. >>> i'm christina brown with breaking news.ust learned that senator ted kennedy has loes his battle to cancer. you may remember a year ago he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. we are learning again just moments ago that senator ted kennedy has lost his battle with cancer. we will, of course, continue to bring you details as we find out more information surrounding his death. he was diagnosed in may of 2008 with a many lig pennant brain tumor. he suffered his most recent seizure on january 20 on the day of the inauguration of president obama. last month it's reported that he and his wife had traveled to florida where he was receiving numerous forms of treatment to battle this brain tumor. and again, as i just mentioned, we are now getting new information that senator ted kennedy, losing his battle to brain cancer. known as the liberal lion of the senate where he was a major force for decades in the senate. first elected in 1962 and of course, the brother of former president john f. kennedy. we will continue to bring yo

i'm christina brown. >>> today we begin with bailouts, ballots and bullets. voters in afghanistan are at the polls this morning in a presidential election that highlights both the promise and perils of a fledgling democracy. so far turnout appears to be low. apparently reflecting concern over taliban threats of attacks. while there are reports of violence, local media has been ordered not to cover it. today's vote is seen as a test for president karzai's government which has criticized for the inability to stamp out corruption. >>> there are reports this morning that in 2004, the cia hired private contractors from blackwater usa as part of the then secret program to train hit squads to kill top members of al qaeda. that program was exposed to congress just last june after cia corrector leon panetta learned outside contractors has been tapped. they have been criticized for its very heavy handed tactics in iraq. although the program was cammed, before missions were carried out the contractor was awarded mil

i'm christina brown. here are some of the top headlines. a myanmar court has found a woman guilty of violating her house arrest after an uninvited american man spent two nights in her home in may. she's been sentenced to 18 months of house arrest while the american has been given a seven-year prison term. >>> alaska's legislature voted to override sarah palin's veto of $28 million in federal stimulus. palin rejected the money for alaska, the state with the highest energy cost, saying, quote, strings could bind alaska to federal mandates. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton apparently lost her cool yesterday while in kocongo when she thought a student asked her what her husband thought about a financial matter. secretary clinton snapped, my husband is not secretary of state, i am. it turned out to be a translation error and the question was actually about president obama. afterwards, clinton and the student shook hands and made light of it. >>> in thailand, a baby elfant got caught in a tight spot after

i'm christina brown. >>> today we begin with the passing of a political icon. early this morning came word that massachusetts senator ted kennedy died, a powerful voice on capitol hill for nearly a half century. kennedy passed away after a battle with brain cancer. ted kennedy was 77 years old. for more on his life, here's nbc's brian mohr. >> reporter: edward kennedy grew up in the shadow of two brothers who became american icons. but his decade in the senate established him as a lenl end in his own right. >> they want to undermine the medicare system and next will be social security. >> reporter: massachusetts voters sent him to the senate in 1962, two years after brother john f. kennedy won the white house. >> the torch has been passed. >> reporter: those days of cam lot were short-lived. jfk's assassination in 1963. >> onto chicago. >> reporter: was followed by robert kennedy's assassination in 1968. it then seemed teddy's destiny and his burden to run for president. he did it in 1980 against presiden

i'm christina brown. >>> today we begin with saluting the senator. in just hours, the nation will mark the first of many formal tributes to senator ted kennedy, who lost his battles with cancer on tuesday. from a public wake to a private funeral, the coming days will see thousands of people, including president obama, say good-bye to the senate's liberal lion. nbc's michelle franzen begins our live coverage from hyannisport, massachusetts. good morning, michelle. >> reporter: well, good morning, christina. certainly before it goes public it has been a very private for the family here. a spot illuminated by a ship in hyannisport. a beacon of hope off the kennedy compound. inside family and friends, including senator john kerry, reflecting on the life lost. >> there is a very beautiful and personal, private vigil taking place. it's very spiritual and about as beautiful as it could be. i think it's everything that senator kennedy would have wanted. >> reporter: private and public tributes kennedy would have

ir i'm christina brown. >>>> todap >>> today >>> tr pill. despite a relentless pue whittwhiter white housp why nbc nenbc news sho nbc news sh remap remain deeply skepti tthep the presidentrthe ppe form plan. chuck todd breaks it all day. >>> scenes are familiar now. passionate support. passionate opposition. >> there are differences. for the third straight month, mr. obama's overall job rating has dropped. 41% disapproving. on health care, the president's job rating, while unchanged, still only has 41% approving, 47% disapproving. it's even worse for republicans in congress. just 21% approve how they are handling health care. 6 #% disapprove. >> the public is split over reform efforts. 41% are concerned reforms won't go far enough. >> i'm sorry, sir, i just don't believe you. >> reporter: and the town halls, the country is evenly divided. 43 percent say they have done more hard than good. 42% say they have done more good than harm. and republicans believe they're good. as for the controversial allegations about what's like i to happen, the p

