Oldest US senator steps down as panel chair

The longest-serving U.S. senator in history, Robert Byrd, is stepping down from his cherished post as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The 90-year-old Democrat, third in line of succession to the U.S. presidency, has been increasingly frail in recent years, so the move did not come as a surprise. Democratic leaders had sent signals that they hoped Byrd would step aside …