How Dolly Parton’s music united America

Country-music legend Dolly Parton has died at 80. The New Yorker’s Lauren Michele Jackson explains how Parton’s warmth and many songs made her beloved across America.

A new study found that at least 25% of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had signs of CTE, the degenerative brain disease linked to head trauma. NPR’s Becky Sullivan says the real number could be higher.

The Pentagon fired the top editor and the publisher of Stars and Stripes, as well as a reporter, raising questions about the paper’s independence. The Washington Post’s Scott Nover discusses what’s behind the firings.

Plus, Darline Graham won a Senate primary in South Carolina, Pennsylvania reported its first measles-related deaths in decades, and Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz rallied back to win their first mixed-doubles appearance at the U.S. Open.

Today’s episode was hosted by Gideon Resnick.