Transcript: Sen. Tim Scott on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” July 12, 2026

2026-07-12T10:38:00-0400 / CBS News

The following is the transcript of an interview with Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on July 12, 2026.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott. Senator, good morning, and we are sorry for your loss. As Americans wake up this morning, I wonder how you would have them remember Senator Graham, someone who served this country in uniform, but also at the Capitol for so many decades.

SENATOR TIM SCOTT: Margaret, thank you for your condolences. And America certainly has lost a statesman. I have lost a friend. To remember Lindsey Graham, Margaret, is honestly to remember his very humble beginnings. I’m not sure everyone connects the dots on who he is and why he is. His mother dies of cancer 15 months later. His da- dad dies of a massive heart attack. He adopts his 13-year-old sister when he was just 19 years old and a student at the University of South Carolina. And that remarkably hard and harsh beginning would frame his world view. And as a public servant, Margaret, the one thing that we don’t oftentimes think about with Lindsey is he wanted to make sure if you needed help, and he could help, he was there. He wanted to make sure that those who would sometimes feel invisible that they were seen, and he did a- an incredible job in- in South Carolina, providing the kind of public service that you would want to see from your elected official. He- he also understood that he worked for the people of South Carolina, and not he was just a leader of South Carolina. Of course, there is a foreign policy portfolio that’s undeniable that was synonymous who- who we knew him to be in public service, but as a South Carolinian, as a friend, I got to tell you, he was just a witty guy. He was always funny. I’ll tell you one quick story, Margaret. When I first started my South Carolina prayer breakfast in D.C. for those of us who came from South Carolina, I called Lindsey on the phone, and I knew he was not a morning person, and prayer breakfast starts 8:30 in the morning. And I said, “Lindsey, will you come?” He says, “I’m not coming, even if Jesus comes before 10 a.m.” It made me- I just laughed out loud. And of course, at 8:31, who walks through the door? Lindsey Graham. He- he was always committed to the priorities that he thought was important, not just for him, but- but for me. And it’s one of those times when you just know who he is as a person, and then as a public servant, we certainly know him as a fierce fighter on foreign policy as a–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SEN. SCOTT: –person who put on the uniform for 30 years, a colonel in our military, he loved America passionately. He served us brilliantly–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SEN. SCOTT: –and he will be missed undeniably.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, I want- you know, Senator Graham’s staff said that he had a sudden and brief illness. Do you- do you know what happened? Because it shocked us, frankly, overnight.

SEN. SCOTT: Yeah, I don’t know the details any more than his staff has released. My hunch was it was a heart attack, but I- I hate to just–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SEN. SCOTT: –give you my opinion on what I’ve heard from people that are close in circle, but I think we’ll have more information over the next couple days. But it–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SEN. SCOTT: –appears to have been a heart attack.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You know, you mentioned the senator’s sense of humor. He would come on this program

SEN. SCOTT: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: –and he would use this platform. He was very clear. He was coming on television because he had a message often for the president of the United States himself that he wanted Mr. Trump to hear. He was constantly flying around the world. I- I wonder how Republican leadership plans to honor his legacy.

SEN. SCOTT: Well, you know, one of the things I think we should do, obviously, that “Southside Prayer Breakfast” is coming up for me later this month. I’m going to rename it in honor of Lindsey Graham, and we’ll now have the “Lindsey Graham Prayer Breakfast” going on for as long as I’m in public service. Number one, number two, as Senate leadership comes together, I talked to John Thune about three- about 4:30 this morning, and he- he and I and John Barrasso and others will find the appropriate way to honor him all week and frankly the rest of this term. I will say that one of the ways we can best honor Lindsey Graham is to understand the importance that he placed on America, American safety abroad.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SEN. SCOTT: If you want to know who he was, he was a person who believed that when you left this country, you should be safe no matter where you go, and no matter what it cost. And that’s why, as a guy who became the budget chair, Margaret, one of the funniest stories I remember sitting there with Lindsey Graham. He said, “I am now the budget chair and I know nothing about money. I know nothing about numbers, but I’m going to do the job anyways.” And as you can tell, we got that budget tool called reconciliation done once–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you know–

