good morning. super soaker. flash flooding in the south, homes swamped. there's more rain in the forecast as wicked winds, damaging hail and the threat of tornados lurk for many people in the midsection of the country so could your weekend be a washout. dylan is tracking it al michael sam, the first openly gay player drafted by an nfl team is cut by the st. louis rams. we'll take a look at what's next for the player who captivated so many. and safe at home. one of the stars of the chicago little league world series team that made it all the way to the championship finally getting a roof over his head after months of being homeless, all thanks to one man's generosity. today, sunday, august 31st, 2014.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today." i'm erica hill. >> and i'm lester holt alongside di jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. >> really we just collected these from the crew ahead of time. >> is anybody expecting a call? >> if they are, one of us will get it. as long as it vibrates we'll know that they called because the ringer is off. >> the ringer is off. >> anyway, what have we got coming up? >> this morning we are talking about nascar legend tony stewart who will be back competing today in the driver's seat after a three-week hiatus from racing after he struck and killed fellow driver, kevin ward jr. we're live in georgia at the atlanta motor speedway for a

look at what fans have to say about his return. plus we'll introduce you to charlotte and told you about the medical break through that happened in the reconstruction of her face after a terrible accident. now with two years of surgery behind her, we're checking in with charlotte and have a really neat surprise for her as well. first we want to get to the morning's top story and that is the severe weather expected to batter the central plains and the upper midwest today. this is keeping you busy on a holiday weekend, dylan. >> as we unofficially say good-bye to summertime, it's certainly not the weekend we hoped for. we saw extremely heavy rain in parts of louisiana yesterday. up to 10 inches of rain in lake charles, louisiana. flash flood watches are still in effect. it's called like a 20 to 25-year event. that means it happens every 20 to 25 years and we certainly saw it yesterday. we had flooding through people's homes, we have the water and just completely saturating the ground, so this water unfortunately has nowhere to go and more rain is in the forecast

today. you can see some scattered showers down through louisiana, but we also have pockets of heavier rain moving up into kentucky and into ohio and even into pennsylvania, but it's back through the midwest and into the plains where we're going to see our strongest storms today. we are looking at a slight risk of severe storms from minnesota right down into kansas, including parts of eastern south dakota, eastern nebraska, most of iowa and right in through here where we have a chance of some tornados developing, especially later this afternoon and into this evening. we also have a slight risk of stronger storms from parts of new england right back into washington, d.c. this won't be for tornados but more or less the large hail and also the damaging wind gusts. it's all out ahead of this frontal system. it's really hot and humid out ahead of it so we're looking at the right conditions to produce torrential downpours and also produce some of those possible tornados, especially into iowa as we go into late this evening and overnight. also want to show you that on labor day we are looking at the chance of some of those severe

storms to shift a little further to the east. so it's not just the fact that we're going to see flooding rains, but it's just the wind and the hail and also we could see a tornado outbreak. >> all right, dylan, thanks. we'll get the rest of your national forecast in a moment, but meantime u.s. military forces carried out air strikes and dropped humanitarian aid in one iraq town today, helping break a six-week siege by isis fighters. this comes with president obama still deciding whether to carry out air strikes in syria. andrea mitchell is nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent, she's filling in as moderator of "meet the press." great to see you. >> good morning. great to see you, lester. >> the president was very cautious with his words about whether to go forward in syria. at the same time you've got defense secretary hagel talking about this imminent threat of isis, what we've seen is beyond anything that we have seen. great britain raising its terror level, saying highly likely for an attack. is there some kind of disconnect going on here? >> reporter: i think there is a disconnect, particularly in the

president's own national security cabinet. and that was one of the messages that he was deliberately sending when he said we don't have a strategy yet for isis. he was trying to sort of cool down the more hawkish members of his own national security team. but in doing so, he perhaps inadvertently gave ammunition to critics in both the democratic and republican parties, those who say he is just being too cautious and not confronting this threat quickly enough. one of those critics is dianne feinstein, whom i interviewed today on "meet the press." >> you did. let's play a little bit of that interview and then we'll continue. here it is. >> i think i've learned one thing about this president and that is he's very cautious. maybe in this instance too cautious. this is a group of people who are extraordinarily dangerous and they'll kill with abandon. >> turn that around now, andrea. it was almost exactly a year ago the president was ready to go in

