memeorandum: Sen. Lindsey Graham toured top secret Ukrainian ‘Skyfall’ drone factory days before his death (Anthony Blair/New York Post)

8:50 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 …

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, Bloomberg, The Hill, NOTUS, MS NOW, NPR, JONATHAN TURLEY, Raw Story, New York Post, Townhall, NewsMax.com, TMZ.com, Salon, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Vanity Fair, Mediaite, CBS News and Semafor

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: Washington Examiner, Straight Arrow, NPR, emptywheel, Raw Story and Roll Call

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: CBS News, NPR, New York Times, CNN, Axios, Staff Stories, The Hill, Breitbart, NewsMax.com, New York Sun, CNBC, The Daily Signal, ABC News, Townhall, The Independent, Politico, Al Jazeera, GB News, The Daily Wire, The Post Millennial, twitchy.com, Fox News, RTÉ, Mediaite and Stars & Stripes

Troy Matthews / MeidasTouch:

Sen. Lindsey Graham Dead at 71 — A spokesperson said he died of a “brief and sudden illness.” — Add us on … South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has passed away at the age of 71. The four-term Senator and stauch Trump ally died of a “brief and sudden illness” according to a spokesperson from his office.

Discussion: Associated Press, TMZ.com, Newsweek and RedState

Wall Street Journal:

Lindsey Graham, Longtime Republican Senator, Dies at 71 — GOP stalwart and Trump ally backed tough action against Iran and support for Israel — Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican senator, former presidential candidate and most recently a hawkish advocate of the war on Iran, has died, his office said early Sunday morning.

Discussion: NPR and The Independent

Anthony Blair / New York Post:

Sen. Lindsey Graham toured top secret Ukrainian ‘Skyfall’ drone factory days before his death — US Senator Lindsey Graham visited a secret Ukrainian military drone factory just one day before his sudden death Saturday evening age 71. — The South Carolina Republican toured …

Discussion: Ukrainska Pravda, Reuters and Radio Free Europe/Radio …

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: The Philadelphia Inquirer, Reuters 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, RTÉ, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner, Raw Story and Arab News

Wall Street Journal:
U.S. and Iran Ramp Up Attacks in Fight Over Strait of Hormuz

Discussion: Axios, New York Post, Associated Press, GB News, The Times of Israel, Politico, RedState and Washington Examiner

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

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

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

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

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 …

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.

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:

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

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

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 …

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

Discussion: twitchy.com, Raw Story and The Times of Israel

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 and Associated Press

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.

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

Anastasia Tsioulcas / NPR:

An artist brought ‘I.C.E. pops’ to a Texas campus. The show was shut down in days — An art exhibition by Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez, whose work comments on issues facing U.S. Latinos, seemed like a natural fit for the campus of the University of North Texas in Denton, north of Dallas.

Al Jazeera:

Iran war live: Middle East on high alert as IRGC, US military trade blows — Iran claims attacks on Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman with missiles and suicide drones as fears rise of a return to full-scale war in the Middle East.

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

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

emptywheel:

Trump Confirms: Accepting a Flying Bribery Palace Made Him Less Safe — From the moment Trump posted a tweet claiming he was sending his Flying Bribery Palace back separately from the NATO summit in Ankara, the entire world knew there was a problem with the jet Qatar gifted him.

Discussion: HuffPost, more at Mediagazer »