The 6 stories PR pros need to know on Tuesday morning, 9.22.2015

VW exec: ‘We screwed up’
Volkswagen’s top executive in North America apologized on Monday night as the automaker scrambles to contain the scandal over its cars containing technology to dupe environmental regulators. The crisis could affect as many as 11 million cars around the world.

High marks for the pope as he lands in the US
Pope Francis has mostly positive approval numbers in the US. Nearly half of Americans overall and more than three-quarters of Catholics are looking forward to his visit, which will begin on Tuesday, according to a CNN/ORC poll. He’ll stop in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC.

Brian Williams is back
Former NBC Nightly News frontman Brian Williams is set to reemerge on MSNBC on Tuesday, covering breaking news for the cable network as it refocuses with less overtly political content. Williams was suspended from NBC News more than six months ago.

Good news for those who need caffeine quickly
Starbucks is rolling out mobile payments nationwide on Tuesday, meaning coffee-drinkers can cut down on the amount of time they spend in line at the chain’s locations. The company told Mashable that ordering by app also benefits people with hearing and speech disabilities.

Former Walker aide dishes on what went wrong
Liz Mair, a former online communications aide to Scott Walker and other top Republicans, tweet-stormed on Monday night about how the Wisconsin governor went from frontrunner to flop. She blamed pandering, poor advice from staffers, and misunderstanding the base.

From the campaign trail
How it all went wrong for Scott Walker; Trump goes on late-night Twitter tirade against Fox News; Surging Carly Fiorina talks Putin, sings on The Tonight Show.