against the assad government over the chemical weapons and attack there. what has happened, what's transpired in the interim? >> in the interim congress has not taken up his challenge. they really do not want to be on the record supporting more military action. he did manage to get rid of those chemical weapons with an agreement, ironically enough with vladimir putin so that is a foreign policy success the administration is pointing to. but the fact is that he did withdraw sort of that threat, that military threat even after assad in syria had crossed a red line exactly a year ago labor day weekend. and now a year later again showing real caution in his comments. and there is a disconnect not only within the cabinet but also with the allies. we saw how strong david cameron was. i think everyone agrees that the military options against isis in syria are very complex and that perhaps there does need to be more time, more of a strategy. so he is going to send john kerry and chuck hagel out to the middle east after a nato meeting

next week and try to rally the allies. but we're going to be talking about whether or not the president has signalled weakness and whether there has to be more show of leadership here in the united states. >> andrea, thanks very much. we'll check back with you for more on what's coming up on "meet the press" later on. >> thank you, lester. nascar superstar tony stewart will be back on the track today competing for the first time since he struck and killed driver kevin ward jr. at a race earlier this month. gabe gutierrez is at atlanta motor speedway for us this morning. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning. almost 100,000 people are expected here later today. many of them will be eager to welcome one of nascar's biggest stars back to the track after an emotional three weeks. this morning tony stewart is preparing for one of the biggest races of his career. he was all business saturday during practice laps. >> i can only imagine what he's going through and the ward family, but you know what, he's a driver. he needs to do what he wants to do and we're just glad he's

back. >> reporter: all weekend here at atlanta motor speedway, stewart has been the center of attention. on friday speaking publicly for the first time. >> this is a sadness and a pain that i hope no one ever has to experience in their life. >> tony stewart just hit that guy! >> reporter: since he struck and killed fellow driver kevin ward jr. at a dirt track in upstate new york earlier this month. it was caught on camera and posted on youtube. the sheriff said that crash investigation will take at least another two weeks. >> that was a total accident. i mean it's very obvious. i don't think tony would hurt a fly. >> reporter: stewart's team says he sent flowers and a card to ward's relatives and would like to meet them at an appropriate time, but the family still has not commented on stewart's return to racing. >> everybody in the nascar industry and legal experts, everyone is accepting that there will be some sort of civil action. >> reporter: corporate sponsors are watching how stewart handles the adversity. on saturday bass pro shop said it was proud to stand by him. in the u.s., nascar has the most

spectators per event and is the second most watched sport on television behind the nfl. bobby and sherri gordon drove ten hours to catch a glimpse of stewart. they're not alone. >> i think it's the best thing he could do, to get back out there on the racetrack. i think that's what he needs. >> reporter: stewart would need to win one of these next two races to have a shot at the championship. he came in 12th during friday's qualifying laps. tonight's race is scheduled to begin at 7:30 eastern. >> gabe gutierrez this morning. michael sam, the first openly gay player drafted by an nfl team is waiting to see what's next for him today a day after he was cut by the st. louis rams. t.j. holmes has that story for us. >> good morning. a lot of folks are watching that clock yesterday. the rams had until 4:00 eastern time to trim that roster down, down from 75 to 53. making the decision to let the defensive end go in just the final hours. michael sam brought his "a" game

during the st. louis rams four preseason games, but his 11 tackles and three sacks weren't enough for the franchise who passed on him before the official start of the weekend this week. >> it was a football decision back in may to draft mike. once again, i mean it's been all about football. >> reporter: rams coach jeff fisher adding -- >> i will tell you this, i was pulling for mike. >> reporter: the rams ultimately deciding that sam wasn't their best option at a position where the team is already suited with talent. >> from the start it was going to be difficult for sam to prove that to the rams because they do have such good defensive ends. it was going to be tough to get on the field. certainly he'll get a hard look from other four-three defensive units that might need help in that position. >> reporter: earlier this week, sam was confident about his chances, saying -- >> i'm going to sleep really well tonight and i'm very confident that i'll be on the team, the rams or any other team in the nfl. >> reporter: and late saturday in response to the news, sam tweeted, i want to thank the entire rams organization and the city of st. louis for giving me

