Ted Kennedy in Denver; Plans to Speak Tonight

President asks Benedict to pray for ill senator

(NEWSER) - President Obama delivered a letter from Ted Kennedy to Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican today, CNN reports. Obama met with the pontiff for about a half hour before leaving Rome for Ghana. The contents of Kennedy’s letter were personal, an Obama aide said, and “not known to anyone I know of except Senator Kennedy." More»

Senator's seizure probably caused by fatigue, doctor says

(NEWSER) - Ted Kennedy continues to do well after today's seizure and will be released from the hospital tomorrow morning after a night of observation, the Boston Globe reports. His collapse was probably caused by “simple fatigue,” a doctor said. He is surrounded by family at a Washington hospital after being carted off in an ambulance during an inaugural lunch, at which he’d been “in a happy mood, regaling us with a few jokes,” said a table-mate. More»

Bipartisan effort includes industry; goal is universal coverage

(NEWSER) - Even as he undergoes cancer treatment, Ted Kennedy is coordinating bipartisan meetings with colleagues and lobbyists in an effort to produce health care legislation that includes universal coverage, the Washington Times reports. The meetings—involving labor unions, insurers, drug companies, and hospitals—“are a testament to how people feel about him,” said a GOP senatorial aide. Kennedy has called universal care "the cause of my life." More»

Liberal lion needs more recovery time before final health care push

(NEWSER) - Ted Kennedy, still recuperating from cancer surgery, is postponing his return to the Senate until January, reports the Washington Post. Kennedy is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy, aides said. He has has only appeared publicly twice since surgery for a malignant brain tumor—to endorse Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention, and to vote on a key Medicare issue. More»

(NEWSER) - Ted Kennedy, vowing that "nothing is going to keep me away," made an impassioned plea for Barack Obama tonight at the Democratic convention, MSNBC reports. Kennedy, who's battling brain cancer, declared it a "season of hope" and said the nation needs Obama's lofty ambitions. "When John Kennedy thought of going to the moon, he didn't say, 'It's too far to go there, we shouldn't even try,'" he said. "We can reach the moon again." More»