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Lindsey Graham’s final act reverberates in Senate as sister is urged to “keep pedaling»
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It was 2:35 am et Sunday.
The phone rang, yanking me out of deep slumber.
Calls like these are never good.
In the split second before I answered the phone, my mind traveled to the obvious place for any journalist who covers Capitol Hill and gets a call at that hour.
LINDSEY GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR WHO ROSE FROM SMALL-TOWN ROOTS TO GOP POWER BROKER, DIES AT 71
Former U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham hugs his sister Darline Graham Nordone on June 1, 2015, in South Carolina. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
Surely it was about former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
McConnell has been out of service and nowhere to be found for weeks — after being hospitalized with an unspecified illness. The internet was rife with conspiracy theories and conjecture. And, considering the dearth of information, I suspected the worst.
My longtime colleague Jodie Curtis was on the line when I picked up. Jodie is a senior figure at Fox, forced into weekend overnight assignment editor duty because of an illness. Jodie calling to tell me that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was dead.
«Graham?» I asked incredulously. «Not McConnell?»
Emerging from my stupor, I instinctively presumed this might be about the infirm, Kentucky Republican. You’d have better odds presuming that overnight call was about McConnell than hitting an exacta wheel at Churchill Downs.
My instincts immediately kicked in.
What if this was psy-ops by the Russians, Chinese or Iranians. A rouse. A hoax. A hack.
I told my colleague to just wait a moment while we confirmed. It would be easy to get this wrong.
Back in the 1990s, lawmakers «killed» comedian Bob Hope on the House floor, prematurely announcing his death during special orders speeches. Yours truly – and everyone else in Washington – prematurely reported the death of the late Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH). She suffered from a catastrophic brain aneurism. Yet after they removed the Congresswoman from life support, she continued to live for a few hours before dying.
However, it became clear that Lindsey Graham was indeed dead. I was quickly on the air. When asked about the shock of Graham passing, I invoked a Native American adage: Death comes. And it’s always out of season.
Lindsey Graham was gone. But who would succeed him on Capitol Hill?
Think all in the family. At least for now.
Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Tim Scott (R-SC) both implored the late senator’s kid sister Darline Graham to follow her brother. President Trump believed it would be a fitting tribute to the senator. So did South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) – who was in charge the appointment.
«It’s my honor to ask his sister to finish his work now,» said McMaster.
Darline Graham is a political neophyte. Lindsey Graham adopted his sister after their parents died – and Darline was a teenager.
«Lindsey has always been there for me. And now I will be there for him,» said now Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC).
Lindsey Graham was his sister’s caretaker. Now she’s the caretaker of his Senate seat until January.
But who’s next?
South Carolina has a small Congressional delegation. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) quickly excluded himself from the immediate running, noting the importance of remaining in the House. Plucking one of South Carolina’s House GOP members and appointing them to the Senate is a problem for the narrow Republican majority. The Constitution bars appointments to the House. So McMaster would have diminished the GOP’s slim majority had he picked a House member to fill in for Lindsey Graham. It would take months to conduct a special election to fill the vacant House seat.
Appointing Darline Graham solves that problem.
Reps. Russell Fry (R-SC), Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Ralph Norman (R-SC) are all interested in running for the full term. South Carolina will hold a snap primary in mid August. The winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November. Lindsey Graham had just secured the Republican nomination for a fifth term last month.
President Trump’s influence will play an outsized role in who gets the nod. He’s already singled out Fry.
But the election will look a little different this fall. November will mark the first time since the mid-1950s that either Lindsey Graham or late, legendary Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC) isn’t on the ballot in the Palmetto State.
The Senate met for the first time Monday afternoon since Graham’s passing.
«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. Give comfort, strength and peace to his family, friends, colleagues and all who mourn his passing,» prayed Senate Chaplain Barry Black.
The Senate shrouded Graham’s desk with a black cloak. A bouquet of white roses rested on the desk, signifying a new beginning without a Senate titan.
«The halls of the Senate already feel empty without him,» said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).
‘THIS IS NOT NORMAL’: AOC UNLOADS ON MCCONNELL’S PROLONGED ABSENCE
Former Sen. Lindsey Graham attends a press conference on border security at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on December 7, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Well wishers left notecards and flowers outside Graham’s office in the Russell Senate Office Building.
Senators praised Graham’s tenacity.
«He didn’t want to just argue about things. He wanted to actually solve things,» said Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) on Fox.
Even until the end.
