breaking news. massachusetts senator edward kennedy has died. he was the 77-year-old lion of the senate, patriarch of the country's most storied political family. he lost his battle with brain cancer late last night at his home on cape cod. his life and 46 years in office marked by both triumphs and tragedies. we'll look back on one of the most influential lawmakers in u.s. history "today," wednesday, august 26th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning and welcome to "today" on this sad wednesday morning. the u.s. flag flying at half-staff in front of the u.s. capitol building in washington. that's the site right there in honor of senator ted kennedy, the nation's third longest serving senator. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry in for meredith. there is a statement released by the kennedy family overnight that says it all, "we've lost the irreplaceable center of our family." >> tet kenned kennedy was force take over the mantel of the kennedy legacy following the assassination of his older brothers president john f. president and senator robert kennedy. the death of his tragic brother joseph as well. became one of the most effective legislators of the past 50 years. >> senator kennedy died late tuesday night at his massachusetts home 15 months after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor with his wife and children by his side. president obama released a statement this morning after speaking with senator kennedy's wife and called senator kennedy the greatest u.s. senator of our time. he also says he is heart broken and also added for five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation, dealing with civil rights, health and economic well being of the american people bore senator kennedy's name and resulted from his efforts. >> we knew he was sick for the past year or so. he grew less visible as his health declined. the last time we saw him was august 11th, the day his sister jew nis kennedy shriver died just a couple of weeks ago. but as you might recall, senator kennedy did not attend her funeral. perhaps just too weak to attend. last weakened sent a letter to massachusetts lawmakers asking for a change in that state's law to speed up how his successor in the senate would be chosen. we begin this morning with more on senator kennedy's life and legacy. . >> the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die. >> reporter: edward kennedy's hopes and dreams of becoming president were never realized. dashed in large part by a tragic accident and resulting scandal that would haunt him for years. despite it, he became one of the most influential and productive legislators of his time, a champion of liberal causes, even when they were out of faction. his reputation spanned the globe. >> i want to announce awarded by her majesty, the queen, on behalf of the british people, an honorary knighthood for sir edward kennedy. >> reporter: his son, rhode island congressman patrick kennedy acknowledged the honor. >> he was a true senator who used that institution to create all sorts of things he cared about, went across party lines and really was able to make that senate work in the way that it should be working. >> reporter: the youngest of the four boys whose rich and powerful father was determined that the first catholic president be named kennedy, edward moore kennedy lived to be the oldest surviving brother. in his 20s and 30s he was in his brothers' shadow, following them to harvard, running john's senate re-election campaign, working to elect him to the white house, then winning john's senate seat as soon as he was old enough to serve. when the slain president was buried, he walk behind his brother robert. when robert was killed in 1968, while running for president, edward kennedy led the mourners. the youngest son was now the patriarch. then came chappaquiddick. he was behind the wheel when his car went off a bridge late at night. a young woman in the car died. kennedy didn't report the accident for nine hours. a lapse he called indefensible. critics said it raised questions about his fitness to be president. it was the beginning of the end of his marriage. even his future in the senate was in doubt. >> i know full well why some might think it right for me to resign. for me, this will be a difficult decision to make. >> reporter: but massachusetts voters would not forsake a kennedy. he remained a perennial presidential possibility until he took himself out of the 1988 race. >> i know that this decision means that i may never be president. but the pursuit of the presidency is not my life. public service is. >> reporter: he devoted himself to his senate work, teaming with republicans to pass legislation on health care, civil rights, and education. in 1994, his son patrick was elected to the house, extending the dynasty with a rare capitol hill father-son team. kennedy would marry a second time and become the father of young stepchildren. to the end, he was the family leader, a role that involved more public mourning. for his former sister-in-law, jacqueline kennedy onassis, for his nephew, john kennedy jr. in 2008, kennedy invoked a family name endorsing barack obama, likening him to another young charismatic first-term senator elected president before he was ever born -- john kennedy. later that year came stunning news. he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and underwent surgery. but that didn't deter him from doing what he could for obama, even at the risk of his own health. leaving a hospital bed to make another stirring convention speech. >> the work begins anew. the hope rises again and the dream lives on. >> reporter: and on the day barack obama became the 44th president, kennedy braved the elements to attend the ceremony, only to end up in the hospital after suffering a seizure. less than four weeks later, he was back at the capitol to vote for president obama's stimulus package. kennedy never fulfilled what many saw as his family destiny but found fulfillment at the other end of pennsylvania avenue on capitol hill. what a career on capitol hill. 2,500 bills he wrote. i think 300 of those became law. co-sponsored another 550 bills. he was prolific. >> he really was. a statement he made quoted to the "new york times" this morning talks to that point -- "we know the future will outlast all of us but i believe that all of us will live on the future we make." he made a future from actually i think perhaps it could be said for every american. >> that's true. i know anne thompson is in hyannisport this morning. >> good morning, ann. >> reporter: good morning. you can see behind me there are police at the end of the street which takes you into the kennedy compound them. can you see nantucket sound where senator ted kennedy saw solace and adventure on the seas of sailing is his beloved "mia" up until two weeks ago. last night he succumbed to the ma lig manhattan brain tumor that he had been diagnosed with in may 2008. we were told the kennedy family began gathering early last evening and that around him was his immediate family, including his wife vicki, teddy jr., patrick kennedy and his daughter kara, along with his stepchildren caroline and curran. i was thinking as i was watching people go about their daily business, they're waking up this morning, they're jogging, getting their newspaper and here in this tiny village of about 130 homes, it is a day that starts like any other day but it is a day that will really mark a change here because the kennedys put hyannis port, massachusetts when rose and joe kennedy moved their family here so many years ago. for the last 50 years it has been a place where america has looked to, in part to chart its political history. it is here where the kennedys waited the returns when john kennedy ran for president in 1960. it is here where they celebrated weddings. caroline kennedy's wedding in 1986. maria shriver's wedding to now-governor of california arnold schwarzenegger. it's also here where they have mourned the ones they love. john f. kennedy jr. ten years ago. eunice kennedy shriver two weeks ago. and now senator edward kennedy. ann and matt, back to you. >> anne thompson, thank you so much. president obama who is spending the week on martha's vineyard spoke with senator kennedy's wife overnight. ron alan is covering the president's vacation. