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- [00:00]
A
Everybody, welcome to Vince on a Monday. We have a massive show ahead for you. Some breaking news over the week and staggering news. Lindsey Graham, the senator from South Carolina has passed away at the age of 71. Shocking news for all of us. To find out what we know at this hour, I will share with you. Also reactions of course pouring in from not just around the country, but from around the planet. We've got a lot to discuss on that subject. Uh, the senator who we thought might not be long for the world is, is still with us. Mitch McConnell. We just got a proof of life Update from Mitch McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao. We'll have some updates for you on that. Also the Save America Act. With Lindsey Graham's passing, the math gets more complicated. But the push has, has received new vigor. We'll explain why on that subject and the war in Iran, we've got a lot on that as well. So much to get to all ahead on this edition of. Vince, as always, so great to have you with us. Appreciate you for being here. Wanna thank one of our great sponsors to start the show today that is fatty 15. Fatty 15, just amazing. You know there's been a groundbreaking discovery that helps all of us age healthier. And it's thanks to helping dolphins that discovery. C15 from fatty 15 is the first emerging essential fatty acid identified in more than 90 years. Studies show that when we don't get enough C15, our cells can become fragile and age faster. To address this, doctors spent more than a decade developing the pure science backed C15 found in fatty 15 which helps repair cellular damage, helps support sleep, quality, cognitive health, metabolism and steady energy. And since I added fatty 15 to my routine, I've noticed deeper sleep, more consistent energy. And fatty 15 was developed to support healthy aging for all people from kids to parents to grandparents. That's why award winning fatty 15 is now available as pure capsules, Delicious apple mint gummies for teens and adults, and great Berry blast gummies for the kids. Fatty 15 is on a mission to help support healthy aging for all, including all ages and stages of life. You can get an additional 15% off of their 90 day subscription starter kit. Just go to fatty15.com Vince use the code Vince at checkout. These statements have not been evaluated by the fda. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition.
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B
Boom.
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A
Let's get into it. Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a big show for you. And I want to first and foremost get right to the breaking news of the weekend. Lindsey Graham has Passed away at the age of 71 years old. The longtime Republican senator from South Carolina. Before that, a member of the House of Representatives and for decades, a member of the United States military as well. He's a veteran of the US Air Force. Sudden news that he's just passed a sudden illness overtook him, and he's gone. He's gone. And it's, I mean, obviously deeply upsetting to lose somebody under these circumstances. The world is in mourning. The President of the United States has already said that for the remainder of this week, flags will be flown at half staff for the rest of the week.
- [03:18]
B
But.
- [03:19]
A
But what exactly happened here? Well, we got some breaking news Sunday night from Lindsey Graham's communications director, Taylor Reedy, and this is what she said about the subject. She said the medical examiner of the District of Columbia has done some preliminary work already and found that he suffered an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. An aortic dissection. Dissection, in other words. There was a tear in the aorta, that critical artery to the heart. There was a tear in it, and as a result, he went pretty quickly. They say that once that terror begins, your chances of survival rapidly decline over the ensuing hours. And a lot of people don't even realize what they're suffering. They just. They just think they're not feeling well suddenly, and then they're gone. And even people who make it to the hospital, the chance of success is pretty tough. This is so they say the death certificate is pending until all of the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized. And at that point, the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death. So they're taking a deeper look at everything that was going on chemically inside of his body prior to his passing. Now, immediately, we did hear from his fellow South Carolina Senator, Tim Scott, who was on one of the Sunday shows with Margaret Brennan this weekend, indicating to her that he understood this to be very likely a heart attack. But of course, as always, waiting for more information. Here's what he said on that subject.
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C
Senator Graham staff said that he had a sudden and brief illness. Do you know what happened? Because it shocked. Shocked us, frankly, overnight.
- [05:08]
D
Yeah. I don't know the details any more than his staff has released. My hunch was it was a heart attack. But I hate to just give you my opinion on what I've heard from people that are close in circle, but I think we'll have more information over the next couple days. But it appears to have been a heart attack.
- [05:28]
A
Appears to have been a heart attack. Now, you may be wondering perhaps, like, well, why. Why are we going with the appears. What's the situation here? Why is there any skepticism? Well, first of all, like, we're just waiting for the medical examiner. That's true in every death, especially a death that's this high profile, with so much attention on it. A death that's this sudden. What were the circumstances that he would pass like this? Now, the rumor mill, of course, was. Was buzzing this weekend about Lindsey Graham and the circumstances of his death, because he was just in Kiev a few days ago. The day before he died, he was in Kiev in Ukraine. And he. While he was there, he was meeting with Zelensky. He toured a drone factory. And of course, Lindsey Graham is a guy. You know, I'm not going to do much throat clearing on Lindsey Graham. You know my feelings on Lindsey Graham. I've constantly been very critical of his appetites when it comes to foreign policy. I think that we need a much more reasonable Washington than the one that Lindsey Graham represented in life. But I'm not gonna spend this episode litigating his politics on that subject. I'm just gonna point out the obvious. The guy was for a very aggressive posture towards Russia and Iran. And as a result, there's no doubt that there are people within Russia and Iran, within both of those regimes, who would very much like to see Lindsey Graham perish from this earth. So, of course, the rumor mill was absolutely buzzing this weekend about the fact that he just came back from overseas with a lot of adversaries who would be interested in seeing him seeing his demise. So what happened? Here? He is visiting Ukraine. He was in Kiev now, 48 hours ago or so. This is just some video footage of that. Here he is talking from Ukraine. Watch this.
