brian. >>> kelly o'donnell working late tonight on capitol hill. kelly, thanks. >>> in every city, town, village, hamlet in the country, one of the basic rituals of citizenship is mail delivery, every day of the week but sunday. in a world of e-mail and with the postal service, running at a big loss, can snail mail as it's called continue at this same pace. not if you heard what was said about it in washington today. that story from nbc's lisa myers. >> reporter: faced with a staggering $7 billion loss, the postal service appealed to congress to allow it to end saturday delivery and close some facilities. >> the fact of the matter is i think we have reached a breaking point with the recession and that's why we are seeking to go from six to five day delivery. >> reporter: 700 post offices now on the possible chopping block, mostly in cities and suburbs. the situation is so dire -- that today, the usual congressional politics, raising cane about any potential closings or cutbacks did not come into play. in fact, key senators seemed resigned to dramati

ann. >>> kelly o'donnell tonight. kelly, thanks. >>> president obama was pitching health care reform again today including an appearance on a conservative radio talk show. he was asked about the back and forth this week over government run public option component which white house officials seem to back away from earlier in the week. >> the press got a little excited and some folks on the left got a little excited about this. our position hasn't changed. we think that the key is cost, control, competition, making sure the people have good quality options. if we are able to achieve that, that's the end that we are seeking. >>> the president went on to say that he believes no matter how it is achieved change has to happen. calling the status quo unsustainable. >>> there is word from washington that the cash for clunkers program will end monday, four days from now. the popular, multibillion dollar program, which has already been extended once is coming to the end of the road less than five weeks after it began. nbc's tom

nbc's kelly o'donnell from capitol hill. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the popularity of cash for clunkers doesn't mean it is easy to keep the program going. senate republicans say the country can't afford another $2 billion into just one industry. but tonight senate democrats say they think they can get it done, beating the clock, getting some vote before the summer recess friday. picking up speed from the show room floor -- >> when they found out the money was running out it was like somebody turned on a switch. everybody raced down here. >> reporter: to the senate floor. >> it's visible. it's working. it's putting money in the economy. it is saving people money. >> reporter: and today at a news conference, a hard sell from transportation secretary ray lahood. >> let me say something, we are not stopping the program. i don't want to see in print today. we are not -- this program is going forward. i am confident the senate will pass $2 billion. >> reporter: today, lahood, a republican in the obama cabinet sent every senator this letter making his person

kelly o'donnell, nbc news, washington. >>> next, overseas. there is a major offensive under way tonight in afghanistan. hundreds of u.s. marines working to try to push back taliban forces ahead of the elections next week. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in afghanistan. he is with us tonight from kabul. richard, good evening. >> reporter: security here is tightening nationwide as u.s. and afghan forces are doing everything they can to try and make this country safe enough to vote next week. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: this is what it takes to prepare afghanistan for elections. a marine assault this morning. 400 u.s. marines and 100 afghan soiers, backed by helicopters and fighter jets, in helmand province in southern afghanistan. the mission to drive the taliban from the town, so locals can vote here next thursday. but the taliban stood and fought. in this militant and opium-struggling stronghold. opium-smuggling stronghold. for eight hours, firing from rooftops and courtyard with mortars, heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled

nbc's kelly o'donnell is on capitol hill tonight with the latest. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: brian, it was just minutes after that supreme court vote that the senate shifted into the nuts and bolts of cash for clunkers. should the car rebate program get another $2 billion? you have heard how it works. you turn in an old gas guzzler, you get up to $4,500 towards a new fuel efficient car. now senators are here late tonight with hours of debate over it. there are proposed changes most from republicans who say the government can't afford to help people buy cars. now if any of the changes were to pass the money for cash for clunkers would be dead. why? because the house of representatives would have to agree to it too and they have already left town for the summer recess. so the state of cash for clunkers will be known tonight when final volts are cast. >>> kelly o'donnell working late tonight on capitol hill. kelly, thanks. >>> in every city, town, village, hamlet in the country, mail delivery every day of the week except sunday. in a world of e-m

