Former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms dies at 86

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jesse Helms, a die-hard anti-communist firebrand who championed a wide range of conservative causes in his 30 years in the U.S. Senate, died early on Friday, aged 86, his foundation said. A blunt-talking product of the Old South, the lawmaker from North Carolina was known as "Senator No" for opposing just about anything that obstructed his conservative view of the world. He retired in 2003 after five terms in the Senate. Helms died at 1:15 a.m. in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to a notice on the Web site of the Jesse Helms Centre, a foundation established to promote his legacy. "Laura and I are deeply saddened by the passing of our good friend and a great American," President George W. Bush said in a statement. "Jesse Helms was a kind, decent, and humble man and a passionate defender of what he... [read full story]