Latest Headlines for Wednesday, August 26th.

These are today’s top stories.

Dolly Parton, the country music icon behind hits including “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” died Tuesday in Nashville at age 80. Her family said she passed peacefully after a brief battle with cancer, with her nephew announcing the news on social media. Tributes poured in from across the entertainment and political worlds, and flags were lowered in her home region of Sevier County, Tennessee. Source

A U.S. military transport plane carrying CIA Director John Ratcliffe landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, according to flight-tracking data. The unannounced landing comes amid ongoing diplomatic activity between Washington and Moscow. Ratcliffe reportedly pressed Russia on cutting off economic support for Iran. Source

A man shot and killed eight relatives, including four children, during a Sunday family gathering at a home outside Billings, Montana. The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Alan Smith, had reportedly been asked to move out by his parents weeks earlier and returned to open fire before the house caught fire. Investigators continued working the scene into Wednesday as authorities worked to notify the victims’ extended families. Source

Sen. Darline Graham won the special Republican Senate primary runoff in South Carolina, defeating Rep. Ralph Norman to hold the seat once occupied by her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham. President Trump had endorsed Graham, and her win marks a notable success for his endorsement record after several setbacks this cycle. She will face Democratic nominee Dr. Annie Andrews in November. Source

Former state Sen. Mike Mazzei, backed by President Trump, defeated Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond in the Republican primary runoff for governor. The race turned bitter in its final days, with both candidates releasing drug test results after trading accusations. Mazzei will face Democratic state House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson in November for the seat being vacated by term-limited Gov. Kevin Stitt. Source

Democratic socialist N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas won the Democratic nomination for Oklahoma’s U.S. Senate seat, defeating centrist candidate Jim Priest. Thomas will face Republican Rep. Kevin Hern in the general election in the heavily Republican state. Her win adds to a string of progressive primary victories for Democratic socialists this election cycle. Source

A man accused of wearing a menacing mask and harassing a jogger in Philadelphia last week was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Las Vegas. Authorities said the man, identified as Zymire Hughes, chased the jogger while wearing the disguise and asked her whether she wanted to die. Philadelphia’s district attorney said additional charges are possible once the suspect returns to the city. Find out More

Layoff trackers report that roughly 3,200 WARN notices affecting more than 284,000 workers have been filed so far in 2026, running at levels comparable to recent years. Manufacturing, retail and transportation have logged the most filings, while federal data show elevated layoff rates in arts, entertainment and business services. Analysts said the labor market remains resilient overall even as some employers hire more cautiously. Source

The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana issued a security alert warning of a potential armed attack on police and government facilities in Mexicali, Mexico, just across the border from California. The warning followed intelligence reports that a criminal group was planning retaliation after Mexican authorities seized roughly 265 pounds of fentanyl days earlier. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the alert was based on U.S. intelligence. Read More

Stock futures were little changed Wednesday morning as traders awaited a key inflation report and Nvidia’s quarterly earnings, due after the closing bell. Nvidia’s results are seen as a bellwether for the broader market given the chipmaker’s outsized weight in the S&P 500. Investors are also watching for signals from Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh’s upcoming speech at the Fed’s Jackson Hole symposium. See Details

Nvidia heads into Wednesday’s earnings report with outsized expectations after a streak of beats, yet investors have still managed to punish the stock the next trading day. Analysts note the AI chipmaker’s guidance is judged against an assumption that results will again come in ahead of forecasts, raising the bar further. The report is widely viewed as a referendum on the broader AI trade heading into the fall. Source

	Symbol	Last Close	% Change
Dow Jones	DJIA	$54,036.93	0.28%
S&P 500	SPX	$7,757.64	0.62%
Nasdaq	IXIC	$26,690.62	1.30%
Alphabet Inc. Class C Common Stock	GOOG	$343.34	-0.36%
Tesla, Inc.	TSLA	$350.25	0.37%
Apple Inc.	AAPL	$309.90	-0.14%
Microsoft Corporation Common Stock	MSFT	$491.71	0.90%

Iran and Oman said they are discussing a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz through a temporary shipping route, along with a plan to clear mines from the waterway. Tehran insisted the U.S. must first lift its naval blockade before ships are allowed to transit again. The announcement came as fresh American sanctions on Iran and its allies sparked long lines at gas stations in Tehran. Source

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expects Russia to mobilize roughly 300,000 additional troops later this year as Moscow tries to complete its capture of the Donetsk region. Zelensky said Russia has lost more than 267,000 personnel since the start of the year, though he expects the war’s territorial lines to look similar by year’s end. He also warned Russian forces could attempt incursions into Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Sumy regions. Source

Iran’s foreign minister dismissed the threat of new U.S. sanctions as a sign of American desperation, even as Pakistan moved to send its army chief to Tehran in a mediation effort. Iran has kept shipping through the Strait of Hormuz at a virtual standstill, refusing to allow unauthorized oil tankers through the vital waterway. The diplomatic push comes as the broader conflict approaches the six-month mark. Find out More

Actress Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, kept drawing her back into their on-and-off relationship through sheer personal charm, according to his half-sister. Panettiere died of a suspected overdose on August 16 in Greenville, South Carolina, following years of a turbulent relationship with Hickerson that began in 2018. Family members described him as magnetic and able to make her laugh despite the relationship’s difficulties. Source

Shonda Rhimes has signed a new five-year overall deal with Netflix, extending a partnership between the prolific producer and the streamer that dates back to 2017. Rhimes leads the deal alongside her Shondaland co-president Betsy Beers, continuing a relationship that has produced hits including “Bridgerton” and “Inventing Anna.” Terms of the new agreement were not disclosed. See Details

Blake Lively testified that she obtained the text messages central to her settled lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, saying a friend connected to Taylor Swift’s circle tipped her off to their existence. The messages were later used to support Lively’s claim that a crisis PR firm was hired to discredit her after she raised concerns about her “It Ends With Us” co-star. Baldoni has denied the allegations, and the case was settled before trial. Read More

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Aaron Judge is scheduled to hit in the batting cage as he works back from a rib injury, while pitcher Max Fried could rejoin the rotation as soon as Saturday’s doubleheader against the Red Sox. Fried threw a four-inning live batting practice session Monday as part of his recovery from an elbow issue. New York is managing several injuries as it pushes toward the postseason. Source

The Houston Texans’ exploratory trade calls following receiver Jayden Higgins’ season-ending injury have fueled rumors linking them to the New England Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte and the Baltimore Ravens’ Rashod Bateman. Houston has already signed free agents Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones to address the sudden depth need at the position. Front offices around the league are watching how the Texans fill out their receiver room before final roster cuts. Source

Paul Skenes turned in one of his best outings of the year, and Oneil Cruz hit the first home run allowed by Mason Miller in over a year, sending the Pirates past the Padres 1-0 on Tuesday night. The win snapped a tense pitching duel that stayed scoreless into the late innings. Pittsburgh has continued to lean on strong starting pitching down the stretch of the season. Read More

Police in North Richland Hills, Texas, rescued a kinkajou found sheltering from the summer heat behind a trash can outside a pizza restaurant. The animal, sometimes mistaken for a monkey, is actually more closely related to a raccoon and suffered minor paw burns from the hot pavement. It has since been transferred to a wildlife rescue center to recover. Read More