Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) announced Wednesday that she is returning home to Michigan after the death of her 12-day-old great-granddaughter.
Dingell shared the news on Facebook and X, saying she would leave Washington to be with her family.  
“Today I am returning home to be with my family during an incredibly painful and deeply personal time,” Dingell <a href="https://x.com/RepDebDingell/status/2077456509273829428">posted</a> on X. “Our family’s 12-day-old daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter has returned home to God this afternoon. We have been in God’s hands throughout all of this,” she continued.
“While I had planned to be present for votes today and tomorrow, my family needs me now,” she said. “In moments like this, there is no greater responsibility than being by the side of those we love, offering comfort, support, and remembrance.” 
Dingell, 72, has no biological children but became stepmother to her late husband John Dingell&#8217;s four children, making the infant part of her extended family. She succeeded her husband in Congress in 2015. 
Colleagues shared messages of support on social media.
“Sending our deepest condolences to Debbie,” <a href="https://x.com/RepMikeLawler/status/2077481876567019983">said</a> New York Republican Congressman Mike Lawler on X. “Keeping her granddaughter and the entire Dingell family in our prayers.”
“Our deepest sympathies, thoughts, and prayers are with the Dingell family during this difficult time,” The Michigan Democratic Party <a href="https://x.com/MichiganDems/status/2077484442864734384">responded</a>.

Newly Reelected House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) Holds News Conference After House Democrats’ Leadership Elections

Michigan Congresswoman Announces Devastating Personal News

Congress

Debbie Dingell

Michigan

Politics

Buried deep beneath a mountain in central Iran is a nuclear-related facility so heavily fortified that some experts believe it may be beyond the reach of U.S. airstrikes — and President Donald Trump wants Tehran to know he&#8217;s watching it.
&#8220;We have eyes on it and Pickaxe Mountain is a possible target for a nice big fat shot right in the front door,&#8221; Trump said Monday in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt.
“Tell the Iranians to be ready,” Trump added. “There is not a damn thing they can do about it.”
The mountain complex has become one of the biggest mysteries surrounding Iran&#8217;s nuclear program since U.S. forces struck Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan during Operation Midnight Hammer last year.
While those facilities suffered extensive damage, Pickaxe Mountain was left untouched.
Analysts believe the site was spared because it was not yet operational and its extraordinary depth would have made it one of the most difficult targets in Iran for conventional airstrikes.
Yet recent satellite imagery suggests construction has continued, raising concerns that Tehran may be turning the mountain complex into a hardened fallback location for its nuclear program that has been under heavy assault for more than a year.
&#8220;I think this is like their Alamo,&#8221; Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;You retreat to this place and the goal would be to hunker down,&#8221; Schanzer said. &#8220;The Iranians now find themselves where they understand that there&#8217;s not a lot they can do in the places that have been destroyed. They have this fallback embedded deep underground. They understand that it will be exceedingly difficult for the United States to neutralize this facility.&#8221;
Located in Iran&#8217;s Isfahan province, roughly one mile south of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility and about 200 miles south of Tehran, the site is formally known as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La — or &#8220;Pickaxe Mountain.&#8221;
After construction began in 2020, Iranian officials claimed the facility was intended to replace a centrifuge manufacturing plant at Natanz that was destroyed in a suspected Israeli sabotage operation.
But the site&#8217;s secrecy, scale, and extraordinary fortification have raised concerns among Western governments and nuclear experts, particularly because the International Atomic Energy Agency has never inspected the facility. The lack of international oversight has fueled speculation that Iran could eventually use the complex to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels or store sensitive nuclear material away from outside scrutiny.
According to reporting by The New York Times, some experts fear Iran may already have moved portions of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium — roughly 970 pounds before the 2025 strikes — into the facility.
According to the Institute for Science and International Security, the facility&#8217;s chambers are buried substantially deeper than those at Fordow, the mountain-enclosed enrichment facility struck by American B-2 bombers in June 2025. The organization estimates that the tunnel complex lies at least 100 meters beneath the mountain and may contain multiple underground levels accessed through two pairs of tunnel entrances.
Satellite imagery reviewed by the institute shows Iran has spent years fortifying the site.
In 2025, Tehran began constructing a double security perimeter around the mountain, consisting of fencing, walls, and patrol routes. Tunnel entrances have been hardened with layers of concrete and earth, according to the institute.
Some experts believe Trump was referring to Pickaxe Mountain when he warned during an April 1, 2026, primetime address that Iran was attempting to rebuild its nuclear program at a &#8220;totally different location&#8221; following Operation Midnight Hammer.
“In June, I ordered a strike on Iran’s key nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer,” Trump said. “The regime then sought to rebuild their nuclear program at a totally different location, making clear they had no intention of abandoning their pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
&#8220;It&#8217;s long been understood to be an area that would be well out of reach if it becomes fully operational,&#8221; Schanzer said. &#8220;Out of reach of the U.S. military — or any other military for that matter.&#8221;
The facility&#8217;s unusual fortification has also sparked debate among military planners about whether conventional airstrikes could ever fully eliminate it.
&#8220;The U.S. and Israel reportedly didn&#8217;t bomb Pickaxe Mountain before because of its depth and due to an assessment that it wasn&#8217;t really operational,&#8221; Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told The Daily Wire. &#8220;But Pickaxe Mountain can be used as a site where the Iranians breakout should they decide to develop a nuclear weapon. This necessitates that Pickaxe Mountain be neutralized.&#8221;
Brodsky added that because of the facility&#8217;s depth, &#8220;it may require a ground component to destroy the complex.&#8221;
Some officials and analysts have privately discussed options ranging from special operations raids to other unconventional methods because traditional bunker-buster bombs may not be sufficient, according to the New York Times. Other analysts have proposed rendering the facility unusable by sealing tunnel entrances or using chemical agents to contaminate access routes rather than attempting to destroy the mountain itself.
Schanzer said the facility presents the Trump administration with difficult choices.
&#8220;There are still options for neutralizing this facility,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Ground forces. Tactical nukes. But these are things that the administration, at least until now, has been very nervous about initiating.&#8221;
He added that such options would carry enormous military and geopolitical risks, including concerns about setting precedents that adversaries such as Russia could later invoke in other conflicts such as the war in Ukraine.
The renewed focus on Pickaxe Mountain comes after FDD argued that ongoing construction at the site may have breached the now-defunct Memorandum of Understanding, under which Iran agreed to maintain the status quo of its nuclear program.
&#8220;The regime appears intent to continue its nuclear activity,&#8221; Schanzer said. &#8220;Despite all of the measures that the U.S. military has taken against the regime, they&#8217;re defiant.&#8221;
While little activity has reportedly been observed at Fordow, Natanz, or Isfahan since the American strikes, satellite imagery reviewed by the Institute for Science and International Security showed vehicle activity near the tunnel entrances in late June, suggesting the facility remains under construction and that fortification efforts are continuing.
For U.S. and Israeli officials seeking to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, the fact that Pickaxe Mountain remains unfinished offers only limited reassurance. Once operational, the deeply buried complex could become the regime&#8217;s most secure nuclear asset — and perhaps its hardest to eliminate.

