July 12, 2026 - Lindsey Graham Dies at 71

Last night in Philadelphia, the sun didn't set until nearly 8:30 pm. I made a point of noticing, and of taking advantage even after a sudden summer storm knocked out our power. The gas grill still fired up and grilled some steaks. That's the argument for the Sunshine Protection Act in a single evening. More time to be outdoors in daylight.

Arguing about clocks is a talk radio perennial, like debating term limits and whether we should settle presidential elections by popular vote. You know, the sort of thing about which people are passionate, so much so that we never resolve them. Well, this week the House votes on making daylight saving time permanent nationwide, an effort backed by President Trump that cleared the Energy and Commerce Committee 48-1 in May. The Senate passed a similar bill unanimously in 2022 before it died in the House. I hope this time it sticks.

My view: permanent daylight saving time is the right answer, because it's the schedule that puts sunlight where we can actually use it - in the evening, not at 5 am when many are still asleep. I'm a believer in seasonal affective disorder - in fact, I think I have it. When the sun disappears at 4:36 pm in December, as it does here, I feel it. Under permanent DST, that December sunset becomes 5:36. Not great but I'll take it.

Senator Tom Cotton warns of pitch-black winter sunrises and kids walking to school in the dark. It's a fair concern. But the bill's only opt-out is for states like Arizona and Hawaii that already skip the clock change - everyone else moves together. Good. What we shouldn't tolerate is a patchwork. We need a national standard, not fifty clocks.

What's refreshing is that this debate isn't ideological. Vern Buchanan, a Florida Republican, introduced it. Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, backs it. 

Sunshine, it turns out, is bipartisan.

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U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina's longest-serving senator and a leading Republican voice on foreign policy, has died at 71 following a brief and sudden illness, leaving a vacancy in the Senate and ending more than two decades of congressional service.

The State

The U.S. military hit Iranian radars, missile sites and launchers Saturday night after IRGC forces struck a Cyprus-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz and declared the waterway closed, defying a Trump administration ultimatum and jeopardizing last month's U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.

Axios

England and Argentina take the last two seats in the World Cup Semifinals with both games ending in extra time, setting up a fierce showdown between Jude Bellingham/Harry Kane and Lionel Messi this Wednesday as the tournament nears its finale.

ESPN

Four Israeli settlers were arrested after ambushing a CNN crew and other journalists near Sinjil in the occupied West Bank, wielding clubs, stones and a knife and smashing a vehicle windshield as reporters covered the anniversary of the killing of Palestinian-American Saif Musallet.

CNN

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A former Wisconsin congressman and a former Pennsylvania governor argue that President Trump's demand for the SAVE America Act would burden eligible voters with onerous documentation requirements and override state-run election systems to solve a non-citizen voting problem that federal and state laws already address.

Time

The Trump administration subpoenaed several New York Times journalists to testify before a federal grand jury over reports on security concerns involving President Trump's new Qatari-donated Air Force One, prompting the newspaper to denounce the move as an attempt to intimidate the press and undermine First Amendment protections.

The New York Times

More than 200 campers and counselors stranded by catastrophic flash flooding at Missouri's Camp Taum Sauk were safely evacuated by National Guard helicopters and reunited with their families as record-breaking rainfall triggered a statewide emergency.

People

The House will vote next week on the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide while letting states opt out, reviving a push backed by President Trump that cleared the Energy and Commerce Committee 48-1 in May.

The Hill

Nearly a month after Senator Mitch McConnell was hospitalized, the retiring Kentucky Republican has not been seen publicly and his office has offered scant details, reviving a debate over what lawmakers owe the public about their health and fitness to serve.

NPR

FIFA will sell authenticated pieces of the 2026 World Cup final pitch from New Jersey's MetLife stadium for $450 to $1,200 each—along with premium memorabilia packages costing up to $3,000—in a move expected to generate millions after the tournament ends.

Al Jazeera