- [07:18]
E
We've reached agreement with the White House on a version of the Russian sanctions bill that they will support. It means it's going to become law. So when I get back to Washington, I'm going to go with Senator Blumenthal to the Republican, the Democratic leader, to see if we can find time to move this Russian sanctions package that would give tools to President Trump to help end this war. There are some things we can do on the technology front to build on the lethality of Ukraine to protect itself from ballistic missile attack. If we did that, combined with creating tools to punish those countries that prop up Putin, that make money off this war, then I think we've got the best chance. Since I've been coming here in the last five years to get Putin to the peace table.
- [08:17]
A
All right, so he's saying we're doing a new sanctions package. We're working on that. I'm going back to Washington to deal with this aggression towards Russia. That was Lindsey Graham in some of the final moments of his life making an announcement over there in Kiev in Ukraine. Additionally, we've got footage of him meeting with Zelensky, which Zelensky put this out. Again, this was prior to the news of Graham's passing. Here's that footage. Thank you very much. Good to see you. Shaking hands with various members of the US Delegation. Thank you for coming.
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F
Lynce.
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B
Yeah.
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E
Got a little update for you here. Yeah, just tell me when I can talk. But good visit with the President, right?
- [09:06]
A
Yeah, I think that we had really a good meeting. Yeah, the mood was good at the NATO summit. Some very important results. I think that the decision of President Trump about licenses, positive signals about patriot licenses were important. All right, so more footage. Some of the last known footage of Lindsey Graham in life as he was visiting Ukraine. Now, again, like I said, the rumor mill was absolutely buzzing on this subject. But just so you understand, the Trump administration is already saying that there is no indication whatsoever of foul play, that this appears to be that Lindsey Graham did indeed perish from a natural cause, which is that he had a tear in his aorta and it occurred to a 71 year old man who had a history of high blood pressure and a father who suffered cardiac arrest at the age of 69 years old. Here is the update. This is from Fox telling us the perspective from the White House and the FBI as of yesterday. Take a look at this.
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C
So President Trump here at the White House earlier today had ordered that all flags across the country be lowered to half staff in support of the life of the late Senator Lindsey Graham. Now we also know that it was early this morning that the Senator's team, their official office releasing that he had died of what they are calling a brief and sudden illness. The FBI are at Senator Graham's residence although there is no indication of foul play. According to the federal law enforcement. Earlier today FBI Director Kash Patel said that the FBI would assist local authorities and make every resource available. So the Wall Street Journal reporting that emergency responders were dispatched to Graham's home last night night and performed CPR on an individual suffering from cardiac arrest. 71 year old Lindsey Graham was elected to the senate more than 20 years ago. He was a loud voice in the Republican Party. He was also a close friend to Donald Trump. The two spoke just last night. So President Trump here.
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A
Yeah, they did. That is true. I'll get to that in just a moment. President Trump's remarks on his last call with Lindsey Graham in just a moment. Before I get there, though, I want to Share with you Dr. Mark Siegel, who was also on FOX this weekend. He was assessing the medical risks in Graham's life and saying that it is very legitimate to think that somebody of his age and his medical history would be in a situation to suffer this kind of awful fatal heart attack, well, specifically aortic attack. Take a look here, Dr. Mark Siegel, on that subject. Watch.
- [11:44]
F
Well, first of all, of course, great sadness and has been emphasized the role that he played, extraordinary role he played in bringing up his sister Darlene when his parents both died suddenly, close together, father dying of heart disease. And as someone looking at the medical details, when his father dies of heart disease, a sudden cardiac arrest when he's so young, you wonder whether there could be that risk for him in terms of heart disease. And when he has a sudden cardiac arrest now at the age of 71, there's 350,000 per year of out of the hospital cardiac arrests. Only 10% of them make it because as you can imagine, you can't get there fast enough to restart the heart right away. And so most of them don't make it. The vast majority don't make it. And most of the time, it's heart disease that causes this, Charlie, like, you know, a heart attack, a sudden heart attack, especially since he was just on a long plane flight, which can increase that risk of a clot lot happening. Now, none of that is known. And I'm not suggesting that that's the cause. I'm giving you the statistics of what's likely, especially at his age, you start to see sudden heart disease occurring and heart attacks occurring right around that age.
- [12:58]
E
All right.
