Hundreds of officials gathered at the U.S. Capitol to honor the late Senator Lindsey Graham. His casket, covered with the U.S. flag, was carried by an armed forces team as leaders recognized his military service and political career.
Key Facts
Senator Lindsey Graham was honored in a ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda.
His casket was covered with the U.S. flag.
An armed forces team carried his casket.
The ceremony recognized his military service.
Senate leaders spoke highly of his role and impact.
Hundreds of officials attended the event.
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The U.S. Education Department and the Department of Justice have said they may stop funding two school districts in Maryland and Michigan. The reason is these schools do not share some information about students' gender identity with their parents.
Key Facts
The Education Department is working with the Department of Justice on this issue.
They focus on student privacy rules about gender identity.
The school districts involved are in Maryland and Michigan.
The departments say these districts are not telling parents certain details about their children’s gender identity.
Funding from the federal government to these schools could be reduced or cut.
This action is part of enforcing policies about student privacy and parental rights.
No final decision on funding cuts has been reported yet.
The issue highlights tension between protecting student privacy and parental access to information.
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A 16-year-old named Colt Gray pleaded guilty to killing two students and two teachers in a 2024 school shooting in Georgia. During Gray’s sentencing, prosecutors shared recordings of his phone calls with his mother, where they discussed his online fame after the attack.
Key Facts
Colt Gray committed a school shooting at Apalachee High School on September 4, 2024.
He killed two students and two teachers, and injured nine others.
Gray pleaded guilty to 55 charges, including murder.
Prosecutors played recorded phone conversations between Gray and his mother during sentencing.
His mother promised to create a shrine for him, leading officials to stop her from contacting Gray.
Gray talked online about other mass shooters and his desire for notoriety.
The judge must decide if Gray will have a chance for parole or serve life without parole.
Gray’s father was convicted of providing the gun used in the shooting and faces sentencing soon.
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The Trump administration is working with five states—Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Idaho—to explore ways to store nuclear waste. The Energy Department signed agreements with these states to study the possibility of safely holding nuclear waste there.
Key Facts
The Trump administration is focusing on solving the problem of nuclear waste storage.
Five states involved are Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Idaho.
The Energy Department signed official agreements called memorandums of agreement with these states.
These agreements allow the states and the government to study options for nuclear waste storage.
The goal is to find safe places to keep nuclear waste from power plants.
Nuclear waste storage has been a challenge for many years in the U.S.
This effort signals a new approach to managing nuclear waste during President Trump’s term.
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A court-appointed monitor found that California’s largest ICE detention center is not providing adequate medical care to detainees. The facility failed to meet all healthcare standards set by a federal judge, including emergency care, medication delivery, and disability accommodations.
Key Facts
The California City detention center is the largest ICE facility in California and is located northeast of Los Angeles.
A federal judge ordered a review of the facility’s healthcare system after a lawsuit claimed detainees experienced medical neglect.
The monitor found the facility out of compliance in all eight areas required, such as timely medical screenings, specialist access, and emergency services.
Problems include delays in medication, poor emergency care, inadequate health condition screenings, and lack of disability accommodations.
The report was the first court-ordered investigation into medical care at any ICE facility in the U.S.
The Trump administration is detaining a record number of immigrants, with over 65,000 in ICE custody as of July 11.
The facility is run by the private company CoreCivic, which said it is reviewing the report but did not dispute the findings.
The monitor based the report on medical record reviews, a site visit, and interviews with detainees and staff.
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Audio recordings and transcripts released by a conservative group show Joe Biden talking with his memoir ghostwriter before he became president. The materials suggest Biden shared some classified information and sometimes said he had trouble remembering things during the interviews.
Key Facts
About three hours of audio and 117 pages of transcripts were made public.
The recordings are from interviews before Biden was elected president in 2020.
The conversations were between Joe Biden and his memoir ghostwriter, Mark Lewis Zwonitzer.
Many parts of the transcripts have been redacted (blacked out or hidden).
The Oversight Project, part of the Heritage Foundation, released the files.
Biden fought a legal battle to keep these talks private but lost.
The tapes appeared to show Biden sharing sensitive or classified information.
Biden sometimes mentioned having memory lapses during the interviews.
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Rahm Emanuel, a former U.S. Ambassador to Japan and former Chicago mayor, said it is harmful to label anyone as the top Democratic candidate for the 2028 presidential election this early. He warned that being called the frontrunner too soon can damage a person's chances.
Key Facts
Rahm Emanuel served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
He was also the mayor of Chicago.
He spoke in an interview with Politico journalist Jonathan Martin.
Emanuel said naming a 2028 Democratic presidential frontrunner now is the "kiss of death."
He has been suggested as a possible candidate for the 2028 election.
His comment reflects caution about early predictions in politics.
Emanuel's statement focuses on Democratic presidential politics for 2028.
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President Donald Trump will speak at Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also attend the service and meet with President Trump beforehand.
