New York's Tax Base Collapses, Trump's Senate Surprise | 7/14/26 FIRST LOOK

0:00Dave Rubin:Hey, Chicagoland! The Wayfair Store is in your neighborhood at Edens Plaza and Wilmette. Finally, you can feel the fabric, sit on the sectionals, and even open the refrigerators. Plus, our in-store designers will help you bring it all together with free one-on-one design support for any project on any budget. Yep, we said free. Oh, and did we mention the cafe? So what are you waiting for? Come see all that's in store. Visit the Wayfair Store today at Edens Plaza and Wilmette. Wayfair, every style, every home

0:33Hey everybody, I'm Dave Rubin and this is First Look. It's Tuesday, July 14th, 2026. We've got a packed show for you today. President Trump makes a surprise pick to fill Lindsey Graham's Senate seat. The Trump administration scraps a Weaponized Endangered Species Act rule that has burdened American families and businesses for years. New York sees a dramatic exodus of US millionaires costing the state nearly$11 billion in tax revenue. Let's dive in. President Trump is pushing an unexpected but classy choice to temporarily fill the Senate seat left vacant by the late Lindsey Graham. On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he recommended South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appoint Graham's sister, Darlene Graham Nordone, as the interim senator for the remainder of her brother's term.

1:29I recommended to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham's wonderful sister Darlene, 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. Graham and his younger sister had a unique bond. After their parents died, Lindsey legally adopted and raised Darlene. She has never held public office. Senator Tim Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is also strongly backing her. Lindsey Graham's sister, Darlene Graham-Nordone, would be a fantastic pick to serve out the remainder of the Senate term, Scott said on X.

2:08After speaking with Darlene, there is no one better who understands Lindsey's love for family, our state, and our country. Earlier Monday, Scott had floated former Representative Trey Gowdy and former Senator Jim DeMille Mint as possible placeholders. He said he wants McMaster to put a placeholder and let the voters decide in the special election process that begins with candidate filing on July 21st and a primary on August 11th. Multiple sources close to Scott told Fox News Digital that he is pushing McMaster to choose one of the three, Graham-Nordone, Gowdy, or DeMint, specifically so they serve as placeholders and do not run for the full six-year term.

2:54McMaster is expected to announce his pick at 4 p.m. Monday. Meanwhile, the race for the permanent GOP nomination remains wide open. Representatives Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman are already eyeing the special election. Representative Joe Wilson has said he will stay in the House, while the rest of South Carolina's Republican House members have not yet declared their plans. This is how you handle a sudden vacancy with respect for the late senator while keeping the seat firmly in Republican hands. In excellent news for energy producers, farmers, ranchers, and private landowners, the Trump administration is scrapping a sweeping Endangered Species Act rule that previous administrations weaponized against American industry and families.

3:41Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced Friday that their departments are rescinding the outdated regulatory definition of harm under the ESA and returning it to the original intent of the law. For years, federal agencies abused the ESA to obstruct lawful land use and burden American families and businesses. Burgum told Fox News Digital, that approach turned routine activity into a regulatory trap, drove up costs that impacted people's lives, and expanded federal authority beyond what Congress intended. The agencies are relying on the Supreme Court's 2024 Loper-Bright v.

4:24Raimondo decision, which overturned Chevron deference and requires courts to use independent judgment rather than rubber stamp agency interpretations. The goal is to stick to the single best meaning of the statute instead of letting it be contorted for political agendas. Officials pointed to the Dunes sagebrush lizard, listed as endangered under Biden in 2024, which triggered costly restrictions on energy projects in Texas's Permian Basin, the same region featured in the Billy Bob Thornton series Landman. They also cited the lesser prairie chicken, whose protections have long frustrated farmers farmers, ranchers, and energy developers across New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado.

5:11This fight goes back decades to the northern spotted owl. A 2021 study estimated its listing cost 16 ,000 to 32 ,000 timber jobs in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. In 1995, the Supreme Court upheld a broad definition of harm that included significant habitat modification. The Trump administration is now narrowing that after Loper Bright so agencies can no longer use habitat theories to block lawful activity far beyond what Congress authorized. Commerce Secretary Lutnick noted that fishermen have been particularly burdened. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik said the administration will protect species using gold standard science, the law, and the tools Congress actually gave us while respecting communities.

6:05Core protections against directly injuring or killing protected wildlife remain fully in place. The change simply restores balance, reduces permitting costs, and advances President Trump's vision of domestic energy dominance and a regulatory state that works for the American people instead of against them. New York is hemorrhaging millionaires and the tax revenue that comes with them. A bombshell analysis released Monday by the Citizen Budget Commission shows New York's share of the nation's millionaires plummeted from 12.7 % in 2010 to 8.7 % in 2022, the largest decline of any state. That drop cost the empire state roughly$10.7 billion in personal income tax collections in tax year 2022 alone.

6:57New York actually added about 34 ,000 millionaires over that period, but other states grew far faster. The number of millionaires doubled in New York, tripled in California and Texas, and quadrupled in Florida. New York fell from second to fourth place behind California, Texas, and Florida. The study also found New York loses more people to every other state than it gains from them, with Florida and Texas among the biggest recipients of former New Yorkers. After the pandemic exodus, New York City's recent population rebound has been driven largely by international immigrants. A growth corridor from New York City and Long Island to Albany drives most of the state's economy, while upstate and rural regions continue to lose workers.

7:47New York leads the nation in state and local tax collections at$12 ,495 per capita, a staggering 78 % above the U.S. average. Experts warn that Mayor Zoran Mamdani's tax-the-rich agenda will only accelerate the flight. Steve Fulop of the Partnership for New York City said, If we don't course-correct and get laser-focused on keeping the city and state attractive to For the people and businesses that drive our economy, the affordability crisis will only deepen because the people leaving are the ones paying the largest share of a budget that funds the social programs meant to help our most vulnerable.

8:31Manhattan Institute Fellow Ken Girarden blamed Albany's 2019 rent control expansion and green energy mandates for reducing housing supply and hiking energy costs. Upstate United's Justin Wilcox called the data devastating and warned that without a course correction, the state will be trapped in a cycle of fewer people paying higher and higher taxes. High taxes, heavy regulation, and progressive policies are driving the productive class out of New York. The numbers don't lie. And that's your first look this Tuesday. Quick recap. President Trump recommends Lindsey Graham's sister as the interim senator from South Carolina.

9:12The Trump administration rolls back a weaponized Endangered Species Act rule that was blocking energy and private land use. New York's share of US millionaires collapses, costing the state nearly$11 billion in lost tax revenue. We'll keep following all of it. I'm Dave Rubin. Thanks for starting your day with First Look. See you tomorrow.