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U.S. Lawmakers Shocked By Republican Senator's Sudden Death. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 13, 2026 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[04:31:40]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN newsroom. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. I want to take you back now to our top story, the sudden death of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. According to Graham's communications director, a preliminary finding from the medical examiner says he suffered an aortic dissection, which is linked to card cardiovascular disease.

Now, the longtime South Carolina Republican died Saturday night at the age of 71. CNN's medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner explains what can happen when this type of medical emergency occurs.

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DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: When the aorta dissects, it can also rupture. And this massive -- this massive artery under high pressure can deliver a catastrophic amount of blood into the chest in a very short period of time. And when that happens, that's typically an unsurvivable injury. When the vessel is dissected but not ruptured, there is a relatively short window during which a patient can be salvaged.

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ABDELAZIZ: Lawmakers on Capitol Hill were shocked by the news of their colleague's sudden death. Earlier, CNN's Jake Tapper spoke with Senator Tim Scott about the passing of his fellow South Carolina Republican.

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SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): Gosh, America's lost a true statesman. We don't have many left, but he was a true statesman. But I've lost a friend. It is a morning of mourning for me. It's a powerful reminder that life is fleeting, that we are not here very long.

If I were to tell stories about Lindsey Graham -- one of the most important stories about Lindsey Graham is that when I was a new senator, he welcomed me in. He knew that my path was different. He understood the power of change in South Carolina and how much our state had changed. But he was one of the first folks in the Senate to welcome me in with open arms. And I will say that I do a South Carolina prayer breakfast every year in D.C. and I called Lindsey the first time and Lindsey says, Tim, if this thing starts before 10:00 a.m.

I'm not coming because I'm not going even if Jesus comes back before 10:00 a.m. And I just laughed out loud. And of course, it started at 8:30. And he walked in the door at 8:31, Lindsey Graham.

He was just the kind of committed person that you don't really appreciate how much -- how committed he was to America. I can't think, Jake, a more committed public servant to this country.

His family was his sister that he adopted when he was 19 and she was 13 because their parents died within 15 months in America. He spent every single day, every weekend going somewhere trying to make America a safer country. And I'll say this, Jake, because of the pain of his past, his father dying of a massive heart attack at, I think it was 69 years old, his mother dying of cancer. Lindsey Graham had a passion for so many of the important issues around cancer research and around taking care of people.

He didn't want anyone to feel invisible in his presence. And he used levity and wit to help people go through really hard times. And I got to tell you, it's just a devastating loss for our state of South Carolina and frankly, for me as an individual.

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[04:35:01]

ABDELAZIZ: For more on the legacy of the late senator, we're joined now by Leah Wright. She's a CNN political analyst and historian, as well as an associate professor of history at John Hopkins University. You're hearing there, again, one of the supporters of Lindsey Graham, describing him as someone who was committed, who was affable, who tried to reach across the aisle, who was loved by his community and his supporters. But he leaves behind a very mixed legacy here, of course. He was also known for being quite strategic U-Turner.

I mean, his career was defined by two very different giants, of course, Johns McCain and President Trump, someone who he was very vehemently against and then became a staunch supporter of. How can a historian resolve these two very different politicians in one man?

LEAH WRIGHT RIGUEUR, ASSOCIATE PROF. OF HISTORY. JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: Well, I think part of what Lindsey Graham's legacy is going to be is about the shift and the transformation of the modern Republican Party over the course of the 20th and 21st century. You know, Lindsey Graham, one of the things that's consistent about Lindsey Graham throughout his political career is that he was a neoconservative, particularly on foreign policy. That is something that is just straight through and throughout. Later in his career, more recently before he died, this is one of the areas where he consistently broke with President Trump, for example, on investment and commitment to Ukraine, later on decisions around Iran. That kind of thing.

But I think if we look at this larger picture, we see a Lindsey Graham, who in 2015, 2016, is a staunch, staunch opponent of the president, of the now president. But he's also someone -- and he's also someone who says, I'm going to vote for a third party candidate, Evan McMullin in the 2016 election. Because this is someone who's going to ruin -- Donald Trump, is someone who's going to ruin the Republican Party as we know it.

Later, when he sees the writing on the wall, when he sees an opportunity to become a more influential player in a party that is rapidly moving towards Donald Trump, he changes his tune and becomes one of the president's most staunch advocates. And that's where we find him when he passes away the other night.

ABDELAZIZ: And when you're talking again about his, his desire for influence and it sounds like that's what you're saying he was ultimately seeking out. In his influence, his cornerstone, if you will, was foreign policy, was seeing America engaged overseas in a country that's oftentimes very isolationist, who becomes that voice for engagement overseas, for intervention overseas with not just President Donald Trump, but within the party itself.

