Latest on Race to Replace Lindsey Graham, NYC Chaos Gets Worse | 7/13/26 FIRST LOOK

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1:17Hey, everybody. I'm Dave Rubin, and this is First Look. It's Monday, July 13th, 2026. We've got a packed show for you today. Medics were called to Lindsey Graham's home over chest pains before his sudden death from a heart attack. Graham's death triggers a full GOP scramble for his Senate seat as President Trump hints he already has a favorite. A lawless homeless encampment near the Intrepid Museum expands to 12 blocks while New York City officials look the other way. Let's dive in. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has died suddenly at age 71. Emergency medical dispatch audio reviewed by The Post reveals medics were first called to his Washington, D.C.

2:01Capitol Hill townhouse around 8.30 p.m. Saturday night over a report of someone suffering chest pains. The initial 911 call came from someone in Baltimore who was en route to Graham's$890 ,000 home home, and reported that a person inside was experiencing severe chest pains. The caller believed the front door was unlocked, but first responders arrived to find it deadbolted, creating a brief delay in gaining entry. Roughly 25 minutes after that first call, emergency personnel reported that CPR was already in progress, and a man in his 70s was suffering cardiac arrest. Responders worked to stabilize Graham before transporting him by wheeled stretcher to an ambulance around 9.30 p.m., according to a neighbor who shared photos of the scene.

2:51He was taken to George Washington University Hospital. Graham's office announced he died Saturday night from a brief and sudden illness, but did not specify the cause. The dispatch audio contains no final confirmation of the cause of death. FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau is assisting local authorities and has made every necessary resource available. Graham had just returned the day before from his tenth trip to Ukraine since the start of the war. He was a long-time vocal proponent of arming Kiev and punishing Russia. He had also been the target of threats from the Iranian regime, with supporters carrying pictures of him with a target over his head at the funeral of Ayatollah Khomeini last week.

3:35A staffer said there were no indications Graham was unwell, and he was scheduled to appear on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. His office said the family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period. Lindsey Graham's sudden death has immediately ignited a two-pronged scramble to replace him in the Senate at a critical moment for Republicans. The Senate GOP currently holds a 52-seat majority, With the timetable for Senator Mitch McConnell's absence still unclear, that majority is effectively down to 51 votes. Every single seat matters. Under the Constitution and South Carolina law, Republican Governor Henry McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement who will serve until the next special or general election.

4:26McMaster can make that appointment as soon as he wants. Graham was already running for a fifth term and had easily won his primary last month, so the temporary appointee would finish out the remainder of Graham's current term through the end of the year. The longer-term replacement will be decided in a special election. Candidate filing for the GOP nomination opens July 21st, with the election set for August 11th. President Trump, appearing on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday, said he already has a preferred candidate. I have somebody that I think would be great, but I don't want to say it now because it's just too soon with Lindsay.

5:06I don't want to even talk about anybody, but I do have somebody that I think is really good. Trump heaped praise on McMaster, noting he was one of the earliest endorsers of Trump's 2016 campaign. Henry's been a great governor. He's going to do the right thing. I think Henry will be fantastic. Several familiar South Carolina Republicans are already being mentioned. Representative Nancy Mace is considering a bid after recently losing the gubernatorial nomination. A source familiar with her plan said she is looking at jumping into the special election. Representative Ralph Norman is seriously considering a run and is expected to make an announcement on Tuesday.

5:48Rep. Joe Wilson quickly ruled himself out, posting that he spoke with Trump and assured him his goal is to stay in the House to protect the two-vote majority. The remaining three South Carolina Republican House members, Russell Frye, William Timmons, and Sherry Biggs, have not signaled interest so far. Lt. Gov. Pamela Yvette is also in the mix. A source said she is receiving tons of encouragement from all across the state and from around the country, both to serve as the temporary caretaker and to run for the full six-year term. Yvette is a strong Trump and McMaster ally, who finished first in this year's gubernatorial primary before losing the runoff after Trump also endorsed her opponent.

6:34In New York City, a grotesque homeless encampment on the west side has exploded to 12 city blocks, turning a stretch of 11th Avenue from 34th Street to 46th Street into a lawless zone of theft, open drug use, and prostitution, right next to the popular Intrepid Museum. Dozens of tents and makeshift shelters now line the area. Locals and workers say industrious vagrants lounge on stolen couches, display expensive electronics, Broadway theater lights, and high-end telescopes, and peddle drugs to sex workers who operate out of the tents and filthy public bathrooms. One city parks enforcement officer said Sunday, We can't get rid of them.

7:19These ones here are stealing everything. They stole our key for the hose. They stole our ladder. And there are escorts in there too. Prostitutes. A supervisor at the nearby Jacob Javits Center described the scene. The cops and the sanitation guys and the outreach guys, they clean up one spot and after that day, the next day they're over here. The scariest parts are on 36th and 37th right now. It's just heroin addicts. A Javits maintenance worker added that they were setting up in the park as early as 3 a.m. and that there are more today than there were last month. One vagrant even called Mayor Zoran Mamdani awesome for allowing the encampment to thrive and stopping the police raids that once cleared similar sites.

8:08Regular NYPD patrols drive by but do not stop. City Hall has not responded to requests for comment. Meanwhile, 3-1-1 complaints about vagrants in the area have spiked to 48 so far this year, up from 40 in all of 2025, with 30 of those calls coming just last month. Business and civic leaders are sounding the alarm. Steve Fulp of the Partnership for the City of New York said, leaving people on the street indefinitely isn't compassion, it's neglect. We've seen in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco that letting encampments grow unchecked fails the homeless and erodes quality of life for everyone else.

8:52Kristen Nicholas, chair of the New York State Tourism Advisory Council, noted that the Intrepid draws millions of visitors and that tourists are forced to walk around squalor and stench. She called on Mayor Mamdani to address it, especially as he promotes tourism ahead of the World Cup. This is what soft-on-crime progressive governance looks like in practice. Open disorder, stolen property, drugs and prostitution flourishing in broad daylight while tourists and taxpayers are left to navigate the mess. And that's your first look this Monday. Quick recap, Lindsey Graham dies suddenly after medics responded to chest pains and a heart attack at his DC home.

9:37His death sparks an immediate GOP scramble for the South Carolina Senate seat with Trump already signaling he has a preferred candidate. A massive homeless encampment expands to 12 blocks near the Intrepid Museum, as New York City officials do nothing. We'll keep following all of it. I'm Dave Rubin. Thanks for starting your day with First Look. See you tomorrow.