A K

It was a shock this morning to find out that my friend Lindsey Graham has died. He was a man who loved his work, his country, and his family. He didn’t have an easy life growing up and to me that explained a lot about him as well as his devotion to his remaining family members including his sister. It also explained his almost kid-like exuberance about his job and the responsibilities he was given (even in his sixties he would get off a plane in a foreign land with a twinkle in his eye and look at me as if to say, can you believe we are actually here and doing this?). Lindsey was loyal to friends and causes. He was willing to work on gnarly issues and take on (at times) political risks for the right reasons. It is fitting that he died shortly after visiting Ukraine, one of those causes he would stand up for through thick and thin. Much will be said in the coming days about his relationships with others—President Trump and John McCain for instance—but what can’t be forgotten is the reason why so many people he worked with—from senators to staff—will mourn his loss: Lindsey had a zest for life and the Senate that made you want to get to work on a bill with him or at least debate him. He brought joy to his job. Lindsey Graham was the one who was willing to work with me (when so few would) on helping the Afghan refugees. I remember standing outside of a little phone booth in the Republican cloakroom last year as he spoke with the Vice President, holding up a sign that said “Save the Afghans” and he put the phone on hold and said “OK OK I will go on your bill even if it gets me in trouble.” Or his early willingness to lead on big tech bills, including repealing the provision that protects them from consumer suits. But mostly my fond memories of spending time with Lindsey (and we travelled the world with John McCain) was not about the ups and downs of his policy positions. It was about his love for the world, his loyalty to hard causes and his friends, and the pure joy he brought to life. I will miss him.

"A person who spoke with Graham shortly after his call with Trump said the senator complained that he was feeling unwell. When the person urged him to seek medical attention immediately, Graham said he would do so Sunday morning after his scheduled appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' Graham joked: 'I can't die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization.' He passed away several hours later." axios.com/2026/07/12/lin…

Jill and I are shocked by the sudden passing of Lindsey Graham. Lindsey and I served together in Congress for over a decade, and worked closely on many issues throughout the years. We traveled the world together as members of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. We disagreed often, and sometimes loudly. Lindsey and I did agree on the profound importance of public service. Like me, he loved the Senate as an institution, even with all its flaws and complexities. To his family, his staff, his constituents in South Carolina, and everyone who loved him: Jill and I are keeping you in our prayers.

MCCONNELL releases a photo - and statement. “To my fellow Kentuckians –    “When you elected me to a seventh term and made me our Commonwealth’s longest serving Senator, you did so trusting that I’d keep showing up to fight for you every day. And over the past several weeks, Elaine and I have appreciated both your well wishes and your honest questions about what was keeping me away from the Senate.   “You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older. Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct – I can’t help it.   “But at the same time, I’ve had more than my share of experience with physical vulnerabilities. Surviving childhood polio meant spending my entire life with mobility challenges. They haven’t exactly gotten easier to manage with age. And last month, I took a fall which landed me in the hospital.   “My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.   “I can assure you that I’ve been a good patient. At my age, I tend to do what my doctors tell me to do. I’ve submitted to every test they can think of to help figure out what caused this incident. And I’m continuing to do everything they ask to speed my recovery. In fact, with signs of continued progress, I’ve been able to move from hospital care to a rehabilitation center where I’ll keep regaining my strength.   “As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet. But rest assured that, in the meantime, I’m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you. I’ve been working closely with my legislative staff on current issues, and with my Kentucky team who help me provide timely constituent services across our Commonwealth. I’ve also been keeping in touch with my Senate colleagues on the appropriations process, midterm politics, and everything in between.   “You’re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you. And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work. But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.   “I’ll keep working hard to get back on the Senate floor as soon as possible. And I’ll keep you posted on the progress of my recovery. Until then, I’m so grateful for your prayers and well wishes.”

Hay quien todavía mide la pertenencia por el apellido, el lugar de nacimiento o el color de piel. Otros la medimos por el arraigo a un país y la voluntad de contribuir a él. Jugando al fútbol. Cuidando a nuestros mayores. O abriendo negocios. España es de quien la ama y la trabaja. No de quien la avergüenza con declaraciones xenófobas. Francia, nos vemos en semifinales. Que gane el mejor y que pierda el racismo. eldiario.es/132_cc1544

