wake-up call today. and i believe she has a major personal announcement to make. that is not her hair, so this is a great tease. stay tube ned. we're going to reveal her identity in just a few! this is "way too early"! ♪ orioles magic ♪ feel it out there ♪ o-r-i-o-l-e-s ♪ magic magic magic good morning, i'm thomas roberts. it is wednesday, september 17th. welcome to "way too early," the show that has never been so excited for the "b" block. orioles big news! also, we have some "way too early to call" props. that's right, the blue phone has turned. i'll give you a tease coming up. and maybe you can figure it out, because the hair we had in that graphic, not going to help. help you figure it out. don't you love that song,

"orioles magic." o-r-i-o-l-e-s magic. we want to begin talking about the nfl and the big news with the star running back adrian peterson is being told to stay away from the vikings. the six-time pro bowler is accused of spanking his son with a wooden switch. the team had kept peterson off the field for sunday's game but announced on monday that he would be reinstated. this all changed early this morning after the team and the league came under some very heavy criticism. the state's governor mark dayton called for peterson's suspension yesterday, and he wrote in part, quote, it's an awful situation, yes. mr. peterson is entitled to due process and should be innocent until proven guilty. however, he is a public figure, and his actions, as described, are a public embarrassment to the vikings organization and the state of minnesota. the league is also coming under mounting criticism from its sponsors.

more on that in just a moment. first to another controversy involving star player running back ray rice, now appealing his indefinite suspension by the nfl and the league's players association is demanding that punishment be overturned. in a statement, the union writes in part, quote, supporting facts reveal a lack of a fair and impartial process, including the role of the office of the commissioner. commissioner roger goodell initially handed rice a two-game suspension for assaulting his future wife. but the league then increased the penalty after another video publicly surfaced, showing the full extent of the violence. and the union says players cannot be punished twice for the same action. rice, who was dropped by the baltimore ravens, has been accepted into a rehab program and can apply to be reinstated by the league at the discretion of the front office. so back to the sponsor situation and the nfl. that is a billion-dollar business. and the companies that help foot the bills, well, they're clearly worried about what is unfolding. one of the first to speak out was raddison hotels.

another huge name raising its own concerns. the beer giant anheuser-busch says we are disappointed and increasingly concerned by the recent incidents that have overshadowed this nfl season. we are not yet satisfied with the league's handling of behaviors that so clearly go against our own company culture and moral code. visa says domestic violence and any form is unacceptable. it has no place in the nfl or our society. more broadly, our expectation remains that all of visa's partners including the nfl maintain high ethical standards and operate with full transparency. several sponsors spoke out against domestic violence while reiterating their support for the league. many including bridgestone, fedex, gm and verizon are taking a wait-and-see approach. and according to the a.p., nike stores in the twin cities have pulled peterson's jerseys from the shelves. but a company spokesman says the running back, quote, remains a nike athlete. and his product continues to be available for purchase.

now we shift attention to capitol hill where in just a few hours the house will begin debating president obama's plans to defeat islamic state militants in iraq and syria. and a vote could take place today. but there are new questions about the direction of the mission. joint chiefs chairman general martin dempsey raised eyebrows at a senate hearing by suggesting ground troops are possible, contradicting what president obama has said repeatedly. >> my view at this point is that this coalition is the appropriate way forward. i believe that will prove true, but if it fails to be true and if there are threats to the united states, then i, of course, would go back to the president and make a recommendation that may include the use of u.s. military ground forces. >> hours later, white house press secretary josh earnest said the policy has not changed and that general dempsey was referring to a, quote, hypothetical scenario. the pentagon says dempsey's comments, quote, speak for themselves. nbc news has learned obama and other officials are making a

