By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT

Published: 16:00 BST, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 16:46 BST, 13 July 2026

President Donald Trump wants late Senator Lindsey Graham‘s sister to fill the vacant seat left behind after the South Carolina lawmaker’s sudden passing. 

‘I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,’ the President wrote on social media. 

‘This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!’ 

Darline Graham Nordone, the late Senator’s younger sister, has never served in public office.  

Advertisement

The South Carolina Governor is expected to speak Monday afternoon about the late Senator and the vacancy in Congress left by his passing.

McMaster is allowed to appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of Graham’s term, which ends on January 3, 2027. The Governor may decide to appoint a ‘caretaker’ to the role who will not run for the seat in the midterms later this year. 

It is unclear whether Darline’s appointment would be a ‘caretaker’ selection or if she would formally announce a run for his seat in a special primary election. 

Graham’s death kicks off a one-week registration period for a special primary election so that a new candidate can swiftly fill the vacancy, according to South Carolina law. 

Advertisement

President Donald Trump with Senator Lindsey Graham at a South Carolina campaign event in January 2023

Senator Lindsey Graham waves while riding in a golf cart to a television interview with his sister Darline Graham Nordone, center, in 2015

Trump said that he would like South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster to appoint Darline Graham Nordone to her late brother’s vacant Senate seat

Advertisement

The special primary election registration is slated to begin July 21, and the election would be held two Tuesdays later, on August 11. 

If there is a runoff for the special primary election, it would follow two weeks later on August 25.

The winner of the special primary election would go on to face Democratic candidate Annie Andrews in the November race. 

Already there is speculation about which South Carolina politicians may hop into the special primary election. 

Advertisement

Lieutenant Governor Pamella Everette, Fox News host and former Congressman Trey Gowdy, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, Congressman Ralph Norman and more have been mentioned as possible candidates.  

Lindsey and Darline Graham were incredibly close, and after the siblings’ parents died 15 months apart in the 1970s, the Senator, then 21, legally adopted his teenage sister and helped raise her. 

The Senator never married or had children but noted that he did have a family, namely his younger sister. 

The pair were raised in Central, South Carolina, near Clemson University. Their parents operated a bar and pool hall. The young Graham siblings lived in a room in the back of the establishment. 

Advertisement

Graham and Trump were known to golf together. Above they are pictured playing at one of the President’s resorts last year

Graham was on Air Force One with Trump a day after the US military raid that captured former Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro. Graham cheered on the Presidnet’s use of force 

‘He’s kind of like a brother, a father and a mother rolled into one,’ Darline told the New York Times in 2015. 

The Senator kept close tabs on his younger sister as the two grew up without their parents. 

Advertisement

The Republican’s law school friends told NPR that Lindsey would visit his sister on weekends and would inquire about if she was keeping curfew and who she was spending time with. 

After joining the Air Force as a military lawyer, he adopted Darline, ensuring that if anything happened to him that his benefits would flow to her.  

South Wales Police has released the following statement.

A spokeswoman said: “We’re at the scene of a serious collision on the M4, junction 33 A4232 to junction 34 Miskin, Cardiff.

“The road is currently closed in both directions, east and westbound.

“It is expected to remain closed for some time; please avoid the area and use alternative routes where possible. We’re grateful for your patience.”

Prince Harry is said to be ‘buoyed’ and ‘really energised’ following his family reunion with King Charles.

The Duke of Sussex is ‘very happy’ that his wife and children joined him to spend time with his father and stepmother, Queen Camilla, at Highgrove, friends said.

Harry and his family are believed to have met the King and Queen between 3.30pm and 4pm on Friday, remaining with the couple for more than an hour.

The King is said to have been determined to see his grandchildren for the first time in four years during a week in which Harry suffered a crushing defeat in his privacy court case against the Daily Mail.

Friends of Harry claimed he was ‘buoyed, very happy and really energised’ after the meeting, which also marked the monarch’s first time meeting with Archie and Lilibet in four years.

His wife Meghan Markle, who was famously accompanied down the aisle by her father-in-law the King on their wedding day in 2018, was also present after secretly flying the family to Britain.