brian. >>> kelly o'donnell in washington tonight. kelly, thanks. >>> now to the white house and the view from there. we are joined to night from nbc news political director, chief white house correspondent, chuck todd, chuck, you and i were talking earlier about how the country, even the week, can look differently from inside the white house than it does out in the country. >> it does. you know you go from where the white house is on this. they look back at this week and they see that they have rescued two americans from north korea, that they broke a barrier at the supreme court with the confirmation of soon to be justice sonia sotomayor, that a major terrorist was killed in, of the taliban, a figure that is believed, that is somebody might be able to break up the taliban in such a way, that the cash for clunkers turned out to be a success, good unemployment news. they sit here and say it is pretty good. but then this health care debate and town halls kelly was reporting on. it obviously has the white house concerned. they have dispa

nbc's kelly o'donnell has tonight's report, "making sense of it all." >> reporter: an alternative to both government-run health inrance and private health care plans is the co-op, short for cooperative. a co-op is owned by consumers, its own membership, and runs as a nonprofit. so how would it work for health insurance? new health care co-ops would be formed in states or regions where individuals and small businesses could choose to join and buy health coverage as a group. that's already happening in minnesota, where health partners is the nation's largest health care co-op, with more than 1.2 million members who actually vote for the co-op's management team. >> i think that a lower profit motive and lower administrative costs contribute to more affordable health care. >> reporter: health partners offers members a choice of insurance plan, or they can use the co-op's own medical services. >> we also employ our own doctors, our own nurses, our own pharmacists who deliver care to our members who choose to come to our own -- our own clinics and our own pharmacies. >> reporter: political

right now, we have kelly o'donnell joining us live on the phone. kelly, can you hear me?here, kelly. >> yes, hello. >> this is something that so many of us have known was going to come at some point, but this is, again, as i mentioned, the lion of the senate, he was a lion heart in so many ways and was fighting this battle with cancer for such a long time. can you give us a sense right now as to, you know, what you are hearing from family and friends? >> well, we have been in touch with close associates and people who have been with senator kennedy in recent days. and there has been a deep sense that this would be coming but many people i spoke to said they believed it was not imminent. we have been told on a number of occasions they did not anticipate there would be a swift and sudden passing, which is what we believe happened tonight. by example, we recall just a couple of weeks ago, his sister eunice kennedy shriver, she was in failing health and the family was able to gather around, to spend time with her and to each in their own way say a fare well before she passed.

>> thank you, kelly o'donnell.ow here's aim. >> lester, thanks. >>> nbc's savannah guthrie is outside our lady of grace where president obama will eulogize senator kennedy. savannah, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, amy. the president is here in boston. as you mentioned, he will deliver the eulogy for senator kennedy, his former colleague and also his friend. this will be a personal eulogy but it won't be a lot of anecdotes. i'm told it will reflect on kennedy the impact on country. of course, there is a personal connection between senator kennedy and the president. there was a key moment in the 2008 campaign when senator kennedy endorsed then senator obama and senior aides say that made all the difference. of course, there are a lot of former kennedy staffers now on the obama staff, including somebody on the speech writing team. this is a personal effort for many members of the president's staff, and i should mention also we'll have all but one of the former living ex-presidents here to pay their respects

joining me now from the jfk library is nbc's kelly o'donnell. lly, it has been very heartwarming to see the outpouring of love and support for the kennedy family through all of this the last day. >> it really has, ed. we've heard both from members of the kennedy family and people who were here, the same sentiment that you just expressed. there really has been a sense of coming together, and i really took notice of how many people brought their own story to tell about some kind of way that ted kennedy touched them. now, of course, he represented the people of massachusetts, and so there were many who said when i called his office, he helped my family with this issue or when i wrote him, he wrote back. a lot of people who commented about their feeling grateful and being impressed by the personal touch that kennedy showed during his life. so that was part of the motivation for many to attend here. of course, there were tens of thousands. the official count is over 30,000 last time that i checked, and it was really an amazing sight. this is a beautif