Key Facts
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, has passed away.
The funeral will take place at the Washington National Cathedral.
President Donald Trump will deliver remarks at the funeral.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attending the funeral.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also attending and will meet with President Trump.
The meeting between these leaders is scheduled for before the funeral service begins.
The event brings together U.S. leadership and important international figures.
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Brendan Banfield was sentenced to life in prison without parole for planning the murder of his wife, Christine Banfield. He was having an affair with the family’s au pair and tried to frame another man for the crime.
Key Facts
Brendan Banfield received life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
He planned to kill his wife, Christine Banfield.
Banfield was involved in a romantic affair with the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães.
He tried to blame Joseph Ryan, an unsuspecting man, for the murder.
Victim impact statements were shared during the court hearing.
Banfield claimed he was innocent in court.
The case was covered by CBS News and featured on the show "48 Hours."
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Ruby Rippey, who had an affair with then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2007, wrote a personal essay about the relationship, her struggles, and its effects. The essay reminds people of this political scandal as Newsom, now California’s governor, may run for president in 2028, and it includes new details such as former Vice President Kamala Harris advising Rippey not to speak publicly at the time.
Key Facts
Ruby Rippey had an affair with Gavin Newsom when he was San Francisco mayor in 2007.
Rippey was married to Alex Tourk, Newsom’s close political adviser and campaign manager.
The affair became a major political scandal and led to Tourk’s resignation.
Newsom publicly admitted the affair, apologized, and was re-elected mayor that same year.
Rippey’s essay shares personal experiences with addiction, shame, and the aftermath of the affair.
Newsom’s spokesperson said he has addressed the matter publicly and has nothing more to add.
Rippey said Kamala Harris, then a San Francisco district attorney, advised her not to speak about the affair immediately after it happened.
Harris and Newsom have a complex political relationship, sometimes supporting and sometimes competing with each other.
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A U.S. Secret Service agent and two other men were arrested in Miami for their roles in a violent fraternity hazing that caused serious injuries to two young men. The attack lasted several days and involved beatings with canes and paddles, requiring the victims to be hospitalized with life-threatening wounds.
Key Facts
Marquez Christopher Pinder, a Secret Service agent, along with Jared Lamar James and Elijah Delano Dyous, were arrested for hazing-related violence.
The incident took place in April and involved repeated beatings during fraternity initiation rituals.
Two victims suffered severe injuries, including kidney damage and breathing tube placement, and needed hospital care and skin grafts.
Charges include felony hazing with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, and attempted manslaughter.
The hazing was linked to the Miami chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, where Pinder was the “dean of pledges.”
The attacks happened at two residences near Florida International University but the graduate student victim was not connected to the school.
Florida prosecutors highlighted the dangers of hazing and referenced past hazing deaths in the state.
Pinder started working for the Secret Service in 2023 after graduating from Florida International University in 2021.
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Larry Millete is on trial for the murder of his wife, Maya Millete, who disappeared. The case does not have a body or a crime scene, and the evidence is mainly indirect, like messages about hiring a hitman and a freezer moved shortly after her disappearance.
Key Facts
Larry Millete is accused of killing his wife, Maya Millete.
Maya Millete was a 39-year-old mother of three children.
No body or crime scene has been found in the case.
The trial relies on indirect evidence, also called circumstantial evidence.
Text messages were shown where someone asked about hiring a hitman.
A freezer was moved from the home two days after Maya disappeared.
Cameras are not allowed inside the courtroom during the trial.
CBS News reporters are covering the trial and explaining the key details.
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Andy Lippman, a respected Associated Press bureau chief known for leading coverage of major events like the O.J. Simpson trial, died at age 78 from a rare brain disease. He had a long journalism career and was admired for mentoring young reporters and supporting his staff.
Key Facts
Andy Lippman was the AP bureau chief in Los Angeles during the O.J. Simpson trial and the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
He worked in journalism for 39 years and led AP bureaus in Louisville, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles.
Lippman died on July 25 at his home in Tucson from multiple system atrophy, a rare brain disease.
He also managed coverage of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which caused more than 70 deaths and $20 billion in damage.
Colleagues praised him for his dedication, energy, kindness, and mentorship to reporters and editors.
Even after retirement, he supported staff by bringing meals during holidays when they had to work.
Born in Washington, D.C., in 1948, he showed early interest in journalism by leading his high school newspaper.
Many former coworkers remembered him for his personal warmth and professional leadership.
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Hadi Matar, the man accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie, has chosen not to testify in his federal terrorism trial. The trial is expected to go to the jury soon, after both the defense and prosecution have finished presenting their cases.
Key Facts
Hadi Matar is on trial for stabbing Salman Rushdie and faces federal terrorism charges.
Matar has already been convicted of attempted murder at the state level.
He has pleaded not guilty to the terrorism-related charges.
Salman Rushdie testified about the 2022 attack where he was stabbed 15 times on stage.
