anne thompson? >> yes, i hear you. >> what are you seeing and where are you in relation to what we're watching? and this is the pope going down the greeting section of dignitaries? well, it worked before when anne thompson was on the aircraft. >> i imagine there's a lot of cell phone jamming going on right now in that area. a lot of security. >> a lot of radar frequencies, too, at an air force base and we'll say along with a lot of people who are watching, yes, every time we see the obama daughters we all say the same thing, how beautiful they've grown as we've watched them in the white house all these years. >> imagine what a memory this is for them? >> oh, my, yes, absolutely. >> the rest of their lives. >> i was sitting here thinking well, i guess the school day is over and i guess they got permission to come out here. now let's watch this. [ cheers and applause ] >> imagine being those little kids? the vatican selected four children, first, third, fifth, and seventh grades from seven catholic sc

anne thompson is down there. to be clear, the people we are seeing along fifth avenue there, that is an area, a ticketed secured area, correct? >> reporter: you know, lester? i'm actually not quite sure. but i can tell you this, whether they are ticketed or not, they are very enthusiastic. yet respectful crowd as the pope makes his way down fifth avenue, blessing people as he goes. it is a crowd, you can see all the arms outstretched just trying to get that picture, to capture that moment. and waiting here at st. patrick's i'm struck by it, i can see a big donor to the renovation of st. patrick's cathedral. he is a very prominent businessman in this country who actually questioned some of the pope's comments about capitalism, and wondered if this pope in particular was an anti-capitalist. the pope addressed that on the papal plane, on the flight back from havana to washington, saying that everything he has said goes back to the doctrine of the church. you hear the cheers as pope francis gets closer to st. patrick

anne thompson is there with a crowd of more than 20,000 people. e, i don't know if you can speak as the mass continues here, can you give us a chance what it is like to be there? >> it sin credible, i apologize for the golf whisper but what's required for us here on the riser at mass. there are an estimated 23 to 25,000 people here and they have been held rapt ever since pope francis appeared in the popemobile. before mass, he made two loops around the area here at the east side of the basilica and people cheered, they went crazy. it felt like a football game, you know, there was so much excitement. and then he went inside. and when he prayed inside the basilica, a very quiet, very pence sive moment for him, the crowd went entirely silent, then the mass, which has been going on now for a little more than an hour, about an hour and 10 minute, this crowd has been incredibly attentive. fuzz go to st. petary he is, not unusual to get quiet during a mass. i wondered if the same thing would happen in the u.s. i can tell you is happening here in washingto

anne thompson on the plane with pope francis, as it has now left the hangar area and taxiing and wills over to that church. but it's where he always goes and gives thanks after a trip. and prays at the blessed virgin there to give thanks. he always does it before the trip, as well. that's probably one of the other places we will see him when he lands in rome. >> an thompsne thompson, when y to, hang up. we understand how that works. >> reporter: you don't want to be alec baldwin, right? >> we don't want you to be. you will never be like that. that's a good thing. >> reporter: so far, nobody is giving me a hard time. it's funny, you would die laughing, or be amazed, all the cameras are already on the tripods in anticipation of the press conference. it's different than your typical commercial flight. >> again, this papal plane, is it called pope one, is not like air force one. it is a commercial airline, is it not? >> reporter: absolutely. it's not retrofitted in any way. it's your basic airliner that you would take across, that you would fly from philadelphia to rome. they used to, whe

. >> as we watch the official greetings, as we listen to the bells peal, anne thompson is there already and feel the excitement welling up in the crowd around her. anne? >> reporter: brian, just been incredible. i mean, people here, it was great to -- they started watching the popemobile around catholic u on the jumbo screen -- jumbotron here and then when he came into view, as i said, it was just like an audio wave that swept over campus. and everybody had their smartphones out, trying to grab that picture. we saw people run to try to follow the popemobile, he turned around and came back so they got a second view, which was really special. one of the things i have noticed, the difference between the crowds in the u.s. and i think this has to do with security and the crowds, for example, in south america or in korea or the philippines, where we have traveled with him, is that usually people throw things at the popemobile and the pope. when we were in ecuador, they were throwing flower petals as a sign of welcome. in rio, they were throwing argentine flags and the san lorenzo soccer jers

