Author: Karen Givens

Dolly Parton stands as a singular figure in American music and culture, an artist whose work crosses genres and generations while shaping how people think about songwriting, business, and public generosity. Dolly Parton’s career mixes huge hit records with savvy business moves and visible philanthropy, and that blend is part of why she’s so widely recognized. Her songs have entered the public imagination and her persona has made country music feel approachable to millions beyond its usual audience. She keeps pushing into new areas without losing the core craftsmanship that made her a household name. Her songwriting is a backbone…

The case turns on whether James Comey understood a mob phrase when he posted “86 47” on Instagram, and recent interviews and internal records give both sides pieces they say prove their theories. Federal investigators interviewed Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano to ask whether former FBI Director James Comey knew the violent meaning of “86” when he posted it next to “47” on Instagram. Gravano told an FBI agent on May 8, 2026, that Comey “had to know” the term’s meaning “as it related to killing someone,” and a later recorded interview ran about 25 minutes. Gravano described “86” as…

The piece examines a political ploy that looks designed to confuse voters and tilt an Alaska Senate race, tracing how a decoy strategy works and why it matters for Sen. Dan Sullivan and the broader balance of power. The Democrats’ ‘Decoy Dan’ plot to oust Sen. Dan Sullivan would be hilarious if it weren’t actually happening. That anecdote points to a larger pattern: political operatives trying to manufacture outcomes by inserting third options into tight contests. When campaigns start prioritizing trickery over arguments, voters get cheated out of clear choices and the electoral process gets gamed. At the core of…

A new Emerson College national poll shows Marco Rubio performing better than Vice President JD Vance in hypothetical 2028 matchups against several leading Democrats, with Rubio consistently narrowing or overturning deficits where Vance falls short. The Emerson College survey, published in August 2026, tested head-to-head contests pairing the two most prominent Republicans with a slate of Democratic contenders including Pete Buttigieg, Jon Ossoff, Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Across those matchups Rubio either equals or outpaces Vance, and the pattern repeats in most pairings the poll released. These early numbers have a way of shaping donor conversations and…

This article reports how Florida Senate nominee Angie Nixon openly questioned Chuck Schumer’s leadership on national television, accused House leader Hakeem Jeffries of bowing to corporate donors, and highlighted a growing rift between progressive primary winners and the Democratic establishment ahead of competitive Senate races. Angie Nixon, who won a competitive Democratic primary in Florida, told CNN she would “possibly be looking elsewhere” for Senate leadership if elected, a remarkable public hesitation about the top Senate Democrat. That comment came during an interview where Nixon directly named both Senate and House leaders and questioned their alignment with progressive voters. For…

A Texas judge has denied Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial, leaving his murder conviction and 35-year prison sentence intact for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf. The judge’s decision keeps in place a 35-year sentence for Karmelo Anthony after a conviction in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf. The ruling came Saturday, closing one chapter of post-conviction filings while leaving the criminal judgment undisturbed. That outcome reinforces the court’s earlier findings and preserves the punishment ordered at sentencing. Anthony had asked the court for a new trial, a move that seeks to overturn or revisit the conviction through…

Gray-zone warfare has become an everyday reality, mixing covert operations, economic pressure, and influence campaigns that stop short of full-scale conflict but still harm national security and civic life. “Forces outside the US continue to attempt to influence Americans’ daily life.” That line captures how modern adversaries use ambiguity as a weapon, operating below the threshold of declared war to shape opinions, exploit weak spots, and apply pressure where institutions are vulnerable. These tactics are designed to be deniable, persistent, and difficult to trace back to state sponsors. The result is a steady erosion of public confidence and policy space…

The United States slapped 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods early Saturday, and Ottawa immediately signaled it would respond after last-ditch talks failed to bridge the gap. The move marks a sharp escalation in a bilateral dispute that has been simmering for months, and both sides are bracing for immediate economic and political fallout. Washington says the measure is meant to defend American workers and industries, while Canada calls any retaliation inevitable. The tariffs, set at a 50% rate and targeting $20 billion in trade, went into force quickly and without a phased implementation. Officials in Washington…

Rep. Hageman says President Trump has the authority and administrative options to stop birth tourism, and conservatives are calling for quick, practical steps to close the loopholes and enforce the law. According to Rep. Hageman, President Donald Trump has the tools he needs to close the nation’s birth tourism loopholes. That statement frames the argument here: existing executive authority and immigration enforcement channels can be used without waiting for long, uncertain legislation. The focus is on using what already exists to protect borders and the integrity of citizenship rules. From a Republican perspective, the idea is simple: if the law…

A federal judge in Texas struck down the Biden administration’s ATF “ghost gun” rule as violating the Second Amendment and the Due Process Clause, setting up a likely appeals battle and raising fresh questions about how far agencies can stretch statutory authority into constitutional rights. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, sitting in the Northern District of Texas, ruled for two gun rights groups that challenged the 2022 ATF regulation that redefined “frame or receiver” under the Gun Control Act of 1968. The rule aimed to require serial numbers on commercial parts kits and background checks for buyers, but O’Connor found…