SEN. SCOTT: –twice because Lindsey Graham–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –I spoke to Senator–

SEN. SCOTT: –he knew people.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. I spoke to Senator Graham a number of times on Friday when he was in Kyiv, we spoke by phone, and I know–

SEN. SCOTT: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: –he was so excited that the White House was finally going to support this bill he’d been working on with Senator Blumenthal to go tough on Russia and its biggest–

SEN. SCOTT: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: –oil buyers. He said he’d got 85 signatories. He said this is going to- this is going to fly through. Are you going to honor him by making that vote happen, is there a commitment to it?

SEN. SCOTT: Well, Margaret, it’s way too early for me to talk politics and- and about the legislation that Lindsey Graham sponsored. We’ll get busy on that tomorrow. Today, I’m going to stay busy on his legacy and praying for his- his sister and the rest of the country who’s lost a powerful leader. There are many ways for us to honor Lindsey Graham today.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SEN. SCOTT: The best way for me to honor him is to talk about his legacy as a person and as a public servant. No doubt, foreign policy will be one of the ways that we get to honor him. I won’t be specific because, frankly, it’s going to take the whole of leadership to come to the decisions on the way to do that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, I just- the excitement in his voice on that one stood out to me.

SEN. SCOTT: Oh- he’s- Margaret, you know him as well as anyone in- in this public forum because he was so committed to public service–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SEN. SCOTT: –and I know your family has been committed to public service as well in the same way that he wore the uniform. And one of the ways that we will demonstrate our commitment to Lindsey, my hope is to focus on the priorities that he had established for this nation from a global perspective, and hopefully the White House, the Senate, frankly, Republicans and Democrats will come together and do the things that we ought to do for the American people, and that will be the best way we can honor his legacy.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You know, I know it is too early to begin talking about who could possibly even try to fill his shoes for the remainder of his term, but I do know that the role Lindsey Graham played was a key one for the party connecting with a president that, frankly, sometimes Republicans have had some tension with. He’d be out there. Remember him saying, “Oh, Margaret, I spent four and a half hours with the president on the golf course yesterday, and here’s what we’re going to do.” Who can step up and help create that connective tissue between the White House and lawmakers now?

SEN. SCOTT: Well, I don’t know anyone who can fill the shoes of Lindsey Graham. The one thing I can say that you just emphasized was the important role that he played in building bridges in life, just as a part of who he was, and that’s why I started off with the story of those who felt invisible, and in his presence you knew you were seen. And we’re going to have an important conversation to come. President Trump is committed to the Republican Party and, frankly, to the Republican Senate. There are disagreements, without any question. But the good news is those disagreements, so far, have made us stronger. And Lindsey Graham being on the phone with the president every single day was helpful without any question. Playing golf every weekend for four hours. How anybody plays golf for four hours, I’ll never know because I’ve never played for two hours. But the truth of the matter is, it was the bond that he forged on the golf course that made him such a powerful advocate for the president and a powerful advocate for us with the president, and so we’ll need that. But more importantly, what we’ll need is a champion who steps up to the plate not for politics, but for serving our country. That is who Lindsey was. He had friends on both sides of the aisle. You’re seeing world–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SEN. SCOTT: –leaders come out across the world for Lindsey Graham, and why? Because he put others first. It is the biblical principle–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SEN. SCOTT: –to let others shine more than you, and he’s done that really well, even in his passing–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SEN. SCOTT: –he is like iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens the other. We’re now watching the world respond to the impact that Lindsey Graham had, not just here at home in South Carolina, but around the world.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Scott, thank you for your remembrances this morning.

SEN. SCOTT: Yes, ma’am.