But the Duchess of Sussex skipped all of Harry’s Invictus Games engagements amid his ongoing dispute with the Government over taxpayer-funded police protection in the UK.

King Charles has faced criticism in some quarters for meeting Harry and Meghan after suffering years of potshots at the Royal Family from California since Megxit, including claims of racism.

But a royal source responded that ‘blood is blood’ when asked about the decision to meet.

‘Every journey of a thousand miles begins with one footstep,’ the source added.

Charles III and Queen Camilla (pictured at London Zoo last week) spent around an hour with the Sussexes on their visit

Harry and his family are believed to have spent around an hour at Highgrove with King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The gathering was particularly significant because it marked the first time that Meghan, Archie and Lilibet had seen the 77-year-old monarch – who is still undergoing treatment for cancer – in person since 2022.

Earlier in the day on Friday, there had been clues that something important was unfolding when Harry arrived at an engagement for the Invictus Games at the National Exhibition Centre, near Birmingham.

An observer said: ‘Harry turned up at Invictus with a massive smile plastered all over his face.’

The family reunion at Highgrove had clearly put Harry in high spirits following a week dominated by negative headlines, including a row over his security and a crushing defeat in his court case over privacy against the Daily Mail.

On Saturday, after the visit to Highgrove, the Duke of Sussex was all smiles as he appeared at Scotty’s Summer Festival at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire. 

Harry is the global ambassador for the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which supports bereaved children from military families.

During the festival, Harry posed playfully with children as he took part in ‘goat yoga’, surrounded by the animals. At one point, he joked: ‘Is there health and safety? Do they bite?’, before taking his place on a mat and performing the tree pose on one leg while miming goats’ ears with his hands.

As Harry lay on his back and the goats trampled over his body, someone in the crowd quipped that his security team should step in to ‘protect the crown jewels’.

The Sussexes are believed to have been staying at the Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire – the ancestral home of Princess Diana’s family and where she is buried on a private island in the middle of a lake.

It is not known if the Sussexes have left the UK.

Harry and Meghan, who quit as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California, have spoken about their wish to introduce their children to their British roots.

During his visit to Warwickshire, Harry said: ‘I love being here, this is the highlight of my month. Actually probably the last few months. It’s very easy to sit in your grief, to sit in your stress but, guys, if you are feeling it, share it.’

The meeting with the King and Queen came after weeks of speculation and uncertainty about whether Meghan and the children would accompany him to the UK.

The family had reportedly been on holiday in Portugal, staying at a beachside villa they own there.

During his visit to Warwickshire on Saturday, Harry said he loves ‘being here’ and called his visit ‘the highlight’ of his month

Harry initially turned down an offer to stay at Buckingham Palace only to change his mind at the last minute. He was then told that the offer had been rescinded because Palace officials said it was impossible to prepare rooms for him at short notice.

The Duke arrived in Britain on Monday. The following day, he lost his High Court case which alleged wrongdoing by Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail. The company was vindicated on all 97 counts brought by Harry and other claimants, including Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, Sir Simon Hughes and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.

Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday that the meeting at Highgrove had taken place but declined to disclose any details of the ‘private family occasion’.

Earlier in the week, palace officials had privately described the prolonged drama surrounding the Sussexes’ trip as ‘wearying’.

Prince Harry has also recorded an episode on The Celebrity Traitors star Joe Marler’s podcast as part of his trip to the UK.

The Duke of Sussex recited his rarely used full name in the new interview, before poking fun at Marler’s co-host.

In a teaser for the upcoming episode of Joe Marler Will See You Now, the royal is asked for his full name by the former rugby player.

‘Henry Charles Albert David, Duke of Sussex,’ Harry replied, to which podcast co-host Jake Bhardwaj quipped: ‘It’s a long one.’

Harry quickly responded: ‘Alright, Jake,’ causing huge laughter from the podcast hosts and crew members behind the camera.

The teaser then showed the podcast hosts chanting ‘Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke’ as he arrived on the set before Marler says, ‘what the f*** was that’.

Marler and Bhardwaj will speak to the prince about trauma, coping mechanisms, identity and grief, as well as lighter topics.

