Sherrill ripped after New Jersey skips flag directive honoring Graham: ‘Most political governor’
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is taking heat after state flag status records showed flags at full-staff despite a White House proclamation directing U.S. flags flown at half-staff nationwide in remembrance of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., through Saturday evening. “This is probably the most political [Trenton administration], and she’s only been there six months — probably the most political governor I’ve served with in the last 25 years,” New Jersey state Sen. Joe Pennacchio, R-Boonton, told Fox News Digital Thursday. He formally requested the governor lower the flags earlier this week after Graham’s death. A Trenton source confirmed that flags at the Capitol remained at full-staff as of midday Thursday. A New Jersey Department of State website tracking flag status also indicated “all flags full-staff” on Thursday. SEN LINDSEY GRAHAM DEAD AT 71 AFTER ‘BRIEF AND SUDDEN’ ILLNESS, OFFICE SAYS Sherrill, whose office did not respond to multiple requests for comment, appeared to be one of a handful of Democratic state leaders to ignore the White House’s proclamation. Neighboring Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro both reportedly ordered flags lowered, along with leaders of California, Colorado, Maryland, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger did not appear to issue half-staff orders either because each state’s official flag status remained “full-staff” as of Thursday. Fox News Digital reached out to both governors for comment. Pennacchio told Fox News Digital that, after inaction from Sherrill on lowering the flags, he crafted a formal request. Pennacchio said honoring people like Graham should be nonpartisan because Graham was a respected public figure and a decades-long U.S. Air Force veteran and someone who also exuded a bipartisan nature, particularly on key votes like confirmations of Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. “My request was very respectful. It wasn’t partisan at all,” he said, noting that Sherrill is also a veteran. Pennacchio said Graham would speak about the importance of putting politics aside in important moments like this, recounting that the South Carolinian defended his aisle-crossing confirmation votes by saying his advise-and-consent role was to consider whether a nominee is qualified regardless of party. KAGAN RECALLS LINDSEY GRAHAM’S VOTE THAT HELPED SEAL HER SUPREME COURT CONFIRMATION When Sherrill was in Congress, she represented Pennacchio’s state Senate district. He told Fox News Digital he had hope for bipartisanship with Sherrill because the two offices worked very well together on intergovernmental constituent services. Sherrill’s decision not to lower flags also ran counter to one of New Jersey’s other most prominent Democrats, Sen. Cory Booker, who recorded a video honoring Graham. In his video, Booker spoke of how, as a freshman senator, he was told by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., that Graham would be a good bipartisan colleague to work with on criminal justice reform. Booker recounted walking up to Graham and breaching the topic, and Graham jokingly admonished him that he was in a South Carolina primary with a “bat—- crazy” opponent and that he can’t even be seen with Democrats. Graham said Booker should come back to him after the election, and he did. “True to his word, [Graham] rolled up his sleeves and he went to work,” Booker said, adding that their collaboration ended in the passage of the First Step Act. Booker did not respond to a request for comment on this story, but Pennacchio said he appreciated the Democrat’s gesture. “Senator Booker is as partisan as they come, but he did the right thing and put his partisanship aside,” Pennacchio said. “The death of one diminishes a little bit of all of us.” Another New Jersey figure who did speak out after Graham’s passing was Rep. Christopher Smith, a Republican representing the Jersey Shore and the Garden State’s longest-serving congressman. MAJORITY LEADER THUNE: LINDSEY GRAHAM WAS THE GOP’S GLUE, BINDING US TOGETHER WITH COURAGE AND GRACE “Lindsey Graham was an indefatigable and courageous fighter for the right to life, human rights, liberty and freedom,” Smith said earlier this week. “He was articulate and persuasive and brought both incisive candor and humor to debate. He was a national treasure and will be deeply missed. My wife, Marie, and I offer our deepest condolences to his family.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Fox News Digital also reached out to Booker’s counterpart, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., for comment on the situation. “Our nation has long understood that when a public servant passes away after a lifetime of service to the American people, we come together and honor them with dignity and respect. New Jersey should not be the exception,” Pennacchio said.
