Flotsam and Jetsam - Dolly Parton Dead at 80

"It costs a lot of money to look this cheap"

Chris Queen at PJM reports Dolly Parton Passes Away at 80 [UPDATED With Statements]. Dolly Parton @DollyParton, "A message from the family of Dolly Parton." (Video at link). From Althouse says Goodbye to Dolly Parton. "Dolly Parton, Superstar Whose Songs Spoke to Millions, Dies at 80/Known for her outsize persona, appearance and talent, she rose from rural poverty to become a top-selling singer, songwriter and entrepreneur" (NYT gift link). "It has long seemed to me that she was the most-loved celebrity in the world — universally loved." Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump, "Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away. This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will. In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you. President DONALD J. TRUMP." Sundance at CTH, RIP Dolly Parton 1946-2026. From Tennessean Insty, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, IT’S HITTING HARD HERE IN DOLLY COUNTRY:

An apt day to remember that Dolly Parton once recorded a cover of Stairway to Heaven - and, in defiance of every moral law in the universe, she absolutely owned it. pic.twitter.com/rpeIUuumaC

— Daniel Hannan (@DanielJHannan) August 25, 2026

From Ace, Country Music Star and Actress Dolly Parton Dies at Age 80, "What did someone say of FDR? He had a third-rate mind but a first-rate temperament. Dolly Parton could be said to have been a first-rate talent with a first-rate temperament. Every time you saw her, she was was happy and cheerful and grateful and even humble. Washington Nearsider posted this quote: "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap." - Dolly Parton. She was also pretty funny." Matt Vespa at TownHall says We Know the Cause of Dolly Parton's Death. Cancer, damn it.

A Larry vid at Hat Hair, Canada Instantly Regrets Starting a Trade War With Trump. Sundance at CTH has the White House Press Release: “Ending Canada’s Free Ride” and D’oh Canada – Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc Outlines the Fracture Points and Makes Mark Carney Look Like an Idiot. Ezra Levant @ezralevant, "Turns out Mark Carney lied about the reason he cancelled the trade talks. Just like he lied about the Gordie Howe Bridge. This is from the New York Times:" Quote Kevin A. Bryan @Afinetheorem, Replying to @Afinetheorem "3) It does appear the French language claims were in fact nonsense, and are being used for political purposes in the Canada byelection. Below is all there was. 4) Can & US wanted aligned non-N. Am. tariffs, but US wanted Canada to have to follow external tariff changes expost 2/3." Ezra Levant @ezralevant, "This gives the game away. To Carney, building a pipeline to export Alberta oil is a burden, something he needs to be convinced to do by America. They have to give him something to do it. Alberta's interests don't matter. Alberta is simply a bargaining chip." Quote Peter McCaffrey @peteremcc, "SHOCKING: The NY Times reveals that the US were keen to move ahead with the Keystone XL pipeline, but the Liberals used it as a bargaining chip to try to change the deal in the last hours. Side note: Why can’t we get this kind of information from our own government." Tristin Hopper @TristinHopper, "We will never surrender sovereignty over this unceded land we're illegally occupying." Quote TheBlaze @theblaze, "The Canadian government begins their response to Trump’s tariffs by recognizing that they are gathered on “indigenous” land:"

At Behind the Black, Ukrainian drones attack Russia’s Plesetsk military spaceport. What is Ozon and Why Is It Burning? John Sexton at Hat Hair explains. From Politico, Zelenskyy’s rival Fedorov overplays his hand with election push, "Ousted defense chief scored political hits with his criticism of Zelenskyy’s administration — but his call for an election has triggered outrage." 

From AllAfrica, Somalia: Somali Pirates Hijack Sanctioned Oil Tanker Off Yemen. LiveMint, Iran oil cargoes dry up even before US acts on Tehran threats; China's 'teapots' face crunch.

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair had LIVE PRIMARY RESULTS: Runoff Madness, and Will Voter ID Get OK’d? UPDATE: Graham Wins. From Sundance, South Carolina Special Election: Ralph Norman -vs- Darline Graham, Polls Close at 7:00pm ET. "UPDATE: Graham Wins – AP Calls the Race." I guess President Trump's endorsement still matters, and polls, especially primary polls still suck (or lie).

Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Philly DA Larry Krasner says he wants the WH Ballroom blown up: "I'm going to have a paperweight sitting on my desk. You know what that paperweight is going to be? It's going to be a piece of the ballroom after we all blow it up." "In an official ceremony we're going to blow it up." Soros-backed lunatic." Sundance celebrates the Supreme Court Lifting the District Court Injunction Permitting Trump Administration to Move Forward on Postal Voting Plan. Abe Greenwald at Commentary reacts to Democrats Harping on Natalie, "for the love of God, leave the woman alone."