this tremendous opportunity and allowing me to show i can play at this level. i look forward to continuing to build on the progress i made here toward a long and successful career. and while sam was just one of hundreds of players released yesterday, his openly gay sexuality made him the most talked about. >> in the end the coaches and the scouts are going to judge him on can he help you win football games on sunday. >> reporter: now a free agent, he will pass through waivers, giving the other teams an opportunity to add him to their rosters. >> yes, sam could end up on another team's roster as early as today. so what if that does not happen? the rams could then sign him to their practice squad, their ten-man practice squad. so lester, at some point if somebody gets hurt on the roster they could call him up, so eventually he will officially be the first openly gay player to play in the nfl, just has to wait a little longer. >> t.j., thanks very much. time for a look at the rest of the morning's top stories. >> jenna is following those for us. >> good morning, everyone.

european leaders overnight issued an ultimatum to russia. they have one week to pull back russian troops from ukraine or face new sanctions. russian president vladimir putin reacted this morning saying moscow can not stand when people are being shot at in ukraine but he deny that say 1,000 of russia's troops have crossed into ukraine. a new volcanic eruption in iceland has caused the country to issue its highest aviation warning. authorities warn a code red warning means there's potential for the volcano to spew ash into the flight path. an eruption in the same volcano system four years ago led to a six-day closure of european airspace. rescuers are still feverishly working to save at least four people and four miners trapped in nicaragua. 20 miners have been freed thus far. they said they first felt despair after thursday's collapse in a gold and silver mine and then pure joy as the miners digging from the inside were reached by rescuers digging

from the outside. the coast guard is searching for the wreckage of a small plane today that triggered a security alert before crashing into the atlantic. the plane took off from wisconsin headed for manassas, virginia. when it entered restricted airspace over washington, d.c., fielter jets were scrambled. they said the person at the controls appeared to be unconscious and they followed the plane until it crashed at sea. this may be the first weekend of college football, but receivers around the country are going to have to go a long way to top this catch. check it out. nebraska's jordan westercamp heading for the sideline. the pass is tipped. watch it. he makes an unbelievable behind-the-back catch. his coach said he's never seen anything like it. but he said westercamp catches anything near him. by the way, the cornhuskers won the game handily over florida. did you see it? watch it, here it is. and finally if you're an

expecting mom, and i know a few, among the many things you worry about if you are a worrier is where you'll be when it's time. near a hospital, near a cab to take you to the hospital, near someone who owns a cab who knows where the hospital is. nbc's mark potter introduces us to one illinois couple whose delivery situation included none of the above. >> reporter: baby mary margaret lynch came into the world on friday to join three brothers and a sister already here. she made quite an entrance. it began around midnight when her mother, beth lynch, felt strong contractions that for a while went away. >> then they just came with a vengeance at four morning. >> reporter: fearing they might not make it to the hospital, she and her husband, dan, headed for their minivan. >> so he gets in the car and i'm like i don't know. he's like don't push. >> reporter: racing down the highway, it wasn't long before they had to pull over. >> i called 911 right away and then i went over to the passenger door and opened it just to get a little bit of light. it was still dark out.

at that point it was very obvious that i was going to deliver a child on the shoulder of the road. >> reporter: luckily dan is a captain in the evanston fire department. he had been trained in childbirth, but never tested. >> you don't really think about anything other than don't drop the baby. >> reporter: the roadway birth of his own child took only about two minutes. fellow firefighters were impressed. >> pretty cool move and he did a great job. everybody here is pretty proud of him. >> reporter: but for the lynches, this is it. >> we're done. we went out with a bang with her. >> reporter: their fifth child, the one who just couldn't wait. for "today," mark potter, nbc news. >> i'm making sure steph is watching just on the off chance, are you watching that because you need to know. send. okay, cool. i think we're all good now. i feel totally safe. >> now we've got that part of it down. maybe a check of the weather? >> yes. it's going to be a very busy day today for this last unofficial weekend of summer.

