<p>The Democratic Socialists of America, buoyed by a slew of recent victories, have unveiled a new platform they insist &#8220;isn&#8217;t extreme&#8221; despite calling for fully disbanding the U.S. Senate and the presidency, replacing the Supreme Court, and defunding the U.S. military.</p>
<p>The DSA&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://program.dsausa.org">program</a>&#8221; was drafted by elected representatives between April and June of 2026, and is titled &#8220;Workers Deserve More.&#8221; The project, once completed, was voted on and approved by the DSA’s National Political Committee (NPC).</p>
<h4>Abolish the U.S. Senate.</h4>
<p>The DSA, according to the 2026 program, would &#8220;replace the two-party system with a multi-party democracy. Expand the House of Representatives, implement proportional representation and ranked choice voting in all elections, and abolish the Senate.&#8221;</p>
<p>DSA co-chair Ashik Siddique argued that getting rid of the Senate —  which has functioned more or less as outlined by Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution for 239 years — was not really an &#8220;extreme&#8221; position and would only serve to make the country &#8220;more democratic.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">DSA Co-Chair: We Want To Abolish The Senate</p>
<p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s extreme.&#8221;</p>
<p>This is now part of the Democrat party &#8216;Big Tent.&#8217; <a href="https://t.co/xeMJW8kyig">https://t.co/xeMJW8kyig</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ld033xjgYc">pic.twitter.com/Ld033xjgYc</a></p>
<p>— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/2077008014482014211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Siddique made no mention of the fact that the Senate was designed explicitly to be a backstop against direct democracy, which the Founding Fathers believed would likely descend quickly into instability and mob rule.</p>
<p>In addition to throwing out the Senate — and increasing the size of the U.S. House — the DSA has plans to overhaul the remaining two branches of government. Instead of three co-equal branches that serve as checks and balances on each other, they would have an executive and judiciary wholly controlled by the newly expanded House.</p>
<h4>Replace the Supreme Court — and the President.</h4>
<p>&#8220;For the working class to govern, we need a new political system,&#8221; the DSA program reads. &#8220;End political corruption and legalized bribery: get rid of lobbyists, dark money, and Citizens United, and publicly finance all elections. Abolish the Electoral College. Replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.&#8221;</p>
<p>The DSA&#8217;s Michaela Brangan and Frances Gill shrugged off the complete dismantling of the American political system as not terribly &#8220;radical&#8221; and just a necessary step toward accomplishing their goals.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">“We might not even have a president.”<br />
“Abolish the Senate, abolish the Supreme Court.”</p>
<p>DSA leaders make it official: “It’s a requirement now” for endorsed candidates to support their radical program to dismantle the U.S. government. <a href="https://t.co/6MYdIkgrLs">pic.twitter.com/6MYdIkgrLs</a></p>
<p>— Canary Mission (@canarymission) <a href="https://x.com/canarymission/status/2077735695976636794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Brangan even <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA9hArZKYq4">opened</a> the conversation by touting the fact that the program went live on Bastille Day, a holiday she said was of particular importance to socialists. She did not mention the fact that Bastille Day — commemorating the July 14, 1789, storming of the Bastille — was just the beginning of a decade of chaos that included some 15,000 political executions during the Reign of Terror and ended with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.</p>
<p>Following the complete reinvention of the federal government, the DSA also has plans for the military.</p>
<h4>Close all foreign military bases, defund the military, and defer to the International Criminal Court on &#8220;war crimes.&#8221;</h4>
<p>The program effectively calls for an end to all wars and foreign military action — and while it does not call for an end to foreign military aid across the board, it does single out Israel and say that all aid to the Jewish state should be terminated.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defund the Department of War. End all foreign wars and close overseas military bases,&#8221; it reads. &#8220;Support and fully employ veterans. End immunity for U.S. war criminals and support the International Criminal Court&#8217;s mandate to prosecute war crimes.&#8221;</p>
<p>The rest of the program reads like part Marxist wishlist, part antisemitic fever dream: demanding open borders and mass amnesty; calling for a free Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital; and demanding the confiscation of large corporations and &#8220;aggressive wealth taxes.&#8221;</p>
<p>And while many of those things might seem outlandish and a long way off, the recent string of DSA-backed victories speaks to just how close they could be under certain conditions.</p>
<p>New York City&#8217;s DSA-supported Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-official-throws-cold-water-on-mamdanis-netanyahu-promise">Zohran Mamdani</a>, for example, has already begun to put the program into action, telling The New York Times that he was investigating whether he had the authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu based on ICC charges stating that he&#8217;d committed &#8220;war crimes.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani said during the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/18/magazine/zohran-mamdani-interview.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a>. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.&#8221;</p>
<p>Three more DSA-backed candidates in New York, elevated by Mamdani ahead of their primaries, will soon hold elected office as well — and they&#8217;re not alone.</p>
<p>And while some within the party are <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/panic-sets-in-dems-tailspin-as-they-realize-the-hostile-socialist-takeover-already-started">sounding the alarm</a> — former Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), Democratic strategist James Carville, and comedian Bill Maher — many are ignoring the &#8220;socialist&#8221; part in a desperate bid to get more &#8220;democrats&#8221; on Capitol Hill.</p>


