glimpse later of the pope. he leaves to address congress. we're also on capitol hill where tens of thousands of people are gathering to watch the pope this morning after his address. meanwhile on the national mall, crowds are also building with people who support the pope's views on the environment and want u.s. leaders to follow suit. well to "news4." i'm eun yang. >> reporter: and i'm aaron gilchrist on the east capitol. he'll speak with members of congress later on. he has a full day before he heads back to vatican city. this is where the pope will arrive. already this morning we've seen u.s. capital police moving around here, making sure that everything is in place security wise for the pope before he arrives. there are congressional staffers

so they'll be able to see him as well. about 9:00 this morning we expect the pope to leave here. there will be many road closures as the pope moves through town we saw that yesterday. he's expected to arrive at the capitol at roughly 9:15. he'll go into the speaker's ceremonial offices here. speaker boehner and the pope will meet inside his office for about 20 minutes. after that he'll head to the chambers to meet with congress. congress has been told to avoid, pretty much not reach out and have side conversations with him as he enters the chambers with him. we expect them to speak for 30, 40 minutes or so. we don't know exactly what he will say, but some of the issues he's touched on in the time he's been here, we expect it to come up. he may address climate change.

he may talk immigration. everyone here will be listening 36781% of congress is catholic. they'll be listening, too, from that perspective as the pope speaks later on this morning. much more from the u.s. capitol and along the national mall in a few minutes. back to you. >> thank you, aaron. we'll see you soon. it could impact how you get to work this morning. >> all roads shut down. also closed until 2:00 a.m. so that's g street between 8th and 11th and tenth street as well. then we'll have all those rolling closures as the pope leaves town. this just popped up. just got information from vre on both lines here. delays expected because of securities happening because of the pope there north of crystal city. chuck? >> all right. outside we have a clear sky. another beauty of a day coming

your way from all of your outdoor plans. the basilica there. current temperatures are in the upper 40s in parts of the shenandoah valley. 50 in frederick, maryland, 60 downtown. as you're making plans to get outsi outside. from lunchtime. temperatures will be rising. up to 08 degrees by 8:00 this afternoon. when i see we'll talk about the commute. back to you. >> thank you, chuck. barricades are already in place around theapitol to keep clouds where security wants them. which roads, adam, are going to be closed today? >> reporter: eun, don't come down to the capital this morning if you can avoid it for sure if

you can stay away. it has a definite feel. we're seeing more. obviously we've got the barricades and road closures. you're not going to be able to get through here. look down pennsylvania avenue toward the capitol. all the streets from this point on have some security detail on them, so it's not going to be easy to flank any part of the us capitol this morning. the pope expected to get here around 8:00 and 9:00 this morning and he goes over to st. francis. that's 10th and g. that's another hot spot to watch out for. of course, later he goes back to the vatican embassy. a lot of movement.

but, i want to mention again, there are more people out today. we could have more as we keep an eye on it for you. >> thank you, adam. prep work at catholic charities lasted late into the night. that's where he'll see the homeless. work has been going on for a month. pope francis is expected to feed close to 400 people. 6:05 now. maryland governor plans to ask pope francis for a special blessing today. you may know when he holds a semiprivate meeting today. he plans to ask the pope to bless those with a disease. he's had a few surgeries, three spinal taps and 20 chemothera chemotherapies. 90% of his cancer is gone but he has one more chemo treatment ahead of him.

adam just mentioned metro c's more busy this morning. so far no major problems. metro seems to hold up well as crowds poured into the brookland metro station after the basilica mass yesterday. you can see from the video just how packed the plaid forms and entrances were. the trains came every three to five minutes and buses came to take riders to fort totten. a reminder, buy those tickets ahead of time. do not bring any restricted items with you. that will speed up your travel. >> reporter: the papal visit brings with it a lot of security. the barricades and crowds you'll encounter as you're headed the way. plus as the pope wraps up, the visit in new york, they're visit in new york, they're wra