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. yes, president obama was informed the senator kennedy's passing around 2:00 a.m. this morning and he spoke with mrs. kennedy shortly thereafter. there had been a lot of speculation president obama was going to try and visit the kennedy compound but of course that was not meant to be. the president attributes much of his own success, in part, to the efforts of senator kennedy. his legislative efforts in the senate, his efforts for him on the campaign trail, and to a close personal relationship. the president's statement reads, in part, "i valued his wise counsel in the senate where regardless of the swirl of events he always had time for a new colleague. i cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the presidency. even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, i've profited as president from his courage and wisdom." the president says he considered kennedy to be the greatest u.s. senator of all-time. we expect to hear directly from the president some time later this morning. l logistics are being worked out. >> ron, i know it is important for president obama to say something because he's considered senator kennedy such a strong advisor. thank you so much this morning. senator kennedy called health care reform the cause of his life. just last week his son patrick said his father was frustrated that he couldn't be in washington for that ongoing debate. let's bring in david gregory, moderator of "meet the press" and nbc's andrea mitchell and kelly o'donnell. we heard ron allen talk about senator kennedy's endorsement of barack obama during the primary campaign in 2008. let me ask you this. andrea, start with you. talk about senator kennedy's real political power and then david, i'll go to you with his aura and what surrounded him. andrea? >> first of all, the real political power was the fact that he was a legislator. having decided after 1984 in fact when he said he never would be president he turned to the senate and became the greatest senator of our generation in either party because he was able to work even a little uncomfortably with some democrats like jimmy carter when he was president who was much more conservative than teddy kennedy. as a legislator he was the greatest man in the senate. but then he had the torch. he carried the flame of the kennedy legacy. that is what we saw passed to barack obama. that was such a powerful moment in the campaign. it came after the south carolina victory. it came at a moment when we saw caroline kennedy endorsement in the "new york times." then that great moment for obama, and for kennedy, as they had the passing of the torch to this young man who was not a kennedy but was clearly the man that they had chosen, to carry on the legacy of the great event in washington at american university. >> david, it is impossible to calculate the impact of that aura. isn't it? >> it really is. you talk about it in terms of that endorsement. ted kennedy said to barack obama, i'm going to endorse you but you got to make me a promise, that is that health care is the number one thing that you do. president obama said it would have been number one if not for state of the economy. it came in right behind it. senator kennedy has a lot of force. that aura on capitol hill mattered. he was not only a voice of moral authority on health care, a cause he took up back in the 1966, four years after he becomes a united states senator, but it was also something that transferred to the ability to work with republicans to get a republican on-board. i have talked to allies in this health care fight now who say the void is huge without senator kennedy in this fight day to day. the ability to get some kind of grand bargain is something that's proved illusive thus far. a lot of people think ted kennedy would have had much better odds. >> kelly, people talk about his ability to reach across party lines. but the fact of the matter is he was a real partisan. he was an absolute liberal, yet people talk about him not hating, not spewing venom, then you go back to some of the speeches and comments he made on the war in iraq and on the bork nomination, they were very pointed and harsh. weren't they? >> very hardened views. but what you learn from other senators is it was the personal touch that ted kennedy was able to connect with his colleagues both republicans and democrats on many important days and on many ordinary days. they say he was always the first to be on the telephone if a fellow member lost someone in their family, suffered a tragedy, because he understood that. he would even do simple things like carry a plate of cookies or zbla zbl cigars to try to nudge them along. all gestures, personal contact. making those connections at all different times. he had a great sense of timing when he would know how to push a colleague and when to come back and try to compromise. so in the big terms that you've heard andrea and david talk about, it was also the quiet, private moments that made those connections. >> andrea, how did he manage to kind of transition in the post chappaquiddick years he developed a reputation -- it wasn't a re positive reputation -- as a hard-drinking, perhaps own womanizer. later in his life he was known as a statesman. how did he make that transition so successfully? >> vicki kennedy, his second wife, transformed his life. with his extended family, he viewed as his own children, he lived the life. he was at soccer games. he was at school. he became a completely transformed human being. she is a great hero in his life. >> andrea, david and kelly, we appreciate your time this morning very much. chris matthews recently sat down with a number of kennedy insiders for a special documentary set to air previous to the news this morning tomorrow on msnbc. called "the kennedy brothers." chris matthews, good morning. looking at this, taking a look at this closely, at this family, where does edward -- ted kennedy fit into the kennedy brothers? >> he was always a brother. when he was 14 years old at a celebration for his brother jack when he was about to be elected to congress, young 14-year-old ted kennedy stood up and said, i'd like to offer a toast to the brother who's not here, joseph kennedy jr. he's the one that remembered the older brother who was killed in world war ii. i think if jack kennedy was asked back in 1957 to pick the greatest senators in history, in fact if you go visit the united states capitol, their pictures are on the wall, taft, webster, clayton, calhoun. if he could have looked forward he would have picked his youngest brother. it is so ironic jack kennedy as a senator, ted kennedy of all the brothers became the great senator perhaps in history. >> it's interesting, irish foreign affairs minister said something very poignant this morning. when he said that ted kennedy was the true profile in courage. >> well, it's ironic because everything matt brought out in terms of his life is all true. it is a mixed bag. he grew up -- think that's the answer to the question. he took a while to grow up. but he did find his seat. he wasn't meant to be president. he ran because his brothers ran. but yet he was the most brotherly and if you look at the history of the guy, what he went through and to become this great senator, i say to young people, you think it doesn't matter? you're voting at 18. you think it doesn't matter? you're a young woman athlete? title 9. you get to play sports with the same ability as a young man. these are little things in his life. yet he couldn't run for president. roger mudd asked him the best journalist question perhaps of all times, the hardball down the middle. not the curveball. not the tricky one. why do you want to be president? it took ted kennedy 70 words to get to the answer which was restoration. he just wanted to bring back what bobby and jack had given us. he wanted to be his brother's brother. then he turned that torch over last year to barack obama. the great thing about the kennedys is they always grew as a family. they tended to get better as they got older. some families like the long family of louisiana, dissipated. this family got better. the kennedy commitment to civil rights was almost accidental. it began because of history. '63 and martin luther king's march. by bobby it became passion. by teddy it became real. teddy turns it over to the first african-american says, you've got the ball. amazing history. barack's now the last brother. it's history. he was the great brother. >> on that note we leave it. chris matthews thank you so much this morning. once again the kennedy brothers, a special hour-long documentary premiers tomorrow night on msnbc. let us get a check of the other top stories of the morning. natalie's at at news desk in for ann. good morning. good morning, everyone. in other news this morning, the taliban is denying responsibility for a deadly attack in afghanistan during the night. at least 43 people were killed and 65 wounded, all of them civilians when a truck packed with explosives blew up in kandahar. rescue workers are still looking for victims this morning. the attack was the worst of its kind in more than a year. more than 5 million window shades and blinds are being recalled this morning. three children have died after getting caught in the product's cords. the recall involves blinds and shades sold under various names, ikea, pottery barn kids, target, expo design center and vertical land stores. overseas markets are mostly higher this morning following better than expected housing numbers in the u.s. nasa is trying to fix a valve problem on the shuttle "discovery." it forced a scrub of this morning's planned launch. and the economy just got a little bit better for a retired south carolina worker. on tuesday solomon jackson jr. came forward to claim an almost $260 million powerball jackpot. he says he doesn't expect life to change all thatch and -- get this -- he even spent tuesday morning mowing a neighbor's lawn. something tells me a lot of neighbors are going to be lining up for a lawn mowing. 