Over the weekend, Graham appeared to forge a deal on a Russia sanctions measure.
«This could be well, this could well be the end of the war in Ukraine. It could put all the pressure on Russia to finally end their illegal war of aggression,» predicted Sen. Angus King (I-ME).
Lindsey Graham first won a seat in Congress in 1994 as part of the «Republican Revolution.» That’s the historic class which flipped control of the House for the first time in 40 years. Graham and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) are the only members from that 1994 class still serving in Congress.
Graham earned a national profile barely four years after arriving in Washington. House GOP leaders tapped Graham to serve as one of the House «managers,» prosecuting articles of impeachment for President Clinton in the Senate.
«Impeachment is not about punishment,» argued Graham before the Senate in January, 1999. «Impeachment is about cleansing the office.»
Three years after that, Graham left the House. He became one of 100 in the Senate. But his colleagues conceded that the institution felt hollow at just 99.
«I am comforted by the knowledge that in the end, he has just changed his address. And that one day, Mr. President….» said Thune on the floor, pausing for ten seconds. «We will laugh together again.»
The Leader’s voice then cracked as he fought back tears.
«Mr. President, I yield the floor,» Thune whispered.
By Tuesday afternoon, Darline Graham became the 2,022nd senator in American history. But the first to immediately succeed her brother.
«He always said that his greatest accomplishment was the way that Darline turned out,» said Britt.
«I’m glad that there will be another Sen. Graham and that Darline will serve with us,» said
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE). «That’ll allow for some continuity.»
Graham’s passing leaves a Congressional chasm.
«It will be difficult to pass anything without Sen. Graham because he’s been such a significant voice in the Senate,» said Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).
It’s unclear if any of that will fall to the Senate’s newest member.
LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SISTER CARRIES ON LATE SENATOR’S WORK, BECOMING SOUTH CAROLINA’S FIRST FEMALE SENATOR
Darline Graham Nordone speaks during a press conference outside the governor’s South Carolina State House office in Columbia. (Grant Baldwin/Getty Images)
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Darline Graham joined her brother’s side when he briefly ran for President in 2015. She says Lindsey taught her how to ride a bike while growing up.
«He would hold on to the bicycle as I pedaled. And he’d run along beside of me. Give me a big push and shout ‘Keep pedaling! Keep pedaling!’ said the new senator. » And then he was the one who comforted me when I stopped pedaling and fell off the bicycle.»
Today, Darline Graham is again hopping onto that bicycle to finish Lindsey Graham’s term.
You can almost hear the late senator, in his «upstate» twang shouting to his sister «Keep pedaling! Keep pedaling!»
lindsey graham, mitch mcconnell, senate elections, politics, south carolina
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, insiste con un tema que parece que lo desvela: este jueves firmó dos órdenes ejecutivas destinadas a restringir la ciudadanía por nacimiento, una iniciativa que intenta eludir la reciente sentencia judicial de la Corte Suprema que confirmó la protección constitucional para los que nacen en territorio estadounidense.
A finales de junio, el Tribunal Supremo anuló el decreto que Trump emitió el primer día de su segundo mandato, que buscaba acabar con la ciudadanía por nacimiento automática para todos los niños nacidos en suelo estadounidense, considerando que violaba la 14ª Enmienda.
«Tuvimos una decisión muy desafortunada en el Tribunal Supremo respecto al derecho por nacimiento», dijo Trump en el Salón Oval al firmar el decreto. «Estuvo cerca, pero fue una decisión muy, muy desafortunada. Así que estamos haciendo ajustes porque es muy injusto”, agregó.
Uno de los decretos firmados este jueves por el presidente amplía la definición de quién sería inelegible para la ciudadanía automática, incluyendo a «enemigos extranjeros de Estados Unidos, miembros de organizaciones terroristas extranjeras y grandes categorías de personas que hacen lobby y actúan en nombre de gobiernos extranjeros».
La segunda orden busca prohibir la práctica del «turismo por nacimiento», una forma de obtener un visado por motivos fraudulentos que ya es ilegal pero que se ha convertido en objetivo de ese derecho.
Trump también busca negar a ciudadanía por nacimiento a los hijos de algunos empelados diplomáticos extranjeros en EE.UU. y potencialmente, en territorios estadounidenses en el futuro.
Es el segundo intento de Trump de limitar la ciudadanía por nacimiento en EE.UU. y es posible que vuelva a ser impugnado en los tribunales por violar la 14 Enmienda, que garantiza la ciudadanía a casi todos los nacidos en Estados Unidos.