we've got a lot going on. we've got scattered showers and storms from northern new england right down into southern texas with an area across the mid-atlantic where we could end up with some large hail and damaging wind gusts, but it's this area back through the midwest where we could even see isolated tornados break out, especially late this afternoon good morning. 6:16 is the time. we're waking up to a beautiful sunrise in palo alto. a lot of awesome colors here. different story in san francisco. golden gate bridge, completely fogged in. a stronger ocean breeze will make more more morning fog, which you'll notice temperatures not as hot. 72 in fran. north bay had mid 90s. only topping mid 90 for today. and that's your latest forecast. >> thank you very much. up next on "today," he's a hometown hero without an actual place to call home. we'll have a story of a little

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neosporin. buy three johnson & johnson first aid products and get a free bag. if you're like most o if you're like most of us you were probably captivated by chicago's jackie robinson west little league team. they made it to the finals of the little league world series but it's one of the stories of a player off the field that's grabbing headlines this morning. kristen dahlgren joins us with more on that. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. jackie robinson west may have been a hometown favorite but one of its players didn't even have a fan until a local fan heard his story and pitched in to help. >> chicago wins the united states championship. >> reporter: it sounds like every little boy's dream. help win the u.s. title in the little league world series. be welcomed home to chicago like a hero. >> and they are not just a chicago team, they are now america's number one team. >> reporter: even honored on the field at a white sox game. >> the white sox are honored and

privileged to recognize the jackie robinson west all stars' accomplishments. >> reporter: but for 12-year-old jaheim benton, life off the field was far from a storybook. >> it's been hard but i just tell my baby to hold his head up. >> reporter: this past year has been a real struggle for his family. his mom had hours cut at her home care job. the family lost their home. they stayed apart with friends and relatives, while all jaheim's little league team was on its incredible run. >> i told him to get out there and play ball, despite him knowing that we lost our home. he got out there and still played ball, he didn't give up. >> reporter: jackie robinson west was crowned the best team in the country, making headlines and legions of fans. so when local chicago businessman spencer leak heard about jaheim's struggles, he stepped isn't. >> superstar and homeless don't mix. we've got to do something about that. for the next year, little superstar jaheim is going to

have a home. >> reporter: his funeral home donated rent for the family for the next year. >> your son and whole team has been inspiration to chicago. >> reporter: the story of a generous businessman and a brave little boy continuing to inspire. the leak family has a history of helping out around the community. spencer leak says he hopes his act does inspire others to help their neighbors in need. >> that's a great story. kristen dahlgren, thanks so much. to come here on a sunday edition of "today," is honesty really the best policy when it comes to running a business? just ahead a little social experiment on how trustworthy americans are. but first, these messages.

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good morning. you're looking live at the golden gate bridge. a little bit of fog on top. traffic is moving nice lif. hello there. anthony slaughter is standing by with a check of your forecast. good morning to you. lovely as always. >> thank you. >> you just saw fog at the golden gate. the east shore is where is most fog and low clouds are in the peninsula and the south bay, we'll see sunshine. ch but not as warm. yesterday we got up to 94 degrees. only expecting 90 there. south bay yesterday, san jose,

up to 86. so it will be slightly cooler. tomorrow the heat goes back up. we'll break it all down at 7:00. >> thank you, anthony. today marked one week since a 6.0 earthquake hit napa. today businesses are back up and running. one popular hotel is enlisting help from southern california. this napa picture with the stanley caught brought fans out. it was yellow tagged after the quake, but it's now back open with a limited inventory of rooms. the current l.a. kings own r has land in sonoma. nine out of ten restaurants there are also back open. >> well, a happy ending for the

search of a missing elderly woman thanks to a search dog. she is back home this morning. this exclusive video shows the grandmother arriving at the home she left wednesday, the day she was reported missing. every day since the saerj tems grew. until yesterday when she was found in a creek bed less than a half mile from her home. she had been sleeping in the creek beds for three nights with no medication, food or water. california could be the the first state to ban plastic bags. governor brown is deciding whether he will sign that bill that legislators passed on friday. many cities already ban plastic bags. but this bill would take it statewide and prohibit the use of plastic bags in 2015.

