memeorandum: US Launches Fresh Iran Strikes as Tehran Declares Hormuz Closed (Arsalan Shahla/Bloomberg)

7:25 AM ET, July 12, 2026

Top Items:

Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after ‘brief and sudden illness’ — President Donald Trump led tributes to Graham, a leading Republican voice on defense and foreign policy, describing him as a “true American Patriot.” … WASHINGTON — Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was elected to the Senate …

Discussion: CBS News, New York Post, Townhall, TheGrio, The Guardian, Deadline, Breitbart, Legal Insurrection, Daily Mail, The Gateway Pundit, Jewish Insider, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money and WJR-AM1

New York Times:

Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, Dies at 71 — Mr. Graham died of a “brief and sudden” illness on Saturday evening, his office said. He served in the Senate for more than two decades. — Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who served in the State Legislature …

Discussion: Roll Call

Dan Diamond / Washington Post:

Lindsey Graham, longtime senator from South Carolina, dies at 71 — Graham, a staunch Trump ally and key GOP foreign policy voice, was running for reelection this year. He died of a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said. — Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican senator from South Carolina …

Discussion: WIS-TV, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, CNBC, New York Post, New York Sun, NOTUS, Townhall, NewsMax.com, Bloomberg, MS NOW, TMZ.com, Salon, Semafor, Radio Free Europe/Radio … and Mediaite

Associated Press:

US Sen. Lindsey Graham has died after a brief and unexpected illness, his office says — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of President Donald Trump's closest allies in Congress who traveled the globe to advocate for a more muscular U.S. foreign policy abroad, died Saturday evening after a …

Discussion: New York Times, Axios, Scripps News, ABC News, Politico, CBS News, The Independent, Fox News, The Post Millennial, RTÉ, Al Jazeera, GB News, The Daily Wire, twitchy.com, Mediaite and Stars & Stripes

Geir Moulson / Associated Press:

Lindsey Graham draws tributes for his support of Ukraine, trans-Atlantic ties and Israel — Leaders of NATO allies, Ukraine and Israel paid tribute to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham as a friend, partner and advocate of trans-Atlantic relations on Sunday, praising a figure who was a constant presence …

Discussion: Reuters, Associated Press and The Independent

Troy Matthews / MeidasTouch:
Sen. Lindsey Graham Dead at 71

Discussion: Associated Press, Newsweek, RedState and The Independent

Sean Sinico / Reuters:

Iran announces closure Strait of Hormuz until further notice — The Iranian navy has said it closed the Strait of Hormuz after firing on a vessel transiting an “unapproved route.” In response, the US has launched a fresh set of strikes on Iran. Follow DW for more. — What you need to know

Discussion: Reuters, NewsMax.com, Stars & Stripes, The Gateway Pundit, RTÉ, GB News, Washington Examiner, Raw Story and Arab News

Arsalan Shahla / Bloomberg:

US Launches Fresh Iran Strikes as Tehran Declares Hormuz Closed — The US launched its third round of strikes on Iran this week as Tehran declared that it's closing the Strait of Hormuz “until further notice.” — US Central Command said President Donald Trump ordered the fresh strikes …

Discussion: Telegraph, New York Times, Politico, Washington Post, Tasnim News Agency, Al Jazeera, Daily Mail, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, The Hill, Straight Arrow, Human Events, Breitbart and Informed Comment

Neil MacFarquhar / New York Times: Hard-Liners in Iran Want to Keep Fighting America

Associated Press:
Trump and Iranian leader trade threats as mediators try to save crumbling deal

Sophie Brams / The Hill:
Huckabee warns Iran not to ‘test’ Trump as tensions simmer

Discussion: RedState, Reuters, Mediaite, The Times of Israel, MS NOW, Washington Examiner, UPI, GB News, Bloomberg, Axios, Forbes, Fox News, New York Post and NewsMax.com

Reuters:

Rep. Ro Khanna detained by Israeli settlers during West Bank visit — Asked if he was running for president, Khanna said: “I'm strongly considering it, and I'm more resolved to consider it after this trip.” — TURMUS AYYA, West Bank — Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he was detained …

Discussion: Townhall, Reuters, ABC News, The Intercept, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, CNN, New York Post, Mediaite and Al Jazeera

Lisa Lerer / New York Times:
An American Politician Is Blocked by Israeli Settlers in the West Bank

Discussion: Townhall, RedState, twitchy.com, SFist, MS NOW, Mediaite, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, Straight Arrow, Washington Examiner, The American Conservative, Fox News, The Guardian, NOTUS, The Hill, NewsMax.com, CBS News and Politico

Nicholas Riccardi / Associated Press:
Democratic congressman says he was detained by the Israeli military and settlers in the West Bank

Discussion: The Times of Israel

New York Times:

White House Directed Patel to Oversee Investigation Involving Times Reporting — The F.B.I. director spent about eight hours at the White House Friday focused on the effort, which led to the subpoenaing of several Times reporters who wrote about the security of Air Force One.

