tonight, a conversation with filmmaker ken burns. beginning september 27, ken burns unveils his latest documentary about the national parks. if focus on the ideas and individuals that helped create some of america's greatest national treasures. next, he will have a look at baseball. ken burns, coming up right now. >> there are so many things that wal-mart is looking forward to doing, like helping people live better. but mostly, we are looking for two boeing strong relationships. because of your help, the best is yet to come. >> nationwide insurance problem supports tavis smiley. tavis and nationwide insurance, working to improve financial literacy and economic empowerment that comes with it. >> and by contributions to your pbs stations from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ tavis: always pleased to welcome ken burns to this program. through the course of his brilliant career he has become one of the great storytellers in history with projects like jazz, baseball camera and unforgivable -- baseball, and unforgivable blackness. his late

tavis: ken burns joins us tonight from new york. ken, nice to have you back on this program. >> thank you so much, tavis. great to be with you. tavis: let me start by saying congratulations. i got a chance to see some of this and it is absolutely phenomenal. once again, you have done it, my friend. congratulations. >> it is not a travel log. it is not a nature film though there is great stuff of nature. it is about ideas and individuals. it is about stories. i think that is what makes it different from other things about the national parks. it is not even a recommendation to what lodge or inn to stay at. tavis: you are one of the great storytellers. i said americans and folk around the world are going to appreciate seeing the kind of stories that you bring to life. let me start with the obvious, the beginning at least for me, which is this title. "the national parks: america's best idea." i know there is going to be some conversation kicking up just around that subtitle. america's best idea, mr. burns? >> we kick it up in our film t

. >>> national treasures ken burns is what all americans need to see. >>> kids from chicago, far from home, learning to make a difference. "nightly news" starts now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening, i'm ann curry in for brian williams. we begin with a showdown over nuclear ambitions. president obama and america's closest allies reveal iran has been building a secret underground plant for enriching uranium and put iran on notice it better not go down the path of bombs. he's been pushing back all day demanding an apology. the nuclear plant is near the holy city of qom, 100 miles from thai ron. wech the coverage with an dree that mitchell. >> president obama, britain and france said they built a solid case iran is hiding a secret nuclear plant. they are demanding immediate u.n. sanctions. tonight, the president warned them. if it does not come clean -- >> i think iran is on notice. when we meet with them october 1, they are going to have to come clean and have to make a choice. >> reporter: in a dramatic display of alliedç unity, the president accused ira

tavis: i can hear somebody sang here goes ken burns again. he wantso spin this conversation aut conservation. he wantso spin conversation about the environment. next he'll be talking about global warming and the tre. he wantso spin the convertion. it is t about spirituasm. it is about consertion. you ought to jt come out and sait. >> well, you know what? part of its. this iulse to save it comes out of spiritualism. but then it moves to consvation in theld teddy roosevelt rsion. moves to priotism. when we id "my country tis of thee." we're not talking abo trade statistics or the shadows cast byofty metpolitan skyscrapers. we're talking out this land at we have saved in this national parks, later it becomes econic. these ples are the permanent pipeline when the resources at we may have extracted haveong disappeared and then me rently and that is not our province bause we're histor it has elved io complex ecological eironmental issues. we want to tell you sties. we wt to introduce you to 50 or so human beings. most of whom you never hea of. of c

it's who we are that's at the heart of the national parks. >> ken burns story airs this sunday through friday on pbs. you can see more on nightly.msnbc.com. >>> his name was timothy j. russert, but millions of americans knew him as big russ. the father of our late friend and colleague, tim russert died in buffalo, new york. in 2004, tim wrote a best selling book about his relationship with his father who worked two jobs driving trucks to support the family. a veteran of world war ii, big russ was 85 years old. >>> when we come back, young people helping their peers in a city far away. you did hit pay-dirt cause it's ford truck month. an' leading this herd is the ford f-150. it's not just a truck it's an f-150. and with great power comes great fuel economy. no wonder it was named 2009 motor trend truck of the year. now get 0 percent apr for 60 months or 45 hundred cash back on an 09 f-150. and ford credit is on board to help with the financing. it's truck month! only at your local ford dealer. medication to lower your bad cholesterol but your good cholesterol and triglycerides are still

and ken burns is here with us now to talk about it. ken burns, congratulations, and thank you so much for being here. i'm geeking out that you're here. >> other way around. >> well, congratulations. you have to be very proud of this. >> we're very, very excited. we have spent ten years working on it, six shooting. we have been to places where you think someone is going to tap you on the shoulder and say, hey, buddy, are you getting paid for this, come this way. but building human happiness, governments now are essentially bad. there was a time when the government stepped in and made things better in every single way, that we could bring jobs, and money and a sense of cohesion. and that's what the parks -- they thrived during the depression, not just because the they got the first stimulus dollars, but because they brought americans together. and i think they still can do that. the idea is still durable, still plex flexible, still changing and evolving, just like all men are created equal and all white men are property, free of debt. we

