Lindsey Graham’s Unexpected Death, and How Marco Rubio Is Running Venezuela
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
I'm David Sanger. I cover the White House and national security at The New York Times, and I try to explain what decisions made in Washington mean for you wherever you live. This is why The Times sends me to the Oval Office when the president is making a major decision or has me ride along on Air Force One on critical trips. If you want firsthand reporting on how U.S. policy affects the world, consider subscribing to The New York Times.
From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today is Monday, July 13th. Here's what we're covering.
I got a message about one o'clock in the morning from one of the people at his office that he had passed away. I said, you guys, I just can't believe it.
Senator Lindsey Graham's unexpected death at age 71 has sent shockwaves through Washington and beyond. President Trump told Meet the Press yesterday that he'd just spoken to the South Carolina lawmaker on Saturday night, hours before his death.
He said he just landed from Ukraine. I said, that's a long trip to make. He said he sounded a little tired.
Graham had returned to D.C. earlier that day from a trip to Ukraine.
How are you? Good. Older. Older.
But no wiser. As one of the most vocal advocates for U.S. support of Ukraine, Graham had been on one of his many trips to Kiev, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The sooner we can have a dialogue about peace... the quicker this war is over. After Graham returned to D.C., emergency responders were called to the senator's address. A preliminary report from the medical examiner's office indicates the cause of death was an aortic dissection, a tear in the main artery that carries blood from the heart.
What I would say about Lindsey Graham is he wanted to be in every Senate legislative fight.
Carl Hulse is the Times' chief Washington correspondent.
He was a very active senator on a lot of issues, immigration, foreign policy, overall spending. I mean, this was a guy who knew how to work the Senate and was very highly respected by his colleagues in both sides, even though he tended to drive them crazy on some things. You know, he could be very mercurial, but really popular among his colleagues. And he was just somebody who tried to get things done.
Carl says Graham's final trip to Kyiv speaks to his longtime push for American intervention around the world. Even as many in the Republican Party turned increasingly isolationist in recent years, Graham stuck to that, continuing to push for aid to Ukraine and support for Israel. He also backed Trump's war in Iran. Like many prominent Republicans, Graham was initially a big critic of Trump's before becoming a close ally. He helped push Trump's agenda on everything from judicial appointments to tax cuts. His death has left many in Congress and his home state of South Carolina in mourning. And Trump has said flags across the country will be flown at half-staff for the next week. For Graham's seat, he was up for election in November, and there will now be a special Republican primary election next month to determine who will compete in the midterms.
Meanwhile, Graham's death at 71 has highlighted the age issue in Congress.
What happened when news broke of Senator Lindsey Graham’s unexpected death?
The average age in the Senate is now more than 65 years old, and there have been growing questions about how long lawmakers can serve and what information they owe their constituents about their health and ability to do so. That discussion's been focused recently on another high-profile senator, 84-year-old Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who was hospitalized for weeks recently while his staff shared very little information. McConnell broke his silence yesterday. saying it was a fall that put him in the hospital and that he'd also battled pneumonia. He said he's now recovering at a rehab center, and he did not provide an estimate of when he would return to work.
Now, three updates on the Trump administration. First, in the Middle East. The Pentagon says it launched waves of new strikes against military targets in Iran this weekend. The attacks are now part of a pattern.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–3:32
2
What happened when news broke of Senator Lindsey Graham’s unexpected death?
3:32–7:56
3
How did Lindsey Graham’s final trip to Kyiv reflect his foreign policy priorities?
7:56–9:24
4
What did the medical examiner report say about Graham’s cause of death?
9:24–11:49
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from The Headlines
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