Yesterday felt like a national celebration of Dolly Parton’s life as the world mourned her death at the age of 80.
The country music superstar/philanthropist/actress/fashion icon died following a “brief battle” with cancer, Parton’s representative Marcel Pariseau told The Hill.
Former Presidents Clinton, Obama, Bush and Biden alongside President Trump all paid tribute to the late country singer, while Trump also ordered flags across the country to fly at half-staff for a week.
“There has never been anyone like her, and never will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
We will always love you: Parton’s notable hit songs included “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Here You Come Again” and “I Will Always Love You,” which turned into a mega hit with Whitney Houston’s version.
Parton used her writing royalties from Houston’s version to pay for band equipment at majority Black schools across America. She also founded "Dolly Parton's Imagination Library,” a non-profit that provided free books to thousands of children around the world.
She helped mentor many up-and-coming country singers including Miley Cyrus and Carrie Underwood.
🎶 Read all of the presidential tributes to Dolly Parton here.
US visa applications on hold worldwide:
Immigrant visa appointments have been placed on hold by the Trump administration, just a week after a federal judge vacated Trump’s policy that would have suspended visa processing from 75 countries.
Why? A State Department spokesperson told The Hill on Wednesday that the pause comes after the decision to carry out an “in-depth training” for consular officers to screen applicants, according to The Hill’s Laura Kelly.
“A more prosperous American means ensuring that visa applicants are not likely to become a public charge, as defined under U.S. law and regulation, and not likely to become dependent on U.S. public benefits reserved for qualified Americans in need,” the State Department said Wednesday.
Legal pushback: U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas rejected the Trump administration’s policy on Friday that suspended visa processing from 75 countries including Iran, Russia and Afghanistan.
Vargas, who was appointed by former President Biden, argued that a person’s nationality does not mean they may not be able to support themselves in the U.S.
Vargas argued that Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his authority with the policy.
🔎 Read Kelly’s full report here.
Did Howard Lutnick blow up the Canada talks?
Recent reporting from the New York Times and Bloomberg found that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was a major factor in the collapse of discussions between the nations. According to the reports, Lutnick was particularly critical of reducing auto and aluminum tariffs on Canada.
The Hill's Mallory Willson wrote that Lutnick "said instead that only a certain volume of aluminum should get lower tariff rates, and that heavy trucks should not have tariffs lowered like cars."
The Blame Game: While Canadians are putting at least some of the blame on Lutnick, the U.S.’s metal industry was privately pleased with his intervention.
On Tuesday, Canada announced the implementation of tariffs on around 700 U.S. products. The new levies, retaliation for fresh U.S. tariffs, are scheduled to kick in Sept. 8
💡Read more on the Canada and U.S. trade war from The Hill’s Niall Stanage.
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