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Medical examiner releases preliminary findings in Lindsey Graham’s death as death certificate remains pending

Medical examiner releases preliminary findings in Lindsey Graham’s death as death certificate remains pending

The District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Sunday released preliminary findings indicating Sen. Lindsey Graham suffered an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease before his death. Graham, 71, was pronounced dead at George Washington University Hospital at 10:23 p.m. Saturday, according to a joint statement from the Metropolitan Police Department and the District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. An autopsy was performed Sunday. The medical examiner emphasized that the findings are not final and that Graham’s death certificate will remain pending while toxicological and microscopic testing is completed. “The preliminary examination findings were: Aortic Dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease,” the medical examiner’s office said in a statement. SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM DEAD AT 71 AFTER ‘BRIEF AND SUDDEN’ ILLNESS, OFFICE SAYS The office emphasized that the findings are preliminary and that Graham’s death certificate remains pending. Officials said comprehensive toxicological and microscopic testing is routinely conducted when an autopsy is performed in the District and must be completed before the death certificate is updated with the cause and manner of death. An aortic dissection is a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, the body’s largest artery, that allows blood to flow between the layers of the vessel wall, according to the Mayo Clinic. The condition is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that can lead to severe internal bleeding or organ damage. Arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease refers to the buildup of plaque inside the arteries, which can restrict blood flow and increase the risk of serious heart and vascular complications. LINDSEY GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR WHO ROSE FROM SMALL-TOWN ROOTS TO GOP POWER BROKER, DIES AT 71 The release of the preliminary findings comes after Graham, 71, died Saturday night, shocking colleagues in Washington and across the nation. Graham, a Republican who was first elected to the Senate in 2002 after serving four terms in the House of Representatives, became one of the chamber’s most influential voices on national security, foreign policy and the judiciary. He chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee during President Donald Trump’s first term and was one of the president’s closest allies on judicial nominations and defense policy. Following news of Graham’s death, tributes poured in from lawmakers across the political spectrum, with colleagues remembering his decades of public service and his influence on some of the Senate’s most consequential debates. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said it will update Graham’s death certificate after toxicological and microscopic testing is complete.

Mitch McConnell breaks silence on mystery hospitalization after Graham’s death

Mitch McConnell breaks silence on mystery hospitalization after Graham’s death

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., nearly a month after being hospitalized, revealed what actually happened to cause his absence from the Senate. In a lengthy statement released Sunday evening, McConnell attributed his childhood fight with polio to a fall he suffered last month which landed him in the hospital. He was “briefly unconscious,” he said in an open letter to Kentuckians, and while recovering was hit with a “mild case of pneumonia.” “My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,” McConnell said. “I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages.” MCCONNELL FACES FRESH CALLS TO COME CLEAN ABOUT HEALTH ISSUES Yet, when he will return to the Senate remains a mystery, something that McConnell himself acknowledged. “As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet,” McConnell said. “But rest assured that, in the meantime, I’m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you.” His attending physician noted that McConnell has, “experienced several falls throughout the year that have been attributed to his post-polio condition.” MCCONNELL WAS FOUND ‘UNCONSCIOUS’ IN HOME LAST MONTH AS CONDITION REMAINS UNKNOWN “He was admitted to the hospital four weeks ago after falling at home and sustaining minor injuries,” McConnell’s doctor said. “A comprehensive evaluation by a multidisciplinary team determined that he had no fractures, cardiac abnormalities, stroke, tumor, or hemorrhage,” his doctor continued. “Early in his hospitalization, he developed pneumonia, which responded rapidly to antibiotic treatment.” The latest update on the longtime lawmaker’s health comes after the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who had just returned from a trip to Ukraine on Saturday night. McConnell’s absence, coupled with the shocking death of Graham, leaves the Senate down two crucial votes amid a dead sprint to wrap up key parts of President Donald Trump’s agenda through July and into early August. FROM ‘DISGRACE’ TO ‘FAMILY’: TRUMP’S REMARKABLE JOURNEY WITH LINDSEY GRAHAM It also comes after over three weeks of speculation as to why the Senate GOP’s longest serving leader in history was sidelined. His office for several weeks did not reveal the true nature of his condition, nor explain how he ended up in the hospital. That prompted a firestorm online that alleged that McConnell was in a vegetative state. Adding to the morbid intrigue was leaked emergency dispatch audio from June 14, the day he was hospitalized, that revealed the longtime Senate Republican was “unconscious” and may have suffered a heart attack. Further compounding the hazy nature of the situation was his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao’s, trip to China just days after his hospitalization. Chao’s office previously told Fox News Digital that, “The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family’s philanthropic endeavors.” “During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the U.S. ambassador,” her office said. “The Senator’s health did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S.” McConnell’s statement did not directly address much of the speculation that surrounded his hospitalization. But, he did vow to return to the Senate once he was able. “You’re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you. And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work,” McConnell said. “But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.”