Senator Lindsey Graham and I met 42 years ago when we were both young officers in the Air Force JAG Corps. In 2006, when I was Chief Prosecutor at Guantanamo, I worked with him and Senator John McCain on legislation for the GTMO military commissions. He and Senator McCain were the only Republicans who pushed back against the Bush administration over GTMO, the use of torture on detainees, and fair rules for the prosecution of suspected Al Qaeda terrorists. After I retired from the Air Force, I went to work for Congress as Senior Specialist in National Security and head of the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division at the Congressional Research Service. In 2009, when I got fired by the Librarian of Congress for writing an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal critical of Obama for failing to close Guantanamo as he had promised, my Democratic Congressman from Northern Virginia refused to lift a finger to help. The one member of Congress who did step up on my behalf was Senator Graham (see letter below). I wasn't one of his constituents, I wasn't a donor, I wasn't even a member of his party. He did it because he believed it was the right thing to do. In the years after, I used to run into Senator Graham from time to time in the Green Room at Fox News in DC when he and I were both waiting to do interviews. We'd talk about our Air Force days and we'd joke about our home states (North Carolina and South Carolina have always been rivals), and he was the same Lindsey Graham I had first met back in 1984. I left the DC area for Asheville in 2019, and I never saw or heard from Senator Graham again. I can't begin to explain what happened to him after Trump got elected and he became one of Trump's biggest supporters . . . I'll never understand it. I won't forgive or forget the latter years of his life, but I choose to dwell on the man I knew pre-Trump; the Lindsey Graham who was a good attorney and Air Force officer, a good senator who fought against torture and for the rule of law, and a good friend who stood up for me when others treated me like a leper. I'd like to think that John McCain has already smacked him upside the head and chewed his ass for his Trump fealty . . . and then given him a hug and welcomed him home. Rest in peace.

Lindsey Graham and I had a complicated relationship. Before Trump, we were friends. We traveled together on congressional trips around the world, including visiting Syrian refugee camps where we met children whose lives had been shattered by war. Those moments reminded us why public service mattered. After Trump, we went in very different directions, and we eventually stopped speaking. I never hid those disagreements, and I won’t rewrite that history today. But death has a way of putting things in perspective. I choose to remember the man I knew before our paths diverged—the one who cared deeply about America’s role in the world and wasn’t afraid to see suffering up close. Rest in peace, Lindsey. My prayers are with his family and all who loved him.

When I heard about Senator Graham’s death last night, the first thing I thought about was not all the things he said and did in service of Donald Trump. I thought of the time before Donald Trump when he was a brother to Senator John McCain. A time when senators from different parties could fight about politics and still be friends. A time when a conservative Republican from South Carolina could say of my father: “If you can’t admire Joe Biden as a person, you’ve got a problem. He’s the nicest person I’ve ever met in politics. As good a man as God ever created.” That is the Senator Graham I will remember today. Not because I have forgotten what came after. Because in that memory there is hope. Hope for a country where brothers can fight like hell over policy and still share a meal, and a laugh, and the loss of the people they love. I will choose to remember the time before Trump. Because I believe in an America after Trump.

Statement from the Office of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina).

@ColMoeDavis @FIFAcom Sorry to say France deserved it! Their group was a hard one! Did you see the match against Paraguay? So unfair... And the one against Morocco with 5 Argentinian referees? Mbappe's penalty was too long to validate. It took more than 3 minutes. That's why he missed that shot... 😑

.@FIFAcom has worked hard to curate the final 4 it set out to achieve. What a load of shit.

🚨🇳🇴 Alfie Haaland Blames Crucial Sørloth Decision For Norway’s Heartbreaking Exit “People will talk about the spidercam controversy. People will talk about the disallowed goal. But for me, the biggest moment came when Norway had the chance to kill the game. Alexander Sørloth had runners around him. He had options. He had teammates screaming for the pass. Instead, he chose to go alone. At this level, against a team like England, you do not get many opportunities to put the game beyond doubt. That was one of them. If Norway score there, we’re probably talking about Norway in the semi-finals today. England were struggling. They looked vulnerable. But when you leave a team alive, players like Jude Bellingham punish you. Football is cruel. One decision, one pass, one moment can change an entire tournament. Norway were brave and they should be proud, but when I look back at this match, I keep thinking about that attack. It felt like the chance to put the nail in England’s coffin. They didn’t take it, and England made them pay for it.” #NORENG

🚨🗣️New: Erling Haaland on why England’s equalizer through Bellingham against Norway should not have stood: “I don’t care how big the moment was, that goal should never have counted. The Laws of the Game are there for everyone. If the ball hits a camera cable and it changes the flight, that’s outside interference. Play stops. It’s a dropped ball. Simple.” “Instead, England score, the whole momentum changes, and suddenly Norway are chasing a completely different game. Moments like that decide international tournaments.” “Now imagine the exact same thing happened in a match involving Argentina and Messi. Be honest with yourselves, football wouldn’t hear the end of it. Every TV show, every podcast and every social media account would be calling it one of the biggest refereeing scandals of the tournament. But because it’s England, somehow people are expected to move on.” “Consistency is all players ask for. Either the Laws apply every game, or they don’t.”

If Norway eventually get knocked out it’s all thanks to Sorloth, I despise players like this, he probably got tired of Haaland making headlines what a bum

This angle of Sørloth ignoring Haaland. The reaction from Haaland says it all man. He was frustrated and disappointed, just like the rest of us.

2 v 1 with fcvking Erling Haaland by your side and you chose to feed your ego shame on you Sorloth

Allez la Norvège 🇳🇴 puis allez la Suisse 🇨🇭

All the way Norway!

YES and she blew a kiss right back 🥺❤️

Using a 2022 protest clip to predict what France would look like after a football match in 2026… peak fortune-telling 🔮 Last night, what France mainly saw were scenes of togetherness and joy.

CNEWS quand ils ont vu que tout s'est bien passé hier soir à Paris.