LIVE COVERAGEUpdated 22 minutes ago
Trump administration live updates: GOP rushes to find replacement Lindsey Graham
Sen. Mitch McConnell said in his first statement since being hospitalized a month ago that he fell and had been briefly unconscious
Questions about who will replace Graham as new image of McConnell released
01:32
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Updated July 13, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT
By NBC News
What to know today
- FILLING GRAHAM’S SEAT: Republicans are starting to scrambleto find both a temporary and a permanent replacement for Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who died over the weekend at the age of 71.
- MCCONNELL FALL: Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said yesterday in his first public statementsince he was hospitalized nearly a month ago that he was “briefly unconscious” after a fall.
- IRAN ESCALATION:TheU.S. launched another round of strikes on Iran yesterday as part of an effort that it said was intended to thwart its attacks on traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
- INDYCAR EVENT: President Donald Trump will host top IndyCar drivers at a White House event this afternoon ahead of next month’s Grand Prixin Washington, D.C., a White House official told NBC News.
22m ago / 8:00 AM EDT
Heart condition suspected in Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death is rare and can happen without warning
The tear in the aorta that doctors preliminarily believe led to the death ofGraham late Saturday is an immediately life-threatening emergency that may cause symptoms similar to those of a heart attack
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New Details Emerge in Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Cause of Death
02:43
35m ago / 7:48 AM EDT
Trump says he spoke with Graham hours before his death
Trump told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” yesterday that he spoke with Grahamon Saturday night, hours before the senator died
Trump said that “other than being tired, he was fine,” adding that he believed Graham’s death was a “quick end, and maybe that’s not the worst way to go.”
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48m ago / 7:35 AM EDT
Lindsey Graham leaves a legacy as a Trump booster, foreign policy hawk and powerful chairman
Graham, who died unexpectedly Saturday at the age of 71, leaves behind a legacy defined by his hawkish foreign policy views, a key chairmanship that helped transform the Supreme Court and his evolution from a fiery critic of Trump to one of his staunchest allies
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2h ago / 7:05 AM EDT
U.S.-Iran strikes escalate over the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to collapse ceasefire
The U.S. launched another round of strikes on Iran yesterday, part of an effort it said was intended to thwart its attacks on traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway crucial to the world’s oil supply
Tehran said it retaliated with strikes across the region, targeting U.S. facilities
The latest round of strikes began at 5 p.m. ET, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. It said on X around 10:30 p.m. that the strikes had been completed. The goal was to curb Iran’s ability to target commercial shipping in the strait at a time when the U.S. has declared it open for business and Iran has said it’s closed
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2h ago / 7:05 AM EDT
Trump to host top IndyCar drivers at the White House ahead of D.C. Grand Prix
Trump will host top IndyCar drivers at a White House event this afternoon ahead of next month’s Grand Prix here, a White House official told NBC News
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2h ago / 7:05 AM EDT
Mitch McConnell says he suffered fall, was unconscious in first statement since hospitalization
Mitch McConnell said yesterday in his first public statement since he was hospitalized nearly a month ago that he was “briefly unconscious” after he suffered a fall
In the statement, accompanied by a photo of McConnell smiling in a hospital chair alongside his wife, Elaine Chao, he said doctors have not yet cleared him to return to the Senate floor to vote
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2h ago / 7:05 AM EDT
Republicans scramble to find a replacement for Lindsey Graham ahead of the midterm elections
Republicans are starting to scramble to find both a temporary and a permanent replacement for Graham, who in June won the GOP Senate primaryin South Carolina and was expected to cruise to re-election to a fifth term in November
Hours after Graham’s death, Trump said he had a preferred replacement in mind but declined to share a name out of respect for Graham
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2h ago / 7:05 AM EDT
Sen. Gary Peters endorses Haley Stevens in Michigan Senate race
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., is endorsing Rep. Haley Stevens in the hotly contested primary to replace him in the Senate.
“Over the last eighteen years, while serving the people of Michigan, I have been surrounded by many extremely talented and dedicated partners who work tirelessly for our state. Haley Stevens has been that partner in Congress,” Peters said in a statement announcing his endorsement.
Peters later added that Stevens “will be ready on day 1 to fight for Michigan.”
Stevens called Peters “a mentor, a friend, and a role model throughout my career” in a statement touting the senator’s endorsement.
“Senator Peters knows what it takes to win in Michigan, and he knows what Michigan needs from our next U.S. senator: grit, effectiveness, hard work, and Michigan common sense. I am honored to have his support in this campaign,” Stevens said
The four-term congresswoman is facing off against former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed, a staunch progressive, in the race to replace Peters, who opted not to run for re-election this year.
Michigan’s other Democratic senator, Elissa Slotkin, has not endorsed in the race, citing a “tradition” of elected Democrats in Michigan remaining neutral in primaries.
Peters’ endorsement also comes less than a week before El-Sayed is set to rally with two of his high-profile backers: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The primary is Aug. 4.
