0 this morning on "world news now," under siege as the terror attack and hostage situation comes to a close in kenya. we are learning about the terrorist connections. >> this is one of the only al qaeda affiliates that has actively recruited here in the united states. >> the americans caught in the middle of the frightening scene and the breaking developments overnight. controversial comments. the pope's off-the-cuff remarks about money. the candid new pontiff and how he is getting attention from the faithful in new ways worldwide. television's best, the top performances on the tube were honored at the emmy awards presented by a host looking for laughs. ♪ and now without any further adieu ♪ ♪ here's some really sexy dancing in the middle of the number that's the middle of the number of the show ♪ >> the glitz winner is the surprises and a memorable salute to tv a half century ago. it is monday, september 23rd. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning on this monday. i'm in for diana perez. >> great to have you here. >> good to be here. >> let's get it to. we have some serious stuff. the latest on the terror attack in kenya that killed at least 68 people. most of the hostages have been rescued. many adults are suffering from dehydration. some of the attackers have "most probably been killed in the operation." >> the state department says five u.s. citizens were among the 175 injured but no americans are among those reportedly killed. we begin with abc's lindsey davis in nairobi. >> reporter: kenyan security forces moved in to end the standoff. outside of the mall, a large explosion as choppers who escaped. nick handler was in a cafe with his 2-year-old daughter. >> all of a sudden heard a loud explosion, followed by a few gunshots, and i just immediately grabbed her and ran across the mall. >> at the same time, his wife lindsey was eight months pregnant. she was one floor down. she hid in a movie theater and was eventually rescued. the white house is under pressure to ramp up counterterrorism efforts against al shabaab. that is the al qaeda-linked group behind the deadly attack in kenya. brian ross continues our coverage. >> reporter: u.s. officials estimate that as many as 50 americans have traveled to training camps in somalia and signed on as recruits to al-shabaab over the last six years. >> it is an extremely deadly organization, very well trained and one of the only al qaeda affiliates that has actively recruited here in the united states. >> reporter: just last month, al-shabaab posted this on-line recruiting video with three young men it said were from minneapolis and later died as martyrs. >> if you guys only knew how much fun we have over here, this is the real disneyland. come here and join us. >> reporter: another american, omar hammammi from daphne, alabama, rose to a leadership in al-shabaab until he was reportedly killed by rivals of the group earlier this month. >> one of the things we seek for in this life is to die a martyr. it hit u.s. targets, and officials worry the american recruits there could return home with that in mind. >> this is something scary. if you think about individuals who went and fought in a place like somalia and when they come back home there's nothing good that can come out of this. what we see today in kenya can be easily copied here in the united states. >> reporter: the fbi has made criminal cases against those who went to somalia and came to the u.s. at this point, the fbi says it and other law enforcement agencies have no information that al-shabaab has any plans of the capacity to carry out attacks in the u.s. abcnews.com. president obama and the first lady joined 3500 mourners at a memorial service in washington, d.c., honoring the 12 men and women killed last monday in the navy yard massacre. the president used the opportunity to continue his push for more gun control. >> if we can prevent even one tragedy like this, save even one life, spare other families what these families are going through, surely we have an obligation to try. >> reporter: but the head of the nra promises to oppose tighter gun control. he is pushing for mental health care reform, saying potentially dangerous, mentally ill people should be locked up. politics in washington having an impact on wall street again. the dow jones industrial average closed down 185 points to close at 15,451. analysts point to the source of those jitters. yet another fiscal cliff as the looming budget battle threatens another government shutdown. >> we were hitting record highs on wednesday which is great for retirement accounts and we reverse the declines in two days. all of that because of a budget showdown in washington is taking center stage today. it is deja vu all over again. a few years ago we had the same problem. remember that we lost our perfect credit score. >> stocks plunged on friday after the house voted to defund president obama's health care law. the deadline is october 1st. in our health headlines, despite all the advice about the benefits of breast-feeding it appears most new moms are having a tough time with it. a study released this morning finds