trees coming down and electric wires coming down and that means power outages. >> if american citizens are left, we will get them all out. >> we don't to wait until it's, like, oh too late >> they don't know if he has an explosiveness device good morning welcome to "sunday today." august 22nd. i'm willie geist a busy sunday morning with developing stories across the country and the world. in tennessee ten people are dead dozens more are missing after flash floods swept through a

rural area outside of nashville. we will have a live report with the latest on the search there. we are keeping a close eye on henri, expected to make landfall in the northeast in a matter of hours. millions are new york's long island and up into new england preparing for heavy weather and the loss of power as the storm sweeps in. we will have the latest path in a moment renewed fears for women in afghanistan. in our sunday spotlight, history painted on to plywood. how the boards put up to protect businesses during last year's nationwide protests became can canvassed. >> a sit down with sean penn on his long oscar winning career. directing and starring in a new movie across from his real life

daughter dylan and his humanitarian relief trip to haiti this week after another devastating earthquake there all of that plus another life well lived later in the show we begin with the catastrophic flash flooding in middle tennessee, ten people killed and many more still missing. vaughn hilliard is following the overnight developments for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this was not a part of any of these tropical storms or hurricanes we have been tracking but if you look at that radar from yesterday this was a massive isolated storm that caught residents unexpectedly. when you're looking at 15 inches of rain and a massive flood that swept away homes and vehicles, this is a storm now left a community still reckoning with the damage here this morning a tennessee community is reeling this morning as dozens remain unaccounted for. after massive flooding ravaged the heart of the state on saturday. >> this was all under water not

too long ago. >> homes and cars swept away in humphries county 70 miles west of nashville neighbors were clinging to their homes. >> a house here and had a camper beside it. the women and children were on top of the roof waiting for someone to help them. >> reporter: officials tell nbc affiliate wsmv among those killed were two toddlers swept away from their father, more than a foot of rain fell in the area on saturday washing away local roads and major highways and complicating a desperate search the tennessee national guard using a blackhawk helicopter for water rescues and hours after families were left stranded. >> it was bad. thing things moving. white water really fast. >> reporter: local officials are door-to-door to ask the for the

missing. remnants. we are talking about dozens of individuals, we are talking about dozens of people here. the officials are hoping the individuals are able to find safety and shelter here but a tough search on this sunday. >> terrible pictures let's hope for the best. in the northeast millions of people are making preparations for ohenri.york's long island following the storm's p dylan dreyer is on point lookout on new york's long island following the storm's path for us dylan, good morning. our >> reporter: good morning. the rain is starting to take hold all across long island. yesterday we saw some of our heaviest rainfall back across new york and new jersey in the city, itself 6 inches of rain.

it did cause sig take a look at some of the flooding we saw in new jersey. some areas picking up already about 3 to 6 inches of rain. it did cause significant flooding for some areas. that is going to be the concern especially for inland areas with this storm also, we are starting to notice the surf become rougher, also become higher as the storm surge is going to kick in later on as the storm gets closer around 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 today. we also had the homecoming concert in new york's central park yesterday and because of all the heavy rain and especially the lightning, fans actually were being sent home during barry manilow's set this storm started yesterday, but the bulk of it is going to get going today. it is a tropical storm but it is still 70-mile-per-hour winds, so very close to a hurricane. either way, this is going to make landfall as a strong tropical storm or weak hurricane. it is moving pretty quickly, so that forward speed is going to help the storm make landfall perhaps around 10:00 or 11:00

is on the eastern end of long island, or in parts of rhode island that's why the hurricane warning has shifted a little further to the east from yesterday. heavy, torrential rain falling across eastern long island, parts of massachusetts, back through new jersey winds aren't that strong just yet, about 20 to 30-mile-per-hour wind gusts, but later this morning, early this afternoon, we will likely see gusts up to around 70 miles per hour here are your flash flood watches and warnings new jersey, most likely will see the flash floods this morning because of that heavier rain you can see the bands coming in off the water and we'll likely see flooding across long island, southern connecticut, into rhode island, and southeastern massachusetts as well. this storm will slow down a bit as we go into tonight. that's why that flooding concern is a big issue it also weakens quite a bit as it moves over land but by this afternoon, we will likely see if not a first landfall, a second landfall somewhere in rhode island. again, it all depends on that wobbling track look at how slowly it moves through parts of vermont, into