kelly o'donnell reports from town hall meetings that have erupted into all-out shouting matches. >> reporter: temperatures rising across the country, from florida to michigan, texas to colorado. the town hall meeting is democracy 101. forums for free speech. >> i actually have read this bill! >> reporter: but many have turned intoree for alls. >> at one point it felt like people were more worried about drowning each other out and that listening. >> reporter: the crowd shouting to get in and where members of congress like michigan democrat, john dengle, get shouted down. much of the passion and protest comes from conservative voices, opposed to a government-run plan for health care. the democratic national committee, in a web video, charged these protests are staged. >> now desperate republicans and their well-funded allies are organizing angry mobs. >> reporter: some say get stoked by the provocative megaphone of rush limbaugh, who went so far as accusing democrats of wanting to socialize medicine of nazi germany. >> the obama health care logo is dam close to a nazi swastika logo. >> reporte

kevin madden, our own kelly o'donnell. kevin, first to you, obviously not too much push-back against the president. they said it was random selection, 1,8900 guests there, new hampshire a very polite place, though there were protesters outside. how would you score the president? >> i think we have to drop the pretense it was a real town hall meeting. >> do you have any evidence it wasn't? >> what you see there was a campaign event more than a town hall event. i think this was like an event for obama 12009 campaign with health care as a running mate. the one thing he did well is judge stood his audience. his audience is not in that room, but beyond the cameras, and he's talking to them and speaking in broad, narrative terms, using health care as a value and his plan, his principles as an achievement that he hopes is going to eventually reach some level of success. what i thought was interesting was that he does that very well, but what's really saddling the president are the specifics. you saw a lot of those people that sho

kelly o'donnell has more. >> reporter: temperatures rising across the country from florida to michigann hall meeting is democracy 101. >> we're not a member of the mob. >> reporter: forums for free speech. >> i actually have read this bill. >> reporter: but many have turned into free for all. >> obama. >> one point it felt like people were worried about drawn drowning each other out than listening. >> reporter: the crowd shouting to get in and where members of congress, like michigan democrat john dingell, get shouted down. much of the passion and protest comes from conservative voices opposed to the democrats' plan for a government-run objection for health care. the democratic national committee, in a web video, charged these protests are staged. >> now, desperate republicans and their well-funded allies are organizing angry mobs. >> reporter: some anger on display gets stoked by the megaphone of rush limbaugh who went so far as accusing democrats to of wanting to socialize medicine of nazi germany. >> it's danm close to a nazi swastika. >> reporter: acknowledged they sent e-mail aler

nbc's kelly o'donnell has more. >> reporter: temperatures rising across the country. from florida -- to michigan -- texas to colorado. the town hall meeting is democracy 101. >> we're not a member of a mob. >> reporter: forums for free speech. >> i actually have read this bill. >> reporter: but many turned into free for alls. [ chanting ] >> at one point it felt like people were more worried about drowning each other out than listening. >> reporter: the crowd shoving to get in and where members of congress like michigan democrat dingle get shouted down. much of the passion and protests comes from conservative voices opposed to the democrats' plan for a government-run option for held care. [ chanting ] the democratic national committee in a web video charged these protests are staged. >> now, allies are organizing angry mobs. >> reporter: some on display get stoked by the provocative megaphones of rush limbaugh who went so far as accusing democrats of wanting to soernlize medicine of nazi germany. >> the obama health care logo is damn close to a nazi swastika logo. >>

nbc's kelly o'donnell is there with more. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning.nnedy carried the burdens and blessings of an iconic american family. with his passing at 77, the senator reached a point in life that his older brothers never did. as an irish poet said, he lived to comb gray hair. >> the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die. >> reporter: edward kennedy's hopes and dreams of becoming president were never realized. dashed in large part by a tragic accident and resulting scandal that would haunt him for years. despite it, he became one of the most influential and productive legislators of his time, a champion of liberal causes, even when they were out of fashion. >> he was a true senator who used that institution to create all sorts of things he cared about, went across party lines and really was able to make that senate work in the way that it should be working. >> reporter: the youngest of the four boys whose rich and powerful father was determined that the first catholic president be named kennedy. edwa