Discussion: Chicago Tribune, Letters from an American, The Independent, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, NPR, Bloomberg, twitchy.com, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, NBC News, CBS News and Washington Examiner, more at Mediagazer »

Reuters:

Businessman who sold land for Kushner resort in Albania suspected of faking the deeds — A Miami-based businessman wanted in Albania for allegedly laundering drug money is suspected of faking the deeds to land where Jared Kushner wants to build a multi-billion-dollar resort …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Al Jazeera, New York Sun and Politico

New York Times:

Whistle-Blowers Accuse Kennedy Center of Contracting Flaws Under Trump — Documents submitted to Congress detailed concerns about competitive bidding processes and a White House order to tear up new bathroom tile because of its color. — As the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts prepares …

Discussion: Associated Press, Al Jazeera and The Hill

Anna Betts / The Guardian:
Trump rushed Kennedy Center renovations for Fifa peace prize ceremony, whistleblowers say

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

Videos Shed Light on Pursuit Before ICE Killing in Houston — Surveillance footage obtained by The Times shows ICE agents driving aggressively in unmarked vehicles, but the moment of the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo remains murky. — Shortly before 7 a.m. on Tuesday …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Mahablog, Mediaite, CBS News, Associated Press and Reuters

Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:

RFK Jr.'s focus on preventive health panel provokes new fears — Health and Human Services (HHS) Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has his sights set on remaking another influential health panel, one that determines what preventive medical services insurers must cover for free.

New York Times:

Contrasts in War: Trump Sought an Exit. Putin Pushed On. Now Both Are Stuck. — The Iran and Ukraine wars underline the common limits of military force in achieving political ends, but also the differences between a dug-in Russian president and a vacillating American one.

Discussion: Fox News and National Review

Kevin Frey / MS NOW:

Maine Democrats seek a Platner-like change agent — ‘without the baggage’ — PORTLAND, Maine — After a week of political chaos, Maine voters are now left grappling with what comes next — with control of the U.S. Senate on the line. — “To be kind of let down like that, it feels like I almost got ripped off, you know?”

Discussion: The Guardian

Ken Dilanian / MS NOW:

FBI analysts fired after refusing to join Georgia 2020 election probe — The analysts, a husband and wife, told colleagues they did not believe the Trump administration's investigation was justified, sources told MS NOW. — Two Atlanta-based FBI intelligence analysts were fired last week …

Anna Betts / The Guardian:

Hunter Biden wins $1.7m in suit over Iran bribery claim by ex-CEO of Overstock.com — Biden sued Patrick Byrne for defamation over claim that he sought bribe to lobby his father to free $8bn in Iran assets — A federal judge on Friday awarded Hunter Biden $1.7m in punitive damages …

Discussion: Raw Story, New York Sun, Washington Examiner and Mediaite

Finya Swai / The Hill:
Judge awards Hunter Biden $1.7M in defamation suit against ex-Overstock CEO

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Courthouse News Service, Mediaite and Townhall

Rebecca Turco / KDBC:

Pentagon to keep National Guard activated in D.C. through Inauguration Day 2029 — WASHINGTON (7News) — The National Guard will remain activated in Washington, D.C. through Inauguration Day 2029 as part of President Donald Trump's anti-crime mission, unless the president deems otherwise, according to the Pentagon.

Kat Lonsdorf / NPR:
Minnesota is pulling troops early from D.C., as pressure grows on Michigan

Discussion: The Atlantic

Joanna Slater / Washington Post:

Vance reflects on perks of being VP — and not getting ‘too big for my britches’ — The vice president told a podcaster his life had been “totally transformed” by his post but said he wants to make sure he doesn't “internalize” the changes. — Summary — Vice President JD Vance …

Discussion: The Daily Wire

Ben Quinn / The Guardian:

Elon Musk's family foundation took Tommy Robinson to Russia, says Musk's father — Errol Musk says far-right activist is ‘a fine young man’ and held meetings with Russian business figures — Elon Musk's family foundation took Tommy Robinson to Russia, according to the billionaire X owner's father …