Dolly Parton Remembered, Canada Hits US With Tariffs, US Visa Revocations
August 26, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readDolly Parton Remembered, Canada Hits US With Tariffs, US Visa Revocations
Dolly Parton died yesterday in Nashville at age 80 after a recent cancer diagnosis. The singer, songwriter, musician, businesswoman, and philanthropist left behind a catalog of enduring songs including "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors," and "I Will Always Love You." As Nashville music journalist Julie Hide put it, Parton "fleshed out the template for not only country crossing over to pop without losing its identity, but for a country person, persona thriving in Hollywood."
Dolly Parton's Legacy
Parton's story began in East Tennessee, in the Smoky Mountains outside Knoxville, where she grew up in poverty and started writing songs and appearing on local radio. After high school she moved to Nashville, trying to establish herself as both a singer and songwriter — which was difficult for women in the 1960s. Her breakthrough came when she learned to draw stories and characters from her Appalachian roots, as in "Coat of Many Colors," a song about a coat her mother made from rags that made her "rich as I could be."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:02) **Dolly Parton Dies at 80** - The episode opens with the news of Dolly Parton's death from cancer at age 80.
- 2 (02:41) **Dolly Parton's Expansive Career and Legacy** - A deep dive into how Parton's career moved beyond country music while staying true to her roots.
- 3 (04:02) **Parton's Appalachian Origins and Songwriting** - The discussion moves to Parton's beginnings in East Tennessee and her early career in Nashville.
- 4 (05:27) **Parton's Impact on Country Music** - The journalist explains how Parton changed the genre's template.
- 5 (06:51) **Canada Strikes Back in Trade War** - A new segment details Canada's retaliatory tariffs on nearly $20 billion worth of U.S. goods.
- 6 (08:02) **Tit-for-Tat and Verbal Shots** - The trade war escalates with leaders from both countries trading accusations.
- 7 (08:32) **Impact of Tariffs on Businesses** - The economic consequences are explained, focusing on the uncertainty for U.S. businesses.
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Show Notes
Canada is striking back in the trade war with the United States, putting tariffs on $20 billion of American goods starting September 8 after talks with Washington collapsed.
And the Trump administration is moving to revoke nearly 200,000 visas by targeting people who came as tourists and later claimed asylum, though some immigration attorneys question whether it will have any real effect.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Jacob Ganz, Rafael Nam, Alina Hartounian, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Julie Depenbrock and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:58) Dolly Parton Remembered
(06:51) Canada Hits US With Tariffs
(10:45) US Visa Revocations
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