The Duke of Sussex recited his rarely used full name in the new interview with Joe Marler

The former England rugby player said: ‘We try to pride ourselves on the ability to go from light to dark to serious to fun, because, for me, it’s just one big conversation.’ 

Since launching last year, Joe Marler Will See You Now has amassed 9.5million long form streams and 170million social media views to date, and previous guests have included his fellow Celebrity Traitors contestant Nick Mohammed, comedian Katherine Ryan and former QI presenter Stephen Fry. 

The full podcast episode is set to be released at 5pm on Monday, July 13.

Bradley Thomas, 23, will serve a minimum of 14 years after he became frustrated at little Emmerson Oak who refused to settle after a night feed.

Teesside Crown Court heard how he continued to deny inflicting fatal injuries on his young son, and delayed calling the emergency services for 30 minutes after, sending a distressing video to his partner.

Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said the jury found Thomas had ‘forcefully and vigorously shaken’ his young son in the early hours of the morning.

She said: “The jury saw video footage of Emmerson physically suffering for a short period of time before he must have lost consciousness.”

The court heard how Thomas failed to get immediate help for his son despite him being clearly in distress and waited for 30 minutes to call 999.

During his trial, jurors heard how death was inevitable due to the ‘catastrophic’ injuries suffered by his son.

The court heard Emmerson’s mother, who spoke in support of Thomas during the trial, had declined to make a victim statement following his conviction for murder.

Nicholas Lumley KC, mitigating, said Thomas had been described as a “loving father” and “nobody can believe he did what the jury found him to have done”.

Mr Justice Sheldon KC told Thomas that he would be sentenced to a mandatory life sentence following his conviction for his son’s murder.

He said: “You shook your three-month-old baby son with such violence and force that he was caused severe and irreversible brain injuries.

“Emmerson died three days later as a result of those injuries.”

Thomas was told he must serve at least 14-years in prison before he can be considered for parole.

“It must not be forgotten that you committed denied Emmerson a life,” he added.

“He had his whole life ahead of him, and that life was cut short by his murder.

“By your own actions, you have lost a much-loved son and the tragedy of this loss will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on you, just as it will have that impact on the rest of Emmerson’s family.”

During the trial, jurors heard how Thomas told police and medics that Emmerson had fallen off his knee when he nodded off on the sofa.

However, the medical experts dismissed his version of events after identifying multiple bleeds on the brain consistent with ‘vigorous shaking’.

The judge added: “You lost your temper. For a minute or so you shook Emmerson with so much force he was caused fatal injuries.

“You regretted what you had done immediately afterwards. You hoped Emmerson would recover but tragically that did not happen.”

New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso was unveiled at Stamford Bridge on Monday and said he wants to keep Enzo Fernandez at the club.

The 25-year-old Argentina midfielder, who is preparing to face England in the World Cup semi-finals, is open to leaving and was recently linked with Real Madrid.

However, the Spanish club denied pursuing a move for Fernandez last week, leaving him with no known alternative destination and a sizeable £120m asking price.

Alonso replied “yes” when asked whether he wanted to keep Fernandez, adding: “We have spoken. But, as you can understand, what we said will remain private.”

It was part of his first wide-ranging news conference since taking charge of Chelsea following his departure from Real Madrid in January. He also said striker Nicolas Jackson will return to the squad for at least the club’s pre-season tour of Australia and Asia after Bayern Munich decided against making his loan move permanent.

“Nico Jackson is joining the tour in Asia and we are looking forward to him working with us,” said Alonso.

In addition, winger Alejandro Garnacho has not returned to training under Alonso, who began his role last Thursday.

Alonso said there is an agreement for Garnacho to stay away from the first-team squad while he seeks a move, with Italian club Roma among those interested.

“There is interest in him from other clubs. Hopefully it finishes in the best possible way for everyone,” he added.

Alonso said he is targeting qualifying for Europe in his first season and thanked the sporting directors and owners for choosing him to be part of the club.

He continued: “I want to enjoy it, be part of this club and work with the sporting directors. It is a club with great potential. We need to make the right decisions, but we have a strong base to build on. We need to build on this foundation to be successful on the pitch.”

Peter will again play in front of his local fans, limiting tickets to those who live in a BL postcode, following huge demand for tickets when they went on sale earlier this year.

