Key Donald Trump ally, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, has died

Influential Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a major ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, died Saturday at the age of 71. His office announced his passing, stating he succumbed to a brief and sudden illness. The family requested privacy during this difficult time. Graham was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 and then to the Senate in 2002, securing re-elections in 2008, 2014, and 2020. He recently chaired the Senate Budget Committee. Donald Trump paid tribute to Graham on his social media platform, calling him "one of the greatest" senators he had ever known and a "true American patriot." Tributes also came from Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling Graham "one of its greatest friends." Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed shock and heartbreak, remembering Graham as a "model of moral clarity" and a "true leader of the U.S.-Israel partnership." Herzog added that Israel would "never forget how he stood by the people of Israel in our most difficult times."