Here are the top stories for today, July 13th.
Headlines
Senator Lindsey Graham Passes Away at Age 71
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close Trump ally and the Senate’s leading foreign-policy hawk, died Saturday night of a “brief and sudden illness” just after returning from his tenth wartime visit to Ukraine; Trump called him “a true American Patriot.” Read More
The U.S. launched its third round of strikes on Iran in a week early Sunday after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired on a container ship and closed the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran striking back at Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE. Find out More
A federal judge agreed to a Department of Justice motion to dismiss the seditious conspiracy case brought against four Proud Boys members stemming from January 6. Source
Politics
Graham’s death upends plans for him to take a Budget Committee gavel changeover and reshuffles the line of succession atop the Senate Judiciary Committee, compounding uncertainty already caused by Sen. Mitch McConnell’s monthlong hospitalization. Find out More
A sweeping housing affordability bill became law after President Trump declined to sign or veto it, following his push to tie it to an unrelated elections overhaul bill that stalled in Congress. Read More
The House is set to vote on legislation eliminating twice-yearly clock changes and making daylight saving time permanent nationwide. See Details
U.S. News
A widespread heat dome is building across the Southwest and Great Plains, with meteorologists warning it could trap oppressive, record-threatening temperatures for a week or more. Source
President Trump threatened on Truth Social that the U.S. military would “completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran” for a year if Tehran carries out an assassination plot against him. Source
26 states have reported cases of Cyclospora, the ‘Explosive Diarrhea’ Parasite. The infection is caused by the Cyclospora cayetanensis parasite and spreads when someone consumes food or water contaminated by the feces of an infected individual. See Details
Business
Apple filed suit alleging OpenAI systematically directed former Apple employees to bring confidential hardware secrets to its device-building efforts, marking a major rupture between the two tech giants. Find out More
Oil prices pulled back even as the U.S.-Iran conflict escalated, with traders weighing whether the latest strikes will meaningfully disrupt Strait of Hormuz shipping flows. See Details
Workers laid off by Amazon and other tech companies are struggling to find new jobs. Source
World News
Typhoon Bavi, the most powerful storm to hit the region this year, injured at least 134 people in Taiwan and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands before weakening over China’s Zhejiang province. Find out More
Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain reported intercepting missile and drone attacks early Sunday following the latest U.S. strikes, with the U.S. embassy in Bahrain delaying its opening amid the escalation. Source
Oman proposed reopening both Hormuz shipping lanes as the U.S. and Iran continued trading fire, with a UN-backed maritime center saying the southern route remains open despite Iran’s closure declaration. See Details
A shooting at a Toronto street festival killed 2 and wounded 4. Read More
Entertainment
Disney’s Dwayne Johnson-led live-action remake opened to roughly $45-60 million domestically, well short of earlier $75 million-plus projections, arriving less than two years after the billion-dollar animated sequel. See Details
Actor Randolph Mantooth, who played paramedic Johnny Gage on the 1970s NBC series that helped popularize the paramedic profession nationwide, died July 9 at a Ventura hospice after a long illness. Source
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger criticized Bruce Springsteen for turning his concerts into Trump-bashing lectures. Source
Sports
McGregor’s much-anticipated UFC return lasted just over a minute before a right knee injury forced referee Mike Beltran to stop the fight, handing Max Holloway a TKO win at UFC 329. Read More
The Chicago White Sox selected UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the first pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, the franchise’s first No. 1 selection since Harold Baines in 1977. Find out More
Julián Álvarez’s 112th-minute strike and a late Lautaro Martínez goal sent defending champion Argentina past 10-man Switzerland 3-1, setting up a World Cup semifinal against England on Wednesday in Atlanta. Find out More
Off the Wall
An NYC artist dressed in a tuxedo to collect garbage from outside Madison Square Garden after the Swift-Kelce wedding, then sold it in sealed plastic cubes for $25-$100 apiece — all 50 sold out. Source