7:19 now. over to matt, ann and al. >> he needs to rethink that "life's not going to change too much." it is going to change. his phone's going to ring >> we are going to see plenty of sunshine today. you want to do is not as big a factor for us. it will be high out -- humidity is not as big a factor for us. it will be hot out there. >> that's your latest weather. just ahead, more on the loss of senator ted kennedy, his passing another sad chapter for the kennedy family. here now is a look at some images from ted kennedy's life set to the eulogy he gave for his brother robert back in 1968. >> all of us will ultimately be judged, and as the years pass, we will surely judge ourselves on the effort we have contributed to building a new world society and the extent to which our ideals and goals have shaped that event. our future may lie beyond our vision, but it is not completely beyond our control. it is the shaping impulse of america that neither fakes our nature, nor the irresistible ties of history, but the work of our own hands, matched to reason and principle, that will determine our destiny. there is pride in that, even arrogance. but there is also experience and truth. in any event, it is the only way we can live. >> we'll b b more on the life of senator ted kennedy. >> the senator in his own words after your local news and local weather forecast. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here's a look at one of our top stories. baltimore county police are investigating a stabbing in catonsville. it happened at holly manor road and old frederick road. when police arrived at the scene, they found an adult male suffering from multiple stab wounds. he was taken to a hospital and there is no word on his condition. time for the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> dealing with an accident in cockeysville. at shawan road and york road, watch for delays in that region. you may find delays in the city. we have several closures to report. we also have you talked road, balked at fayette and saratoga. -- utah road, blocked at fayette and saratoga. checking drive times, 15 minutes on the outer loop west side. slow spots in both areas. this continues to run smoothly. the volume is picking up. we will give you a quick look at traffic in the area of the north side. >> plenty of sunshine out there. temperatures in the low 70's. 69 at b.w.i. marshall. yesterday we top out at 85. 87 to 91 is the range. we will not be dealing with a lot of moisture in the air. for tomorrow, partly cloudy. good chance of scattered showers and storms. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update in 25 minutes. . in the lower left corner of the screen there is the flag flying at half-staff, that in honor of senator ted kennedy who has passed away at the age of 77. he worked in that building for some 46 years. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer and ann curry who's in for meredith this morning. much more ahead on the loss of senator kennedy. this morning, president obama's calling him the greatest u.s. senator of our time. he's praising his work to advance civil rights and economic well being of all americans. but there were also darker times as well. we'll talk about it all in this half hour with nbc's tom brokaw as well as one of senator kennedy's closest friends who also wrote the senator's biography. let's begin with one of our more memorable conversations with senator kennedy. this happened back in march of 1997 when the senator took us on a tour of his brother's presidential library in boston. >> president kennedy came from an urban area. my grandfather was mayor of the city of boston and to have the library in an urban area next to a university, and then close to the sea which he loved. he loved history. he loved this city. >> presidential libraries by their nature are supposed to commemorate ideals of the man. what ideals of your brother, of president kennedy, are captured in this place? >> well, really, a belief that individuals can make a difference and everyone should try. i think that really captured the essence of his presidency. i mean it was the challenge of his inaugural speech. >> ask not what your country can do for you. ask what you can do for your country. >> that line in that speech may be one of the most famous lines a politician has ever uttered. it really wasn't a speech writer's line. it was what came from the heart. >> well, it was really his life. that really was president kennedy. everyone that knew him and loved him understood it. and the words were consistent with the human being. they were in harmony. his words were in harmony with his beliefs, which were in harmony with his spirit, which is in harmony with his soul. and his zest for life. ♪ k-e-double n-y >> was there a difference between the person and the politician? >> not at all. >> that seems unbelievable in today's world. >> of course my mother and father wouldn't let him be anything by himself in any event. >> nbc's brian williams is outside the kennedy compound in hyannis port this morning. he joins us along with tom brokaw who is on the phone right now. gentlemen, good morning. brian, let me ask you about this. so many tragedies. i heard some people this morning talking about some of the events in ted kennedy's life resembling greek tragedy. and he always showed such public strength during those tragic moments. did he ever reflect on how he managed to do that? >> well, it was late in life, remember, that he kind of took on the role of family patriarch. first held by his father, the former ambassador to england, joseph p. kennedy. and, yes, the tragedies that started early on in his life, starting with the loss of his hero brother, the brother who was supposed to be president, joe jr., just kept going. it's all this familiar real estate behind us. so many layers to this story, this sad news we're waking up to. part of it is the loss here in hyannis port. the protective family of residents around here. it's this very familiar real estate where again we saw ted kennedy arriving because his nephew's plane was missing. tragedy after tragedy, he rose to the leadership role within the family as an organization. >> mike, i know i've got you now. you not only covered senator kennedy's career as a columnist for "the boston globe" but you were also a close friend. i know in the last several months you went and visited senator kennedy on numerous occasions. when you spoke to him, what was it he wanted to reflect on? >> i think, matt, he of course had the luxury of living a longer life than either of his three brothers ever did. he had the luxury of being able to plan the remainder of his life. it didn't end in a single climactic violent moment, as did the lives of his other three brothers. and he spoke quite at length for a considerable period of time, over an extended period of time, about his memories of his brothers. he clung to them as he spoke to them. he would talk about his brother joe teaching him how to swim right out in front of the compound. he remembered vividly the day that the -- that an army chaplain came to the front door of the home in hyannis port to hell t tell his mother and father joe had been killed over the eng glash channel. he remembered vividly his mother was in the kitchen and his father upstairs. he remembered vividly all sorts of things from the long episodes of an extended life that encompasses much of the history of the 20th century. >> tom, so much in politics is about hard work and some have called it doing the blue collar work of the senate. a lot in politics is also about the spoken word. senator kennedy was an eloquent man. i just want to read you what he said when john kennedy jr. passed away. his words were stirring. he said, "we dare to think in that other irish phrase that this john kennedy would live to comb gray hair with his beloved carolyn by his side, but like