of announcing a white house bid. suzanne malveaux, we are going to go to first. no. it is sunlen serfaty. she is live up first in manchester. no. you are in michigan. it is suzanne that is in manchester. sunlen, tell us what's going on there? >> reporter: it is interesting. >> pope francis, that controversial moment with donald trump. how he is going to react to it. i want to read to you. donald trump breaking his silence from thursday. quote, this is the first time in my life that i have caused controversy by not saying something. if someone made a nasty controversial statement about me to the president, do you think he would come to my rescue? this next almost an excuse as to why he didn't interject. if i would have challenged the man, the media would have accused me of interfering with the man's right of speech, a no-win situation and the last one tweeting, christians need support in our country and around the world. the religious liberty is at stake. obama has been horrible. i will be great. here, everyone wants to know, will he address these controversial comments? we have heard from some of the candidates already. martin o'malley, the maryland democratic candidate. as a leader, their goal is to speak out against it. they need to speak out against comments like this. >> sunlen serfaty addressing the issue. we are going to go to manchester, new hampshire, where hillary clinton is speaking. she has just taken the podium. are we going to win this election in 2016? yes, we are. thank you. my heart is just racing. thank you for everything you and the state have meant to me and to my family. i am honored to have the support of so many proud new hampshire democrats and specially your terrific governor. your amazing senator who used to be governor. megan and jeannie are women who know how to solve problems. they bring common sense and common purpose to everything they do. i also want to thank congresswoman and all the grass roots organizers and specially volunteers that are working their hearts out for this campaign. >> i have a great idea. i think i can transport all of you everywhere we go around the country together. >> as fun as this, as exciting as the atmosphere in here is, we have work to do as democrats. i want to be your partner to build our party here in this state and across our nation to keep our progress going. we have come a long way, haven't we, these past 6 1/2 years. thanks to the hard work and sacrifice -- >> let's bring in ron brownstein and jeffrey lord. you have been speaking to hillary clinton speaking at a democratic rally in new hampshire. >> you saw donald trump's responses this morning? what's interesting about his tweets, defending himself. he gets to the allegations against the president being a muslim but he doesn't get to the other comment. we were live on the air on thursday night when that question happened. the questioner talked about muslims in america in general being a problem. he doesn't answer that criticism, does he? >> no, he doesn't address that at all. this whole exchange is a nice crystalization of the challenge and the problem facing donald trump. a lot of his core coalition believes this sort of thing. you look at the last cnnorc poll. 54% of the people that said they were supporting donald trump also said they believe the president is a muslim. he has challenges in that his base is pushing at the boundaries of political dialogue. noern on the other hand, i think it is a mistake to say he is completely immune from the laws of political gravity. you see a big gap with white collar, educated republicans much less than blue color to la. only 40% of republicans with a college degree say he has the temperament and personality to succeed as press. you risk alienating your base. other republicans are listening and this could seed doubts among them. >> donald trump said he is not obligated to respond about questions about the president. he is obligated to stand up to a questioner who makes a broader question of muslims in general as this questioner appeared to do? >> i don't think there is anything. the implication here and all this media-induced firestorm, is that it is somehow a slur to say that someone is muslim. >> to be fair, jeffrey, that was not the point. the questioner said, we have a problem in america. >> you and i know and ron knows that every other day, when we pick up a newspaper or turn on the television, we are seeing that authorities have unraveled some plot by islamic extremists in this country, all of whom are muslims. it is a simple statement of fact. there is no bias or bigotry to it. >> you can say you have an islamic extremist problem any more than you can say you have a christian crime because of christians? >> christians aren't committing crimes because of their religion, are they? >> can you fairly paint the whole faith with a brush because of what a tiny percentage of members of that faith do? that's what the question ner er doing. >> i find this ex as per rating. in general, i think this is the kind of media. rush limbaugh has a word for this kind of thing. he calls the media the drive-byes. they come into an area, shoot up the whole place in a media firestorm. then, they move on to the next one. this is a typical drive-by situation. >> ron, if you think it is the media, we had chris christie criticize and donald trump. this is a telling moment. i think it is a lot of people who support donald trump will see nothing wrong with it. they think it is admirable he is not giving into political correctness. it tends to bind his support. the challenge he creates for the republican party is that this really is what