UK urges FIFA to investigate Argentina over World Cup Falklands banner
The United Kingdom and Argentina fought a brief war over the British overseas territory in 1982. Published On 16 Jul 202616 Jul 2026 A British minister has called for FIFA to investigate after Argentina’s players at the World Cup held up a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentinian”) after their 2-1 semifinal victory over England. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Downing Street office backed the calls by Business Minister Peter Kyle on Thursday, a day after the semifinal. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Kyle called the flag waving an “egregious violation” of FIFA rules, which ban political symbols on the field of play. “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. Argentina invaded the British overseas territory in the South Atlantic in 1982. But the United Kingdom regained the archipelago in a brief war after then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dispatched a naval force. Kyle urged football’s global governing body to “thoroughly” investigate the banner incident after Wednesday’s match in Atlanta in the US state of Georgia. “Politics needs to be separate from football. In fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football,” he told BBC television. “That is now a matter for FIFA. … We expect FIFA to undertake an investigation into this,” he added. FIFA has not yet commented on the incident. Britain occupied the Falklands in the 19th century, but Argentina claims the islands are part of its territory. Argentinian Vice President Victoria Villarruel upped the tensions before Wednesday’s kickoff by calling the English “usurping pirates”. Advertisement The 1982 conflict ended with the deaths of 649 Argentinians and 255 Britons. After their World Cup semifinal victory, Argentina’s foreign minister said Buenos Aires had filed a formal protest over a British warship near the Falkland Islands. Pablo Quirno posted on X to express “the strongest rejection” of the UK’s HMS Medway’s “unconsulted and illegal” passage through Argentinian territorial waters, alleging a lack of proper notification. Quirno said the Medway, which is based in the Falkland Islands, was accused of violating bilateral agreements in a diplomatic note of protest dated on Monday and submitted to the UK embassy in Buenos Aires. Adblock test (Why?)
Air defences intercept drones over Erbil, Iraq
NewsFeed Verified eyewitness video captures multiple aerial interceptions over Erbil, Iraq where explosions were heard near the US consulate. Security sources said an explosive-laden drone was shot down, as Kurdish authorities reported coalition forces intercepted eight drones. Published On 16 Jul 202616 Jul 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Hamas leadership run-off expected between Meshaal and al-Hayya
Hamas is set to hold a decisive run-off election next week to choose its new political bureau chief. This will complete a complex transition process initiated to fill leadership vacancies left by Israel’s assassinations of some of the group’s top figures, such as Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. The highly anticipated vote represents a critical juncture for the Palestinian group as it attempts to renew itself, even as it faces the ongoing Israeli war. According to a Hamas source, the internal ballot to select a chairman has narrowed down to what is likely to be a close contest between former Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal and former deputy chairman Khalil al-Hayya. The winner will replace the current transitional council, which took over following Sinwar’s assassination in Gaza in October 2024. The new leader will then continue until 2027, when new elections are due to be held. Under Hamas’s internal rules, a candidate must secure an absolute majority of 50 percent plus one of the votes within the Shura Council – the group’s consultative body – to win the leadership outright. Because neither candidate achieved that threshold during the initial rounds, a run-off election has been scheduled for next week to break the deadlock. The source explained that, according to a 2021 framework, the top two leadership positions must include a representative of the Gaza region – one of the three geographical areas Hamas is divided into, with the other two being the West Bank and the diaspora. Therefore, if al-Hayya, who represents Gaza, does not secure the leadership in the run-off, he is expected to be positioned as deputy political chief. Change in process A second Hamas source told Al Jazeera that the group has been forced to abandon its typical voting process, which involves participation from the entire grassroots base. Instead, only a narrower group has been able to vote in the political bureau elections, in order to complete the current electoral term, which began in 2021. Advertisement The source explained that security challenges imposed by the war, alongside the urgent priority of filling vacancies in the group’s Shura Council resulting from the deaths of several members, had delayed the leadership selection. Despite those challenges, the source dismissed reports of a shift towards a clandestine or collective leadership structure, asserting that the identity of the newly elected chief will be formally and publicly announced once the votes are finalised. Both the Hamas sources confirmed that regardless of next week’s outcome, preparations for a fully comprehensive, grassroots election across all three traditional regions are scheduled to begin next year, subject to prevailing security conditions. Palestinian political analyst Abdullah Aqrabawi told Al