US Edition - Today's top story: Dolly Parton took control of her career by making men the butt of the joke August 29, 2026 US Edition   Welcome to the Saturday edition of The Conversation U.S.’s Daily newsletter. University at Buffalo’s Stephanie Vander Wel has studied and written about the hostility that women who are country music artists have faced. She explains how pioneers like Lulu Belle and June Carter regularly used humor to disarm naysayers and upend expectations about how women should behave. “But few have ever wielded humor as deftly as Dolly Parton,” she writes. Vander Wel describes how on stage and in her lyrics Parton routinely made men the butt of her jokes. And then there was that moment on “The Porter Wagoner Show” in 1973. Parton was set to perform her song “Run That By Me One More Time” with Wagoner, who had hired her back in 1967. But Parton was feeling frustrated by playing second fiddle to Wagoner. So she went off script – and some might say even embarrassed a flustered Wagoner – as they performed a duet as a bickering couple. “For anyone watching, it’s clear who’s in control and whose song it is,” Vander Wel writes. To her, it’s the moment when Parton took the reins of her career and became a superstar. This week we also liked articles about why so many politicians accuse their their opponents of being corrupt, how you should take a full course of antibiotics, and why many people see Dolly Parton as a spiritual icon. Did somebody forward this email to you? Subscribe to our daily and weekly newsletters.   Nick Lehr Senior Arts + Culture Editor   Dolly Parton was fond of saying, ‘It takes a lot of money to look this cheap.’ Paul Natkin/Getty Images Dolly Parton took control of her career by making men the butt of the joke Stephanie Vander Wel, University at Buffalo Whether ad-libbing her way through a duet or joking about her glamorous image, Parton turned sexist assumptions into a source of power. The legendary artist often spoke about her own evolving faith. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong Dolly Parton was more than a musical idol – for some fans, she was a spiritual icon Sarah Dees, Iowa State University The legendary singer took on a saint-like aura for some fans. To many Americans, the Fed is a big black box, and its decisions remain largely inscrutable. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik Making the Fed more accountable to Congress and the public may be just what it needs to fend off Trump’s threats to its independence Simon Bowmaker, New York University; Paul Wachtel, New York University The Federal Reserve is much more powerful than it was 20 years ago, which has prompted calls for a reset in how it answers to Congress and the public.   Why the US-Canada trade war could change how American farmers grow their crops for years Jayash Paudel, University of Oklahoma Canada is a major US supplier of fertilizer ingredients that could get pulled into Trump’s trade war. Farms can go without fertilizer for a while, but not long. Why Democrats are amplifying corruption talk: A historical strategy for parties out of power Robert Boatright, Clark University; Institute for Humane Studies In correspondence with their constituents, Democrats are talking about corruption six times as much as they did in 2022. 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Tiny house villages are increasingly responding to the homeless crisis in America’s fast-growing cities Yetimoni Kpeebi, University of North Carolina – Charlotte; Brandon Marc Finn, University of Michigan As economic and demographic growth increasingly coexists with poverty and homelessness, resident-led alternatives to housing are supporting communities left behind. Legal wrangling over $12.5B Lakers sale shows how family trusts don’t guarantee a business stays in the family Reid Kress Weisbord, Rutgers University - Newark; Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia Investors want to buy the basketball team for a record sum. I’m part of the team writing the next bible of psychiatry – for the first time, the DSM will use biology to understand mental disorders Anand Kumar, University of Illinois Chicago Despite advances in neuroscience, the underlying biology of mental illness has remained elusive. The DSM-6 will attempt to integrate neurobiology into how clinicians diagnose and treat psychiatric conditions.   Extreme heat is taking a toll on firefighters as wildfires stretch crews to the limit How do ice cubes cool a drink?