. >> also, we're talking to ken burns, an emmy award-winning filmmaker. he is trying to remind us of how beautiful this country is, with our national parks and how we should appreciate them. instead of going to a movie, get the family together and witness one of these beautiful natural landmarks in our country. i shouldn't compare it to movies, because that's a lame comparison, but my point is, with the family, you can do so much that's free. >> actually, it's a good comparison. there are a lot of free national parks in here. >> so ken burns is prolific at this and we'll look at his beautiful work. >> we will. >> if you've got a curious kid around the house, how about putting that natural enthusiasm for facts to good use? we're looking for "today's kid reporter," that's right, between the age of 8 and 12. we'd like them to report on any story they'd like and submit the tape. >> the video should be no longer than one minute. mail it to today's kid reporter, 30 rockefeller plaza, new york, new york, 10112. the official rules -- because you've got to keep it

ken burns, it is such an honor to have you here. thank you. the miniseries is called the national parks: america's best idea. it is a 12-hour long series. it is worth every single minute of your time. on pbs. >>> coming up on "countdown," join kaeth to talk about his new film, capitalism. a love story. up next, chuck norris. i don't understand the chuck norris against american flag phenomenon. that is next. stay with us. i hired him to speak. a lot of fortune 500 companies use him. but-- i'm your only employee. we're gonna start using fedex to ship globally-- that means billions of potential customers. we're gonna be huge. good morning! you know business is a lot like football... i just don't understand... i'm sorry dick butkus. (announcer) we understand. you want to grow internationally. fedex express caused by a completely blocked artery, a heart attack caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone to provide greater protection

ken burns. good to see you. >> good morning, contessa. >> talk to me about what you wanted to accomplish when you tackled the national parks. >> we didn't want to tell a travelog or nature film. we wanted to tell the history of ideas and individuals that made this uniquely american thing happen. for the first time in human history land was set aside not for kings or the very rich but for everybody. it's a bottom up story of a diverse cast of characters, drama filled because of course saving a park meant you went against the developmental interests at the time, the people who wanted to put a dam over a river or cut down the trees or mine a canyon. and a few courageous people said no. that's the story we want to tell. we think it's an evergreen story and a story that speaks today of a lot of the environmental concerns we have. our national parks, the crown jewels and they have been neglected in the last administration. it's time to dust them off. this is a bipartisan issue, everyone loves their pa

tomorrow night i will be joined by ken burns on his documentary on the national parks system. on wednesday, a conversation with ted kennedy, jr. on the release of his father's memoir and rumors that he may seek the senate held by his father. today i am please todd kick off the week with dave matthews, the front man for the band that bears his name. the band formed 20 years ago. the latest project is called big whiskey. say that fast three times. >> did you that very well. >> dedicated to the band's late great sacks player. here is some of the video for "why i am." ♪ ♪ tavis: nice to meet you. >> great to meet you. >> great to have you on this program finally. >> i have been trying to get on here for a while. i know we have been almost getting to each other. tavis: a couple of times our paths almost crossed. the first time our paths crossed was a couple of years ago in new york, sitting outside a restaurant i like in new york in mid town. i am sitting there eating, and i look up and you and one of your bapped mates were casually walking down the street. i about spit my food

i'm just wondering, if ken burns were to do the hollywood feature film, what film would he be doing? >> i went to hamburg -- hampshire college in amherst massachusetts and my teachers were social documentary still photographers. they reminded me quite correctly that there is much more trauma in what is and what was. then anything the human imagination can dream up. we're working on an update of our 1994 series, "baseball." it will deal with all these spectacular action my beloved boston red sox, winning the world series, but steroids and strikes and money and all of those issues. we are working on a history of prohibition. we have just begun at thing that, a three part, six hour series that will be out in early 2011. it is filled with cops -- [laughter] i don't know if i can help you on the ninjas. we're also working on a long series of the roosevelts -- theodore, franklin, and eleanor. we're headed out to the panhandles of oklahoma and texas to record the memories of the last witnesses to the dust bowl, that horrific, man-made, ecological catastrophe, superimposed on the greatest ec