>> anne thompson, thanks. let's go to nbc's ron mott north on fifth avenue where people gathered to catch a glimpse of the motorcade. he got in that popemobile and quickly the crowd erupted. describe what it was like. >> reporter: when he went past us here, he was still in the fiat. to be honest, i think a lot of people probably missed the pope. they stood out here a couple of hours trying to get the best position. lisa smith is a native new yorker. this would have been her third pope she will have seen in person. did you actually get to see him? >> no. i was using my phone trying to take a picture and waiting for the popemobile. then all of a sudden the lady next to me said he passed. >> reporter: so it was a very quick trip, i got about two seconds. what inspired but this pope in particular? >> pope francis has a very beautiful message how we can all come together to save the environment. our environment has degraded greatly in the last 30 or 20 years. >> reporter: that clearly is an important issue to him.

our report tonight from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: the enormity of ground zero dwarfed even pope francis prayed silently at the south pool. the one place in new york the pope insisted on visiting. of the thousand family members on hand, he met with 20. including monica murphy, she showed francis a picture of her first husband michael who died on what she called sacred ground. >> what an honor. he is the closest thing we're going to get to god. >> it was an emotional moment. peter is a retired firefighter. >> it does mean something. it meant a lot. that he came through here. >> reporter: the pope then led an interfaith gathering of the world's religions in t world museum's foundation hall. [ singing ] >> reporter: in front of the wall that held back the hudson river on september 11th, francis prayed for peace. his day began at the united nations. meeting with staff. and delivering a forceful speech about protecting the earth. before 170 world leaders and malala yousef, he insisted that a right of the environment does exist and that man is not authorized to abuse it. the ecological

lester, back to you. >> anne thompson, thanks. let's go 20 blocks north where the pope is staying for the night on manhattan's upper east side. ron allen is there. what's the scene like? >> reporter: it is quite something. there's a huge army of new york city police, you can see behind me there. the townhouse where the pope is staying is down the street 50 yards from where i am standing in the darkness over there. there was a huge police operation a few minutes ago, a large motorcade came up into the area. it is unclear whether the pope is there or not, getting back to this area, there are no crowds here at all, purely a police security operation. crowds were here earlier today. once the prayer service got under way at saint patrick's cathedral not far from here, the crowds moved back. the pope came up fifth avenue heading this direction, crowds were moved far back. purely a police operation here. scores upon scores of officers, helicopters overhead. at this point it appears the pope is very near the residence if not there already

. >>> anne thompson was with the pope on the way to the u.s. and during the flight he took a question about the message he hopes to deliver during the historic visit. ann joins us live from joint pace andrews. what did he say? >> lester, i can tell you it is was an energized pope francis talking to reporters after three long hot days in cuba telling about a woman thinking he is the anti-pope because he doesn't wear the red shoes. the pope knows he has the world's attention on this trip and we expect him to use it to hit some favorite photographer sis themes. first of all climate change. he believes that developed countries like the united states owe a debt to developing countries for all of the carbon monoxide they have spewed into the air. immigration, he has asked everybody to adopt refugee family. might he do the same here in america. the plight of the poor. le have lunch with the homeless here in d.c. and the important of family is the topic when the pope travels to philadelphia over the weekend. the hope told me on the plane he is anxious t

