{"id":1063,"date":"2026-07-13T11:38:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T11:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=1063"},"modified":"2026-07-13T11:38:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T11:38:19","slug":"lindseys-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=1063","title":{"rendered":"Lindsey\u2019s Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Today\u2019s notice:<\/i><\/b> Lindsey Graham\u2019s legacy. South Carolina scrambles to pick a replacement. McConnell says a fall and pneumonia kept him in the hospital for weeks. Collins strategically stays out of the Platner debacle. Peters backs Stevens in Michigan. And: Who is behind the Freedom Fuel Network?<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more U.S. and Iran Release Mixed Messages on Strait of Hormuz Closure<\/a><\/p>\n

THE LATEST<\/b><\/h2>\n

Black cloth and a vase of white flowers<\/b> will cover the desk of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) when the Senate gavels back in from recess this afternoon. The sudden death on Saturday of one of the most well-known senators has sent shockwaves through the chamber and will reverberate in the state he represented in Washington since first being elected to the House in 1994.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers are pushing <\/b>for tougher sanctions on Russia in Graham\u2019s honor, since it was one of the policy goals he advocated for during his trip to Ukraine last week. \u201cThere can be no more fitting memorial to Lindsey, his legacy, or the causes he fought for than to pass this legislation and realize his long-held dream of an independent and secure Ukraine,\u201d Sen. Jeanne Shaheen <\/b>(D-New Hampshire) wrote in a statement<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Donald Trump<\/b>, who ordered all U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff for the week, took a spin on the Sunday shows to say that Graham pushed for the SAVE America Act in their final phone call, Jenna writes<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

All eyes now are on South Carolina<\/b> to fill the Senate seat. A field of Republican candidates is forming fast, as Gov. Henry McMaster<\/b> met with Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette<\/b> on Sunday to discuss the interim appointment.<\/p>\n

A few House members with failed bids for governor<\/b> considered throwing their hats in the ring. Rep. Ralph Norman<\/b> expects to make an announcement Tuesday, he told NOTUS<\/u><\/span>. \u201cYes!!\u201d he said when asked to confirm. Rep. Nancy Mace<\/b> teased a bid on X: \u201cjust when I thought I was out\u2026 they pull me back in\u2026\u201d with a clip from the \u201cThe Godfather Part III.\u201d Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York) called her post \u201cgrotesque.\u201d<\/p>\n

A conversation with Trump<\/b> may have dissuaded Rep. Joe Wilson<\/b> from seeking the Senate seat. Wilson assured Trump that he planned to stay in his House seat \u201cto keep his two-vote majority for the American people!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

The legacy Graham leaves behind<\/b> is defined by his outspoken positions on foreign policy and ability to maneuver from a staunch Trump critic in 2016 to one of the president\u2019s closest allies, NOTUS\u2019 Paul Kane writes<\/u><\/span> in his latest column.<\/p>\n

More detail about Sen. Mitch McConnell\u2019s weekslong absence from the Senate. <\/b>The Kentucky Republican\u2019s office issued a statement last night \u2014 paired with a photo of McConnell with his wife, Elaine Chao, and a newspaper whose date cannot be read clearly \u2014 saying he suffered a fall and a mild case of pneumonia, and still won\u2019t be seen in public for the foreseeable future, Jenna writes<\/u><\/span>. \u201cAs much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won\u2019t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open tabs:<\/b> Survivors of Iranian attack that killed 6 U.S. troops say generals ignored warnings<\/u><\/span> (Washington Post); Trump defends Bondi amid MAGA fallout over her handling of Epstein investigation<\/u><\/span> (CNN); Ro Khanna accuses Israeli military of \u2018lying\u2019 about West Bank incident that led to detainment<\/u><\/span> (The Hill); U.S. and Iran Release Mixed Messages on Strait of Hormuz Closure<\/u><\/span> (NOTUS)<\/p>\n

