The Morning Briefing: America Isn't Ready for a Post-Dolly Parton World

Top O' the Briefing

Happy Wednesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Jartenszio did daily breath work to prevent his success in the alt-stroganoff cooking space from going to his head.

Well, that was rough news. When a beloved public figure ascends to "National Treasure" status we often put any thoughts of that person's mortality on the back burner. Dolly Parton was even more than a national treasure, an otherworldly American original who was respected and adored by almost everyone. If she ever had any detractors, they were smart enough to keep their opinions to themselves.

We'd known that Dolly had been ailing, but she wasn't the kind to make a big deal out of anything negative. I think that most people assumed that she'd bounce back and return to the spotlight soon. The news of her passing yesterday blindsided most people, I'm sure. I couldn't find a lot to back it up at first, so I was hoping that somebody had gotten it all horribly wrong. When I read the wonderful post Chris wrote about her death, it still had that "can't be real" feeling.

Yes, "country singer/songwriter" is the first thing that comes to people's minds at the mention of Dolly Parton's name, but she was obviously so much more than that. Here's something from Chris's post:

Parton was also an incredible philanthropist, donating millions to various causes, especially in the South. Her Imagination Library put books in the hands of countless kids, and she most recently donated to help Southeasterners recover from hurricanes in 2024. She was such a positive force for simply treating people well that she was a beloved figure on the right and the left.

Dolly redefined "original." Her brilliance as a singer and a songwriter were enough to launch her to superstardom. It was how she handled the superstardom that put her in a category of her own. She managed to be both supremely self-confident and self-effacing at the same time. I've never seen anything like it; one of those qualities usually pales in comparison to the other. That's if they can coexist at all.

As you'll see in the clip in today's "Kruiser Kabana" section, Dolly had an amazing sense of humor. I think that was a huge part of her appeal. There was a cheerfulness in everything that she did, whether it was on stage or off. Her demeanor stood in stark contrast to the 21st century hordes who seem to get out of bed seeking grievances and reasons to be in foul moods. Dolly was a breath of fresh air for over half a century, and she was always so vibrant that 80 years old seems far too young for her to have passed.

As Chris wrote, President Trump has ordered flags to be lowered for one week out of respect for Dolly. This also happened:

In tribute to American singer Dolly Parton: The Empire State Building in New York City glows pink. pic.twitter.com/YaHRTPMRCH
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 26, 2026

Sarah wrote a lovely post featuring several songs from what she says is her favorite underrated Dolly Parton album — Halos and Horns.

There aren't enough superlatives at my command to properly honor Dolly Parton. There will never be anyone with that kind of transcendent star power emerging from any genre of entertainment again. In addition to the clip of Dolly and Johnny Carson at the end of the Briefing, I wanted to share this. When "country singer" Dolly was elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she initially declined the nomination. She changed her mind, then recorded her first rock album after her induction. Here's an epic performance from the induction ceremony. Dolly is joined onstage by Rob Halford from Judas Priest, as well as P!nk, Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, Simon LeBon, Pat Benatar, Annie Lennox, and the Zac Brown Band to perform "Jolene." Only Dolly could get a crowd like that to want to sing with her.

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The Mailbag of Magnificence

Gretchen R. will kick things off today:

Yesterday Sarah told us about your bidding war over the stuffed raccoon. Hope it went well. If you are still looking for wildlife in headgear I can crochet a sombrero if I have the dimensions of your wildlife. The wildlife itself is up to you.

Sarah is extremely witty and I'm always grateful when she pinch-hits for me. However, I'm not always sure what she's talking about. For instance, I'm still not that familiar with this Marco Minuté guy she seems to like so much. I assume he's a Latin YouTube sensation or something.

Jerome F. writes:

Hey Mr. Kruiser, A few months ago, my sister Jode asked my wife and me about some good sources for info. The first thing I sent her was the Morning Briefing, and continue to send her a link every morning to the latest posting. Here is what she said about today’s post - “Good morning! Love his writing style. Still illegal to punch dems for not being honest….” You do have a way with words!

Well, thank you very much, Jerome! My way with words has served me well over the years, but there have also been some run-ins with law enforcement. I'm glad your sister is enjoying the MB. She should subscribe! Actually, everyone should; it's free but it still supports us.

This is from Friend of the Briefing Brice:

Awesome music selection today. I've been watching NeNe videos on YouTube for the past several years. Phuket has an amazing live music scene and they have a ton of young talented musicians. My other Phuket favorite is Petch. These young ladies weren't even born yet last time I was in Thailand. I can only hope they tour the US. I'd pay to see either.

Given all the time I spend on YouTube I'm surprised I never found out about her until now. As has been established, I've never been to Bangkok, nor have I been to Phuket. My travel bucket list is growing these days. If the beer is decent in Thailand, I'll consider it.

Timothy L. will wrap things up for us today:

Kruiser, My November Dream I am at the point of gleefully, hopefully and wistfully wishing for or even daring to anticipate the complete shattering of the current makeup of the Democratic Party if they lose in November. The tension created within the party by the eruption of the DSA into minor popularity would be the cause. The internal blame game and finger pointing would become public and many other prominent and more moderate figures would break away from the party. Perhaps the result would be a split into two or more parts that would not be able to consistently work together. Question: am I foolish, maybe close to the mark or prescient? (Dreamer - nothing but a dreamer)

The thought of the Democrats splintering does warm my heart, but I doubt it will happen. The hive mind mentality is too strong over there. They'll eventually pop enough CBD gummies to have a Kumbaya moment. They're completely ignoring any lessons that they should have learned from their postmortem of the 2024 election, so I don't think that even a disastrous showing in the midterms because of the DSA will shake things up much. Crossing my fingers that we get to find out though.

You're all super cool and we should probably get nachos some day soon.

Everything Isn't Awful

A representation of the beginning of my week.

Every parent needs a moment alone, and this hamster is no exception pic.twitter.com/Y9nitcqFkV
— Nature Unedited (@NatureUnedited) August 20, 2026

The Kruiser Kabana

Kabana Gallery

Venice #artbots #polenov pic.twitter.com/mBN7cwQ3bo
— Vasily Polenov (@artistpolenov) August 25, 2026

Kabana Comedy/Tunes

Dolly and Johnny, 'nuff said.

POTUS Press Today

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
08/25/26

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2026

In-Town Pool
TV Corr & Crew: CBS
Secondary TV Corr: Newsmax
Photos: AP, AFP, NYT, Reuters, Getty
Print: The Atlantic
Secondary Print: Politico
Radio: ABC
New Media: Envoy Media

EDT:
9:00 AM In-Town Pool Call Time

8:00 AM THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time
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9:00 AM THE PRESIDENT participates in a Live Radio Interview with Glenn Beck, The Glenn Beck Program
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11:00 AM THE PRESIDENT receives his Intelligence Briefing
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2:00 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in Signing Time
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3:00 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting
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4:00 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a Print Interview
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