grociers can still charge 10 cents for paper bags. environment alists say they clog waterways and harm wildlife. the bill is now in the governor's hands. coming up, a bay area company that made a big splash about to make a bigger one, as in hockey rink big. that and we'll have all the top stories and anthony slaughter will be back with a look at your forecast at 7:00. for now, we'll take you back to the "today show."

we are back on this sunday morning, august 31st, 2014. i like the song. a smiling crowd out on the plaza marking the unofficial end of summer. we will go outside a bit later to say hello to everyone. what is this song, do you know? >> coldplay. >> i knew that. >> it makes it much easier when someone told you in your ear. >> we've got a lot coming up. first let's walk you through this morning's headlines. severe weather is making its way across the central plains and upper midwest today. flash flood warnings are in effect and tornados are possible. >> tens of thousands of fans are expected to turn out at atlanta motor speedway today for the return of nascar's tony stewart.

it's his first competition since striking and killing driver kevin ward jr. earlier this month. a volcano in iceland erupted again this morning. it happened in the same place as an eruption on friday. a no-fly order is in effect in the region. you may remember charlotte, a 12-year-old girl whose life was changed after she lost an ear in an accident. doctors were able to grow a new ear for her under the skin. well, this morning we'll check in with her and her remarkable transformation. and then imagine this, you walk into a store, grab what you want, head to the counter and there's nobody there. you walk out, do you leave money? it's happening in stores across the country so can you really run a business based on the honor system? we will find out. and a little bit later, it's a grade school sport that's making a big comeback with adults. we'll tell you why kickball is growing in popularity. >> you guys brought your sneakers? >> i did. >> that's why i wore pants. >> what does that mean?

>> and lester brought a dress. it's going to be great. we do begin this half hour with a story that's rocked one of the nation's most famous football teams, the university of southern california. one of the team's captains has been suspended for lying about an injury, and now there are new questions about just what happened in the moments leading up to his accident. halle jackson has the story. >> reporter: as usc football players flooded the field in their season opener and then celebrated a big win, the team did it all without its captain and star cornerback. josh shaw was suspended indefinitely this week after he admitted to lying about how he sprained his ankle. the usc coach said that development did not distract the rest of the team from the game. >> i think we brought it up to them twice all week and it just wasn't going to be a focus of ours. >> reporter: earlier this week shaw said he hurt both ankles when he leapt from a second-floor balcony to save his nephew from drowning in a family pool.

days later shaw admitted he made up the story and was wrong to not tell the truth, leaving many to wonder what really happened, including los angeles police. >> there's been an allegation made that there was possibly a domestic violence incident that occurred. >> reporter: sources familiar with the investigation tell nbc news on the night in question, shaw and his girlfriend argued heatedly for about 15 minutes at her apartment in downtown l.a., adding a lamp may have been thrown. police want shaw to answer more questions about that night, but shaw's high-powered attorney, who has represented stars like snoop dogg and rihanna said on friday his client has talked with police enough. >> the reality is there is no domestic violence, there is no crime whatsoever. >> reporter: how do you think this josh shaw incident is affecting the team? >> i'm hopeful it doesn't affect them a whole lot. >> i don't know if he'll ever come back to the team. >> it's just so sad that he pulled such an immature stunt. >> reporter: for a player used to delivering big hits, some fans say shaw's reputation is now taking one. for "today," halle jackson, nbc