Rep. Himes: I’m concerned Iran will be ‘more motivated’ to produce a nuclear weapon after war

11:10 AM EDT, Sun July 12, 2026 / CNN

By Jake Tapper, CNN

Rep. Himes: I’m concerned Iran will be ‘more motivated’ to produce a nuclear weapon after war

Congressman Jim Himes, the Ranking Member on the House Intelligence Committee, tells Jake Tapper, “[Iran is] going to look at North Korea. They’re going to look at Pakistan. They’re going to look at India and say, ‘Hey, those countries aren’t getting attacked the way we just did — twice. Why?’ And the answer is because they have nuclear weapons. So, my concern is that on the backside of this war, Iran is going to be more motivated than they were a year ago to actually produce the weapon that they know will forever take off the table an attack on their country.”

4:03 • Source: CNN

通胀压力加剧 美国5月消费信贷两年来首次下降

2026年7月12日 22:59 / 联合早报

美国5月消费信贷自2024年以来首次下降，显示高利率和通胀压力正促使消费者减少借贷，并可能拖累后续消费支出。 （路透社）

美国联邦储备委员会日前公布的数据显示，美国5月消费信贷出现自2024年以来的首次月度下降，表明在通胀压力下美国消费者借贷趋于谨慎，折射经济隐忧。

报告显示，美国5月消费信贷总额下降1亿8200万美元。其中，信用卡等循环信贷余额创下自2024年以来的最大降幅。

新华社报道，美国微软网络网站文章分析认为，消费信贷减少主要是因为信用卡年利率处于高位，推高了信贷成本。这一变化表明部分家庭正在减少对高息债务的依赖，而信贷紧缩趋势可能会影响未来几个月的非必要消费。如果消费信贷持续收紧，最终可能影响住房需求及其他大额消费支出。

毕马威高级经济学家本杰明·休史密斯认为，由于当前美国利率和通胀水平远高于疫情前，大多数消费者在使用信贷时变得更加谨慎。

美国商务部6月25日公布的数据显示，美国5月个人消费支出价格指数同比涨幅达4.1%，高于4月的3.8%，为2023年5月以来的最高水平，凸显伊朗战事对美国物价带来的上涨压力。

通胀压力加剧 美国5月消费信贷两年来首次下降

2026年7月12日 22:59 / 联合早报

美国5月消费信贷自2024年以来首次下降，显示高利率和通胀压力正促使消费者减少借贷，并可能拖累后续消费支出。 （路透社）

美国联邦储备委员会日前公布的数据显示，美国5月消费信贷出现自2024年以来的首次月度下降，表明在通胀压力下美国消费者借贷趋于谨慎，折射经济隐忧。

报告显示，美国5月消费信贷总额下降1亿8200万美元。其中，信用卡等循环信贷余额创下自2024年以来的最大降幅。

新华社报道，美国微软网络网站文章分析认为，消费信贷减少主要是因为信用卡年利率处于高位，推高了信贷成本。这一变化表明部分家庭正在减少对高息债务的依赖，而信贷紧缩趋势可能会影响未来几个月的非必要消费。如果消费信贷持续收紧，最终可能影响住房需求及其他大额消费支出。

毕马威高级经济学家本杰明·休史密斯认为，由于当前美国利率和通胀水平远高于疫情前，大多数消费者在使用信贷时变得更加谨慎。

美国商务部6月25日公布的数据显示，美国5月个人消费支出价格指数同比涨幅达4.1%，高于4月的3.8%，为2023年5月以来的最高水平，凸显伊朗战事对美国物价带来的上涨压力。

Rep. Himes on Iran’s nuclear capability: ‘It’s not dust. This stuff is down there and recoverable.’

11:19 AM EDT, Sun July 12, 2026 / CNN

By Jake Tapper, CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/12/politics/video/jim-himes-iran-sotu-nuclear-dust

Rep. Himes on Iran’s nuclear capability: ‘It’s not dust. This stuff is down there and recoverable.’