i'm ann thompson in rome. now back to you. >> we have all the big moment from the papal visit posted on nbcnewyork.com. you can met reaction from those who met him and view the emotional scenes that brought many to tears. >>> a commuter look now. a live look at the george washington bridge where crews are preparing to close the lower level eastbound for construction. it will continue until 5:00 a.m. each day through thursday. they'll also be closed from 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. friday and saturday while workers remove temporary construction platforms. >>> good news for everybody tonight who flies in and out of kennedy airport. finished a modernization project on one of jfk's major runways and that runway is once again open. the spokesperson says it now has a high-speed taxi way and widened to accommodate the world's largest planes. >>> it wasn't a great day on wall street. the stock market had its worst drop in nearly a month as investors worried about signs of china's weakening economy. stocks were down across

anne thompson, nbc news, cuba. >>> back in this country, wildfires burning in california have reached historic proportions as crews this evening are battling several blazes across the state with more homes going up in flames. total damage among the most devastating california has ever seen. nbc news national correspondent miguel almaguer has the report. >> reporter: within hours of the first flames, ten homes were gone. the latest wildfire to explode in northern california, quickly forced thousands to evacuate just outside of monterey. >> it is kind of just leave. i mean, you are not prepared for that. >> reporter: in napa county, few were prepared for this. >> i wish it was a dream. i really do. i don't want it to be like this. >> reporter: today, the count nearly 1800 structures in middletown, more than a thousand homes are gone. the third most destructive wildfire in california history. entire neighborhoods were incinerated here. fierce flames jumping from ridge to ridge. when the fire crowns in these trees, the immediate concern isn't necessarily the blaze, it is the embers. they

nbc's anne thompson on the message and the reaction. >> reporter: pope francis expresses compassion in his acts and words. famously asking "who am i to judge" about gay priests. now he wants the church to extend that mercy to catholic women who've had abortions writing that for the year of mercy starting in december any woman with a contrite heart can go to confession and be forgiven for an abortion by any priests. and those priests must do so by expressing words of genuine welcome to the women while reflecting on the gravity of the sin. >> what does this mean for catholic women? >> i thought it was very important that today he talked about the circumstances that women find themselves in in these situations. and that is so characteristic of him. >> reporter: the letter comes three weeks before francis's visit to this country, where abortion remains a divisive issue in and outside the church. at least one theologian sees in the timing a message directed at the u.s. >> he's saying abortion is still wrong but we need to be more welcoming and we need to ratchet back the language of damnati

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> up next here tonight, surprising news about kids, alcohol, and the right age to have the booze talk. it's probably not what you think. >>> the man who not once but twice reinvented the horror genre in hollywood and scared the wits out of generations of moviegoers has died. wes craven was the force behind "a nightmare on elm street" in the 1980s, bringing the now-iconic freddie krueger to the big screen to haunt your dreams. in the '90s, he did it again with the smash success of "scream," the slasher film that was in on the joke. robert englund, the actor who played freddie krueger, said today, "it's a sad day on elm street and everywhere." wes craven passed away of brain cancer at his home in los angeles. he was 76 years old. >>> there's a warning out tonight for parents that you should talk to your kids about the dangers of alcohol as early as age 9. that's the new guidance from the american academy of pediatrics, citing surveys that show kids begin to think positively about alcohol between ages 9 and 13. and 21% of kids admit trying alcohol bef

>> anne thompson outside the vatican.nk you. >>> sobbing before a judge, saying she regretted making a horrible mistake, today joyce mitchell, the woman who helped two convicted murderers break out of a maximum security prison in upstate new york, was sentenced to up to seven years behind bars for her role in the escape. the sentence was part of a plea deal. mitchell apologized for the fear and disruption caused by the escape and manhunt which went on for three harrowing weeks. >>> still ahead tonight, the rising cost of your breakfast. what's behind the sudden spike in prices for something that's been part of the morning routine for decades in so many american kitchens. >>> also, tensions exploding between teammates. fallout and the fight in the dugout. the season over for one of these players. >>> we're back now with the price you pay and something you've probably noticed at the supermarket. the price of cereal is on the rise. one of many things in the grocery aisle getting more and more expensive. cereal is rising fast

