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President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind an unexpected candidate to temporarily fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, urging South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint the late senator’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to serve until a special election is held.

In a post Monday on Truth Social, Trump said he had personally recommended Graham’s sister for the appointment, calling it a fitting way to honor the longtime senator.

“I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,” Trump wrote. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”

The recommendation carries added emotional weight because of the close relationship the siblings shared. After the deaths of their parents, Lindsey Graham legally adopted his younger sister and helped raise her.

Trump’s endorsement comes as South Carolina Republicans work behind the scenes to select an interim senator while also preparing for a special election to determine who will serve out the remainder of Graham’s term.

Gov. McMaster is expected to announce his appointment at 4 p.m. Monday but has so far declined to reveal his choice. His office has not publicly commented on the candidates under consideration.

Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina’s senior senator, also voiced support for appointing Graham’s sister to the vacant seat.

“Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, would be a fantastic pick to serve out the remainder of the Senate term,” Scott wrote on X. “After speaking with Darline, there is no one better who understands Lindsey’s love for family, our state, and our country.”

Earlier in the day, Scott had mentioned former Rep. Trey Gowdy and former Sen. Jim DeMint as possible interim appointees, emphasizing that he favored selecting someone who would simply hold the seat until voters could make the final decision in the upcoming election.

“I think in the next several hours or next day or so we’ll figure out who that person is,” Scott said. “I love Trey Gowdy and Jim DeMint has been in the conversation.”

He added, “[Graham’s] sister would be a wonderful placeholder as well. So we’ve got lots of candidates who could hold the place so that the voters decide. And remember the election starts August the 11th in South Carolina, three weeks from now, we’ll have a primary process.”

Both Gowdy and DeMint have previously served in Congress—Gowdy as a member of the House of Representatives and DeMint as a U.S. senator before Scott succeeded him. Darline Graham Nordone, by contrast, has never held elected office.

According to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, Scott, who serves as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has been encouraging Gov. McMaster to appoint someone who would act solely as a caretaker and would not seek a full six-year Senate term.

While the contest to become the temporary senator appears to be nearing its conclusion, the Republican race for the seat itself remains unsettled. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman have both signaled interest in entering the special election, which is scheduled to begin with a primary on August 11. Rep. Joe Wilson has already announced that he intends to remain in the House, while the rest of South Carolina’s Republican congressional delegation has yet to disclose its plans.

{Matzav.com}

A federal judge on Monday sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the disclosure of his tax returns, ruling that the case was brought for an improper reason, referring one of Trump’s attorneys for possible disciplinary action, and portraying the $10 billion lawsuit as an effort that improperly advanced the president’s own interests.

In a strongly worded opinion, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams concluded that Trump improperly used the judicial system by suing a federal agency that ultimately answered to his own administration. According to the ruling, the lawsuit sidestepped the basic legal requirement that opposing parties have genuinely adverse interests, ultimately leading to a proposed settlement last spring that would have shielded Trump from future tax audits while establishing a compensation fund for allies who claimed they had been unfairly targeted.

Although the practical consequences of the ruling may be limited because the administration has already announced that the proposed $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund is no longer being pursued, the decision nonetheless delivers a forceful rebuke of the Trump administration. It also revives scrutiny surrounding Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche just days before his scheduled Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

Explaining her decision, Williams wrote, “The nature of the suit itself and the conduct of the Parties and counsel from its filing make plain that this was an attempt to use the Court to provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the President and to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law.”

She further stated, “The President may be the functional “dominus litus” of the Executive Branch, but as a party to a civil suit, he, as well as all the parties and lawyers before a court, are bound by the rules. Ensuring that our courts are used only for the express purpose created by the Constitution is the obligation of every judge and an obligation that this Court must discharge in light of the matter before it.”

Williams also pointed to testimony Blanche gave before Congress in early June, during which he disclosed that the proposed anti-weaponization fund was no longer moving forward following significant bipartisan criticism. Although no formal filing reflecting that change had been submitted to the court, the judge noted that Blanche nevertheless testified as though he possessed the authority to speak on behalf of both sides in the litigation.

Addressing that issue directly, Williams wrote, “Acting Attorney General Blanche’s apparent capacity to speak for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, sign a ‘settlement’ document on behalf of all Parties to this action, and then repudiate part of that agreement, demonstrates that there was only one party whose interests were being represented throughout this case.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Monday that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s only real misstep during their long friendship came in the immediate aftermath of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, recalling that the South Carolina Republican quickly regretted publicly breaking with him.

Speaking during a phone interview on “Fox & Friends,” Trump said Graham’s criticism following the Capitol attack was an isolated incident in an otherwise strong relationship.

“He had one bad moment, and that was on the Jan. 6 thing when he stood up [and said], ‘All right, now I’ve had it. That’s it. I can’t do it anymore,’” Trump said.

