Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee, explained why he voted against the confirmation of Jay Clayton to be the director of national intelligence on Tuesday. Clayton was confirmed by a 51-47 vote along party lines (with two Republicans not voting: Mitch McConnell, who remains absent for unspecified health reasons, and Darline Graham, whose brother’s funeral took place on Tuesday).

“As our country faces down growing threats from around the world, the country needs a DNI whose first loyalty is to the facts,” Warner said in a statement.

“Having known and worked with Jay for years, I was encouraged when he was first nominated for the position of DNI. Unfortunately, I came away from his confirmation process with serious reservations about whether he would be willing to stand up to political pressure when it matters most. Now that he has been confirmed, I sincerely hope he proves those concerns unfounded, because the Intelligence Community deserves steadier leadership than it has received in recent months.”

“Mr. Clayton now has an opportunity – and the responsibility – to demonstrate that intelligence will never be shaped to fit a political narrative, that analysts will be free to deliver their best independent judgments, and that the extraordinary authorities entrusted to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence will never be used to manufacture doubt about the integrity of our elections or justify interference in their administration,” Warner added.

A small group of demonstrators held a press conference Tuesday outside the hotel where Democratic mayors are meeting in Atlanta to raise a protest against Palantir Technologies Inc, surveillance technology and municipal leaders that contract with its partners.

“We’re calling on Jacobs Solutions Inc to publicly explain how the strategic partnerships with Palantir Technologies aligns with the values it promotes to cities, public agencies and communities it serves,” said state representative Eric Bell, a Democrat representing part of Clayton County in Atlanta’s southern suburbs. “Municipal leaders are discussing the future of infrastructure, technology, procurement and public trust. Decisions matter. Technology is never neutral. The tools governments choose to purchase and deploy have real consequences on the people.”

Representatives from Metropolis Technologies, Flock Security and other technology firms had speaking slots at the conference. The use of technology like aritificial intelligece to “streamline city services, cut costs, and improve resident experiences–and what it takes to implement them responsibly,” was the subject of one panel discussion.

Press were not permitted to attend the conference.

Jacobs is an engineering and consulting firm with many clients among large, Democratically-controlled cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Nashville, San Jose and Atlanta, often working on large, complex transportation, sanitation and construction projects.

Jacobs and Palantir launched a global strategic partnership in March 2022 for data and technology solutions for infrastructure and national-security markets, starting with water infrastructure. The partnership with Palantir “combines Jacobs’ deep domain knowledge with Palantir’s cutting edge Data and AI technology to create value for clients,” according to Jacobs’ website. “The goal is to deliver real-time computing power, actionable data and control on a time horizon measured in weeks, not years.”

Palantir has increasingly come under fire from political progressives after ICE issued the company a $30m contract to build “ImmigrationOS,” designed to speed identification and apprehension of people prioritized for removal and to make deportation logistics more efficient. Palantir has also aided immigration enforcement with software tools to provide a predictive model for neighborhoods.

“Palantir has faced significant criticism for work supporting immigration enforcement, large scale, government data analysis, and its close association with prominent Trump allies, including co-founder Peter Thiel,” said Robin Biro, a board member of the Latino civic advocacy organiztion GALEO Impact Fund. “And I’m going to give you a quote from him … he says, ‘I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.’” Biro was quoting from a piece Thiel wrote for the libertarian Cato Institute in 2009. He has since left the United States and reportedly resides in Argentina.

“Those concerns have led to governments and public institutions in multiple counties to publicly question whether the company aligns with their values,” Biro said. “Atlanta has always been a city that leads with civil rights and inclusion and respect for individual liberty. We should demand technology partners that earn public confidence not divided before committing tax dollars.”

Donald Trump is pushing the longtime vaccine opponent and current health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr to be more aggressive on cutting vaccines in the US, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal.

Trump has a long record of anti-vaccine statements, but the White House recently put a hold on vaccine changes after polling indicated they were a losing issue in the midterm elections.

Kennedy, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, recently slashed the routine childhood immunization schedule in an unprecedented move.

Trump reportedly asked Kennedy at his northern Virginia golf course in May if the health secretary had the “yips”, according to the Journal.

Trump wasn’t talking about a sudden inability to make putts. Kennedy wasn’t making enough cuts to the US vaccination schedule, Trump reportedly said.

The US president hopes to make “alleviating autism” a component of his legacy, the Journal reported – and he has taken issue with Kennedy’s less aggressive changes to vaccination recommendations in recent months.

“Donald Trump has been anti-vaccine at least since 2015,” said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and an infectious diseases physician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. At the Republican primary debate that year, Trump said that autism had gotten “totally out of control” and vaccines should be in “smaller doses over a longer period of time”.

