a picture over the waters this morning of nantucket sound looking at the kennedy compound in hyannis port. the beloved nantucket sound where senator ted kennedy spent so much of his time enjoying his storied life in american politics. >> he'll certainly be missed. senator kennedy passing away at the age of 77. we thank you for joining us for this special, quite early edition of "american morning." right now our special coverage continues with heidi collins and wolf blitzer. >> the lion of the senate, the heart of his family, senator ted kennedy is dead at the age of 77. this hour his fight for the rights of others and his personal battles. reaction from those who shared his political vision and those who did not.

what voters back home are saying. plus, a look at the cancer that took his life. special coverage all morning long. it is wednesday, august 26th. i'm at the cnn center in atlanta. >> washington and you are in the cnn newsroom. senator ted kennedy, his death marks the end of the era both politically and emotionally. for more than 40 years he served as the torch bearer of the camelot legacy and the last surviving brother of the kennedy political dynasty. in 1962 he was elected to the senate seat vacated by his brother the president and quickly became a powerful voice for social causes. dubbed the liberal lion he was among the last of the power brokers who sought compromise over partisan stalemate yet he

remained a face of his beloved democratic party. last year he delivered a critical endorsement of presidential candidate barack obama and one year ago today he seemed to pass the mantle at the democratic national party. >> i have come here tonight to stand with you to change america, to restore its future, to rise to our best ideals, and to elect barack obama president of the united states. >> senator ted kennedy in his own words. i'm joined now by wolf blitzer from washington, d.c. this morning. wolf, you have made a career of following politics obviously. this is a very, very big day and one that many people will be certainly very sad about. >> it's one day that all of us were bracing for over the past year since he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. we knew it would come and we

knew it would come relatively quickly, given the state of that cancer. he did go to duke university for medical treatment for surgery but the end was obvious to all who studied what was going on and we knew this day would come, a very sad day indeed for all of us. president obama is reacting to the news this morning of senator kennedy's death. our white house correspondent dan lothian is in martha's vineyard where the obamas are vacationing this week. clearly, dan, the president is upset given not only the stature and the history of senator kennedy, but the personal role that he played in helping barack obama become president of the united states. >> reporter: you're so right, wolf. in fact, the president talked about that in a statement this morning that he put out talking about how he impacted his life in every way -- first as a senator, really helping him walk through the halls of congress and understand how everything worked there. as a candidate endorsing him. many people thought perhaps the

president -- that he would be endorsing senator clinton who had all of the political backing and certainly all of the money but he ended up endorsing barack obama. and then as president he had been a counselor in particular with health care reform, being there, giving him guidance along the way. the president spelling this out in a statement this morning and in addition to that he said, quote, for five decades virtually every major piece of legislation to advance civil rights, health, and economic well being of the american people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. the president again paying tribute to senator ted kennedy this morning. by the way, wolf, the president is expected to come out and make some public comments in about a half hour, just a short statement we are told but we'll be coming to the cameras. to back up a little bit and give you a timeline of how the president first found out about senator ted kennedy's passing, we are told at 2:00 this morning he was alerted by marvin nicholson his special assistant,

also trip planner who we've seen often with the president out on the golf course. he went in and woke the president and told him about the news and 25 minutes later at 2:25 the president made a call to mrs. kennedy. we are told by senior administration officials no additional calls were made. we're waiting for the president to make his first public on camera remarks so far today, wolf. >> there is no doubt, dan, that this does mar the president's vacation. he has been trying to vacation, as you know, he did interrupt his vacation to renominate the federal reserve chairman ben bernanke. now he has to do this. but this is so much more painful, clearly, given the personal relationship that was established not only when he was a senator but when he became a presidential candidate for the president of the united states. >> definitely. you know, it's amazing because when you look back a few days ago when the president was on his way here to martha's vineyard he pointed out he would not be making any news and

little did he know it would be this kind of news he'd be reacting to but, certainly, the president losing a friend and confidante and someone, wolf, as we've been talking about all morning who has played a key role behind the scenes in advising the president on health care reform. there are a lot of questions about right now about whether or not the fate of health care reform would have taken a different path had senator ted kennedy been in good health and been sort of front and center on this issue. no doubt he is someone who has been able to reach across the aisle to get something done up on capitol hill and he could have been a key in helping not only reach across the aisle to republicans but helping within the democratic party. you have seen the fracture between conservative democrats and the more liberal democrats over the issues of health care reform and perhaps he could have been someone had he been deeply involved, had he had his health, and could have moved the process along much quicker than it is where it is now, wolf. >> it's one of those what ifs, what if senator kennedy had been

really active in this health care debate? none of us will ever know for sure. dan, i want you to stand by. we'll be coming back to you as soon as we see president obama come to the microphones and make his statement we'll bring it to our viewers in the united states and around the world live. senator kennedy's family was with him when he died at the family compound in hyannis port, massachusetts, where our deborah feyerick is standing by this morning. we have a live picture of the compound which is so familiar to so many of our viewers. >> reporter: wolf, i just turned a moment ago because there was a woman on a bicycle riding by and you could see she was visibly shaken by this. her face in a grimace almost as if she was about to cry, the word of the senator's passing. he had not been on capitol hill since april but, still, he was such a large presence there he had spent spring and summer here at his home in hyannis port with his family. his son patrick, a democratic congressman from rhode island, gave a very moving interview to the "cape cod times" and in it said this last year effectively

was like a gift for the entire family, that, quote, it gave them a chance to bond, a chance to be together, a chance for all of them to tell ted kennedy just how much they loved him and a chance for them to listen to all of his stories gathered over a very rich and full lifetime. his son patrick says that for his dad, ted kennedy, it was really like a victory lap. he received the president's medal of freedom just two weeks ago. we are told there was a priest with him up until the very end and here's what the priest had to say. >> i don't know when he got a turn for the worse. i think just late last evening, maybe around 9:00 and 10:00 he took a turn, a serious turn. that's when i was called and so i was there until he died. he died around 11:30 and the doctor was there all the time of course and the family were

there. >> reporter: now the community here very visibly moved because the kennedys are such a big part of this community and it seems that everybody knows each other. everybody takes part in football games. everybody sort of connects and has stories about the family and about all of their ties. we spoke to one woman earlier this morning. >> it's a thank you note, not a condolence card but a thank you note thanking ted for everything he's done for us over the years. we should celebrate his life not, you know, be sad about it. but he did a lot of things and i think a lot of, because he was around for so long i don't think people really remember everything he's done so in the next few days as we go through his resume of things and changes that he helped make people are going to realize how it touched their lives even if they didn't meet him. maybe there was more cancer research because of him or, you know, i voted when i was 18 because the voting age was changed from 21 to 18 and he was