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> we're back with more right after this. >>> for the first time tonight we are hearing from the now former officer in a video that shocked the nation. michael slager is facing murder charges for gunning down walter scott as a bystander captured it on his phone. now slager's attorneys say there is more than meets the eye in that video, and in documents filed just hours ago they're giving us a first look at his defense. nbc's craig melvin has the details. >> show me your license. >> reporter: when walter scott was stopped for a broken taillight last april he took off running. former north charleston police officer michael slager gave chase and about a minute later the two men are captured on cell phone video by a bystander. in a recent video conference with his attorney andy savage slager defended his actions. >> just three seconds of the video came out and everybody thought i was racist and i took out my gun and shot him in the back for no reason. >> reporter: in documents filed today argues the state's own evidence shows officer slager did not com

we get details from ann thompson. >> reporter: blue bell ice cream recalled for listeria and a ceo of a peanut contamination with a salmonella outbreak that sickened people in 46 states. two of the deadly food poisoning driving today's sweeping new federal safety rules. what do these changes mean for consumers? >> there will be fewer recalls and also fewer illnesses. they can be more comfortable in buying food and serving it to their family because they won't get sick. >> reporter: instead of reacting to contamination, food manufacturers must now develop plans to prevent such outbreaks. one in six americans, 48 million people get sick from food born diseases according to the government, an estimated 3,000 people die each year. barbara has been fighting for change since she lost her 2-year-old son kevin after the toddler ate hamburger contaminated with e. coli. >> he went from healthy to dead in 12 days. since then my family is working to improve the food system to make sure this doesn't happen to other families. >> reporter: coming soon, standards for farmers and increased oversight o

ann thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> still ahead here tonight, the american women who went where few would dare, hand picked to become under ground astronauts, if you will, to make a discovery that's astounding the world and altering the history of humanity. >>> also, the game he was all most barred from playing, tom brady moments away from kicking off a new before i had the shooting, burning, pins-and-needles of diabetic nerve pain, these feet... ...served my country... ...carried the weight of a family... ...and walked a daughter down the aisle. but i couldn't bear my diabetic nerve pain any longer. so i talked to my doctor and he prescribed lyrica. nerve damage from diabetes causes diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is fda-approved to treat this pain. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new, or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, s

. >> so for more on the pope's visit to the prison, let's go to anne thompson. i want to talk about both things. two events today. this pope does not shy away from controversy. he's meeting with inmates. he's talking about the sex abuse scandal within the catholic church and even broadened that out to people that are victims of sex abuse by family members, teachers and the luke. talk about the tenor of this pope and how he seems to be somewhat fearless as he engages in different topics. >> he is fearless. he is willing to take on any issue, it seems, and he's been criticized, in fact, about his attitude regarding sexual abuse victims. there are critics who say he has not done enough in the 2 1/2 years of his papacy. today was not just symbolic. a very important meeting for both pope francis and the church. as you said, he met with three women and two men, not all were victims of priests. some were victims of teachers. some of family members. but he sat down and listened to their stories, which is very important for any victim to be able to tell the pope their st

nbc's anne thompson has details. >> reporter: francis, building on his reputation as the pope of mercy, today streamlined the annulment process for divorced catholics. 25% of american catholics are divorced, and almost half of the annulment cases in the church are from the spup father dave dwyer, a radio host on the catholic channel, says divorce and annulments make the phone lines light up. >> why is this such a hot top snik. >> so many people feel they are away from the church, cannot participate in the sacraments, cannot receive communion until they get an annulme annulment. >> reporter: but if they get an nall sxmt remarry they can southeast sacrament. under the new process the mandatory second review of an annulment decision is eliminated and bishops can now quickly decide case when's both spouses seek the annulment or no one contests it. lisa duffy got a divorce and started the annulment process in 1994, eventually writing a book about it. >> the charge for the annulment process was $600. and it was steep for me. the whole process was right around two years long. >> reporter: now