The stand-up shows in the new year will again support Bolton Hospice.

Peter will play two matinee and two evening shows at the Albert Halls on Saturday and Sunday 9-10 January 2027.

The night Peter Kay turned Bolton’s Got Talent into a celebration of giving (Image: NQ)

The announcement follows the performances at the venue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which sold out in minutes when tickets went on sale earlier this year.

Peter said: “There was such a big demand for tickets for the shows I have just done that I really wanted to put some more on, which give the chance for people who missed out this time to come along.

“Putting on four shows over a weekend means I can also play matinees and increase funds for the hospice, which is what this is all about.

“I wanted to play in my home town and the only availability at the Albert Halls was in January – but as I always say, better late than never!”

Before the recent shows, Peter last performed at the Albert Halls in 2003, recording the iconic Peter Kay: Live at the Bolton Albert Halls, which to this day is the biggest selling stand-up DVD of all time in the UK.

(Image: Newsquest)

Tickets will go on sale on Friday 17 July at 10am and, as with the recent Bolton shows, they are limited to fans who live at a BL postcode.

All profits will be donated to Bolton Hospice.

Peter said: “I was made up by the response to these shows at the Albert Halls and it was lovely to play to a smaller audience than usual, all from the local area.

“I want to once again thank the people of Bolton for their support. This is another opportunity to help raise money for the amazing charity Bolton Hospice, which needs all the support it can get.”

Chair of Bolton Hospice, Judith Bromley, said: “We are blown away that Peter has so generously offered to perform four more shows in aid of the hospice in January next year.

“The money raised from the recent brilliant shows in Bolton will make a huge difference to all the local people who come through our doors.”

Fans said they loved the shows he performed at the Albert Halls last week, ending on Saturday.

They even enjoyed a Phoenix Nights meal beforehand

David Pye, who was one of the lucky ones to have got a ticket said: “It was so good to see Peter back where it all began in his home town to a crowd made up of fellow Boltonians – and he didn’t disappoint.

“After announcing it was his first time back performing at The Albert Halls for 22 years, the first half of his show had a distinctly local feel.

“For anyone who has seen his latest show on his record-breaking tour, the first part of this show was different and without wanted to spoil it for anyone going, it takes a trip down a local Memory Lane.

“I have seen Peter loads of times, from big arenas to intimate warm-up shows and conversation fundraisers and this was as funny as ever. Peter was on top form on home turf.”

Tickets go on sale on Friday (17 July) at 10am.

Tickets will only be available via Quay Tickets: https://tix.to/PKBolton

quaytickets.com/boltonalberthalls

Need to know

Police have closed off the road as three people were found dead at their family home on Monday morning

Everything you need to know as three people found dead at Ballymena house

• Three people have been found dead at a house in Ballymena, Co Antrim, with police confirming they were family members.
• Officers discovered the bodies at a property on Old Cullybackey Road on Monday morning, July 13.
• Forensic officers are currently at the scene alongside the PSNI
• A PSNI spokesperson said: “Police are investigating the circumstances after three people were found dead in the Old Cullybackey Road area of Ballymena this morning, Monday 13th July.”
• The spokesperson confirmed the three people were related and found inside the family home.
• Police have assured the public there is no ongoing risk to the community.
• There are diversions in place at the junctions of Inishowen Park and the Cullybackey Road.

READ THE FULL STORY: Bodies of three people found in Co Antrim home- latest updates

he suffered a serious facial injury

A man suffered a “serious facial injury” after being assaulted in a Cambridgeshire pub. The assault took place at the Fountain Inn pub in Churchgate Street, Soham, at around 12.20am on May 24.

The victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Police have since identified an individual who may help with their investigation.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “A man was assaulted at the Fountain Inn, in Churchgate Street, at about 12.20am on May 24. The victim was treated at hospital after sustaining a facial injury”.

Do you want more of the latest Cambridgeshire news as it comes in from across the county? Sign up to our dedicated newsletter to make sure you never miss a big story from Cambridge or anywhere else in the county. You can also sign up to our dedicated Traffic and Crime newsletters for the latest updates on the topics you are most interested in .