instrumental in that. he affected everybody. >> now, wolf, we've seen a lot of cards comi cars coming in an this area. it appears one car is shuttling family members inside to the home that belongs to ethel kennedy which may be the gathering place as the family comes together to honor ted kennedy and celebrate his life and mourn his passing. wolf, heidi? >> deb, quickly, have they suggested any indication yet when the funeral will take place? >> reporter: no. we have not gotten word on when the funeral will take place. we've been told there have been arrangements made. we are also told by one of our producers who was here on scene that in fact there was a van that appeared to be either from the medical examiner's office or from the funeral home that was here for a couple hours overnight so we should be getting word of what the plans are within the day. wolf? >> we see the flag flying at half staff there in hyannis port. deb, we'll get back to you. stand by. our senior political analyst is

here, dana barber, senior congressional correspondent, both of whom knew senator kennedy very well and covered him for many years. you spent a lot of quality time with him over the years as well, gloria. >> i did. i've actually been inside that house in hyannis when i was doing a piece on him and it's a testament to the kennedy family and to the senator himself, it's the place he really loved to spend most of his time and it's no surprise that when he was very ill he was back in hyannis being taken out on the sail boat as much as they possibly could. >> he loved the atlantic ocean and it's only fitting that he spent his remaining time there. >> absolutely. i was told that he spent a lot of time basically just sitting on the balcony, sitting on the porch looking at the ocean when he couldn't go out sailing. and that is -- absolutely was how they spent most of or many of the remaining days that he had. you know what's interesting about the ocean is that he so missed the ocean that when he was ill and not able to be in washington, in the winter months

he went to florida and he had them bring his boat down to florida so he could be by the water at every moment that he possibly could. >> after his brother robert kennedy was shot, he went back to hyannis and spent about ten weeks just sailing and brooding and trying to decide what to do next with his own life because at that point he was thinking about potentially quitting politics. of course he didn't do that and he became what everybody now calls the lion of the senate, the master of the senate. >> the notion, gloria, that this is the last of the kennedy brothers -- there was joe kennedy who died in combat during world war ii and john f. kennedy the president, bobby kennedy, and now ted kennedy, he survived all of them for so many more years. >> the baby of the family. >> the baby brother of all of them. >> right. >> but the legacy that he left is incredible. >> you know, it's interesting because this is the first time we've really gotten to watch a kennedy brother age. the rest were all taken very

early in their lives and so, you know, this is the only kennedy we have seen as an older man. and the question is, we know what his legacy is going to be. we know the legislative legacy that he has, the historic legacy that he has. i think the question is, what happens now in the next generation? john jr. was the senator's great hope in politics. and he also died in a plane crash. >> so many tragic losses in that family. i want both of you to stand by. we have much to discuss and assess as we continue our special coverage. in the meantime let's go back to heidi. >> all right, wolf. thank you. i want to remind everybody that tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern cnn is going to be airing hbo's acclaimed documentary "teddy in his own words." it chronicles senator kennedy's life from his childhood through his speech at the 2008 democratic national convention. it includes rarely seen archival footage as well. that's hbo's "teddy in his own words" and you can see it tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn.

the democratic lion of the u.s. senate, dead at 77. stay with cnn for complete coverage of the life and legacy of senator edward m. kennedy.

for me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. for all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on. the cause endures. the hope still lives. and the dream shall never die. >> fellow veteran senator orrin hatch of utah had this to say this morning about his friend, edward kennedy. ted kennedy's name will always be remembered as someone who lived and breathed the united states senate and the work completed within its chamber. hatch went on to say, kennedy with all his ideological verbose itty and idealism was a rare person who could put aside

differences and look for common solutions. ted kennedy was certainly an icon among his fellow democrats and a symbol of liberal excess among critics. kennedy embraced the liberal tag long after many democrats shunned it. our senior congressional correspondent dana bash is here. dana, he felt head had a callin >> absolutely. because of his family. he was the only one of the four kennedy brothers to actually die of natural causes, not die tragically, and he is the only one we saw grow old. we first met him as the kid brother to jack and bobby and yet edward, teddy was the survivor. the one we watched grow old, evolve into the patriarch, and struggle with the challenge and burden of carrying the kennedy torch. edward moore kennedy was born february 22nd, 1932, the last of joe and rose kennedy's nine

children. his first prominent role in the family business of politics came at age 30. jfk was elected president and teddy kept his senate seat in the family. >> the president of the united states is dead. >> reporter: he was 31 when he said good-bye to jack. five years later in 1968 another assassination, another good-bye, bobby this time. often invoking his brothers, ted kennedy turned to make his mark in the senate in the '60s and '70s a. pro, a proud liberal, c of voting rights and civil rights. in 1980 he set his sights on the white house but perhaps the most haunting of his personal demons, chappaquiddick 11 years earlier would block his path. >> i regard as indispensable the fact that i did not report the accident to the police immediately. i regard that as indefensible. >> reporter: in 1969 kennedy drove his car off the chappaquiddick bridge.

mary jo kopechne, a former aide to brother robert, drowned. ted kennedy fled the scene. it was a character stain he could not overcome. he would lose his bid to beat president carter but promised to carry on in one of his most famous speeches. >> the work goes on. the cause endures. the hope still lives. and the dream shall never die. >> reporter: he would not be president but he would master the senate and make his mark on government policy. >> if we really care about work, about families, about children, and the future, we will vote for an increase in the minimum wage for all workers. >> reporter: fighting for workers' rights, leading on education and health care reform. >> it is morally right. it's what this is all about. >> reporter: and immigration reform. >> i describe ted kennedy as the

last lion in the senate. held that view because he remains the single most effective member of the senate if you want to get results. >> reporter: to get those results liberal kennedy learned the art of compromise, sometimes angering fellow democrats by partnering with ardent conservatives. >> even though we fight each other most of the time and they're knock down, drag out battles, i have to say there are very few people in my lifetime that i've had more respect for and now reverence for than senator kennedy. >> reporter: all too often it fell to uncle teddy the patriarch to steer the family through trials and tragedy. the death of jackie onassis, a more painful good-bye to jfk jr., and the dreams of camelot. his hunch and shuffle, the legacy of a brush with death in the 1960s, a plane crash that broke his back and caused constant pain. he brought some pain on himself.

dogged by too much drinking, a messy divorce, kennedy was a frequent fodder for tabloids. but he remarried, carried on, added to his policy accomplishments. >> i've come to admire him. he's a smart, capable senator. you want him on your side. i can tell you that. >> he stepped once again into presidential politics, bypassing hillary clinton and harkening back to brother jack's call for a new generation of leadership. >> i'm proud to stand with him here today and offer my help, offer my voice, offer my energy, my commitment to make barack obama the next president of the united states. >> reporter: just five months later, he had a seizure. it was followed by a grim diagnosis -- a malignant brain tumor. still, with great drama he made it to the democratic convention to pass the torch. >> the hope rises again and the

dream lives on. >> reporter: he ignored his doctors and when needed came back to his beloved senate. >> i look forward to being a part of the team. >> reporter: and made a dramatic appearance at a white house summit on health care reform. >> i'm looking forward to being a foot soldier in this undertaking and this time we will not fail. >> reporter: he never stopped looking forward and never lost that trademark smile. to the end, the survivor. >> still here with us, dana, there are so many legislative accomplishments over his four decades plus in the senate, whether education, immigration, civil rights, but health care was really the closest to his heart. >> right. it's something that he actually called the cause of his life and that is why it has been so hard