anne thompson starts us off tonight. >> reporter: philadelphia reveling in the francis effect. at the pope's final day of his first-ever trip to the u.s., a mixture of the joy of faith and the still painful business of the church. francis telling the bishops he met with five sexual abuse victims this morning, harmed by priests, teachers or family members. francis says he's overwhelmed with shame by the actions of some priests. >> translator: god weeps. >> reporter: promising all would be held accountable. does this close the door on the sex abuse scandal here in the u.s.? >> absolutely not. this scandal is a long way from being closed. there's so much healing that has to happen. >> reporter: a pope went to a prison, telling some 100 inmates he comes as a pastor and brother, greeten each one personally, encouraging them to get back on the right road. for thousands attending mass, today patience is a virtue. >> those items cannot go. >> reporter: to survive the epic security lines or epic road trips. was it worth it? >> oh, yeah. >> 500 students from notre dame endured a 13-hour

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> the city of baltimore has agreed to pay the family of freddie gray $6.4 million. the proposed settlement pending the approval of a city spending board comes five months after gray suffered a fatal spinal injury while in police custody, sparking spark ing days of unrest. separately six baltimore police officers face criminal charges stemming from his death. baltimore's fraternal 0rd of police calls the deal obscene and urged the board to reject it. >>> still ahead tonight for the first time we're hearing from a police officer accused of gunning down a fleeing man. his defense claiming there's more to that now infamous video that you haven't seen. >>> also, serena williams has one of the crowning achievements in all of sports in her sights, but first she has to get past her own moderate to severe crohn's disease is tough, but i've managed. except that managing my symptoms was all i was doing. and when i finally told my doctor, he said humira is for adults like me who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to sev

>> anne thompson.alking about joe biden, who is certainly getting a lot of exposure through these visits. >> absolutely. as you say, there he was on everyone's television screen right behind the pope as he spoke, and clearly reacting emotionally to the speech. i was watching his face during much of the speech and it resonated with him and then we saw him speak directly to the pope as a catholic, i can only imagine that for him that must have been an important and significant moment. politically, he's got a very, very large charge. he's got to make a decision as to whether to make a late entry into this race, now just two weeks before the first democratic debate, and when he would be significantly behind hillary clinton in money, and it must weigh heavily on him. >> and chris cillizza, what about the republican race right now and all the sharpened rhetoric that we're hearing in the aftermath of scott walker's dropping out, marco rubio going up in some polls in florida, over jeb bush. and of course, dona

. >> anne thompson, as we noted and as you saw, the pope and the greeting party now retired indoors for about a 15-minute period of time we're told before they leave and make the drive into washington, d.c. i want to bring in nbc's andrea mitchell to talk more about what we can expect here in washington. andrea, there was a time the republican party really embraced the pope and it was almost seeming to flip-flop now, democrats look at him, look at the messages, the things he's tried to champion and embraced him more. how are those dynamics played out at the white house and later when he addresses congress? >> certainly, the white house is trying to take advantage of the fact that the pope has been such a strong supporter of the iran negotiations, and that he was a fa till at a ticilitator that bo parties together in rome when these secret talks have been going on for months and months and really sealed the deal for u.s. and cuba to normalize relations through trade of prisoners, so this has been a major contribution to legacy of barack obama, the two things he's certainly going to point

excited to be joined by our own anne thompson, of course covering the vatican for a long time, covering this trip by the pope and many others, and, anne as we watch this armada of aircraft fly over to the island of manhattan including some osprey aircraft, which we didn't see before, looks like something out of "star wars", sum up what you witnessed today on the pope's schedule, the various stop his made and remarks he made. >> reporter: well, personally, i think the highlight of the day, i know there's been a lot of attention paid to his speech to congress, but, brian, i was there at catholic charities where he came in to bless the food for 300 homeless people, and they rushed him like he was a rock star or a baseball player or someone like that. pope francis loved every single second of it. that is his wheelhouse. that's where he feels comfortable. that's what this trip is all about. to go and reach out to the peripheries of the american society, to shine our light on people that we walk by every day and don't pay attention to. and you can see, i mean, his security team, as people rus

