Today's Headlines: At Home and Abroad, Deference to Trump Turns Increasingly to Defiance
Dolly Parton, Superstar Whose Songs Spoke to Millions, Dies at 80
View in browser
The New York Times
Today's Headlines
August 26, 2026, 4:30 a.m. Eastern time

Top News

At Home and Abroad, Deference to Trump Turns Increasingly to Defiance

While the president remains the most dominant figure in the world, other leaders and institutions are pushing back more vigorously than at the beginning of his second term.

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.

Graham, and Trump, Triumph: Six Takeaways From Runoffs in South Carolina and Oklahoma

President Trump went all in for Senator Darline Graham in a primary runoff on Tuesday. It worked, preserving his undefeated streak in Republican Senate primaries this year.

World

Confronting South Korea’s Violent Past and Its Echoes Today

The National Museum of Korean Democracy, which opened last year, documents an era of brutal suppression. But that dark history has resurfaced in troubling ways.

U.S. ‘Economic D-Day’ Targets More Than Just Iranian Oil

The United States threatened sanctions for any country or entity that engages with Iran’s gold, digital assets, aviation, shipping and tech industries. Here’s why that matters.

India’s Summer of Youth Protests Is Boiling Over

The police fired water cannons at protesters in the state of Bihar, while the leaders of the ‘Cockroach’ student movement vowed to return to Delhi’s streets.

See more world news

U.S.

Study’s Alarming Finding: At Least 1 in 4 N.F.L. Players Gets Brain Disease

The actual prevalence, researchers said, may be much higher.

One Woman Conceived a Baby. One Carried Him. Who’s the Mother?

A surrogate refused to have an abortion after the fetus was diagnosed with a serious heart problem. She fled to Texas and had the child. Now she wants a judge to give custody to her instead of the biological parents.

‘She Was One of Us’: To Tennesseans, Dolly Parton’s Death Hits Home

The country music star kept her home state at the forefront of her music and work. “She inspired Tennesseans to be better,” one resident said.

See more U.S. news

Politics

Hegseth’s Purge of Top Generals Leaves the Army Rudderless

The leadership vacuum comes as the Army is trying to adapt to a new kind of war dominated by deadly drones.

Trump Administration Sends Saudi Nuclear Deal to Congress for Review

The prospect that the kingdom could enrich uranium has drawn opposition from Democrats and revived concerns about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

Trump’s Pick Wins a Closely Contested Oklahoma Primary for Governor

Mike Mazzei, a former state senator who lent more than $11 million of his own money to his campaign, narrowly defeated the state’s attorney general, Gentner Drummond.

See more political news

Business

Canada Retaliates With Up to 50% Tariffs on Hundreds of U.S. Products

Canada said the higher levies, on items from aluminum foil to dishwashers to fish, would help protect workers, producers and manufacturers harmed by new Trump tariffs.

China Pushes Back After Trump Tightens the Screws on Iran

The Trump administration risks a clash with Beijing as it tries to cut off Iran’s economic lifelines without upending a fragile U.S.-China truce.

Forbes and Shook Research Suspend Rankings Amid Investigation of $6 Million Payment

The magazine, which is reviewing a payment from the founder of Shook Research to its former top editor, also canceled a summit in Las Vegas scheduled for October.

See more business news

Technology

A.I. Is Becoming So Powerful, It’s Stumping Those Trying to Contain It

Irregular, an Israeli start-up, worked with OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta to assess the security of their A.I. models. It made a mistake. Then the tests went off the rails.

Instagram Chief Says ‘No Silver Bullets’ for Teen Safety in Bellwether Trial

Adam Mosseri testified in a case brought by states that claim the Meta-owned app created addictive features to hook young users.

SpaceX to Spend $100 Billion on New Spaceport in Louisiana

It would be the rocket company’s second private launch site after Starbase, its headquarters in South Texas.

See more technology news

New York

N.Y.C. Officials Defend Second-Home Tax Rollout and Move to Ease Worries

Mamdani administration officials said they had used new data to shrink the pool of properties potentially subject to the tax and extended the deadline for homeowners to prove city residency.

Lawmakers Push Hochul to Block ICE From Taking Over Upstate Warehouse

As a state law preventing the police from working with federal immigration officials goes into effect, a potential plan to use a warehouse as a detention center has drawn outrage.

Court Documents Suggest Rebel Wilson Ordered Websites Attacking Producer

New documents filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles appear to show that Ms. Wilson, the actress, was heavily involved in disparaging Amanda Ghost, a producer on her movie, “The Deb.”

See more New York news

Arts

Dolly Parton Had the Voice, and Concerns, of an Earth Angel

Parton gave hopeful expression to songs she wrote about the hard times and hard-won triumphs of her life.

‘Paranormal Activity’ Review: The Thing That Goes Bump in the Night

It’s now haunting Broadway in this adaptation of