The attack happened while Rushdie was about to speak about writers’ safety.
Prosecutors say Matar acted because of a religious order, or fatwa, calling for Rushdie’s death.
Matar is a U.S.-born American-Lebanese citizen and allegedly loyal to Iran and the Hezbollah group.
The trial is taking place in Buffalo, New York, and closing arguments are expected soon.
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Florida is planning to execute several elderly death row inmates by the end of July, including men aged 74 and 80. This raises questions about the ethics of executing very old prisoners, especially after decades on death row, while some support the executions as justice for victims’ families.
Key Facts
Florida executed its oldest prisoner in modern times, Dusty Ray Spencer, at age 74 in June 2026.
Two more inmates, Dennis Sochor (74) and Dominick Anthony Occhicone (80), are scheduled for execution in July.
Occhicone would be the second oldest person executed in the U.S., after Walter Moody Jr., who was 83.
These inmates have been on death row for decades, since crimes committed in the 1980s and 1990s.
Some people question if it is humane to execute elderly prisoners who might die soon naturally.
Others say long legal appeals that protect inmates also delay justice for victims.
Florida’s governor has the power to set execution dates, unlike many states where courts schedule them.
About half of Florida’s 242 death row inmates have finished their appeals and may face execution soon.
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Survivor finalist Joe Hunter is speaking out about the death of his sister, Joanna, which was officially ruled a suicide. He believes her husband, former pastor Mark Lewis, was involved in staging the scene after years of domestic violence, though Lewis has not been charged.
Key Facts
Joe Hunter was a contestant on the TV show "Survivor."
His sister, Joanna, died in a case ruled as suicide.
Joe Hunter suspects Joanna’s husband, Mark Lewis, was responsible for staging the death scene.
Mark Lewis is a former pastor.
Hunter alleges there was a history of domestic violence in the family.
No charges have been filed against Mark Lewis related to Joanna's death.
CBS News correspondent Natalie Morales and producer Michelle Fanucci investigated the case.
The story was covered in a CBS News segment.
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The Trump administration is considering reducing or removing protections that currently prevent oil and gas drilling near Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. This area is sacred to Native American tribes and contains important archaeological sites, and the proposal has faced opposition from tribal leaders and lawmakers.
Key Facts
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is reviewing a 2023 rule that stopped new oil and gas leases on 336,000 acres around Chaco Canyon for 20 years.
The BLM’s draft plan offers three choices: keep protections, reduce the protected zone from 10 miles to 5 miles, or remove protections entirely.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with ancient Puebloan archaeological sites and sacred lands for Pueblo and Navajo tribes.
President Donald Trump previously reduced other national monuments important to Native Americans, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
The Interior Department under Trump proposed canceling Biden-era protections for the land near Chaco Canyon to allow new mineral leasing.
The All Pueblo Council Governors and New Mexico politicians oppose the plan, emphasizing the land’s cultural and spiritual importance.
Deb Haaland, former Interior Secretary and current New Mexico governor candidate, criticized the plan for risking irreversible damage to sacred sites.
The public comment period on the proposal ends on July 29, allowing people to share their views on the plan.
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Larry Millete's murder trial started in San Diego. He is accused of killing his wife, Maya Millete, who went missing in 2021. The trial has included surprising testimony, such as claims about an affair and emails involving online spellcasters.
Key Facts
Larry Millete is on trial for the murder of his wife, Maya Millete.
Maya Millete disappeared in 2021.
The trial began after several years of waiting.
Early testimony in the trial has included unexpected claims.
Allegations include an affair involving Larry Millete.
There are emails mentioned in court about online spellcasters.
The case is being covered by CBS News and local San Diego reporters.
The trial is taking place in San Diego courts.
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The South Carolina Supreme Court has overturned the 2023 murder convictions of Alex Murdaugh because of claims that a county clerk interfered with the jury. This decision means the case will start over from the beginning.
Key Facts
Alex Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 for a double murder.
The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled unanimously to overturn these convictions.
The ruling was based on allegations that Becky Hill, a county clerk, tampered with the jury.
Jury tampering means trying to influence or affect the jury’s decision in an unfair way.
This case is now going back to square one, meaning it will be retried.
CBS News and "48 Hours" covered the story, featuring expert analysis from a law professor.
The issue with the county clerk has had a major impact on the legal process in this case.
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Two University of South Florida doctoral students, Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, were killed. Hisham Abugharbieh, Limon's roommate, is charged with their murders and is said to have used artificial intelligence (AI) to help plan the crimes.
Key Facts
The victims, Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, were both doctoral students from Bangladesh.
Their bodies were identified recently, confirming the second victim.
Hisham Abugharbieh has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Abugharbieh was roommates with one of the victims, Zamil Limon.
Prosecutors say the suspect used AI technology to assist in planning the murders.
Both victims will receive their doctoral degrees after their deaths.
The case is covered in CBS News’ program "Case by Case" and reported by Natalie Morales and Cristian Benavides.
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