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. Dolly Parton 1946-2026; Measles Outbreak; America's Choice. 4:30-5a ET

Aired August 26, 2026 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:31:48]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. More now on our top story.

Music fans are mourning the loss of Dolly Parton, the queen of country and a humanitarian hero. She died on Tuesday at 80 years old. Her family says that she passed away peacefully at her home in Nashville.

Parton's publicist said she died after bravely facing a brief battle with cancer. Parton rose from humble beginnings to the greatest heights of American music and eventually became one of the most beloved stars in the world of country music. And her music captured the American working class experience.

She wrote more than 3,000 songs, released 49 albums, won 11 Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award and earned two Academy Award nominations. Later in life, she funneled her massive success into philanthropy, starting a library program that has gifted more than 300 million books to children around the world.

She also made a number of donations to emergency disaster relief efforts. She helped to fund research on campus cancer and life saving vaccines. And fans are remembering her in her mural in Nashville. Leaving flowers, notes and you see a sign there.

She was a crossover icon who spoke her mind with humor and charm, and without seeming to offend anyone. Country music fans, pop music fans, Republicans, Democrats, presidents, faith leaders, feminists and the LGBTQ community, they all genuinely mourn her passing on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from Tennessee originally and I and I lived in New York for the better part of my 20s. And when I lived in New York, Dolly was my connection to home. When I would be homesick, I would just sing at the top of my lungs, you know, "My Tennessee Mountain Home." And so, she's just been home for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Joining me is Holly Gleason, country music journalist and author of "Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music Changed Our Lives." Holly, welcome to the program.

HOLLY GLEASON, COUNTRY MUSIC JOURNALIST: Thank you for having me. Pleasure

SANDOVAL: Holly, how are you remembering Dolly Parton today?

GLEASON: I was just seeing a whole series of moments of Dolly throughout my career and my life. And I write these very long essays. So I'm mid essay right now just kind of culling all the wisdom, the drive by wisdom that is just being around a woman like Dolly Parton.

SANDOVAL: Can you speak about the empathy and humanity that embodied Dolly Parton? I mean, she will be forever known for philanthropic projects. I wonder if you could just tell our viewers around the world just a little bit about Dolly's good deeds.

GLEASON: Yes. To try to understand Dolly, I mean, she was one of 12 very poor county in East Tennessee. And it was a family that just never really had enough so she couldn't do enough. Whether it was the Imagination Library, over 300 million books for any child once a month, zero to age five a book would arrive just to get children fired up and delighted by the prospect of reading.

[04:35:09]

And that was inspired because her dad couldn't read or write. And it was something that, you know, I think he always wished he could do. It's her donating over a million dollars at the beginning of COVID to help Moderna vaccine like get developed.

But even more, you know, she knows how to make donations and not get caught. The fact that she let that slip out was to help people who maybe wanted to take the vaccine and were afraid. Like, OK, look, Dolly helped do this. It's got to be safe, right?

I have a friend who works at Vanderbilt who told me, you know, Dolly helped finance getting this vaccine fast-tracked and moving. And I'm like, oh, my goodness. Because that's, you know, you put your money where your mouth is. This is America.

And she's -- I -- there was a publicist who got early onset dementia and had left the business, had left town. The family was really struggling to pay for her care, so she didn't have to go into a state facility because a woman with Alzheimer's is a sitting duck. And I called out to Dolly's business people.

And lo and behold, an anonymous donation for $15,000 showed up. And that kept the young woman, she was 50, in care right up until she died. So, you know, that says everything.

SANDOVAL: Yes, it certainly does. I wonder if you could perhaps recall a moment in covering your many years covering Dolly that stands out.

GLEASON: Oh, my gosh, there's so many. It seems like every moment, there was a moment. When she went into the Rock Hall, you know, she turned it down or she tried to turn it down, and they're like, you can't. And the thing she was the most concerned about was this idea that there was some rock star who wasn't going to get in because she took their place.

The Country Music Hall of Fame does one contemporary and one heritage act every year. So if you get in, somebody definitely doesn't. And when they explained it to her that, no, no, no. We have the class we have, and if you didn't get in, it doesn't necessarily mean somebody else, you know, was going to have that slot.

She was just so concerned that she had, you know, seemed ungrateful or not willing. She said, you know, people do rock and roll their whole lives. And, you know, I'm a country singer, I like to rock. You know, she'd cut a bunch of rock songs, "Stairway to Heaven," Time For Me to Fly," REO Speedwagon. Because Carl, her husband, loved rock music.