Also from Sundance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe Visited Moscow. ""Ahead of Ratcliffe’s trip, the U.S. told Ukraine that a senior delegation was traveling to Moscow and asked it to suspend strikes until it leaves, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. (link) "We shall not speculate too much on the purpose and intent of the visit; however, overall, the direction points to intelligence sharing or notification.""

CAPo ed board says Democrats need to stop whitewashing Abdul El-Sayed’s extremist hate. Sundance hosts as Jesse Watters Debates Islamic DSA Candidate Abdul El-Sayed. At Hat Hair, Larry has a vid, Abdul El-Sayed Screws Himself With Failed Risk-It-All Fox News Interview and Capt. Ed has Today's Deep Question: Why Is El-Sayed So Curious About Watters' Genitalia? equating female genital mutilation to male circumcision. From the Free Bacon, Abdul El-Sayed Doubles as Consultant for Health Nonprofit Led by 'Scam Artist' Accused of 'Exploiting Medicare'. "One Health Partners paid El-Sayed more than $80,000 in the past year for work he described as supporting 'patients with limited healthcare access.'" Capt Ed, Piker Melts Down As Michigan's Jewish Dems Fight Back. From Ace, Hasan Piker: By Only Caring About Israel, Jews Are Increasing Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Violence, and They Deserve It, "Remember the very well-promoted "Islamic backlash"? We were told that the worst possible thing that could possibly be would be for people to take their anger about Islamic terrorism -- and Muslim support for Islamic terrorism -- out on Muslim civilians." From Not The Bee, U.S. Muslim Brotherhood authorizes $140M annually to help Muslims take control of American government. Hat Hair's Dave Strom asks Are There ANY Working Class People in the DSA? From the Free Bacon, A Democrat’s Road to Disillusionment, "REVIEW: ‘Nothing Left: Confessions of a Democratic Operative’ by Evan Barker." Aaron Hanscom at PJM, has A Disturbing New Poll — and Dennis Prager’s Warning for America.

Joe Chalfant at TownHall, Republicans Have Found Their Message Against James Talarico. From Ace, Trump Links a Just the News Report Suggesting That Ilhan Omar is Being Investigated by ICE for Immigration Crimes. Dave Strom, Keith Ellison Tries His Hand at Diplomacy by Negotiating With Somali Gangs, to protect the state fair and is Exposing the Gaza Grift. 

Amy Alkon @amyalkon, "They are not government-funded fuck pods for the homeless, but TAXPAYER-funded fuck pods being proposed. A gift from the robo-voting “progressives” of this state who vote in crony socialists with a retarded squirrel’s understanding of math. Related: Gavin Newsom spent $8.5 billion on “free” (bleed the taxpayers) healthcare for illegal immigrants. I vote for none of these people." Quote Nick shirley @nickshirleyy, "In Los Angeles it has been proposed to have government funded sex and masturbation clinics for the homeless. “This means equality. It means private sexual relief through masturbation” From ToI, Protesters sentenced to jail for blocking Golden Gate Bridge over Gaza war. Heather Mac Donald at CJ says No, Street Vagrants Are Not “Our Neighbors.” "An L.A. city councilman comes up with yet another fantastical euphemism for the dysfunctional exploiters of ever-diminishing bourgeois order."

Natalie Winters @nataliegwinters, "EXCLUSIVE: The federal government paid hundreds of social-media influencers to convince their followers to take COVID vaccines. They even targeted children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. While the project’s didn’t reveal the names of paid participants, I just unmasked dozens.."

Bad Hombre @Badhombre, "There are four data centers within 10 minutes of your Burlington, VT home: ClearBearing, Tech Vault, TelJet, and FirstLight. Your home’s assessed value has risen from $360,000 to $760,000 since they were built. Keep yelling at the clouds, old man." Quote Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders, "Trump thinks that every community in America should welcome a data center. Great idea. Lead by example. Have your friend Elon build one at Mar-a-Lago."

Gleen Grenwalt, reports The Biden-Era C.B.P. Fabricated a Document Used to Imprison a Top-Level Brazilian Official. A U.S. Federal Judge Just Ordered Full Disclosure. "The federal judicial case has obvious implications for Brazilian politics, but even more for U.S. national security."

From Twitchy, Active Duty USAF Major Who Called for Trump’s Impeachment on Capitol Steps Charged Under UCMJ.