we saw from his announcement statement on mexican-americans and undocumented immigrants and the risk is that he essentially portraying a party that is uneasy with the diversity that is transforming america. that is a very difficult position to be in. >> i want to give you a chance to respond. >> his announcement speech he was talking about illegal immigrants, not immigrants. there is a vast difference. >> but, jeffrey, he talked about, there are 11 million, roughly 11 million undocumented by all estimates. there is a vast difference within that population itself. he was painting all of them with a very disparaging brush. it is well-documented there is a very high crime rate with illegals in this country. governor perry said this about how many illegals he had in jails in texas who had committed all kinds of crimes. that was governor perry, not donald trump. >> i want to ask you both a question here. the best academic evidence is that there is no higher rate. the broader point. the overall world vision is very ensue lar and defensive. the core idea is that the idea of america is being taken away by the changes that are happening. ronald reagan in 1980 lost by 5 million votes. it is likely the minority share of the vote will be higher in 2016. the risk of the entire tenor of the republican debate he is affecting by a gravitational pull, it is further alienating this which will force the republicans to win an unrealistic part of white votes. that could have implications far beyond his candidacy. >> jeffrey, ron, a fascinating discussion. i want to keep this up. this certainly won't be the last day we talk about it. change you for joining us, both of us. >> thanks, ron. >> this is just into to cnn. donald trump will appear on state of the union with jake tapper tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. eastern. please stay with us. we'll be right back. welcome back. the man police say terrorized drivers for weeks is now in court. they arrested leslie allen merritt after storming a walmart. he shot at passing vehicles, they say, along interstate 10. governor doug doocy was quick to tweet, we got him! the area can't breath a complete sigh of relief just yet. police can only link him to four of the 11 shootings. there may be more gunmen out there. they warn. here is cnn's nick valencia. >> after more than two weeks of terror, police make an arrest in a string of highway shootings. >> the weapon and the man who we believe that was responsible for what started this spree in arizona is in discuss stowed. though authorities decided to detain the subject, his name is leslie allen merritt jr. he was arrested friday night at a suburban glendale, arizona walmart in connection with four of the 11 shootings. most of those occurred along busy interstate 10. >> he was arrested at that walmart with a woman and a 5-year-old child. they were not taken into custody. he was. >> the break came after the suspect pawned a 9 millimeter handgun. it was the same gun used in at least four of the highway shootings. >> the subject is in custody because the weapon that he owned is forensically linked to these crimes. the suspect is only connected to first four shootings. the suspect is unclear whether there are other suspects. >> are there others out there? are their copycats? that is possible. >> reporter: friday night's arrest, police accused the suspect of starting the spree on august 29th. late last night, affiliate, knxv tried to get a reaction from his father. >> reporter: would you like to tell me about him or say anything on his behalf? >> i will say plenty on his behalf. whoever said he is the i-10 shooter is a [ bleep ] poren mo. have a good night. >> he is standing by his claim his son is innocent. merritt junior is being arraigned and charged with discharging a weapon within city limits. anything but jail time. why the general that led the investigation against sergeant bowe bergdahl's disappearance says there is a better option after he heads inside a military courtroom. everyone loves the picture i posted of you. at&t reminds you it can wait. look more like a tissue box... you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin®. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. muddle no more™ . i brto get us moving.tein i'm new ensure active high protein. i help you recharge with nutritious energy and strength. i'll take that. yeeeeeah! new ensure active high protein. 16 grams of protein and 23 vitamins and minerals. ensure. take life in. misswill turn anan asphalt parking lot into a new neighborhood for san franciscans. a vote for "yes" on "d" is definitely a vote for more parks and open space. a vote on proposition "d" is a vote for jobs. campos: no one is being displaced. it's 40% affordable units near the waterfront for regular people. this is just a win-win for our city. i'm behind it 100%. voting yes on "d" is so helpful to so many families in our city. pope francis is a few hours away from landing in havana, cuba, kicking off his stork trip. his plane is due to touch down at 4:00 p.m. eastern. he will be greeted by cuban president, raul castro. both are expected to deliver speeches there. cnn correspondent, patrick oppmann is live in havana. so much anticipation. the two previous popes visited cuba. this visit, particular excitement, isn't there? >> reporter: absolutely, j im. look behind me. we have an altar set up in havana's revolution square, the center of this communist-run government. something thats ha only happened twice with the visits of john paul ii and pope benedict. in front of me, a huge billboard of jesus christ. a lot haveof contradictions in