news, los angeles. let's head outside to dylan who's on the plaza with a final check of the weather this sunday. >> i just felt one raindrop. did anybody else feel a raindrop? >> yes. >> i guess there was more than one raindrop. it's a little humid in the northeast. we are looking at some storms to start working their way in. it's actually going to be a very unsettled day. in green, those are all the areas where we will see scattered showers and storms. not a washout, but you'll see those pop-up showers in red. in the northeast and also back across the plains and into the upper midwest, that's where we are looking at the chance of stronger storms with hail, damaging wind gusts and back through the plains we could even see some tornados, especially going into iowa and eastern nebraska. now, tomorrow we're going to see that shift a little bit further to the east. that includes chicago in red, also includes parts of western michigan, southeastern wisconsin. that's where we could see our strongest storms. not so much tornados tomorrow but we could still have to deal with those damaging wind gusts and the flash flooding. we could end up with 2 to 4

inches of rain, so the flooding is going to be a major concern as good morning. 6:34 is the time right now. waking up to chris call clear skies in san jose. not a cloud in the sky from this vantage point. everywhere else we are starting to see that fog build. otherwise we'll see another sunny day. temperatures similar to yesterday. a little bit cooler. and just by a couple of degrees. 72 in san francisco. 84 in the south bay. the tri valley close to 91 for today. i want to just give quick happy anniversaries. your first anniversary and you've done the first anniversary 30 times. so happy 30th anniversary. lester. we have a happy update this morning to a story we brought you last month about the 12-year-old who got a new ear, thanks to some amazing work from her doctors. we should point out some of the pictures of her injuries you'll see are severe.

andrea canning is back with an update. good morning. >> good morning, lester. charlotte ponce has one of the most amazing attitudes about beauty i think i've ever come across. the last time we hung out, she told me about her dream to be a makeup artist. so while she thought we were back to check on her progress, we were actually there to give her a big surprise. >> you're pretty just the way you are. >> reporter: wise words from 12-year-old charlotte ponce. >> how do you hope people see you now? >> a normal kid. >> and what makes you feel normal? >> having people not stare at me anymore. >> reporter: a month ago, we introduced you to charlotte, who had been severely disfigured during a raccoon attack when she was just three months old. remarkably a doctor from beaumont children's hospital in michigan created a new ear for her by taking cartilage from her rib, growing it under her skin

and attackihing it to her head. despite all she's had to endure, charlotte has big plans. >> do you still have dreams of becoming a makeup artist? >> yep. a beautician. >> do you like to make people look good? >> and feel good. >> reporter: charlotte thought we were back to checkup on how she's doing since getting her new ear, but we had something special planned. >> we have a surprise for you. >> dermablend cosmetics, a line designed to cover up scars, blue out a makeup artist to give charlotte a makeover and teach her how to use the product. >> how hard is charlotte's case? >> this is more of a severe case, but the great thing is the product still covers the same. so whether it's a minor or a severe condition like charlotte, we're still able to get that great coverage. it just helps people to get their confidence back. >> reporter: it was time for charlotte to see her new look. >> what do you think? >> i look like a little princess.

i hope daddy likes it. >> do you feel feel beautiful, charlotte? >> yes. >> it makes me feel teary, you know. i love her a lot. >> reporter: when you first brought her home from the hospital when she was five months old, did you ever think she would look like this today? >> no, no. our hopes were that she could just remove some of the scars. there's no way we could have ever thought that this was possible. she just wanted to feel pretty and feel special. i think she does. i think she can walk through a whole bunch of doors that she never thought she could before. a lot of opportunities out there for her now. >> such a great kid. thank you again to dermablend for stepping up to the plate for this little girl. charlotte has received 200 pairs of earrings in the mail from complete strangers and now she's finally able to wear them. she recently had another dream

come true when the doctor pierced her brand new ear. she has one more thing on her bucket list. she wants to go to paris and see the i feel tower. >> i love the look on her face, she said i look like a little princess. what a great moment. i assume it's by design they made some of her features larger? >> they did because the doctor wants her to grow into her features. her face is still going to grow. once she's done growing, he can sculpt and contour her knows and her ear because it's a lot easier to go smaller than bigger so he did it on purpose. so she's going to keep changing as she gets older and her scars are going to fade. this little girl is going to go on to live a normal life now. >> it's such a terrific story. thanks for updating us. good to see you. we're back right after this. jake and i have been best friends for years.