Mamdani Soviet Style

DSA Uses Newfound Power To Get Even More Extreme

Democratic Socialists Of America

Media

Politics

Socialism

Zohran Mamdani

<p>Ousted CNN anchor Don Lemon claimed during a recent interview that the MAGA movement was &#8220;America’s version&#8221; of the Nazi Party, just &#8220;without the Holocaust and all that stuff.&#8221;</p>
<p>Lemon, joining hosts Karman Wong and Travis Dhanraj, made the remarks during an appearance on the &#8220;Can&#8217;t Be Censored&#8221; podcast. Although he acknowledged President Donald Trump was not actually working to orchestrate a genocide like Nazi Germany, Lemon argued Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Make America Great Again&#8221; movement was the &#8220;closest&#8221; thing anyone had seen to it.</p>
<p>&#8220;MAGA is the closest thing to the modern version of the Nazi Party. This is America’s version. It’s the closest thing, without the Holocaust and all that stuff,&#8221; Lemon said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most intelligent people or logical people, when they get new information and that information is negative or not factual, then they change their minds and go, ‘Oh, well I wish I’d known better, and now that I have this information, then I can readjust,’&#8221; Lemon claimed, arguing that Trump supporters responded differently to new information because they were driven by other motivations.</p>
<p>He went on to argue that Trump voters didn&#8217;t care about affordability because what they were actually voting for was &#8220;white supremacy.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;They’re afraid of, they’ve been co-opted by many people in the Republican Party and Donald Trump to think that their failures are due to something else: the other, the black person, the woman, the Latino, the immigrant, the migrant. That person is taking your job. That person is the reason that you don’t have the financial or career success that you think you should have,&#8221; Lemon said, suggesting that the Trump administration was adopting the strategy used by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler when he attempted to convince the German people that the Jews were the source of their problems.</p>
<p>Dhanraj asked whether Lemon believed that Trump&#8217;s administration had gone &#8220;off the rails,&#8221; and Lemon quickly interrupted.</p>
<p>&#8220;It’s not off the rails. We’ve careened into fascism. The president is a fascist,&#8221; Lemon insisted.</p>


Don Lemon

Don Lemon Compares MAGA To The Nazi Party, But ‘Without The Holocaust And All That Stuff’

Don Lemon: MAGA Is Like The Nazi Party, But 'Without The Holocaust And All That Stuff'

Donald Trump

Holocaust

MAGA

<p>New York City&#8217;s Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani has, like many socialists before him, staked his reputation on fighting for the &#8220;working class&#8221; — but even when asked directly to do so, he could not define what exactly &#8220;working class&#8221; is.</p>
<p>Mamdani&#8217;s efforts in New York City have focused on things like rent freezes and additional taxes on the wealthy and business owners. And when the math doesn&#8217;t quite work out — largely because business owners invest where the government is less hostile — he demands a bailout from Albany and then touts his agenda as a resounding success. All of that is built around his goal of making things more affordable for the &#8220;working class&#8221; — and when <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/18/magazine/zohran-mamdani-interview.html">the New York Times&#8217;</a> Lulu Garcia-Navarro asked him about it directly, he struggled to define the term.</p>
<p>&#8220;Part of this discussion, of course, is the organization that you are part of, which is the D.S.A., and it’s having a moment, right?&#8221; Garcia-Navarro began. &#8220;They are being discussed in both good ways and bad, to put it mildly. And at the heart of it is this idea that they are fighting for the working class. And it made me wonder: How do you define the working class?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I think if you have to work to pay your bills, I think that that is one definition of being a part of the working class,&#8221; Mamdani replied.</p>
<p>&#8220;So someone making $250,000 a year is working class?&#8221; Garcia-Navarro pushed back.</p>
<p>&#8220;I haven’t asked myself where it starts and stops,&#8221; Mamdani said, adding, &#8220;What I would say is those who are working to try and afford the basic dignities of life and aren’t able to do so, I think that that is also working class.&#8221;</p>
<p>He went on to say that the &#8220;working class&#8221; — which he still had not really defined — was the only real &#8220;majority&#8221; in the United States.</p>
<p class="css-aa8b97-Paragraph-baseStyles-paragraphTreatmentStyles-print evys1bk0">&#8220;It just seems a very easy answer to what is a complicated question,&#8221; Garcia-Navarro continued to press, clearly not buying Mamdani&#8217;s spin. &#8220;Because politically, if you’re saying everyone is the working class, or anyone that gets a salary is the working class, yes, that opens up your tent. But practically speaking, we are divided by income — and especially if you want to tax people, where you draw those lines matter.&#8221;</p>
<p class="css-aa8b97-Paragraph-baseStyles-paragraphTreatmentStyles-print evys1bk0">&#8220;I’ve drawn it at about a million dollars a year,&#8221; Mamdani said.</p>
<p class="css-aa8b97-Paragraph-baseStyles-paragraphTreatmentStyles-print evys1bk0">Garcia-Navarro responded with the obvious question: &#8220;So anyone under a million dollars a year in income is working class?&#8221;</p>
<p>Mamdani laughed off the question, adding, &#8220;That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying, in terms of fiscal policy, I think a lot of our politics has been a debate over who you leave out. And I’m more interested in debates of how you bring more in. But yes, I do want to raise taxes on people who make more than a million a year.&#8221;</p>
<p class="css-aa8b97-Paragraph-baseStyles-paragraphTreatmentStyles-print evys1bk0">&#8220;Someone who is a janitor is going to feel some kind of way about that description if you’re lumping them in with someone who’s a lawyer. That feels like a distinction that might matter,&#8221; Garcia-Navarro tried once more.</p>
<p class="css-aa8b97-Paragraph-baseStyles-paragraphTreatmentStyles-print evys1bk0">Mamdani finally addressed the question directly, though he still failed to answer it. Instead, he argued that fixating on definitions — such as &#8220;what is a Democratic socialist?&#8221; and &#8220;what exactly makes someone working class?&#8221;— was a political distraction that kept people from getting things done.</p>
<p>Apparently frustrated with the question, he added, &#8220;Look, I think I’ve defined it to you as someone who works to afford their life.&#8221;</p>


Mamdani Takes Reins Of New York City After Historic Election Win

Mamdani’s Main Goal Is Helping The ‘Working Class.’ He Can’t Define It.