i'm christina brown. today we begin with claudette. residents of florida's panhandle had just one day to prepare as tropical storm claudette made a swift entrance as the first major storm to make landfall this season. though it never quite made it to hurricane strength, claudette's soaking rains and strong winds may be just a taste of more storms to come. nbc's kristin dahlgren joins us live from panama city, florida, with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: hey there. right now just some light rain here, light winds in panama city. but we are expecting heavier band looking at the radar to come through in just a short time here. some places can expect to get up to 6 inches, even more locally. so the rain really going to be the signature of this storm. but claudette's lasting impact may well be a reminder of how quickly a hurricane season can change. claudette came ashore on florida's panhandle with lashing winds. >> 55, 60, even 65-mile-an-hour gusts. >> reporter: and pounding surf. while to the south near ft. myers a tornado spawne

i'm christina brown. >>> today we begin with another bombshell. he has categorically denieded it for months. former presidential candidate john edwards is expected to admit that he fathered a child with his former mistress. lastee, the 56-year-old former senator and vice presidential nominee acknowledged his campaign with real hunter. speculation erupted over the paternity of her now 18-month-old daughter named francis. in 2006, hunter was fired by the campaign to produce a documentary, accepting more than $100,000 for the job. now there's an investigation under way into whether she was paid illegally from campaign funds to keep that affair quiet. >>> investigators looking into last weekend's midair crash in manhattan may now have a huge clue into what caused the collision. they are now looking over video obtained exclusive i there by nbc news that shows the moment of impact. here's nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: as an italian tourist on a boat in the hudson practices using his new camera, he zooms

i'm christina brown. and here are some of your top headlines this morning. >>> russia's navy has launched a search for a ship that miss fear yous went missing last month. the vessel called the arctic sea was last heard of off portugal waters. the captain indicated it had been raided by men claiming to be police officers but had been released. >>> a new report says after a decade on the decline, activity among right winged militia groups is up again. these groups angered by the election of president obama as the first u.s. african-american president are experiencing their most significant growth in 10 to 12 years. >>> according to this morning's "washington post," former vice president dick cheney is expressing disappointment with george w. bush as cheney reflects on his relationship in his memoirs. he said he felt bush had been moving away from him in his second term and even hardened against his advice. >>> in california, a great gain that rain is the world's tallest dog has lost his battle with brain ca

. >>> i'm christina brown. here's what's happening.outh carolina governor mark sanford is rejecting another call for his resignation. this time from his lieutenant governor, fellow republican andre bauer. today sanford told bauer he wouldn't, quote, be railroaded out of office by political opponents. >>> author dominick dunne died at his home in manhattan today. the special correspondent for "vanity fair" was best known for his coverage of crimes committed by the rich and famous. dunne was 83 years old. now back to "headliners & legends." >>> for ted kennedy, 1969 is a pivotal year. after the assassinations of his brothers john and robert, ted is thrust into the role of family patriarch. he attempts to fill his brother's shoes at home and in washington, but there is concern over whether he can handle the pressure. will the weight of public and private responsibility prove too heavy for the youngest kennedy to handle? after the assassination of robert kennedy, ted kennedy's personal life seems to disintegrate. on july 18th, 1969, 37-yea

. >>> i'm christina brown. here's what's happening.e faa is launch an investigation into how unauthorized parts made it into 2 jets owned by southwest airlines. southwest airlines now has ten days to prove to the faa that the affected planes really are safe to fly. nasa has scrubbed tonight's scheduled launch of the space shuttle discovery due to a faulty fuel valve. nasa says repairs will take at least 48 hours. the earliest the shuttle could blast off is just after midnight on friday. a judge in los angeles has sentenced chris brown to five months probation and six months community service. he was charged for assault on his girlfriend rihanna. now back to "hardball." >>> welcome back to "hardball." well, the outrage continues to grow for scotland's release of the man involved in the 1988 lockerbie airline bombing that killed 189 of us, americans. british prime minister gordon brown broke his silence to say he's angry and repulsed at the way libya gave this guy a welcome home. with us now "the telegraph's" con coughlin in london. i am

. >>> i'm christina brown. in afghanistan, the taliban says it has sent more than a dozen suicide bombers in the capital to disrupt this weekend's presidential elections. right now, five gunmen are reportedly holed up inside a bank in kabul, surrounded by security forces. but police there say this is not a taliban attack, rather an attempted robbery. on tuesday, rockets and mortars fell near the presidential palace and a suicide car bomber struck a nato convoy on the outskirts of town and all eight people were killed, including a nato soldier. >>> the first hurricane of the atlantic season is now a major category 3 storm. hurricane bill is packing winds of up to 125 miles an hour. bill is expected to continue to strengthen as it curves north past bermuda. about a dozen people were slightly injured when a possible tornado hit a shopping mall in beaumont, texas. high winds flipped cars and damaged the roofs of several stores. now back to "hardball." >>> welcome back to "hardball." when obama -- president obama, g