let's turn to kelly o'donnell.of talk now about the business of what's happening with the health carreform. what do you think we'll see? >>well, good morning. it will be certainly a different debate now because the memory of senator kennedy will be a part of the discussion. there will be those who will t to harness al of the feeling that people have about him to advocate for some of the policies that he believes in. he has said many, many times i was the cause of his life. he belies health care for all shouldbe a right and not a privilege for t few. that will come in the day ahead. here today on capitol hill there are many, manythoughts and many comments coming from his colleagues who described him in a variety of ways. most of them cite his humor, his compassio the personal relationship they had working with him. o i can alsotell you that i visited the office several times today of senator kennedy and i've learned that there are st heading to boston late today to work on some of the preparations for them to honor

and our kelly o'donnell is here with us with more on the scramble for what has become known as the kennedy seat. >> good evening, lester. i just want to point out that members of the kennedy family have now come out to greet those who are in here. of course in addition to these remembnces, there is also a big question hanging in the air. who will come next? while no one can replace ted kennedy, someone will have to take over his seat. the name game has begun and speculation is running high. >> reporter: for more than half a centurit was a political fact of life, this was the kennedy seat. first held by john. >> who takes the 5th amendment. >> reporter: when he won the white house, ted was too young . not the required 30 years of age. >> i am teddy kennedy's brothe >> there was a plan, j's form roomme, benjamin smith was appointed and stayed until ted was eligible and won himself in 1962. >> this is the man for massachusetts. >> reporter: but will another kennedy come forward now? rfks oldest son joe who has served in the house remains visible in boston. with his business that provides heat

for more on the likely impact on the races in 2010, let's go live to washington and bring in kelly o'donnellthe white house. kelly, first describe what we're looking at right now in the senate. >> good afternoon, tamron and david. i have just peeked in myself, going into the senate chamber and i can tell you it is unusual crowded, meaning the spectator seats are quite full. i'm told

nbc's kelly o'donnell is in boston with more on that. r: good morning, natalie. remembering a time when a kennedy was not in the u.s. senate is hard to do. it's been half a century. and even as ted is being honored here, talk about a next senator is already under way. ted kennedy has left behind so many heirs to the family name, but will his political legacy be passed on to any one of them? r.f.k.'s oldest son joe won six terms in the house and is now well known for providing low-income families with home heating oil. >> no one should be left out in the cold. >> reporter: and ted's widow vicki, who took on a more public role here thursday night, has also been praised for skillfully advising her husband. >> she has said on a number of occasions that she doesn't see herself doing this, but other people have reported that senator kennedy himself said that he would like her to take the seat. >> reporter: kennedy's youngest son is a congressman now, but patrick serves rhode island, where he went to college, and not massachusetts. beyond the fa

with us in about seven minutes of the let's go right now to capitol hill, though, and talk to kelly o'donnell. kelly, the united states senate certainly has to seem like a different place for everyone who works there this morning. ted kennedy for the first time in such a long time over four decades not there. set the scene for us at the capitol. >> reporter: it is really stunning, joe, when you talk to people here, people who worked for senator kennedy, people who work here in the building. it is a day where they are feeling this loss. even though everyone knew it was a terminal illness, it was unlikely he would be able to return to the senate in an active way. his presence is certainly missed here today. outside there is an obvious sign, a gesture in his memory with flags here at the capitol at half-staff. earlier when andrea was talking about senator kennedy's office, it is just down the aisle here and it is an amazing place. it is so filled with photographs and momentoes that really tell you the entire story of the kennedy family and to spend any time there with him and with staff, you got

nbc's kelly o'donnell has more on that. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. when congress passed the giant defense spending bill for next year it was easy to miss three planes. what's gotten a lot of attention is that the air force had asked for simply one gulfstream 550, the military version. but congress decided to add two more. and to request that they be based in the d.c. area. and to be available for use by, you guessed it, members of congress. now, what's gotten a lot of attention here, each of these cost about $65 million. you will often see your member of congress flying coach, going home to their home district, but sometimes when they take overseas trips, or very long distances, they use these private aircraft. this kind of plane can fly from washington all the way to asia, or all the way to the middle east. and it will take members of congress and other top officials in comfort. >> lester? >> would have escaped notice, except if we recall it was congress who got upset at the automakers when they came looking for money in washington for showing up in