RIGUEUR: Well, I think this is one of the things that we are now seeing about Donald Trump's Republican Party. You know, Donald Trump, when he first comes into office, runs on a platform of isolationism, America first, no new wars. But we see, gradually, somebody like Lindsey Graham has an enormous amount of influence on the direction of the president and his foreign policy. So much so that when Lindsey Graham is cheering for intervention, when he is cheering for, you know, foreign intervention, for military conflicts, for defense spending, we see Donald Trump echoing those positions.

And so I would actually argue that one of his greatest legacies, one of Lindsey Graham's greatest legacies is the -- was the ability to actually force a party that was moving away from interventionism from a, you know, that was moving towards an American domestic policy first advocate that was less invested in, say, relationships with Middle Eastern countries that -- and trying to get away from that legacy in history and to say, actually, we're going to re -- we're going to reboost this idea of neoconservatism.

There's one other thing that I think is worth pointing out about Lindsey Graham's legacy, which is his legacy as a -- on the Judiciary Committee. He absolutely has an influence in making sure that conservative judges are appointed throughout every single branch of the judiciary over the -- between 2020 -- actually, between 2016 and 2026, over the last 10 years, he has had an enormous impact over there. Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, others on the Supreme Court, making sure that Merrick Garland actually doesn't get that seat on the Supreme Court. So we've seen someone who's actually had a tremendous influence, which is exactly what he was seeking when he decided to move in a different direction for the Republican Party.

ABDELAZIZ: And just stepping outside of our current moment in time, because he has a career that spans more than two decades. In terms of what the late senator accomplished both in and out of the Senate, what will he be remembered for by the nation, but also by his native South Carolina?

[04:40:08]

RIGUEUR So I think that Lindsey Graham is actually going to be remembered for his hawkishness, his, I think his independent streak, but also the willingness to switch his positions in order to align with whatever the future of the -- what he envisioned as the future of the Republican Party. That switch away from being a critic of Donald Trump to being one of his greatest advocates so much that he compared the president to God, particularly in an area in a part of the country that is deeply religious or enjoined in religiosity, is something that is going to be a default defining feature of who Lindsey Graham was when he passed away. And I think we'll be having a lot of conversations over the course of not just the next couple of years, but the next couple of decades about what does that mean in terms of political, right, the desire for political power, the desire for political influence. What are people willing to do in order to exert some kind of influence over their party?

ABDELAZIZ: Leah Wright there on the legacy of the late Senator Lindsey Graham after his sudden passing. Thank you so much for that insight.

Film and television actor Sam Neill has died at the age of 78. Now Neill is most known for his starring roles in the "Jurassic Park" films and more recently, "Peaky Blinders." Through his social media, his family shared it was a sudden and unexpected death.

The New Zealand actor had battled a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer, but revealed in April that he was cancer free. Now Neill spoke with CNN's Lynda Kinkade in 2023 about how acting was not his original plan, but he ended up sticking to it.

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SAM NEILL, NEW ZEALAND ACTOR: I think I've made close to 100 movies and maybe 50 T.V. shows or something. I've lost count. And I think the highlight for me has been I never expected to have a career in film at all or even as an actor. But it kind of happened. And no one's more surprised than me.

And it's been a very happy, surprising life.

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ABDELAZIZ: Sam Neill's family say they'll share more details about his passing at a later date.

A republic -- a replica of a U.S. warship has appeared in a remote Chinese desert. Coming up, a closer look at why Beijing might have constructed.

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[04:45:52] ABDELAZIZ: China could be signaling to the U.S. that it remains combat ready amid simmering tensions over Taiwan's sovereignty. Satellite imagery shows what appears to be a fresh full scale replica of a U.S. warship constructed on a remote Chinese desert. Analysts suggest it might be linked to Beijing's attempts to refine Hypersonic missile testing. CNN's Will Ripley has the latest for us.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At first it looks like any American warship at sea. Then you notice the sand more than a thousand miles from the nearest coastline, hundreds of miles from any major city. Deep inside the western Chinese desert what appears to be a full scale mockup of a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke- class destroyer. Look at it side by side with the USS Fitzgerald. The resemblance is striking.

Both are around 510 feet long. At the back, the helicopter flight deck used to launch and recover naval helicopters. Next are the vertical launch systems cells used to fire guided munitions like the Tomahawk cruise missile heavily used in the conflict with the Iran. This is the bridge and command area where navigation, communications and combat operations are controlled. At the front is the deck gun used for surface targets, air threats and shore bombardment.

Together the details suggest a carefully built full scale replica of one of America's main guided missile destroyers, workhorses of the U.S. Navy fleet, more than 70 sailing in oceans around the world.