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A
So Dr. Mark Siegel, giving us some of the medical perspective on this. Now, of course, we weighed all the details from the medical examiner. We'll find out more about toxicology and what else may have been in his system. But the reality here, of course, is the only reality we can get our arms around at this moment is very obvious, which is Lindsey Graham has perished. He's gone. But before he died, he talked to the president of the United States. And I've got that from the president in just a moment, who jumped on several of the Sunday shows to honor the life of Lindsey Graham and to just give us his perspective on on that relationship. Remember, the two men at one point were fierce political enemies back in 2016. And a lot changed, a lot changed about that relationship. I'll get into the details on that in just a moment. Want to thank Patriot Mobile for supporting the program today. We love Patriot Mobile. The stakes right now could not be higher in our country. We do have a country fighting very hard for America first. But if we lose focus right now, the same people who created this mess are ready and waiting to resume their destructive progressive agendas. Protecting our momentum takes everyday Americans like you and me staying in the fight for our fights and freedoms. That's why more and more people that I know are switching to Patriot Mobile. One of America's only Christian conservative wireless providers, Patriot Mobile offers premium priority nationwide service on all three major US networks, unlimited data plans, mobile hotspots, international roaming and 100% US based customer support. You can switch in minutes while keeping your phone and your number. And unlike other carriers, Patriot Mobile puts its money toward causes defending faith, family and freedom, contributing millions each year to organizations who are on the front lines fighting for our God given rights. Now Patriot Mobile is not just talking about saving America. They're actually putting their business behind the fight every single day. You can support their movement by switching to Patriot Mobile today. Go to patriot mobile.comVince or call 972-patriot. Use the promo code Vince. Get a free month of service. That's patriot mobile.comVince or Call 972-patriot. Make the switch today. Our thanks to Patriot Mobile for supporting the program and giving me great cell phone service. I love my cell phone service with Patriot Mobile. Appreciate them. Okay, so the President of the United States has indeed weighed in on his final call with Lindsey Graham. He spoke to him Saturday night just hours before he died. And here is. He relayed that conversation on Meet the Press this weekend. He joined the Sunday shows to talk about Lindsey Graham's life. Take a listen here.
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G
President Trump, thank you for joining us and my condolences to you.
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H
Well, thank you. He's a tough one to lose. He was great. He was unique in every way, actually
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G
he was, Mr. President. And I know that we are all just absorbing this news. We are all in shock. Can you tell us, Mr. President, how you receive this news and your immediate gut reaction when you heard it?
- [16:04]
H
So what makes it even stranger is that I got a call last night sometime, you know, the early evening maybe in the Sevens and he called and he said we're all set for the Save America Act. He was pushing the Save America act like crazy. He got back, said he just landed from Ukraine I said, that's a long trip to make. He said he sounded a little tired, but perfect, but a little bit tired. Had a right to be, man. He was a worker. He was really a worker, but. But he sounded great, actually. But he was, he was, he actually said he was tired, but he wanted to pass the Save America Act. And I said, well, we're going to get it done, Lindsey. We're going to get it done. I'll see you, like, soon. We thought maybe we might even meet today. And then that was it. And that was, you know, very around the time. It couldn't have been much longer. It could have been his last call. I don't know exactly, but I got a message about one o' clock in the morning from one of the people at his office that he had passed away. I said, you got. I just can't believe it. He was like a member of the family to me. It's very tough, actually. It's amazing, Mr. President, he was, he was, he was such an advocate. He was, you know, if he, if he wanted to get something and, you know, he had a unique ability. He was able to deal with Democrats and Republicans. If I had a problem, a real problem, I wouldn't often ask, but if I had a problem with a Democrat, he could work it out. He was a great, he was a great politician, actually.
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A
Nice words from the President of the United States. Remembering Lindsey Graham and just pointing out that in his final conversation that Graham was pushing what you've been pushing, what I've been pushing, the Save America Act. A gavel in today in honor of Lindsey Graham for the Save America act, one of his final pushes in life as he told the President that he was working on getting it passed. In fact, Mike Lee, Senator Mike Lee, who has been one of the great champions, the singular great champion in the United States Senate to get the Save America act passed, said this weekend that now we should pass it immediately to honor Senator Lindsey Graham's life and his final push for the legislation. Here's Mike Lee on what we should do to honor Lindsey Graham here as a country and to restore faith in our elections. Watch.
- [18:37]
I
Lindsey Graham spent a lot of time with, like me, he had a lot of enthusiasm for this bill, which I introduced in the Senate about two and a half years ago. I believe, Maria, that there are multiple paths ahead by which we could pass this. Maybe that involves attaching it to another must pass vehicle. Maybe it involves bringing up one on the floor and debating it until it passes. Something that I've long advocated, maybe it involves picking out pieces of it that could be implemented through creative uses of budget reconciliation. I'm not terribly partial to any of these three. I personally prefer the second. I think that would give us our best chance. But I will take any opportunity to debate this, any opportunity to cause it to become law, because the American people deserve it, the American people want it. Voters overwhelmingly support it to the tune of about 80%. That's Democrats and Republicans alike. One of the best ways we could honor Lindsey Graham's legacy would be to take this up and pass it this
- [19:34]
A
month, Take it up and pass it immediately to honor Lindsey Graham. You know, you heard the President say a moment ago that Lindsey Graham was one of these Republicans, no doubt an establishment guy in terms of his ability to navigate the Corridors of Washington, D.C. he has these good relationships with Democrats. And if Democrats want to show any sort of sympathy or concern for the passing of Lindsey Graham, they should support the legislation that he just asked for in his final breaths on this earth, the Save America act, restore integrity to our elections. Come on, Democrats, this is your opportunity. Demonstrate some humanity. I doubt that they will, but Mike Lee is right. Honor Lindsey Graham by passing the Save America act and pass it immediately. You know, I had my quibbles with Lindsey Graham about the Save America act because I remember I shared with you, he said something on a South Carolina radio show earlier this year that I construed as a mere can kick that sometime in the fall they would get to it. We'll do it in a third reconciliation package. And for all those reasons, I was very, well, candidly upset because I construed it as nothing more than an effort to placate us and pretend like they were actually getting something done. But if Lindsey Graham is in his final phone call with President Trump telling him he wants to get the Save America act passed, I'm gonna take that. I'm gonna take his encouragement and I'm gonna tell the rest of the United States Senate here, do what Lindsey Graham wanted.
