v. that was when francis'

predecessor ben 2kik9 was here. >> now in its second full day already here are so many aspects unique. here's david muir. >> reporter: during our visit inside the vatican a couple weeks back we learned pope francis has never used a computer or even owned a cell phone but he is certainly on twitter. tweets approved by him, 22 million followers. in fact, he's the most retweeted leader in the world more than president obama. who tweeted himself to the pope welcome to the white house, pontifex. your messages of love, hope and pane have inspired us all. pope francis the first pope to take a selfie and so many american families along the route today know that. documents his every move. these two young girls snapping a selfie with pope francis. there was the photo with an 11-year-old boy he will never forget. even inside st. matthew's, bishops there capturing the moment too. amid all the flashes in the oval office this image, the pope and the first family's dogs, bo and

sunny. and there will likely be photos when he boards his flight for new york city. an american airlines crew chosen to take him to new york. that plane dubbed shepherd one. >> a lot of interesting things happening in washington and new york. i was in d.c., of course, yesterday for the welcoming session at the white house. i was told i'd have great seats and, man, you can barely see the pope from where i was standing but also brought back these cute little guys. >> very cute. >> these are just being sold all over the city. they've sold about 50,000 of these from the catholic book store there in d.c. they don't have anymore. this guy i'm not sure what's going on here. >> i wonder how much you could get on ebay for these. >> you know what, probably a pretty penny, but that would be sacrilegious. >> oh, we have lots of coverage today on abc and that's what's making news on "america this morning." stay with us for "good morning america." >> good morning here's what's

happening on this thursday september 24. >> pope francis is poised to make history on capitol hill as more closures go into effect in philadelphia in advance of his weekend visit. the search is on for a killer after police say a man is shot to death in a quiet neighborhood. officials investigate claims against an ivy league school discriminates against applicants. >> let's go or