Sen. Lindsey Graham dies after brief illness; Sen. Mitch McConnell speaks publicly after weeks of mystery about his health

Sen. Lindsey Graham dies after brief illness; Sen. Mitch McConnell speaks publicly after weeks of mystery about his health

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump, has died after a brief illness. The South Carolina Republican...

Lindsey Graham's death kinda feels like we got a free appetizer because our entrees were taking a long time. - MP Arizona

The World Is A Safer Place Without Trump

• UN maritime agency opposes Hormuz transit fees after Trump demands protection money
• Rubio’s Past Warning About ‘Tolls’ in Hormuz Goes Viral After Trump Announcement
• Hegseth announces joint task force to identify and prosecute leakers
• One person killed in Maine in second fatal ICE-involved shooting in less than a week
• Democratic congressman says he was detained by the Israeli military and settlers in the West Bank
• Russia will respond to Ukraine with 'more powerful' strikes, Putin says

Trump: "We're gonna keep the strait, and we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the strait. We should be reimbursed for that. When we do that, we're gonna be reimbursed. We're gonna get paid."

Trump's War Plan of the Day: Subject to Change

 U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States is "reinstating" a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and will charge ships for safe passage, after another heavy exchange of fire threatened negotiations aimed at ending the war.

He said on social media that Iranian ships will no longer be able to travel through the strait and America would charge a 20% toll on eligible cargo, as the conflict with Iran has intensified after peace talks failed to deliver meaningful progress.

As a European, I don’t understand why the American people aren’t rising up. How many more people will have to be murdered by ICE before you finally decide to take action? - The Frenchie

Only in America can a story about ICE agents murdering someone be replaced by another story about ICE agents murdering someone. - Covie

Republican Shenanigans

• Trump says he suggested Lindsey Graham’s sister as interim South Carolina senator
• Trump Claims Lindsey Graham Took Back His Jan. 6 Criticism ’40 Minutes Later’
• Epstein survivors urge senators to reject Todd Blanche as AG
• Trump Stops Himself Midway Through Wild Obama Rant: ‘He’s a… Let’s Not Say’
• Not a Nance in Hell: Enten Dumps Cold Water on Mace’s Chances at Graham’s Seat
• Senate GOP faces array of disagreements with Trump
• Mitt Romney talks 2028 election, 80-year-olds 'running the world'
• Maggie Haberman Sounds Off on Trump’s NYT Subpoenas: Another ‘Bully Campaign’
• CNN’s Elie Honig Does Complete 180 on Ex-‘Friend and Colleague’ Todd Blanche

In America, you are more likely to be killed by ICE than by an immigrant. - Jamie

And Just Like That...
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R) will appoint Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of Lindsey Graham (R-SC), to fill the late senator’s vacated Senate seat, various reports said on Monday afternoon.

Seeing the initial video out from the ICE shooting in Maine…. Chilling.

This needs to stop.  NOW - Adam Kinzinger

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Rock The Voter News

• Pete Buttigieg urges Iowa Democrats to welcome party outsiders ahead of the midterms
• Are Democrats leading in Georgia? Polls show Senate, governor split
• Midwest becomes next theater in Democrats' progressive vs. moderate fight
• With Platner out, Democrat Jordan Wood relaunches U.S. Senate bid

Americans Favor Work Requirements for Members of Congress - Andy Borowitz

Yep, He's Setting Us Up For The National Guard at Voting Locations

 President Donald Trump is working to gain unprecedented control of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections this fall through a series of new assertions of presidential power, including firing key leaders of the federal Election Assistance Commission on July 9.

Despite polls showing voters favoring Democratic candidates by several points, Trump has said without evidence that the only way Democrats can win the November midterms and retake one or both chambers of Congress is if they cheat and that his efforts are necessary to prevent it.

Last week, Trump REFUSED to sign affordable housing legislation, calling it “so unimportant.”

Today, I signed a bill to cut housing costs by up to $60,000 per home, expand homeownership, and build more affordable housing.

It’s called governing, Mr. President. Maybe try it. - Gavin Newsom

I just uncovered more evidence that Donald Trump is spending hundreds of thousands of your tax dollars to print giant banners of his face and put them on government buildings.

Not only a terrible waste of the hard-earned dollars of the American people, but also an illegal use of public funds. - Senator Adam Schiff

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Business/Tech News

• Oil prices rise as Trump vows to reinstate Hormuz strait blockade, US and Iran exchange strikes
• Sen. Warnock's ban on private equity firms buying single-family homes becomes federal law
• AI buildout drives up laptop and electricity costs
• The stock-market rally now hinges more on AI than oil
• California, 11 other states sue to block Paramount’s Warner Bros. deal

Joe Biden gonna out-live all these MFs - Liam Nissan

Here Comes Da Judge...
A federal judge Monday voided President Trump’s settlement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), finding that the lawsuit that served as the hook for the $1.776 billion so-called Anti-Weaponization fund amounted to collusion as the two parties were never truly averse.

Judge Kathleen William: " Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over his leaked tax returns was filed for an improper purpose"  

She also voided his immunity deal, and recommended disciplinary action for all attorneys involved.. That would be you, Todd Blanche - OldManLefty

Your reminder that Lindsey Graham, along with Mike Crapo, Chuck Grassley, Jerry Moran, Mitch McConnell, John Thune and Roger Wicker, voted to convict Bill Clinton for lying about an affair - but acquitted Trump for attempting a coup. - anyonewantchips

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Odd News

• Space jam: astronomers detect ‘raspberry sugar’ on dust cloud in Milky Way
• A solar eclipse is coming to Europe this summer
• Synthetic rotation brings black hole energy theory into lab, amplifying waves
• The surprising health benefits of having orange hair
• US House to vote on bill to make daylight saving time permanent
• Solar-powered tricycles help Cubans navigate fuel shortages and blackouts

Time To Deflate Photo

Taha'a is a flower shaped island in the Philippines which produces vanilla and has many pearl farms.

Peace.