Mamdani's Main Goal Is Helping 'The Working Class.' He Can't Define It.

Democratic Socialism

New York

New York City

wealth

<p>Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico learned the hard way that his prospective constituents expect him to answer their questions when they take the time to attend his campaign events.</p>
<p>Talarico, who bested Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) to win the Senate primary, struggled to find answers when a woman called him out at a recent event, warning him that he would &#8220;suffer the consequences&#8221; if he chose not to stay and answer questions from the people in attendance.</p>
<p>&#8220;So you stay here! You answer our questions, or you suffer the consequences,&#8221; she shouted.</p>
<p>Another attendee cheered her on, shouting, &#8220;Say it with your chest!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m happy to engage,&#8221; Talarico, clearly taken aback, responded.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, you talk to your staff,&#8221; the woman shot back.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll come to — here in just a second,&#8221; Talarico said, adding, &#8220;I appreciate you being here, and I appreciate you traveling in, and I appreciate you —&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I did it for my people, not for you,&#8221; the woman said, prompting applause from around the room.</p>
<p>&#8220;And that&#8217;s wonderful,&#8221; Talarico replied. &#8220;I think that&#8217;s wonderful.&#8221;</p>
<p>As the crowd began to murmur, Talarico continued, &#8220;It&#8217;s all right. It&#8217;s all right, that&#8217;s what this conversation is supposed to be about.&#8221;</p>
<p>At the same event, Texas Democratic state Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons — who supported Crockett in the earlier primary — <a href="https://x.com/FBugenhagen_/status/2078936200061026390">explained</a> why she was throwing her weight behind Talarico: &#8220;Primaries are family fights. We licked our wounds on Tuesday then we woke up ready for war.&#8221;</p>
<p>But despite Simmons&#8217; assessment, one key figure has been markedly absent from Talarico&#8217;s campaign events: Crockett. In the days since the primary, instead of helping Talarico across the finish line, Crockett has instead claimed that the primary was &#8220;racist&#8221; and has said that her time and efforts were better spent in supporting and endorsing black candidates in other races.</p>


Texas State Representative Talarico Holds Primary Election Night Event

James Talarico Stammers As Black Woman Berates Him For Not Answering Questions At Event

2026 Midterms

Democrats

James Talarico

Texas

<p>Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) encouraged members of her party to embrace the term &#8220;socialist.&#8221;</p>
<p>Moore made an appearance on C-SPAN, where she claimed that Republicans argued that any government regulation of any industry — particularly for environmental reasons — amounted to &#8220;socialism,&#8221; and said that Democrats needed to stop being &#8220;shy&#8221; about owning that.</p>
<p><strong>WATCH:</strong></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Democrat Rep. Gwen Moore says Democrats should embrace the word &#8220;socialist.&#8221;</p>
<p>MOORE: “Regulating industry…they wanna call that socialist&#8230;Democrats have got to stop being shy about that term.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/cFjN8GGNM8">pic.twitter.com/cFjN8GGNM8</a></p>
<p>— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2077397542556270701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&#8220;Regulating industry so that they don&#8217;t dump poison into the water and the air, they want to call that socialist,&#8221; she said. &#8220;To try to have alternative energy sources and to diminish our fossil fuel imprint, they call that socialist.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;So I think that Democrats have got to stop being shy about that term,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>In the same segment, Moore was asked to respond to a caller who&#8217;d said that all Democrats had become socialists — and to the fact that socialism, across the board, had failed everywhere it had been tried.</p>
<p><strong>WATCH:</strong></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">C-SPAN: &#8220;[Socialism] has been tried in other countries like Venezuela to a disastrous effect&#8230;&#8221;</p>
<p>Democrat Rep. Gwen Moore: &#8220;Bill Clinton&#8230;said that if we were in Europe as Democrats we would be five different parties&#8230;we are a big tent.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/mYWlqTZ6TZ">pic.twitter.com/mYWlqTZ6TZ</a></p>
<p>— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2077404669869986293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&#8220;We had a caller just recently say that all Democrats are socialists now, and that this has been tried in other countries like Venezuela to a disastrous effect. I want to get your take on that, and where you see your party moving,&#8221; the host said.</p>
<p>Moore responded by referencing a comment from former President Bill Clinton, saying that he&#8217;d pointed out the fact that &#8220;if we were in Europe as Democrats, we would be five different parties. We&#8217;d be the Labor Party, we&#8217;d be Democratic Socialists, we&#8217;d be the Progressive Party, we&#8217;d be the Liberal Party, so we are a big tent.&#8221;</p>
<p>But while some within the Democratic Party — like Moore — defend the rise of socialism in the ranks, others are sounding the alarm. Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fetterman-says-democrats-are-flirting-with-something-americans-used-to-fear">John Fetterman</a> (D-PA) has been a vocal critic of the socialists in the party, as have Gov. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/panic-sets-in-dems-tailspin-as-they-realize-the-hostile-socialist-takeover-already-started">Josh Shapiro</a> (D-PA), former Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/crazy-sht-former-dem-senator-delivers-blistering-tirade-at-partys-socialist-drift">Joe Manchin</a> (D-WV), and even comedian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-maher-is-not-down-with-the-jew-hating-socialists-my-vote-is-in-play">Bill Maher</a>.</p>
<p>The self-described Democratic Socialists aren&#8217;t hiding their agenda, either: targeting established Democrats in safe blue cities and states, they are rapidly taking control of the party from within. And according to the co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America — a group with which many of these candidates are affiliated — the group&#8217;s goals include major changes, such as abolishing the United States Senate to make the nation &#8220;more democratic.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">DSA Co-Chair: We Want To Abolish The Senate</p>
<p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s extreme.&#8221;</p>
<p>This is now part of the Democrat party &#8216;Big Tent.&#8217; <a href="https://t.co/xeMJW8kyig">https://t.co/xeMJW8kyig</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ld033xjgYc">pic.twitter.com/Ld033xjgYc</a></p>
<p>— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/2077008014482014211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>


