because that's what teddy would do. >> that was kate baldwin reporting. president john f. kennedy gave one of his most important speeches at the au field and on the american university campus in january of 2008, ted kennedy passed the torch to the man he felt could fulfill the kennedy's dreams for all americans, barack obama. >> with barack obama, we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group and straight against gay. >> senator kennedy referenced that the day that he endorsed barack obama and really did say this is the next generation. the torch is being passed to this new young senator. >> she is now a communications professor works on ted kennedy's presidential campaign in 1980. kennedy was okay with not being president and devoted himself to a rich decade long legacy in the senate. >>> senator kennedy was a driving force to get healthcare for every american. he died with the future of healthcare reform still in doubt. but bruce leshan is live on capitol hill where a lot of people are saying, br

kate baldwin, washington. >>> still ahead tonight, susan has the forecast. also the latest on a mass murder that has stunned coastal georgia. >>> wildfires not far from los angeles continue to force people from their homes. and what happens when budget cuts force schools to lay off janitors? that's coming up. they have alzheimer's and heart disease, diabetes and cancer. and they've heard that biomedical research offers hope, that it could control, maybe even cure, their disease. senator barbara mikulski understands the importance of innovative biomedical research, for patients, their families, and our economy here in maryland. call senator mikulski today. tell her, thanks for protecting the promise of biomedical research and the maryland jobs it provides. it's not just the future, it's life. >>> check on headlines across the nation takes us to california, where a massive wildfire continues to threaten thousands of homes near los angeles. governor arnold schwartzenegger is urging homeowners to leave if their ordered to. three people have already been hurt bec

the meeting follows a week of maneuvering and political back and forth and kate baldwin live from the white house floor. great to see you, the president getting ready to leave on vacation, but is taking every opportunity, it seems, to talk health care this morning. >> absolutely. hey, there, tony. well, the president this morning, you basically hit the nail on the head. he is trying to move the debate forward on the health care reform issue. this morning, this hour, meeting with former senate majority leader tom daschle, the president's first choice to head up the department of health and human services, a long-time supporter of health care reform. daschle remains an unofficial adviser to, an informal adviser to the white house on many issues. that, this meeting will be closed to the press, but also on the agenda today, as usual, the daily white house briefing where you will be sure more questions on where things stand in the health care debate. they will be being asked today. and one of the major sticking points, tony, continues to be the issue of the public option. listen here to th

we asked kate baldwin.taking a look at roy's happening to all that money. >> reporter: from shenandoah to the grand canyon, america's national treasures in need of some serious repair? >> as you come around the back of the cabin, you'll see that the siding is all rot add along the ground which means dirt has come in here. >> reporter: rocky schroeder is a park ranger about 30 miles outside of washington where more than a dozen historic cabins are slated for repair, one of 250 national parks getting spruced up, thanks to the economic stimulus. >> the stimulus will help keep our visitors here, keep them happy, keep them coming back. >> reporter: the park service estimates national parks across the country face a $9 billion backlog of work. it's supposed to contribute $750 million of that. so far about 10% is in the pipeline. >> it's campgrounds, campsites, ampy theaters for evening programs, the bathrooms. it's literally everything we have to make our visits enjoyable. >> reporter: nearly $56 million is going

cnn's kate baldwin reports from rockville center, new york. >> reporter: your stimulus dollars at workconcrete slabs on new york's southern state parkway. the first stimulus-funded highway project to break ground on long island. cost, $1.7 million. that should be music to the ears of mark huff, head of the long island contractors association. so it may rusurprise you to hea this. >> here we are in the heart of the construction season and 40% of the work force here on long island is still not working. we haven't seen construction that low in the work force in decades and the stimulus program hasn't put the people back to work as to this point. >> reporter: nearly six months after president obama signed the stimulus bill, hearst complains transportation dollars are only trickling down. >> generally, too much red tape? >> too much red tape. by the time we get to work and the money flows and gets here, we will be in the dead of winter. we won't be able to put the shove until the icy ground. >> reporter: sherry morian runs a construction company that recently won a stimulus bid to replace t

kate baldwin joins us with the latest tonight in hyannis port. what can you tell us. >> hi, jeff. they call him the lion of the senate. and senator kennedy hard fought battle with brain cancer ended at his nearby home. end of a long journey, career and life. >> in senator kennedy's home state of massachusetts, outpouring of grieve from constituents. >> he was a champion for massachusetts for the country and the world. >> patriarch of the story and family, died tuesday day night at the age of 77 after battling brain cancer. kennedy served a half a century on capitol hill leaving behind a legacy ranging from health care to civil rights. >> his ideas and ideals, are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives. >> vice-president biden worked with kennedy in the seatbelt for 36 years. >> he is leaving a great void in our public life. and a hole in the hearts of millions of americans and hundreds of us who were affected by his personal touch. throughout our lives. >> fellow senator and friend chris dodd noted kennedy dedicated his life to health care reform. and an issu