maine as well, as we go into monday and tuesday we could see as much as 10 inches of rain out of this storm. some of that falling in short periods of time. we could see rainfall rates of about 2 inches per hour, s that is why the flash flooding is going to become a threat through the day, even for inland areas. coastal concerns will be for the storm surge as that tropical storm pushes all that water onshore, especially along the east coast of long island through connecticut into rhode island and southeastern massachusetts, a 3 to 5-foot storm surge is possible. that will lead to some coastal flooding the winds again could gust up to 50 to 70 or more miles per hour, eastern long island, especially montauk could see some of the strongest gusts. but i want to point out, with the saturated ground, remember, july was one of the wettest months on record for parts of the northeast you have all the leaves on the trees. so you get those gusty winds and that could topple trees and power lines, so that is why we are looking for the potential of significant power outages as well a lot going on with this storm, and it is going to last all day long

>> dylan dreyer out in that early rain on long island, thanks so much president biden will address the nation later today on his administration's response to henri, as well as the crisis in afghanistan. the president had planned to travel to his wilmington, delaware home this weekend, but he has remained in washington as he continues to stand by his decision to withdraw american troops from afghanistan. despite intense criticism from both parties over the last week. nbc's monica alba is at the white house following it for us. monica, good morning. >> willie, good morning. yes, the president canceled the delaware trip in order to stay here at the white house to continue a weekend of talks with his national security team on afghanistan, which included discussions on the latest challenges facing u.s. citizens attempting to flee this morning, new concerns over isis threats in afghanistan. against the kabul airport and the americans still trapped in the country trying to get out, but told saturday to stay put

until otherwise directed due to, quote, potential security threats. the military now working on alternative ways to get u.s. citizens, afghans, and third country nationals safely to their flights, according to two defense officials. the british military says that at least seven afghans were killed in the crush outside the airport. as the defense department confirms reports of some americans being beaten by taliban fighters at checkpoints on the way >> yes, some physical violence has occurred what appears to be happening is that not every taliban fighter either got the word or decided to obey the word >> reporter: the pentagon prioritizing security at the airport, but leaving the door open to expanding that perimeter. >> i'm not going to rule out the possibility. >> reporter: nearly 6,000 american troops are guarding the base over the last week, 17,000 evacuees have boarded flights to transit centers in qatar and now

europe, including ramstein air base in germany. >> they look very exhausted and tired, but seeing the children and the families coming off with huge smiles warms your heart. >> reporter: multiple u.s. commercial airliners notified overnight they may be needed to help with flights from these kinds of transfer points into america. the current plans calls for 18 planes meanwhile, at a rally in alabama last night, former president trump railed against his successor on afghanistan >> this is not a withdrawal. this was a total surrender >> reporter: it was the former president, of course, who laid the groundwork for the withdrawal of troops from afghanistan, negotiating with the taliban on a deadline originally set for earlier this year and even inviting the militants to camp david on the eve of 9/11 two years ago. willie >> monica alba at the white house, thanks so much. chuck todd is nbc's political director and moderator of "meet the press."

chuck, good morning. it is good to see you. the president has stood firmly by his decision to withdraw troops from afghanistan. the administration, in fact, saying, look this was going to happen whenever we got out, this was inevitable in some ways. but he has been criticized not just by republicans but by democrats and a lot of people in this country where is he in this decision right now? does he suspect we may have to stay longer than that deadline of late august here? >> well, that is the question i'll have this morning for jake sullivan whe he is on this program, which is, you know, you pledged to get every american out. it's pretty clear many americans are stuck, can't even get to kabul let alone to the airport you can't accomplish this by the 31st is it time to surge more troops in are they going to actually have to surge more troops to help with this evacuation ultimately, this keeps coming back to sort of the same, rather than debate that should we stay

or go? why didn't we pull out the military before the civilians? right? ultimately, that decision in april and may of doing that, shutting down bagram and shutting down it down, before we got civilians out looks like a catastrophic decision in hindsight. >> we should point out a lot of people in this country, a majority, i know you have a new poll saying, yes, withdrawing from afghanistan is the right thing to do, but not like this >> not like this >> we'll have much more on that this morning and look for much more on "meet the press" when chuck, as he mentioned, talks with national security adviser jake sullivan. the reverend jesse jackson and his wife jacqueline are in the hospital this morning after testing positive for coronavirus. the statement says they are being monitored by doctors little else is available right now about how they are doing both have been vaccinated. the jacksons are two of the latest cases in a pandemic that continues to ravage the country, especially the south where vaccination rates are low. on saturday, florida surpassed 3 million cases, becoming the third state to reach that mark

