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Sen. Lindsey Graham’s memorial services set for later this month

Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the FY2027 budget request on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2026, in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — The late Sen. Lindsey Graham will be honored later this month with separate services in Washington, D.C. and South Carolina, after the Republican died unexpectedly on July 11.

Graham’s office announced Friday that the senator’s life and legacy will be celebrated Tuesday, July 28 in Washington before separate services Wednesday, July 29 in South Carolina: Columbia, the state’s capital, and Pickens County, where Graham grew up and part of the district Graham represented.

While Graham’s office did not announce a location for the service in Washington, congressional sources told ABC News that the event is being held at the Washington National Cathedral. Graham’s office said that additional details regarding the services are forthcoming.

It’s not yet clear whether President Donald Trump will attend or have a role in the services.

Graham, a Trump ally who died serving in his fifth term in the Senate, was born in Central, South Carolina, in 1955. He graduated from Daniel High School in Central in 1973, according to his congressional biography.

Preliminary findings from the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia said Graham died from an “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”

Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, was sworn in to the Senate on Tuesday after she was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster just days after her brother’s death. Trump supported her appointment, calling it a “fabulous tribute” to Lindsey Graham, who at a young age became Darline Graham’s legal guardian after the deaths of their parents.

On Friday, Trump called on Darline Graham to run in the upcoming special primary election for Senate in South Carolina, which would set her up to potentially fill the seat of her late brother in a more permanent way. 

Darline Graham has not yet announced whether she intends to run for the seat for the full term. A source involved with South Carolina politics told ABC News on Friday that she has been having conversations about running in the special election. 

ABC News has reached out to Darline Graham’s office, but did not immediately hear back.

Darline Graham, who lives in Lexington, South Carolina, has served since 2019 as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. She also serves on the South Carolina State Workforce Development Board and is president-elect of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind.

She also previously held roles with Clemson University, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, the governor’s office said.

A special-election primary is scheduled for Aug. 11 to determine a Republican candidate for the Nov. 3 general election ballot — though a runoff could occur two weeks later if no candidate secures an absolute majority of votes.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Construction workers strike gold at work – literally

(CNN) — Forget overtime. This construction crew hit the mother lode.Eight construction workers uncovered gold coins and bars worth 9 million euros ($10.5 million) in Belgium last Tuesday while at work, according to authorities.They made the golden discovery underneath a building they were performing renovation work on in the city of Dendermonde, about 19 miles northwest of Brussels.“Apparently, during drilling operations, the drill bit got stuck — hitting a gold bar,” Patrick Feys, Chief of the Dendermonde Police District, told Belgian broadcaster VTM.He said once the discovery was made, the workers contacted the property owner who then called the police.Careful inventory work had been carried out under camera surveillance at the police station before the gold was sealed to avoid future disputes, the police chief added.Images on the Dendermonde police’s Facebook page show a metal bucket filled with gold coins and a table covered in gold bars.A police investigation is underway to determine how the gold ended up being placed there and who legally owns it, according to the Associated Press.“I hope they can use it to fund a worthy cause, though that will be determined by further investigation and legal proceedings,” Feys told VTM.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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