kelly o'donnell is live tonight, there's no question that there's an outpouring of affection going on there tonight? >> without a doubt, ed, there are people who simply want to come and be a part of an opportunity to say thank you to ted kennedy and to honor his memory and to take part in this event which is so important to the people of massachusetts. what we saw today, ed, was that journey from hyannisport, through neighborhoods that were important to him and he was so involved in trying to make this place a living remembrance to his brother, the late president kennedy and now he is here, it's really a coming full circle. what will be interesting to watch, it will be, the doors will be opened late into the evening and those who come to pay their respects will have an opportunity to see members of the family, members of kennedy's staff, volunteer who is took part in organizations near and dear to his heart, families of service members who died in iraq, who were working with kennedy to try to create changes like having more body armor, for example. and also families from 9/11, as you

. >> go to capitol hill now, our correspondent, kelly o'donnell, joins us live where kennedy's colleaguesemember him and his legacy. kelly, are you there? >> good afternoon, david. this really was a home for ted kennedy as well, hyannis port, his professional life here was forged when he was just a young man, just 30 years old when he was elected to the senate seat that had been occupied by his brother who became president. and for nearly 47 years since, he has been really one of the most prominent figures to affect american life. some would argue that as a legislator who had such an influence, with more than 300 laws that bear his name, more than 25 husband bills written, more than 15,000 votes cast, that his influence actually spanned a much greater part of the united states and the people here than perhaps president obama's own influence. so depending on how you look at it, here in the senate, people realize the contribution of ted kennedy was enormous. one of the things we are learning today so many people who have their own personal story to tell about times with ted kennedy, you hea

capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell on the beat. >> reporter: good morning, dylan.tion drawn to this program because it has given car sales a boost. there's lots of consumers who like the deal. but it is not so easy to get it through the senate today. as you recall the house raced through to add $2 billion. the senate will likely add it later tonight but they are going to talk about it a bit in the form of seven amendments. republicans and democrats raised the question does it make sense when the country is really strapped to add money to a program that really favors one industry and one group of consumers? so we're going to talk about this later today. it is likely to keep going. if so, that should probably keep money in the pipeline through labor day. dylan. >> here is the crackup with this particular caper. borrowing billions through china, bringing it through washington and detroit so we can buy japanese automakers. borrow from china to give to japanese companies. the reason i say that if you look at four of the top five cars traded in, four of the top five are

with me now, kelly o'donnell on capitol hill. >> the deal you referred to is really about how they do. that gets sbood weeds a bit. there are some senators who want to see changes to the law that would allow cash for clunkers to get the money. they want to talk out some of the issues they think are being overlooked like how long should the program go, should there be a cap on income for people who can take advantage of this. after they do that, they expect, according to democratic sources, they will have enough votes to pass this through. they have to be able to pass it with no changes because the house of representatives has already left washington and they would not be able to vote on the changed version and that would bring the program to a halt. we expect it to pass. there will be a lot of conversation here tonight and we'll be staying to wait for that to call come down. >> we're hearing from viewers that they're running out of the models that are available for trade-in. the models eligible for this program. is that of any concern for these senators? >> i've talked to senators fro

. >> kelly o'donnell, thank you so much. >>> the only hispanic democratic senator robert menendez ofew jersey says republicans will, quote, pay a price for voting against supreme court nominee sonia sotomayer. will republicans who oppose sotomayer spark a backlash? good to have you on the show. >> reporter: thank you, carlos. >> republican of arizona john mccain, running in a state with a meaningful hispanic population ultimately decide to vote against or say he's going to vote against sotomayer. will he pay a price or will voters say that's one of many decisions he's made? >> i think there's no doubt this is a proud and historic money for the hispanic community. it's a yardstick vote. there is a measure i think latinos will take away from this vote as to how they believe senators regard our community overall. i think there will be a factor that will contribute overall to the relationship that republicans have with our latino community in the long run. i think a vote for sonia sotomayer would be a positive step in the right direction for our latino community and the republican party.