one of our favorite things to do is going to the dog park together. sometimes my copd makes it hard to breathe. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better. come on, boy! [ female announcer ] symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. [ man ] now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing.

today, i'm hanging out with my best friend. talk to your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or go online to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, natalie: what are you doing? willie: protecting my password. natalie: that's good. can i see? willie: no, it's a secret. natalie: i was just testing you. keep your password to yourself, and protect your online information. both: the more you know. welcome back on this sunday morning. we begin with a deep question for jenna. is honesty the best policy? >> is honesty the best policy, like the third best policy. i think working at it every day is best policy. honesty -- now that you have the kid, you have to tell them all the important things. i would like to think honesty is the best policy. i'll tell you what, stores across the country would like to think so too.

the expression has been put to the test recently as more and more businesses are implementing the honor system. instead of hiring staff to man the counter. are americans really trustwor y trustworthy? i went in search of the answers. there is a small coffee shop in a small town in north dakota where the coffee is self-serve, and so is the bill. >> you want something, you help yourself and you pay. >> reporter: with no one behind the counter, customers pay based on the good old-fashioned honor system. >> the business plan simply makes sense. it turns out people have been more generous. and we have been consistently 15% over asking price. >> reporter: honesty, instilled in us from childhood -- >> honest? >> honest. >> reporter: -- is often our first virtue learned. >> the truth is inside of us. >> reporter: and the backbone of our moral code. >> all i ask for is honesty. >> it is not a lie if you believe it. >> we had this little voice inside our head, that little angel on one shoulder telling us to do the right thing. >> reporter: the honor system isn't new to retail.

farm stands across the country have been using it for years. >> what is the case? i get that a lot, what is the catch? there is no catch. for us, it is a matter of convenience for us as well as our customers. >> reporter: circle s farms in tennessee never closes. the self-serve stand had an honor box set up for 12 years now. and for the most part, everyone pays. >> i know it sounds strange in today's modern world, we found that there is still a lot of good people out there. >> reporter: there is honesty and then there is honesty. this 90-year-old has been running a self-service stand for decades. she's all about the honor system. so when asked about her surveillance camera we found, her answer was quite telling. for the last several summers, honesty has been conducting its own experiment, setting up kiosks in all 50 states and washington, d.c. >> you look around, is anyone watching, what are other people doing what are people thinking of me. >> reporter: our camera crew

staked out this new york city stand for several hours. most people paid. some did not. >> just figure it was optional. >> i mean, it is the honor system so i said -- >> how honest of a society do you think we are? >> i think if you give people that choice that most people would definitely pay for that. >> i think it is a big world. there is a lot of dishonest people in the world. >> reporter: so we started asking around. what percentage of this country do you think paid for the iced tea? >> i say 60 yes, 40 not. >> 60%. >> reporter: turns out 95% of americans were honest this year, according to the company. so what does that mean? honesty is the best policy. >> you must have the best part of the store ary. tell everybody. >> we're doing a story about honesty and the beautiful irony is while we were shooting a story, someone came up and snagged one of our cameras at a

little kiosk. the irony. someone stole our camera at an honest -- we filed a police report. it is in the process of happening. but we couldn't even get over the fact that they stole our camera on the story about honesty. >> i'm sure the criminal will see it and bring it back. >> yeah, oh, that's what i'm going to do today, i'm going to bring the camera back. >> here, jenna, here you go. >> got to love it. >> we have dialen in tylan in t room with the plaza fan of the day. >> all you wanted to do was to be in the front row out on the plaza and now you're in the orange room. >> i am. >> here is your moment. take it away. >> when was the last time you played kickball? grade school maybe? coming up, we'll tell you why more and more adults are getting back into the game. but first, these messages!