From ‘disgrace’ to ‘family’: Trump’s remarkable journey with Lindsey Graham

From ‘disgrace’ to ‘family’: Trump’s remarkable journey with Lindsey Graham

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., never wanted President Donald Trump to be nominated, let alone win the presidency in 2016. “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed…….and we will deserve it,” Graham said on X at the time. Graham had run on the same ticket as Trump, and like many other Republicans on the debate stage, challenged Trump’s candidacy as preposterous — he once likened his candidacy to “being shot in the head.” LINDSEY GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR WHO ROSE FROM SMALL-TOWN ROOTS TO GOP POWER BROKER, DIES AT 71 But Trump ultimately clinched the nomination, took the White House and eventually won over Graham. Now, in the fast-moving hours after Graham’s sudden death at 71 years old, and as private jockeying to fill his empty seat takes place behind the scenes, Trump has lost a once-fierce political enemy turned friend. Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he had just spoken with Graham the night before and believed “It could have been his last call.” “I don’t know exactly, but I got a message about 1 in the morning from one of the people in his office that he had passed away. I said, ‘I just can’t believe it,’” Trump said. “He was like a member of the family to me. It’s very tough, actually.” It wasn’t always that way for Trump. He once told a crowd in South Carolina nine years ago that Graham was a “disgrace,” and “one of the dumbest human beings I’ve ever seen.” TRUMP REVEALS DETAILS OF FINAL PHONE CALL WITH GRAHAM AFTER SENATOR’S DEATH, CALLS LOSS ‘BIG BLOW’ TO SAVE ACT “I don’t think he could run for dogcatcher in this state and win again,” Trump said at the time. “I really don’t. Other than that, I think he’s wonderful.” Still, their relationship evolved from potshots online and on the debate stage into steadfast friends who weren’t shy about hitting the golf course. Graham transformed into one of Trump’s most vocal allies in the Senate and a key bridge from the upper chamber to the White House during Trump’s second term — even after Graham believed Trump should never step foot in the White House. After winning his primary for the GOP nomination in June, Trump was almost top of mind for Graham. “I want to thank the big guy, God,” Graham said during a speech last month. “Trump comes later. Mr. President, you’re not far behind God, but we’re going to start with him.” GRAHAM’S DEATH IGNITES GOP SCRAMBLE FOR SENATE SEAT AS TRUMP HINTS HE ALREADY HAS A FAVORITE But that reverence, be it political or sincere, took time. Years ago, Trump at one point grew so angry at Graham that he leaked the lawmaker’s phone number online, which prompted Graham to make a show of destroying several of his phones. And after the Jan. 6, 2021, riots on Capitol Hill, Graham turned his back on Trump. “Trump and I, we’ve had a hell of a journey. I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it. From my point of view, he’s been a consequential president,” Graham said on the Senate floor as the vote to certify the election neared. “All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.” In the run-up to and during Trump’s second term, Graham became a fierce ally of Trump’s. He led the vanguard for the “one, big beautiful bill,” as Senate Budget Committee chair and has championed Trump’s flagship election integrity legislation, the SAVE America Act. And in the hallways of the Senate during the last year and a half, you’d often hear Graham say he’d just spoken with Trump or was headed to the White House to hammer out a legislative dispute — be it with Democrats standing in the way or Republicans. Now, after a rocky, explosive and tight-knit journey together, the road has run out. “I said, ‘We’ll see you soon,’” Trump recalled of his last call with Graham. “Come over anytime you want. He came into the White House, because I liked him. Can’t do that with everybody.”

Israeli forces kill five Palestinians in latest attacks on Gaza

Israeli forces kill five Palestinians in latest attacks on Gaza

Since a US-brokered truce in October, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,098 Palestinians in Gaza. Published On 12 Jul 202612 Jul 2026 An Israeli drone attack and gunfire in Gaza have killed at least five people, including a nine-year-old girl, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Tala Abu Matar died when Israeli gunfire targeted an encampment on the eastern side of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, medics said. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Also on Sunday, a drone attack on a blacksmith’s shop in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City killed at least four Palestinians and wounded another, according to officials at al-Shifa hospital where the casualties were taken. The Israeli military acknowledged striking the area, saying without elaborating that it targeted “terrorist infrastructure”. Following shooting on Friday, a Palestinian man died of wounds sustained from Israeli fire near Al-Bureij camp, said a health official. Another Palestinian succumbed to injuries from an Israeli drone strike east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The continued attacks in Gaza are in violation of the ceasefire agreed last October by Israel and Hamas. While fighting on the ground has mostly stopped since then, Israel has continued carrying out air strikes in Gaza, killing at least 1,098 Palestinians and wounding 3,535 during the so-called ceasefire, health ministry data shows. Since October, Israel has expanded its control over the enclave beyond the so-called “Yellow Line”, which demarcates territory occupied by Israel from the rest of Gaza under the ceasefire agreement. Last week, Gaza’s Government Media Office said Israeli forces now control about 80 percent of Gaza. Advertisement The latest ⁠violence comes as Hamas leaders visited Cairo for further talks on implementing the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. The discussions include Hamas disarmament ⁠and Israeli army withdrawals, according to sources close to the talks, who said no breakthrough has been achieved. Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, the health ministry said at least 73,118 Palestinians have been killed. Adblock test (Why?)