his father, he had every gift but length of years." talk to me about that eloquence. >> well, were really two ted kennedys when it came to his public speaking. i remember so vividly when his brother died, when bobby died, he talked about wanting to sail against the wind and ride a bike. as mike just described, he had this really deep well of memory of those very intimate moments. it was so hard for him when john jr. died. as you have just reflected now on how he described what he had hoped that he would have in his life. but his wife will tell you as well, often in private conversations he spoke almost in code. you'd have a hard time following him because he'd have about nine thoughts going at the same time and it would be laced with this kind of talk from boston with a lot of laughter, we'll get this guy over here, we can put this together -- >> almost half-sentences. i know about that. mike, i heard you tell -- if you could do it briefly -- a very fascinating story about you asking him sailing on his boat. you asked him if when he was out on the sea he saw his brothers. >> i asked him that, matt, sitting on the front porch of the home in hyannis port, depending on the color of the water, sun reflecting on the water, senator, do you ever see your brothers out there? he responded right away, yes, all the time, i see them all the time. >> brian, do we know anymore -- you're there at the compound -- do we know any more about what the family plans are over the next several days? you would have to imagine that his body would lie in state at the capitol i would think after his service there. do we know anything? >> matt, we've only seen a total of two official vehicles come and go in the hours since we've learned the news. very, very sketchy details. it's really too early. but one period at the end of the sentence, the sailboat is sitting out there, sails down, at its mooring this morning as the sun came up. it is a lonely sight just off the coast. >> nbc's brian williams in hyannis port this morning, mike barnicle at msnbc. tom brokaw with us from montana. guys, thanks very much for your time. i appreciate it. we'll continunu >> plenty of sunshine out here. we will not see a good chance of showers until friday. going to be pretty warm out there. 90 degrees today. not a lot of moisture in the atmosphere. 90 on the shores of ocean city. >> that's your latest weather. al, thanks very much. there is much more to come on this wednesday morning here on "today." but first, these messages. back at 7:43 with more on the death of massachusetts senator ted kennedy. one of the senator's most powerful and touching speeches came exactly one year before his death. the site was denver, colorado, and the 2008 democratic national convention. >> for me, this is a season of hope. new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few. new hope. and this is the cause of my life. new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every american, north, south, east, west, young, old, will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege! we can meet these challenges with barack obama. yes, we can, and finally, yes, we will. this november, the torch will be passed again to a new generation of americans. so with barack obama, and for you, and for me, our country will be committed to his cause. the work begins anew. the hope rises again, and the dream lives on. >> we're joined once again by chris matthews, host of msnbc's "hardball," also the author of "edward m. kennedy," the biography. you are considered the def definitive biographer of ted kennedy. in that last clip, he knew he had cancer. yet he emerges as this lion, this fighter. what was it within him? because you understand his past. what was it within him that allowed him to face adversity like chappaquiddick and rise up and overcome it? >> well, even go back before chappaquiddick. he broke his back in a plane crash in 1964 and he was never without pain from there. i think it's the teachings he had from his parents. the line from the book of luke that "of those to whom much has been given much is expected." his mother brought him up very seriously in that faith. his father tried to tell him -- all the boys, you've had advantages, you ought to give something back. i think he carried that with him certainly getting more serious and more intense as he saw his brothers die and picking up the torch, as he said, in 1968 and carrying it forward. he's dedicated to that, and the health care -- it's ironic, i guess, that now that the country is closer than ever to enacting some form of national health insurance, he's not able to play a role. >> he mentions this, chris, in that -- those remarks a year ago. he himself being stricken. what exactly -- i mean this mattered so much to him. it was important to him. it is something he made president obama promise he would tackle, and he has. so how has this passing affected his dream? >> well, it's really a great question mark. at some point in the next couple of days, president obama's going to have to make a big decision. he's going to have to cut the diamond. he's going to have to decide where it's got to be cut for it to work. does he try to go for it all now using reconciliation, jam it through with 50 votes? that would be one way to go. or does he go the other way and say, i made a mistake back with nixon. i made the same mistake with carter. trying to get the whole loaf instead of half the loaf. maybe half the loaf now. reform. cost-cutting now, full coverage for everybody later, but get the moral commitment done now. >> do you think that moral commitment will be encouraged because -- do you think that there is some political will that may have been generated by this sympathy? >> this may be the '57 civil rights bill, not the '64 civil rights bill. this may be the bill that sets up the big one. but he has to get something, or else nothing. it is a big decision ted kennedy might have had to make but now the president has to make it. there is no quarterback on the field now. it is not enough to be a cheerleader like the president's been for the last several months. he's got to get on the field and be the quarterback that ted kennedy was all those years and make the audible decision. he's got to make the call. am i going to go for it all now an risk everything, or make the smart decision -- perhaps -- and say we could get most of it now, but we've got to get the commitment made now. that's a tough call he has to make. >> adam, i'll ask you the last question, which is essentially, based on everything you know about edward kennedy, what has america lost? >> well, america's lost someone who knows how to make the senate work, which is something that we often see wanting. it's lost someone dedicated to helping the little guy, someone down on his luck, the blue-collar worker. it's lost someone who's probably affected, as he grew old, more -- hundreds of millions of americans in everything from health care to education to civil rights. it's lost, i think, the greatest senator of the 20th century, the beginning of the 21st. it's a big loss. >> he was a man who believed also in our future on a happier note. adam and chris, thank you both for being here. back with much more after this. still ahead, one of the few interviews given over the years by the woman who transformed senator kennedy's life, his second wife vicki. but first, your local news and weather. ♪ ♪ my dear little rose ♪ she's my special lady ♪ most everyone knows >> for all those whose care have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die. >> i feel -- i feel change in the air! what about you? >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. let's get a check on the morning commute. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> i have all problems to run down for you. southbound on the harrisburg expressway, watch for delays developing there. tapping the breaks approaching the beltway and the house but express my. southbound 795 towards the beltway, looking at closures as well in the city. eutaw street is still blocked along saratoga. westbound saratoga and greene street, continue closures due to the water main break repairs. ritchie highway and arnold, accident there. a five-minute ride on southbound 95 from the 805 split towards the fort mchenry tolls. definitely back to reality as many schools are back in session. at liberty road, some delays forming. as head towards edmondson. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> as far as the forecast goes, we will hit a high near 90 degrees. we will not be dealing with a lot of moisture in the atmosphere. winds are very light and out of the west. thus the sunny skies. -- mostly sunny skies. tomorrow, more mid-80s. a good chance of seeing scattered showers and storms on friday. as the front gets through, there will be a tropical wave off shore. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update coming away at 8:25. morning, the 26th day of august, 2009. nice crowd of people out on our plaza enjoying sunny skies, moderate temperatures. nice day to be out there. we'll get out hopefully a little later on. meanwhile, inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker. meredith has the morning off. just ahead, important information concerning h1n1 or what people tend to call swine flu. >> you've probably heard the news, at its peak up to half of the u.s. population, that some 120 million people, could be infected with the swine flu. coming up, dr. nancy snyderman will join us with three key things you can do to protect your family. then also ahead, millions of kids either in school already or getting ready to get back into school. coming up we'll show you how to dress your kids in style without breaking the bank. first let's head over to the news desk. i'm sorry, we'll also have more on the death of ted kennedy. natalie is filling in while ann is next to me here. good morning. good morning, everyone. president obama is calling ted kennedy the greatest u.s. senator of our time. kennedy died last night at the age of 77 after battling brain cancer. this morning the american flag is flying at half-staff at the capitol building. nbc's kelly o'donnell is there with more. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. edward kennedy carried the burdens and blessings of an iconic american family. with his passing at 77, the senator reached a point in life that his older brothers never did. as an irish poet said, he lived to comb gray hair. >> the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die. >> reporter: edward kennedy's hopes and dreams of becoming president were never realized. dashed in large part by a tragic accident and resulting scandal that would haunt him for years. despite it, he became one of the most influential and productive legislators of his time, a champion of liberal causes, even when they were out of fashion. >> he was a true senator who used that institution to create all sorts of things he cared about, went across party lines and really was able to make that senate work in the way that it should be working. >> reporter: the youngest of the four boys whose rich and powerful father was determined that the first catholic president be named kennedy. edward moore kennedy lived to be the oldest surviving brother. when the slain president was buried, he walked beside his brother robert. when robert was killed in 1968, while running for president, edward kennedy led the mourners. the youngest son was now the patriarch. then came chappaquiddick. he was behind the wheel when his car went off a bridge late at night. the young woman in the car died. kennedy didn't report the accident for nine hours, a lapse he called indefensible. critics said it raised questions about his fitness to be president. his future in the senate was in doubt. but massachusetts voters would not forsake a kennedy. he remained a perennial presidential possibility until he took himself out of the 1988 race. >> i know that this decision means that i may never be president. but the pursuit of the presidency is not my life. public service is. >> reporter: he devoted himself to his senate work, teaming with republicans to pass legislation on health care, civil rights and education. in 2008 he invoked the family name endorsing barack obama, likening him to another young, charismatic first-term senator elected president before he was ever born -- john kennedy. later that year came stunning news, he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and underwent surgery. but that didn't deter him from doing what he could for obama, even at the risk of his own health. leaving a hospital bed to make another stirring convention speech. >> the work begins anew. the hope rises again and the dream lives on. >> reporter: on the day barack obama became the 44th president, kennedy braved the elements to attend the ceremony. only to end up in the hospital after suffering a seizure. less than four weeks later, he was back at the capitol to vote for president obama's stimulus package. kennedy never fulfilled what many saw as his family destiny, but found fulfillment at the other end of pennsylvania avenue on capitol hill. senator kennedy's accomplishments here in the senate are really remarkable in their scope. he cast more than 15,000 votes. he wrote 2,500 bills and 300 of those became laws that bear his imprint. some colleagues here say he often insisted that senator senator's name be listed first. just one of the ways he built relationships to help get those laws passed. >> kelly o'donnell on capitol hill this morning, thanks so much. rescue workers are still looking for victims of tuesday's truck bombing in kandahar that has claimed the lives of at least 43 civilians. some 65 others were wounded. a dramatic rescue in india this morning where a 1-month-old baby was pulled out alive from the debris of a collapsed five-story building. the infant was unharmed. it is unclear why the building collapsed. fighter jets were scrambled around the nation's capitol tuesday when a small plane crossed into restricted airspace. the cessna was forced to land at a maryland suburb. officials say the student pilot did not intend any harm. 8:10. back to matt and ann. i guess it is confusing in the air around the capitol building. >> but a student pilot, you do not want to >> hot but not humid here either. 73 downtown. added for a high of about 90 degrees. tomorrow, 85 and isolated storms possible. >> that's your latest weather. up next, senator kennedy and his wife vicki in their own words. but first, these messages. the chic tweed jacket. the sexy silk cargo pant. the tempting tunic. with wit, verve and a little nerve. pieces you'll love to pieces. at chico's. love it, love it, love it. start your three-course meals with a shared 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likes to be called vicki. she's a mother, a lawyer, and has two children. she and senator kennedy have been long-time supporters and friends, but over the years she never imagined she would end up marrying senator edward kennedy or that the engagement would become official while they were snorkeling on vacation. >> he said look down there. he's been pointing out fish to me all day. i thought there will be some beautiful fish. i was right. there was this beautiful fish down at a coral head. i thought i'll go down and see that fish swim. he said go down there. as the fish swam away, the ring was sitting there on a coral head, and i just -- my heart started pounding. i picked it up. i don't think had he planned on fish being there. >> how did the romance progress? what happened? >> you're doing all the talking. keep going. >> my parents were coming over to visit me in washington for their 40th wedding anniversary. they said we're going to invite the commander, that's what they call him, the commander from his sailing expertise. i assumed he was going to bring a date. he walked up to the door, i teased him, i said, what's wrong? couldn't you get a date? he made some cute little comment like, i thought you'd be my date. >> rather nice. >> it was very sweet. we just had that banter going on during the evening and just sort of hung out. we had a nice time. but again, just as friends, family friends. the next day he called me up and asked me out to dinner. i guess the rest is sort of history. >> did you know immediately, senator? >> no. i had known vicki before but this was the first time i think i really saw her and sort of beyond the very obvious features of being a lovely, warm and attractive, intelligent person, over the period of the weeks and months that followed, i saw these other qualities of a caring and loving and sharing the way she dealt with her children, a person of passion and volatility and explosiveness and joy, but a person of great fun and a delight to be with and at some time during those weeks i realized that i wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. >> how did the two of you manage to keep your romance such a secret for so long? >> i don't know how it stayed such a secret for so long, because we weren't secretive. as early as october i guess at halloween, ted trick-or-treated with my children on our street. certainly everybody on my street knew that he was there. i remember the first neighbor's house we went to, they said, oh, my god, that fellow has a wonderful ted kennedy mask. >> you made your first national public appearance really at the democratic national convention after the senator's speech. what were you thinking when you came out and you waved