for everybody in the senate and obviously the hardest for him that he has not been involved. the reality is, wolf, that he really hasn't been involved. you saw the few pieces there of him coming back for some big events. that was really in the early spring and he hasn't, not only has he not been back in the senate since i think about april, he really hasn't been involved in terms of phone calls and in terms of really trying to guide the process from afar for sometime. and, you know, you hear republicans all over the capitol for the past several months saying they really miss him because he is somebody who knew how to reach across the aisle. but the other issue is democrats and the problems within the democratic party that perhaps he could have help alleviate and brought everybody together in a way that other people really aren't able to do. >> with all due respect to senator chris dodd of connecticut who, himself, is now suffering from prostate cancer and i'm sure chris dodd would agree he's no ted kennedy when it comes to these matters, it probably would have emerged a

little bit differently. >> one thing that's interesting that we're seeing already with statements from the house speaker nancy pelosi, just saw a statement from one of the unions that he was very involved with, the seiu, talking about the fact that they hope his death will be a rallying cry for the democrats to really try to get unified and figure out a way to push the health care through. >> because senator kennedy had delegated so much of the responsibilities on that committee, on that health committee to senator dodd of connecticut. i want you to stand by. gloria, please stand by as well. we're awaiting the president of the united states. he's going to be speaking in about 15, 20 minutes from his vacation in martha's vineyard. we'll go there live once it begins. in the meantime let's go back to heidi. >> absolutely, wolf, we'll bring that to everybody as soon as it happens. thank you. i want to talk a little more now about senator kennedy and the legacy he will be leaving behind and get more insight on the political implications from someone you have seen many times before right here on our air. democratic strategist and cnn political contributor, paul,

good morning to you. thanks for being with us today. why don't you tell us first about your relationship and how much time you spent with senator kennedy. >> he was a remarkable guy. the family statement says it best. for the huge and extended family that senator kennedy sort of adopted they called him the irreplaceable center of our family. it was true. i never worked for him. he was never one of my clients or bosses and yet he was remarkable in a way that he would reach out, get to know you, and he wrote a book about his dog splash. he knows i have a bunch of kids. he sent the boys a copy of the book with a note inscribed in it. then when it got really serious, five years ago my father was diagnosed with a very kind of nasty kind of cancer. he is fighting it off, still in remission, a tough old bird, but senator kennedy heard about that and he called me at home and he said, get out your pen. there were no pleasantries. none of the usual -- he said get out the pen and write down this name. he gave me the name of one of

the world's foremost experts in cancer treatment. he said he's expecting your call. i just talked to him. he helped pave the way to get my father the treatment that saved his life. i never worked forthis guy, never gave him a nickel. that story is repeated thousands of times over all across washington, all across massachusetts, all across america. and it's that decency, the human side of teddy as his friends called him. >> yeah, you know what? >> that we'll miss the most. >> paul, i want to take a moment to bring in james carville, too, right now, who is also able to join us today. i know you know him well, crossfire revisited here. james, paul brings up an interesting point in this. >> right. >> sort of human side of senator kennedy. is that something that you experienced as well? because he was a fierce fighter when you were talking about politics and god love you if you were on the other side of the aisle. >> well, yeah. i experienced it after katrina. he told me he and ms. kennedy called and wondered what they could do and was very sort of

upset about everything and called a bunch of times. there are stories about him showing up at funerals of people killed in the iraq war and helping families. these are legendary things and paul is right, the number of individual -- he touched so many lives through legislation and policy and everything else but the number of lives that senator kennedy touched in a very personal, direct way, no way we would ever be able to count those and one of the interesting things in the coming days is, as we think back on his life, is going to be the number of people he took time out like dewith paul with his father or me in the instance of katrina to call people and inquire about them personally and see what he could do to help. these individual stories are going to be monumental. >> there will be people listening today who say, well, unfortunately there were definitely some down moments for senator kennedy and certainly the incident in 1969 at

chappaquiddick where there was a woman who died. everyone knows the bridge at chappaquiddick and what happened there. how was he able to get through that, certainly politically? because there were obviously two very different sides to this. the political side of those implications and then also the personal side which we're talking about right now, paul. >> well, politically, after the accident and the terrible tragedy he owned up to it and we've shown the tape on cnn today where he said that he considered his own actions in leaving the scene of that accident to be indefensible. politically, you know, he left it in the hands of the citizens of massachusetts and the bay state voters re-elected him overwhelmingly for many more times. personally, it seems to me from an outsider the turn-around was in 1992 when he married vicki. no couple in washington was more

in love, more visible, more active, and i think most of his friends, and i was not a close friend but most of his friends will probably tell you that wonderful partnership really shaped and reinvigorated and energized senator kennedy's last 17 years now. >> james, have you ever heard the senator speak about what that incident and that death, mary jo kopechne, did to him personally? >> no, i didn't. but i completely agree with paul. as i said earlier, i'm delighted that louisiana could make a part of senator kennedy's life. there is no doubt anybody would say that after he got married he became personally fulfilled in a way that probably he wasn't before. and you have to look at the sort of totality of his life and his public career is distinguished and i think his personal life was much happier after he found vicki. i really do. >> we have a lot more to talk about here obviously. we're talking about a senator

who served eight terms, very, very long public service from senator ted kennedy so we'd love to talk with you guys a little longer. for now we'll have to say good-bye. james carville and paul begala thanks so much. joining us from washington and new orleans today. senator kennedy coached with many tragedies including a terrible plane crash that left him with a broken back. we're looking back at the media coverage of 1964.

back to our coverage of senator ted kennedy now, though

head many glowing political moments kennedy also endured several personal tragedies, including a plane crash in 1964 that left him with a broken back. let's listen to how it was reported then. >> reporter: misfortune strikes the kennedy family once again. senator edward m. kennedy was seriously injured when his private plane crashed in the woods near southampton, massachusetts. the senator was on his way to the state democratic convention where he was renominated when the plane crashed in a heavy fog. however, despite a broken back, doctors expect mr. kennedy to achieve complete recovery within eight to ten months. his family, including attorney general robert kennedy, quickly gathered at his bedside and specialists were flown from walter reed hospital. it was announced that a new canvas frame would be used to speed the senator's recovery, eliminating the need for a plaster cast. doctors say that it was a miracle that mr. kennedy survived the crash.