Western Tunnel Construction and Spoil Pile at Pickaxe Mountain – November 14, 2025

What Is Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain — And Why Is Trump Talking About It?

Donald Trump

Global Politics

Iran

Nuclear

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) encouraged members of her party to embrace the term &#8220;socialist.&#8221;
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.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democrat Rep. Gwen Moore says Democrats should embrace the word &#8220;socialist.&#8221;
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>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2077397542556270701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#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;
&#8220;So I think that Democrats have got to stop being shy about that term,&#8221; she said.
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.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
C-SPAN: &#8220;[Socialism] has been tried in other countries like Venezuela to a disastrous effect&#8230;&#8221;
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>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2077404669869986293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#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.
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;
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>.
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;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
DSA Co-Chair: We Want To Abolish The Senate
&#8220;We don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s extreme.&#8221;
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>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/2077008014482014211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

US House Committee on Ways and Means hearing

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

Democratic Socialism

Democratic Socialists Of America

Democrats

Media

Socialism

The city of Sacramento is sending government employees to snoop on residents&#8217; garbage bins.
The city claims the new measure is an effort to comply with the Newsom-backed law, SB 1383, which passed in 2016 to reduce organic waste disposal and slow the effects of climate change, KCRA 3 News <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/sacramento-inspect-residents-waste-bins-compliance-with-state-law/71923623">reports</a>.
City workers in “high-visibility” vests will now be seen patrolling neighborhoods, peering into residents’ waste, taking photos of their trash contents, and rating their compliance with state recycling standards for proper waste disposal. 