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B
Do you want.
- [21:15]
A
Get this done, get it done and get it done. Now we'll see what the Senate does when as things get fired up this week. But Mike Lee is. Is. Is right to. To note that now there is a. There's a lot of. One of the things that distinguishes the right from the left. I don't know if you noticed this this weekend on social media. Like, I know a lot of people on the right, including myself, have been critical of Lindsey Graham for all sorts of things over time. Again, this is not a show where I intend to really do much of that. But did you notice that the right sent him off in a very gracious way, that the right was just kind of in mourning and honoring the life of a guy who lived it so well and highlighting his greatest moments, not attacking him for what you would construe as his worst. That's what the right would do. Now, meanwhile, over on Blue Ski and all these like crazy left wing platforms, they were cheering the. It's so insane. I'm not going to spend time showing you clips or posts from these people. But they're soulless. There's no humanity whatsoever. There's something really dark about watching someone die and then cheering on their death. Especially for an American senator, an American citizen, it's just really gross that that's not the attitude on the right. The attitude on the right was just filled with humanity, including people remembering some of the great moments that Lindsey Graham was responsible for. In fact, let me share a clip from President Trump. First, who has a favorite Lindsey Graham moment? President Trump said that Lindsey Graham's finest moment was his defense of Brett Kavanaugh. Here he is on CNN with Jake Tapper this weekend again on Sunday. He was calling all the Sunday shows to talk about Lindsey Graham. And here's what he said about the late senator.
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B
Watch. I think his finest moment was his defense of Brett Kavanaugh, who's a terrific guy and was treated very, very unfairly by the Democrats. Very unfairly. I've never seen anything like it. Maybe the worst I've ever seen anyone treated. That includes me. Well, maybe not me, but it includes just about everybody. He was treated so unfairly. And Lindsey, as you remember, had that moment. And you know, I'll tell you, Jake, I think it was the top 10, maybe a top five moment. And then he knew the Senate. It was an incredible display. And he did it from the heart. He felt strongly about Brett and he did it from the heart. And it turned that whole thing around. He was really amazing. That was it. That was one they should replay.
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A
All right then, Mr. President, I agree with that. This is that moment. Senator Lindsey Graham speaking up on behalf of Brett Kavanaugh on the face of the evil that the Democrats were advancing to try and destroy him. Here's what the President of the United States considers Senator Lindsey Graham's finest moment. Watch.
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E
Are you aware that at 9:23 on the night of July 9, the day you were nominated to the Supreme Court by President Trump, Senator Schumer said 23 minutes after your nomination, I will oppose Judge Kavanaugh's nomination. With everything I have, I have a bipartisan. I hope a bipartisan majority will do the same. The stakes are simply too high for anything less. Well, if you weren't aware of it, you are now. Did you meet with Senator Dianne Feinstein on August 20?
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A
I did meet with Senator Feinstein.
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E
Did you know that her staff had already recommended a lawyer to Dr. Ford?
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A
I did not know that.
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E
Did you know that her and her staff had this allegations for over 20 days?
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A
I did not know that at the time.
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E
If you wanted an FBI investigation, you could have come to us. What you want to do is destroy this guy's life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020. You said that, not me. You've got nothing to apologize for. When you see Sotomayor and Kagan, tell them that Lindsey said, oh. Cause I voted for them. I would never do to them what you've done to this guy. This is the most unethical sham since I've been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn't have done what you've done to this guy. Are you a gang rapist? No. I cannot imagine what you and your family have gone through. Boy, y' all want power. God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham. That you knew about it and you held it. You had no intention of protecting Dr. Ford. None. She's as much of a victim as you are. God, I hate to say it, because these have been my friends, but let me tell you, when it comes to this, you're looking for a fair process. You came to the wrong town at the wrong time, my friend. Do you consider this a job interview?
- [26:24]
A
The advice and consent role is like a job interview.
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E
You consider that you've been through a job interview?
- [26:29]
A
I've been through a process of advice and consent under the Constitution.
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E
Would you say you've been through hell?
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A
I've been through hell and then some.
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E
This is not a job interview. Yeah, this is hell. This is going to destroy the ability of good people to come forward because of this crap. Your high school yearbook. You have interacted with professional women all your life. Not one accusation. You're supposed to be Bill Cosby when you're a junior and senior in high school, and all of a sudden you got over it. It's been my understanding that if you drug women and rape them for two years in high school, you probably don't stop. Here's my understanding. If you lived a good life. People would recognize it like the American Bar association has the gold standard. His integrity is absolutely unquestioned. He is the very circumspect in his personal conduct, harbors no biases or prejudices. He's entirely ethical, is a really decent person. He is warm, friendly, unassuming. He's the nicest person the aba. One thing I can tell you, you should be proud of, Ashley, you should be proud of this, that you raised a daughter who had the good character to pray for. Dr. Ford to my Republican colleagues, if you vote no, you're legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics. You want this seat. I hope you never get it. I hope you're on the Supreme Court. That's exactly where you should be. And I hope that the American people will see through the this charade. And I wish you well. And I intend to vote for you. And I hope everybody who's fair minded will.