nbc's kelly o'donnell is with me now from capitol hill.at deal of love obviously on both sides of the aisle for ted kennedy. this has to be a very emotional day for his colleagues. >> is really is an emotional day. i've been struck by the way people have decided to remember him. many of the statements that we're receiving talk about the humor, talk about the personal connection, reflect on being colleagues as much as ted kennedy's public service. now, as you know, ed, all of the members are at home in their districts so we're getting statements in a written form right now and, of course, efforting to get interviews to enhance that by actually talking to members on camera. let's look at some of these statements and what members have been saying. first of all, let me pick orrin hatch, a republican of utah and a very close longtime friend of senator kennedy. he writes -- that is something we've heard again and again from republicans who acknowledge there were deep divides on many issues but a willingness by senator kennedy and then encouragin

nbc capitol hill correspondent, kelly o'donnell, joining me now live from washington, d.c. ny idea what their meeting is about? >> well, it's very important to look at the history of tom daschle, to get a sense of how he might be helpful to the president here. as you may remember, he was the senate majority leader, that means he had very deep ties and long relationships with members of the senate, many of whom are still there. he's got an ear on the ground. he understands how they work, he knows the procedure and the personality, and that can be very helpful to give him some information, taking that to the president to really get a sense of where things are. also, since tom daschle left the se

nbc's kelly o'donnell takes a look at the stimulus program so successful it nearly went broke. >> reporterday with unusual speed congress found another $2 billion to keep new car sales coming. a rushed vote after the unexpected announcement last night that the popular new car incentive program cash for clunkers was out of cash. today the president said it had exceeded all expectations. >> it's working so well that there are legitimate concerns that the funds in this program might soon be exhausted. >> reporter: concern that had top white house officials scrambling. >> i can tell you there's a flurry of activity this morning working with the agencies, working with congress to make sure there are funds for it. >> reporter: the plan? move money already set aside for a different project, renewable energy research, and use it now to extend cash for clunkers. >> we're working that through. >> reporter: the program gives consumers up to $4500 to buy a new, more fuel-efficient car. when they trade in an old gas guzzler. officials expected 250,000 new cars would be sold but were stunned the demand

. >>> that was kelly o'donnell reporting. president obama used his weekly radio address to zplan health care reform and explain what it will do for most people it. >> knows not about putting government in charge of your health care zmurns. it's about you putting your health care insurance. if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. >> bob mcdonnell says the answer for people who have no insurance is a free market, not a nationalized system. >>> senator martinez made a surprising announcement yesterday. >> as a private sector citizen i do hope i have a voice to speak on issues that i consider important bus that's as far as it goes. i have no specific plans for my future. >> martinez is a former chairman of the republican party. he had previously announced planses not to run for re-election, opening up speculation former governor charlie crist may run for the vacant senate seat. >>> south carolina's first lady moved out of the governor's mansion. jen

first up, okay, rosie o'donnell and her wife kelly carpenter. reports are splitsville. it's sad because they have a couple of kids i think. >> several. >> several kids, okay. rosie denies this but as far as what kelly is saying, she blamed rosie's mood swings for the split. when she broke to news to friends at a recent party. also ere werrumors that perhaps rosie was seeing some other people. you know, a little infidelity. but she denies it. she say, uh-huh, me and cindy adams were a couple. she was joking that they weren't actually splitting disblup i heard she was moving to a different house. >> well, it says that actually kelly had moved out and she lives with her youngest daughter in a condo in manhattan that she bought in her own name. the reports are -- they're serious. national enquirer saying they broke up. kelly moved out. owns her own condo. >> what we've seen of rosie, would we be surprised? >> no. we can believe that. >> what's her name? >> kelly carpenter good she could simply release a statement saying i realized i was in a relationship with rosie o'donnel