Robert Costa

National Correspondent, @CBSSunday and Chief Washington Analyst, @CBSNews; co-author of “Peril” with @realBobWoodward

[CBS News @CBSNews]

Darline Graham Nordone, Lindsey Graham's sister, is officially appointed to fill the late senator's seat.

“Lindsay has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him,” Nordone said. “It is such a privilege to get to finish some of his important work.” https://t.co/gTKmzGFNUy

[Jay Nordlinger @jaynordlinger]

I'll give you a quick Lindsey Graham story. He and I were participating in the same conference and we were sitting at the same table when he was being introduced.

The introducer said that Graham had become the top vote-getter in South Carolina history.

I leaned over to him and said, "More than Strom?" "Yes," said Graham. "Don't tell him. He'll come back."

[Jake Sherman @JakeSherman]

MCCONNELL releases a photo - and statement.

“To my fellow Kentuckians – 

“When you elected me to a seventh term and made me our Commonwealth’s longest serving Senator, you did so trusting that I’d keep showing up to fight for you every day. And over the past several weeks, Elaine and I have appreciated both your well wishes and your honest questions about what was keeping me away from the Senate.

“You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older. Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct – I can’t help it.

“But at the same time, 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 that 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.

“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 hospital care to a rehabilitation center where I’ll keep regaining my strength.

“As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet. But rest assured that, in the meantime, I’m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you. I’ve been working closely with my legislative staff on current issues, and with my Kentucky team who help me provide timely constituent services across our Commonwealth. I’ve also been keeping in touch with my Senate colleagues on the appropriations process, midterm politics, and everything in between.

“You’re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you. And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work. But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.

“I’ll keep working hard to get back on the Senate floor as soon as possible. And I’ll keep you posted on the progress of my recovery. Until then, I’m so grateful for your prayers and well wishes.”

[Jake Sherman @JakeSherman]

🚨⚡️@PunchbowlNews SPECIAL EDITION

LINDSEY GRAHAM DEAD AT 71

What this means for Washington and South Carolina.

https://t.co/hsVF8k0uae

[Robert Costa @costareports]

Senator Graham. A relentless presence in American politics who threw himself into his work. At the center of the action for decades, be it diplomacy or Senate deals. A confidant to the president. A man who had his fans and critics but exuded joy about being in the arena. RIP.

[Robert Costa @costareports]

Romney passes on 2028....

[Clash Report @clashreport]

Mitt Romney:

I am not running for president in 2028.

The human brain shrinks by about 20% by the time you're 80 years of age. Twenty percent smaller—the size of the brain itself.

So I basically think people who are 80 and above really should not be running the world or running the country.

Source: Deseret Voices

[Robert Costa @costareports]

Making this group even more fluid and sprawling is Nikki Haley’s statement that she “will not” run in 2028. She is the last R to win a primary contest against Trump yet she’ll be off the field in the next cycle, or at least that’s what she currently says...
https://t.co/EySIii5ruZ

[Robert Costa @costareports]

So much of the 2028 GOP chatter is about Vance & Rubio. But could it be... Kemp? DeSantis? Pence? Youngkin? Cox? Cruz?

There are many skeptics... but that hasn't stopped an all but invisible shadow primary from taking shape...

my latest reporting... https://t.co/93M53FWYKl

[Robert Costa @costareports]

“I don’t think any of the folks who are now Trump people, and I’d include J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio in that category, I don’t see how they can win a general election,” Christie told me, arguing GOP voters might worry the same as they size up the candidates in early 2028 once voting begins.

[The Free Press @TheFP]

Well-known Republicans are exploring whether there will be a lane for a presidential nominee outside of Trump’s orbit, reports Robert Costa. https://t.co/XTPGR47vBB

[Shane Goldmacher @ShaneGoldmacher]

NEW: Platner has not made a decision on dropping out — and no guarantee he does, according to a person familiar with internal campaign discussions.

On NYT live blog —>
https://t.co/H3lGniotdo

[Jonathan Martin @jmart]

“The near-final draft of the speech shared by Emanuel’s team — to be delivered at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday — is infused at multiple turns with disdain for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two of them go back a long way. Netanyahu was once quoted in the Israeli press describing Emanuel as a “self-hating Jew” — an episode the former Chicago mayor brings up explicitly in his prepared remarks.

https://t.co/3AucaEnzxG

[Robert Costa @costareports]

Best wishes to all on this Fourth of July.

Here is our discussion of America from earlier this week at the National Constitution Center featuring historian Jon Meacham, former national archivist Colleen Shogan, and Professor Danielle Allen.

https://t.co/Aa6kD5AabF

[Robert Costa @costareports]

See you this Sunday @CBSSunday https://t.co/yTfaEmgf9w

[Nina Heller @_ninaheller]

Rep. Brendan Boyle is taking Congress on the road, gathering with a bipartisan group at Independence Hall in Philadelphia today.

It’s an event he says has been two years in the making, and one he called a highlight of his time in Congress.
https://t.co/bDU0pZPDQq

[Shane Goldmacher @ShaneGoldmacher]

NEWS: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells me she is endorsing Abdul El-Sayed, her first Senate primary endorsement of 2026 in critical Michigan.

Her thinking, the Schumer collision, the state of the race, the left's emboldened moment and more—>

https://t.co/8vsB8dBFVa

[Holly Otterbein @hollyotterbein]

Scoop: Kamala Harris privately called New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani last week and has been holding lengthy, closed-door meetings with other prominent progressives — including pro-Palestinian activists.

w/ @AlexThomp https://t.co/DGCsBhm6Ex

[Jake Sherman @JakeSherman]

NEWS: NEW JERSEY REP. TOM KEAN says he has missed several months because of a diagnosis of depression.

[Robert Costa @costareports]

Ahead of 250, I hope some of you can join us in Philadelphia this Wednesday evening at the National Constitution Center for a special free event. It'll be nice to be with such esteemed panelists and to be back near my hometown...
https://t.co/95Eq6pBaKO

[Robert Costa @costareports]

Great news and congrats, @BFischerMartin

[Jonathan Martin @jmart]

Harvard got the best: @BFischerMartin

https://t.co/pI1A8R64DS

[CBS News @CBSNews]

BREAKING: The Supreme Court strikes down removal protections for FTC members, expanding President Trump's firing power. https://t.co/xnMBHXdEWH