US House Committee on Ways and Means hearing

House Dem Calls On Party To Embrace The Word ‘Socialist’

<p>Angie Sullivan, of the &#8220;I&#8217;ve Had It&#8221; podcast, told her cohost Jennifer Welch that she was inherently distrustful of parents who actually enjoy spending time with their children.</p>
<p>Sullivan made the comments in the broader context of a conversation about homeschooling — which she also does not like, for a variety of reasons — and she said that it was &#8220;weird&#8221; to imagine mothers wanting to spend all of their time with their children.</p>
<p><strong>WATCH:</strong></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">‘I’ve Had It’ co-host Angie Sullivan on homeschooling&#8230;.</p>
<p>“You would not believe how many people in Bible study homeschool their kids, and you just think, ah, I worry about that.”</p>
<p>“I just think homeschooling is a bad idea from soup to nuts. I don’t care if you’re a nuclear… <a href="https://t.co/GKbhROgDGs">pic.twitter.com/GKbhROgDGs</a></p>
<p>— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://x.com/CurtisHouck/status/2077129530045559032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Sullivan began by suggesting that it was a red flag that so many women involved in Bible study also chose to homeschool their children.</p>
<p>&#8220;You would not believe how many people in Bible study homeschool their kids, and you just think, eeehhhh, I worry about that. And then you see those witness booklets or whatever they&#8217;re called that the Duggar&#8217;s used, and they&#8217;re like, top out at eighth grade &#8230;&#8221; she said, scrunching up her face in obvious revulsion in a clear attempt to tie all Christians and homeschoolers to the Duggar family&#8217;s more recent trials.</p>
<p>&#8220;I just think homeschooling is a bad idea from soup to nuts. I don’t care if you’re a nuclear physicist. I think it’s just f*cking weird as f*ck that you want your kids around you all day, every day, and all night,&#8221; she added, suggesting that she would have strapped her own children to her back and &#8220;crawled&#8221; if that was the only way to get them out of her house and to school each day — if only just &#8220;to get them where I wasn&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;So, I don’t trust somebody that wants to be with their kids 24/7. I think a lot of dumb people do it because it’s just easier, and that’s a concern,&#8221; she said, arguing that homeschooling was somehow &#8220;easier&#8221; for parents than putting children on the bus and washing their hands of the entire situation.</p>
<p>She then complained that kids who homeschooled could get all their work done in a few hours because they were not tied to the school&#8217;s schedule, arguing that gave the kids too much free time: &#8220;I just can’t think of very many good things about homeschooling.&#8221;</p>