- [28:36]
A
That was a hell of a performance by Lindsey Graham. And between the two of them, between Brett Kavanaugh and Lindsey Graham, they got that across the finish line. Brett Kavanaugh becoming a Supreme Court justice in the face of truly some of the most disgusting political slanders we have seen in and in our entire lives directed at Brett Kavanaugh. Amazing. Just amazing. Now more in a moment on President Trump's relationship with Lindsey Graham. Because as I mentioned before, you may Remember back in 2015, 2016, these two men did not get along at all. In fact, they were out for blood. I've got more details on that and how things have changed. All ahead on this edition events. Appreciate you being here. Really are the best audience anywhere. I want to thank two quick sponsors for you that make this show possible and free blackout coffee, which is in my mug this morning as it is every morning. I love blackout coffee. Before I can even get into the news, I need something consistent, something that I can rely on. That's blackout coffee for me. It's strong, smooth, just a really well crafted cup of coffee. What I like about blackout coffee is very simple. Very simple. It's a small American company that takes pride in what they do and it shows in every bag. Don't just buy a bag, join the coffee club. Yeah, your coffee will show up automatically. You save money, you get free shipping. You don't have to think about it. It just becomes a part of your routine. And on top of that, you start earning rewards, get bonus credit after a few deliveries. They're also doing some great limited releases right now. For the 250th anniversary of the United States. It's a perfect time to check them out. Go to blackoutcoffee.com Vince. Use the code Vince. Get 20% off your first order. That's blackout coffee dot com. Vince. Join the coffee club today. Make it part of your daily routine. Love blackout coffee. Thank you. And thank you to Quints for being great sponsors of our program here too. We love quints. You know, one thing I love about summer is how effortless everything feels. The slower mornings, the longer days, and the outfits that don't require overthinking. Now I keep reaching for the same easy, comfortable pieces and, and that's exactly why Quint's has become my go to. They're all about well made essentials that turn into the staples that you wear on repeat all season long. They're 100% European linen pants and shirts. Breathable, versatile, incredibly easy to style. And they start at just 34 bucks. I also love their T shirts, soft enough to wear all day. And the lightweight cotton sweaters, perfect when the temperature dips at night. What really stands out is the value. You know, Quint's offers pieces at 50 to 80% less than similar brands. But by working directly with ethical factories and skipping the middlemen, make your summer wardrobe so much easier. Go to quince.com/vince for free shipping on your order. 365 day returns now available in Canada too, if that's your thing. That's Q, U, I n c e.com/vince for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com/vince. Thank you, Quince, for being great. All right, so it's true, you know, the President didn't always get along with Lindsey Graham. In fact, you may remember there was a time when, when they had such fierce political competition in the 2016 election that President Trump gave out Senator Lindsey Graham's cell phone number. Then presidential candidate Lindsey Graham cell phone number on a rally stage. Do you remember this?
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J
So Lindsey Graham says to me, please, please, whatever you can do. You know, I'm saying to myself, what's this guy, a beggar? He's like begging me to help him with Fox and Friends. So I say, okay, and I'll mention your name. He said, could you mention my name? I said, yes, I'll mention. And he gave me his number. And I found the card. I wrote the number down. I don't know if it's the right number. Let's try it. 202228 0292. I don't know. Maybe it's, you know, it's three, four years ago. So maybe it's an old number, 202-228-0292. So, I don't know. Give it a shot. Your local politician, you know, he won't fix anything, but at least he'll talk to you.
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H
That was.
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A
That was such a crazy moment in. Nobody had ever seen anything like that before. And by the way, at the time, it wasn't Lindsey Graham's old number. It was at the time, his current number. So people started calling it as soon as President Trump gave it out. Boy, that was a move. That was another move that only President Trump would ever pull off. And then what ensued after that? Well, Lindsey Graham, of course, had to change his cell phone number, but he did make fun of the whole experience. Here he is, he did a video with our friend Benny Johnson, making. Making light of the fact that President Trump gave out his cell phone number during the campaign, watches Lindsey Graham destroys his cell phone. Here we go. He's got a cleaver. He puts it in a blender, hits it with a golf club, lights it on fire. Pretty funny. It's just a bunch of clips for those of you on the audio podcast, just clips of Lindsey Graham destroying cell phones every way imaginable, Throwing cinder blocks on top of,
- [34:22]
E
Or if all else fails, you can always give your number to the Donald.