Trump regularly posted on social media about debunked links between vaccination and autism as early as 2014, and his posts on Truth Social have recently advocated for breaking up shots into individual components and delaying some childhood vaccines for more than a decade.

Elsewhere today, Democratic mayors from around the country have convened in Atlanta for a quiet conversation about managing cities amid the provocations of the Trump Admniistration.

The theme for the conference is “Mayors Deliver”, with discussion about housing, public safety, affordability, jobs and other Democratic touchstones.

DNC chair Ken Martin, under fire and managing internecine conflict within the party, was on the panel of speakers opening the event this morning, as was former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms - the Democratic nominee in the Georgia governor’s race - and Atlanta’s current mayor Andre Dickens.

Industry groups, including those from the surveillance camera, artificial intelligence and data center sectors, feature on the discussion calendar. Attendees will also be discussing election security and voter turnout.

Quentin Lucas, mayor of Kansas City and president of the Democratic Mayor Association, described the fraught relationship his city’s political establishment has with Republican state and federal leaders. Republicans feel it necessary to signal their fidelity to the president and his agenda with increasingly harsh attacks on Democratic-led city governments, he said.

“It’s the problem of modern politics,” the progressive mayor said of Mike Kehoe, Missouri’s conservative Republican governor. “He’s a good Christian man. I believe I am too, so we have perfectly fine conversations. In Donald Trump’s America, you can sit with somebody and share things and talk about family and all of that. But when you ask, ‘Hey, can I get a common-sense, moderate appointed to this board? Can we protect a congressional district in a state with only two Black congresspeople and two Democratic seats?’ The answer is often, ‘I gotta do what I gotta do.’ And I think that to me is probably the greatest challenge.”

Lucas is facing a federal lawsuit initiated by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, a Republican. The 22 July filing alleges that the city’s Minority and Women Business Enterprise contracting program unlawfully uses race and sex in awarding public contracts and violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Missouri man at the center of the suit has a decades-old federal fraud conviction, which the attorney general’s office ignored before filing suit.

Lucas likened the suit to the president drawing city names at random out of a hat to attack. He described the suit as yet another attack on Democratic governance facilitated by the erosion of longstanding legal norms under Trump.

I’ve been thinking this for years. Trump is the accelerant for all of it. The goal is to have no Black people in power, no Black people in the upper reaches of business. And its odd, because Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate who actually could get some minority numbers. But they are so - in some ways - uncomfortable with fighting it out for real, trying to persuade people of different backgrounds, which is something me and Andre [Dickens of Atlanta], and every mayor of an American city - except for the really, really Black ones - have had to do.

Sean Hannity also addressed Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that Lindsey Graham “loved you, he loved the state of Israel, he loved the people of Israel”.

He said Graham was Israel’s strongest ally in the Senate and “would have been blown away” that Netanyahu came to his funeral.

Sean Hannity went on to recognize Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is also in attendance at Lindsey Graham’s funeral.

Hannity said: “President Zelenskyy, I know that Lindsey would have been deeply moved and honored that you made this long journey to be here today.”

He added: “In our private conversations, he often marveled at your strength against the world, one of the world’s most brutal regimes. He saw you, as he said it to me once, as a warrior poet or a warrior comedian, to use those terms, and on paper, I think everybody would agree.”

Eulogizing Lindsey Graham, Fox News host Sean Hannity said the South Carolina senator was “great for ratings because people listened to him.”

“He drew you in, he had that passion to draw you in so far that, I was very grateful” Hannity said.

He also acknowledged Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s presence in the cathedral, saying: “Lindsey would have been blown away that you took this long journey…to be here today.”

Reflecting on Graham’s staunch support for Israel, Hannity said: “Just as president Trump has been Israel’s strongest friend in the history of the White House… Lindsey was that friend to Israel in the United States senate as long as I’ve known this man.”

Donald Trump has ended his eulogy for Lindsey Graham, calling the late senator “strong and steadfast.”

“As a brother, a senator, a warrior, and a patriot, he withstood every last test, every single test that you can go through in every trial… Lindsey, we love you. God bless you,” Trump said.

Donald Trump, who ran against Lindsey Graham in the 2016 presidential election, said that “Lindsey and I did not exactly get off to the best of starts.”

Recalling his leaking of Graham’s phone number to the public after Graham called him a “jackass” during the presidential race, Trump said: "It was Lindsey who had the last laugh because while I blew up his phone all for one day, we became great friends, and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years. It was not easy.”

Donald Trump went off script for a brief moment, calling Lindsey Graham “a tough cookie.”

“But no matter how heated things got in Washington, virtually everyone, Republican or Democrat, liked Lindsey. Well, not everybody, but it sounds good. Not everybody,” Trump said.

He continued: “He was a tough cookie, Okay? I have to veer from this for a second. He was a tough cookie, Darline, but he was beautiful.”