for "today," anne thompson, nbc news, rome. >> it will be a big week. >> yes, it will. >>> up next, a look at the biggest headlines from the raging wildfires out west and the devastating flooding in utah. and matt's interview with the woman who helped two convicts escape from prison. but first this is "today" on nbc. (plays throughout) ♪ sometimes, at last doesn't happen at first. ♪ ♪ your dad just kissed my mom. ♪ turning two worlds into one takes love. ♪ helping protect that world takes state farm. >>> we are back with "the download" on this saturday. our chance to look at the week's biggest headlines. >> our way to remind you of the stories everyone was talking about this week. >> fast moving flames. scorching close to 150,000 acres in northern california and destroying nearly 1,000 homes. >> this was winnie's home saturday night. this is what it looks like today. >> normally i can't fight. >> from a wall of flames to walls of water in utah. >> oh, my goodness. it went over the fence. >> two vehicles filled with three families. 16 people disappearing. >> 12 people confirmed dead. f

we begin our coverage of nbc's anne thompson ann? >> reporter: lester, today the humility of pope francis intersected with the seat of american political power. his compassion winning the day as he some very controversial issues. today pope francis met the american people. the average, and the elite. pulling up to the white house in the modest fiat for an elaborate presidential welcome. >> and the generosity of your spirit, we see a living example of jesus' teachings. >> we are living in a critical moment in history. >> reporter: the blunt-speaking pope outlined his priorities. the son of an immigrant family he praised the roots and urged the protection of religious freedom and commended president's out reach to cuba and action on climate change. >> climate change is a problem we can no longer be left to our future generations. >> reporter: a beaming president obama took the pope for a tour of the white house and a private meeting. and then under a cloudless sky he toured in the pope-mobile. blessing the 50,000 along the route, kissi

for "today," anne thompson, nbc news, rome. >> it will be a big week. >> yes, it will. >>> up next, a look at the biggest headlines from the raging wildfires out west and the devastating flooding in utah. and matt's interview with the woman who helped two convicts escape from prison. but first this is "today" on nbc. we thought we'd be ready. but demand for our cocktail bitters was huge. i could feel our deadlines racing towards us. we didn't need a loan. we needed short-term funding. fast. our amex helped us fill the orders. just like that. you can't predict it, but you can be ready. another step on the journey. will you be ready when growth presents itself. realize your buying power at open.com. >>> we are back with "the download" on this saturday. our chance to look at the week's biggest headlines. >> our way to remind you of the stories everyone was talking about this week. >> fast moving flames. scorching close to 150,000 acres in northern california and destroying nearly 1,000 homes. >> this was winnie's home saturday night. this is what it looks like today. >> normally i can't

nbc's anne thompson is traveling with the pope. she's in havana. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, craig. up to 1.5 million people are expected here in revolution square, as pope francis celebrates mass this morning. the first big event on a trip that will take him to the united states later this week. pope francis brought his message of peace to havana, only to be welcomed by a military salute. peace was on his mind during the nearly 12-hour flight from rome. the world is thirsty for peace, he told reporters, and got emotional recalling a syrian refugee family waving good-bye to him. he could see the pain of war on their faces. on the plane, i asked francis what he is most curious about the united states. the people, he said. i want to meet the people. some americans couldn't wait. and joined 100,000 cubans on havana streets to welcome the pope. >> it's just so exciting, and look, i have goose bumps. it's crazy. >> reporter: comparing the magical moment captured on smartphones. in havana, the pope praised the new relationship between cuba a