But, you know, she just didn't want to go where it wasn't appropriate. And, you know, she made that album "Rock Star" to say, OK, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you put me in, and I am going to earn my stripes.

SANDOVAL: What was it about Dolly Parton that allowed her to be this sort of crossover icon? She was celebrated by feminists. Her style certainly adopted by the LGBT community. She even laughed at her plastic surgery.

And she talked about her deep faith. And everything she did, she didn't offend. So how did she pull it off in a country that has such deep divisions today?

GLEASON: I think it's two things. I think everything she does, she just doesn't just do with love. She does with deep love. And I think that she has this joy about show me who you are, tell me who you are. Let's celebrate who you are.

She doesn't want you to be her. She really wants you to just be the best most you you can be.

SANDOVAL: I remember 10 years ago covering those wildfires in Tennessee and the residents in a shelter, they told me that they were skeptical about the amount of help they would get from local and federal government, that they knew that Dolly would pull through. And sure enough, offering months of support to so many families.

We do have to leave it there. Holly Gleason, thank you so much for sharing a little bit of her story with us.

GLEASON: My pleasure.

SANDOVAL: An endorsement from President Trump paying off for us. Senator Darline Graham of South Carolina. CNN now projecting that she will advance to the General Election in November. Fairly expected.

Graham will defeat Congressman Ralph Norman in the Republican runoff, despite only holding the seat for about six weeks so far. She was appointed after the death of her brother, longtime Senator Lindsey Graham. Darline Graham will face Democratic nominee Dr. Annie Andrews in November. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC): I want to thank President Trump for all of his support and his endorsement. Mr. President, Lindsey truly loved you and viewed you as one of his closest friends.

[04:40:10]

I appreciate that bond and appreciate all that you've done for our country. Our victory would not have been possible without you, and we are truly grateful. South Carolina is truly Trump country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And Graham's win comes after a debate fumble last week. You may recall a moderator asked her about Taiwan and the South China Sea. Well, she admitted national security was not her thing, and she later said that her constituents were more concerned with domestic issues like affordability.

I did speak earlier with Nathan Gonzales, he's the editor and publisher of Inside Elections, and I asked him for his thoughts on Senator Darline Graham's victory Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATHAN GONZALES, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, INSIDE ELECTIONS: It's good for Graham, obviously, and I think it's good for President Trump since his -- the narrative has been building over the last few weeks about how some of President Trump's endorsed candidates have struggled in primaries, but it also fits into that narrative as well.

She won a narrow victory and needed some help at the end. Now, we have to remember that I don't think she would have won without Trump's endorsement, but the President kind of created this situation, meaning he was in favor of her getting this appointment and even more in favor of her moving beyond just being a placeholder and running for that full term.

And I think that's where some Republicans in South Carolina, they understood why it made sense for her to, you know, come on the heels of her brother, but didn't understand why she was owed or deserved a full term. And it's probably good for Senator Graham that she faced someone other than a 73-year-old Congressman being Ralph Norman.

If it had been somebody who wasn't a member of Congress or politician or maybe someone a little bit younger, she may not have won this race.

SANDOVAL: And then I'm sure, you know, Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee in the race, now challenging the senator to a debate. Given her stumble, do you think that might be a good idea for her to actually accept that challenge?

GONZALES, You know, I think Andrews is right to debate because right now we are seeing what happens when I'll say a normal person is thrust into the United States Senate and thrust onto the campaign trail in a very big spotlight. I guess if I'm Senator Graham, I wouldn't debate.

But I don't know if she could get away with it for the next two and a half months because there will be a lot of pressure, a lot of questions constantly, why aren't you doing it? Why aren't you doing it? and it's going to be hard for her to avoid it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And there's much more ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, including two measles deaths in Pennsylvania, the first in decades. And Governor Josh Shapiro slams US Health Secretary RFK Jr. for what he claims is his part in the outbreak. Stay with us.

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[04:46:10]

SANDOVAL: Dead in Pennsylvania as a result of the measles outbreak there. It has spread to nearly 400 cases throughout the state. And on Tuesday, Governor Josh Shapiro said that he turned down an offer of help from RFK Jr. blasting the health secretary over what he called vaccine misinformation. Your CNN's Meg Tirrell with more.

MIKE TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, these two deaths are the first reported associated with measles in the United States this year, even though we're at a record number of measles cases for the year to date. And they are the first in Pennsylvania in 35 years.