to the crowd? >> i was so proud of him. i'm sure i had more butterflies in my stomach before the speech than he did. i was so, so proud of him. >> has it been hard for you to adjust to public life? >> i'm not a public figure. i don't feel like a public figure so i don't feel like that's the adjustment. we have a tremendous amount of privacy. >> you have young children. how have you adjusted to all of this? >> they've adjusted wonderfully. one of the wonderful qualities that ted has is his ability to relate to children. they just have a terrific friendship and relationship. i feel really, really lucky. >> you've gotten pretty lucky, senator. >> i know it, too. >> i'm the lucky one. >> has it changed your life? >> oh, i think so. i think it's a time of increased really security, stability, serenity and commitment, and joy and happiness. i think that that's been probably a factor or force that had been missing. i mean i never thought i was going to get married. i think the people that i had been very close to i've lost in my life. i don't think i was ever really prepared to think in those terms again. vicki really awakened these feelings, emotions, that i think have really been banked in my life. and that i didn't really think probably existed there anymore. so it's been a very extraordinary re-awakening, and a wonderful, wonderful time in my life -- our lives. >> you're a lawyer. so you know what it means when someone says "with all due respect." >> uh-oh. >> so, with all due respect, he had quite a reputation. >> he did? >> don't listen to these press people. >> how do you deal with that? >> i know the real man? i think that's the easiest thing. i know how he treats me. i know the respect he has for me. i know the way he treats my children. and i've known him, as i said earlier, as a family friend for so many years so i have known the real man but now i really know the real man. >> do you get used to the ted kennedy jokes? how do you deal with that? >> it goes with the territory. i've been in public life for a long time, an observer of it for a long time. and it basically goes with the territory. you know, i feel like others, that if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. >> he's pretty good in the kitchen, too. >> senator, last year you gave a speech at harvard in which you apologized, spoke about some mistakes that you made. >> i recognize my own shortcomings, the faults and the conduct of my private life. i realize that i, alone, am responsible for them. and i am the one who must confront them. >> have things changed since then? >> oh, very much so. i mean that was the past, the realty and recognitions. i felt an explanation to the people of massachusetts those year and a half or two years had been very, very difficult. those people, i felt, in the state were concerned about my own kind of behavior. i owe them some explanation. i owe them at least a recognition that i understood i was responsible for my own kinds of actions and recognition i had to do more about it. and have. that is really the sort of past. i mean i'm at such a different kind of plateau in my life now, such a different chapter of my life now. and it's one which i'm enormously both moved by and excited by and care very, very much about, vicki and the children. >> is drinking a problem? >> no. no, no, it's not. >> you talk about last year being a difficult year. you had palm beach. you had the clarence thomas hearings. you had the questions about drinking. and you were very low in the polls. this is another "with all due respect." someone cynical might say that you got married for political reasons. has she helped? >> you twhant answer? of course she's helped. of course she's helped. but vicki knows how much i love her. i have a sense about how much she loves me. my children know what it means for us to be together, her children have certainly ascent to that. her sister knows, her mother and father know. my friends know. i think people who see us together are coming to know that and that's good enough for me. >> i agree. that's good enough for me. i think everybody who's seen us together, people who care about us, that this is the big-time real thing. >> and we will be back with much more on a wednesday morning 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( shouts ) keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. back now at 8:23 and "on call" with dr. nancy snyderman. earlier this week, scientists said half the u.s. population could be infected with swine flu this fall and winter. how can we protect our families? nbc's chief medical editor has some tips. hey, dr. nancy. you say first in general it is a good idea to vaccinate from the regular flu. >> the regular flu, the vaccine's coming in to your doctor's office now, get it so there won't be a run on the health care system later. the swine vaccine will probably hit the market around october 15th. looks like it might be two shots to get immunity. definitely consider that especially if you're a health care worker, if you have a young kid at home or if you have some underlying medical problems. and pregnant women. >> people who die of h1n1 swine flu usually die of pneumonia. should we be vaccinated against that? >> there is another vaccine for pneumonia. i'm a big believer in it, you should absolutely talk to your doctor about it. there are going to be more vaccines this fall to consider than ever before. >> what about planning ahead? >> i always talk about planning ahead, meaning have someone who can help take care of your kid. talk to your employ now about what happens if someone in your family gets sick there can be an economic ripple effect if 30% to 40% of the populous can't show up for work. that kind of planning ahead for businesses down to families makes a difference. >> also wash your hands. we say this a lot. it is not necessarily -- >> we say it, no one's doing it. there was a study that came out yesterday that said that 55% of people haven't changed how they wash their hands. 55% of people recently said they haven't used soap. let me say this yet again, if you want to stay healthy this fall and winter, wash your hands with soap. it is the best way to get sick, including the best way to get a cold, the best way to get the flu. >> thanks so much. >> wash your handnd >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's check in with sarah caldwell and traffic. >> it is far from over this early morning. if you travel southbound on harrisburg expressway, we are tracking an accident. below that, we are looking at some delays as volume is building approaching the beltway. looking at delays, four miles per hour on the northeast corner. 27 as per hour on the west side. you talk street is -- eutaw street is blocked at saratoga due to water main break for. we are seeing pretty hefty delays heading towards edmondson in the outer loop. these delays stretch back to past 95 towards dulaney valley. >> right now we are looking at temperatures in the low seventies for the most part. we will surge later this afternoon to near 90. winds are very light and out of the west. we will be partly cloudy. 67 for the overnight low. slight chance of an isolated storms. partly cloudy, 85. real change on the way on friday. 50% chance of scattered showers and storms. clouds kid because i -- clouds keeping us only in the upper seventies. the front will keep the system while off to the east. by monday and tuesday, we welcome fall. >> we will have another update in 25 minutes. ♪ tell me who's watching. (announcer) it's right here. it's easy. ♪ i always feel like somebody's watching me. ♪ it's the money you could be saving with geico. morning, the 26th day of august, 2009. looking outside our windows on the world here in rockefeller f plaza at all the nice people spending their morning with us here. i think al is on his way out there. he'll check out those folks in person in a couple of minutes. inside the studio, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and natalie morales. meredith has the morning off. ahead in this half-hour, a big issue for kids heading back off to school, not jitters, not bullies, it's what am i going to wear. >> back-to-school shopping. the thing is that a new wardrobe for your kids can be very expensive so we have some ideas coming up, some options that are basically no item is more than $25. these are good looking and not expensive options. a reminder, if you need reminding, but this friday on "today," teen superstar miley cyrus will be out on the plaza for a live concert. a great way to end what's really been an amazing summer concert series. >> it's been fun, actually. al is outside, he's got a check of the weather. al, i imagine people are already lining up for miley. right? >> oh, yeah. i've been hearing from people i haven't heard from in years who want tickets. it's your 10th birthday. what's your name? >> alexandra. >> reporter: a where are you from? >> massachusetts. >> happy birthday. >> already off to a nice start. plenty of sunshine out there. load-to-mid-seventies across the board. 