One Story. One Future: GLAAD Celebrates Pride 2025

Popular Leftist Podcaster Doesn’t Trust Moms Who Like Their Kids

Liberal Woman Doesn't Trust Moms Who Actually Like Their Kids

Education

Homeschooling

Jennifer Welch

<p>Acclaimed actor Sam Neill passed away this week at the age of 78, and while most people remember him for his iconic role as Dr. Alan Grant in the Steven Spielberg blockbuster &#8220;Jurassic Park,&#8221; my immediate thought was of one scene in the 1990 thriller &#8220;The Hunt for Red October.&#8221;</p>
<p>In that film, Neill played Soviet Captain Vasili Borodin — serving under Captain Marko Ramius, who was played by the late Sean Connery. When Ramius reveals his plan to defect to the United States, his loyal second-in command is ready to follow him. But knowing nothing beyond his life in the Soviet Union at the height go the Cold War, he struggles to wrap his brain around the concept of liberty.</p>
<p><strong>WATCH:</strong></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="The Hunt for Red October (5/9) Movie CLIP - Living in America (1990) HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P8JW75Lv25k?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&#8220;I will live in Montana. And I will marry a round American woman and raise rabbits, and she will cook them for me,&#8221; Borodin begins, his dreams getting bigger with every word. &#8220;And I will have a pickup truck &#8230; maybe even a &#8216;recreational vehicle.&#8217; And drive from state to state &#8230; Do they let you do that?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I suppose,&#8221; Ramius replies.</p>
<p>&#8220;No papers?&#8221; Borodin is incredulous.</p>
<p>&#8220;No papers, state to state,&#8221; Ramius repeats.</p>
<p>Borodin continues: &#8220;Well then, in winter I will live in &#8230; Arizona. Actually, I think I will need two wives.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, at least,&#8221; Ramius agrees.</p>
<p>Spoiler alert: Borodin is killed before the end of the film and never gets to realize his dream. His last words are, &#8220;I would have liked to have seen Montana.&#8221;</p>
<p>But in his real life, in his own way, Neill lived out that Soviet&#8217;s dream.</p>
<p>Born in Ireland, Neill moved to New Zealand with his family when he was just seven years old, and for the rest of his life, he felt more connected to his adopted home than to his birthplace.</p>
<p>Even after reaching the heights of fame — in major releases such as &#8220;Jurassic Park,&#8221; &#8220;The Hunt for Red October,&#8221; &#8220;Event Horizon,&#8221; and more — and building a film career that spanned more than five decades, Neill often preferred the open space and quiet he found at home, making acclaimed pinot noirs at his Two Paddocks winery.</p>
<p>Neill filled his life with animals, many of whom he named after his celebrity friends, joking that the names were meant to ensure that he&#8217;d never eat them. He always asked friends&#8217; permission before naming animals after them, he said, and noted that &#8220;many of them then take an interest in their namesakes. Helena Bonham Carter is always keen to know if she’s calved again.&#8221;</p>
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<p>&#8220;I am so honored to have a pig named after me,&#8221; actress Annette Bening told Kelly Clarkson on her eponymous show in 2024 — and then revealed the reason she&#8217;d been so tickled to have Neill recognize her in that way.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, it’s Sam Neill! I mean, oh my god. I have a crush on him, I’m just going to put it out there,&#8221; she admitted.</p>
<p>For Neill, the move to a simpler existence was about balance. He loved acting to the very end, but it was his animals and his wine-making venture that truly made him happy. As he told the West Australian, &#8220;I’d like the vineyard to support me but I’m afraid it is the other way round. It is not a very economic business.&#8221;</p>
<p>As it turned out, he loved the feeling of caring for the land and creating something with his own sweat and toil.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is a ridiculously time- and money-consuming business. I would not do it if it was not so satisfying and fun — and it gets me pissed once in a while,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;I wanted to produce a good pinot noir that would, at the very least, be enjoyed by my family and friends &#8230; <span style="font-size: 16px;">Frankly, my friends will pretty much drink anything, so this didn&#8217;t seem too hard.&#8221;</span></p>
<p>Neill was far from alone in his desire to embrace the simpler things. Story <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/weekend-plans-with-gary-sinise-the-most-patriotic-actor-in-america">after story</a> has surfaced in recent years highlighting celebrities making the move away from industry hubs such as New York and Los Angeles, particularly when it means they can raise their children away from the Hollywood bubble.</p>
<p>What is it about the simpler existence that&#8217;s so appealing? Maybe Neill had it right all along: There&#8217;s something truly gratifying about the idea that you can pour your own blood, sweat, and tears into a project and create something that wasn&#8217;t there before — whether it be a healthy family, your own peace of mind, or just a really good pinot noir.</p>


SPAIN-CINEMA-FILM-FESTIVAL

The Late ‘Jurassic Park’ Star’s Life Offers A Lesson America Still Needs

Celebrities

Hollywood

Montana

Movies

New Zealand

Soviet Union

Upstream

<p>Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan — nominated to the high court in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama — took a moment on Tuesday to remember the late Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and had only kind words to say about him.</p>
<p>Kagan recalled her confirmation process, noting specifically how strange it was for a Republican to vote in favor of her confirmation when the nominee was chosen by a Democratic president — and vice versa — and said that Graham had approached the process with &#8220;seriousness&#8221; appropriate for the situation.</p>
<p><strong>WATCH:</strong></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Justice Elena Kagan on her 2010 confirmation hearing: &#8220;Many people have talked about how funny Senator Graham was&#8230;What I remember about that hearing was that somehow Senator Graham made me look funny, which is a harder thing entirely, by asking me what I had done on… <a href="https://t.co/U6IFdoGIwN">pic.twitter.com/U6IFdoGIwN</a></p>
<p>— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2077039841267646902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Kagan began by offering her condolences to Graham&#8217;s family and friends, adding that &#8220;the entire Court&#8221; wished them well.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll just say that I didn&#8217;t get many Republican votes when I was confirmed to the Supreme Court,&#8221; Kagan said with a smile, adding, &#8220;And that&#8217;s the usual state of things today.&#8221;</p>
<p>She went on to say that it was even more striking to see a Republican from a deep red state like South Carolina cast a cross-party vote for a nominee: &#8220;And yet, Senator Graham voted for me.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I vividly remember, because he was a vivid person, the conversation that we had in his office prior to my hearing,&#8221; Kagan said. &#8220;It was a long conversation; he took the opportunity to get to know me. He questioned me with great seriousness and great knowledge about my record. &#8230; And I still more vividly remember the conversations we had at my hearing itself.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;In the last day or so, many people have talked about how funny Senator Graham was. I think Al Franken said that he was the funniest man in the Senate,&#8221; Kagan continued. &#8220;What I remember about that hearing was that somehow Senator Graham made me look funny, which is a harder thing entirely, by asking me what I had done on Christmas. &#8230; Many people said to me afterwards that exchange with Senator Graham was the moment my confirmation was sealed.&#8221;</p>
<p>Graham mentioned his vote for Kagan during his famous tirade at Justice <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/flashback-the-lindsey-graham-speech-that-turned-the-tide-for-brett-kavanaugh">Brett Kavanaugh&#8217;s</a> hearing. To Kavanaugh, he said, &#8220;When you see Sotomayor and Kagan, tell them that Lindsey said hello because I voted for them.&#8221;</p>
<p>He turned his attention back to the Democrats and said, &#8220;I would never do to them what you’ve done to this guy. This is the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn’t have done what you’ve done to this guy.&#8221;</p>