Now, state health officials not giving a lot of details about the people who died, except that they were not vaccinated and that they lived in Lancaster County. Now that's really been the epicenter of this growing outbreak in Pennsylvania, which now is approaching 400 cases, roughly half of which are in Lancaster County, 70 hospitalizations., and now these two deaths.

Now, historically, what you would see in terms of hospitalization rates for measles is about 20 percent. Those are typically from things like pneumonia and brain swelling. The death rate for measles historically has been about 1 to 3 per 1,000 cases.

And so what we're hearing from experts is that, it's likely that the case count is undercounted in Pennsylvania right now, that there are many cases potentially that have not been reported. Now, we heard from Governor Josh Shapiro in a press conference who said that he had spoken with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the phone and declined the secretary's offer of staff to assist in the state response. Here's what else he said I was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR: I was very, very blunt with him, and I made very clear that his actions and the rhetoric that's coming from this administration are having a negative impact on communities across America, particularly right here in Pennsylvania, that there's real life consequences to spreading misinformation. There's real life consequences to scaring people, and not relying on actual doctors and actual medical professionals to provide unbiased information to parents so that we can make reasonable decisions for our kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TIRRELL: Now, HHS didn't respond to a request for comment about that. Shapiro has been warning about potentially low vaccination rates, especially as kids go back to school, saying that in Lancaster County, the kindergarten MMR vaccination rate is about 87 percent, which is below that 95 percent threshold that you really want to have herd immunity.

However, he did note that they are administering more vaccine doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine in Pennsylvania over the last month. He said typically they'd administer about 25,000 in a month. In the past month, they've administered 35,000.

Now, separately, we've also heard from Maryland health officials this week about a growing outbreak in that state of measles, saying that it's in three different counties, 14 new cases that they're warning about there, a total of 27 cases since July 15. However, they are saying that there's no evidence of widespread community transmission in this outbreak, saying that most of the cases are among household contacts.

We should say, though, that experts widely are very concerned as we head into back to school season that in these pockets of low vaccination. We could see many worse outbreaks even than we've seen already.

SANDOVAL: All right. And a note to make story there from HHS, they released a statement and the CDC saying that, quote, working -- that's currently "working closely" with state and local health departments to strengthen response efforts, rapidly supports affected communities across the state, and communicate the steps people can take to slow the spread of measles. That again, a quote coming from the CDC.

[04:50:08]

And there's still much more on the way here on CNN NEWSROOM, including researchers that are shedding new lights on a neurodegenerative disease linked to head trauma. Coming up, what the deaths of former NFL players are revealing about CTE.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: There's a new study that is offering major insights into the prevalence of CTE, this neurodegenerative disease in players of high contact sports. CNN's own former NFL player Coy Wire reports on what researchers found and also the measures that are being taken to try to protect athletes.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. This new study out on Tuesday, confirmed CTE in at least one in four former NFL players who died over a five year period. CTE is the neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated impacts to the head. It's a concerning headline for anyone who has played football, those who have children playing, especially for former NFL players like myself.

The study from researchers at Mass General Brigham, Boston University and the Concussion & CTE Foundation looked at 878 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021, 235 of them had their brains donated for research.

[04:55:12]

Of those brains, 215 had CTE. Average age at death 66 years old, meaning many played during a very different era of football. A significant limitation of the study was that, it was done in a population of people who were potentially biased because their brains had been donated by family members who may have noticed symptom while their family members were living.

An NFL spokesperson said, "the NFL continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts." And the game has changed more than 50 health and safety related rule changes over roughly the past two decades. Concussion protocols, independent neurotrauma consultants, fewer contact practices, and dramatically evolving helmet technology.

Most importantly potentially is the changing culture. When I played, there was still some of that gladiator mentality. Shake it off, get back in there. In 2024 NFL concussions fell 17 percent from the previous season, the lowest number the league had ever recorded. All of our reporting at CNN has shown that the game is safer than it has ever been.

But safer doesn't mean safe, right? That's why this research matters far beyond the NFL, because whatever the league learns about reducing those impacts has to keep flowing downstream to colleges, high schools and youth football, where millions of young athletes are learning how this game should be played. For now, CTE can only be diagnosed after death.

Symptoms can include memory loss, impulse control problems and anxiety, depression and anger issues. But having symptoms while you're alive does not mean you have CTE. That's another reason this science remains so complicated. Studies like this don't give us every answer, they give us another piece of the puzzle.

And for players past, present and future, we need to keep putting those pieces together. Back to you.

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Cory wire for bringing us that critical story. And our thanks to you for watching the last hour of news. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Our coverage continues with CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS in a moment.