>> kennedy did suffer back pain for decades after that crash. and senator edward kennedy's death now being marked today at a global cancer summit in dublin, ireland. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta is at that summit and joining us live to talk about kennedy's battle with cancer. so, sanjay, as we look back over the life of senator kennedy, there have been many health issues if you would and this one, this brain cancer, was one that he was not expected to be able to beat. >> yeah, it is a grim diagnosis. as we've been talking about for sometime now, heidi, as you mentioned, we're here in ireland which is also -- he is irish american and this is the place of his ancestry and also the global cancer summit. whereas you might imagine, heidi, he has had tremendous impact on cancer in the united states but also around the world, so a lot of the meetings today and the discussions surrounded ted kennedy. you and i started obviously talking about his most recent diagnosis in may of last year, 15 months ago. i wanted to sort of give you an

idea of how things have progressed since then. senator ted kennedy learned his diagnosis in may, 2008. a brain tumor, called a malignant glioma. it's a deadly cancer that strikes about 10,000 americans a year. it's a cancer with a survival rate often measured in months, not years. june 2nd, 2008, the then 76-year-old senator traveled to duke university medical center where he underwent brain surgery. he was awake during the operation. afterward, the surgeon's statement was read on the senate floor. >> i am pleased to report that senator kennedy's surgery was successful and accomplished our goals. >> reporter: kennedy returned to boston for proton beam radiation and recuperation near the water he loved. kennedy returned to the capitol in july receiving a standing ovation before casting a decisive vote on stalled medicare legislation. >> what did your doctors think

about when you said i want to go down there? >> well, that's another story for another time. >> reporter: the senator emerged a month later, in his words defying his illness to deliver a speech at the democratic national convention. >> nothing is going to keep me away from this special gathering tonight. i feel well. once in a while i get a little tired but we're doing well. >> reporter: kennedy was in the midst of what he later described as many rounds of chemotherapy. january 20th, 2009. the senator suffered a seizure during the post inauguration lunch honoring president barack obama. >> i went down to where he was taken and was with him up until the time they put him in the ambulance and i'm not a doctor so i hate to characterize it but it looked like a seizure. it was painful to him. >> i'm doing well.

>> reporter: kennedy was back at work less than three weeks later, just long enough to cast a single vote on the economic stimulus bill. and arrived to a standing ovation in march at the president's summit on health care reform, which kennedy called the cause of my life. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ happy birthday to you >> reporter: days later a 77th birthday party at the kennedy center. in april of this year, almost a year after his diagnosis, kennedy threw the ceremonial first pitch at the boston red sox seasonal opener against tampa bay. senator ted kennedy marked the anniversary of his diagnosis out of the public eye. >> edward m. kennedy. >> reporter: on august 12th president obama awarded him the medal of freedom, the highest honor a civilian can receive in the u.s. government. the senator could not attend because of his health. kennedy's daughter accepted the award on his behalf.

what was just described there, heidi, is a pretty typical course for someone who has this diagnosis of malignant glioma, heidi, you've heard of the operation, the therapy such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy. these are difficult therapies to endure but that's sort of a little glimpse of the last 15 months, heidi. >> that's what i was wondering. this has been a very tough battle, 15 months is a long time, specifically with this diagnosis. the quality of life, though, sanjay, that the senator had during that time was like what? >> reporter: you know, a couple things worth pointing out. the first time we learned about this and really he learned about this was after a seizure. seizures are something that are sort of one of the symptoms that are associated with these tumors so you have the seizures, you take medications. the medications can be very sedating. that's one thing i think he and the doctors were thinking about and concerned about. also, the location of the tumor, heidi. you remember he had an awake brain operation down at duke

last spring and the reason was because the tumor was located so close to the speech areas and areas that control the right side of his body so those were things that probably were starting to get affected over the last couple months. the therapy alone, as a neuro surgeon i've seen patients go through this. it's tiring, exhausting. every time i saw him appear in public i looked closely for those sorts of things. you might imagine it's a tough toll. >> absolutely. we appreciate you being there for us ironically at the global cancer summit in dublin, ireland going on right now, our own dr. sanjay gupta. thanks, sanjay. our coverage on the passing of senator edward kennedy continues with wolf blitzer in washington. >> thanks very much. i want to go right back to martha's vineyard right now where the president is vacationing but is about to interrupt his vacation and make a statement to the nation, indeed to the world, about the passing of his friend senator kennedy. dan lothian our white house correspondent is on the scene for us. dan, this is supposed to happen

momentarily. is that right? >> it is. we are told it should happen within five minutes or so you about time has been sliding. the initial start time was to be at 8:30 so now it's been moved to 9:45. expecting that based on the movements we're hearing about expecting that to take place again in the next five mints or so. we are told he will make his remarks on the property of the blue heron farm where they are spending their vacation and near a guest house. we expect to hear from the president echoing what we heard from his statement that he released earlier this morning praising mr. kennedy for everything that he had done for him, first as a senator, as a candidate, and then as president as well. in addition to the statement and the remarks the president will be making to honor mr. kennedy, the president has ordered that all flags in federal buildings and at the white house as well be flown at half staff. >> so we'll stand by and go to the president as soon as he comes to the microphone.

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i want to give you an idea of some of the other stories we are watching today aside from the death of senator ted kennedy. there has been a bloody attack in southern afghanistan. at least 43 people are dead after a tanker truck filled with explosives blew up in kandahar. rescuers are still trying to reach people trapped in the rubble. you can see the video for yourself. the taliban reportedly denied any responsibility. buyouts for about 30,000 workers. the postal service makes a deal with two of its unions to pay those employees who want to resign or retire early.

most of them process mail and do not deliver it. the postal service hopes this will save $500 million. five years probation, six months community labor. that's what singer chris brown faces for beating his former girlfriend rihanna earlier this year. brown pleaded guilty to felony assault in june. he was sentenced yesterday in a los angeles court. we are waiting at this moment for president barack obama to be making a statement regarding the death of senator ted kennedy. all that will be happening there where you see martha's vineyard where he is on vacation. we of course will bring that event to you when it happens, live, right here on cnn. achoo!

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>> this november, the torch will be passed again to a new generation of americans, so with barack obama and for you and for me, our country will be committed to his cause. the hope rises again and the dream lives on. exactly one year ago at the democratic national convention in november when the senator spoke to the democrats and made it clear that he wants barack obama to be the next president of the united states. governor arnold schwarzenegger who is married to senator

kennedy's niece, maria shriver, said mu rea and i are immensely saddened by the passing of uncle teddy. he was known to the world as the lion of the senate, a champion of social justice, and a political icon. most importantly, he was the rock of our family, a loving husband, father, brother and uncle. he was a man of great faith and character. the president of the united states is getting ready to make a statement over at martha's vineyard where he's on vacation. he'll walk up to that microphone momentarilies as soon as he is there. and you will get arrested.