ken burns. [applause] >> thank you very much. i have been asked by the officials at pbs to issue a warning that if those of you have high-definition, large format television screens and 5.1 surround sound, please wear a raincoat while you were watching the series because the spray from yosemite falls will go into your living room and we're not responsible for any water damage. i want to thank the press club for having me back. it has been many, many times. i am always thrilled to be here. i would like to particularly thank pbs, the greatest not work on earth. the corporation for public broadcasting for their support. [applause] also, to weta, production partners for 25 years and my dear friend, sharon rockefeller. paul lot at pbs has been a great pillar of support for the projects over the last several years we have attempted to do and i don't think i would be standing here before you without these two extraordinary woman. we also benefit from the kindness of our underwriters, in this case, for this program, bank of america and g

. >>> still ahead, a remarkable new look of america's national parks courtesy of ken burns. >>> just ahead, a california woman disappears and her parents say the authorities are responsible. >> we'llalk to them. >>> we have rain falling around the region right now. we will check in with tom kierein to find out how long that will last today. 67 degrees here in the nation's capital. good morning. i'm barbara harrison. it is 7:56. in the news, prayers are underway for a muslim prayer service. it will take place at 1:30 this afternoon on the west front of the capital building. the event could cause afternoon traffic problems. no street closures yet. officials say they will shut streets down if the crowd gets too large. >>> despite some of the challenges faced by metro, there will be no change in leadership at the top. metro's board has voted to extent the general manager ace contract. metro leaders have been criticized following a deadly train crash, big budget short falls. board members say now is not the time to make a complaining. we are going to come back with a look at forecast for

. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm lili taylor. >> i'm henry louis gates, jr., and public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage you can count on. >> for conversations beyond the sound bites. >> a commitment to journalism. >> for deciding who to vote for. >> i'm kerry washington, and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.

. >> h i'm ken burns. >> i'm lili taylor. i'm henry louis gates jr., and public broadcastg is my source for news about the rld. >> for intelligent convsation. >> for election covege you can count . for conversations beyond the sound bis. >> a commitment tjournalism. >> for diding who to vote for. >> i'm kerrwashington, and public broadcasting isy soce for intellige connectionsto my community. >> bbc world news was presented by kcet, los angeles. i can't go back. hey. ah. [ laughs ]

and ken burns will be joining us live this hour. this next hour frankly is sort of like ten shows in one. but we are starting it off with some breaking news from d.c. on health reform. some unexpected indications tonight that by this time tomorrow, we will know if there's going to be a public option for health care. we will know if americans will have the choice of a government-run public insurance plan alongside the private insurance we can choose now. many americans believe adding a public option to the mix of choices we've got on health care is the only way health reform will really reform anything. although the public option has been proclaimed dead many a time over the course of this debate, we have learned that it is actually very much still alive and, in fact, tomorrow, two amendments for a public option will be presented before the senate finance committee. democratic senators jay rockefeller and charles schumer announcing this evening that they will demand a roll call vote on those proposals. what does that mean? it means t

. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm liliaylor. >> i'm henry los gates, j., and publ broadcasting is my source for news abouthe world. >> f intelligent conversation. >> forlection coverage you can count . >> for conveations beyond the sounbites. >> a commitment journalism. >> for deciding who to vote for >> i'm kerry washington and public broadcasting my source r intelligent connections to myommunity. presented by kcetlos angeles. presented by kcetlos angeles.

. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm lili taylor. >> i'm henry louis gates jr., and public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage you can count on. >> for conversations beyond the sound bites. >> a commitment to journalism. >> for deciding who to vote for. >> i'm kerri washington, and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> bbc world news was presented

tavis: we will talk to ken burns about his wonderful series on national parks. i am told that you are one of the people that has put in the president's year that he mailed to visit the national parks and we will talk about the time cannot be much better that he visit the national parks this summer. what part of theodore roosevelt's commitment, his legacy do you think that president obama all to build upon? >> thank you for asking. i think there are a couple more national parks that need to be created, and war, alaska, big sur, but the problem shifted. when roosevelt left 100 years ago, he called for global conservation courts because migratory boards. migratory birds do not know borders. neither do rivers. we have not had that kind of global conservation corps. the obama administration is willing to talk about climate conservation and really focus on global standards. china is polluting big-time right now. how can we stop that from happening or curtail at some time -- curtail it somehow? the obama administration is starting to already do this, they are creating

. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm lilly taylor. >> public broadcasting is my source for news about the world for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage you can counts on. >> for conversations beyond the sound bite. >> a commitment to journalism. >> for deciding who to vote >> for deciding who to vote for.

. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm lilly taor. >>ublic broadcasting is my urce for news about the world for inteigent conversation. >> for electionoverage you cacounts on. >>orconversations beyond the sound bite. >> a commient to journalism. >> for decing who to vote for. >> i'm kerry wasngton and puic broadcastingis my source for intelligen connectis to my community. >> "b world news" was presented

. >>> still ahead, a remarkable new look of america's national parks courtesy of ken burns. >>> just ahead, a california woman disappears and her parents say the authorities are responsible. >> we'll talk to them. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. with the wet roads, usually problems on the roadway. here is traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> and since, many just coming into us in the past few minutes. from shawan road down towards the beltway, and we are looking at delays elsewhere. southbound 95, two miles per hour. barely moving out of the white marsh area. this is backing down traffic on southbound 795. collins ferry, watch for an accident there in the hell for the city. and did -- help for the vicinity. delays here as well. all the volume-related, though. here is a live view of traffic in the area of harford road. inching along towards providence. here's a live view of the west side. let's get the latest on the forecast with sandra. >> light batch of showers moving on through. that will continue for

join me next time with acclaimed filmmaker ken burns with his acclaimed documentary on the national parks system. that is next time. we will see you then. >> there are so many things that wal-mart is looking forward to doing, like helping people live better. but mostly, we're helping build stronger communities and relationships. because with your help, the best is yet to come. >> nationwide insurance proudly supports "tavis smiley." tavis and nationwide, working together to improve financial literacy and the economic empowerment that comes with it. >> ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

powell's southern drawl was distinctive enough to earn him a spot as narrator of the ken burns pbs documentaries on baseball and the civil war. jody powell, dead of an apparent heart attack was 65 years old. >>> when "nightly news" continues on a monday night -- the ongoing debate over the amount of radiation that comes out of your cell phone. is it a cancer risk? >>> later, training shelter dogs to be the best kind of best friends and making a difference in the process. 365-horsepower-generating, ecoboost™ engine in the all-new ford taurus sho that has the thirst of a v6 with the thrust of a v8. we speak car. we speak innovation. introducing the all-new taurus sho from ford. drive one. but i did. you need to talk to your doctor about aspirin. you need to be your own advocate. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. you take care of your kids, now it's time to take care of yourself. this is humiliating. stand still so we can get an accurate reading. okay...um...eighteen pounds and a smidge. a smidge? y'know, there's really no need to weigh packages under 70 pounds.

wel be turning over this ti slot to my pal ken burns for his amazing seres, the national parks, amera's best idea. so we won't see you ext week, but we'll beack in two weks onwashington week." good night. >> theconversation continu online. see more fm our panel about the week's top stories ad we answer your questions. it the webast extra found on on "washingn week" online at pbs.org. >> corporate funding for "washington we" is provided by -- >> we know hy we're here, to design the fuure of light inside an out. >> to budtomorrow's chnologies in amazing ways. >> and reshape the scien of aerospace rever. >> around the globe, theeople of boeing are woing tgether for the drms of generations to come. >> that's why we're here. >> major funing or "washington week" also provided by te annenburg undation, the corporation fopublic oadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers lik you. thank you.

we'll be turning over this time slot to my pal ken burns for his amazing series, the national parks, america's best idea. so we won't see you next week, but we'll be back in two weeks on "washington week." good night. >> the conversation continues online. see more from our panel about the week's top stories and we answer your questions. it's the webcast extra found only on "washington week" online at pbs.org. >> corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by -- >> we know why we're here, to design the future of flight inside and out. >> to build tomorrow's technologies in amazing ways. >> and reshape the science of aerospace forever. >> around the globe, the people of boeing are working together for the dreams of generations to come. >> that's why we're here. >> major funding for "washington week" is also provided by the annenburg foundation, the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> captioning sponsored by public affairs television >> this week on bill moyers journal.