series of calls to lawmakers about the plan to arm syrian rebels. party leaders are optimistic but many are undecided including a large number of democratic lawmakers including democratic senator joe manchin. >> the only thing that i know that we're short of is that training and those weapons will probably be used against us at some time in the future. if everything that's happened in the past. we took out saddam. we thought that would change. iraq's in worse shape. we take out gadhafi. we thought that would change. it got to bad in libya, we've had to pull out our people. i'm not supporting assad, i think he should be gone. but as long as he's able to remain there, he's fighting the same people that we're asking people to train to fight that we're going to spend $500 million. it makes no sense to me and i can't sell it. i've tried. you can't sell this stuff. >> meanwhile, this video allegedly shows the wreckage of a syrian warplane that was shot down by islamic state militants. nbc has confirmed isis released the video but is still working to verify that it is the same

plane. and a man from rochester, new york, is now facing charges after being indicted for allegedly trying to support isis. authorities say he also tried to kill members of the u.s. military who return from iraq. now we shift attention to the battle, the growing battle, against the threat of ebola. president obama on tuesday announcing he's going to send 3,000 troops to west africa to stop the spread of ebola before it poses a wider and global threat. >> if the outbreak is not stopped, now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected with profound political and economic and security implications for all of us. so this is an epidemic that is not just a threat to regional security, it's a potential threat to global security if these countries break down. if their economies break down. if people panic. that has profound effects on all of us, even if we are not directly contracting the disease.

>> so the president also mentioned that he had met with american ebola survivor dr. kent brantly whom he thanked for his service. the fate of nascar driver tony stewart is now in a grand jury's hands. an upstate new york prosecutor said he's going to let the grand jury review the evidence in kevin ward jr.'s death to determine if stewart should be charged. stewart was behind the wheel when he hit and killed the 20-year-old driver during a race last month. ward had gotten out of the his car after he was spun out by stewart. stewart says it was a tragic accident. and in a statement promised to cooperate fully with that investigation. in business news, u.s. astronauts, they've been riding on russian rockets ever since nasa retired its shuttle program back in 2011. but that could soon come to an end. nasa announced boeing and space-x will design an american-made spaceship it claims is less expensive and more reliable than previous shuttles.

cnbc's geoff cutmore joins us. should we expect to see shuttles resume? obviously these were halted three years ago. >> absolutely. a lot of people say it's good to see americans back in the space race. it looks like we'll see the first launches in 2017. this means nasa will no longer have to pay $70 million for a seat in a russian soyuz. i'm not sure if uber is up to the task of offering a taxi ride into space, but clearly getting boeing and spacex up and running on offering a competing ride is a good way of both bringing undo the costs and reducing reliance on the russians. so this is an exciting story and one worth keeping an eye on. i want to move you on here because something that apple fans will be very keen to keep an eye on today, ios 8 is coming to your device any time now. this new operating system promises a number of significant upgrades both for the camera and

the keyboard. they're talking about the ability to straighten pictures. apparently they'll be smart predictive texts based on your previous conversations. and one of the interesting features apparently siri will always be on. you will not have to press a button to have a conversation with siri. most apple devices will get the upgrade, although there are one or two older models that will probably be left out here. ios 8 is coming your way. back to you. >> siri is always listening. always with you? i don't know if i dig that. >> that's the plan. >> that's the plan. all right. and real quickly before we let you go because this is big coming up in scotland for tomorrow. we understand that bill clinton has gotten out on the record about the vote of scottish independence. >> yeah, it's unbelievable how much attention this poll is getting around the world. i'm questioning, you know, what is bill clinton's skin in the game on this? i didn't even know that he had

scottish ancestors. but apparently he feels it's important for the scots to stay in the union, and he has come out and said that he hopes the scots will make the right decision. and the point he makes, you know, we've got a turbulent world out there. it's appropriate for the scots to decide not only to reinforce their identity as part of the uk but also acknowledge that it's better to be larger when it comes to dealing with some of these big challenges. so clinton making those comments. and for those scots who may be offended, he says he hopes that they will take his advice in the spirit of friendship. back to you. >> we shall all see how it plays out by the end of the week. thank you, sir. still ahead on "way too early," live studio audience, pay attention. here is your super hint for "way too early" to call. we have our "way too early to call" guest coming up. this is a huge hint. she's been happily divorced so why is she getting rehitched? plus, oh, yeah! a big night in my hometown of

baltimore as the orioles clinch the a.l. east! yes! magic, everybody. that story and a check on weather when "way too early" comes right back. anybody get the hint? anybody get the hint? anybody get it? all right. we're calling. one of the agreements that president sadat and prime minister begin are signing tonight is entitled "a framework for peace in the middle east." i'm type e.