Jazeera that those internal dynamics can no longer be viewed as the closed-door affairs of a local group. Since the events of October 7, 2023, Hamas has emerged as a central regional actor whose decisions reverberate far beyond the Palestinian arena, directly shaping the geopolitics of the entire Middle East. Consequently, Aqrabawi noted, the transition of Hamas’s leadership has become a matter of intense regional and international scrutiny. Institutional resilience The current electoral framework stems from Hamas’s internal general elections in early 2021. Haniyeh was chosen as the overall head of the political bureau, while Sinwar was re-elected to lead the Gaza Strip and Meshaal was selected to head the movement’s diaspora wing abroad. This institutional structure faced unprecedented disruption following the outbreak of the war, which saw Israel target multiple tiers of Hamas’s political and military commands. In July 2024, political chief Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, prompting the group’s Shura Council to name Sinwar as his overall successor in August 2024. Following Sinwar’s death during a clash with Israeli forces in Rafah in October 2024, the group adapted by establishing a temporary, five-member ruling leadership council to handle wartime governance and negotiations. This transitional committee has since been nominally headed by Qatar-based official Mohammad Darwish. Despite Israel’s declared objective of dismantling Hamas’s command-and-control apparatus, the structured nature of this transition highlights the group’s deep organisational safety net. Palestinian political analyst Wissam Afifa told Al Jazeera that Hamas’s organisational structure operates akin to the biological process of “mitotic division” – where a single cell splits to create two identical cells. In times of crisis, pre-existing emergency procedures and backup plans automatically trigger secondary administrative and leadership layers to assume control. Advertisement Afifa emphasised that while iconic, charismatic figures are irreplaceable, the survival of the institution itself is never tied to a single individual, allowing the group to absorb unprecedented shocks. Agreeing with this assessment, Aqrabawi observed that the movement’s insistence on adhering strictly to its voting regulations and bylaws under the fire of an ongoing war reflects a deep-seated institutionalism. Rather than resorting to swift appointments or consensus decrees, he said, the group has chosen a voting process. According to Aqrabawi, the active competition between two distinct leaders shows a healthy internal debate on the movement’s political and strategic directions during a crucial moment. A shift in the decision-making hub The war has nevertheless forced structural adjustments in how Hamas governs itself. Afifa pointed out that the extensive targeting of Hamas’s long-time military commanders inside the Gaza Strip has led to an inevitable delegation of authority. To ensure continuity, the political leadership abroad has been granted broad mandates to make strategic decisions. This delegation of power allows external leaders to navigate diplomatic and political manoeuvres free from the immediate tactical pressures of the battlefield. This external pivot has persisted despite direct threats. Last September, Israel launched an attack on a residential complex in Doha targeting senior Hamas figures, though the leadership survived. Afifa noted that while collective leadership has been crucial for building internal consensus during this transitional phase, Hamas’s history suggests that strong, charismatic, individual leadership remains vital for taking decisive actions during major historical turning points. Diplomatic and post-war implications The outcome of the vote is expected to determine the organisational management of ceasefire negotiations. While al-Hayya has been deeply involved as Hamas’s main negotiator
Hyderabad school sacks ‘Mother Teacher’ over Kalma, Surah Fatiha homework row; details inside
According to officials, the class had 25 students, 24 Muslim and 1 Hindu. The teacher asked the entire class to recite the Kalma and Surah Fatiha as part of daily home study.
Rohingya-Bangladeshi Terror Funding Network: ED raids 13 locations in UP
ED raided 13 locations in UP on Wednesday in a terror funding case linked to Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltration. Based on UP ATS FIR, ED is probing a syndicate accused of forging IDs and funneling foreign funds via trusts, mule accounts to support illegal settlement across India.
TMC MP Koel Mallick resigns from Rajya Sabha in fresh blow to Mamata Banerjee camp
Mallick, also a popular actor, had taken oath as a member of parliament in the Rajya Sabha in April this year. Mallick wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan on Thursday, informing him of her decision to quit.
Stampede at Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri leaves 1 dead, over 100 injured: What led to it?
Many people suffered breathing difficulties and were rushed to hospitals, according to a report by News18. Teams of the Special Rescue Unit (SRU) reached the site and launched rescue efforts.
SC Bar Association appeals to Sonam Wangchuk to withdraw hunger strike, vows legal aid for education reforms
The Bar body said that while his movement had awakened the nation’s conscience, the country needed his continued leadership rather than risking his life.
Arvind Kejriwal suggests PM appoint Sonam Wangchuk as Education Minister amid hunger strike
Kejriwal suggested the Prime Minister appoint Wangchuk as the Union Education Minister to replace Dharmnendra Pradhan; however, he expressed scepticism.