we, of course, wish the reverend and mrs. jackson a speedy recovery. sad news overnight with wor everle brothers has died. ♪ wake up little that don everly, one half of the everly brothers has died ♪ wake up little susie wake up little susie we gotta go home ♪ >> "wake up little susie" just one of a catalog of hits for don and his late brother phil that includes "all i have to do is dream" and "bye-bye love."ortin at home in nashville. don e "the hollywood reporter" and tr at ellis park in kentucky "l.a. times" reporting don passed away at home in nashville. don everly was 84 years old. if you pick the number 4 horse to escape the race track at ellis park in kentucky on saturday and gallop on to the highway, you may collect your winnings she is named bold and bossy. she is supposed to be running her first ever race, but instead she ditched her rider and took off for highway 41 bold and bossy ran down the road for about 30 minutes before she

was eventually caught. we're told she is doing just fine let's turn now and get a quick check of your sunday weather. >> we're going to get some clear skies today. you can actually see the clouds versus the haze this morning in san jose. now we are expecting to see those cooler temperatures yet again for this afternoon. here's a closer look at your daytime highs. we've got some fog around the coastline, clearing inland, and it's going to remain pretty chilly around the coast in san francisco. only topping out in the low 60s. down to the south bay upper 70s for san jose. low 80s to the interior valleys. and lows of the week, including the story behind the heart stopping moment when an alligator attacked its trainer before a heroic father at a children's birthday party hopped in to save the day and the veteran of the d-day invasion who marked his 100th birthday by recreating his jump

over normandy, france, all those years ago. but up next, our sunday focus on the women and girls of afghanistan thriving for nearly two decades, now falling back under the brutal rule of the taliban. it's all coming up on "sunday today.

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this week after the taliban seized complete control of afghanistan, a spokesman for the group claimed, quote, there will be no violence against women. and no prejudice against women will be allowed. no one believed him. after the taliban was driven from power in late 2001, afghan girls were allowed to attend school and women came out of the shadows becoming doctors, lawyers, and political leaders. but there are dark signs already that two decades of progress may be erased within a matter of weeks. we have our "sunday focus" from afghanistan. >> reporter: for a woman in afghanistan today, this is an extreme act of courage. speaking out in public, demanding equal rights.

>> translator: we don't want to lose what we have. >> reporter: just ten days ago girls were going to school dreaming of careers. in the future what do you want to do? >> doctor. >> reporter: doctor? >> dentist. >> reporter: even then their principal was worried. girls are being forced by the taliban to marry their fighters in rural areas. who will help me? who will help these girls, she told me? for 20 years, women and girls have lived out in the open, starting businesses, getting an education, entering politics. at this school in harat they are studying computer science, a glowing example of just how far afghan women had come. but today -- >> they are hopeless and they don't know what the future looks like for them. >> reporter: this is the school founder and she says they are

keeping girls away for their own safety >> i am certainly very worried about the future of women and education. i don't know what is going to be the taliban rule but when you look back at what they've done, you don't have any hope to think this time it might be different. >> reporter: the founder of the country's only boarding school for girls tweeted, she is burning student records to protect them and their families, she said. the taliban leadership is trying to show the world they've changed, allowing a female journalist to interview a taliban spokesman live last week. but the reality is different. this journalist says she was told she can't work anymore. i'm asking the world to help me, because my life is in danger, she said. thousands of women and girls are either trying to get out or are in hiding, but there is a sliver of hope. afghanistan has one of the youngest populations in the world, 63% are under 25.

