hey everybody, good morning. i'm thomas roberts. it is monday, september 15th. welcome to "way too early" whose heart grows two sizes with each new tie purchase. today is just basic black. so obviously we need some new ties. but 234ewaanyway, it's great to you with us. we start off this monday with big news for ray rice and domestic violence case because in just a few hours from now, a major development is expected. multiple nfl sources telling nbc sports that rice will appeal his indefinite suspension for lying about what occurred in a casino elevator with his then-fiancee. race is expected to say he told officials the whole truth. now, what the nfl did or did not know about the altercation is leading to growing calls for commissioner roger goodell to resign. a women's advocacy group flew this banner that rea read #goodellmustgo over three nfl games sunday. lawmakers on capitol hill,

they're also weighing in on the issue. democratic senator kirsten gillibrand. >> i think the way the nfl handled this was awful. it was outrageous. they had all the facts they needed. that player should have been fired immediately. so we are now looking to the commissioner to enforce a zero-tolerance policy. but given the recent debate, you know, if he's lied, if he lied to the american people, then he has to step down. because he won't have the force of authority to change how they address these issues. >> the league's initial two-game suspension of rice and its overall response to the case also led to powerful statements from sports broadcasters on sunday. >> it's the biggest mistake of roger goodell's career. he should have never been in the court process because then you have to be the investigator. then you have to look into all the details. he has other things. >> too many inconsistencies. >> he should be concerned with. he should be the supreme court justice. there should not only be a trial

court, an appellate process, and then if it has to get to roger, let it get to roger. but this is a big mistake, and it has to change. >> i spent this week answering seemly impossible questions about the league's biggest stars. mom, why did he do that? why isn't he in jail? why didn't he get fired? and yesterday, why don't they even have control of their own players? a in the nfl apparently seeing is believing. if the ravens had to see the video to move to significant action, shouldn't the league demand to see the same, to see action, to see change before believing as we all wait on the answer to this central question, what exactly does the nfl stand for? >> goodell still appears to have support from the league. however, dallas cowboys' owner jerry jones says 100% of the owners are in goodell's corner. meanwhile, the gm of the vikings says all options are on

the table for adrian peterson. adrian peterson is the star running back who was booked and released from jail after being indicted for allegedly abusing his 4-year-old son. the vikings say that they're still determining what happens when peterson next. who was deactivated for sunday's game against the patriots. on espn, hall of famer cris carter gave an extremely emotional and personal statement to condemn child abuse. >> my mom was wrong. she did the best she could. but she was wrong about some of that stuff she taught me. and i promised my kids, i won't teach that mess to them. you can't beat a kid to make them do what they want to do. >> that's correct. thank you. >> thousands of things we have learned since then. and now we're to the point, the only thing i'm proud about is the team that i played for, they did the right thing. >> yes. >> take him off the field. i don't care -- are we're in a climate right now, i don't care what it is. take them off the dang field.

as a man, that's the only thing we really respect. >> former nba star charles barkley was outspoken as he tried to defend peterson against the child abuse allegations. >> i'm from the south. whipping is -- we do that all the time. every black parent in the south is going to be in jail under those circumstances. i think we have to be careful letting people -- how they dictate how they -- you know, treat their children. >> it doesn't matter where you're from. right is right, wrong is wrong. it doesn't matter where you're from. >> i don't believe that because, listen, we spank kids in the south. i think the question about did adrian peterson go overboard, but listen, jim, we all grow up in different environments. every black parent in my neighborhood in the south would be in trouble or in jail under those circumstances. >> peterson could face up to two years behind bars if convicted. all right. so to politics now. it was her first trip to iowa since disappointing -- her disappointing 2008 finish. but former secretary of state hillary clinton seemed to relish in her return there on sunday.

>> hello, iowa! i'm back! >> certainly she is. in an appearance with former president clinton at senator tom harkin's annual steak fry. she spoke to a crowd of thousands urging them to vote for democrats in 2014, the midterm elections. but 2016 wasn't far off anybody's mind. and many showed up with "ready for hillary" signs and the apparel to go along with it, eager to show their support. and the former first lady had no problem joking about her future aspirations before getting very serious. >> well, it is true. i am thinking about it. but -- but for today, that is not why i'm here. i'm here for the steak. too many people only get excited about presidential campaigns.

look, i get excited about presidential campaigns, too. but those campaigns only happen every four years. and every two years, you're electing members of congress and senators and state officials who will have a big say in the quality of your schools, your health care, your lives. >> i know, but hillary, you haven't been there since 2008. anyway, a new cnn/orc poll has clinton far ahead of the 2016 pack. more than tripling her next closest contender. vice president joe biden in a hypothetical iowa democratic caucus there. clinton ended her speech by telling the crowd, quote, let's not let another seven years go by. so she's coming back no matter what in less than seven years. a vote is expected on capitol hill this week on a u.s. plan to arm and train syrian rebels in the fight against isis.

several arab powers say they're going to help strike militant targets from the air, but putting together a combat force on the ground, that's far more challenging. so far commitments from overseas are vague with concerns that the military campaign could end up helping the syrian government and its supporters in iran. now, while a majority of americans back the administration's push for action, nearly 70% like the confidence the u.s. will accomplish its goals. the militants, meanwhile, are threatening to execute a fourth western captive after releasing video on saturday showing the beheading of british aid worker david haines. he was captured by militants in syria in 2013. the terror group says it will now kill hostage allen henning unless the uk stops working alongside the united states. and it follows the murders of american journalists james foley and steven sotloff. sotloff's family spokesman says the reporter's parents felt threatened by a top u.s. official who told them they

could be prosecuted if they tried to pay a ransom to free their son. james foley's mom recalled a similar incident saying she was, quote, horrified by the government's warning. white house chief of staff denis mcdonough was asked about that on sunday. >> as a father myself, i can only imagine the very difficult circumstances that the foley and the sotloff family are going through. my heart goes out to them. my prayers are with them, obviously. in terms of what was communicated to the families, in the midst of many, many meetings over the course of this very difficult circumstance, we obviously make clear what the law is. we didn't threaten anybody, but we made clear what the law is. that's our responsibility, is to make sure that we explain the law and uphold the law. >> so unlike other nations, the u.s. and great britain have very strict policies not to negotiate with terror groups. pope francis is drawing praise this morning for the latest sign that he wants to make the catholic church more inclusive, more open. he married 20 couples in the first mass wedding at the

vatican in 14 years. and even though the church considers sex outside of marriage a sin, one of the brides was already a mother. some of the other couples who said "i do" were also living together. and the mass wedding comes three weeks before bishops will hold a meeting on the vatican views on family issues. we shift topics to talk business news. and the marriott politely asks all customers out there to tip the hotel maid and apple customers, well, if you have put your order in, you could be waiting a long time for that new iphone. cnbc's geoff cutmore joins us live to fill us in. geoff, once again, they report these record numbers coming in for preorders, but there could be a little bit of delay for those people that are anxiously waiting to get it. >> yeah. you know, the cynic in me would say there are companies that come out, and they just, you know, dribble the product into the market. and it's about creating scarcity of supply. and then just ramping up that

desire to own. and companies believe that this helps them sell more product in the long run. but you know, genuinely in this case, i think apple may not have been prepared for the demand. and the problem here is that the iphone 6 and the 6 plus, well, they're selling out in most of the outlets where they're being offered. and online, as you point out, apple are now talking three to four weeks to get that online order fulfilled. so it does appear as though apple has been a little bit surprised by the success here. and what's interesting is some of the analysts are suggesting there could be as many as 100 million requests for this product, or at least those who already own apple products who would like to upgrade. that is still a huge number of people who might potentially go to the website to get the new phone. so it look s like apple are struggling to keep up with supply here. i want to move you on because one of the other stories that we're focused on this week is the scottish referendum.

the scots must decide whether they stay in the united kingdom. and we thought that her majesty, the queen, was probably above the debate, but whilst holidaying in balmoral castle, she was asked at a church what she thought the scots should do. she chose her language very carefully. and that's her suggestion, that the scots think very carefully about how they vote in the referendum. immediately both those on the yes and the no side seized on her comments, support, but in reality, she sat on the fence on this one, i think. back to you. >> all right. we'll all wait to see how that plays out. real quickly, i want to get your take and info on this one because a lot of people are unclear how to handle this when they travel. but marriott hotels is now going to be helping out their customers, reminding them how they should be tipping the hotel maid. >> yeah. this is the marriott teaming up

with maria shriver. what they've said is they're going to put a little envelope in 160,000 rooms. and that envelope is for you to tip the maid. now, i've been doing a little bit of an informal straw poll in the office here, and i don't know whether it's just where europeans, we're not used to tipping like you americans, but just about everybody i've spoken to has said, well, if the hotel pays the maid properly, why should i be expected to put a little extra into an envelope? i don't know if that's the wrong attitude here. i mean, after all, many of these maids only earn about $8 an hour. so it is a tough job, not too rewarding. maybe it would be nice just to show that you appreciate the effort that's been made. back to you. >> yeah. it's a thoughtful thing to do, and i think you bring up a great point about the debate about wages and a fair wage and how some people might not want to tip, thinking that they're already paying enough in terms of what the cost is to stay in a hotel room overnight. it should cover all of the services which includes the maid service. geoff, thank you, sir. appreciate it.