Asked by Jake Tapper about exclusive images obtained by CNN that show Iran may be rebuilding suspected nuclear facilities, Congressman Jim Himes says, “All of the nuclear materials are still there. They’re just buried behind a bunch of rubble… I think they’ve been doing work to try to figure out, how can we recover the materials that are still there? By the way, it’s not just — the president keeps talking about nuclear dust. It’s not dust. This stuff is down there and recoverable.”

1:38 • Source: CNN

德黑兰关闭霍尔木兹海峡 美伊一周内三度互袭

2026年7月12日 23:15 / 联合早报

美国中央司令部星期六（7月11日）发布视频显示，美军对伊朗发动新一轮空袭后，炮弹落在一处不明地点。 （路透社）

（德黑兰/华盛顿综合电）伊朗星期天向一艘在“未经授权航线航行”的商船发动袭击后，宣布无限期关闭霍尔木兹海峡，直至美国停止干预这个地区事务。美军随后对德黑兰发动一周内的第三轮打击，激起伊朗对中东地区美军目标的又一轮报复行动。

伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队海军星期天（7月12日）凌晨发声明宣布，由于外国势力非法干预造成不安全局面，霍尔木兹海峡即日起关闭，直至美国停止干涉行为为止。

声明说，数小时前有几艘船试图沿未经伊方批准的路线航行，其中一艘船关闭自动识别系统，伊方向这艘船发出警告性射击击中，迫使船中途停航。

声明警告，美国若以这次事件为借口向伊朗发动新一轮袭击，伊方将予以猛烈回应。

美国中央司令部随后称，伊朗公然袭击悬挂着塞浦路斯国旗的集装箱船GFS银河号（GFS Galaxy），导致这艘船起火受损，一名船员失踪。美军因此对伊朗发动新一轮空袭，以削弱伊朗袭击商船的能力。

美军说，他们击中约140个伊朗军事目标，包括导弹和无人机发射阵地、海军装备、弹药储存设施、通信网络、海岸监视站点等。美国战争部长赫格塞斯称：“伊朗做了一个糟糕的选择。现在他们得付出代价。”

据伊朗媒体报道，一名伊朗军官在美国和以色列星期天的空袭中死亡。当天，伊朗南部沿岸多地发生爆炸，包括能源与石化枢纽布什尔和阿萨卢耶、阿巴斯港与代耶尔港、靠近霍尔木兹海峡的锡里克地区等。

数小时后，革命卫队宣布对美军实施报复袭击，目标包括美军在约旦的指挥控制中心、阿曼杜库姆港的美国航母后勤保障中心和加油平台、美军卡塔尔乌代德空军基地的战斗机维修中心和指挥中心、科威特的美国雷达站等。

阿联酋、卡塔尔、科威特、阿曼等波斯湾地区国家星期天通报遭受袭击。在卡塔尔，防空系统拦截袭击产生的弹片，造成三人受伤，包括一个孩子。同日，有三枚导弹落在约旦境内。

伊朗袭船行动遭中东邻国同声谴责

美国总统特朗普星期天称，霍尔木兹海峡仍对所有商业交通开放。美国中央司令部强调，海峡是国际水道，不受伊朗所控制，美军做好准备维持这一状态。伊朗波斯湾海峡管理局则坚称，海峡目前无法通行，待局势平静后，当局才会恢复审核通行申请。

美伊新一轮交火，使美伊上个月签署的停战谅解备忘录前景更为暗淡。伊朗首席谈判代表、议长卡利巴夫星期天警告：“单边协议的时代已经结束。我们告诉过你们：要么信守承诺，要么付出代价。”