&#8220;Any container that we touch will either get a &#8216;great job&#8217; tag or a &#8216;let&#8217;s sort this out&#8217; tag,&#8221; city representative Jesa David said. &#8220;But either way, we want to provide education and make sure everyone knows the resources that they have available to sort their waste correctly.&#8221;
Sacramento waste disposal serves about 130,000 customers, and nearly 5,000 households will be affected by these trash examinations. The inspections will continue throughout September.
&#8220;When you sort your waste incorrectly, it does cost us more to dispose of it,&#8221; David said.
Sacramento claims that no punishments will be instituted. However, other California cities, such as Citrus Heights, are <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/citrus-heights-residents-face-auditing-fines-over-waste-bins/">hitting</a> repeat trash offenders with fines.
Critics on social media <a href="https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/2077117176973312099">mocked</a> the proposal, calling the measure “peak totalitarianism” and a wasteful use of money that should be directed toward addressing crime and cleaning the streets.
“It&#8217;s just a matter of time until they install Flock cameras inside your trash cans,” one person said on social media.
“They demand proof of trash being disposed of in designated trash containers, yet they refuse to accept proof of Voter ID. This is absurd!” another person commented.
The Environmental Protection Agency <a href="https://www.epa.gov/land-research/quantifying-methane-emissions-landfilled-food-waste">reports</a> that wasted food causes &#8220;58 percent of the fugitive methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills,” prompting California legislators to pass legislation like SB 1383.

Screenshot 2026-07-15 at 11.01.20 AM

Why This Blue City Is Spying On Your Trash

California

Environment

Privacy

Sacramento

trash

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.
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.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
‘I’ve Had It’ co-host Angie Sullivan on homeschooling&#8230;.
“You would not believe how many people in Bible study homeschool their kids, and you just think, ah, I worry about that.”
“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>
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://x.com/CurtisHouck/status/2077129530045559032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sullivan began by suggesting that it was a red flag that so many women involved in Bible study also chose to homeschool their children.
&#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.
&#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;
&#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.
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;

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

The U.S. House on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a bill backed by President Donald Trump that would make daylight saving time permanent year-round, sending the legislation to the Senate. 
<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/29">The Sunshine Protection Act</a>, which would end the twice-yearly clock changes, passed with bipartisan support in a 308–117 vote. Twenty-two Republicans joined 95 Democrats in opposing the measure.
If enacted, the legislation would make daylight saving time permanent, keeping clocks set to the time currently observed from March through November. States could opt out only if they did so before the law took effect. Most of Arizona, Hawaii, and several U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, do not observe daylight saving time.
Trump has repeatedly urged Congress to end the practice of changing clocks. After the bill advanced out of committee, he wrote that it was time for Americans to stop worrying about “the Clock” and described the current system as a “ridiculous, twice-yearly production.” 
He also called permanent daylight saving time “the far more popular alternative” and urged Republicans to support the measure, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/america-just-moved-one-step-closer-to-ending-clock-changes">The Daily Wire</a> reported. 
Florida lawmakers rallied hard for the bill before Tuesday&#8217;s vote, arguing it better reflect the Sunshine State&#8217;s identity. 
“Why in the heck are we still changing our clocks?” Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) said, <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/07/14/congress/house-votes-for-daylight-saving-time-00997817">according to Politico.</a> “Floridians — we are the Sunshine State. We value sunshine.”
Fellow Florida Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis backed Cammack up, adding, “This is not about politics. This is about practicality. It is about recognizing that our laws should keep pace with the people we represent.”
Other lawmakers, however, had a different point of view. 
“I’m not for it,” Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said. “I think having kids go to school when it’s dark doesn’t make sense.” 
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) has warned that locking the clock would &#8220;push winter sunrises to an absurdly late hour,” <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5968255-house-sunshine-protection-act-daylight-saving-time/">according to The Hill. </a>
Supporters argue that eliminating the twice-yearly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-clock-change-nightmare-may-finally-be-running-out-of-time">clock changes</a> could reduce some of the health and safety risks associated with the spring transition. Research cited by the American Heart Association has found <a href="https://newsroom.heart.org/news/heres-your-wake-up-call-daylight-saving-time-may-impact-your-heart-health">increases in heart attacks and strokes</a> in the days after clocks move forward, while a University of Colorado Boulder <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/today/2020/01/30/spring-forward-daylight-saving-time-brings-surge-deadly-crashes">study</a> found a 6% increase in fatal car crashes during the following workweek. 
Opponents, including several medical organizations, argue that permanent standard time would better align with the body’s natural circadian rhythm because it provides more morning sunlight. 
Daylight saving time was first adopted during World War I and later standardized nationwide under the <a href="https://www.bts.gov/explore-topics-and-geography/geography/geospatial-portal/history-time-zones-and-daylight-saving">Uniform Time Act of 1966. </a>
The legislation heads to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain future.