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dor doris goodwin. sad day, indeed, you got to know him quite well over the last couple years. >> i did, indeed. he was at our wedding and we saw him through his strengths and difficulties. everyone is broken by life, but afterwards some are stronger in the broken places. and i think he certainly proved that by coming back after not only the deaths of his brothers but the difficulties that he himself produced in his life that becoming a senator, that i think will be the greatest senator in our modern time. >> he managed to overcome the loss of three brothers and so many other personal tragedies, but a huge setback in his life. something he lived to deeply regret his entire life. >> no question about it. it probably did prevent him from becoming president.

but he may have been more suited for the senate. when teddy was first put into the senate, teddy smiled and jack said he doesn't smile sarconically, i do, bobby does, not teddy, he's too good natured. he was the most approachable, much more suited to be a legislature than either one of his brothers were. it was deeply rooted in his personality from he was a little kid. he was sent to boarding school over and over again and that open personality became a part of his legacy. when you think about the 19th century, those senators are the ones that we remember. we'll remember him even more than some of the presidents of the past. >> less than a minute away of the president of the united states getting ready to speak about senator kennedy. just speculate briefly, doris, how sad would he be knowing

there is no kennedy in the united states senate right now? >> there's no question that i think he depended on kennedy, obama did, for helping get that health legislation through and making people on different sides of the aisle realize this is a moment in history when they have done something important. without that voice there, it has been troubling in the last couple months and maybe even more so now. unless there is some feeling of empathy of trying to do something that teddy wanted which was the passage of the bill. >> the president is about to speak to the nation, indeed, to the world about his friend senator ted kennedy. he's at martha's vineyard and getting ready to walk up to that microphone and speak from his heart. this is a man who was very close to him and arguably was instrumental. here's the president. >> i wanted to say a few words this morning about the passing

of an extraordinary leader. senator edward kennedy. over the past several years i had the honor to call teddy a colleague, a counselor and a friend and even though we have known this day was coming for some time now, we awaited it with no small amount of dread. since teddy's diagnosis last year we saw the courage in which he battled his illness. these months have been difficult for him, they also let him here from people in every corner of our nation and from around the world just how much he meant to all of us. the opportunity we were denied when his brothers robert were taken from us. a testament to the way the singular figure in american history touched so many lives.

his ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives. the seniors who know new dignity and families who know new opportunity and children who know promise and in all that can pursue their dream in an america that is more equal and more just, including myself. the kennedy name is synonymous with the democratic party and at times ted was the target of partisan campaign attacks. but in the united states senate, i can think of no one who engendered greater respect or affection for members of both sides of the aisle. the seriousness of purpose was perpetually matched by humility, warmth and good cheer. compassionately battle others and do so peerlessly on the senate floor for the causes that he held dear and still maintain

warm friendships across party lines and that's one reason why he became one of the greatest senators of all time, but one of the most accomplished americans to ever serve our democracy. his extraordinary life on this earth has come to an end. an extraordinary of good that he did lives on. for his family, he was the guardian, for america he was defender of a dream. i spoke earlier this morning to senator kennedy's beloved wife, vicki, who was to the end such a wonderful source of encouragement and strength. our thoughts and prayers are with her, his children, his stepchildren and the entire kennedy family, decades worth of his staff, the people of massachusetts and all americans who, like us, loved ted kennedy. >> there he is. a very sad president obama

interrupting his vacation to speak out about his good friend senator ted kennedy who arguably was very instrumental in getting democrats onboard and helping him win the democratic presidential nomination, endorsing him over hillary clinton at a critical moment in the campaign and working very hard for him to get that nomination. he said, in fact, america is more equal and more just and he was speaking personally as a result of what senator kennedy did over the years in working for legislation, a reference to civil rights legislation with senator kennedy who was very instrumental in passing. much more coming up in our coverage of the passing of senator kennedy. let's go back to heidi, meantime, for the more stories we're watching. >> some of the other stories we're following. at least 43 people are dead after a massive truck bomb blast in kandahar, afghanistan. others may still be lost in that rubble.

the largely residential neighborhood and 75 people are injured and the red cross says one of their workers is among the dead. we'll stay on top of that story for you. a top democratic fund-raiser has been arrested on bank fraud charges. hassan nemazee tried to scam money from citibank. he was stopped by federal agents at newark airport on sunday where he planned to catch a flight to rome. nasa will try again to launch "discovery" early friday morning. this week's third attempt follows one scrub for bad weather and another for a fuel valve problem. engineers suspect it may be with instruments and not the actual valve itself.

>> i have come here tonight to stand with you, to change america, to restore its future, to rise to our best ideals and to elect barack obama president of the united states. >> one year to the day after that speech senator edward kennedy lost his battle to brain cancer. his endorsement of barack obama was viewed by many as the passing of the torch. today kennedy's death is viewed as the passing of an era. for nearly half century he waged battle and negotiated compromise on capitol hill. for almost 47 years he held the senate seat vacated by his brother's election to the white house. later he would become the last surviving brother of the kennedy political dynasty and he would serve as the torch bearer of the camelot legacy. joining us now, cnn's wolf

blitzer, a veteran reporter, of course, of washington politics. good morning, wolf. >> good morning, heidi. we covered senator kennedy for so many years in washington and hard to cover washington without senator kennedy's presence and it was so powerful. let's go to our white house correspondent dan lothian right now. dan, the president we just heard it live here on cnn. he spoke from the heart and he spoke what senator kennedy meant to him. >> that's right, wolf. you saw the president step to the mike on the property where they were spending their vacation. a really somber mood as he walked up and delivered what was essentially a one-page statement and the president called senator kennedy a colleague, a counselor a friend. he said kennedy's name was synonymous with the democratic party, that he garnered respect and one of the greatest senators of our time. in addition to that, he was one of the most accomplished americans.

the president praising him, a real tribute to someone who was a part of his life from the beginning when he became a senator and helping him and showing him the ropes up on capitol hill and helping him in his campaign and helping him as president. take a listen. >> the outpouring of love, gratitude and fond memories to which we have all born witness is a testament to way this american figure in american history touched so many lives. his ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives. seniors who know new dignity and families that know new opportunity and children who know education's promise and all who can pursue their dream in an america that is more equal and more just, including myself. the kennedy name is synonymous with the democratic party. and, at times, ted was the target of bipartisan campaign attacks, but in the united states senate, i can think of no

one who engendered greater respect or affection for members of both sides of the aisle. >> the president, like so many others, knew this day would come, but pointed out it doesn't make it any easier now that it has happened. the president first learned of his passing at 2:00 a.m. when his golf partner and also an assist tonight the president came and woke him up and gave him the news about 25 minutes later and the president did place a call to mrs. kennedy. a difficult day for this administration, for mr. obama who was really, as he pointed out, when he was first on his way here to martha's vineyard was not planning on making any news, this was certainly not something he was hoping to respond to today. >> he was bracing for it, he knew this day would come. everyone knew this day would come and it has all come as we now know. dan, stand by. we'll get back to you. senator kennedy started his

career in the senate as soon as he reached the eligible age of 30 back in 1962. he was elected to the united states senate. here's a news reel from back in 1962 when he ran for the seat he'd hold for the rest of his life. >> kennedy has thrown his hat into the national political arena. edward m. or ted officially announces his campaign for the massachusetts senate seat once held by his brother, the president. the youngest of the three brothers, he will face mccormic jr. in the democratic primary. >> he went out to beat the republican lodge in that race and became the united states senator for more than four decades. let's bring in dana bash, our senior congressional correspondent. the tributes, the memories are coming in, including from senator mccain who worked closely with senator kennedy on many issues on comprehensive immigration reform during the end of the bush administration,