美伊冲突斡旋方卡塔尔，也是德黑兰最新袭击的目标。卡塔尔以最强烈措辞谴责伊朗此次袭击，并指这将导致局势危险升级。

阿曼也谴责了伊朗的袭击，并召见伊朗大使抗议。阿曼说，它在GFS银河号遇袭后救起23名船员。另据印度外交部说，船上有11名印度公民，其中10人获救，一人失踪。

巴基斯坦外交部说，巴外长达尔星期天和阿拉格齐通电话时强调，对话和外交仍是解决争端、实现地区持久和平与稳定的唯一途径。

分析：伊朗继续控制海峡 比获美制裁减免更利于长远布局

《华尔街日报》分析文章认为，对伊朗政权来说，继续控制霍尔木兹海峡，比获得特朗普政府的制裁减免更重要，因为伊朗着眼的是长远布局。

文章指出，由于美国和以色列未能实现对伊朗战争的主要目标，这使德黑兰确信它终于成为地区霸主。伊朗认为，只要通过在海峡建立永久的控制机制，它就能巩固霸主地位，并主导波斯湾地区经济，届时包括美国解除制裁等利益将水到渠成。

卡内基国际和平基金会伊朗问题专家萨贾德普尔说：“伊朗将变得更像流氓政权。它从战争中得到的教训是，通过胁迫能获得让步。”

Sen. Tim Scott remembers Lindsey Graham’s role in “building bridges,” including with Trump

2026-07-12T10:47:00-0400 / CBS News

Washington — Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina remembered Sen. Lindsey Graham as a “powerful leader” on Sunday after his sudden death, while emphasizing Graham’s role in “building bridges” — including with President Trump.

“I don’t know anyone who can fill the shoes of Lindsey Graham,” Scott said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

Graham, 71, was a Trump skeptic at the beginning of the president’s political career, but he later became a close ally to the president and often shepherded the relationship between the White House and congressional Republicans. Scott emphasized “the important role that he played in building bridges in life, just as a part of who he was.” And Scott said “we’re going to have an important conversation to come” as Senate Republicans look to fill that void going forward.

“Lindsey Graham being on the phone with the president every single day was helpful, without any question,” Scott said. “The truth of the matter is, it was the bond that he forged on the golf course that made him such a powerful advocate for the president and a powerful advocate for us with the president, and so we’ll need that.”

Scott added, “More importantly, what we’ll need is a champion who steps up to the plate not for politics but for serving our country. That is who Lindsey was.”

Scott, who served alongside Graham in the Senate since 2013, said he planned to rename the South Carolina Prayer Breakfast in Graham’s honor. And he said he and Senate GOP leadership will “find the appropriate way to honor him all week and frankly the rest of this term.”

“America certainly has lost a statesman, and I have lost a friend,” Scott said.

Scott recalled the late senator’s upbringing, including a “harsh beginning” with the death of his parents when he was a young man, which Scott said “would frame his world view.”

“He wanted to make sure if you needed help and he could help, he was there,” Graham said. “He wanted to make sure that those who would sometimes feel invisible, that they were seen, and he did an incredible job in South Carolina providing the kind of public service that you would want to see from your elected official.”

Graham’s longtime counterpart in the Senate cited his friendships on both sides of the aisle and his history of bipartisanship, along with his “foreign policy portfolio that’s undeniable.”

“You’re seeing world leaders come out across the world for Lindsey Graham. And why? Because he put others first,” Scott said. “We’re now watching the world respond to the impact that Lindsey Graham had, not just here at home in South Carolina, but around the world.”

Scott said Graham “loved America passionately, he served us brilliantly, and he will be missed undeniably.”