t of us. we are seeing some tourists getting everything ready for this. it is expected to be the pope's largest mass while in cuba. hundreds offer thousands coming across from the island to be here. there is particular excitement. two reasons, really. one, of course, this pope being ar jen tin argentine, a native spanish speaker and he won't have an accent many cubans can't understand him. they have already heard him speak in a message televised two nights ago. this is a pope who played a crucial role in reestablishing u.s./cuban relations. we know the pope is coming here with, we expect, requests of this government to keep pushing open cuba and push for more religious freedoms. that is something he will speak to. raul castro, we expect. he will be there today in just a few hours when the pope, for the first time, touches down in cuba. >> patrick, i have to tell you, i'm a little jealous. a moment in history for the church and country. thanks very much for joining us. the visit to havana was scheduled after the u.s. and cuba reestablished diplomatic relations. the pope, himself, played an active role in the super secret diplomacy that led up to that historic breakthrough. the father joined me now and is the head of the u.s. bishop's latin-american office. thanks for joining us today. last year, father, you will remember pope francis personal lobbied president obama to reach a deal to swap prisoners and the next step to end decades of cold war animosity. can you describe the impact that his efforts had on making this come about? can you hear me, father? >> sorry, we lost father molina there. as we wait for that, a reminder that cnn's chris cuomo will take a look at how pope francis became a rock star around the world. the cnn special report. the people's pope is this tuesday at 9:00 p.m. eastern. coming up, disturbing new details in the death of boston's baby doe. we are now learning how she may have died. please stay with us if you struggle you're certainly not alone. fortunately, many have found a different kind of medicine that lowers blood sugar. imagine what it would be like to love your numbers. discover once-daily invokana®. it's the #1 prescribed in the newest class of medicines that work with the kidneys to lower a1c. invokana® is used along with diet and exercise to significantly lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. it's a once-daily pill that works around the clock. here's how: the kidneys allow sugar to be absorbed back into the body. invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in and sends some sugar out through the process of urination. and while it's not for weight loss, it may help you lose weight. invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak especially when you stand up. other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections urinary tract infections, changes in urination, high potassium in the blood, or increases in cholesterol. do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis. stop taking and call your doctor right away if you experience symptoms such as rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing. tell your doctor about any medical conditions, medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase risk of low blood sugar. it's time. lower your blood sugar with invokana®. imagine loving your numbers. there's only one invokana®. ask your doctor about it by name. welcome back, the visit was scheduled after the u.s. and cuba established diplomatic relations. the pope, himself, played an active role. i am joined by father, juan molina. we had a little technical difficulty earlier. >> can you hear me now? >> fantastic. you are head of the u.s. bishop's latin-american conference. last year, the pope personal lobbied the president to reach a deal to swat miprisoners of endg decades of animosity. can you describe his efforts? >> sure. this effort really is new for him since the time when he accompanied pope john paul ii to cuba in 1998. right afterwards, he also wrote a book and talked about the need for reproachment between the two countries. this has taken quite a while for the pope and then archbishop and now coming to this point of him really talking to both parties about the need for dialogue, sitting down together and try to work out the differences that they have had. so this is not a new effort by the pope in many ways since he has been involved for several years. he sees the need for it. he cease that most of latin america looks at the united states through the lens of cuba. that is, in seeing how the united states relates to cuba and also, cuba relates to the world specially to the united states. >> tomorrow, as you know, pope francis is going to celebrate mass at revolution square at havana within sight of a sculpture honoring the atheist tucheg hrivera? >> how do they celebrate that? >> they celebrated in the same square. i happened to be there. i think the cuban people see the images and relate to both. i think also the very fact that the pope is there also means that faith is being accepted by the cuban people. it was never left by the cuban people. it seems to me being agent to put both together and create a story in a way of reconciliation and moving forward, i think it is important to look at that. >> no question. the other issue is personal. raul castro is going to be greeting the pope later today. he, himself, is a long-time atheist. the pope has made him consider praying again. do you think we will witness a religious shift in cuba because of the pope. >> i think in a way that religious shift has already started. it is not only a religious shift but also of the entire society. there are many, many, many reasons to believe that and many steps have been taken by both the people and the government and also those of us who have been walking along the cuban people, along with them, can see that there are changes. that's why the pope, i think, one of the themes that he is going to be talking about, is his accompaniment. he mentioned that word in his speech to the people of cuba. that's a big thing for the church, to accompany these people on a journey that hasn't ended, that had a start but it really hasn't ended. so i think there is hope for a change in mentality. >> that is part of his message to appeal to people beyond the church and part of his personality. father molina, thanks so much for joining us. we appreciate having you. just a reminder to our viewers, cnn's chris cuomo is going to take a look at how pope francis became a rock star around the world. the cnn special, "the people's pope" airs this tuesday at 9:00 p.m. eastern. we'll be right back. big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern. ugh! heartburn! no one burns on my watch! try alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. they work fast and don't taste chalky. mmm...amazing. i have heartburn. alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. who knows, one of these kids just might be the one. to clean the oceans, to start a movement, or lead a country. it may not be obvious yet, but one of these kids is going to change the world. we just need to make sure she has what she needs. welcome to windows 10. the future starts now for all of us. withof 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. do not take orencia with another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. serious side effects can occur including fatal infections. cases of lymphoma and lung cancer have been reported. tell your doctor if you're prone to or have any infection like an open sore, the flu, or a history of copd, a chronic lung disease. orencia may worsen your copd. if you're not getting the relief you need... ask your doctor about orencia. orencia. see your ra in a different way. toyou use the most innovative technology available. to craft a more luxurious vehicle, you use the most skilled hands on earth. like ones that spend 38 days creating a lexus ls steering wheel. or 2,000 hours calibrating an available mark levinson audio system. the high-tech, handcrafted lexus ls. luxury, uncompromised. this is the pursuit of perfection. it is a big step from going with your kids to sending them alone. >> are you saying what kind of irresponsible parent am i? >> these people have designed a really great system. the people who are driving are women who have a lot of experience with children. it does take a little bit of getting used to but i think my kids' experience has made us all feel very comfortable about it. >> the boys say riding the shuttle is like carpooling with neighbors. >> is there any type of special thing you have to tell them so they know it is you and you know it is them. >> they usually say the pass code thing. >> they have the app. we know our passwords and the passwords also have a picture of us. >> we have pickle for myles and chicken for devin. >> shuttdle vets every driver. >> every single shuttle ride is monitored at shuddle headquarters by a full-time employee. rides can be monitored by parents on their app. >> the service is only available in california's bay area for now. for now. shuddle's ambition is to do to scale without losing track of a single ride. cnn, san francisco. their are disturbing new details in the death of pbella bond, who until yesterday was knowns ababy doe. they say the boyfriend of mccarthy, her mother, is responsible for her death. he said he thought the child was possessed and so he punched her. rachel bond is charged with accessory to murder after the fact. her remains were found on a boston shoreline back in june. our sarah gannon xg examinexami investigators finally got a break in the case. >> reporter: after nearly three months of investigation, baby doe finally has a name. bella bond. >> bella, happy second birthday, monkey. yea! yea! >> whoo! >> friday, they revealed she is the mystery toddler whose composite picture captivated millions. >> the tragedy of her death is compounded by the fact that her short life ended not by illness or accident but we believe by an act of violence. in the very place where she should have felt safest, in her home. >> authorities had determined earlier this year from pollen on her polka dot pants that baby doe was likely from the boston air kra. it was a tip that led them on an intense 24-hour search resulting in the arrest of bella's mother, rochelle bond and her boyfriend, michael mccarthy. mccarthy, charged with murder and bond charged with accessory after the fact. >> we allege that mccarthy caused bella's death. he did so intentionally. he and bond. they took steps to keep it a secret and avoid prosecution. >> neighbors say they remember a troubled household. whdh and wcbb, court documents show rochelle bond had an arrest record that included drugs and prostitution. >> it is shocking and sad, because she was so young for that to happen. i feel sorry for that little girl. she should have been in better hands. >> an official from the department of children and families tells cnn between 2001 and 2006, rochelle bond had her pare parent alal rights determined for the two other children and they had been in contact with bella for neglect. they did not say why she was not removed from her mother's custody. neither have released any statements since her arrest. they