Meet the Cubans stuck in Mexico under Donald Trump’s deportation campaign

Meet the Cubans stuck in Mexico under Donald Trump’s deportation campaign

‘Like we were dogs’ For Scull Delgado, life in the US began with the famous Mariel boatlift, a 1980 exodus that saw some 125,000 Cubans pile onto small, rickety boats and sail across the Florida Strait. Many were fleeing political persecution. Others had grown desperate as a result of the island’s economic strife. Scull Delgado said he joined the boatlift to escape service in Cuba’s army. But even though the “marielitos” arrived in the US without formal paperwork, Washington agreed to accept them. The US, after all, had long opposed the island’s communist leadership. “We will continue to provide an open heart and open arms to refugees seeking freedom from communist domination and from economic deprivation,” US President Jimmy Carter said at the time. Over the following decades, Scull Delgado settled in California and got married to a US citizen. He had three children and four grandchildren. But he also got a criminal record. “I committed a crime in the ’90s,” he said, describing it as “a slip-up” for which he did time in prison. “After I got out, I didn’t get into any more problems,” Scull Delgado added. He just had to “show up every year to sign in” at US immigration offices. “That’s where they picked me up.” Immigration agents arrested him while he was signing in at the office. After nearly 46 years in the US, he was one month away from retirement — one month away from enjoying “the benefits I earned through my work”. “I do feel betrayed by Trump because he took everything away from me after I’d spent my whole life in that country,” Scull Delgado said. By November, he had been transported to Mexico, away from his home and his family. From left: Lazaro Diaz Garcia, Seul Delgado, Ricardo Scull Delgado and Ernesto Perez Chapman, four Cuban men deported from the US, say they are stuck in legal limbo in Palenque, Mexico [Ann Deslandes/Al Jazeera] Another Cuban national, 48-year-old Orlando Martinez Mendoza, was also deported in 2025. He migrated from Cuba to the US in 2015, arriving by boat. But he said immigration authorities grabbed him at a court hearing in Tennessee, where he had appeared for a speeding charge. He described being transported to three different detention centres over the course of two months in Tennessee. He was then transported out of state, to a holding facility set up in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola. Martinez Mendoza remembers the transfer being staged for media purposes. “They selected a group of us migrants, saying we were the biggest criminals in the country,” he said. “They took us to Angola prison in a bus with police in front and back, stopping traffic with sirens, and TV cameras rolling.” Eventually, he too was sent to Arizona and, from there, to Palenque. He said his bus came to a stop right in front of the offices for the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance, or COMAR. Immigration officials, he said, “dumped us right in front of COMAR like we were dogs”. The US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees federal immigration enforcement, did not reply to a request for comment for this story. It has, however, featured Martinez Mendoza on a website of its immigration-related arrests, highlighting his conviction for selling cocaine in 2018. He was subject to a deportation order after serving two years in prison. Adblock test (Why?)

Syrian parliament convenes for first time following al-Assad’s overthrow

Syrian parliament convenes for first time following al-Assad’s overthrow

President Ahmed al-Sharaa says improving the economy and strengthening public services are key priorities. Published On 12 Jul 202612 Jul 2026 Syria’s president has called on lawmakers to put “national interest above all” as the newly appointed transitional parliament convenes for its inaugural session. Members of the parliament took the constitutional oath in Damascus on Sunday, more than 18 months after longtime authoritarian ruler Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is now Syria’s president. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “I urge you to make this assembly a model of responsibility and competence, and to help foster a culture of dialogue, the rule of law and respect for institutions,” al-Sharaa said. The main role of the parliament, called the People’s Assembly, will be to draft a new constitution and lay the foundations for democracy after decades of oppressive rule under the al-Assad family that culminated in a 14-year civil war that killed more than half a million people. The 43-year-old al-Sharaa has pledged to usher in a new era for Syria, which remains in a dire economic state after years of conflict and political isolation. The country’s challenges have been compounded by periods of political and sectarian tension following al-Assad’s overthrow. Al-Sharaa stressed that improving the economy, strengthening public services and attracting international investment were key priorities for parliament. “Syria is writing a glorious history that reflects its heroism, and we ⁠face the responsibility of building both the nation and the individual,” he said. The chamber has 210 seats. Two-thirds of lawmakers were chosen last year by regional electoral colleges, while al-Sharaa appointed the remaining 70 members of parliament at the beginning of the month. Advertisement Officials say nationwide elections were not feasible because of the complex logistical challenges created by years of conflict, including inaccurate population records. Claudio Cordone, the deputy United Nations special envoy for Syria, called the parliament’s first session “a key milestone in the country’s political transition”, adding that the international community “will follow its work closely and stand ready to support” it. Adblock test (Why?)