According to the president, Graham reached out shortly afterward to express regret over what he had said.

“Then he called me like about 40 minutes later, and he said, ‘Did I really say that? I can’t believe it.’ And he took it back.”

Graham, 71, died suddenly from an apparent aortic dissection related to cardiovascular disease. In the hours following the January 6 riot, he appeared to distance himself from Trump after the violence temporarily halted Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

Addressing the Senate after order had been restored, Graham said, “Trump and I, we’ve had a hell of a journey. I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it. From my point of view, he’s been a consequential president,” before adding, “All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.”

That split proved to be short-lived. By May 2021, Graham had once again become one of Trump’s strongest Republican allies, telling reporters, “Can [Republicans] move forward without President Trump? The answer is no. I’ve determined we can’t grow without him.”

Trump also reflected on the evolution of their relationship, noting that Graham had once been one of his fiercest critics during the 2016 Republican presidential primary.

While campaigning for the GOP nomination, Graham warned that if Republicans chose Trump as their nominee, “we will get destroyed … and we will deserve it.”

Despite those early attacks, Trump said their relationship changed dramatically after Graham ended his presidential campaign.

“Once that ended, he’d left the race, and once that ended, I became really good friends with him,” Trump recalled, adding with a touch of humor that Graham’s post-January 6 comments meant “I give him a 99 instead of a 100.”

{Matzav.com}

A report published by The New York Times alleges that former Mossad director David Barnea secretly cultivated ties with former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, viewing him as a possible successor to Iran’s ruling clerical regime.

According to the report, Barnea and Ahmadinejad held covert meetings in Hungary during 2024, using a climate conference at Ludovika University of Public Service as cover for the undisclosed discussions.

The report states that Ahmadinejad’s own security personnel became suspicious after he reportedly disappeared on at least two occasions during the conference for extended periods. When questioned about his whereabouts, he reportedly told them he had been meeting with university professors.

The New York Times, citing former U.S. officials, reported that Barnea personally traveled to Budapest for the meetings. According to the report, Mossad later informed the CIA that contact with Ahmadinejad had been established. The report further claims that Israeli intelligence helped finance portions of Ahmadinejad’s travel and housing expenses and continued meeting with him outside Iran in the years that followed.

The report also alleges that when the war with Iran began, Israel carried out an operation to extract Ahmadinejad and move him to a secure location inside Iran. According to the report, Ahmadinejad was deeply unsettled by the rescue mission and became disillusioned after learning of what was described as an Israeli plan to return him to power. It says he eventually departed the safe house under circumstances that remain unknown.

The report concludes by claiming that Ahmadinejad is now under house arrest by the intelligence arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after Iranian authorities allegedly uncovered much of his reported contact with Israel.

{Matzav.com}

A newly disclosed handwritten document by slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar reveals that he believed Israel might respond to a massive Hamas assault with a nuclear strike on Gaza—yet he nevertheless pressed ahead with planning the October 7, 2023, massacre.

The document, dated August 2022, was obtained by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, with portions published Sunday by Israel’s Channel 12. While another Sinwar document surfaced last year, the newly released material contains significant details that had not previously been made public.

According to the report, Sinwar meticulously outlined an ambitious battle plan that envisioned an invasion on a far greater scale than what ultimately took place. His blueprint called for 25 simultaneous breaches of the Israel-Gaza security fence, with each breach carried out by a “well-trained” force of 100 terrorists tasked with seizing 25 key junctions along the border.

The plan also assigned 2,210 terrorists to attack 221 smaller communities throughout southern Israel, while another 1,600 were designated to assault eight larger population centers. Sinwar further allocated 1,200 terrorists to strike Israeli cities and another 2,000 to attack military installations. Altogether, his envisioned invasion force totaled roughly 10,000 terrorists, though he wrote that no individual participant would know the operation’s full scope.

In reality, the October 7 invasion involved far fewer attackers. According to Israel Defense Forces estimates, approximately 5,600 terrorists crossed into Israel that day, including roughly 3,500 Hamas operatives, about 580 members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and another 1,400 armed Gazans.

Among Sinwar’s written instructions was a chilling directive targeting Israeli civilians. “The goal is to expel the settlers with their vehicles,” he wrote, referring to residents of southern Israel. He instructed that “priority” should be given to children and women, while ordering that “the men aged 17-50 are to be taken hostage” and that “all phones must be taken, along with any additional documents they are carrying on their person.”

Channel 12 reported that the documents demonstrate Sinwar fully understood the enormous risks associated with launching such an attack. According to the report, he acknowledged that there was no guarantee Iran—or its regional terror proxies, including Hezbollah—would join Hamas in the war, despite Hamas’s apparent expectation that they would.