Pero el gobierno de Trump argumenta que la sentencia de la Corte aún le otorga la autoridad para limitar la ciudadanía por nacimiento bajo excepciones de larga data reconocidas por el tribunal. A la vez, a menos de 3 meses de las elecciones legislativas, busca instalar en la agenda política temas controversiales que agradan a las bases de su movimiento MAGA, contrarias a la inmigración.
Las órdenes ejecutivas anunciadas este jueves se aplican únicamente a futuros nacimientos vinculados a cuatro categorías:
—Hijos nacidos de personal diplomático extranjero que trabajaba para otro gobierno mientras están en EE. UU. La 14ª Enmienda no confiere ciudadanía automática a las familias de los embajadores, y esta orden ampliaría esa categoría a otros empleados no ciudadanos.
–Hijos de personas clasificadas como enemigos extranjeros, incluidos aquellos que pertenecen a grupos terroristas declarados federalmente. La 14ª Enmienda no se aplica a los “ejércitos invasores”, y esta designación ampliaría esa categoría.
–Aquellos nacidos en territorios estadounidenses, pero solo si el Congreso cambia la ley para acabar con la ciudadanía automática allí. El mes pasado se presentó un proyecto de ley que busca lograr eso, pero no se espera que sea aprobado. Esto se aplicaría especialmente a los de Puerto Rico.
—Niños nacidos de madres que expresa y engañosamente entran en EE. UU. con el único propósito de tener un hijo aquí, es decir, o sea “turismo por natalidad”. Se busca así limitar el uso de madres subrogadas para este propósito también.
–También el gobierno puede revocar la ciudadanía de quienes han sido naturalizados por fraude. La nueva orden establece que esta excepción ahora se aplica a una madre si participa de forma engañosa en la práctica comercial del turismo de nacimiento, según las autoridades.
Una segunda orden ejecutiva ordena al secretario de Estado y al secretario del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional emitir normas y directrices para detener el “turismo de nacimiento” y dirigirse a la industria tanto en el país como en el extranjero.
La ley ya prohíbe obtener un visado de turista «con el propósito principal de obtener la ciudadanía estadounidense para un niño que da a luz en Estados Unidos».
Los funcionarios de inmigración también pueden negar la entrada a una extranjera embarazada en EE. UU. si determinan que entra al país con el propósito de dar a luz.
Las estimaciones sobre el número de niños producto del turismo de nacimiento varían desde los pocos miles hasta decenas de miles, según las autoridades. Pero Trump se ha centrado mucho en este foco en su campaña para limitar la ciudadanía por nacimiento de forma más amplia.
«La ciudadanía por nacimiento no trata de personas ricas de China y del resto del mundo, que quieren que sus hijos, y cientos de miles más, por dinero, se conviertan ridículamente en ciudadanos de los Estados Unidos de América», escribió el 30 de marzo en Truth Social.
Es posible que con el tiempo estos decretos también terminen invalidados por la Corte, pero mientras sigue el proceso judicial, Trump reinstala el tema en la agenda política y provoca enorme confusión.
INTERNACIONAL
En Panamá multan a 105 conductores por utilizar estacionamientos reservados para personas con discapacidad
Un total de 105 infracciones impusieron a igual cantidad de conductores las autoridades de la Autoridad del Tránsito y Transporte Terrestre (ATTT) durante una jornada de verificación para supervisar que los estacionamientos reservados para personas con discapacidad (estacionamientos azules) sean utilizados correctamente.
Estacionarse en estos puestos sin la debida autorización constituye una Infracción que conlleva una multa de $300.00. La sanción se irá duplicando de manera progresiva en caso de reincidencia.
Ante la cantidad de infracciones impuestas en las últimas semanas a nivel nacional, las autoridades manifestaron que la inclusión y la accesibilidad no son un privilegio, son un derecho fundamental que garantiza la movilidad autónoma y equitativa de las personas con discapacidad.
Para el director general de la ATTT, Nicolás Brea, “estos operativos no buscan sancionar, sino enviar un mensaje claro a toda la ciudadanía: el respeto a los espacios reservados es un deber cívico de empatía y humanidad”.
El funcionario agregó que garantizar la accesibilidad de las personas con discapacidad es una prioridad, por lo que la entidad que dirige continuará en las calles velando porque los derechos de las personas con discapacidad sean respetados de manera permanente en todo el país.
Ocupar un espacio reservado “solo por un minuto” o sin contar con el permiso emitido por la Dirección Nacional de Certificaciones de la Secretaría Nacional de Discapacidad (Senadis) vulnera la autonomía de quienes realmente lo necesitan, se indicó.
Más allá de evitar una sanción económica, el verdadero cambio empieza por la empatía, el civismo y la conciencia. Cada espacio respetado es un paso más hacia una sociedad verdaderamente inclusiva, anotaron las autoridades.
En Panamá el uso correcto de los estacionamientos destinados a las personas con discapacidad está amparado en la Ley 42 del 27 de agosto de 1999 “Por la cual se establece la equiparación de oportunidades para las personas con discapacidad”.
De acuerdo a la norma, tienen derecho a utilizar los estacionamientos destinados a las personas con discapacidad quienes tengan incapacidad para caminar sin la asistencia de una ayuda técnica u otra persona, quienes usen sillas de rueda, oxígeno portátil, quienes padezcan de insuficiencias respiratoria severa o cardiacas severas, al igual que quienes tengan una severa limitación para caminar debido a condiciones de origen artrítica, neurológica u ortopédica.
También se obliga a que los establecimientos públicos y privados de uso público destinarán al menos el 5% de sus estacionamientos para el uso temporal de vehículos conducidos por personas con discapacidad o que las transporten.
Se reitera que solo podrán hacer uso de estos espacios los vehículos que cuenten con el permiso expedido por la Dirección Nacional de Certificaciones de la Secretaría Nacional de Discapacidad (Senadis).
La Segunda Encuesta Nacional de Discapacidad (Endis-2) realizada en el primer trimestre de 2024 daba cuenta de que en el país unas 781,478 personas viven con algún grado de discapacidad, estadística que representa un 18% de la población.
La cifra representa, según la encuesta, un aumento significativo al compararla con el 11.3% registrado en 2006.
Del total el 58% son mujeres y el 42% restante corresponde a hombres, revela el sondeo, que agrega que el 67% de las personas con discapacidad reside en áreas urbanas y el 33% en las zonas rurales.
Sobre este punto, el sondeo de la Dirección Nacional de Certificaciones de la Secretaría Nacional de Discapacidad (Senadis), detalla que la concentración de las personas con algún grado de discapacidad en el país se ubica en las provincias de Panamá, Panamá Oeste, Chiriquí, Coclé, y la comarca indígena Ngäbe Buglé. Igualmente, en las provincias de Colón, Veraguas, Herrera, Bocas del Toro, Los Santos, Darién y el resto de las comarcas indígenas.
estacionamiento,discapacidad,señal,accesibilidad,normativa
INTERNACIONAL
EXCLUSIVE: Michigan House speaker calls for answers over $300M taxpayer-funded Rx Kids program
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The Republican leader of Michigan’s House says a state-funded maternal health initiative has become something far different than lawmakers were promised, accusing Democrats of using more than $300 million in taxpayer funding to advance a broader guaranteed-income agenda.
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Digital as House Republicans continue scrutinizing Rx Kids, a taxpayer-funded program that provides unrestricted cash payments to pregnant women and new mothers.
Hall argued lawmakers believed they were funding a maternal and prenatal health initiative, not what he described as a broader experiment in guaranteed income.
GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAM TARGETS LOW-INCOME HOMES LED BY BLACK MOMS AS CASH HANDOUTS SURGE NATIONWIDE
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall discusses his concerns about Michigan’s Rx Kids program. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
«I think the Democrats kind of slipped this in here under the idea that it was for prenatal care,» Hall told Fox News Digital. «Lawmakers did not have the complete picture.»
Rx Kids launched in Flint in 2024 and provides expectant mothers with a $1,500 lump-sum payment during pregnancy, followed by $500 monthly payments after the child is born.
According to materials provided to Fox News Digital by Hall’s office, the program has expanded to communities across Michigan with more than $300 million in taxpayer funding.
Rx Kids has promoted the initiative as a maternal and infant health program designed to reduce financial stress for new families. According to podcast interviews and program materials, its leaders have also discussed expanding the model to communities across Michigan and beyond.
EXCLUSIVE: VIDEO SHOWS MICHIGAN LAWMAKER TOURING DAYCARE IN $1.1M TAXPAYER FUNDING PROBE
Hall argued the program lacks the eligibility requirements found in traditional public assistance programs.