three-fourths of new moms try breast-feeding only 13% stick with it. the doctor recommended six months. a whopping 92% had at least one concern about breast-feeding three days after delivery. might not be a super hero but you can call him boy wonder. he's proven to be one of the strongest kids in the country. >> check out 5-year-old carson doing what he does best. carson weighs 55 pounds. here he is lifting 80 pounds without breaking a sweat. not only is he doing it with ease, he still has a smile on his face when it's all over. the video has already racked up 3 0,000 views just days after it was posted. for a split second when he got it up to his waist i thought he was going to jump under it and do the clear and jerk. still that is a dead lift and a lot of weight for a little kid. >> sure is. >> i remember lifting weights as a kid -- >> is it okay for his bones? >> a lot of experts would say it isn't the best thing but i'm sure there are different opinions. >> i want to give him a glass of milk. >> absolutely. coming up, the restaurant that orders you to shut up and eat. later, simply the best on tv last night emmy awards. the big winners, memorable performances and unforgettable host. you are watching "world news now." ♪ simply the best ♪ better than all the rest >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by hotwire.com. the best ♪ ♪ better than all the rest >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by hotwire.com. >> as a kid, i made a list of all the places i wanted to visit. i'm still not gonna make it to mars, but, thanks to hotwire's incredibly low travel prices, i can afford to cross more things off my list. this year alone, we went to the top of the statue of liberty and still saved enough to go to texas, to a real dude ranch. hotwire checks 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[ laughing ] [ male announcer ] try resolve stain remover, the formula penetrates deep into your carpet and removes stains so they don't come back. trust resolve. forget stains. people switching to finish ar. quantum with power gel delivers brilliant shine, which cascade actionpacs can't do. take the finish shine challenge and see what it can do for you. i love that just washed freshness, but then it goes to your closet...to die. so do what i do -- try new glow unstopables in-wash scent boosters. toss them in before the wash, then pour in downy infusions for softness. mmm! and they fill your closet with scents so fresh i could just yodel! and they last for 12 weeks! downy unstopables and infusions. discover a fresher world. pope francis is making headlines again. this time talking about money. >> abc's gio benitez has more on the pope's controversial comments. an off the cuff comment on sunday while visiting one of italy's poorest areas, pope francis denounced what he called idolatry of money and big business. where there's no work, there's no dignity he said. the pope's other comments sparked headlines and debate. thursday, pope francis blasted church hardliners for focusing on small-minded rules that are divisive like abortion, gay marriage and contraception. >> he's a people person, and i think he understands the changes in the church. >> reporter: bill maher. >> i'm not sure what the pope wants. i'm starting to fear it is my time slot. >> reporter: friday, perhaps extending an olive branch to the most conservative catholics, the pope spoke again -- this time denouncing abortion and today's throw away culture. >> in a world filled with conclusion and clashing voices this man has sanity and simplicity and sincerity and he is bringing us together. >> reporter: he is considered one of the most approachable popes ever, taking selfies with the church faithful and making cold calls including this to a woman concerned about her pregnancy out of wedlock. here at st. patrick's cathedral, cardinal dolan called the pope a breath of fresh air. gio benitez, abc news. >> that brings us to the facebook question of the day. >> what do you think of pope francis' latest comments? log on to wnnfans.com to weigh in. >> refreshing. >> he actually had a prepared speech and just decided to do away with it after hearing from the father. 45 years old with three kids and unemployed. he said in this age of globalization, the people who suffer the most are the weakest in society, and he wanted to make that point. >> and he said to defend the economic throw away culture has been installed, throw away grandparents and young people. we have to stop the throw away culture. a pope that is up front with his tone. sounds different. lot of people are fired up about it. >> it clearly needed to have a new page with the catholic church and was this pope going to do it? >> the dialogue certainly started. >> seems like it. still to come, highlights of last night's emmy awards. >> we'll look at who merely stole the show and who took home the biggest awards. our media consultant here. and the latest to weigh in on hillary clinton's future is finally hillary herself. we will find out what she says about running for president. you are watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations.