lion of the september. senate edward kennedy, a son of an iconic american family and one of the most effective and dominant lawmakers in u.s. history succumbs to brain cancer at the age of 77. >> i love this country. i believe in the bright light of hope and possibility. i always have, even in the darkest hours. i know what america can achieve. i've seen it. i've lived it. >> this is the cbs "morning

news" for wednesday, august 26th, 2009. captioning funded by cbs good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm michelle gielan. the lion of the senate has been silenced. senator ted kennedy passed away last night following a battle with brain cancer. he was 77 years old and died at the family home in hyannisport. he was the last surviving son of a glamorous but tortured political family who spent half a century in the senate fighting for those who need. we are in washington with more. tara, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. word of kennedy's death came this morning in a brief statement from his family who said his faith, perseverance and optimism will live on. massachusetts senator edward kennedy died at his home in hianis surrounded by loved one after a year-long battle with brain cancer. kennedy's family said we've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our

lives. but the inspiration of his faith, optimism and perseverance will live on forever. local massachusetts residents are also mourning the loss of the popular senator. >> sad, sad. >> it's an impact for the whole country, especially on a political level, you know. >> reporter: known to his friends and family as teddy, kennedy was a dominant force in the u.s. senate for a half century. as the third-longest surviving senator, he put his touch on every major piece of legislation that cleared congress. on capitol hill, the flag is flying at half-staff. kennedy's death will leave a gaping hole in the senate. last week he asked senators to regulate the law how he's replaced. it requires a special election to take place nearly five months after the vacancy. kennedy wanted the governor to appoint a temporary replacement in the interim so democrats wouldn't lose a voice in the fierce debate over health care reform. early this morning, harry reid promised that congress would

continue to push for health care reform, a lifelong cause of kennedy's. reed said, the liberal lion's mighty roar may now fall silent but his dream shall never die. senator ted kennedy was 77. his successor will be chosen in five months through a special election. live in washington this morning. michelle back to you. >> thank you. for more now on ted kennedy's life and legacy, here's hari. >> reporter: born into the kennedy political dynasty in 1932, he was known as teddy. he was the youngest son of joseph and rose kennedy. he followed in his father's and brothers' footsteps. along the way he earned the respect of democrats and even republicans who fought much of what he stood for. >> he is a fabulous united states senator. when he's against you, it's tough. when he's with you, it is a great experience. >> reporter: the brother of president john kennedy came on

the political scene in 1962, when he finished out jfk's senate term. ted's quick ascent would soon be marred by tragedy. >> president kennedy died at 1:00 p.m. central standard time. >> reporter: the nation lost a president and todd kennedy lost his bluffed brother, jack. five years brother, robert, was gunned down. the nation watched as he delivered an emotional eulogy. >> he was a decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it. saw war and tried to stop it. >> reporter: after robert's death it was up to ted to carry on the kennedy torch. he became the surrogate father to his brothers' children, often gathering at the family compound in hyannisport. kennedy's aspirations for president were dashed in 1969 when he drove his car off an island on chappaquiddick. though a young woman died,

kennedy waited ten hours before reporting the crash. >> this morning i pleaded guilty to the charge of leaving the scene of an accident. >> reporter: doubt about the accident would haunt him the rest of his life. the years that followed brought heart break. a young son with bone cancer and the end of his marriage, the death of his sister-in-law and the loss of his nephew, jfk jr. in 2008, he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. he underwent successful surgery and returned to work in the senate. it was a homecoming met with applause from senate colleagues. health problems lingered. he collapsed at an inaugural luncheon for president obama. doctors saided he had a seizure brought on by fatigue. he continued to work and was awarded an honorary knighthood from britain and the medal of freedom. >> the life of senator kennedy has made a difference for all.

>> reporter: until the end, senator kennedy fought to make changes on capitol hill. always proud to call himself the liberal senator from massachusetts. >> joining us on the phone is cbs news consultant peter canellos, author of "the rise and fall of ted kennedy." health care was one much his major causes. the last few months he had to sit out. what kind of impact did that have? >> tremendous impact. he's brought together democrats and republicans in the past. without them, they've had a lot of trouble coming to consensus, even the democrats themselves. >> one of the last things senator kennedy did was submitted a letter to the governor of massachusetts asking for a change in the law or a special consideration in regards to his senate seat. explain to us exactly what happened there and what could happen when it comes to the seat.

>> well, they could change the law. that will be addressed in the next couple of weeks. the original change had come in 2004 when democrats, who dominate the legislature here in massachusetts, felt that senator john kerry might be elected president and a republican governor might appoint the replacement. they took the power away from the governor to appoint a successor. now they're trying to give it back. a lot of people are crying foul, saying it was a political move both ways. on the other hand, there are people in massachusetts who feel like it would be a big problem to be without a senator for five months. >> overall, what do you think is going to be the most important thing, his lasting legacy we'll see from senator kennedy? >> his health care advocacy, but also education, immigration, civil rights. it's rather amazing that somebody who was part of this great drama of the '60s would be remembered for his actual concrete accomplishments in those areas. >> peter, thank you so much for being with us this morning. >> thank you. >> a programming note.

cbs news will broadcast a one-hour primetime special "ted kennedy, the last brother" tonight at 8:00. we'll be right back. you're watching the cbs "morning news." you've wanted to quit smoking so many times, but those days came and went, and the cigarettes remained. but today's a new day. and a few simple steps can make a real difference in your next quit... things like starting with a plan to quit smoking... getting support... and talking to your doctor about how prescription treatments can help you.

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the first quarterly increase in three years. and we may get more good news this morning. a report on new home sales expected to show that sales rose for the fourth straight month in july. analysts also expect a separate report will show that orders for durable goods, such as autos and appliances rose 3% last month after falling more than 2% in june. now cash for clunkers ended this week for cars. but step into your kitchen or garage. old energy-hogging refrigerators and freezers qualify for recycling and some money from uncle sam. the federal government is making $300 million from the stimulus program available to states. so consumers can get rebates up to $200 for new more energy efficient appliances that carry the energy star label. later this year in the so-called cash for appliances program. the details are still being worked out. unlike cash for clunkers, you probably won't have to drag your old stove into the store to get

money for a new one. michelle. >> that's pretty good. next i want cash for travel, carb for -- i don't know what else. >> cash for clothing. >> we can think of all kinds of new programs. thanks. two top commanders of the pakistan taliban are confirming the death of the taliban leader. they say he died 18 days after a u.s. missile strike in afghanistan early this morning. he was behind many attacks, including that of prime minister benazir bhutto. the next possible launch date for the space shuttle deliver deliver is friday. this month's launch was canceled because of a critical fuel valve. "discovery" is scheduled to fly a 13-day mission to the space station. singer chris brown will not do jail time for beating pop star rihanna.

yesterday, he was sentenced to five years' probation and six months community service for assaulting his former girlfriend. he'll have to do such jobs as graffiti removal and trash pick up. there are new questions surrounding the actions of michael jackson's doctor in the final hours of his life. police say dr. murray gave jackson medications two months ago that killed him. it's not known why murray made 47 minutes worth of cell phone calls after jackson was found unconscious before calling 911. straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. in sports, extra innings dramatics between two rival divisions. first, katie couric has a preview of tonight's cbs evening news. >> new research raising serious concerns about medical imaging procedures like ct scans. they can be life savers but experts warn they're given too often and are too expensive. we'll investigate tonight only on the cbs evening news.