- [34:29]
A
Pretty funny. And, and to be clear, you know, this is one of those things. Lindsey Graham, you know, he would argue like crazy with people in Washington. One of the stories that's coming out right now is that he would have all these, these fierce debates with Democrats or with people on his own side of the aisle, and then he would fight for them. He would fight for Republicans constantly, including Republicans he disagreed with vehemently. I can't tell you how many posts I saw this weekend from Republicans saying we didn't agree at all on foreign policy, yet this guy would show up to fight for Republicans whenever he could. It was an interesting cat. You know, President Trump indicated that he was one of the finest politicians ever. In fact, here's J.D. vance saying the following. You know, J.D. vance, who expresses in his post about Lindsey Graham that he had all sorts of disagreements with him. He said Lindsey Graham came from humble beginnings and he became one of the most powerful lawmakers in the most powerful nation on earth. His story was a fundamentally American one. Early in my Senate tenure, I remember getting into a shouting match with Lindsey about a Ukraine funding bill at lunch and then learning the very next day that he was pushing rail legislation that I really cared about behind the scenes. That was Lindsey Graham. He fought like hell for the things he believed in, and he was just as willing to go to bat for you when it counted. Lindsey had the best sense of humor in the Senate. He loved the game of politics. He was constantly asking which races were up and down and how he could help. As he liked to say, quote, I don't care if you're an isolationist or a religious fanatic, so long as you have an R next to your name, I want you to win. We certainly had our disagreements, but I couldn't help but like him. A one of a kind figure in our politics. I'll be praying for him and his family, says J.D. vance. Stephen Miller, also to be is another one who's honoring Lindsey Graham again. How different the right is from the left, huh? Miller and Graham clearly did not see eye to eye on immigration. Just to be absolutely clear about this, Lindsey Graham at one point was leading the push in the Republican Party for amnesty. He was a part of the Gang of Eight amnesty bill back in the early 2000 teens. Stephen Miller is on the polar opposite side of that debate. Stephen Miller wants secure borders. He wants to deport illegal aliens, and he doesn't want amnesty for illegals. But that does not. Despite the fact that they had that massive difference, Stephen Miller still honored the man. And here's what he said of him. At the end of a particularly thrilling and rollicking meeting in the Oval Office, Lindsey Graham turned to the room and said, quote, I've never had this much fun in my life. I cannot describe to you how much joy President Trump's leadership and friendship brought to Lindsey. Meetings with Graham at the White House were filled with camaraderie, kinship, and uproarious laughter. As heartbreaking as his sudden passing is, I hope it will bring some measure of comfort to those who cherished him to know just how much he was living his dream every day. Very rarely in life do you get to be exactly where you want to be, when you want to be there with who you want to be with, doing precisely what you want to do. That was every moment for Lindsey. When President Trump won In November of 2024, Lindsey was exultant, elated, and determined. He couldn't wait to spearhead work as the budget chairman on the reconciliation bill that would cement President Trump's most important campaign promises. I'll never forget the Senate lunch when a couple senators were a tad off the program and Lindsey in his inimitable way, made sure everyone was on side by the time we left. It was a glorious thing to witness. He knew how to move a room. Lindsay was a senator's senator. The job was everything to him, truly. Did he believe in the splendor of the office and the noble lineage behind it of which he was the worthy heir? He was a senator in the mold of those who fashioned the institution, Someone who still had the ability, in a heated exchange, to use rhetorical power to change the course of events. Which is why we will never forget his legendary Kavanaugh moment. We rarely think that we are out of time with our friends. So while there is a lot more I wish I could have said to Lindsay, I'm glad that more than once I told him what that moment meant to the whole nation and why he was the only senator who could have done it with such utter perfection. Most importantly, I had the chance to tell him on many occasions what his friendship meant to me and to us all. There was never once a time he didn't answer a phone call and lend whatever assistance was required. It was never a question. With Lindsay, he believed deeply in the code of friendship and loyalty. The fact that Lindsay started out as a political opponent only to become one of the President's most steadfast and faithful supporters underscores that Lindsay believed emphatically in the voice of the people. There's a lot more I would like to say. His passing at a time when he had been never more dynamic is as unexpected as it is shocking. In many respects, Lindsay was the last of a breed of American senator whose like we may not yet see again. For a long time, he lived every minute in the arena, a political gladiator to the very last. More than anything now, our thoughts are with his sister, nieces and loved ones. We pray that God will ease their sorrow and heal their pain. Lindsay can never be replaced and will never be forgotten. Godspeed, my friend. Nice send off from Stephen Miller, by the way. Stephen's a great writer. Holy cow. Great writing and a great way to honor Lindsey Graham, who he said he lived every single moment in the arena. Every moment. The President had a lot to say about Lindsey Graham this weekend. And I have one more clip for you on this subject. Then we'll move on to the issue of Iran. We've got. We do have some more to get to with you today. But the President was on Meet the Press. I told you before. And while he was there, they tried, basically, Kristen Welker tried to change the conversation to talk about Iran and the President is kind of funny because he says, I'm not talking about anything except Lindsey Graham. And then he gives a little bit of information about Iran because. But then he goes, but all I really want to talk about is Lindsey Graham. Here's the President of the United States.
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Iran said overnight the Strait of Hormuz is closed. CENTCOM came out this morning and said, the Strait of Hormuz is open. Which is it, Mr. President?
- [40:53]
H
And I don't want to talk about it because I want to honor the life of Lindsey Graham. So I don't want to talk about it. I told you that before the call. Yeah, it's open. We bombed the hell out of him last night. They're very, very evil and sick people. We had meetings with them for the last. They agreed to a deal yesterday, a perfect deal for us. No nuclear, no this, no that, no nothing. They gave up everything. And then after that, they left the room, and then within an hour, they launched a drone and a ship. I said, you people are sick. You're sick people. And so it's one of those things. I don't want to talk about it.