德黑兰关闭霍尔木兹海峡 美伊一周内三度互袭

2026年7月12日 23:15 / 联合早报

美国中央司令部星期六（7月11日）发布视频显示，美军对伊朗发动新一轮空袭后，炮弹落在一处不明地点。 （路透社）

（德黑兰/华盛顿综合电）伊朗星期天向一艘在“未经授权航线航行”的商船发动袭击后，宣布无限期关闭霍尔木兹海峡，直至美国停止干预这个地区事务。美军随后对德黑兰发动一周内的第三轮打击，激起伊朗对中东地区美军目标的又一轮报复行动。

伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队海军星期天（7月12日）凌晨发声明宣布，由于外国势力非法干预造成不安全局面，霍尔木兹海峡即日起关闭，直至美国停止干涉行为为止。

声明说，数小时前有几艘船试图沿未经伊方批准的路线航行，其中一艘船关闭自动识别系统，伊方向这艘船发出警告性射击击中，迫使船中途停航。

声明警告，美国若以这次事件为借口向伊朗发动新一轮袭击，伊方将予以猛烈回应。

美国中央司令部随后称，伊朗公然袭击悬挂着塞浦路斯国旗的集装箱船GFS银河号（GFS Galaxy），导致这艘船起火受损，一名船员失踪。美军因此对伊朗发动新一轮空袭，以削弱伊朗袭击商船的能力。

美军说，他们击中约140个伊朗军事目标，包括导弹和无人机发射阵地、海军装备、弹药储存设施、通信网络、海岸监视站点等。美国战争部长赫格塞斯称：“伊朗做了一个糟糕的选择。现在他们得付出代价。”

据伊朗媒体报道，一名伊朗军官在美国和以色列星期天的空袭中死亡。当天，伊朗南部沿岸多地发生爆炸，包括能源与石化枢纽布什尔和阿萨卢耶、阿巴斯港与代耶尔港、靠近霍尔木兹海峡的锡里克地区等。

数小时后，革命卫队宣布对美军实施报复袭击，目标包括美军在约旦的指挥控制中心、阿曼杜库姆港的美国航母后勤保障中心和加油平台、美军卡塔尔乌代德空军基地的战斗机维修中心和指挥中心、科威特的美国雷达站等。

阿联酋、卡塔尔、科威特、阿曼等波斯湾地区国家星期天通报遭受袭击。在卡塔尔，防空系统拦截袭击产生的弹片，造成三人受伤，包括一个孩子。同日，有三枚导弹落在约旦境内。

伊朗袭船行动遭中东邻国同声谴责

美国总统特朗普星期天称，霍尔木兹海峡仍对所有商业交通开放。美国中央司令部强调，海峡是国际水道，不受伊朗所控制，美军做好准备维持这一状态。伊朗波斯湾海峡管理局则坚称，海峡目前无法通行，待局势平静后，当局才会恢复审核通行申请。

美伊新一轮交火，使美伊上个月签署的停战谅解备忘录前景更为暗淡。伊朗首席谈判代表、议长卡利巴夫星期天警告：“单边协议的时代已经结束。我们告诉过你们：要么信守承诺，要么付出代价。”

美伊冲突斡旋方卡塔尔，也是德黑兰最新袭击的目标。卡塔尔以最强烈措辞谴责伊朗此次袭击，并指这将导致局势危险升级。

阿曼也谴责了伊朗的袭击，并召见伊朗大使抗议。阿曼说，它在GFS银河号遇袭后救起23名船员。另据印度外交部说，船上有11名印度公民，其中10人获救，一人失踪。

巴基斯坦外交部说，巴外长达尔星期天和阿拉格齐通电话时强调，对话和外交仍是解决争端、实现地区持久和平与稳定的唯一途径。

分析：伊朗继续控制海峡 比获美制裁减免更利于长远布局

《华尔街日报》分析文章认为，对伊朗政权来说，继续控制霍尔木兹海峡，比获得特朗普政府的制裁减免更重要，因为伊朗着眼的是长远布局。

文章指出，由于美国和以色列未能实现对伊朗战争的主要目标，这使德黑兰确信它终于成为地区霸主。伊朗认为，只要通过在海峡建立永久的控制机制，它就能巩固霸主地位，并主导波斯湾地区经济，届时包括美国解除制裁等利益将水到渠成。

卡内基国际和平基金会伊朗问题专家萨贾德普尔说：“伊朗将变得更像流氓政权。它从战争中得到的教训是，通过胁迫能获得让步。”

Lindsey Graham’s death will shake the Senate, and the November election. Here’s what comes next

2026-07-12T13:06:19.112Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/12/politics/lindsey-graham-replacement-senate

The sudden death of influential Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham will have implications for legislative business in the Senate – where Republicans slim margin is already under stress with the absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell – and the November election. Here’s what we know about what comes next.