Kagan, Barrett To Defend Budget As Hill Tensions Simmer

Obama-Appointed Justice Has Only Kind Words For Lindsey Graham

Brett Kavanaugh

Elena Kagan

Lindsey Graham

Supreme Court

<p>President Donald Trump reacted on Tuesday to the news that the FBI was looking into the recent death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), saying that he believed the agency was &#8220;wasting their time.&#8221;</p>
<p>Arguing that Graham — who died late Saturday evening of what the medical examiner&#8217;s office believes to be an aortic dissection — had most likely died of natural causes, he questioned the wisdom of expending personnel and effort on an investigation.</p>
<p><strong>WATCH:</strong></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🚨 REPORTER: Do you know why the FBI is looking into Lindsey Graham&#8217;s death?</p>
<p>PRESIDENT TRUMP: &#8220;I don&#8217;t see a lot of evil there. All sorts of conspiracy theories. The FBI is wasting their time if they&#8217;re doing that.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Supposedly&#8230;this is something that is almost undetectable.… <a href="https://t.co/QtQLEyNDzR">pic.twitter.com/QtQLEyNDzR</a></p>
<p>— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2077063451877237093?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&#8220;Are you aware of why the FBI is looking into Senator Graham&#8217;s death?&#8221; one reporter asked. &#8220;Have you gotten any updates on why they were at his home?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, I don&#8217;t know why because I think that he had a problem. His father had a very similar problem as you know,&#8221; Trump said, referring to Graham&#8217;s health. &#8220;It&#8217;s very unique. At first I heard it was clogged arteries, because he did have clogged arteries. He had a problem with that. He was — I wish he took better care of himself. You can solve that problem, but what happened is actually something that&#8217;s very hard to detect, it was not related to the — any blockage — it was a totally different thing.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Supposedly — and I&#8217;ve watched all the medical reports, I&#8217;ve had the doctors from the White House come in and explain what happened,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;This is something that is almost undetectable. If it happens, there&#8217;s not much you can do about it. Sounds unfortunate. If you look at — his father died of the same thing at about the same age.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t see a lot of evil there. I know there&#8217;s all sorts of conspiracy theories going along, but I don&#8217;t think the FBI — I think the FBI is wasting their time if they&#8217;re doing that,&#8221; Trump added.</p>
<p>A report from NBC News confirmed that more than a dozen federal agents and Capitol Police officers searched Graham&#8217;s residence, stating that they were investigating out of an abundance of caution.</p>
<p>Just days prior to his death, Graham had responded to the news that his photo — complete with a target plastered over his forehead — had been displayed at the late Ayatollah Khamenei&#8217;s funeral: &#8220;At least they used a good photo of me. Judge me by my enemies.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">At least they used a good photo of me.</p>
<p>Judge me by my enemies. <a href="https://t.co/Ok2Oq1v4O5">https://t.co/Ok2Oq1v4O5</a> <a href="https://t.co/b1RBvzKo9K">pic.twitter.com/b1RBvzKo9K</a></p>
<p>— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href="https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/2074201227332563316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Others suggested that Graham could have been targeted by Russia, given that he&#8217;d only returned from a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the day before his death.</p>


Donald Trump and Lindsey Graham

Trump Splits With FBI, Questions Decision To Probe Lindsey Graham’s Death

Trump Splits With FBI, Questions Decision To Probe Lindsey Graham's Death

Executive

kash patel

<p>Two days after his sudden death, Sen. Lindsey Graham&#8217;s (R-SC) desk on the Senate floor sat conspicuously empty, save for one item: a glass vase filled with white roses.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Desk of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in the U.S. Senate. <a href="https://t.co/8mcumDh5Eg">pic.twitter.com/8mcumDh5Eg</a></p>
<p>— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2076746110996013236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>One by one, Graham&#8217;s colleagues took the floor and offered their tributes to the late South Carolina senator, who died late Saturday after what the medical examiner&#8217;s office revealed was an aortic dissection resulting from cardiovascular disease.</p>
<p>Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) teared up as he spoke, praising his friend and colleague as he said of Graham, &#8220;I know that I&#8217;m not the only one who finds it difficult to imagine the Senate without Lindsey Graham &#8230; There was no bigger believer in America&#8217;s role in the world. He was confident that the United States could be a force for good, and he gave everything he had to ensuring that we would be.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Senate Majority Leader <a href="https://x.com/LeaderJohnThune?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LeaderJohnThune</a> tribute to Sen. Lindsey Graham: “There was no bigger believer in America’s role in the world.” <a href="https://t.co/o1mjVcPB6b">pic.twitter.com/o1mjVcPB6b</a></p>
<p>— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2076753298418172227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) added, &#8220;It&#8217;s a sad day for all of us in the Senate &#8230; Senator Graham always brought a smile to your face and levity to the halls of Congress.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sen. <a href="https://x.com/ChuckGrassley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChuckGrassley</a> tribute to Sen. Lindsey Graham: &#8220;It&#8217;s a sad day for all of us in the Senate&#8230;Senator Graham always brought a smile to your face and levity to the halls of Congress.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/rMJqnrPjpB">pic.twitter.com/rMJqnrPjpB</a></p>
<p>— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2076749515726487971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Senate Chaplain Barry Black opened the session with prayer, saying, &#8220;Eternal God, as flags fly at half-staff throughout our nation to honor Senator Lindsey Graham, we give you thanks to you for his life and for his years of public service. Lord, we remember with gratitude his commitment to the responsibilities entrusted to him and the many ways he sought to serve the people of this country.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">U.S. Senate <a href="https://x.com/Chaplain_Black?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Chaplain_Black</a>: &#8220;Eternal God, as flags fly at half-staff throughout our nation to honor Senator Lindsey Graham, we give you thanks to you for his life and for his years of public service.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/KdVWZQDKMX">pic.twitter.com/KdVWZQDKMX</a></p>
<p>— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2076745343258038577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>In the hallway outside Graham&#8217;s office, a makeshift memorial quickly appeared and began to grow as people left flowers and Post-it notes outside the door.</p>
<div id="attachment_1134213" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1134213" class="wp-image-1134213 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285908371-864x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 13: Sticky notes are left near the office entrance for the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in the Russell Senate Office Building on July 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. Graham passed away suddenly over the weekend at age 71 after serving South Carolina in Congress for 31 years, including eight years in the House and 23 years in the Senate. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285908371-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285908371-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285908371-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285908371.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1134213" class="wp-caption-text">Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images</p></div>
<div id="attachment_1134215" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1134215" class="wp-image-1134215 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285310945-864x576.jpg" alt="UNITED STATES - JULY 13: A representative from the Kurdistan Communities Assembly lays flowers outside the office of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in Russell building on Monday, July 13, 2026. Graham, who sponsored the Save the Kurds Act, passed away on July 11th. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285310945-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285310945-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285310945-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285310945.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1134215" class="wp-caption-text">Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images</p></div>
<p>Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said on his podcast, &#8220;The Verdict,&#8221; that Graham had left a vacancy that would be impossible to fill.</p>
<p>&#8220;Who will fill the void? Who will fill Lindsey Graham&#8217;s shoes?&#8221; Cruz asked. &#8220;My answer is nobody. Nobody. The role he played in the Senate, he was universally respected, but also universally liked and even adored by people who disagreed with him passionately.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know a single senator out of 99 other senators who didn&#8217;t genuinely like Lindsey and consider him a friend like all of them, and it was a gift,&#8221; he added.</p>