are blaming each other for the child's death. it is still unclear exactly when or how she died. >> jim, this is the house where pel la lived. you can see this makeshift memorial growing here in front. it has things like well-wishes, that she play dolls and dress up in heaven with the angels. authorities expect that on monday, we'll have more information about how and when she died. both mccarthy and bond are expected in court monday morning for their first hearing. jim? >> it is a heartbreaking story, sarah, great to have you on it. please stay with us. we'll be right back after this break. you're down with crestor. yes! when diet and exercise aren't enough, adding crestor lowers bad cholesterol up to 55%. crestor is not for people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. tell your doctor all medicines you take. call your doctor if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine, or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of serious side effects. i'm down with crestor! make your move. ask your doctor about crestor. we figure you probably don't have time to wait on hold. that's why at xfinity we're hard at work, building new apps like this one that lets you choose a time for us to call you. so instead of waiting on hold, we'll call you when things are just as wonderful... [phone ringing] but a little less crazy. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. this 7-year-old was born without legs. >> the mantra no excuses comes from his wrestling coach and mentor, miguel rodriguez, who met the little boy at a dark time for bird's family, homeless after hurricane sandy. bird didn't even have his own wheelchair. >> he has been through so much in life but he never feels sorry for himself. the fact that he never complained about not having legs, the fact that he said to me, i can do it. that's what caught my eye about him. >> rodriguez encouraged isaiah to take up wrestling, a sport he could compete in without the use of his legs. isaiah started to win. six plays, international. parents and coaches tell their kids the total opposite. you go hard on him. you take him down. >> for bird, wrestling is just beginning. he has also taken up surfing and he is not stopping there. >> i want to win so bad. i want to earn things. i don't complain because i do it. i never give up. >> that is one inspiring story we are turning overseas. russia's military buildup ang lo the syrian coast is causing a great deal of concern in the pentagon. arrival of four russian su-27 fighter jets known as flankers. this is the first time he has sent a major force since they investigated afghanistan in 1979. what is not at all clear is what russia is up to. for insights, we want to bring in cnn military analyst, rick francona, former air force intelligence officer. why is russia suddenly exerting itself in syria? >> they want to maintain their presence there. they haven't done much outside of the border since the soviet union. they have a naval base on the mediterranean. it is the only one they have. they want to maintain that. they see that the assad in the area. and they want to make sure their interests are not marginalized when the government changes. and there's -- >> there's a bigger message here, too, is there not? about vladimir putin asserting himself abroad in a place where a u.s. policy is, frankly, failing. is this partly about replacing the u.s. or attempting to replace the u.s. as a dominant player in the middle east? a dominant outside player in the middle east? >> yeah, i think that's a fair assessment. what we see in syria is them losing, and they want to make sure they don't lose what little bit they have. and syria is the one place in which they feel they can do that. and you're right, our policy is not having the desired effects so the russians have stepped in. from a military point of view, putin's doing a very good job here. they brought down a very good force package to do what they need to do. but, why is he doing this? why does he think he can get away with this? if you look at our reaction to what he's doing in crimea and is doing in the ukraine, he feels he can get away with this right now. >> no question. i have to ask you this as well. it's such a messy situation in syria now. you have russia propping up assad, assad also fighting isis, which the u.s. is fighting, but the u.s. wants assad gone. i mean, you have this messiness and you've had u.s. officials say, listen, if russia is there to fight isis, we're fine with that. we welcome anybody who's doing that, but, it seems their main goal is to support assad. but if supporting assad also weakens isis, does that serve american interests? >> yeah, i think we got to reassess what our original goal was. when we talked about this years ago, it was, we wanted assad to go. he has to go. that was the bottom line. then we saw the ascent of isis. and isis has become a new factor in this whole equation. so i think that we may be willing to talk to the russians about a joint operation to go after isis, and then we'll worry about syria down the road. and i think the russians are open to that. because they seem to be willing to talk about the future of syria, that doesn't involve keeping assad there, as long as they maintain their presence there. i don't think they care. >> and now we see that the u.s. and russia are establishing some sort of contact which is necessary, because you have u.s. and coalition war planes flying in the same air space that those russian fighter jets will be flying. >> exactly. and you've got -- so you've got the syrian air force, the u.s.