Under state law, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster can appoint a temporary replacement to fill Graham’s now-vacant seat.

But because Graham was up for reelection this year, his death will kick off a sprint primary election to replace him on the November ballot.

Officials have yet to announce how Graham will be replaced, but state law appears to call for a special primary election on August 11 – with a possible runoff on August 25 – to choose a new nominee.

Under that timeline, candidate filing would run from July 21 to July 28.

The winner of the primary would face the Democratic nominee, pediatrician Annie Andrews, in November.

In a statement Sunday, Andrews called Graham “a man of great faith who proudly served our nation as a JAG officer and Air Force colonel.”

“I hope that South Carolinians will join me in setting partisanship aside and offering gratitude to Senator Lindsey Graham for his service to the great state of South Carolina,” she said.

It is too early to say with any precision who might replace Graham. But some early names began to emerge Sunday.

Rep. Nancy Mace, who finished in fifth place in the recent South Carolina gubernatorial primary, told CNN she was “strongly considering” a bid for the seat.

A source familiar with the matter told CNN that Pamela Evette, South Carolina’s lieutenant governor, was fielding calls about getting into the race.

Evette ran for governor this year and had President Donald Trump’s endorsement, but she lost in a runoff after Trump also endorsed her opponent.

Trump said Sunday he had someone in mind for who he’d like to see serve out Graham’s term.

“I have somebody that I think would be great, but I don’t want to say it now because it just, you know, it’s too soon with Lindsey,” Trump said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson posted on social media Sunday that he had spoken with the president and implied he was not interested in the interim appointment.

“I was grateful to speak with President Trump today reminiscing about our mutual friend, Senator Lindsey Graham,” Wilson said.

“I assured him my goal is to remain in the House to keep his two-vote majority for the American people!!!”

Rep. Ralph Norman, a prominent member of the House Freedom Caucus, who at one time was widely considered to be contemplating a challenge to Graham in the GOP primary, told CNN that he has not decided if he is interested in potentially vying to replace him now.

Asked about his interest in potentially seeking the seat, he told CNN in a phone call Sunday morning “I don’t know.”

“I am like everybody, it’s a shock,” he said.

Norman, who ran for governor in the primary last month, placed third and did not advance to the runoff in that race. While Norman is a fierce defender of Trump, his calls for fiscal restraint have sometimes put him at odds with GOP leaders and the White House.

Norman said the Senate wasn’t necessarily on his radar, but “in the Senate you can do a lot of good things.”

“The only thing I am weighing right now is that he died. It’s just sad,” Norman said.

Graham’s death shouldn’t have a short-term impact on the overall balance of power in the Senate.

McMaster is a Republican, so his appointment should restore the 53-47 GOP advantage in the chamber.

And there will likely be pressure for McMaster to make an appointment quickly, as the Republican caucus had already been operating short one member in recent weeks due to the hospitalization of McConnell.

While Graham’s death might not have an overall impact on the control of the Senate, he was key player on major issues in the chamber.

The Senate budget committee, which Graham chaired, was in the early phases of working through a complicated budget reconciliation process to try to muscle through parts of Trump’s voter ID bill.

GOP lawmakers had hoped to work quickly to satisfy the president’s demands, which have caused major roadblocks to their agenda on Capitol Hill. Frustrated that the SAVE America Act does not have the votes to clear the Senate’s 60-vote threshold, Trump has pushed lawmakers to eliminate the filibuster and refused to sign other, bi-partisan housing legislation in protest. (That became law anyway.)