If conflict ever erupts over Taiwan, these destroyers would likely be among the first U.S. warships deployed.

Hans Su analyzes China's military for Taiwan's top defense research institute.

RIPLEY: Why would China go through all the effort and expense to build this?

HANS SU, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE & SECURITY RESEARCH: The Chinese they try to prepare everything from A to Z.

SU (through translator): The Chinese military has ballistic missiles that can attack from high angles and cruise missiles that can attack horizontally. So they're trying to combine both and enhance their anti-access and area denial capability.

RIPLEY (voice-over): He says they're trying to improve the accuracy of China's newest hypersonic anti-ship missiles displayed at Beijing's military parade last year. The 3D replica is covered with antennas designed to simulate the radar signature of an American warship, helping China detect, identify and perhaps target the real thing. It's located in Xinjiang, the same area where the People's Liberation Army built 2D flat mockups of U.S. aircraft carriers and destroyers several years ago. Even putting them on tracks, analysts say, to move at the speed of actual ships.

RIPLEY: Have they ever built a 3D mockup before?

JOSEPH WEN, OSINT RESEARCHER, TAIWAN INSPIRATION ASSOCIATION: It's first time.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Open Source intelligence analyst Joseph Wen first spotted the mock up when it was still under construction about a month ago.

WEN (through translator): I do think this is quite surprising. The scale of the construction is really massive.

RIPLEY: What message are they trying to send by building this?

WEN (through translator): The message that they are sending is China is always preparing for war.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Under leader Xi Jinping, China has poured billions into modernizing its military, from aircraft carriers and nuclear weapons to artificial intelligence. The PLA has also long trained using mockups of everything from U.S. military assets to Taiwan's presidential office. On China's tightly controlled social media, censors are allowing comments like these. The U.S. military's premier escort warships, long regarded as a source of pride, have now become designated targets for Chinese missiles. They are nothing more than targets sitting in the desert waiting to be hit.

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RIPLEY (on camera): We've reached out to the Pentagon, the U.S. Pacific Fleet and China's Defense Ministry. No response. But we do know China's military modernization continues on multiple fronts. We saw it just after the 4th of July when Beijing conducted that submarine launched ballistic missile test into the Pacific. Although missile tests are pretty routine for nuclear powers.

What makes these desert mockups unusual is really their level of detail. You don't need a realistic 3D replica to simulate a warship's radar signature. That's why many believe these mockups may be doing two jobs at once, helping the PLA physically prepare for a future fight, while also sending a psychological warning to anyone watching from above, especially the U.S.

[04:50:11]

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

ABDELAZIZ: The top tennis player in the world defends his Wimbledon title despite some early concerns. Highlights from Jannik Sinner's big win next on CNN.

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ABDELAZIZ: World number one Jannik Sinner is holding on to his ranking and the Wimbledon title. He beat Alexander Zverev in four sets during a brutally long match at the All England Cup. It's Sinner's fifth Grand Slam singles title and his second straight Wimbledon win. Our Don Riddell has the highlights for you.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Jannik Sinner is once again the Wimbledon champion, but he was made to work for his title defense by Alexander Zverev on Center Court on Sunday. This was a fascinating matchup between the top two seeds, but Zverev might have had a bit of trepidation beforehand. Although he recently broke his major drought by winning the French Open, he had lost nine consecutive matches against Sinner. However, he stepped up here, edging a tight first set on a tie break, snapping a run of 14 consecutive loss sets against the Italian. The second set also very competitive, although this time it was Sinner who edged it on another tiebreaker.

[04:55:12]

And although he went on to win the match by three sets to one, Zverev had pushed him all the way. Regardless, Sinner is now a five time major champion and a two time Wimbledon champ and a three hours and 46 minutes, this was the second longest win of his career.

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JANNIK SINNER, WORLD NUMBER 1 TENNIS PLAYER: There's no better place honestly to play tennis standing here. You can feel the nerves in Sunday morning when you wake up you know that this is, you know, a very, very special day and you never know how many times you can come back on Sunday. So I never take things for granted playing in front of very, very special people throughout the whole couple of weeks.

It has been amazing and, yes, and thanks for the support. You are always amazing to me and you gave me, yes, the most special feeling a tennis player can ever feel like. So thank you so much.

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RIDDELL: So the focus now switches to the U.S. Open in New York where Sinner was the champion in 2024. He'll be the favorite, although Zverev must now be considered a serious rival. And at some point, the injured Carlos Alcaraz is going to be back in the mix. If he's been watching on T.V., he'll know that Sinner will take some stopping. Back to you.

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you for watching. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. CNN "Headline Express" is coming up right after a quick break.

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