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breaking news from overnight. a motorcycle crash. we found out his name is javier. he crashed on the clara barton parkway. virginia state troopers were chasing the bike when they lost sight of it. inega crash and was thrown from the bike. not clear how he lost control. the road is closed but is open again. back to you. >> thank you, kristin. let's check in with chuck bell. we've had such nice weather, chuck. hypoit keeps coming. >> we get at least one more nice day. there's a live picture over

northeast washington. the clear skies have allowed for another relative cool start. 54 in reston, 52 in manassas. 55 in chevy chase. the good news is no major weather slowdown today. northern maryland and shenandoah valley valley first thing this morning. that's about it. coming home later this afternoon, dry roads. maybe a little sunshine delay. temperatures in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees. 80 degrees we'll start talking more about your weekend which includes a chance of rain. for now let's get more on the road closures from melissa. >> thanks. all the roads shut down. take a look at this. we do have delays popping up because of the security sweeps north of crystal city. train 322 and train 300 on the fred ricksbug line, 15 minutes behind this morning.

270 looking good. 66 inbound rolling along nicely. remember to listen to our friends on wtop 103.5 f.m. just hearing this from vre as well. that metro option has been opened because of the issues of vre. >> thank you, melissa. it is the car people can't seem to stop talking about. how the buzz surrounding pope francis's fiat is inspiring some in our area. plus, making sure you don't get stuck in traffic as the pope leaves town today. leaves town today. what you need to know about [ female announcer ] business travel isn't just about the going.

it's also about the going home. and being connected all along the way. whether you're working or recharging, do business travel on your terms. acela. take off.

not expected to leave there for a few more hours but already we have seen crowds of people gathering. you can see in this live picture here along the national mall there are barricades set up, police in place and people lining up to try to get into the capitol's west front and sections of the mall. they'll be able to do some viewing on jumbotron screens later on today. the pope will make his first ever speech before congress

today, a joint meeting, not a joint session, and we expect he'll speak for 30, maybe 40 minutes while he's here and there will be 40,000, 50,000. "news4" "news4's" ma"''s" meagan fitzge. >> reporter: this is the standing room-only section. they're excited to see the speech pope francis gives on a jumbotron. there's about 1,000 seats. those folks will be for people with tickets to take seats there. we understand they were ginn the tickets from congress or the

archdiocese. people waiting as early as 3:00 this morning to try to be the first in line passing through tsa security, which is very tight. tsa is scrutinizing those bags very thoroughly making sure improper items are not brought through as folks are here to watch as the pope gives that historic address. now, there is a very heavy police present here as you can imagine with tsa and capitol police as well. now, many folks here tell us, of excited about being here one woman coming from as far as way as california to be part of this event. >> to see this pope, he's the first non-american pope in the catholic church. he's close to the people. what's cool about him. what's cool is people from other religions are following this

pope. >> reporter: erin, we spoke with a lot of people out here. he's expected at around 11:00 to make an appearance at the balcony which is just behind us here. that is the moment certainly that they are looking forward to happening. back to you. >> reporter: wow, amazing numbers. there have been criticisms of the pope particularly about comments he made yesterday in front of american bishops at the cathedral. he praised the bishops for, quote, their generous commitment to the sexually abused. he said the another advocacy group said the pope's remarks were threatening and off-base. but still he made the remarks yesterday. this is not something he's not

familiar with. there was saint serra who was canonized yesterday at the basilica. he'll move forward today with his comments and we'll see how the people react to that as well. >> it should be interesting. aaron gilchrist with us live from the capitol. we'll check with you in just a bit. so much planned in the last ten hours before pope francis leaves d.c. the pope will say his good-byes and leave the apostolic none ka tur around 3:00 this afternoon. he gets to joint base andrews at 4:00 for a flight to new york. and that's when millions of people are gearing up right now to see him. some might be standing in line already. of course, security is ready to go. take a look at the scene here. there is an eight-foot chain link fence around parts of central park. ups says deliveries including iphone 6s are not guaranteed.