this does bring us to our twitter question for you this morning. do you tip the hotel maid when you're traveling for business or for pleasure? and would an envelope there help influence your decision about it? tweet us your best answers using #waytooearly. we'll put the best ones up later in the show. when the team sent me this this morning, it made me reconsider what we did or did not do over this weekend on a trip to l.a. i feel a little -- i feel a little remorse. i feel a little remorse. >> no envelope. >> no envelope. and i have a bad memory. still ahead on "way too early," some incredible come-from-behind victories in football. all the best highlights in sports. and later, how jeremy lyinn is able to get this out of his fans. all that ahead and more on "way too early."

the bomb ripped through the 16th street baptist church. inside, five girls had stopped at the bathroom on their way to hear the day's sermon. carol robertson, cynthia wesley, denise mcnair, and adddy mae collins were killed.

what's your favorite kind of cheerios? honey nut. but... chocolate is my other favorite... oh yeah, and frosted! what's your most favorite of all? hmm...the kind i have with you. me too. fancy feast broths. they're irresistabowl... completely unbelievabowl... totally delectabowl. real silky smooth or creamy broths. everything she's been waiting for. carefully crafted with real seafood, real veggies, and never any by-products or fillers. wow! being a cat just got more enjoyabowl. fancy feast broths. wow served daily.

okay. time for sports, everybody. and week two of the nfl, we start in san francisco. niners hosting the bears in the late game. second quarter, just before the half. the chicago offense nonexistent. trailing 19-0 until brandon marshall hauls in a one had of handed touchdown pass to get the bears on board there. chicago takes advantage of three interceptions thrown by san francisco's colin kaepernick. now, the bears' qb, jay cutler, tosses three touchdowns in the fourth quarter including another, two to marshall, and the bears come back to win it, 28-20. to green bay packers back from an 18-point deficit against

the jets, the game tied at 24-24 in the third quarter. aaron rodgers finds jordy nelson who takes it in for an 80-yard score. and green bay lead there. fourth quarter, jets trying to make a comeback. geno smith throws deep to jeremy curly in the end zone. but wait, someone on the jets' sideline called a time-out before the ball was snapped, and the touchdown is brought back. packers win it 34-21. can you believe that? can you believe that? can you believe that? >> yes. i'm a jets fan. i can believe it. >> can you believe it. okay. he's a little dejected today. i don't know if it's the yankees, the jets. i didn't even do the yankees story. anyway, we get a check on weather. bill karins is here. >> did you at least leave the room clean? i mean -- >> a little. >> a little? >> a little clean. yeah. didn't use all the towels. >> that's good. >> left a washcloth. never use the washcloth. >> at least you didn't take them

with you. >> yeah. >> we've got this huge hurricane, one of the worst hurricane in the resort city's history. when it comes daylight and we see the pictures, it's going to be a devastating blow. already reports of some hotels' lobbies that are just destroyed. obviously these were the daylight pictures three to four hours before the eye hit. literally the eye went right through cabo san lucas. they got hit on the front side of the eye, it went calm and then the backside of the eye, too. we'll bring you those pictures as we get them in. they've got four or five hours until the sun comes up there. just a direct hit. it was 125-mile-per-hour winds at landfall. it will weaken from here, but it's going straight up the baja peninsula. there's no escaping the storm. they literally just have to hunker down. some of this rain, thomas, will head up into the southwestern u.s. phoenix, tucson, el paso. more rain for them the end of this week. we've got to feel for the people in the cabo area. the tourists, everyone, the resort workers, they got hit hard. >> what about you? do you tip when you leave the hotel? >> yes. yes.

i tip, and then my wife adds money to it. >> you had time to think about it. that was a fast yes. you've been thinking about this! you knew i was going to ask you! >> i tip medium and then my wife takes money out of her purse and adds to it. >> that's good. very respectful of you. he had time to think about it. coming up on "morning joe," more on hillary clinton's appearance in iowa that has the hawkeye state talking. we'll huddle around the water cooler for an unusual crown-winning performance in the miss america pageant. it has to do with one girl, one cup. did you see this, bill karins? >> i did. i'm on the fence. each year, 95% of homeowners won't have a claim. that's why allstate claim free rewards gives you money back for every year you don't have one. and why if you're part of the other 5%, allstate offers claim rateguard. so your rates won't go up just because of a claim.

no matter what comes your way, your home protects you. ...protect it back allstate home insurance from an allstate agent. whoamy cuts all better.re. cause sarah's mom discovered neosporin. with patented technology... ...that heals cuts two days faster than store brands. neosporin. buy three johnson & johnson first aid products and get a free bag. definitely not routine. and that can take a lot of energy. nature valley breakfast biscuits. four biscuits, 26 grams of whole grains that give you the energy to help keep you going. i love nature valley breakfast biscuits.