Before the time change

Congress Takes Huge Step Towards Ending Daylight Saving Disaster

Daylight Saving Time

House of Representatives

News

President Donald Trump has paid more than $5.6 million owed to E. Jean Carroll after the Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal in the 2023 sexual abuse and defamation case, closing one chapter of the legal battle while a separate $83 million judgment remains under appeal.
Court records filed Tuesday show $5.625 million — including accrued interest — was released to Carroll on July 9 after U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the funds disbursed.
The money had been held in the court&#8217;s registry investment system while Trump pursued his appeals. 
Trump&#8217;s legal team sought to delay the payment, arguing the funds should remain in escrow while it asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision. Kaplan rejected that request and ordered the money released.
&#8220;Three years ago, a unanimous nine-person jury found President Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming E. Jean Carroll. Today, we are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment the jury awarded her as a result of that verdict,&#8221; Carroll attorney Roberta Kaplan said in a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/14/e-jean-carroll-trump-payment">statement</a>.
Trump has denied Carroll&#8217;s allegations and has maintained the case was politically motivated.
The case stems from Carroll&#8217;s claim that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. 
In May 2023, a federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages. With interest accrued during the appeals process, the judgment grew to more than $5.6 million.
Last month, the Supreme Court declined to review the case, leaving the lower court&#8217;s judgment intact. Following that decision, Trump vowed to continue fighting.
&#8220;Surprisingly, the Supreme Court declined to &#8216;review&#8217; a Fake Case brought against me by a woman I never met,&#8221; Trump wrote on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116834055569312013">Truth Socia</a>l. &#8220;I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case.&#8221;
Trump and Carroll remain embroiled in a second lawsuit. In January 2024, another federal jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83.3 million after finding he defamed her through statements made while serving as president in 2019.
Trump is expected to seek Supreme Court review of that judgment as well. Until then, that separate award remains tied up in the appeals process.

E. Jean Carroll

Trump’s Long Fight With E. Jean Carroll Just Took Another Turn

Courts

Executive

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is effectively running key parts of Venezuela from Washington, according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/us/politics/how-marco-rubio-runs-venezuela.html?campaign_id=190&amp;amp;emc=edit_ufn_20260712&amp;amp;instance_id=178606&amp;amp;nl=from-the-times&amp;amp;regi_id=306413263&amp;amp;segment_id=222970&amp;amp;user_id=1cd699f6e5698983afd2a8a4030b003b">New York Times report.</a> 
The Times reported that Rubio has taken a leading role in shaping Venezuela policy, including overseeing sanctions, influencing how the country&#8217;s oil revenue is managed, and maintaining regular contact with acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez following the U.S. operation that captured former dictator Nicolás Maduro.
According to the Times, much of Venezuela&#8217;s oil export revenue now flows through the U.S. Treasury before being disbursed under conditions set by Rubio and his team. The report says Rubio has also played a key role in determining which foreign companies receive sanctions exemptions to operate in the country while encouraging greater participation by American firms.
The Times also reported that Rubio has used that leverage to push Venezuela away from Iran, China, and Russia. According to the report, Rodríguez regularly consults Washington on major government appointments while Rubio’s team helps shape economic and diplomatic decisions.
The report provides additional context for testimony Rubio gave before Congress in January, when he argued the administration&#8217;s efforts were aimed at stabilizing Venezuela rather than occupying it.
“There is no war against Venezuela, and we did not occupy a country,” Rubio <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/01/28/nx-s1-5690365/rubio-senate-venezuela">told</a> senators. “There are no U.S. troops on the ground.”
The administration named career diplomat Laura F. Dogu as chargé d’affaires to Venezuela, restoring a diplomatic post for the first time since 2019. For the first time in two decades, he added, serious talks are underway to roll back Iranian, Chinese, and Russian influence in the country.
Rubio has said the administration&#8217;s long-term goal is a stable and prosperous Venezuela that eventually holds free elections. The Times reported that, for now, Rubio continues to exercise significant influence over many of Venezuela&#8217;s most consequential financial and policy decisions.