be sure to follow jim handly on facebook and twitter. angie goff is live in the newsroom tracking a number of other stories this hou good morning, angie. >> good morning. police say they shot a man who was creeping in the bushing outside a woman's home. investigators say he raised a crow barr at a prince williams officer. that officers pepper sprayed him. the suspect ran and then threatened him again with the crowbar. that's when the officer fired. they'll question him once he's recovered. he's in the hospital. chinese president zee shin

pi will arrive. all eyes are on quarterback kirk cousins and running back curt jones as they teemed up to win. the team will play the eagles in two division matchups in back-to-back weeks. that is the latest from the newsroom. now we want to send it over to chuck for the latest on this terrific weather we've seen over the past couple of days. >> beautiful weather expected again today. morning, eun. good to see you as well. great looking day as you take a look at our tower looking out from the northeast and toward what will soon be the rising sun. the sun's up just before 7:00 a.m. the temperatures have drifted back into the 50s in most neighborhoods overnight. the story as we go into tomorrow and the weekend. high pressure sitting off the coast of new england is going to

turn on that east to northeasterly wind flow and there's a pressure off the coastline. the combination of those two factors means a pretty strong onshore breeze that will limit the sunshine for sure. but the storm may be far enough off the coast where most of the rain threat might be the lower parts of the eastern shore. southern maryland southbound down toward virginia beach. we're going to watch this closely. the real question is how far north can that rain actually make it? we'll be tracking that as we get into tomorrow and the weekend. rain chances, no chance today. a slight chance later tomorrow. everybody at least has a chance for rain both saturday and sunday, but rainfall amounts may be fairly light. though cloud cover will be fairly thick. so your rain chances for tomorrow will be dry in the metro. but southern prince george's coty. weather impact on the day. another winner. just a few high clouds out the door. temperatures are in the upper

50s to near 60 degrees. your seven-day forecast goes like this. near 80 today for the pope's find day. chance for light rain over the course of the weekend. then as you get into monday, tuesday, wednesday of next week. better weather, dryer weather will come back. we'll break down the pope's forecast hour by hour. for now, traffic with melissa. >> good morning. right now, new crash in brandywine at 301. you can see we have some red on the screen there. going to be slow there. if you're headed in that area headed withen the last half houfrmt also still have this crash at diamondback drive. normal volume. everything else, inner loop and outer loop looking good. everything else around the capitol closed until noon. that's our estimate today. all stations will be open andpeople paem service running.

we have some delays because of security sweeps north of crystal city. trains are about 15 minutes behind. kristin? developing right now. a tragic day during the muslim holiday of eid al adha. we're learning now 310 people died. in yemen, another 25 are dead after a suicide bombing at a mosque. it happened in yemen's capital city. people were praying when the bombing happened. here's a look inside the mosque now. the suicide bomber hid the explosives in his shoe. dozens of other people were hurt in that attack and hundreds are recovering from the stampede right now. eun? >> thank you, kristin. it is now 6:25. in just a few hours pope francis will address congress for the first time. you can see here the people are already like up on the national

mall this morning. security out in full force. thousands are expected to watch the pope's address on a jumbotron on the west side of the capital. you can't get into the vevent without a ticket. a spokesman at tysons corners says one woman called wanting to buy the fiat. mark say s cowdin says even hi mother is a supporter. they like the fiats because they're fun to drive.

if you don't want to sit in the crowds we invite you zwroin us at the dupont festival. we'll have a jumbotron set up at dupont circle. we'll see you there. she stole the show during the pope's pa ray. the message the 5-year-old girl wanted to deliver to the pope in person and was willing to travel across the country to do it. plus hammering home a message. the rally on national mall that has crowds gathering

a busy day ahead. crews are already seeing large crowds gathered on the national mall and in front of the capital as part of the pope's visit. some just hoping to see the catholic leader while others try to send a message. storm team 4's meteorologist chuck bell with the weather. >> there's a great view over northeast washington. sunrise is just before 7:00. there's the basilica from

yesterday. already a little early morning color in our sky. temperatures in the upper 40s, low 50s upta toward shenandoah valley. making plans to move around the pope. temperatures low to mid-60s between 7:00 and 8:00. then by 9:00 as he goes from the capitol area back toward joint base andrews. temperatures, low 70s. 80 degrees for what should be an on time departure this afternoon. upper 70s to 80 degrees. we'll start to talk about the school forecast in ten minutes from now. a check on traf welcofic with m. >> northbound branch avenue at 301 with slowdowns. 108 there. we have a new crash there. just a warning for you. 66 headed in. your only slow spot.

