President Obama and Sen. Edward Kennedy share a laugh.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, who made it a mission to improve the lives of America’s most vulnerable citizens during his half-century in the U.S. Senate, died Tuesday at his home on Cape Cod, Mass. “For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts,” President Obama said of Kennedy, who had endured a yearlong struggle with brain cancer. He was 77. Obama, who is vacationing at Martha’s Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast, rode into the White House partly on the endorsement of Kennedy, who had praised the young presidential candidate as a visionary forged in the mold of his late brother, President John F. Kennedy. “I cherished [Sen. Kennedy’s] confidence and momentous support in my race for the presidency,” said Obama. In what was deemed a surprise move at the time, Kennedy and his niece, Caroline, endorsed Obama over Hillary Rodham Clinton for the party’s nomination for president. Both were on hand to see Obama sworn in as the nation’s first African-American president; it was there, at a celebratory luncheon afterward, that Sen. Kennedy suffered a seizure. Word of Kennedy’s death opened the floodgate of praise for the last surviving brother in America’s most powerful political dynasty. “It was the thrill of my lifetime to work with Ted Kennedy…..The liberal lion’s mighty roar may now fall silent, but his dream shall never die,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada in a statement. Even former First Lady Nancy Reagan, with whose husband Kennedy battled regularly, lauded the senator for his historic role in Congress’ upper chamber. She said that her husband and Kennedy “could always find common ground, and they had great respect for one another.” Kennedy landed in the Senate in 1962, taking over the seat that his brother, John, held before becoming president. Only two other senators in history have served longer terms, Democrat Robert Byrd of West Virginia and Republican Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2008 and immediately underwent surgery, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. He was visible almost until the end, making a surprise return to the Capitol last summer to cast the decisive vote for the Democrats on Medicare; for Obama’s swearing-in; and, then at last summer’s Democratic National Convention, where he spoke of his own illness and said health care was the cause of his life. He died exactly a year later. Speculation rose that Kennedy was close to death when he missed the funeral of his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver on Aug. 11.

Sen. Roland Burris, who was appointed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat, might have been less than forthcoming when answering questions about conversations he had with representatives of the now-dethroned governor, but he didn’t lie, the Illinois state prosecutor has ruled. Read more.

American Expatriate Roughed Up in Vienna

Mike Brennan, a 35-year-old Black American, is wondering whether Austrian authorities will ever accept responsibility for the abuse he was subjected to in a Vienna subway station in February. Brennan said he was getting off a train when two undercover cops jumped on him, thinking he was a drug dealer. The former football player from Jacksonville, Fla., moved to Vienna four years ago and teaches English and physical education. He said that the injuries he sustained to his head, neck, back and wrist in the Feb. 11 incident kept him out of work for months. Once the officers realized that they had the wrong man, Brennan says, they merely left him sprawled out on the train platform. He said he’s still waiting for a serious apology. While the Vienna Police Department issued a statement saying it regretted the mix-up, it never suspended those involved. “They apologized for the mix-up — but not for the beating,” he said. Prosecutors soon expect to decide whether to indict the officers or drop the case. Some groups contend that the migrants and people of color are often unjustly treated. “I’m fighting for everyone,” Brennan said, who teaches at the Vienna International School, a private institution for expatriates. “If nothing changes now, I don’t know about the future.”

Senate Apologizes for Slavery – Finally
It took a while, but the U.S. Senate has finally apologized for slavery and the resultant era of racial segregation in the United States. After passing a resolution Thursday, the body sent the measure to the House for approval. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) introduced the resolution several years ago, but wanted it passed Thursday on the eve of Juneteenth, June 19, a day of celebration commemorating the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the release of African Americans from slavery. Juneteenth Day events are held in communities around the U.S. to commemorate the day in 1865 when Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas, to announce the Civil War was over and that slaves were free. Over the years, critics have noted that the Senate had passed other nonbinding, symbolic resolutions – i.e., acknowledging this nation’s missteps in herding Japanese Americans into concentration camps during World War II – but neglected to do so in the case of African Americans and slavery. The Senate was careful, however, to emphasize that the resolution was not be construed as an endorsement for reparations.

Chris Kennedy apparently isn’t letting the fizzled bid of cousin Caroline Kennedy discourage his own political aspirations. Chris Kennedy, who is the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, is pulling together a squad to help him launch a run at the U.S. Senate, CNN is reporting. “He is building an organization and telling family and friends that he is in fact going to be a candidate for the Senate from Illinois,” said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Christopher Joseph Kennedy, an Illinois businessman has been president of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. in Chicago since 2000. Kasey Madden, Kennedy’s spokeswoman, acknowledged that he “has conducted polling which indicates a strong interest, but there is no timeline for a decision or an announcement.” Another CNN source, however, told the network that Kennedy’s political allies are telling state Democrats that he will indeed seek the Democratic nomination for the seat once held by President Obama. The seat currently is occupied by Sen. Roland Burris, a Democrat and former state attorney general, who was appointed to fill Obama’s unexpired term by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But Illinois Democrats never conveyed their blessings on the appointment of Burris – because of his link to Blagojevich, who has since been impeached. Chris Kennedy’s father, Robert, represented New York in the U.S. Senate before being assassinated in 1968. His cousin, Caroline, had hoped to represent New York in the Senate but folded up her senatorial aspirations earlier this year amid rising speculation that she would not be chosen by the governor to fill Hillary Clinton’s vacant seat.

Soon-to-be dethroned Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, in his latest shocker, acknowledged that he was eyeing daytime TV Queen Oprah Winfrey to replace Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate. Speaking on ABC’s Good Morning America, Blagojevich said that a friend of his suggested that consider Winfrey to fill the spot vacated by Obama when he headed to the White House. “She seemed to be someone who had helped Barack Obama in a significant way become president,” Blagojevich said. “She was obviously someone with a much broader bully pulpit than other senators.” However, Blagojevich said, he doubted she would accept. “She probably wouldn’t take it, and then … if you offered it to her, how would you do it in a way it didn’t look like it was some gimmick and embarrass her?” At least the governor’s intuition about that was correct. Appearing on Gayle King’s radio show, Winfrey said, that while she also believes she could be a senator, “I’m not interested” in the position. “I’m pretty amused by the whole thing,” she said. “I guess you’re under consideration but no one tells you you’re under consideration …I would have to say: Where would I fit it in with my day job, my night job, my radio job, my magazine job?”

More Blacks could be headed to U.S. Senate. African Americans could take over the seats in the U.S. Senate once occupied by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In Illinois, it’s looking like Obama’s old spot in the upper chamber of Congress could be filled by one of many promising Black wannabes, including Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Rep. Danny Davis, Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones and former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris. The decision rests with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat. In New York, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown could be a shoe-in, especially considering that the decision rests in the hands of the state’s first Black governor, David Paterson.