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pepperoni on your side... more pepperoni. cheers! pillsbury pizza crust. make dinner pop i'm a little nervous because it's time for our special series "way too early to call." this is where we pick up the phone, we go through the rolodex and call somebody a little too early for their own good.

luckily my next guest is in europe. she is an emmy award-nominated actress and also a newlywed who might be on her honeymoon. so without further ado, let's try to ring up -- hopefully she's going to answer. please answer. is she there? fran? >> hello. hello? >> fran? >> hello? >> fran drescher? >> hello! >> fran drescher. >> my god. >> let's hear it for fran drescher, live studio audience! yes! we love fran drescher. hey, congratulations. you just got married. >> thomas -- i know! it's so exciting! >> all right. the tease was, you were just fine raising the kids, as nanny fine, of course. you were happily divorced. so why is she getting rehitched? so let's talk about this. we saw on you vacation last year. i think euro manslaughter hyour

kind of started. tell us about your husband. >> he's wonderful. he's a very special person. we fell madly in love very quickly. and i just have to say for all the ladies listening and the gents as well, you know, when it's right, it's right. there's not a lot of negotiation. you don't have to -- well, if i compromise this, he'll compromise that. >> right. >> we're very much alike. we laugh all the time. his name is dr. shiva iadore. and he's a bona fide genius and the inventor of e-mail amongst many wonderful things. >> i know. >> that he's doing currently for science and medicine. and i'm very proud to call myself his wife. >> when i wrote you to convince you to do this, i quote -- and p.s., you're reading this by -- because of the guy you married invented it." >> yes, i know! that was so cute. that was so cute.

>> so are we allowed to say where you are? >> well, yes. >> i mean, the general geography, you are -- >> well, i'm in france. >> and you're going to have another service, right? >> yes. well, we want to have seven ceremonies in total. and seven is the lucky number. we have friends all over the world. and family. so, you know, the big one, the special one, though, wasn't altogether that big, but it was amazing. it was, of course, on the beach in l.a. >> that's in the red dress. and for everybody that's looking at this picture we have up on the screen, mr. sheffield was there. we see him down on the bottom right-hand side. yes, mr. sheffield. >> and you know, that's charles shaughnessy. red is the traditional color for an indian bride.

and -- >> is peter okay with all of this? peter was your first husband. >> you're calling me, thomas, on my honeymoon. and peter and cousin paula are here. >> oh, excellent. excellent. we love a family honeymoon. that's fantastic. especially with the ex-husband on board. >> he's taking pictures of the honeymoon that we didn't get, so it was good. >> all right. you just finished on broadway. you're going -- obviously you're doing the seven weddings, all for good luck. >> yes. >> ceremonies. are we going to see you back on stage or tv screen soon? >> yes, yes. i'm right now dealing with several wonderful and exciting projects. you know, one for me to direct. one i'm writing for broadway.

i have the workings in my head for my next book. and we now have an idea for the next tv thing, you know. >> yes! >> i've got to keep living my life to inspire new projects for me. >> well, you are an inspiration to so many. fran drescher, we love you. congratulations on being a newlywed and good luck. >> thank you. >> with the rest of your ceremonies. we wish you nothing but the best. we love you and thank you for being such a great sport and letting us get you up on your honeymoon. >> oh, how sweet you are. anything for you, thomas. so thank you. and we had to get up anyway. it's 11:30 here. >> get out there. get moving. get moving. all right, fran. thank you, my dear. >> have a good day, thomas. >> you, too. time for sports. begin with major league baseball from up with love to another, my baltimore orioles. 8-2 last night. first baseman steve pearce steps on the bag to end the game. the o's storm the field and