there are slow spots. again, volume, no actually problems right now. all roads around the capitol shut down until 2:00 p.m. and near st. patrick's church. eun? >> thank you, melissa. crowds are making their way to the capcapitol. this is a live look. crews were outside putting up barricades around the capitol. aaron gilchrist is anchoring our coverage outside the capitol where the pope will be arriving in just a few hours. good morning, arne. >> good mo >> reporter: good morning to you, eun. the big black suvs we're used to seeing it. we're joined the morning by virginia senator tim kaine to talk more about the address that's going to be happening. a live long catholic and a

former jesuit mission iowa, so you come into this meeting with the pope with a very different perspective. i imagine you've about got to be excited. >> i'm very excited. my wife and i are both going to be in chambers. i was a jesuit in the 1980s aet the time the pope was coming up in difficult times. so being here,ite's magical opportunity. >> reporter: he has a message he wants all catholics to hear and americans to hear about reaching out to the poor and being good stewards. is that what you believe he'll talk about today? >> i think so. he's speaking straight out of the catholic social teach trag diggs. but the other thing he's doing, aaron, that's so good for congress and leaders everywhere. he's setting an example of humility and leadership. i think we live in an age where business, they like the titles,

perks. he's really turned that on his head and said if you want to be the leader, you've got to be the servant. that has such biblical backing as well. you have you nike opportunities to serve others. >> >> reporter: he's talked about economics and climate change and other social issues as well do. you think he'll address those things today? >> yes. >> what do you think congress has to do in terms of receiving that message? hu he'll address them as values. he's not going to be saying pass that bill or that regulation. for example, so much old testament. it's about people wandering and seeking a home. i'm sure he'll talk about it and put it in a values context and challenge us to act. congress has gotten really good at not acting and kicking things down the road. i think he'll say you are in a

unique country in this world and a unique opportunity. if you can act, you can help people. i'm sure he'll challenge us to do that. >> tell your wife i said hello. >> thanks, aaron. >> reporter: we mentioned the climate change issued a and there will be rally. "news4's" megan mcgrath is covering that for us on the other side of the capitol building. megan? >> reporter: that rally is getting under way. if you take a look behind me, you see the stage is set up. the capitol is off in the background here. people are starting to show up and mill about. pope francis talked about the issue of climate change in his paypalcyclicencyclical.

that, of course, has people who are concerned about the environment, are concerned about the issue of global warming and climate change very excited. the folks who are here participating this rally. later today musician, leaders, and environmental activists, this rally taking place as pope francis is addressing members of cob. they're going to be urging ledge lay tors to protect the environmental. now, we've been talking to folks all morning lodge and they say they're glad the pope is tackling issues like this. >> i think it's great. it's something that's much needed across the world. instead of just having a set political agenda here in america, i this i with his visit that something as global as climate issues and temperature of the world is something he should definitely be addressing.

>> reporter: there will be a number of musicians. it all gets under way at 7:30 and it's free. the backdrop here is the u.s. capitol and that's where the pope is going to be speaking on. with that, i toss it back to you. >> reporter: appreciate it. people on the west lawn will be able to see some of the jumbotron and they'll likely be able to hear what he has to say as well. moren from the capitol here in just a little bit. >> thanks so much, aaron. there's a big more on the agenda after his historic address to congress. he's heading to st. patrick to speak to some 200 catholic charity clients. they'll be in spanish. the clients represent the more than 120,000 served by catholic charities of the archdiocese of washington each year. the convenient is not open to the public. you can find the latest on the pope's final day in d.c. and updated road closures on our nbc

washington app. search papal visit for all you need to know. a busy morning. what pope francis has planned for them. of course, roads flanking the capitol shut down until noon. we'll talk about that. also problems on vre because of a security sweep. >> first a developing story we're watching in maryland after a massive explosion tears through a townhouse. you can see here there was little left once firefighters knocked down the flames. what we're learned and the impact it had on neighbors

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it is now 6:40. there is very little left after a townhouse in a massive explosion. take a look at the scene from chopper 4 in a blast overnight. it destroyed not just one but six homes there. it happened around 7:30 last night. investigators tell us a baltimore electric & gas employee was there investigating the smell of gas and then there was an explosion. it was that worker and a person in the house who were injured in the blast. they're in the hospital, expected to be okay. chuck has the forecast. what kind of a forecast? >> you tell me. look that picture. >> wow wee. >> wowee indeed. temperatures now mid to upper 50s in most of the suburbs. 40 in shenandoah valley. 60 around town. watch out for a little fog.