The memo also shows that Sinwar anticipated an overwhelming Israeli response. He wrote that Israel would “not hesitate to use all means and weapons at its disposal” following the massacre, adding, “They may even use an atomic bomb, no less.”

Even so, Sinwar believed Hamas could exploit the initial shock of the assault. “But first, it will be surprised by the attack and enter into chaos,” he wrote, describing the invasion as “a campaign of life or death,” while calling for “a popular operation of returning to the villages and recapturing them symbolically.”

Although Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, it has never officially acknowledged having such an arsenal and remains outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The newly released excerpts follow another Hamas document made public by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in October 2025. That earlier document, also written by Sinwar, detailed plans to deliberately create “horrifying images” during the October 7 massacre and broadcast the atrocities live to maximize psychological impact.

President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States is reinstating its naval blockade of Iran while introducing a new policy requiring cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz to pay a 20% fee for the protection provided by the U.S. military.

The move follows Iran’s attempt to impose its own tolls on commercial shipping using the strategic waterway, which had operated without transit fees before the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28.

Announcing the new policy, Trump declared, “The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World.”

He added, “The process and formation will begin immediately.”

The latest developments come after U.S. forces carried out major strikes over the weekend against Iranian military assets in an effort to restore freedom of navigation through the vital oil shipping corridor.

Late Sunday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces had struck dozens of Iranian targets, including missile launchers, drone capabilities, small naval vessels, coastal radar installations, and air-defense systems.

Earlier in the conflict, the United States had imposed a naval blockade on Iran but lifted it before signing a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding with Tehran in mid-June.

Under that agreement, commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz were guaranteed “safe passage” and exempted from transit fees for a 60-day period while American and Iranian negotiators worked toward a broader agreement to end the conflict.

The memorandum stated: “The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialog with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf or littoral states in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Despite the temporary agreement, negotiations eventually collapsed after the U.S. lifted its blockade.

Iran subsequently announced that ships “will not be covered by safe passage guarantees and will not benefit from insurance coverage or associated liabilities” unless they traveled through maritime routes specifically authorized by Tehran.

According to the report, Iran had initially hoped to generate as much as $40 billion annually through the toll system in cooperation with Oman, but Omani officials declined to support the proposal.

In recent weeks, U.S. Central Command has coordinated with the International Maritime Organization to escort commercial vessels through the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, which runs along Oman’s coastline.

Tensions escalated again after Iran reportedly opened fire on commercial vessels, disrupting maritime traffic and derailing the ongoing diplomatic negotiations.

A U.S. official said Friday, “What we’re demanding is that the Iranians issue a public statement that acknowledges all channels of the Strait of Hormuz are open, and they’re not shooting at ships anymore.”

The official added, “They’re either going to give us that statement, or we’re not going to have a good outcome.”

{Matzav.com}

A critical Israeli parliamentary vote on recognizing the violence against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as a genocide has been suspended, an Israeli official said.

The move comes at a delicate diplomatic time with the region facing renewed turbulence following the breakdown of a ceasefire with Iran over its persistent attacks in the Gulf. It also follows a NATO summit in Turkey last week at which Ankara pushed U.S. President Donald Trump to acquire American F-35 fighter jets.

The Israeli Cabinet had unanimously approved a proposal last month to classify the violence as genocide amid fast-deteriorating ties with Turkey over Erdogan’s inflammatory language against Israel, and a vote had been planned in the Israeli parliament to give final approval to the move.

The Israeli official told JNS on Sunday that the vote had been suspended.

The Knesset is set to go to summer recess at the end of the week and will be out of session until the Oct. 27 national elections.

A spokesman for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who put forward the proposal in the Cabinet last month, did not return calls or messages for comment.

In the past, Israel has refrained from officially labelling the century-old violence as a genocide, but with relations with Turkey in free fall, it went ahead with the move in the Cabinet.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu has described the violence against Armenians as a genocide, but until now no formal vote was ever taken on the issue.

Turkey, which has been one of the biggest critics in the world of Israel over the war in Gaza, called the Israeli cabinet move “politically motivated.”

A decision to freeze the parliamentary vote could be seen as part of an international effort to reduce tension between the two countries amid the regional turbulence.

Last month, Azerbaijan condemned the Israeli Cabinet’s recognition and urged the government to reverse the move.

The secular Shi’ite Muslim country has historic ties with both Turkey and Israel and has long worked to serve as an interlocutor between its two allies.

Azerbaijan’s position is both significant and sensitive for Israel as Israel and Bakuhave long forged a strategic relationship rooted in a centuries-long affinity between the two nations which has blossomed into a robust security- and energy-related focus.

Three years ago, Azerbaijan made history by becoming the first Shi’ite Muslim country to open an embassy in Israel, defying threats of violence from Iran, and has maintained its staunch alliance with Israel throughout this time of regional wars. JNS

{Matzav.com}