President Trump Observes Operation Epic Fury From Mar-a-Lago

Marco Rubio Takes On Extraordinary Role In Venezuela

Marco Rubio

Venezuela

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.
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.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2077039841267646902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Kagan began by offering her condolences to Graham&#8217;s family and friends, adding that &#8220;the entire Court&#8221; wished them well.
&#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;
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;
&#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;
&#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;
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;
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;

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

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;
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.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 REPORTER: Do you know why the FBI is looking into Lindsey Graham&#8217;s death?
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;
&#8220;Supposedly&#8230;this is something that is almost undetectable.… <a href="https://t.co/QtQLEyNDzR">pic.twitter.com/QtQLEyNDzR</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2077063451877237093?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#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;
&#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;
&#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;
&#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.
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.
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;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
At least they used a good photo of me.
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>
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href="https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/2074201227332563316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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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.

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

kash patel

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his highly anticipated primetime address this week will focus on &#8220;free and fair elections,&#8221; teasing what he called &#8220;really, really big news.&#8221;
Speaking to reporters during a bilateral meeting at the White House, Trump declined to elaborate on the speech but said the topic was central to the country&#8217;s future.
&#8220;I&#8217;d rather save it. It&#8217;s really big news. It&#8217;s really, really big news, and our country has to shape up,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;That&#8217;s what we&#8217;re going to be talking about Thursday.&#8221;
&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t get bigger. Because without free and fair elections, you don&#8217;t have a country,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;We&#8217;ll be discussing other things too. But it&#8217;s gonna be a very big announcement.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s comments come a day after he announced on Truth Social that he would deliver a primetime address Thursday evening, sparking widespread speculation about its focus.
MS Now reported that Trump plans to discuss newly declassified intelligence reports on foreign efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. The White House would not confirm the report, referring The Daily Wire to Trump&#8217;s public remarks.
Washington Reporter journalist Matthew Foldi reported, citing &#8220;a well-placed source in Georgia,&#8221; that Trump could declare that Georgia Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock &#8220;are illegitimate because of fraud.&#8221;
“It’s just going to be a speech like a lot of my speeches,” the president told radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday afternoon.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1134839" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-gives-another-clue-on-thursdays-primetime-announcement/president-trump-meets-with-iraqs-prime-minister-ali-al-zaidi-at-the-white-house" rel="attachment wp-att-1134839"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1134839" class="wp-image-1134839 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286078442-864x576.jpg" alt="(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286078442-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286078442-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286078442-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286078442.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)</div>
The news comes as both Republicans and Democrats scramble to face the 2026 midterm elections. The Republican National Committee announced it will hold a conference in Dallas, Texas, in September to rally Republicans for the crucial elections.
During an interview with The Daily Wire, Vice President JD Vance argued that Republicans need to boil the 2026 midterms down to a binary choice: Democrats who want to trans kids and destroy the economy, or Republicans who are making steady progress on a long list of promises.
“We have to focus on the things that we’ve accomplished,” Vance explained. “We did come in with a historic border crisis that’s now over. We came in with a historic crime crisis. We now have violent crime in some places at century-low levels. We came in with a historic inflation crisis, and yes, prices are still too high. But we’ve made a lot of progress in curbing that inflation problem.”
While Republicans should be touting the wins of the second Trump administration, they also need to remind the public that “Rome wasn’t built in a day,&#8221; according to the vice president: &#8220;As much as we achieved over the last two years, we can do a lot more on housing, on energy, on agriculture and food, and those things we need to get some more time in order to accomplish.&#8221;
“Fundamentally,&#8221; he argued, &#8220;the question for the American people is: Do you want to give the government back over to a bunch of crazy people who want to trans the kids and led to a historic inflation crisis, or do you want to give the people who have chipped away at a lot of those problems another two years to keep on working at them?”

US-IRAQ-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-TRUMP

Trump Gives Another Clue On Thursday’s Primetime Announcement

Election Fraud

speech

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.
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Desk of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in the U.S. Senate. <a href="https://t.co/8mcumDh5Eg">pic.twitter.com/8mcumDh5Eg</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2076746110996013236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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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.
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;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2076753298418172227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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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;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2076749515726487971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2076745343258038577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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.
<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" />Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images</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" />Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images</div>
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.
&#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;
&#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.

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

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

U.S. Senate

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