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G
Finally, before I let you go, I
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want to talk about one person today, Lindsey Graham.
- [41:38]
A
I don't want to talk about anything else. By the way, do you see what he said at the top? He's like, you know, we talked about this before the interview started. The condition for me to come on this program at all was that I'm only talking about Lindsey Graham and nothing else. And then Kristen Welker violated the agreement. She is the journalistic equivalent of Iran violating the Memorandum of Understanding on Meet the Press immediately as the president's like, wait, I thought we talked about this. I'm not talking about any other issue. But then, of course, he couldn't help himself. He gave a little bit of detail about what's going on with Iran now on that front. On the Iranian front, just to be clear, a lot of back and forth over the weekend. CENTCOM has announced hundreds of strikes on the Iranians because the Iranians keep launching attacks at various ships that are trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz and now at U.S. military facilities. The CNBC report this morning, the U.S. and Iran have been exchanging strikes as the Strait of Hormuz standoff escalates. They say Iran responded to a fresh wave of strikes from US Forces over the weekend by launching attacks on American military bases in several Gulf states, deepening a standoff over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. The latest exchange casts further doubt over the Future of the Interim Peace Agreement signed last month. A deal that, of course, had paved the way to reopen the strait and end the war after 60 days of negotiation. The Iranians, they can't get control of the psychos within their own regime. I've told you before about the factionalism that exists there. There are different elements within Iran. Not all of them want to negotiate with the United States. Some of them want to stop a deal entirely. Many of the most crazed lunatics are with the irgc. And as a result, they are trying to blow up or disable ships that are transiting the strait and then firing at US Military bases throughout the Middle East. Well, we're not gonna stomach that. In fact, we're just gonna blast the hell out of you if you dare take a shot at us. Violence will be met with overwhelming violence by the United States. Here's CENTCOM on that subject. Overnight. This is brand new from centcom. United States Central Command completed a new wave of offensive strikes against Iran July 12, hitting dozens of targets in multiple locations. Precision munitions, all to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM forces struck Iranian military air defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using US Fighter aircraft. Naval vessels, one way attack aerial drones and one way attack sea drones for the first time. You got that? Remember that detail. We're now using one way attack sea drones in combat, presumably to destroy these small boats that have been used for laying mines and menacing ships in the strait. We're now hitting them with sea drones. Attack sea drones. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade. Iran does not control it. Iran does not control it. CENTCOM said US Forces are postured and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available to commercial shipping, despite Iran's continued unwanted aggression, harassment threats. You can see here some of the planes taken off of these aircraft carriers. Man, the American military is so cool. Just imagine going up against this. Imagine the sound of this stuff coming towards you. Pardon our noise. That's the sound of freedom. And then you got some of this aerial footage of Iranian targets being dusted. Just where did it go? It's gone. It's gone. Yeah. Iran, if, if they had any sense about them whatsoever, they'd stop inviting these types of kinetic face slaps. But I don't know. I don't know if they've got the sense the Trump administration doesn't trust them, never have. And said, hey, we're gonna see what we can do here. We're gonna offer you a way out. And they refused to take it. They refused to accept a hand up. So now they're just getting a backhand. Which is which they've earned it, big time. The Strait of Hormuz is open, Trump officials have been saying this weekend, despite the fact that Iran keeps insisting. Oh, we closed it down. It's open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway CENTCOM with that update to let everybody know it is open for transit. US Forces are positioned and prepared to ensure freedom of navigation remains available. Despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment threats and arbitrary declarations. Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flying. Flowing. Traffic is flowing. One, one more other big element for you on what's going on in the region. Iran claimed that they killed a number of our troops this weekend. They claimed three American service members were killed in Kuwait by strikes from Iran. That claim, like so much of what the Iranian regime claims, is false. Not true. Our men are not even injured claim. Iranian propaganda claim today that three American service members were killed in Kuwait by strikes from Iran. U.S. central Command says false truth. There are zero reports of U.S. service member deaths or injuries in the region. All personnel are accounted for. So that's the Iran update here as the president both keeps on offering the handout to basically say, hey, I'd like to make a deal with you, and with the other hand, slaps the hell out of them. So we're doing little carrot, little stick, and we'll see what we can get out of Iran as we maintain navigation and free shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Updates, of course, as always, as we get them on that subject. Before we go today, we also, I want to go back to the state of US Senators for a moment. We told you about Lindsey Graham. Anybody else see this news this weekend? And we're shocked to see that it was Lindsey Graham and not Mitch McConnell. I know it sounds weird to say, it's just, but Mitch McConnell's health has been in such a dismal situation that you sort of assume that he can't be that long for the world. And then you're like, what? Lindsey Graham? This isn't even computing. Josh, our producer, Josh, was the one who told me that Lindsey Graham passed away. I woke up Sunday morning to a text from Josh saying, holy crap. And I'm looking, this is even real Lindsey Graham. But Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, well, is very much apparently alive. Mitch McConnell. We just got a proof of life Update from Mitch McConnell consisting of a Photo of him sitting with his wife Elaine Chao inside of a rehab facility. Let me see if I can fit this to screen for you. I was handling some of the tech myself. Did I get here is Mitch McConnell. He's, he's dressed up in his civvies. There he is seated next to Elaine Chao. He's holding a newspaper as well. Now to, this is interesting because I don't know, Chad, do you remember last week I was saying, hey, can we get some video of. I was asking for video, I believe, of Mitch McConnell. So instead of like random US senators calling him and having 20 minute conversations with him, maybe he could like talk to the rest of us and hold up a copy of today's newspaper so we know that he's actually alive and that it's the present date. Well, that newspaper you maybe can see here. I don't know how much you can see on, on your screen right now. If you're watching rumble.com, vince, there's a baseball player on there and then there's a, then they've got like a, a news article on the right hand side of the page. So one would assume this is the sports section of whatever paper he's holding. And one would also assume that the paper to check would be the Washington Post. And sure enough, here is the Washington Post Sunday edition From this is the sports section and right on the COVID you can see it's a story about. It says homegrown talent Nationals kickoff first draft of new era with local product. What's the guy's name?