which failed. >> for president running in a republican primary, but in this statement that senator mccain just released he said something i think very apt. he said that senator kennedy was famous before he was accomplished and that reel, that news reel that we just saw remind us of the fact that he, there was a place holder when his brother became president so he could actually get to the age eligibility and become 30 and he could take that seat. and he really was happy for his famous name and well known as the kid brother and it took him a while, a long while to really find his place in terms of what he's now known for, which is all the things we talked about policy size whether it's voting rights, civil rights or minimum wage, you name it. it did take him a while and he was forced into that role because of the deaths of his brothers. >> hard to imagine you could have a freshman senator whose brother was the president of the

united states and ted kennedy used to love stories of what that was like. one of the stories i remember him telling was that there was an airline, northeast airlines that was boston based and it was going to lose its route. so he went to see his brother the president, his brother, former senator from the region and said, teddy, that's your problem now, no can do. and didn't. >> and given the quirks of massachusetts law, there's going to be no senator from massachusetts for at least a few months, maybe as long as five months, paul begela and that will make the job of president obama in getting health care reform a little more difficult. >> back in 2004 when john kerry, the other massachusetts was running for president, the democrats in massachusetts decided if kerry would win they would have a vacancy and they had a republican mitt romney at the time. governor can't appoint, we have to have a special election.

well, now, the democrats are -- it could be five months before massachusetts has another vote in the senate. one of his last public acts, senator kennedy sent out a public letter to the governor and other leaders of his state asking them to res have that law, once again. to allow a temporary custodian fill that seat that that person agrees not to run. supporting his democratic credentials, let the public decide. he wanted to make sure massachusetts will have a voice. we'll see what will happen on beacon hill. with it exceed senator kennedy's final request? >> i know a lot of speculation over these past several months about vicki, his wife, perhaps becoming or being interested in taking over that senate seat. what are you hearing? >> right, well, every democrat in massachusetts reveres the kennedy name and particularly teddy kennedy, he's done so much for that state. i saw a statement in the newspaper from mrs. kennedy saying there is only one senator

kennedy in this family. perhaps she doesn't want it. a remarkable person in her own right. she has been a really strong partner of his for many, many years. >> very quickly dana and gloria. >> i was surprised when i asked that question last week about viccy and there was no wiggle room in the response. will it stop people from trying, but kind of surprising, especially as you well know, paul. many of senator kennedy's races, in fact, his most toughest race against mitt romney for re-election. she was incredibly involved in the strategy there. >> the hard and fast statement like that, gloria, before his death is one thing, but after the death, it would have been unseemly to even speculate about vicki kennedy succeeding and now that could change. >> we don't know, wolf, honestly, what we do know is that vicki has always been a real political partner for ted kennedy in every way and campaigning next to him and, so,

you know, it wouldn't be unheard of for her to think about running for that seat. but, again, we just don't know at this point. >> stand by. senator kennedy had a long and storeied career. during his 46 plus years he authored more than 2,500 bills, many of them landmark pieces of legislation. among them, the civil rights act of 1964, the driving force behind the voting rights act a year later and also a champion for health care reform in 1990 to the americans with disability act and in 1993 the family and medical leave act and in 1997 he was behind the children's health insurance program, better known as c.h.i.p. that provides insurance to children of low-income families. heidi, i must say, a sad day here in washington. i guess not only in washington, but around the country and around the world. >> no question about that, wolf. a lot of ostories to be told

here over a long, long career of public service, certainly, for ted kennedy. also have a lot of other news we need to bring you on this day. specific to the weather situation, apparently a tropical disturbance that is building. rob marciano has his eye on it rob marciano has his eye on it and tracking it.

let's take a moment to get over to the severe weather

center. activity on the tropics, what did you say? north of puerto rico. >> north of his panola heading towards the bahamas. so, heading in that general direction and more with a northerly component to it and it has kind of similar, wants to take a similar path as bill, will it do that? we'll have to wait and see. here it is. obviously, this cloud mass. tropical wave and they sent a hurricane hunter into it yesterday and they did not mark it as a tropical depression or name it as a tropical storm. if that happens, it becomes our fourth storm of the season and they've got another plane en route today and their latest words is that it looks pretty good and they'll likely name it or at least mark it as a tropical depression later on today. what is it going to do after that? some of our computer models, take the similar route to bill, but notice it is a little bit closer to the coastline than bill was.

matter of fact, some of oour more detailed computers latest runs take it marketedly close. each one of these lines is one of the computers that is forecasting this thing. notice that they are more close to the u.s. than bill was to bermuda. so, we'll have to wait a little bit longer. once this thing becomes a tropical depression and tropical storm and more aircraft data coming into this and aircraft get more clustered as they did with bill. folks who live on the coastline of the carolinas, east coast, cape cod have to pay close attention to what may become tropical storm danny by the end of the day. we'll let you know as information comes in to us. >> very good, rob, let us know if we need to come back to you. meanwhile, past allegations of domestic violence against chris brown is coming to light as he is sentenced for attacking rihan rihanna. new aches and pains,

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as we continue to remember senator ted kennedy this morning, let's get some of the other top stories. california's ban of guy couples adopting is being appeal. a miami judge ruled gents the ban saying it is unconstitutional, but state lawmakers should be allowed to decide the matter. five years probation for r&b star chris brown for assaulting fellow singer rihanna back in february. the judge also sentenced him to 1,400 hours of service and a probation report now shows two other incidents between the singer. report says rihanna once slapped brown and he pushed her back. at a later time, brown allegedly broke car windows after an argument they had. and the space shuttle "discovery" didn't blast off into orbit as planned. nasa scrubbed another launch yesterday. it's the second scrub launch in

two days. they'll try another launch early friday morning. meanwhile, dozens of wildfires that rage in greece, we have been showing you unbelievable pictures. that have been finally put or contained. the largest blaze devoured areas near the capital of athens burning 80 square miles and initial estimates indicate up to 60 homes were destroyed and others damaged. officials still don't know the cause of those fires and only minor injuries, though, have been reported. senator ted kennedy, an icon in american politics h s his won the international level was overlooked and today we are getting reaction from his death from all over the world.

as we continue to remember the very, very long career of senator ted kennedy, we want to bring in wolf blitzer from washington this morning who has been part of our coverage all morning long. wolf, so much to talk about here. more than 40 years of public service. >> a great senator, even as political adversaries and critics suggested he was a great senator, indeed. the vice president of the united states, joe biden, is getting ready to speak. over at the department of energy and we'll gethere and hear what joe biden has to say. joe biden one of senator kennedy's best friends in the united states senate. i know that this is a deep, deep loss for joe biden and here he is at the microphone stephen chew, the energy secretary just introduced him. let's listen to the vice president.