want to get this story in. it's a little bit of a controversial moment for kanye west during a concert in australia over the weekend. the yeezus rapper wanted to stop the show. little did he know the fans he just shamed were disabled? >> y'all want to do a stand-up, or do you want to get removed? what y'all want to do? >> stand up! stand up! stand up! stand up! stand up! >> there's literally two people left. there's two people left. they don't want to stand up.

i'll have to wait. this is unbelievable. >> [ bleep ]. >> he is in a wheelchair, then that's fine. is he in a wheelchair there? in a wheelchair. in' wheelchair? okay. >> trying to get everybody up on their feet there. "the daily mail" australia posted a picture of a fan raising their prosthetic leg to prove they couldn't stand. reports that kanye even sent over his bodyguard to make sure the one fan was actually in a wheelchair and needed to be. okay. that was a little awkward. but we are going to shift gears to something a lot more positive and check in with louis who is around the cooler to introduce us to the new miss america. >> that's right, the new miss america has been named. miss new york named the new miss america on abc last night, strangely with the help of a red

plastic cup. kara katzen is the third straight winner from new york during the talent portion, the new miss america took a page from the movie script of 2012's "pitch perfect." ♪ i might be crazy but i'm not sane ♪ ♪ sunshine she's here ♪ you can take a break >> she says she chose that talent to show little girls they can do whatever they want and still succeed. that's a good reason, but social media wasn't too impressed. linda cohen tweeted this picture, quote, miss america's inspiration but anna kendrick did it with a yellow cup and a cappella. excuse me, miss new york, the cup song is so two years ago. she did a good job. >> don't be such a hater. >> don't hate. she did it live. i thought she did well. >> congratulations. >> congratulations to miss new york. there's this video going viral, a former new york knick turned l.a. laker jeremy lin.

he had fun scaring people at madame tussaud's san francisco. ♪ that's too good. i love when they do that. >> that would get me. >> we've got to get you in that madame tussaud's. we can get you with a nice pink tie. >> that will work. i think blue. something to bring out my waxy eyes, louis. thank you, sir. all right. we want to get your responses to our twitter question. earlier in the show we asked you do you tip the hotel maid and would an envelope influence that habit? our producer, justine, has some of the best responses. what did we get? >> good morning. nicole says always making bets is back-breaking work. hard workers generally don't get paid that much. >> and then we got one from a guy that i met last night at the

airport. george gonzalez. who said that i do tip when i stay in a hotel. my wife, kathleen, insists never seen an envelope, however. so that would help. shout-out to kathleen, george's wife, because she was not with him last night at l.a.x. thank you so much. that's going to do it for "way too early." "morning joe" starts right now. there are two reasons why i need to keep an eye on my health. ugh! we won! that's why i take metabiotic, a daily probiotic. with 70% of your immune system in your gut, new multi-health metabiotic with bio-active 12 helps maintain digestive balance and is proven to help support a healthy immune system i take care of myself, so i can take care of them. experience the meta effect with our new multi-health wellness line and see how one small change can lead to good things. but you may not know we're a family. 12 brands. more hotels than anyone else in the world. like days inn, where you can do everything under the sun.

for a chance to win one million dollars, visit wyndhamrewards.com [guyi know what you're excited. you're thinking beneful. [announcer]and why wouldn't he be? beneful has wholesome grains,real beef,even accents of spinach,carrots and peas. it has carbohydrates for energy and protein for those serious muscles. [guy] aarrrrr! [announcer]even accents of vitamin-rich veggies. [guy] so happy! you love it so much. yes you do! but it's good for you,too. [announcer] healthful. flavorful. beneful. from purina. their biggest customer is demanding refunds for defects. so i offered to help. at ge capital, we bring expertise from across ge. so i call in our access ge engineers, and together with columbia, we work backwards. from the cabinet factory, to the place they peel the logs. we find the source and help replace the machine. problem solved. if you just need a loan, just call a bank. but at ge capital, we're builders.

what we know, can help you grow. i know what my money is doing. i rebalanced my portfolio on my phone. you know what else i can do on my phone? place trades, get free real time quotes and teleport myself to aruba. i wish. some people think vegetables are boring. but with green giant's delicious seasonings and blends, we just may change their minds. ho ho ho green giant!

♪ hello, iowa! i'm back! >> she's back and clearly running. she says she hasn't decided yet but that's what someone does when they run for president. they go to iowa, joe. >> yes, they do. >> they go to iowa. they go the steak fry. >> harold, isn't that what they do? >> i don't know. harold. >> that's what i heard. >> jeremy peters would know. when you're running for president write a ok