From Hat Hair, Beege Welborn, sees Another Judge, Another Injunction - Rubio's Visa Freeze Vacated and Summer Forecast Turns ICEy in Virginia and Recent Figures on Migrant Crime in Some European Countries Just Now Being Released. Sundance reports the State Department Moving Toward Mass Visa Cancellation Impacting 200,000 Unlawful Entrants. The OCR whines Deportees who refused to exit a US flight in Liberia are sent to Equatorial Guinea. "The deportees who resisted leaving the plane in Liberia were told they would be returned to the United States but instead were flown to Malabo city in Equatorial Guinea, one advocate said." Bob Hoge at RedState sees a Ohio Court Tries to Tell Feds Where They Can — and Can't —Arrest Illegal Aliens. DOJ Fires Back. Christopher F. Rufo and Susan Crabtree at CJ explains How Gavin Newsom Subsidized the Migrant Invasion. "The California governor has spent nearly $1 billion on nonprofits that want, among other things, to dismantle the border, “abolish ICE,” and help immigrants “living with HIV.”"

A video from FIRE on Free Speech in Donald Trump's America.

John Sexton predicts The Left Will Never Stop Blaming the Right for Jason Arday's Death. You aren't supposed to call out Black, leftists plagiarists and fantasists in academe. From the College Fix, Facing inaccuracy claims, historian Kerri Greenidge points to bias against black female scholars. Ray Hilbrich at LI hears Monmouth U. Trains Educational Counseling Majors to be ‘Social Justice Advocates.’ "Among the highlighted features of the program is an “Advanced Race & Racism course” which requires students to participate in an “‘outside of the classroom’ anti-racism project.”" FischerKing @FischerKing64, "Let's translate - the Trump administration is urging schools to suspend troublemakers even if they are predominantly black, so that the kids of whatever race and background, who actually want to do some learning, are able to do so." Quote Reuters @Reuters, "The US Education Department ​has issued guidance urging schools to stop what it calls ‘racial balancing’ ‌in student discipline policies, prompting concerns that the Trump administration is making it harder to address longstanding racial disparities in school discipline." Carol Roth @caroljsroth, "The US govt is the biggest predatory lender in the world, transferring wealth from young people to college administrators." Quote Amy Nixon @texasrunnerDFW, "This is an amount of money you’d borrow for a MORTGAGE And we wonder why young people aren’t buying homes!!!!"

Red Pilled America @RedPilled_USA, "This many far-left activists going after the Paramount / Warner Bros. merger signals absolute fear that conservatives will get a foothold in Hollywood." Quote Norm Eisen @NormEisen, "BREAKING: Latino community is rising up against Paramount-Warners merger because it will kill jobs & content for Latinos--& all Americans Kudos @LULAC & Juan Proano for standing with AG Bonta & 11 other AGs demanding structural remedies." From Da Wire, Chris Pratt’s Ex Admits She Grills 14-Year-Old Son Over His Pro-Life, Conservative Views. "Do you think it’s a luxury that you get to be pro-life?" George MF Washington @GMFWashington, "Yes, the only thing keeping them here is nostalgia for a world long gone and social pressure. The truth is that getting out and around normal Americans and away from LA which is a clinically insane city would do wonders for the product being pushed out the door." Quote Joseph Kahn @JosephKahn, "If Paramount/Warner leaves LA, they'll be fine. Their true value is the IP they own. The infrastructure can be moved anywhere and benefit from lower taxes and cost of operations. Lots can be sold off an rebuilt. Like any corporate move, the executive class can be transferred. The deals they make are vaporware - contracts and e-signs in the internet..." Dave Strom says Who Knew? The WNBA Actually Matters Now! No, not really. And, When You Hear 'Normalize X," Run the Other Direction. Daddy Warpig @DaddyWarpig, "Once again, this is a disguised sexual fetish called "Oppress me harder, daddy."" Quote Brendan Gutenschwager @BGOnTheScene, "Demonstrators dressed as handmaids from the series “The Handmaid’s Tale” out near Minneapolis City Hall today." Jack Posobiec @JackPosobiec, "LIBERAL BABY BUST: Leftists aren’t having kids over mental health, stress while conservatives keep forming families: IFS study." Holly MathNerd at Holly’s Substack says I Had the Effing Denominator, "my Sunday come-to-Jesus moment," over the Lindsay Clancy story. 

And there's still more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 08.25.26 (Morning Edition) and In The Mailbox: 08.25.26 (Evening Edition).