Speaking about Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister who was appointed into his role after her brother’s death, Donald Trump said:

“He had total respect and love for Darline. Nothing could be more fitting than that woman who was Lindsey’s proudest legacy, now continues his legacy of service in the US Senate, a place that he cherished. I have no doubt that he is looking down today, beaming with pride at his sister, senator Darline Graham.”

“He died doing the work he was born to do, he was truly a great politician, serving the country he loved to serve so deeply,” Donald Trump said of Lindsey Graham.

“He went out at the peak of his career, the top of his game as a legend that every one of us, many of us here today, blessed to know him and a friend that none of us will ever forget,” he added.

With Lindsey Graham’s funeral now underway, here is Guardian reporter Aram Roston’s dispatch from just a few moments earlier:

I’m outside the National Cathedral where the Lindsay Graham funeral is to take place. It’s a very quiet scene with few people around. Wisconsin Avenue is completely closed to traffic. there’s about two dozen metropolitan police cars and an extensive Secret Service presence. This is obviously being considered a very high profile security threat and they’ve locked it down. They are searching the buses bringing guests.

There very few protesters. At edge of the security site, a handful of local residents are waving an American flag, a Ukrainian flag and a NATO flag. One woman was wearing a “childless cat ladies against fascism” T-shirt said she doesn’t remember security anywhere near as extensive as this at previous funerals. “This is insane. We’ve never seen it like this,” she said.

Another said: “We’re here in support of democracy.”

At the north end of the security fence, about a dozen silent protesters held Palestinian flags. One of the protesters, who gave her first name as Sumer, said they were at the funeral because “[Benjamin] Netanyahu should not be here.” Graham, she said was a war criminal because of his support of Israel’s operations. “He’s not someone who deserves an honorary funeral,” she added.

The funeral service for Lindsey Graham is now underway at the Washington National Catheral.

In attendance are several high profile White House officials including Donald Trump, JD Vance, defense secretary Pete Hegseth, treasury secretary Scott Bessent, interior secretary Doug Burgum, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, among others.

As we’ve been reporting, Benjamin Netanyahu arrived to the White House today to meet with Donald Trump for the first time since they launched their joint war on Iran on 28 February, with the Israeli PM reportedly anxious to smooth out strains in their relationship.

It comes as both face growing pressures at home. Netanyahu, who is up for a tough re-election fight, is embattled in part because of his deteriorating relationship with Trump and his want to carry on fighting against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which left him sidelined as Trump sought a deal with Tehran. Indeed, the US president is under pressure to end an unpopular war that has wreaked economic havoc and driven up prices ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Trump revealed some tension with Netanyahu ahead of their meeting this morning, complaining about reports that the Israeli leader plans to discuss intelligence on Iranian activities at Pickaxe Mountain, a potential nuclear site that Trump has threatened repeatedly to bomb.

“I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe,” Trump told Fox and Friends. He insisted that whatever Iran is doing is “not a big problem” and that “Bibi’s telling me that because he wants me to stay involved”.

“Why do you have to announce to the world?” Trump added, signaling his frustrations with his ally.

Near the White House where the public was able to gather near fencing, protesters chanted, “Netanyahu, you’re a tyrant” and “Bibi, you’re not welcome here.”

The two leaders also planned to discuss the framework agreement the US and Israel signed with Lebanon over the Israel-Hezbollah war and the expansion of the Abraham Accords, a White House official told the Associated Press.

“We have a little difference,” Trump said yesterday when asked by reporters if he and Netanyahu were on the same page on Iran. “But pretty close, yeah.”

But even as Netanyahu sees an opportunity, he also needs to persuade Trump that he won’t play spoiler to US diplomatic and reconstruction efforts in Gaza and in Lebanon, where the president has previously complained that “too many people are being killed” by Israeli strikes.

It all comes as Israel has lost a significant amount of bipartisan support in the United States, particularly over its conduct in Gaza where it stands accused of committing genocide.

In June, US vice-president JD Vance warned Israeli officials that Trump was their only friend among world leaders. Vance is expected to be in attendance at the meeting with Netanyahu, a person familiar with the plan told the Associated Press.

An AP-NORC poll published earlier this month found a dramatic erosion of support among American adults for Israel.

For more on that, my colleague Matthew Cassel traveled to New York City – the heart of Jewish-American life – to explore how Israel’s wars across multiple fronts has seen so many American Jews turn away from Israel.

And now we have this statement from the Ukrainian president on his meeting with Trump and a tribute to Lindsey Graham, whom he called “a true friend of Ukraine”.