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as summer wind downs, many after work sports leagues are also wrapping up their seasons. leagues that today go far beyond the company softball team. >> some of the fastest growing

sports are playground games like dodge ball and kickball. you may be wondering why you waited so long to get back in the game. kickball, it is the game most of us remember from elementary school and likely haven't played since. which makes this playground past time the perfect fit for an increasing number of adults. >> not a lot of pressure. so you can suck and it is okay. >> reporter: unlike other sports, which can get competitive and serious, like softball, on this diamond, you never have to worry that the pitcher played division one or even varsity kick ball. >> anybody can come out and play. you really have a sense of humor. >> reporter: translation, they'll take anyone. now it is official. now i have the shirt. the navy shirts belong to kick me and i'll sue. a team of co-workers playing kickball together for the first time this year. >> we are not the best in the league but we still have fun. >> reporter: good news for the

latest addition, who is clearly a little rusty. the games are quick. just seven innings. >> yes! >> reporter: these games are run by the nearly 50-year-old boston ski and social club. which has an activity for just about everyone. >> safe! >> reporter: but it is kickball that has seen some of the biggest growth in recent years. the world adult kickball association or waka has leagues in 35 states with 80 to 100,000 players nationwide every season. i understand this is the final inning actually doesn't happen on the field, but often down the street at a watering hole. >> this is a very social environment. they play hard on the field, then they go play hard at the bars. >> reporter: where on this night there seemed to be greater success for those in the navy blue shirts who finished the season 1-6. but for a perfect record in the all important fun column. >> cheers.

>> reporter: kick me and i'll sue is one of the boston teams. there are 13 leagues in boston. they had 250 players and now over 2,000. they're not part of waka but growing rapidly. they're looking at their winter sports options. so if you play next summer, i brought their ball back so we could play a little game. kick with the inside of your foot. >> okay. >> no sliding, no stealing. >> i want going to slide. >> we're in the outfield. >> wait, okay. >> okay. >> i'm ready. >> you know i'm running slowly. >> is that the fastest you've ever run? >> who is kicking next? >> this is exactly what i would wear also if i played kick ball.

>> straight from work, you know. >> you're out. it got caught. >> oh. >> you're out. because she caught it. >> i like the fact -- time for dylan? >> let's have dylan try it. we got a 12-year-old singing sensation. unlimited cash back.

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that is powerhouse singer jonathan, 12 years old, already stunning the judges on "america's got talent," into the semifinals now. before he heads back to school, though, it is back to the radio city stage and he's going to -- he's spending some time with us this morning. great to have you here. >> the crowd was happy with what they heard earlier. so everybody is back to school. your friends are back to school? >> yes. >> you have celebrity status. not so bad? >> no. >> better than homework? >> better than homework. >> what will you do if you win the million dollars? >> help my mom out, get two dogs and go crazy. >> how about $2,000. >> you have a game plan.

all we want is to hear you sing. so go for it ♪ to the star here in my eyes ♪ ♪ a melody that all will believe ♪ ♪ i'm more than words i'm not the voice you gave to me ♪ ♪ but now i got to find ♪ ♪ my own my own ♪ >> wow!

>> so great. thank you so much for coming in this morning. you can watch "america's got talent," tuesday and wednesday nights at 9:00, 8:00 central. >> great job, pal. love it. let's check in with andrea mitchell for are a look at what's coming up on "meet the press." good morning. >> good morning, lester and erica. coming up, the latest on the isis threat. i'll ask california senator dianne feinstein, the chair of the intelligence committee, if president obama's comment shows weakness. plus, the revealing look at the new moderator of "meet the press," our own chuck todd from those who know him best. all that coming up next. >> andrea, we look forward to that. >> that will do it for us on a sunday morning. thank you for being with us. >> i'll see you back here for "nbc nightly news." until then, we'll play more kickball. thanks for watching.

good morning. i'm vicky nguyen. coming up on "today in the bay", rebuilding napa. a big helping hand from the stanley cup and the shark's biggest rivals. plus, a miracle. nast what family members are calling the rescue of an elder woman in the east bay missing for four days. >> and another huge credit card scam at target. how the suspects made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars. this is "today in the bay." >> let's take you outside now and give you a live look at san francisco and what you're waking up to there. a little bit o