The Daily Brief — July 13, 2026
Judge slams Trump’s IRS lawsuit, president fires election officials, another ICE-related death
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Trump–IRS Suit
A federal judge has ruled that President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS was an improper attempt to give “judicial legitimacy for a ‘settlement’ that had no viable basis in law or fact.”
US District Judge Kathleen Williams said since the president has power over the IRS and the DOJ, “there was never a case or controversy; and there was never a question as to who would prevail.” She also referred the attorney who filed the case — Alejandro Brito — to the Florida bar for possible disciplinary action.
The initial settlement that the judge was weighing in on also gave Trump and his family immunity from future tax audits, and created a $1.776 billion fund for people who claimed to be victims of the Biden administration.
Following bipartisan criticism, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department had abandoned the proposed compensation fund but intended to preserve the tax-related protections for Trump, his sons, and their business.
Williams’s order came in response to a petition from 35 former federal judges who filed a lawsuit asking her to reopen the case after the DOJ announced Trump-IRS “settlement,” arguing the settlement amounted to fraud.
Election Officials Fired
President Trump removed the three remaining members of the independent Election Assistance Commission (EAC) last week, effectively dismantling the bipartisan panel just months before the midterm elections.
Democratic commissioners Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks were dismissed by email, while Republican commissioner Christy McCormick was allowed to resign. The commission’s fourth member, Republican Don Palmer, resigned in April to join the conservative Heritage Foundation.
In defending the move, the White House cited the Supreme Court’s June 29 decision in Trump v. Slaughter, which expanded the president’s authority to remove members of independent federal agencies.
The EAC was created in response to the chaotic recount in the 2000 election. It helps certify voting equipment used by states, distributes federal election grants, develops voluntary voting-system guidelines, and provides technical assistance and training. Without any sitting commissioners, the agency cannot take formal votes on new policy, though career staff can continue to do routine things like disbursing already-approved grants and certifying equipment.
Sen. Lindsey Graham
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died over the weekend, will be replaced in the Senate by his sister.
Graham passed away on Saturday night after “a brief and sudden illness,” according to his staff. The chief medical examiner later ruled his death was due to aortic dissection, a tear in the body’s largest artery.
Graham, who had represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2003, was seeking a fifth term in November.
Earlier today, Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to fill the rest of her brother’s term, following President Trump’s public recommendation. Senate Majority Leader John Thune also backed that idea. Graham and his sister were very close, and he became her legal guardian after both of their parents died at a young age.
Since Graham had already won the Republican primary, South Carolina law requires a special primary to pick a new nominee for the seat, which is scheduled for August 11.
Several other Republicans — including Reps. Nancy Mace and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette — are considering the special-primary race.
Graham became one of President Trump’s closest allies and was a leading GOP voice on US foreign policy matters. He chaired the Senate Budget Committee and sat on the Judiciary and Appropriations committees. His death leaves Republicans down a member on the Judiciary Committee, which is scheduled to hold Acting Attorney General Blanche’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
News Break
Inspired by true events, Women of the Post is a historical novel that brings to life the heroines who proudly served in the all-Black 6888th Battalion during World War II, finding purpose in their mission and lifelong friendship. The story, written by Joshunda Saunders, follows three women — from different cities and circumstances — who join the Women’s Army Corps and ship out to England. There, they receive orders to sort over one million pieces of mail, becoming the only unit of Black women to serve overseas during WWII. As they undertake the task, knowing that they’re reuniting soldiers with their loved ones through their letters, the work soon becomes personal when one receives a backlogged letter that will change the course of her life.
Another ICE Shooting
A person was killed Monday morning in a shooting involving ICE in Biddeford, ME, according to the speaker of the state House, Ryan Fecteau. It marks at least the 10th death tied to an ICE encounter since the start of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, and the second in less than a week.
Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him that an ICE agent opened fire after the man “weaponized” his vehicle against ICE agents who were pursuing him for deportation. The man was a 26-year-old from Colombia who was authorized to work in the US, according to immigrant-rights groups.
The shooting comes just days after ICE officers fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant, in Houston. ICE has said Araujo attempted to run over an officer with his vehicle, prompting an agent to fire in self-defense.
Araujo’s family has disputed ICE’s version of events and called for an independent investigation. An attorney for the three men who were riding with him said officers were positioned alongside the vehicle, not in its path, when the shooting occurred.
US Naval Blockade
President Trump has announced that the US will reinstate a blockade targeting Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz while allowing vessels from other countries to continue using the shipping lane.
Trump said the US would seek a 20% fee on other cargo shipped through the strait in exchange for providing security.
Separately, the US and Iran have exchanged strikes for several consecutive days. The US has hit Iranian military sites — including air defense systems, radar installations, and small boats used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard — after Iran attacked commercial ships transiting the strait.
The June 17 memorandum of understanding that paused the war is effectively dead for now. Trump declared the ceasefire “over” last week after Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping. While Trump has claimed Iran has asked to keep talking, Iranian officials dispute that and say negotiations will not resume until the US stops what Tehran calls ceasefire violations.
SCOTUS Budget
The Supreme Court is asking Congress for about $20 million in additional funding to cover security for its justices.
Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett are scheduled to testify tomorrow before the House and Senate to defend the judiciary’s budget request.
The additional money will be used for expanded personal security for the justices and to hire additional Supreme Court Police officers.
DOJ Subpoenas NYT Reporters
The Justice Department has subpoenaed at least four New York Times reporters over their coverage of security concerns involving President Trump’s new Air Force One.
The subpoenas require reporters Julian Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan later this week.
Their reporting examined security concerns about the new Air Force One — the Boeing jet gifted by Qatar and retrofitted at a cost of roughly $400 million — after the Secret Service reportedly recommended Trump use an older presidential jet to leave a NATO summit in Turkey amid renewed tension with Iran.
The Times condemned the move as an attack on press freedom and said it would challenge the subpoenas in court.
The Justice Department issued similar subpoenas to reporters at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal earlier this year in separate leak investigations, then withdrew both.
Mitch McConnell
Sen. Mitch McConnell has finally released a statement about his hospitalization on June 14, saying a fall left him briefly unconscious, and that he also developed a mild case of pneumonia while recovering.
He said doctors determined he did not suffer any broken bones, a concussion, a heart attack, or a stroke. He has since moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation center to continue physical therapy.
McConnell explained why he waited so long to speak out, saying, “Folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older.” He also said that having polio as a child has led to mobility issues that have gotten worse as he has aged.
I truly do not understand how Darline Graham Nordone can be appointed. Can you explain LIFT? From what I've read, she has no prior political experience. I know she's essentially an interim, but how does this work in actuality? Do the people of South Carolina just essentially have a non-professional representative for the next few months? Why not pick someone with actual experience and training?