>> mr. secretary, thank you and your staff for the privilege of being with you today on what, as i prepared last night was to be a joyous occasion announcing another step in the direction of energy independence and you said the president made a wise choice. the wisest choice the president made was asking you, i mean this sincerely, to be the secretary of the department of energy. you've assembled a first rate staff and you've taken on a role that is going to be, is going to, in large part, determine the success of these next three and a half years. whether or not we make a genuine dent, genuine progress in moving towards an energy policy that can help america lead the world in the 21st century as it did in the 20th century.

some suggest we're trying to do too much. but my response is, is there any responsibility of america leading the world in the 21st century with a radically altered energy policy. it's not possible. that charge has been given to one of the most remarkable men to serve it in a president's cabinet, nobel laureate who is as articulate as he is bright and a man who has assembled a staff and we all deal with bureaucracies. we're all part of it in a way we haven't seen in a while. i had planned on speaking to the clean city's program as one of the several initiatives we have to begin to reshape our energy policy. but as if teddy were here, as we would say in the senate, if you

excuse a person of privilege, i, quite frankly, think it's -- it would be inappropriate for me to dwell too much on the initiative that we're announcing today. and not speak to my friend. and my wife jill and my sons bo and hunter and my daughter, ashley. i don't say that lightly because they all knew teddy. he did something personal and special for each one of them in their lives. truly, truly our distress by his passing and our hearts go out to teddy jr. and patrick and karen and vicki, with whom i spoke this morning and the whole kennedy family. you know, teddy spent a lifetime

working for a fair and more just america. and for 36 years i had the privilege of going to work every day and literally not figuratively sitting next to him. and being a witness to history. every single day the senate was in session i sat with him on the senate floor in the same aisle. i sat with him in the judiciary committee physically next to him and i sat with him in the caucuses and it was in that process. every day i was with him, this will sound strange, but he restored my sense of idealism and my faith in the possibilities of what this country could do. he and i were talking after his diagnosis and i said, you xwkno

who, like me, is more optimistic and more enthusiastic and more idealistic and sees greater possibilities after 36 years than when elected. he was 36 years old when elected and i was 29 years old and you would think that would be the peak of our idealism, but i genuinely feel more optimistic about the prospects for my country today than i have at any time in my life and i it was infecktuous when you were with him. you could see it, those of you who knew him and those who didn't know him, you could just see it in the nature of his debate and his embrace and the nature of how he every single day attacked these problems. and, you know, he was never defeatist. he never was petty. never was petty. he was never small. and in the process of his doing,

he made everybody who worked with bigger. both his adversaries, as well as his allies. don't you find it remarkable that one of the most partisan liberal men in the last century serving in the senate could so many of his, so many of his foes embrace him. because they know he made them bigger. he made them more graceful. for the way in which he conducted himself. you know, he changed the circumstances of tens of millions of americans. in the literal sense, literally

changes circumstances. he changed, also, another aspect that i observed about him. he changed not only their physical circumstance, he changed how they looked at themselves. and how they looked at one another. that's a remarkable contribut n contribution, remarkable cont contrabrugz for any woman or man to make. for the thousands of us who got to know him personally he, he actually -- how can i say it? he altered our lives, as well. through the grace of god and an accident of history, i was privileged to be one of those people. and every important event in my adult life as i look back

talking to vicki, every single one, he was there. he was there to encourage to council to be empthetic, to lift up. from 1972 as a 29-year-old kid with three weeks left to go in a campaign him showing up at the delaware army in the middle of what we call little italy. we never voted nationally for a democrat. i won by 3,100 votes and got 85% of the vote in that district or something to that effect. i literally would not be standing here were it it not for teddy kennedy. not figatively, not hyperbole, he was there. he stood with me when my wife and daughter were killed in an accident. he was on the phone with me literally every day in the

hospital. my two children were tempting and, god thankfully, survived very serious injuries. i'd turn around and be some specialist from massachusetts, that i never even asked for literally sitting in the room with me. you xwknow, it's not just me th he affected like that. it's hundreds upon hundreds of people. i was talking with vicki this morning and she said she was ready to go, joe. but we were not ready to let him go. he's left 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. people like me who came to rely on him. he was kind of like an anchor. and unlike many important people in my 38 years i had the privilege of knowing, the unique thing about teddy was it was never about him. it was always about you. with the people i admire, great women and men it comes down to being about them. with teddy, it was never about him. well, today we lost a truly remarkable man. to paraphrase shakespeare i don't think we shall ever see

his like again, but i think the legacy he left was not just in the landmark legislation he passed, but how he helped people look at themselves and look at one another. i apologize for, for us not being able to go into more details about the energy bill, but i just think for me, at least t was inappropriate today and i'm sure there will be much more that will be said about my friend and your friend. but he changed the political landscape for almost half a century. i just hope we say blightly we'll remember what he did, i just hope we remember how he treated other people. and how he made other people look at themselves and look at one another.

that will be the truly fundamental, unifying legacy of teddy kennedy's life if that happens. and it will for a while at least in the senate. mr. secretary, you and your staff are doing an incredible job and i look forward to coming back at a happier moment when you are announcing even more consequential progress toward putting this back in position, where, once again, to control our own economic destiny. thank you all, very, very much. >> the vice president of the united states choking back tears. clearly, very emotionally moved by the passing of his long-time friend, senator ted kennedy. our coverage will continue right after this.

deep condolences to the family of senator ted kennedy. five months ago before a joint session of congress brown announced that kennedy had been awarded an honorary knighter. >> i know you will allow me to single out special mention today one of the most distinguished senators known in every continent and a great friend. northern ireland today is at peace. more americans have health care, children around the world are going to school and for all those things, we owe a great

debt to the life and courage of senator edward kennedy. >> our senior international correspondent nic robertson is joining us. in the area of national affairs, he was very influential, especially in ireland. >> absolutely. that is going to be his legacy here in britain, wolf. we heard from many politicians today a different stripes praising senator kennedy and perhaps the turning point for his emboldment in northern ireland came in 1994 when he persuaded then president bill clinton that he should give a visa that would boost the profile of the then ira political leader and give him a u.s. visa, that was 1994. that led within four years to the 1998 peace process in

northern ireland and, really, that's why senator kennedy is captivating people's attention and imagination here and in northern ireland and in 1998 the british prime minister then was tony blair and we heard from him today saying that he, that senator kennedy was very committed to northern ireland and understood what it took to bring peace and praised his role in helping achieve that peace agreement. >> he was a remarkable man. i mean, i got to know him principally over at the peace negotiations in northern ireland and played a contribution over a number of years, but he was a true pioneer of progressive politics and the death and depth and scope of his commitment and not only in america, but worldwide. he was a genuine icon to many people and i, i got to know him quite well, actually. i thought he was also a man for

all his position and all his fame. >> well, for the irish politicians in northern ireland, senator kennedy was really a beacon of hope and an inspiration and we heard from them today. a nationalest politician won the nobel peace prize came out with his praise, singling out the fact that senator kennedy had really internationalized what had become for the british, at least, a very british problem. >> ted kennedy was a great friend of mine and great friend of ireland as a whole. right on his agenda from the very beginning where peace and justice in northern ireland and created enormous international interest and that international interest he created together with the like, that put the pressure on the british government to come together with the irish government. once upon a time, the british government would have argued

that it is strictly a british problem and strict in the united kingdom and could only be solved because of the two loyalties in northern ireland and ted kennedy was the forefront in persuading to talk to the irish government. >> of course, there are politicians here in britain that look upon them given to senator kennedy and something, really, that shouldn't have happened. the conservative politicians part of margaret thatcher early 1980s, 1990s, government here with the targets of the ira and they look upon some of senator kennedy's politics at the time in the 1980s as being pro-cathol pro-catholic, irish republicism and right now he is being remembered very much for helping bring what britain really needed in the 1990s. that northern ireland peace. >> not only being remembered here in the united states, nic, but around the world.