90 this afternoon. not very humid, though. better chance of storms >> and that's your latest weather. now let's head down to washington, d.c. and say hello to mr. willard scott. how are you, sir. >> i'm waiting for you, baby. you're the best. number one then, number one now. i've certainly got to mention, t ted kennedy. living in this city, born and raised ais was, i got to know some of these people from time to time. he was one i would always have fun with, no politics. i'd meet him once in a while and we'd have a little clucker or two. what a nice, nice man. god bless him and the family. happy birthday from our friends at smucker's, how nice it is to have really good smucker's. there is florence poe of jackson, missouri. 112. stays active at the senior center at home by going to exercise classes. how about that, boys and girls? can't beat that. and the reverend olivia stuard henry. philadelphia, pennsylvania. brotherly love. 103. has been a preacher for over 60 years. how about that? the lord's work. naomi conner. mcgregor, texas. 110. attributes longevity to what she claims to being just a little piece of leather well put together. emmett mcnamara of bay shore, new york. 100 years old. former fbi agent for 15 years. always the first one on the dance floor. emmett. my father-in-law, robert emmett. louise king in california. 102. secret do longevity, doing everything in moderation, including moderation. number six, vernon nichols. eyota, minnesota. 100 years old. lives independently and attends church every single week. that's just about it. i didn't say it last week but i just want to recognize les paul, too, a giant in the industry of music. god bless him. he passed away. now back to ann in new york city. >> willard, thank you so much. coming up next, important information for women when it comes to postpartum depression. but first, this is "today" on nbc. when morning comes in the middle of the night... rooster crow. ...it affects your entire day. to get a good night's sleep, try 2-layer ambien cr. the first layer dissolves quickly to help you fall asleep. and unlike other sleep aids, a second dissolves slowly to help you stay asleep. when taking ambien cr, don't drive or operate machinery. sleepwalking, and eating or driving while not fully awake with memory loss for the event as well as abnormal behaviors such as being more outgoing or aggressive than normal, confusion, agitation and halluciations may occur. don't take it with alcohol as it may increase these behaviors. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath, swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and in rare cases may be fatal. side effects may include next-day drowsiness, dizziness, and headache. in patients with depression, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide may occur. if you experience any of these behaviors or reactions contact your doctor immediately. wake up ready for your day-ask your healthcare provider for 2-layer ambien cr. back at 8:37. this morning on "today's health," postpartum depression. having a baby is one of the happiest times in a woman's life, but up to 20% of new mothers also face difficult bouts of depression. darlene rodriguez from wnbc, the nbc station here in new york city, has one woman's story. darlene, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. as you said, it's a real problem for some women. many times it goes undiagnosed. that's what happened in the case of one woman we met. >> start digging -- >> reporter: three years ago, paige thought, like many of us, parenting just comes naturally. >> i had a natural birth and came home from the hospital and didn't really have any time to process the experience. it felt very physically and emotionally traumatic. >> reporter: a few weeks after her first child max was born, paige began having terrifying thoughts. >> i always had this feeling of doom, that he was going to die or that something wasn't right. but as time went on, i became depressed. i felt as though i couldn't really confide in anybody. i remember going for walks with him in the stroller and thinking about throwing both of us in front of a bus. >> reporter: she says her husband had no idea at the time that she was having these feelings. >> it was awful for me but it was awful for him because he saw me hurting but he couldn't be there for me in the way he needed to be because i couldn't tell him how bad it was. >> reporter: and when you were able to finally communicate that with him, did you find that he was understanding? >> yeah, very understanding. but when a man doesn't go through it, or when anybody doesn't go through it, it is hard to understand what it is really like. i think it's still very difficult for him to look back on that period without a level of pain because i wasn't entirely honest with him. >> reporter: health experts say most new mothers experience the break blues after giving birth as a result of decline of hormone levels. but 10% to 20% develop more severe postpartum depression. one of the biggest obstacles in treating it is that many women are ashamed to admit they have it. >> they feel so guilty about the feelings they're having. they feel like they wish they'd never had their baby. those feelings are so ugly that it is very difficult to share that with anybody. >> reporter: whether it is lamaze classes or lack tatation consults, it isn't until they get home that they realize this is something they have a hard time with. >> this could impact the ability to bond with the baby and we want to address it. >> reporter: this ob-gyn says they see women twice after birth but the standard is for one postpartum visit six weeks after delivery. >> it is important for health care providers to be tuned in to symptoms as they exist. a woman's hi a's prior history. >> reporter: for the birth of her second child, paige was better prepared. she had her support system in place to make sure the same thing didn't happen again. luckily it didn't. >> i went to great lengths to insure this didn't happen again and if it were to happen again, i knew what to do about it. i also have the perspective to know this doesn't last forever and when you do identify it and you do get help, then it goes away and you can manage it. >> darlene, there is a good reason for you doing this interview because you, like paige in that piece, experienced postpartum depression and you didn't talk about it with anyone. is that because you didn't recognize technically what you were going through or stigma? >> i think it was both. when you look at paige's story and we appreciate her telling it and being so honest, she's a social worker. i've done a lot of these stories. but you're embarrassed to admit this because you know what you're feeling is a little bit irrational and you don't want anyone to think there is anything wrong with you or that you don't quite have it together. >> did you get information during your pregnancy? did a doctor sit down with you and say this is going to be great but here's what might happen afterwards? >> looking back, probably not enough. i think -- i can't tell you how many women e-mailed me while i was doing this story and told me there should really be a postpartum mental health appointment so that we can talk about pointed questions to help identify this problem. >> let's bring in dr. margaret spinnelli, an expert on this subject. should ob-gyns make a series of "how you doin'?" phone calls after a woman gives birth? >> that would be nice, but you think that much of the time they're pretty overworked. i think it would be helpful if their support staff could do that, to call them a couple of times. not just ob-gyn. i think the pediatricians also, because they even see moms more often. >> during a pregnancy, can doctors or perhaps the woman herself pick out which women are going to suffer from this after giving birth and which ones might not? >> yes. and that's why the prenatal period is a wonderful time to possibly predict so that if a woman has depression during pregnancy, 50% of those women will go on to have a postpartum depression. if she's had a history of depression or family history of depression, she needs to be evaluated even sooner. >> darlene, what advice would you have for spouses of women suffering from postpartum depression, "a" in recognizing it, and dealing with it? >> i think spouses have to be very involved. i think as friends and mothers and people in the direct circle, outer, inner circle of a woman who's just had a baby, we