July 13, 2026

The American Conservative Morning Briefing · Jul 13, 2026 · 5m

Good morning! Today is Monday, July 13th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. The war with Iran reaches its 135th day as Tehran closes the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM launches a third wave of airstrikes, and Iranian forces hit American bases across the Gulf. Senator Lindsey Graham, the hawkish South Carolina Republican and Trump confidant, has died at 71, leaving Governor McMaster to name a successor and the state GOP scrambling before an August primary. Peter Van Buren argues that Democrats' embrace of gender-identity activism, on vivid display at the New York Pride…