nic robertson joining us from london. this important reminder to our viewers, tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern, cnn will air hbo's acclaimed documentary, "teddy in his own words" on his life as a childhood through the speech at the 2008 democratic convention. also includes rarely archived footage. that is hbo special "teddy in his own words" tonight 7:00 p.m. eastern. i think you'll want to see this. this is a really, really amazing documentary. let's go back to heidi. >> yeah, wolf, i think a lot of people will watch that tonight. i'm interested in the books, obviously, he wrote "america back on track," a little while ago and health care and national security and, apparently, there is another book that is about to be released and i don't have the exact time of that where he has written a memoir, so i imagine now that after his passing there will be certainly a lot of people very interested in that,

as well. we'll continue to talk about senator ted kennedy and his passing today. meanwhile, want to get you other news that is happening all across the world. in fact, a massive truck bombing killed 43 people in southern afghanistan and right now rescue teams searching through the debris trying to find more wounded. we'll take a look at some of those stories. but 5 minutes ago i took symbicort and symbicort is already helping significantly improve my lung function. so today, i've noticed a significant difference in my breathing. and i'm doing more of what i want to do. so we're clear, it doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. my doctor said symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. my copd often meant i had to wait to do what i wanted to do. now i take symbicort and it significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes.

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a massive bombing in afghanistan killed 43 people and wounded 75 others. the red cross says one of its workers is among the dead. search and rescue teams are still trying to find any wounded people buried in the rubble left behind. the explosion came from

remote-controlled explosives planted in a truck. new results are being reported this morning in the afghan presidential election and it's positive news for incumbent president harmid karzai. let's get to atia who is joining us from kabul, afghanistan. what is this all about? >> well, what we're hearing now, heidi, 17% of those votes have been counted from various provinces and so far president karzai, the incumbent in the lead with taking around 442,000 out of a million votes. his rival, dr. abdullah below him with less, with more than 100,000 less votes than president karzai. yesterday we only saw a 10,000 gap between the two and as the days go by, we expect that gap to increase and the provinces that have been counted when you look deep in the numbers, the provinces we expected president karzai to get, those ballots

haven't been counted yet and the areas that have been counted these are areas that support dr. abdullah well over 60% of those votes counted. again, the afghan president here meeting at least 50% of the total votes and it looks like it's going in president karzai's way. heidi? >> very, very interesting. we'll continue to follow that story very closely here on cnn. appreciate that live from kabul, afghanistan, this morning. meanwhile, good news seems to keep coming from the commerce department just issued its report. new home sales for the month of july. gerri willis is here now with more details on this. what is the deal? is it really great news or just another little sliver? >> i think you have to say it is great news but home sales market, a portion of the market, not the entire market. july new home sales jumped 9.6% to 433,000, the sales of

brand-new spanking new houses out there, june's level was 395,000. as you know, heidi, this is good news not just for the housing market but also for the economy. and follow-on spending by consumers as they buy furniture and rugs and everything else that makes a new house go. other good news that has come recently about the housing market. existing home sales and sales of homes already in the marketplace have been up for four consecutive months and home prices up 3% in the three months ended in june. so, we're starting to get several pieces of data now pointing to what has to be viewed as a modest recovery in housing and question, of course, can we hang on to it? will the numbers continue to show these improvements and, of course, we'll be watching all of that. >> i really like the number that you mention about home prices because, obviously, when we hear about the sales, we don't really have the info to coincide with

how much those builders are having to knock off, you know, because they may not have gone at the price that they were hoping for or do we have that information? >> no, we don't. and, of course, as we seen prices decline across the marketplace, new home sales have gotten hit just as much. so, you have to figure that these prices are not what the builders would like to charge, but they're certainly getting something for these prices. of course, affordability is also a factor here. it's improved, as well. houses are more affordable and that's good news for first-time buyers that want to get into this marketplace, heidi? >> thank you, gerri. >> my pleasure. we'll continue to follow the death of senator ted kennedy today, as well as more stories across the world and right here in the u.s. because there are apparently more reported cases of suspected swine flu on college campuses. you're going to want to know about this. limb: dude that was sick! i've been hangin' up there for, what, like, forty years? and then - wham -

here i am smacking the pretty off that windshield of yours. oh, what you're looking for an apology? well, toss another coin in the wishing well, pal. it's not happenin'. limb: hey, what's up, donnie? how you been? anncr: accidents are bad. anncr:but geico's good ding! with onsite windshield replacement.

we are following this developing story concerning your health. word now of more suspected cases of swine flu on college campuses. elizabeth cohen is here with the very latest on this. is it true, like a bullseye heading towards college campuses. >> they're the perfect storm for something like it. a lot of people in a small space, dormitories, living, breathing, working together. it will happen. let me run down what we know so far and probably more cases than this, this is just what we have heard about. at georgia tech, we're hearing

about 100 cases of suspected flu, they don't know if it's swine flu or not. at the university of georgia, 58 cases of confirmed influenza type "a" and at the university of kansas, 118 people with flu-like symptoms. and you can see their isolation room at the university of kansas, they're hard at work trying to get those sick kids isolated. you imagine, welcome to school, now go to a room and be by yourself. >> pretty important to point out, this is the beginning of the school year. not a fun thing have happen. listen, if you're sick, how do you know whether or not it's swine flu. can you waltz in and be tested, what's the scoop on that? >> i got an e-mail from my friend saying i have a headache, i have a fever, i feel awful. how would i know it's swine flu? you wouldn't. you can't tell if you have swine flu. >> that has to freak a lot of people out. >> i think the important thing

to remember is that you shouldn't freak out because, first of all, it could just be any kind of flu and, second of all, swine flu, for most people is not all that big of a deal, you're sick for three or four days and you're over it. you got to remember that. got to remember that. >> there are only severe cases that then progress to these deaths that we talked about. yesterday there was that report that came out that said possibly, worse-case scenario 30,000 to 90,000 deaths. >> if you have any flu, you should make sure you don't have any complications. >> wash your hands, cough in your arm in the sleeve, right? >> and isolate yourself. >> very good. all right. elizabeth cohen, thank you. i'm heidi collins, "cnn newsroom" continues with tony harris after a quick break. ( chirp ) team three, boathouse? ( chirp ) oh yeah-- his and hers. - ( crowd gasping ) - ( chirp ) van gogh? ( chirp ) even steven. - ( chirp ) mansion. - ( chirp ) good to go.

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