need to ask how are you doing? do you need help? do you feel like this? is this happening to you and what can i do to help you out? >> finally, doctor, if a woman is starting to feel this, who does she call? does she call her ob-gyn? does she call a psychiatrist? who does she call? >> if she has a psychiatrist, that's fine. but she should likely call her ob-gyn and ask for a psychiatric consult. >> all right, doctor, darlene rodriguez, thank you both. up next, affordable back-to-school fashions. up next, affordable back-to-school fashions. but first, this is "today" on need a lift? hey buddy, i appreciate the ride, you know. no problem. ♪ mind if i take a shortcut? yeah, sure. ♪ i knew the subaru legacy was the smart choice... what i didn't expect... was the fun. the all-new subaru legacy. feel the love. the all-new subaru legacy. diabetes and cancer. and they've heard that biomedical research offers hope, that it could control, maybe even cure, their disease. senator barbara mikulski understands the importance of innovative biomedical research, for patients, their families, and our economy here in maryland. call senator mikulski today. tell her, thanks for protecting the promise of biomedical research and the maryland jobs it provides. it's not just the future, it's life. this morning on "back to school today," the back-to-school wardrobe. "today's" style editor bobbie thomas is here with some fashion ideas for under $25. hey, good morning. your best tip for parents who don't want to break the bank but want to make sure their kids feel comfortable at school. >> hands down, have a pre-shopping plan. you want to go to the store as their teammate and not start off as opponents. i have all the information on our website how to go about doing that. take advantage of sales, there are so many sales and promotions right now, it was really easy to find all of these items for under $25 but in most cases under $20, and even less. >> starting off on our little fashion show this morning, we have elementary school children and they are jaden, amia and no noah. >> it is about gender-specific colors. you'll notice on jaden, he's got an "i rule" t-shirt. amia's pink jacket from old navy, only $25. a great price for outer wear. on noah, old navy, camo cargos, the vest is reversible. these are really great deals. you can work them in to many other -- >> looks like you're doing a lot of layering. get certain colors, buy several things in those colors, can you mix and match. i like these. thanks so much, models. now we're going to look at what happens in middle school. could you please go back down that way? thank you so much. >> come on, they like the spotlight! >> frankly, i don't want them to go. carla's going to show us what girls might be willing to wear. >> i really want to say this is miley cyrus. it teams up with walmart. this is an unbelievably affordable line. in middle school you're influenced by middle school, tv, movies. you can have fun, pair it with leggin leggings, the top. the jeans were $25. a great buy. >> i like how you've got the purple shoelaces on the check. >> if you're a patient, wondering how do i guide them? be sure to check in when it is about looking dishevelled, too tight or too small, but let them have their own personality when it comes to colors. >> frankly, at this age this is probably something they could teach us. carla, thank you so much. now lucas is going to show us what's cool for boys in middle school. >> the same with boys in middle school. tony hawk is cool. he has a line. what's good for the girls is good for the boys. he has a line at kohl's. it's about that skater cool influence. lucas has these cool paints that are convertible. the bottom part zips off and they end up being short. the sneakers and skateboard, don't know if you can bring that to school, lucas. >> thank you so much, lucas. now we've got lastly, our high school teenagers. at this point they're going to guide us. danielle and jimmy. >> high schoolers, it's all about the high-fashion hallways. they're really reading fashion magazines and looking at red carpet trends. on danielle, she looks adorable in this from target. only $19. the boots $24 at wet seal. it's a really great thing. she can layer it with many other things. on jimmy, he looks like the cool prepster. he's ready for college. he's in a look from jc penny's. it's all about the layering. you can mix and match summer pieces with fall pieces. >> look at what you've done. you've got three layers on jimmy, including the shirt outside the polo shirt, which is unusual. >> we found polos for $9 at jcpenney and a sweater for $24.99. retailers want to work with you. when i was young -- i'm sure you can say the thing -- style was not as accessible and faffordabe as it is today. >> accoucan the models come out more time? >> each of these pieces is listed on our website at todayshow.com. >> thanks for shopping for us and trying to help us save some money. coming right back in just a few moments with who's giving away tens of millions of dollars to schools across the country. the story is next after this is "today" on nbc. now to an anonymous donor who's making it possible for a number of students to afford a college education. nbc's kevin tibbles has more on the man of mystery, or woman. >> reporter: there's a whodunit on college campuses across the country. >> i really don't know who it is. >> none of us know who this is. >> everyone's curious. and rightfully so. >> the gift is in the amount of -- >> reporter: in the last few months, an anonymous donor has given away millions of dollars for scholarships. but there's a catch -- it's top secret. not even the schools themselves can know who the mystery benefactor is. it all starts with a phone call, usually from a bank, then a cashier's check or money order arrives in the mail. along with specific instructions. >> this gift is for the purpose of providing financial assistance to women and under represented minority students. >> reporter: hunter college in new york city got $5 million. the president jennifer rabb says it's the school's largest donation ever. >> the first thing that goes through your head is, is this real? >> reporter: it's real, all right. 17 colleges in 14 states have received gifts ranging from $1 million to $10 million. $88 million total. unlike larry davis, this mystery person insists on remaining in the shadows. >> there's larry david. the guy wants to have his name up on the wall, you a opposed to mr. anonymous. >> reporter: there are few clues to the identity, but one thing the schools have in common, all led by women, fueling speculation the donor just might be a powerful and successful female. >> i think oprah would make the most sense. i think that it might be oprah or michelle obama. >> maybe hillary clinton. >> reporter: but for the lucky schools involved, it really is a case not worth cracking. since tough economic times have led to budget cuts and greater demand for financial aid. >> we have so many students who need scholarship funds. we 'were just delighted to be able to support these students. >> this is phenomenal. and the timing couldn't be sweeter. >> reporter: and, hey, if you've got that kind of money whob needs to flaunt it? for "today," kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> what a great gift. still ahead, much more on the life and legacy of massachusetts senator ted kennedy. but first, your local news and weather. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. three men accused of raping women outside of baltimore city high school are behind bars this morning after a victim, the license plate number. the 19-year-old, 20-year-old, and a third man are accused of raping two women after offering them a ride to downtown. they allegedly took a bum to a parking lot of a high school, -- took the wind to the parking lot of a high-school, where they took turns raping them. >> the victim in this case was able to provide critical details to the police investigators, despite the viciousness of the attack and the violence that she endured. >> police said the critical information led the right to one of the suspects, who confessed and turned in his friend come on in. you're invited to the chevy open house. where getting a new vehicle is easy. because the price on the tag is the price you pay on remaining '08 and '09 models. you'll find low, straightforward pricing. it's simple. now get an 2009 chevy silverado half-ton for under $18,000 after all offers. go to chevy.com/openhouse for more details. >> now let's take a look at the forecast with sandra shaw. >> hot and not to humid out there. up to 90 in baltimore. going to be up to near 90 on the beaches of ocean city. slight chance of isolated storms. >> we will have another update at 9:25.