celebrate their first a.l. title as the confetti flies and explodes over the beautiful camden yards. check out outfielder adam jones sharing the moment with the crowd as he smashes celebratory pies in the faces of fans. if i could only be so lucky to be a fan to get a pie smash. oh! lucky fans. all right. in atlanta, the nats blanked the braves 3-0. washington wraps up their second n.l. east title in the past three years. they do some celebrating on the field but then they take it back to the clubhouse where they drench each other in beer and champagne. then in st. pete, the rays honor derek jeter. a framed dawn zimmer jersey and $16,000 for his charity. that's fantastic. jeter gets one more present in the eighth inning when he -- >> he can't do that. >> it marks the fifth time a yankee has been pegged by a ray in the past four game after the ump warns joe girardi and gets

tossed. the next inning, new york reliever david phelps retaliates, of course. yeah, with a little brushback pitch. >> the batter knew it was coming. >> both benches clear. no punches are thrown. just loud words exchanged. as for the game, tampa goes on to win that 6-1. want to check in now, bill karins standing by with weather. >> just imagine if jeter had gotten hurt and he was out for the rest of the year and it ended like that. >> that would have been dad. >> glad it didn't. big storms coming into areas of arizona. this was the hurricane that decimated the cabo area. just heard one of the major hotels isn't going to open for three more months. they're evacuating people out of there by military aircraft. what's left with tropical storm odile. this is where our flash flood threat is the next two days. three to six inches of rain in this portion of the country usually means a lot of washed-out roads. the worst of it should be from phoenix to tucson and eventually over into new mexico.

next three days, that's the big weather story is how bad the flash flooding will be in the southwest. it's actually a chilly but going to be a beautiful day in many areas of the east. >> okay, bill, thank you, sir. coming up at the top of the hour on "morning joe," more on the vikings' decision to deactivate adrian peterson. then this big story. rihanna blasting cbs for pulling her song from the "thursday night football" opener. does the network's decision have anything to do with her past as a domestic violence victim? then when we come back here, we are all going to huddle around the water cooler for song and dance from jimmy fallon and julianna margulies. you've got to see it to believe it as they do their best high school principal impersonations. we're back in a moment.

okay. so it's time now for the cooler and we want to begin with fun on "the tonight show with jimmy fallon" and his guest, julianna margulies who play principals trying to keep things cool as they start the new year at school. take a look. >> this is principal davidson. >> and i'm vice principal mcgongle. and it's time for the morning announcements. >> first order of beeswax, this thursday at 2:00 p.m. marks both the first meeting of the debate club and the first day of mr. truman's home ec class fall bake

sale. ♪ ♪ bake bake bake ♪ bakers gonna bake bake bake bake bake ♪ so bake it up ♪ ♪ bake it up >> i just want to issue a reminder, there will be severe punishment for any student who is caught sexting during class. ♪ ♪ why you gotta text those nudes ♪ ♪ don't you know you're students too ♪ ♪ why you gotta text those nudes ♪ >> that was pretty good. all right. you may have heard of pop-up restaurants. they're also called supper clubs. they're typically promoted for a brief limited time. but according to a british news report, because of intense backlash, organizers in london are considering their next steps after offering the last meals of death row inmates. the website featured a series of photos of inmates with menus around their necks. so-called death row dinners were going for about 50 pounds or $81

a pop. organizers released a statement saying we're shocked and saddened by the response to death row dinners and are genuinely very sorry for any offense caused. the pop-up is intended to explore the concept of last meals and anyone who has been to a dinner party has probably had this conversation, what would they love their last meal to be? all right. a little weird. anyway, that's going to do it for "way too early." "morning joe" is just moments away. stick around. when fixed income experts work with equity experts who work with regional experts who work with portfolio management experts that's when expertise happens. mfs. because there is no expertise without collaboration.

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[ music playing ] >> that's rihanna. the song goes on the, say, baby, please come back, baby, it was me. we will get to one of her hit songs that young girls love. good morning, it's twens wednesday, september 17th. we have the chairman of deutsche, incorporated, donny