Lindsey Graham’s Desk In The Senate: Empty, Save For One Item

Lindsey Graham's Desk In The Senate: Empty, Save For One Item

Congress

U.S. Senate

<p>South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday appointed Darline Graham Nordone — sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — to serve the remainder of her brother&#8217;s Senate term.</p>
<p><strong>WATCH:</strong></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🚨 IT&#8217;S OFFICIAL: Lindsey Graham&#8217;s sister Darline Graham Nordone officially named interim US Senator from South Carolina after her brother&#8217;s passing</p>
<p>She just walked up to the podium to accept it 🇺🇸</p>
<p>&#8220;Lindsey has always been there for me. Now, I will be there for him.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/YA3YXbOycK">pic.twitter.com/YA3YXbOycK</a></p>
<p>— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2076761308146397471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&#8220;Darline — little sister — come here please,&#8221; McMaster invited Nordone up to speak.</p>
<p>&#8220;First, I would like to thank everyone who has called and reached out over the past couple of days. I can&#8217;t tell you how much it&#8217;s meant to me and our family,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I know Lindsey was loved and respected by many and I greatly appreciate the memories and even the funny stories that have been shared. These shared experiences and our faith have gotten us through these two very difficult days.&#8221;</p>
<p>Thanking McMaster for selecting her to serve out the remainder of Graham&#8217;s term — &#8220;an honor&#8221; — she added, &#8220;Lindsey has always been there for me. Now, I will be there for him.&#8221;</p>
<p>Nordone&#8217;s name was first floated on Monday morning when President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he believed she would be the right person to fill the vacancy — and that appointing her would be a good way for McMaster to honor Graham&#8217;s legacy.</p>
<p>&#8220;I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina. This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!&#8221; the president wrote.</p>
<p>Following Trump&#8217;s recommendation, the odds on Kalshi that Nordone would be named Graham&#8217;s successor skyrocketed, leaping from 15% at 9:37 a.m. to 94.7% just 17 minutes later. The odds of her being appointed to fill her brother&#8217;s seat were at 97% by 2:00 p.m. The two names making up the remaining 3% were Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette (R-SC) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC).</p>
<p>Indeed, Graham himself said in a 2015 interview that he could think of no one better to &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-recommends-replacement-for-lindsey-graham">represent</a>&#8221; the people of the United States than his little sister. When asked at the beginning of his presidential run about being single, Graham joked that his sister could take on some of the roles typically handled by a first lady.</p>
<p>&#8220;If she took a role on she would be a great representative of our country. I can’t think of a better person to represent our country in an event than my sister,&#8221; he said at the time.</p>
<p>A number of others have voiced their support for Nordone&#8217;s potential appointment, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), and Senator Tim Scott (R-SC). Kevin Bishop, who served as communications director for the late South Carolina senator, also said that Nordone would be a great choice.</p>
<p>&#8220;I know Lindsey would be beaming with pride and appreciation if his sister was the one to fill the final few months of his term. He loved her dearly,&#8221; Bishop wrote. &#8220;Darline is accomplished in her own right. She has years of experience in state government leadership. She&#8217;s also a certified optician with a long record supporting government programs for the blind and workforce development.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve known Darline for years. She&#8217;s a wonderful leader, mother, and grandmother. She&#8217;s a first-class person who would represent South Carolina with dignity and honor,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I could not think of a better or more fitting choice. I&#8217;m sure Governor McMaster will give her every consideration and greatly appreciate President Trump and his team for mentioning her as a possible replacement. I certainly hope this happens.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">President Trump is right that Darline Graham would be a great choice to fill the remainder of Lindsey&#8217;s term in the US Senate.</p>
<p>I know Lindsey would be beaming with pride and appreciation if his sister was the one to fill the final few months of his term. He loved her dearly.…</p>
<p>— Kevin Bishop (@KevinDBishop) <a href="https://x.com/KevinDBishop/status/2076724545168261125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Her appointment alone makes history, because once she is sworn in, Nordone will be the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate.</p>