«We have a lot of social safety net programs in our country that are working very well,» Hall said. «They have eligibility checks. They look at citizenship. They look at income verification.
«Rx Kids, by design, is given to anyone that has a child,» he continued. «They don’t look for citizenship. They just pay out anyone that has a child.»
Hall’s office also provided Fox News Digital with video of legislative committee testimony in which program officials acknowledged payments had been made to individuals who were not legally present in the United States.
CALIFORNIA ‘BASIC INCOME’ EXPERIMENT FAILS TO PROVIDE ‘FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE,’ STUDY FINDS
Hall argued taxpayer-funded cash assistance should include income and legal status requirements similar to those used by existing public assistance programs.
«What we prefer are the traditional welfare programs like Medicaid, the food stamp program and the WIC program,» Hall said. «They make sure you’re here legally, they make sure you’re not making a lot of money and then they give you the benefit. That’s not what Rx Kids is.»
Hall also criticized the program’s unrestricted cash payments, noting recipients are not required to spend the money on diapers, formula, housing or other expenses related to pregnancy or caring for a newborn.
«They give you this free cash and there are no strings attached by definition,» Hall said.
MAYORS WANT TO KEEP HANDING OUT FREE CASH AFTER FEDERAL FUNDS DRIED UP
The cover of the Rx Kids playbook describes how communities can replicate the Michigan-based maternal cash assistance program. (rxkids.org)
Hall said caseworkers had told him they had seen recipients use the money for alcohol, drugs and gambling. Fox News Digital has not independently verified those claims.
The speaker also pointed to public comments from Rx Kids leaders that he said reinforced Republican concerns that the initiative is intended to become something larger than a maternal health program.
Hall’s office also shared podcast interviews in which Rx Kids co-founder Luke Shaefer discussed the expanded Child Tax Credit and the role he believes Rx Kids can play following the expiration of those federal payments.
In a separate interview, Dr. Mona Hanna, the leader of Rx Kids, discussed her vision of expanding the initiative into a government-scale public program.
DEM SENATE HOPEFUL ABDUL EL-SAYED RECOUNTS SMASHING VODKA BOTTLE AFTER BEARD CRITICISM
Hall said those remarks aligned with his assessment of Rx Kids.
«This is a progressive left-wing experiment toward basically a universal income,» Hall said. «They’re trying to move the welfare state down that lane.»
Hall also questioned the program’s advisory network.
Hall’s office also shared archived versions of the Rx Kids website that listed Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson’s husband Ryan Friedrichs and Community Change official Dorian Warren as members of the program’s advisory circle.
MICHIGAN’S TOP ELECTION OFFICIAL WINS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR GOVERNOR, ADVANCES TO BATTLEGROUND RACE
The advisory circle page was removed from the organization’s website days after lawmakers questioned program leaders during a June 2 Michigan House Oversight Committee hearing.
The timing of the removal does not establish why the page was taken down.
«Our secretary of state’s husband is on the advisory board. Abdul El-Sayed is on the board,» Hall said. «It’s like a who’s who of radical left Democrats.»
Hall’s office also pointed to an Rx Kids white paper examining voter turnout among recipients and the program’s promotion of Vot-ER, a physician-backed voter registration organization powered by TurboVote.
Materials provided by Hall’s office also identified Hanna as an adviser to Vot-ER.
Hall said those connections and the program’s research into voting behavior deserved additional scrutiny.
«We’re trying to understand why are you so interested in the voting pattern of the people that are receiving your no-strings-attached welfare,» Hall said. «We aren’t getting good answers.»
Hall said House Republicans did not include additional funding for Rx Kids in Michigan’s newly signed budget, though the program still has access to previously appropriated funds.
TRUMP ADMIN PAUSING OVER $1B IN MEDICAID PAYMENTS TO MINNESOTA, CALIFORNIA OVER FRAUD, COMPLIANCE CONCERNS
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, left, stands with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Hall has criticized the state’s Rx Kids program. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
«The good news is that we cut off funding to this program in the new budget,» Hall said. «In the future, we’re going to try to put guardrails around it so that it goes to the people that truly need it.»
Rather than eliminating assistance for struggling families, Hall said he wants taxpayer dollars directed toward existing programs that assess financial need and place restrictions on how certain benefits can be spent.
«I think people support those programs,» Hall said. «They have eligibility requirements to ensure that you’re not taking advantage of the system.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office, Rx Kids and Michigan State University for comment.
childrens health, michigan, health, social policy, state and local, aid
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