• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”
• Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, the patriarch of the first family of Democratic politics, died late last night at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. He was 77. “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 in our hearts forever,” a family statement said.
• Former Vice President Dick Cheney is again taking aim at President Obama, issuing a statement yesterday suggesting the administration’s decision to name a prosecutor to investigate CIA interrogations under President Bush fuels “doubts about this administration’s ability to be responsible for our nation’s security.”
• The White House now expects the 10-year budget deficit to reach $9.05 trillion, roughly $2 trillion more than it estimated earlier in the year. Budget office director Peter Orszag pointed to a number of measures put in place to stem the pain of the economic downturn.
• President Obama announced yesterday he wants to keep Ben Bernanke on as Fed chairman, saying he shepherded American through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