they don't remember the taliban. and many say they're ready to fight to keep what they have. >> it reminds me of a saying, where there is ruin there is hope for a treasure. for me the treasure are the girls and women in afghanistan. there are people who are fighting and we can't give up on them now. >> kelly joins me now live. good morning. just extraordinary courage from so many of those women in afghanistan. we know the taliban is not suddenly going to change its medieval world view for the 21st century, so is there real hope on the ground in afghanistan that things may be better for women and girls this time? >> well, there is hope that women can fight. i think that's for sure. when you look at what the taliban is saying right now the political leadership is saying there is a place for women in afghan society and girls in

education according to islamic law and our cultural values. what does that mean? in the past the taliban has shown that means that women cannot work, that they can only hold certain roles in society, that in the household, they have to be accompanied by men any time they are in public. they have to cover their faces. again, the political leadership is saying one thing, saying they will be allowed back into society. frankly, willie, on a certain level they have to say that because one-third of civil servant positions are now held by women. women are all across civil society in afghanistan. as you mentioned before, they are lawyers, doctors, judges, in the police force. but i just, sadly, keep thinking back to one interview i did when i was there with a woman who had fled kunduz. she worked in the courthouse and said she fled to kabul because

she was afraid of the taliban. she said they were actively targeting women who worked in government, that one of her colleagues, a woman who worked at the courthouse, was killed by the taliban. these are the kinds of stories that we're hearing on the ground, and they do not connect with this idea from the political leadership that the taliban has changed. >> let's hope those girls you spoke with get to keep chasing those dreams of being doctors and dentists and everything they want to be. thanks so much. extraordinary reporting from inside afghanistan. coming up next, a new sunday sitdown with a hollywood legend. sean penn on starring across from his real life daughter in the new movie "flag day" and his emotional trip this week to haiti in the wake of another earthquake there. then, a life well lived. the man who turned a simple numbers game into an international obsession. as we head to break, our photo of the week. a united states marine with the 24th marine expeditionary unit at the airport in kabul,

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good morning. it is 6:26 on your sunday. thank you for joining us. i'm kira klapper. the caldor fire burning near lake tahoe has exploded overnight and growing by the hour. it has now burned more than 90,000 acres with zero containment. flames jumped highway 50 in the community yesterday. you can see just how dangerous the situation is. those flames are moving fast. highway 50 remains closed to meyer as crews try to gain the upper hand on the fire. they are battling from the ground and by air. we spotted this d.c. 10 tanker

dropping retar daents on flames. more than 270 homes and buildings have burned. firefighters continue battling to control the cache fire in lake county which destroyed at least 50 homes. this is all that's left of rodney guyland's home as flames closed in. police ordered him to leave and he didn't have time to grab his three dogs. he returned to find one of them, but feared the other two had died. animal control later checked the property and found his dog sammie. she was covered in flame retardant and rodney's other dog was nearby and he was reunited with them at the local shelter. >> ecstatic. i really love them dogs. they've been with me for a long time. part of the family. >> miraculous, rodney hopes to be reunited at home with all three dogs next week. vianey arana has a quick look at our microclimate forecast. >> i am so happy he was reunited

with his dogs. let's get to your weather. we've got much better air quality today because of the onshore winds and we can finally see the gray skies versus just orange hazy skies. live look in san jose now we do have that marine layer and that's helping keep those temperatures a little bit cooler through the afternoon. in addition no that, the onshore flow is what brought on the breezy winds that helped push some of the smoke east out of the region which is fantastic for us as we head in towards the start of the workweek. now, let's get a closer look at your daytime highs for today. we're going to get clearing inland, chilly coast by the way, temperatures will be in the 70s for, you know, areas in the south bay, san jose, 75, palo alto 73 and then we've got a couple of low to mid 80s through martinez and concord and if you're going to be anywhere either at the bay or coast take a jacket because it's going to remain in those low 60s for this afternoon as that marine layer

hangs on tight throughout today. in addition to the clearing of the smoke because of those winds we still have that concern, you know, for potential fire risks. i'll go into more detail on that and what to expect in the upcoming days at 7:00 a.m. >> we'll see you at 7:00. thanks so much. 6:29 right now. coming up this morning on "today in the bay," it's an all-out humanitarian effort. the push to evacuate the massive from afghanistan. how a team of bay area professors is trying to help. we'll have that plus all your top stories and vianey's full forecast coming up at 7:00. right now back to "sunday today" with willie geist. it's time for the biggest sale of the year, on the new sleep number 360 smart bed. it helps keep you effortlessly comfortable by sensing your movements and automatically responding to both of you. and, it's temperature balancing to help you stay comfortable all night. it even tracks your circadian rhythm, so you know when you're at your best. in other words, it's the most energy-building,