cnn's kate baldwin reports now from rockville center, new york. >> reporter: your stimulus dollars at work. filling cracks and replacing concrete slabs on new york southern state parkway. the first stimulus-funded highway project to break ground on long island. cost, $1.7 million. that should be music to the ears of mark hurps, head of the long island contractors association. it may surprise you to hear this. >> here we are in the heart of the construction season and 34% of the workforce on long island is still not working. we haven't seen construction that low in the workforce in decades. and the stimulus program hasn't put the people back to work at this point. >> reporter: nearly six months after president obama signed the stimulus bill, he complains transportation dollars are only trickling down. >> generally, too much red tape? >> too much red tape. by the time we get to work and the money flows and gets here, we'll be in the dead of winter. we won't put the shovel in the icy ground. >> reporter: he's not alone. sherry runs a construction company that recently won a stimulus bid

including our kate baldwin.ere's what she found out. >> reporter: from shenandoah, to the grand canyon, america's national treasures in need of some serious repair. >> you come around the back of the cabin, you'll see the signing is all rotted along the ground, which means the dirt has come up to here and moisture has gotten in here and rotted all this wood. >> reporter: the park ranger at prince william forest park outside washington where more than a dozen historic cabins are slated for repair, more than 250 national parks getting spruced up thanks to the economic stimulus. >> the stimulus will help keep our visitors here and keep them happy and coming back. >> reporter: they estimate parks across the country face a $9 billion backlog of work. the stimulus is supposed to contribute $750 million to that. so far, about 10% is in the pipeline. >> the campgrounds, campsite, amphitheatres for evening programs. it's the bathrooms, literally everything we have to make our visits enjoyable. >> reporter: nearly $56 mil

. >> kate baldwin, thanks so much. a lot of folks who love it, and as you underscored, critics will be joined by a critics a little bit later on. why wouldn't you like this trade-in, your clunker for cash idea. >>> all right. americans arrested in iran, also this on our radar. caught on the wrong side of the border, but why were they there border, but why were they there in the first place. >>> let's talk some stormy weather, which nobody wants to talk about on a saturday. but reynolds, that's what we've got. >> the weather's going to have its own schedule. you're either going to have good weather, bad weather, it's happening. in parts of texas, into louisiana, arkansas, and even into portions of oklahoma. if you were to draw a line right along parts of i-30 and back over to i-20, that's really going to be the sector you'll see strong storms developing. it's also going to be in this particular area where you have a chance to deal with flash flooding, especially in the late day hours. let's show you the reason why we're

cnn's kate baldwin takes a look at what is happening to the mon money. >> reporter: america's national treasures in need of some serious repair. >> come around the back of the cabin. you will see that the side is all rotted along the ground. which means the dirt has come up to here. and moisture has gotten in and rotted all the wood. >> reporter: rocky schroeder a park ranger at prince william forest park, 35 miles outside of washington where more than a dozen historic cabins are slated for repair. one of 250 national parks getting spruced up thanks to the economic stimulus. >> the stimulus will help keep our visitors here, happy and coming back. >> reporter: the park service estimates national parks across the country face a $9 billion backlog of work. stimulus is supposed to contribute $750 million to that. so far, about 10% is in the pipeline. >> it's campground. campsites. amp theaters for evening programs. the bathrooms. it's literally everything that we have to make our visits enjoyable. >> reporter: nearly $56 million going to repair washington landmarks. more than $14.5 million

kate baldwin live from the white house this morning. what the heck does wee-wee'd up anyway, kate?her news though, kiran. the president you can see from the town hall to the other events. the president working hard to regain momentum in the health care debate as the president is preparing to leave for vacation a little later today. yesterday was the perfect example of the fine lines that the president is trying to walk. appealing to supporters in the town hall. but also taking the message and trying to appeal to conservatives on the talk show live from the white house. the host did throw his support behind president obama during the campaign. now, speaking of the campaign -- in most if not all of his appearances of recent, the president looks like he's back on the campaign trail himself. he's trying to correct what he calls the misinformation and the noise that is out there confusing the debate as they say on topics. such as health care for illegal immigrants and the death panels we heard so much about. but really, when it comes down to it, what of the calls we heard so long for a

. >>> and that's kate baldwin in washington. right at the top of the hour. and it is thursday morning right here in new york. and around the world. >> that's right. >> i'm joe johns in for john roberts. >> i'm kiran chetry. we have a lot going on this morning. the big stories in the next 15 minutes. one of the big things we're talking about today, the president approaching 200 days in office. we bring you some numbers showing how americans think he's doing. a new cnn opinion research corporation poll showing his job approval rating 56%, down seven points since the 100-day mark in late april. >>> plus, a killer's on-line diary hinting a's his hatred for women who wouldn't give him the time of day before he walked into a gym class with four loaded guns. details about the gym massacre and the man behind it. >>> is secretary of state hillary clinton being overshadowed by her husband, bill. we asked those questions before. everybody saw the high-profile arrival after he helped with the rescue of the two journalists who are in north k