63 between 8:00 and 9:00. a-plus weather for recess today. downtown road closures continue with melissa. >> downtown closures rolling on here. we've been tweeting about them on "first4 traffic." will it me show you a big overview here, all roads flanking the capitol shut down until noon to st. patrick's chir. will be closed until 2:00. on the vre, we have security sweeps under way at crystal. ten minutes behind as far as travel time. slowest spot will be. remember to listen to our friends on wtop 103.5 f.m. as you hop in your car. >> reporter: a busy day for pope francis as he wraps up his visit in washington. i'm live in washington. what he's expected to say and the large crowds gathering for

that speech today. also ahead, a special request from maryland governor larry hogan when he gets a chance to meet the pope in the days ahead. you're watching

the excitement is building this morning as people are gathering to watch pope francis. our crews are among those crowds

surrounding today's events. we begin that team coverage with aaron gilchrist from capitol hill. >> reporter: good morning. we're on the east front. this is where pope francis will arrive when he comes down here a bit later on. we receive capitol police officers moving equipment into place. there are congressional staffers who don't have access to the color bui capitol building like they normally would. we want to give you an idea of what exactly is expected tore for pope francis, a quick rundown of the day. the pope is expected to arrive at the capitol around 9:00 this morning, 9:15 i should say, where he'll go into the speaker's office, speaker john boehner, and he'll meet inside his office. after that he'll head down to the house chamber for the pope's address. lawmakers are being told to limit or not really try to shake the pope's hand at all or have

conversation with him. we expect his speech will last 30rks maybe 40 minutes. heal talk an number of issues including climate change, possibly immigration, education issues as well. and everyone will be listening intently. thousands of people expected to gather on the west front of the u.s. capitol to watch the pope's speech on jumbotron screens there. news4's meagan fitzgerald is live with more on what's expected. >> reporter: that excitement continues. so many people excited to see pope francis as his last day here in washington, d.c. as you take a look behind me, folks have been coming since 5:00 this morning when the gates opened rushing to the front. people cared signs. you can see nuns as well. you're going to see them

watching this historic event. just above you see the balcony. that's where he's expected to come out. we want to show you some video. we were here this morning as the folks made their way through the tsa line. of course, they were scrutinized. tsa crews going carefully through those bags, making sure that those items that are not allowed in here are not here. they came out early because it was important to them to be part of history and gets a close to the uponive as they possibly could. they spoke to a woman who said she wasn't able to make it to the historic mass. so it was a top priority for her to be here today. >> to see this pope, he's the first southern american pope in

the history of the catholic church. his manner and style and he's close to the people. what's cool about him is other people from different religions are following this pope. >> reporter: now, it is important to note that this is a ticketed event only. so no one without a ticket will not be allowed to be here. they're excited to come onto the balcony and address the crowd sometime this afternoon. back to you. >> reporter: incredible numbers am lom of people meagan. we appreciate that. congress is a unique audience to hear this address from the pope. we've been looking at some o numbers for you. take a look. we know that 30% of congress is catholic. 22% of americans on average identify as catholic. the numbers are bigger. all 535 members of congress were able to give out one guest ticket for the address.