-led coalition, and now you've got russian high-performance fighter jets in the region. anytime you've got that many aircraft in that small of an air space without coordination, you're setting up a real, real problem. >> no question. too close to comfort. colonel rick francona, thanks for joining us on this weekend. still ahead, pope francis just hours away from his appearance on his historic cuba/united states trip. we will talk to the one man who has been invited to the white house and may be part of an historic meeting with the pope. please stay with us. we'll be right back. for brain h? brain food, hmmm. ensure has b vitamins that help support brain health - now that's smart nutrition. ensure's complete balanced nutrition has 26 vitamins and minerals and 9 grams of protein. ensure. take life in. from and the people whought you underwhelbrought youet speeds. temperamental satellite television. introducing... underwhelming internet speeds and temperamental television... in one. welcome to the moment no one's been waiting for. the fastest internet and the best tv experience is already here with x1. only from xfinity. part of the pope's message in cuba and the united states is inclusion and acceptance. and that is resonating with many gay catholics, who in the past have felt very much shut out from the church. our next guest includes himself in that group. he is aaron ledesma, the author of the blog, "the gay catholic." aaron, you got a very special invitation, invited for the arrival ceremony for the pope when he visits the white house on wednesday morning this week. a personal invitation from president obama. tell us how that happened. >> well, it all started back when i was first starting the gay catholic blog. and i was looking for motivation one day and i saw that pope francis was going to be at the white house and i just thought of, how cool would it be to see the two governing bodies that i believe in, who support who i am as a person, come together for an historical moment. and so, i reached out to the white house asking for an invitation and i got a call two weeks later saying i was allowed to go. >> it's great to be there. there was a powerful moment early in pope francis' term that you say helped you feel more welcome in the church after you stopped going to mass. two years ago, the pope took a much softer tone on homosexuality saying, quote, this is on a flight to some reporters who were joining him. "if someone is gay and searches for the lord and has goodwill, who am i to judge?" those words still resonating today with many catholics. how did that change your view of the church? >> i think that was a defining moment for my experience as a catholic. it opened my eyes to the possibility of not having to abandon my faith, to be who i was or who i am. and not to abandon who i am for my faith. and so when he said that, it was a moment of realizing, i am welcomed in the catholic church. and it definitely was one of the biggest reasons that i do go back to church now. >> aaron, i got to tell you, i've been speaking to a lot of catholics in advance of this visit, and many non-gay catholics have said that those words inspired them as well, just as this broader message of inclusion, whether gay or not, just across the board. i do want to ask you, though. there's a report in the "wall street journal" that says the vatican is not happy that the white house invited transgender activists and the first openly gay episcopal bishop to this greeting ceremony you'll be at. the vatican apparently concerned that the optics of that might suggest the pope is endorsing their activities. and this is a key question here. because the pope is talking about openness, but he is not and maybe cannot change the church's teaching on this. what is your reaction to that conflict? >> i did see that article and i can only speak to my experience, and my experience is that the church is opening and welcoming. and i think that's what pope francis has been doing for the past two years. expressing love, compassion, and understanding for all catholics, not just people in the lbgf community, but all catholics. and his message is clear, if you are seeking the lord, who are we to judge? and i think that's what's important about all of this and not just the guest list to the white house. though i am honored to be one of the 15,000 people there on wednesday. >> let me ask you this. there are going to be a lot of people there, as you mentioned. i doubt you'll get a chance to speak to him, but if you had a moment to speak to him, even a couple of words, what might you say? >> i think i would just hug him. but i think i would just say, thank you, for welcoming me back to the church and for inspiring me to seek a life of happiness with god. and i would say, welcome to the u.s. >> i'm sure he would accept that hug. aaron ledesma, thank you for joining us. i'm jealous you'll be in that room. it will be a powerful moment. >> i'm looking forward to it. >> chris cuomo will look at how pope francis became a rock star around the world. "the people's pope" airs this tuesday at 9:00 p.m. eastern. we have more ahead in the newsroom and it all starts right now. happening now, in the newsroom, donald trump breaking his silence over anti-muslim remarks. in a series of tweets, he says he is not morally obligated to defend the president against claims that he's a muslim. and he adds, obama has been horrible, i will be great. and new details indicating that joe biden may jump into the race. reports today that biden's team is honing a campaign message hitting up donors, even hiring staff. and an historic visit by pope francis in just a few hours, he will be