NPR News: 07-13-2026 2PM EDT

Lakshmi Singh· Host0:01

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump is recommending that Republican Senator Lindsey Graham's younger sister serve out the rest of her sibling's term. Trump's weighing in as South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster is expected to announce a decision on who should fill the Senate seat left vacant after Graham's unexpected death over the weekend. Here's NPR's Frank Ordonez.

Franco Ordoñez0:23

President Trump, who was very close to Graham, has been giving interviews praising the longtime South Carolina senator. The president made his request on social media, calling it a, quote, "fabulous tribute to Lindsey." Trump said Graham loved his sister, Darleen Graham Nordone, dearly. Graham, who never married, was very close with his younger sister. He adopted her after their parents died so she could receive his military benefits. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster will make the appointment to fill the seat until January. Graham, who was seventy-one years old, died suddenly on Saturday night while campaigning for a fifth term. Several prominent South Carolina Republicans have already expressed interest in running for the seat. Franco Ordonez, NPR News.

Lakshmi Singh· Host1:08

Federal agents are on the scene of a Federal Immigration enforcement fatal shooting in Maine. Senator Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, says he was informed by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that a man in his twenties who was ordered to leave the US had weaponized his vehicle when the shooting happened. The encounter ignited protests within