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tabloid fixation during his marriage to madonna in the 1980s to a leading humanitarian in haiti and here at home during the pandemic. sean and i got together this week at gallagher's steakhouse in midtown manhattan, a favorite spot in his earliest days as a broadway actor as long as someone else was picking up the tab. this is one of your old haunts, huh? >> this would have been the first real restaurant where i would have been hosted by the director of my first broadway play. >> look at this guy. >> yeah. that in itself is a long time ago. >> reporter: those free steak dinners were a lifetime ago in the iconic career of sean penn. >> that's right. >> reporter: now four decades on, penn is trying something for the first time, starring in and directing a movie. "flag day" is the true story of notorious counterfeiter john vogel trying to win back the

respect of his daughter played by penn's real life daughter dylan who bears a striking resemblance to her mother, robin wright. >> what do you do for a living? >> not what i do for a living. i'm an entrepreneur. >> reporter: when the idea came across your desk, direct a film based on a true story but also direct your daughter, what was your first reaction? >> i had been sent the script, and i got to about page 30 and that's when my daughter's face got imprinted on that character in a way that occasionally had happened with other actors, but not to the point where it could now only be that face. >> reporter: dylan was not obviously an experienced actor at that point. what was it that told you she can do this? >> it wasn't until the first day of shooting when she just nailed the scene and i remember immediately being thrilled,

admiring, moved, but mostly relieved. >> the truth is i've actually been out for a while. >> reporter: directing and acting at the same time, something you've never done before. >> right. >> reporter: how do you begin to manage that? >> so there are people who are wired for that. for me, i have noticed in my life that i am over drawn to multi task and it puts an incredible stress on me. directing is a 17 1/2-hour a day job anyway. the idea of going home to learn lines each night was too much. >> reporter: would you do it again? >> no. i don't think so. i suppose if i found something that i identified as strongly with my son as this with my daughter i would certainly direct my kids again. dylan's side of that story is the next time we're on a set together, she is directing. >> reporter: penn's two children are carrying on a family

tradition. sean grew up in malibu, california, himself the son of two actors. were your parents initially as encouraging as you are of your children? i know there was one scene at the theater where you came off stage very excited. and what did your mother say to you? >> i invited my parents to my first play, and they came back stage afterwards, and she said, you were terrible. you have to go to university and have something to fall back on. she's like other performances better than that one since that time. >> reporter: i hope so. among mom's early favorites penn's unforgettable breakout role as jeff spicolli in "fast times at ridgemont high." the parts got heavier from there. in movies like "the falcon & the snowman" and "colors" and in "dead man walking" which earned penn his first academy

award nomination. >> may she touch me? >> yes, she may. dead man walking. >> in 2004 penn won the oscar for best actor for his portrayal of a grief-stricken father in "mystic river." >> my son! >> reporter: what did it mean to have that trophy to your life and to your career? >> the biggest part of the feeling of that is relief. anybody who's been involved in a film that got campaigned for, people worked endless hours to get, you know, people to see the film, and to some degree it's on you. i'd love to say that you hear your name and you're just like, oh, wow! no. you just say, thank god. i find winning academy awards a great relief. once and for all let's break

down the myth and destroy the lies! >> reporter: five years later, penn won a second oscar playing gay rights activist harvey milk. >> we've got to have equal rights for everyone. >> reporter: activism has been at the center of penn's own life, too. in 2010 he co-founded the emergency relief organization core after haiti was ravaged by a massive earthquake. at home in the united states during the pandemic, core has administered 5.3 million covid tests and more than 1.7 million vaccines. penn returned to haiti this week after another devastating earthquake and the recent assassination of the battered country's president. what does it look like from what you are hearing on the ground? >> there is something biblical about it.

and my job psychologically and practically is to do what the haitians are doing, which is put one foot in front of the other, and then when i say my i really mean our organization's job, and that is what they're doing. they got in on day one with heavy equipment to aid in the search and rescue and the rubble removal and medical personnel. but i'm getting the daily reports, and it's a real struggle. >> reporter: does it feel futile sometimes to go to a place that it is so hard to recover and you know you'll be back? >> yeah, it does. yeah, it does. this last few weeks since the assassination and with this earthquake, it feels futile, but that's not an operating principle. you know, for any of us. poor little me feels like the sky is falling here all the time. but imagining it through haitian eyes, the lead you take is, you can say all day i don't know how they do it but as long as

they're doing it, we got to find our way to do it with them. >> sean is on his way to haiti again this week. if you'd like to help the core effort in haiti or here at home go to coreresponse.org. sean's new film "flag day" costarring his daughter dylan penn is in theaters now. our thanks to gallagher's steakhouse in new york for hosting our conversation. don't forget to subscribe to the sunday sitdown podcast to hear the full length interview with sean penn. there is a lot in there. find it on apple podcasts or wherever you get yours. next week as promised a new sunday sit down with sandra oh on her new series "the chair" and the role in "gray's anatomy" >> let's turn and get a check of your weather.

