NPR News: 07-13-2026 9PM EDT

Libby Casey· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Libby Casey. The sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham will finish his term in the US Senate. Darleen Graham was appointed this afternoon by South Carolina's governor. She will fill the seat until January. Lindsey Graham died at the age of seventy-one Saturday following a brief and sudden illness, according to a statement released by his office. In accepting the interim post, Darleen Graham called it a privilege to finish some of her brother's work.

Darleen Graham· Soundbite0:27

I think this is what Lindsey would have wanted, and I plan to honor him in this way. Now, to Lindsey, I miss you more than I can even put into words, but I'm gonna do this. I got it.

Libby Casey· Host0:44

Lindsey Graham helped raise Darleen, who was nine years his junior, after their parents died when she was a child. President Trump and South Carolina's other senator, Republican Tim Scott, had thrown their support behind Darleen Graham. The seat is up for election this year. Lindsey Graham had been campaigning for a fifth term. There will now be a special primary election in August to replace him on the ballot. Darleen Graham did not say if she intends to run for a full Senate term. The federal government is running a bigger deficit this year than it did last. NPR's Scott Horsley reports on the latest red ink tally from the Treasury Department.

Scott Horsley1:20

Federal tax collections are up this year, but federal spending's growing even faster. Nine months into the fiscal year, the government's more than one point three trillion dollars in the red.