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will dump heavy rain over the nation's heartland. sunny over the northern plains as well as across much of the west. it will be another beautiful august afternoon from the mid-atlantic states to the new england coastline. in baseball, the rockies cut the dodgers' lead to two games in the national league west. colorado's troy tulowitzki singled off mcdonald with one out to give colorado a 5-4 win over los angeles. colorado is also the leader in the nl wildcard race. in pittsburgh, andrew mccutchen of the pirates hit a game-ending two-run homer off brad lidge. the phillies lost for only the second time in nine games, 6-4. the texas rangers got a double fly end the yankees' rally in the ninth inning. texas beats new york, 10-9. and in the bottom of the ninth inning, minnesota's young

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on the cbs "morning news," here's a look at today's weather. slow-moving storms will dump heavy rain across the mid-section of the nation. tomorrow will be wet too. the west will be sunny and so will much of the eastern seaboard. here's another look at this morning's top stories. senator ted kennedy died last night following a yearlong battle with brain cancer. kennedy was 77 years old and passed away at the family home in hyannisport. as we reported, ted kennedy

was the last surviving son of a political dynasty plagued by tragedy. he went on to become one of the most effective senators in u.s. history. as we report, his life was shaped byte lives and deaths of his older brothers. >> reporter: ted kennedy was the youngest of nine and youngest by four years. it was a pretty hard-driving family and very competitive. he was spared some of the relentlessness of his parents' expectations of the older kids. >> reporter: tragedy struck the kennedy family in 1946 when joe jr., a world war ii navy pilot was killed in action. it was then that ted's older brother jack took on the role of eldest son. >> jack was serious and scholarly and would try to keep ted lessons. >> the torch has been passed to a new generation of americans. >> reporter: bobby and ted helped jack with his presidential campaign and then went on to become successful politicians themselves.

each brother had his own style. >> jack kennedy was an intellectual and teddy idolized him. bobby kennedy was a hard-driven, relentless striver and ted was not. he was gregarious and friendly. >> reporter: in 1963, tragedy struck again. president john f. kennedy was assassinated in dallas. >> ted took jack's death very hard. he worried when bob was running for president. worried he might get shot. >> senator kennedy going into the kitchen area to retire. >> reporter: his worst fears came true. five years after jack's death, robert was gunned down at the ambassador hotel in los angeles. >> after robert was killed, he wasn't dead for an hour before people started walking up to ted and telling him he ought to run for president. and he was utterly shaken by it.

>> as he'd many times, some men see things as they are and say, why. i dream things that never were and say, why not. >> he realized that the rest of his life wouldn't be spent on his own terms. it would be spent trying to live up to the legacy of two martyred brothers. >> just a day doesn't go by where i'm not thoughtful about them and about -- and don't miss them. i mean, i do in a very, very real way. >> reporter: over the course of nearly 47 years in the senate, ted kennedy defined himself on his own terms, creating his own legacy. >> i think he was the greatest senator of the 20th and thus far in the 21st century. i think they would indeed have been proud of him. >> it's clearly the end of an era. the kennedy story has been one of the great narratives of american life.

and through ted kennedy, it has extended for more than half a century. but that hope, that dream of the '60s, the new frontier, dies with ted kennedy. >> on the early show, we'll continue remembering massachusetts senator ted kennedy. i'm michelle gielan and this is the cbs "morning news." my name is chef michael. and my dog bailey and i love to hang out in the kitchen... so she can watch me cook. you just love the aromas of beef tenderloin... and, ooh, rotisserie chicken. yes, you do. [ barks ] yeah. you're so special, you deserve a very special dog food. [ woman ] introducing chef michael's canine creations. the deliciously different way to serve up your love at mealtime. chef-inspired. dog-desired. chef michael's canine creations. ♪ yes, you're lovely... ♪ what do you think?

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i thought it would feel a little more stuffy than it does. but it's not a bad feeling. relatively clear skies in the area. it's going to be a hot afternoon. we'll be close to 91. there's sadness in camelot,

washington d.c. and across this nation. senator edward kennedy dies at the age of 77 overnight. the budget backlash here. the governor announces furloughs and layoffs for hundreds of state workers in an effort to balance the budget. and now the workers get pink slips and steady of paychecks. nasa scrubs the launching of the space shuttle discovery for the second time

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