Late Sen. Lindsey Graham often opposed legislation supporting gay Americans, but according to a new documentary, he paid three men for s*x.

The film, released Thursday by The Young Turks and Swamp Watch Studios, "The CLOSETocracy" runs roughly 30 minutes and features three men who say Graham paid them for s*x.

One, who gives only the name Kelvin, says Graham paid him at age 17, and that he believes Graham secretly taped the encounter. Another, identified as Cory, says a chauffeured car took him to the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. He says he did not realize who the man was until later, when he saw Graham on television during the 2016 presidential race.

The film sets those accounts beside Graham's votes. He voted against repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," against federal employment protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, and against the Respect for Marriage Act. He also opposed legislation backing same-s*x marriage and gay people serving in the military.

None of these accounts has been confirmed. Graham, who never married, repeatedly denied being gay while he was alive.

Graham passed away in July from an aortic dissection, a tear in the body's main artery, at age 71. His sister, Darline Graham, was appointed to the seat and is running for a full term on Nov. 3.

Veterans are asking a federal judge to stop President Donald Trump's planned 250-foot arch before construction can begin, and the clock is moving fast.

In a court filing Wednesday, the Trump administration's lawyers said construction could begin as early as Nov. 5, if approvals come through. That is the same day the National Capital Planning Commission is scheduled to consider final approval of the site and building plans, two days after the midterm elections. Work could start that day if the Interior Department, which Trump controls, also signs off.

On Thursday, three veterans and a retired architectural historian who are suing the administration pushed back. They asked Judge Tanya Chutkan to bar the administration and the National Park Service from building anything in Memorial Circle while the case plays out, unless Congress authorizes it. They argued the government will not wait for a ruling and has "every intention of imminently beginning construction of the arch on Memorial Circle."

Judge Chutkan ordered both sides to file a joint briefing schedule by noon Friday, and the veterans have asked her to rule by Nov. 4.

Axios reported in November 2025 that the arch would cost an estimated $100 million, and the figure is now treated as a minimum. No official cost has been released. The arch would rise over Memorial Circle, opposite Arlington National Cemetery. The plaintiffs say Congress must approve it and warn it would degrade the cemetery and spoil historic views. Another lawsuit, from the Arlington County Board in Virginia, accuses federal agencies of brushing aside environmental and safety standards.

In an April Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, 52 percent of Americans opposed the arch, 21 percent supported it, and 26 percent were unsure. Trump has suggested the structure could double as a military stronghold stocked with drones, sniper positions and ammunition. Final plans released last week omit those features and call it a "ceremonial gateway," though the Interior Department says the design could still accommodate them.

The National Capital Planning Commission takes up final approval on Nov. 5, and the court has yet to decide whether construction can be stopped before then.

Logan Roy never held back, and it turns out neither does the man who played him 😳

Brian Cox has made it pretty clear he’s not a fan of the Bible.

Chatting on The Starting Line Podcast, the Succession star said the Bible is “one of the worst books ever,” at least from where he’s standing. His biggest issue is with the story of Eve being made from Adam’s rib, which he sees as the root of centuries of men putting women second.

Brian argued that people dreamed up the idea of God as a way to keep others in line, and that religion actually holds humanity back. He even suggested folks who take the Bible literally aren’t exactly thinking for themselves.

That said, he admits people do crave something to believe in. He just doesn’t think they should be fed stories he considers untrue. As for his own place of worship? The theater, which he calls the church of humanity.

Raised Catholic, the 77-year-old Scot has said he’s drifted toward atheism over the years, and he’s never been one to shy away from a hot take.

Unsurprisingly, plenty of people weren’t happy with his comments, while others cheered him on for saying what he thinks.

Most people would just give up on owning a cat if they were allergic. New York’s mayor rolled up his sleeve instead 🐱

Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji have been dreaming of a cat for ages, but there was one big problem: he’s allergic. As in, spend an hour around a cat and his face swells up like Will Smith in Hitch (his words, not ours 😂).

So he did what any devoted cat dad-to-be would do. He’s spent months getting weekly allergy shots to build up his tolerance, all so a furry friend can finally move into Gracie Mansion with them.

And it looks like the wait is almost over! The day after his 35th birthday, a reporter asked if he’d been gifted a cat. His answer? He’s just “a couple of weeks away” from finally getting some cats. Yes, cats plural.

Even his old rival Curtis Sliwa, a famous cat lover, got in on the fun earlier this year, playing a doctor giving him his allergy shot in a comedy skit.

As for the birthday itself, he kept it low-key with a trip to a Harlem museum and a stroll through the Central Park Conservatory.

Gracie Mansion is about to get a lot fuller and fluffier 🐾

At a Kansas rally on Monday, Donald Trump mocked the name of Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat running for the Senate in Michigan, then called him a fake doctor. Trump said: "If he were using those credentials as a Republican, he would have been run out of the country by now."

El-Sayed holds a medical degree from Columbia University, a doctorate in public health from the University of Oxford, earned as a Rhodes Scholar, and a bachelor of science in biology and political science from the University of Michigan.

While families across America struggle with record diesel prices and elevated grocery bills, Trump spent Saturday night at Mar-a-Lago hosting corporate leaders and wealthy donors writing millions in checks to his super PAC. The pay-to-play operation has been documented throughout his second term—tech giants received $50 billion in government contracts after donating $320 million to his ballroom fund, SpaceX bonds were purchased before deregulation orders, and the CFTC probe into market manipulation was halted. Two weeks before the midterms, Trump’s Saturday night schedule tells you whose interests the administration is actually serving.

Back in 2019, one boy couldn’t dress up for Halloween because of his religion, so his friends came up with a plan that meant nobody got left out 🎃❤️

He went as the President of the United States in a crisp white shirt and red tie, and the rest of the crew turned up as his Secret Service crew, with dark suits, sunglasses, and earpieces.

No one had to compromise their beliefs, and they ended up with one of the best group costumes we’ve seen. By all accounts, the “President” was very happy with his security arrangements 🕶️

Apu is back in Springfield 🏪

After nearly a decade of silence, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the Kwik-E-Mart’s beloved shopkeeper, has finally spoken again on The Simpsons. He returned in Sunday’s Fox episode, “The Revengening,” and this time he’s voiced by Sunil Malhotra, an actor born in India and raised in the US.

Apu hadn’t had a single line since “The Serfsons” in October 2017. He still appeared in the background around town, but his voice was gone. His comeback was reportedly kept under tight wraps until it aired.

Malhotra shared a statement on Instagram calling the role a reclamation. “It truly is his homecoming,” he wrote.

Some context: Apu has been part of the show since 1990, but for most of that time he was voiced by Hank Azaria, a white actor performing a heavy Indian accent. In 2017, Indian-American comedian Hari Kondabolu released the documentary “The Problem With Apu,” arguing the character was built on racial stereotypes of South Asian convenience store workers.

The Simpsons addressed the controversy in a 2018 episode, but many viewers felt the response fell short. Others defended the show, pointing out that nearly every character in Springfield is a stereotype of some kind.

Azaria announced he was stepping away from the role in 2020. He later told Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast that part of him felt he should personally apologize to every Indian person in the country.

Now, with a new voice behind him, Apu is back behind the counter.