>> cool and cloudy to start on this sunday morning but we're going to get a break from the smoke and haze we've been seeing the past couple days. live look in san jose a closer look at your daytime highs. so because of that onshore flow, expect another breezy afternoon. daytime highs down through the south bay and palo alto 73 san jose, 75 a couple low 80s in through concord, 83, livermore 82 and around san francisco and the coastline cool chilly 60. ahead on "sunday today" our highs and lows of the week including welcome signs of weakness within the robot army. this shaky performance by an elite group of droids will give you at least a sliver of hope for the future of humanity. up next our sunday spotlight on plywood. yes, plywood. and the story it tells about last year's moments in american history. discover card i just got my cashback match is this for real? yup!

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we match all the cash back new card members earn at the end of their first year automatically woo! i got my mo-ney! it's hard to contain yourself isn't it? uh- huh! well let it go! woooo! get a dollar for dollar match at the end of your first year. only from discover. the sheets of plywood placed over store fronts in cities across the country during the protests last year were meant to protect against property destruction but they served another unexpected purpose as well as blank pages where the history of a moment in american history was recorded. nbc's kathy park explains in our sunday spotlight. >> reporter: as the fallout from george floyd's murder flared in city streets in the summer of 2020, plywood began going up out of fear and uncertainty. >> i think of all of the visual cues we will remember from that

time, there would probably be masks and plywood. >> reporter: boarded up businesses opening a wave of emotions as the plywood became the public's canvas. >> this is people's expression of grief and trauma. >> reporter: minneapolis resident turned activist lisa kelly said she was gripped by the movement and felt compelled to take action. what types of emotions surfaced for you at that time? >> for me i just kind of shut down completely. i'd go to these protests almost robotically and then go home and wrap myself in a blanket and cry myself to sleep. so when the boards started to show up around the twin cities and we would drive down a major street and see all of these incredible murals that spoke so clearly and profoundly to the emotions i wasn't able to express i just knew that something had to happen. >> reporter: rather than watch the murals fade away kelly was on a mission to preserve the plywood, nearly 900 of them now

part of an evolving exhibit through memorialize the movement founded by kelly and a team of volunteers. some people might say this is just plywood. why preserve it? >> it is not just plywood and it's not even just art. it's recorded history. >> reporter: in cities across the country, discarded plywood is seeing a second life. in chicago boards of change salvaged the signs to create registration booths ahead of last year's election. in new york city, artists were selected through an open call. empowering them with plywood sourced for businesses and even the empire state building. all five boroughs in new york became the backdrop for the art work. >> the idea really here is with the title "be heard" for people that engage with the sculpture and feel they have a platform to amplify their voice and also as a hearing mechanism to listen to the city and what other people have to say. >> reporter: that message show casing the many dimensions of a

movement that surfaced out of protests now protected for future generations. >> with other civil rights movements you might have picket signs or photographs. >> reporter: right. >> or like a shoe or something that you can take and put in a museum as an artifact, but this is the first time art has also been artifacts. i'm just so proud to be here with it and to be a part of this movement. >> reporter: for "sunday today" kathy park, minneapolis, minnesota. >> some talented artists. kathy, thank you very much. this week we highlight another "life well lived." if ever you spent a morning pencil in hand buried in a book of puzzles featuring a 9 x 9 grid of boxes waiting to be filled with single numbers you can thank the godfather of soduku. born in saporo, japan, and educated in tokyo, kaji was the

co-founder of a puzzle company. while reading an american magazine one day in 1984 kaji was captivated by a game. he refined the format and rules hoping to make it accessible to people of all skill levels and named his version sudoko meaning single numbers. though the logic behind the puzzle may date as far back as the 9th century kaji's game took off just after the turn of the 21st century. in 2004 a sudoku game appeared in a british newspaper sparking a global phenomenon that soon made the game a fixture in papers around the world. today an estimated 200 million people play in 100 countries and sudoku is a $2 billion market that includes books, apps, and an annual world championship.

