Congress

Republican Jewish Coalition endorses Darline Graham

Published

49 minutes ago

July 22, 2026

The Republican Jewish Coalition will back Sen. Darline Graham in the South Carolina special election, the clearest sign yet that the pro-Israel movement is confident Graham will follow in her late brother’s footsteps on foreign policy.

“Senator Lindsey Graham dedicated his life in service to our country and was the best friend of the Jewish people and for the cause of liberty in the U.S. Senate,” said RJC national chair Norm Coleman and CEO Matt Brooks in a statement. “We trust his beloved sister to carry the fight forward.”

The late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who passed away suddenly earlier this month, was a staunch ally of Israel — so much so that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly shuffled his international travel schedule to attend Graham’s funeralservices next week. In the Senate, Graham earned a reputation as one of Israel’s most fervent defenders, where — as chair of the State Department appropriations subcommittee — he backed financial support for Israel’s military and urged the Trump administration to stand by Israel’s side in the wars in Gaza and Iran.

The RJC plans to honor his legacy by dedicating its annual leadership summit, scheduled for next month in Las Vegas, in his honor, and presenting the first annual Lindsey Graham Statesman Award.

Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed to serve out the duration of her late brother’s term, announced Monday she will run in the special primary election to serve a full six-year term. She has President Donald Trump’s backing.

But many in South Carolina and Washington alike are still unsure where she falls on key political issues. And she has signaled that she might be more interested in domestic policy — and less on foreign policy — than her brother was.

“I’d be like, “Lindsey, you’re just talking about national security all the time.’ And I understand that’s important. Protecting our borders, national security, absolutely,” Graham, during a Fox News appearance Monday, said she used to tell her brother. “I said, ‘But talk about also what matters to the average person. The price of groceries, the price of gas, health care, insurance, those kind of things.’ That’s what I’m worried about.”

Still, the RJC’s endorsement suggests the country’s leading Jewish Republican organization is confident that she will be a fierce defender of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Coleman, who served with Lindsey Graham in Congress, referenced his old colleague’s words in the RJC’s joint statement to praise his sister.

“As Senator Lindsey Graham said of his sister in a 2015 interview, ‘If she took a role on, she would be a great representative of our country. I can’t think of a better person,’” Coleman and Brooks said. “He trusted her and her judgment more than anyone else’s.”

Congress

Republicans release new crypto bill text, with Trump-blessed ethics provision included

Published

1 hour ago

July 22, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Senate Republicans on Wednesday circulated new text of a landmark cryptocurrency bill, unveiling changes to the so-called Clarity Act ahead of a potential floor vote next week.

The new language, which needs bipartisan support to pass the Senate, does not currently have sign-off from any Democrats. The bill would overhaul a wide range of federal financial regulations to incorporate crypto trading.

The 616-page draft includes a White House-approved ethics provision that would put in place new rules related to how federal officials can engage with digital assets. Democrats have long demanded that the crypto bill include an ethics provision to address concerns about the Trump family’s lucrative crypto businesses. But they have already signaled that the provision Republicans have agreed to may not go far enough to win their support.

The ethics language stems from an agreement between GOP senators and the White House, and it does not currently have support from any Democrats.

The ethics language would be enforceable by the Department of Justice — a major sticking point for Democrats, who say the DOJ under Trump can’t be trusted. They have pushed for state attorneys general to have a role in enforcing ethics language in the bill.

The draft ethics language says that the attorney general “shall bring a civil action in an appropriate district court of the United States against” a government official who “knowingly and willfully violates” the requirements in the provision or “a digital asset intermediary that knowingly and willingly violates” them. The draft language specifically stipulates that “no action, public or private, may be brought under this section by any State attorney general or any person other than the Attorney General.”

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), who voted for the crypto bill in committee but has cautioned that her support is conditional on further changes being made on ethics and other issues, said this week that any enforcement language empowering only the DOJ is “an unserious offer.”

“I wouldn’t support the bill if that’s the language,” she said in a statement Tuesday. “But we’ll keep working from that floor to reach an agreement that holds us all accountable.”

The ethics proposal stipulates that federal officials “shall not, in exchange for consideration,” “issue a digital asset” or “sponsor a digital asset” while serving as a public employee.

The prohibitions would apply to public officials or employees and their spouses and would sunset in 2029. The language bars crypto companies from listing assets that are “issued” or “sponsored” by federal officials in violation of the provision.

Timing: Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday that he hopes to put a landmark cryptocurrency bill on the floor next week, signaling he intends to put it up for a vote whether it has the bipartisan support necessary to pass or not.

Asked if he is close to teeing up the bill for consideration next week, Thune said: “Hopefully.”

“Once the text is out, we’ll have to figure out what the traffic will bear, what changes have to be incorporated in order to 60 on the floor,” he said.

Jordain Carney contributed to this report.

Congress

Darline Graham: Her brother’s work ‘took him from us’

Published

2 hours ago

July 22, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Newly seated Sen. Darline Graham said she thinks her late brother’s work in Congress took a toll on his body, causing his sudden death earlier this month.

“I begged him to slow down. I knew it was not going to be good. And I had already prayed, and knew in my heart, that one day something was going to happen,” she said of late-Sen. Lindsey Graham. “I feel like it took him from us.”

Darline Graham gave the emotionally raw remarks during the Senate Budget Committee’s first meeting since the death of her brother, who was previously the panel chair.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the committee’s new chair, also said he believes Lindsey Graham’s advocacy for foreign policy issues and aggressive travel schedule caused his death.

“I think it cost him his life,” Johnson said, noting Graham’s travel to Turkey and Ukraine in the days before he died July 11. “So that’s his lasting legacy. He dedicated his life. He gave his life to this country.”

The official cause of death for Graham was an aortic dissection caused by cardiovascular disease.

Johnson called for lawmakers to attempt more bipartisan policy efforts in Graham’s memory: “We’re going to miss his demonstration of how to work together. It’s maybe a wake-up call.”

Democrats on the panel also noted the late senator’s ability to bring lawmakers from both parties together on policy issues while also influencing President Donald Trump.

“We are a grimmer and a dumber place without Lindsey Graham,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). “Our prospects as a body are narrower. Our boundaries are more constrained, and frankly, more tedious.”

Congress

Maine Democrat Troy Jackson has raised $1M for his Senate bid so far

Published

3 hours ago

July 22, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Maine Democrat Troy Jackson has raised $1 million in the less than two weeks since he entered the race for Senate shortly after Graham Platner dropped out, his campaign told Blue Light News on Wednesday morning.

Jackson, the presumptive Democratic nominee, raised $613,000 of that haul since Sunday following the selection of the 601 delegates who will determine Platner’s replacement this weekend. More than 90 percent of those delegates have pledged to back Jackson.

The fundraising number is a strong showing for Jackson, who only raised a bit over $1 million in his entire run for governor earlier this year. But he still has a lot of work to do to catch up to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who is sitting on an $11 million war chest.

Jackson’s campaign said they received 27,283 contributions from 24,669 individual donors. A University of New Hampshire poll released Tuesday showed Jackson with a narrow lead against Collins, 49 percent to 46 percent.

The Maine Senate seat is a must-win for Democrats hoping to retake control of the upper chamber. Collins is the only sitting Republican senator up for reelection in a state that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024.