From the White House<\/b><\/h2>\n

The rapper, the pardon and \u2026 the con men?<\/b> \u201cI got scammed, man,\u201d Torence Hatch<\/b>, better known as the rapper Boosie Badazz, told Jasmine last month. She and NOTUS\u2019 Taylor Giorno have a detailed look<\/u><\/span> today at Hatch\u2019s run through the MAGA fringes in the hopes of obtaining a pardon from Trump through a murky lobbying system Hatch dumped $600,000 into. The pardon never came.<\/p>\n

This tale features the far-right operatives Jacob Wohl<\/b> and Jack Burkman<\/b> and the lucrative economy that has come together around this White House\u2019s unique approach to the president\u2019s unchecked power to alter the lives of people convicted of federal crimes.<\/p>\n

What makes this story unique <\/b>is that Hatch, feeling scorned, has opened the first known arbitration taken against a pardon lobbyist or firm duringTrump\u2019s second term. NOTUS has text messages and contracts detailing what was allegedly promised to Hatch. There are also plenty of quotes from all levels of the pardon process in Trump 2.0, including the White House.<\/p>\n

From the campaign trail<\/b><\/h2>\n

Susan Collins\u2019 cruise control. <\/b>\u201cShe has done a really good job of making this the Democrats\u2019 problem and not inserting herself into this, which I think a less seasoned politician would have screwed up,\u201d a national Republican operative told NOTUS\u2019 Al Weaver<\/u><\/span> of the way the Republican senator from Maine has navigated the Graham Platner <\/b>faceplant.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next: <\/b>Democrats open Pandora\u2019s box on a sure-to-be chaotic and divisive mini-primary to replace Platner, losing valuable weeks of general election campaigning time in an attempt to repair their tattered Senate race plans. Meanwhile, Al writes, Collins is striding back into the Senate for a four-week sprint focused on putting her stamp on a range of spending bills.<\/p>\n

Sen. Gary Peters gets off the fence in Michigan. <\/b>For months, the retiring Democrat has stayed out of the primary to replace him \u2014 even as the party establishment (and his wife<\/u><\/span>) publicly endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens<\/b>. This morning, he joins them, officially calling on primary voters to back Stevens over the AOC<\/b>-endorsed Abdul El-Sayed. <\/b><\/p>\n

NOTUS METRO<\/b><\/h2>\n

Sign up for our local newsletter. NOTUS has some of the best reporters covering D.C.-area news, sports and culture. Sign up for all the latest<\/u><\/span>, launching July 20!<\/p>\n

Local news.<\/b> Are Your Solar Panels to Blame for D.C.\u2019s High Electricity Bills?<\/u><\/span> By Martin Austermuhle<\/p>\n

NEW ON NOTUS<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u2018Freedom Fuel\u2019 mystery.<\/b> The Trump administration says it\u2019s not involved with the viral group of rebranded gas stations selling cheap gas under the \u201cFreedom Fuel\u201d name, NOTUS\u2019 Angie Orellana Hernandez reports<\/u><\/span>. But the White House is certainly supportive of the idea and has promoted it on its feeds. \u201cThere is no other entity or person subsidizing the lower gasoline costs,\u201d a White House official said. \u201cThey are simply reducing their margin to make prices at the pump more affordable for drivers in Philadelphia and New Jersey. This retailer is taking the lead; others should follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

More:<\/b> Trump Officials Have Told Agencies to Find More Workers to Make At-Will<\/u><\/span>, by Eric Katz<\/p>\n

Trump Wants to Scale Up Munitions Production, But Congress Hasn\u2019t Yet Funded It<\/u><\/span>, by Joe Gould<\/p>\n

Warren Slams Senate Leaders over Ethics Gaps in GOP-Led Crypto Bill<\/u><\/span>, by Avani Kalra<\/p>\n

NOT US<\/b><\/h2>\n

Read more Are Your Solar Panels to Blame for D.C.\u2019s High Electricity Bills?<\/a><\/p>\n