Screenshot

Lindsey Graham’s Sister Named Interim Senator — She Accepted Through Tears

South Carolina

<p>President Donald Trump waded into South Carolina politics on Monday, suggesting to Governor Henry McMaster (R-SC) that he appoint Darline Graham Nordone to finish the current term for her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), after his sudden death over the weekend.</p>
<p>Just hours later, at a Monday afternoon press conference, McMaster agreed that appointing Nordone was &#8220;a good idea.&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lindsey-grahams-sister-named-interim-senator-she-accepted-through-tears">Nordone</a>, surrounded by South Carolina lawmakers, accepted the appointment through her tears and said that after years of her brother taking care of her, she was honored to have the chance to be there for him.</p>
<p>There is precedent for what&#8217;s commonly known as &#8220;<a href="https://19thnews.org/2022/05/widow-running-office-congress/">widow succession</a>&#8221; in American politics — a phenomenon that has propelled dozens of women into seats in both the House and Senate since 1922 — and Nordone, though Graham&#8217;s sister rather than his wife, is the late senator&#8217;s closest living relative.</p>
<p>Graham and Nordone were <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/13/us/lindsey-graham-sister-darline-nordone.html">always close</a>, she said in a campaign video years ago. She recalled her parents being truly kind people who loved them both, but said that Lindsey was always the one who stepped in to take care of her. He took care of her when she was sick, made sure she was keeping up with her homework, and even taught her to ride her first bicycle.</p>
<p>Both of their parents died within months of each other around the time Lindsey Graham turned 22. Without hesitation, he stepped up to help raise his little sister. While finishing college and then law school, he spent his weekends at home with Nordone, where she was living with an aunt and uncle. When he joined the U.S. Air Force, he made sure that she finished high school and went to college — and officially adopted her so that she could receive military benefits and insurance.</p>
<p>Nordone recalled feeling the weight of being orphaned at just 13 years old: &#8220;[Lindsey] was like ‘I am so sorry, but it’s going to be OK. I’m going to take care of you.&#8217; And he did. He’s always been there for me, no matter what.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The shoes Lindsey Graham leaves behind will be incredibly<br />
difficult to fill. His legacy is irreplaceable.🕊️🇺🇸💫</p>
<p>There is so much more to a person behind the public figure.<br />
Here exists the human story.</p>
<p>𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘮 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 〜… <a href="https://t.co/t1oLelRLDj">pic.twitter.com/t1oLelRLDj</a></p>
<p>— April Color (@ColorApril) <a href="https://x.com/ColorApril/status/2076652854710874582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>When Graham launched his political career, Nordone always stood by her brother&#8217;s side. She made the case for him in South Carolina, telling constituents that her big brother wanted to take care of them — and the way he had taken care of her was a perfect example of that.</p>
<p>In January of 2015, Nordone held the Bible while her brother was sworn in by then-Vice President Joe Biden for his third term in the Senate. Biden joked at the time that he and Graham had &#8220;something in common: sisters who are brighter and better looking than we are.&#8221;</p>
<p>Graham sparked laughs around the room when he introduced his niece, Nicole, to Biden, saying, &#8220;He&#8217;s a good man, even though he&#8217;s a Democrat.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">January 6, 2015 &#8212; Darline Graham Nordone holds the Bible for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) during ceremonial swearing-in with Vice President Joe Biden. <a href="https://t.co/8vB3IvD14z">pic.twitter.com/8vB3IvD14z</a></p>
<p>— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2076728275414479060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>When Lindsey Graham announced his run for the White House in 2015, Nordone introduced him.</p>
<p>They were close enough that Graham once joked that Nordone would have to be his First Lady — and in a 2015 C-Span interview, he declared her to be the single greatest accomplishment of his life: &#8220;Of all the things that have happened in my life, her turning out so well is the highlight of it by far.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He’s kind of like a brother, a father, and a mother rolled into one,&#8221; Nordone said of her brother — and suggested that the sacrifices he made to care for her might ultimately have been part of the reason he never married. &#8220;He was a young man taking on a young girl and teenager to raise. He was just dedicating all of that time to raising me and going to school and trying to get an education. There’s just only so much time in a day.&#8221;</p>
<p>Nordone, whose professional life involved helping people with disabilities find jobs, never ventured into politics herself — but always had that world in her peripheral vision because of her close ties to her brother. She made campaign ads and stumped for Graham around South Carolina and at the Iowa State Fair.</p>
<p>Nordone certainly took a very different path than her brother, eventually becoming director of public information for the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department and then working as a commissioner for the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, which assists state residents who are blind or visually impaired. Still, Graham said in a 2015 interview that there would be no one better, in his mind, to represent the country if it came to that.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">From 2015 interview with C-SPAN, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on his sister Darline Graham Nordone: &#8220;If she took a role on she would be a great representative of our country. I can&#8217;t think of a better person to represent our country in an event than my sister.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/SjkwIV2TAH">pic.twitter.com/SjkwIV2TAH</a></p>
<p>— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2076693824454463567?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&#8220;If she took a role on, she would be a great representative of our country. I can&#8217;t think of a better person to represent our country in an event than my sister,&#8221; he declared.</p>


Sen. Lindsey Graham at the Iowa State Fair

Who Is Darline Graham Nordone, South Carolina’s Next Senator?

Who Is Darline Graham Nordone, The Next Senator From South Carolina?

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Virginia Kruta