Trump noted Graham’s support of the SAVE Act in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” Sunday.

“He was coming aboard, I think, for the filibuster, terminating the filibuster. But before we did that, he was going to he was a strong advocate for Save America,” Trump said, adding that the two had talked about the legislation just hours before Graham’s death.

Trump also noted that Graham had supported him in other contexts – including the confirmation fight for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The Senate is also set to consider a request from the White House for additional defense funding amid the Iran war. Graham would’ve been an outspoken advocate for the measure, which faces a difficult path in Congress as it could require a bipartisan vote to pass under Senate rules.

Further Pentagon funding faces another wrinkle due to the weeks-long absence of McConnell, the chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee.

Just days before his death, Graham celebrated a major victory for his bipartisan push to impose crippling tariffs on countries that import Russian oil and energy sources.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, who attended the recent NATO summit and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Graham, said the late senator had been “jubilant” after receiving Trump’s blessing to move ahead with the sanctions package.

In the wake of Graham’s death, some senators aligned with him on foreign policy are urging Senate leadership to quickly move the sanctions bill that he and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal have been pushing for more than a year.

“There can be no more fitting memorial to Lindsey, his legacy or the causes he fought for than to pass this legislation and realize his long-held dream of an independent and secure Ukraine,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Sunday.

Graham also would have been a key defender of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week as Trump hopes to confirm him to lead the Justice Department in a permanent capacity.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

日本改革离婚子女监护制度 擅自带走孩子仍难遏止

2026年7月12日 23:34 / 联合早报

日本推行离婚后共同监护，但若一方抢先带走孩子，另一方仍可能长期无法与子女见面。 （法新社）

日本允许离婚父母实行共同亲权的《民法》修正案今年4月生效，打破过去离婚后只能由一方拥有亲权的制度。

不过，法律界人士及多名与子女失去联系的家长认为，新法执行机制不足，父母在离婚前率先带走孩子、借此取得抚养优势的现象恐难消失。

美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）报道，日本家事法院过去处理争议时，往往倾向维持孩子与现有照顾者共同生活的安排。

一些家庭律师因此会建议当事人在离婚程序开始前先带走孩子，以确立主要照顾者地位。这种做法在一些国家可能被视为父母拐带儿童，但在日本一般不被当作刑事案件处理。

日本法务省说，新法要求离婚父母从子女最佳利益出发，共同承担养育责任。若一方擅自带走孩子，法院日后审理亲权争议时，可能作出对这一方不利的判断。

不过，共同亲权并非自动适用于所有离婚家庭。

家庭律师基塔卡（Masami Kittaka）指出，共同亲权只意味着父母双方对教育、医疗等重大事项拥有同等决定权，并不保证共享育儿时间或探视权。

国际律师本田（Masayuki Honda）也认为，由于率先带走孩子的一方通常不会受到实质惩罚，新法仍不足以消除这种诱因。

美俄双重国籍女子明科娃（Anastasiya Minkova）说，丈夫去年趁她出国探亲时带走2岁儿子。她上一次见到儿子已是六个月前，当时只能在福利机构工作人员陪同下相处30分钟。

美国公民佐藤（Emily Sato，化名）也说，丈夫2022年带走女儿后，法院把孩子与父亲共同生活的安排视为不宜打破的稳定环境。她自2025年11月以来再也没有见过女儿。

日本法务省回应说，当局一直依据国际条约和《海牙国际儿童诱拐民事方面公约》妥善处理跨国儿童带离案件。

法务省称，2017年至2025年，东京和大阪家事法院一审案件中发出儿童返还令的比例为70%，上诉案件为63%，均高于59%的国际平均水平。

共同亲权也在日本引起争议。部分反对者担心，新制度可能迫使家暴受害者继续与前伴侣保持联系。不过，多名律师说，新法允许法院在涉及家暴或虐待儿童的案件中，维持单独亲权或安排双方不接触。