Volodymyr Zelenksyy wrote on X:

A good meeting with President Trump @POTUS at the Oval Office. Thank you for everything we do together to protect the lives of Ukrainians and advance peace. First and foremost, I offered President Trump our condolences on the passing of Lindsey Graham. He was a true friend of Ukraine. The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help. We also spoke about diplomacy – it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated. Our teams will arrange the details of their further communication. I am grateful to the United States for its firm support.

The ceremony was the first of two major Washington services today for Lindsey Graham, who died on 9 July.

Donald Trump is expected to deliver a tribute to the late senator at a 2pm ET funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy are also due to attend, reflecting Graham’s role as one of Washington’s most outspoken advocates for both countries.

The two leaders scheduled separate White House meetings with Trump during visits that coincided with pivotal moments in the wars involving Iran and Ukraine.

Zelensky was also due to meet senators later today ahead of a preliminary vote on tougher sanctions against Russia, legislation Graham had worked on for more than a year before his sudden death.

Graham was one of Congress’s most consistent advocates of an assertive US military role abroad, supporting intervention against Iran and strong backing for Israel and Ukraine.

As reported earlier, Trump acknowledged that reputation this morning, telling Fox News that Graham was “very strong on the military”.

Lindsey liked war. He’s never seen a war that he didn’t like.

Vice-president JD Vance also delivered remarks, telling mourners that Lindsey Graham was an affable, gregarious politician who would slap Senate colleagues on the back and had a passion for engaging opponents in “swashbuckling” debate.

“Lindsey Graham loved people from all walks of life,” said Vance, who served two years in the Senate. “I think in part because of the way that he grew up, because the fact that he wasn’t handed everything, he was fascinated in everybody.”

He also credited Graham with the successful confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the supreme court. “I believe that he saved that nomination,” Vance said.

Vance said he remembered Graham as someone “who could disagree with you without being disagreeable”.

I choose to remember Lindsey Graham as a person who could fight with you on one issue, but fight for you on another issue. I remember Lindsey Graham as a man who loved people, and because he loved people, he was willing to reason with them, to respect them and ultimately to persuade them.

Speaking at the brief ceremony in the Capitol rotunda, Senate majority leader John Thune credited the late Lindsey Graham for his leadership on foreign affairs, calling him “a towering figure” in Congress and on the international stage.

He called the late senator a “fierce defender of Ukraine” and hailed him “as a powerful voice for the [anti-abortion] movement” and lauding his efforts to pass tax cut legislation.

“I look forward to the days when you make us all laugh again,” Thune said, visibly emotional as he concluded his tribute.

Lindsey Graham’s casket was brought into the Capitol rotunda short while ago by military service members as the two days of ceremonies and funeral services began at 10am ET.

Florida is preparing on Tuesday to carry out the state’s first double execution within a single day since the start of the modern era of the US death penalty in 1976.

Barring last-minute legal intervention, James Duckett, 68, is scheduled to die by lethal injection at noon on Tuesday at Florida state prison near Starke. Six hours later, Dominick Occhicone, 80, faces the same fate.

Should both killings be completed, it would be the first time since 2017 that a death penalty state has conducted more than one execution on the same day. On 24 April 2017 Arkansas administered lethal doses to two prisoners, Jack Jones and Marcel Williams, just three hours apart and amid chaotic scenes that suggested the procedures were botched.

In Florida itself, a review by the Associated Press showed that 1964 was the last time there were multiple judicial killing on a single day. You can read the full story here:

Citing a US official, CNN is reporting that Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been trying to secure an invitation to the White House for several weeks to talk about the war in Iran and to warn Donald Trump against giving into concessions in diplomatic talks with Tehran.

Trump, who has a complicated, often strained relationship with Netanyahu, had reportedly been reluctant to meet.

According to CNN, White house officials were frustrated at what they saw as Israeli efforts to leak to the press in order to “will a meeting into existence”, the official said. Lindsey Graham’s funeral offered a chance for a sit down between the two leaders.

On Wednesday, in Lindsey Graham’s home state, ceremonies will begin with services and an F-16 flyover at the South Carolina state house in Columbia, followed by a procession to First Baptist Church for a public service.

A private family burial will take place in Pickens county, home to Central, the small town where Graham and his younger sister and Senate successor, Darline, were born.

Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline, was sworn in earlier this month to complete the remaining months of her late brother’s term, which expires in January.

She made history as the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate when she was appointed, which she described as an “honor”. “Lindsey has always been there for me,” she said. “And now, I will be there for him.”

Because Lindsey Graham won the Republican nomination last month, the state will hold a special primary to replace him on the ballot on 11 August. Darline, 62, will compete in this primary to decide the Republican nominee in November.

Donald Trump said he had encouraged her to run for a full six-year term representing South Carolina. After both of their parents died when Darline was only 13, Lindsey became her legal guardian and later adopted her, to ensure she could receive his benefits through his service as an air force lawyer.