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B
Hakapin.
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A
Forgive me for not knowing his name. Trying to read it here and then up, up here you see no Scova claims title and all. Check, showdown. That does look like the same newspaper. For those of you wondering, this is the same newspaper he's holding. So the funny thing is, you know that this whole photo is staged. The McConnell photo is so obviously staged in such a way as to convey that he's actually alive. They're trying to convey that message clearly. So he's holding today's, well, yesterday's sports section of the Washington Post. Not because he was just incidentally reading the Post. No, they put it on his lap. They're like, we need people to know that you're alive. Let's just use today's newspaper. It's a proof of life photo. Elaine Chao, who for some reason stayed in China after the man collapsed in mid June, finally shows back up in the United States and now she's posing with him. So there's a bit kind of A bit of a face saving exercise for Elaine Chow here. Oh, look, I'm by my husband's side. The whole thing is like so obviously staged. But there's Mitch McConnell, apparently alive in a rehab facility. They released a statement from him, or somebody wrote it, saying that, that he's grateful for all the prayers and that he's. He sent a message to his fellow Kentuckians. He said, I've had more than my share of experience with physical vulnerabilities. Surviving childhood polio meant spending my entire life with mobility challenges. They haven't exactly gotten easier to manage with age. And last month I took a fall which landed me in the hospital. My doctors have confirmed I didn't break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn't have a heart attack or a stroke. I don't have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital while receiving excellent care. Over the past several weeks, I've also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia. What is he doing in the Senate? Still, I can assure you that I've been a good patient. At my age, I tend to do what my doctors tell me to do. I've submitted to every test they can think of to help figure out what caused this incident. And I'm continuing to do everything they ask to speed my recovery. In fact, with signs of continued progress, I've been able to move from my hospital care to a rehabilitation center where I will keep regaining my strength. Anyway, he goes on to say he's not going to be back at the Senate anytime soon. He's, he's, his staff is basically doing the job for him and he's apparently attentive from a distance. But in case you're wondering, are we going to see Mitch McConnell on the Senate floor anytime? Are we going to see him casting a vote for the Save America Act? No. No. So our slim margins right now are even slimmer with the sudden passing of Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell not being able to show up to work by posting proof of life photos. Yeah, well, that's that. I've got, I've got a lot more updates to get to today. We've got, We've got so much to talk about. One thing we have to talk about is the process for replacing Lindsey Graham. Suddenly frenzied movement. On that subject, Obviously the President of the United States is gonna weigh in very heavily, no doubt on who he thinks replace Lindsey Graham. I'll be covering some of this on the big national radio show today. The Governor of South Carolina. Henry McMaster has a big task ahead of him as he appoints a replacement in the short term and they get these elections underway to get a full time replacement going into the next year. Lindsey Graham was in the middle of a reelection campaign. He was expected to sail to reelection. So now it's a little bit more chaos in South Carolina. We'll keep you attuned to those details both on the radio show and on the podcasts to come. And of course, everything that's transpiring now in Washington. This is a, this is a chaotic way to start the week, but if any show is equipped to cover it with any audience, it's this one with you. The best audience anywhere. Appreciate you as always for being with me. If you want to join me today on the big national radio show, you can do thevintshow.com get your local radio listings or join me on Rumble live from 1 to 3 Eastern. Rumble.com Vince we do the show live for the final two hours of the radio program. Dan Bongino looking forward to his program today. It's coming up today at 10am rumble.com Bongino he'll have a lot to say on all of this. And then the Great Haley Carina. Rumble.com Haley Haley with two whys. Why? Because she is so great and so are you. You're the best audience anywhere. Appreciate you as always for being with me. God bless you. We'll have some mighty shows for you throughout the week. Thank you for being here with me today.
- [55:36]
K
Scrolling with Haley I am Hayley Carania. I scroll with the homies here in the live chat because there's a lot to scroll through on X, on Instagram, on TikTok, cutting through the clutter one hot take at a time. Love seeing you all in the chat chat before the show. I tried to jump in just a few minutes before to say hello. I love the chat interaction. Thank you for helping but I do it to get all of the videos and all of the content that you won't find anywhere else. Scrolling with Haley Just search that up and I will be there. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.