maybe he'll be the one who decides whether he shakes hands or not. plus a little girl he kissed yesterday has become a worldwide symbol. we're talking 5-year-old sophie cruz. she was born in the united states but her parents are from mexico. sophie and her family came to washington from los angeles. they wanted to deliver a special message to the pope. >> i would like to ask him to speak with the president and korng in utilizie ining my pare. i am scare thad one day they'll take my parents. >> reporter: she's seen there in a yellow t-shirt. she said her parents deserve

immigration reform. an incredible moment, a security officer picked her up and took her to the pope. a baby had that same thing yesterday. everybody trying to get a message and connect with the pope who was in the audience. eun? >> very special moment. thank you, aaron. maryland's governor plans to ask the pope for a special blessing. you may know mayor larry hogan has cancer. he was diagnosed hchl's had three spinal taps and 20 chemotherapy treatments. 95% of his cancer is gone but he has one more treatment ahead of him. we wish him the best. a congressman wants the pope to win the peace prize.

adam schist will circulate a letter. representative schist says the pope should be celebrated for his commitment to human rights and refugees. let's check the forecast with chuck bell. a beautiful sunrise. >> you bet you, eun. a beautiful sky this morning illuminated with earl morning color. sunrise is just a couple more hours away. 60 degrees at the national airport. a nice cool morning. it's in the 50s for most of the suburbs. another winner for any and all outdoor activities. 50 now, gadget thersburg, 54 in college park, 56 in falls church. the pope on the move as he goes in and around town. between 8:00 and 9:00, 64 you're

along the route there. around lunchtime, temperatures mid-70s. then 3:00 and 4:00 back out to joint base andrews. a really nice day to be outside for today. rain chances, though, nothing out there for now. showers along the carolina coast could bring some needed rain drops to our forecast. unfortunately just in time fo your the weekend. sunshine and 80 today. clouds tomorrow back into the 70s. chances for light rain over the course of your weekend. a check on traffic now with melissa. >> of course, all roads around the capital will be shut down. roads closed until 2:00 today. metro open until midnight. all stations open. peak service runs today. haven't had any issues, not on wood, cross your fingers. overall top of the beltway is a little bit slow. taking a look at 66, okay on 66.

95 northbound through dale city, 10 miles per hour, we don't know why. there's no actual problem there. prince george's county looks good and top of the beltway. 270, light volume. guys? >> thank you, melissa. it is 6:54. climate change has been a pretty big part of the conversation during the pope's visit. we expect to see hundreds of people rally about that issue in less than an hour. "news4's" megan mcgrath joins us with details from the national mall. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the president has been very pleaed with what the pope has had to say on climate change. later there's going to be a concert and rally on national mall. you see the stage behind me off in the distance and the dome of the u.s. capital. people are already beginning to gather. a number of groups will be speaking. religious groups, environmental groups. we'll hear from a number of mufrgss as well. they'll be performing later on this morning.

this will happen. a portion of it before members of congress later on this morning. we'll be covering it and bringing you the latest as it happens. back to you in the studio. >> thank you. so far, so good. it was jam packed. be sure to buy your tickets. barricades are up around the capital as crowds start to come in. adam tuss is live at sevenventhd pennsylvania avenue. >> today has a decidelely more formal feel. that means more people are out here. if you're coming around the capital. this is what you're going to

see. a lot of road closures. you see this cyclist being told he thoos go on the sidewalk. we've got security all over the place down here. really i think the way to describe it is here and then joint base andrews. just be prepared for it. >> all right, adam. thank you. nbc 4 is hosting a special viewing of the pope's address. if you want to avoid the crowd on the national mall, we invite you to join us at dupont festival. we'll have a jumbotron set up. the event is free and you'll avoid some of the hassle. >> reporter: a live look at the front of the east capitol where more is being put in place. i want to give you another sort of run down we expect to happen today. the pope will leave the vatican

embassy and arrive here around 9:15. the first order of business is to speak with the speak of the house john boehner and he'll address the full congress and members of the president's cabinet as well. we'll have all of that for you live at nbc 4. eun? >> thank you, aaron. that does it for us on "news4 today." our continuing coverage. stay with us. the "today" show is next. we'll see you in 25 minutes. have a great day.

good morning. history on the hill. the first pope ever to address congress. francis is set to arrive at the u.s. capitol this morning, after an unforgettable first day and night in the nation's capital. his message to washington, to the faithful and to all americans today, thursday, september 24th, 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today," pope francis in america, with matt lauer, live from st. patrick's cathedral, and savannah guthrie, live from capitol