a life long student of puzzles, kaji once told the bbc, something like sudoku only comes along once every 100 years. maki kaji, the godfather of maki kaji, the godfather of soduku died last week at home in oh! you're doing it wrong, man. what's wrong with action figures? nothing. capital one shopping instantly searches for available coupon codes and automatically applies them. whoa! i look good in miniature. capital one shopping. (in s.l.j. voice) what's in your wallet? we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep capital one shopping. to people who were tired of being tired. i've never slept like this before. i've never woken up like this before. crafted with clinically studied plant-based ingredients that work naturally with your body. for restorative sleep like never before. stop! clearing breakouts doesn't have to be harsh on your sensitive skin. new cetaphil gentle clear contains balanced formulas that gently clear breakouts and soothe sensitive skin.

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it is time for the highs and lows of the week. in our first high goes to a man named donny wiseman the heroic dad who saved the day when things took a scary turn at a kids' birthday party in utah this week. we should tell you this video is jarring but we're happy to report everyone is okay. handler lindsay bowl was feeding an alligator when it suddenly attacked her, grabbing her hand in its jaws and pulling her into the tank. the nearly 9-foot long 150-pounder known as dark-gator began thrashing lindsay in what is known as a death roll. donny who was there for the 5-year-old's party knew he had to do something. he jumped into the tank and got on to the gator's back, wrestling it and loosening its

grip on lindsay. after she was freed, donny jumped off of the gator himself and hopped out of the tank. lindsay suffered injuries to her hand and wrist but amazingly she is expected to make a full recovery. >> i knew if i didn't get in there and hold the tail down he was going to tear her arm apart. >> he is a hero for having done what he did. i couldn't have gotten luckier with the people that were around. >> that is one brave man and thank goodness lindsay is okay. our first low goes to a place you certainly do not expect to have an encounter with a large reptile, in the spice aisle at the grocery store. helena alatte was grocery shopping monday at a woolworth's near sydney, australia when she came face to face with this 10-foot diamond python. she said the snake head popped out of nowhere and came within inches of her face, good lord. by some divine coincidence she happens to be a volunteer at a

wildlife center and, yes, a trained snake catcher. so she knew the python was not venomous. she calmly recorded this quick video before reporting the intruder to employees. she then ran home to get her equipment, caught the snake herself, and released it into the woods behind the store. very impressive work, helena. poor woman just trying to get some paprika. our next high goes to world war ii hero tom rice, who celebrated his 100th birthday this week in style. ♪♪ god bless america ♪ >> platoon sergeant rice, marking the birthday milestone by jumping out of a restored c-53, d-day plane, and landing on the beach in his hometown of coronado, california. in 1944 rice was a 22-year-old paratrooper with the 101st airborne when he parachuted into normandy, france under german

fire around the d-day invasion. this time around, rice received a hero's welcome from a cheering crowd singing "happy birthday" and greeting him with hugs and birthday cake. rice, who also was injured in the battle of the bulge, was asked about his secret to a good, long life. >> keep moving. get in the gymnasium and keep moving. push your internal organs to the maximum. you got 15 years to deal with. woo! >> rice already is looking ahead to his 101st birthday when he plans to sky dive again at an even higher altitude. happy birthday, tom. thank you for all you've given our country. our final low is a progress report on those boston dynamics robots training night and day in preparation for world dominion. now they're just out here jumping on boxes, running through an obstacle course, and performing synchronized back flips like olympic gymnasts.

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mugs in marco island, florida. along the bottom, that is alex flying 3400 feet over maryland. very cool. liam in st. louis. sharay an assistant principal at jonny k. school in baltimore and amy in texas gearing up for her 18th year of teaching. thank you to all you teachers starting a new school year. send us a photo of you and your mug with the #sundaytoday and you might see yourself next week. remember, you can get the "sunday today" mug online at

gehlen. good morning. it is sunday, august 22nd. 7:00 on the dot as we take a live look outside over san francisco from our camera at oracle park. we are looking towards the bay bridge it is cloudy but doesn't look as smoky as yesterday. some great news to start our sunday. and thank you for starting it with us. i'm kira klapper. vianey arana joins us with a quick look at your microclimate climate. >> you're right. we're getting a break from the smoke. i started noticing it yesterday as soon as that breeze kicked up a little bit. there was blue in the sky. something we had not seen in some time. so speakingf