anne thompson reports from rome.e pope also made clear his thinking on priests and sexual abuse. >> reporter: pope francis is now back at the vatican after six days in the united states and he really seemed to enjoy his time there. he said he was genuinely surprised by the warmth and the piety of the american people. >> i've been waiting my whole life for this. he's bringing me back to the church, which is the whole point of all of this. he's a man who exudes love for everybody. it was great, very heart warming. >> he had a description of each of the three cities he visited. he said washington he found formal but warm. new york city, which had that huge standing ovation after his mass at madison square garden. he said new york city was exuberant. and philadelphia where 800,000 people went to mass with him on sunday, the final event in his u.s. tour, he said philadelphia was very demonstrative. the pope addressed the issue of sexual abuse, when he offered them words of compassion, he said he wasn't trying to downplay

i'm anne thompson in rome and now back to you. >> thank you very much. >> okay. we'll be right back with sports. >>> time to check in with jeff ranieri and let's talk about the week. we started and saw those wild temperature swings and what can we expect. >> cooler temperatures as we head throughout the next couple of days. make it comfortable here in the pay area and the sky camera network as the sun sets, super beautiful tonight. we do have some high clouds streaming in with the storm system just offshore and 75 right now from our mt. hamilton weather underground sky camera and get a look across the bay and 77 in the east bay and check it out in san francisco. currently 59 degrees and thick fog at the immediate coastline. see it right now from our mt. hamilton camera and that definitely will be putting drizzle back in the forecast at the immediate coast like for tomorrow so let's go ahead and take you into that morning coastline and the workweek here for a lot in san francisco, areas of fog for the peninsula and down into the south bay. high clouds and 60 degre

i'm ann thompson in rome. now back to you. >> pope francis canonized a new saint here in d.c. it's already bringing a lesson in forgiveness out west. look at what vandals did to a statue of junipero serra. someone threw green paint and wrote saint of genocide. church leaders credit serra for spreading the gospel in california during the 18th century and critics say he forged a brutal system that cut off native americans from their culture. >> being made a saint doesn't mean the person is perfect. we all have our flaws. we all have our defects, you know? and so it was with serra. >> volunteers gathered this morning to clean up some of the damage which fortunately mission leaders say is not permanent. >>> a potential plea deal is in the works for a former house speaker dennis hastert accused in a cover-up scandal. his lawyers for talks with prosecutors and they didn't release details after a court hearing. an indictment handed down in may accuses of hastert of skirting banking lous in order to pay an unnamed person more than $3 million. the pages were made through claims of sexu

anne thompson starts us off tonight. >> reporter: philadelphia reveling in the francis effect. at the pope's final day of his first-ever trip to the u.s., a mixture of the joy of faith and the still painful business of the church. francis telling the bishops he met with five sexual abuse victims this morning, harmed by priests, teachers or family members. francis says he's overwhelmed with shame by the actions of some priests. >> translator: god weeps. >> reporter: promising all would be held accountable. does this close the door on the sex abuse scandal here in the u.s.? this scandal is a long way from being closed. there's so much healing that has to happen. >> reporter: a pope went to a prison, telling some 100 inmates he comes as a pastor and brother, greeten each one personally, encouraging them to get back on the right road. for thousands attending mass, today patience is a virtue. >> those items cannot go. >> reporter: to survive the epic security lines or epic road trips. was it worth it? >> oh, yeah. >> 500 students from notre dame endured a 13-hour bus ride. >> report

let me go to ann thompson who we've seen all afternoon. anne, you were on the plane, now you're at andrews air force base. you've covered a number of trips. tell me what you expect tonight? is it time for him to rest and stay indoors or could he make an appearance? that's what the crowd is opening for. >> i can tell you when he was in quito a couple of months ago, kate, he was staying at the apostolic understand in ya which you are there. people were singing and praying and he came out and spoke to them as a grandfather and said "will you please go home so i can get sleep and so you can get some sleep?" and then he sail hail marys and blessed them and they dispersed and he went to bed. he has had, i can tell you, cuba was unbelievably hot and humid. he had two outdoor masses, the mass was indoors but this was not an easy trip for him all his days have been filled to the brim. tonight i think you can expect for him to have down time. it would not surprise me if he came out to greet the crowd. that's something he likes to do. but from tomorro