Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Year: 2025

SCOOP: Dolly Parton symphony concert heads to DC’s Kennedy Center in event ‘no one will want to miss’

SCOOP: Dolly Parton symphony concert heads to DC’s Kennedy Center in event ‘no one will want to miss’

FIRST ON FOX: The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., will host symphony concerts featuring the music and life of American icon Dolly Parton this summer, Fox News Digital has learned.  “The threads of my life are woven together through my songs. That’s why the project, Threads: My Songs In Symphony, is so special to me,” Parton said in the Kennedy Center’s announcement of the show, which was first exclusively shared with Fox Digital on Sunday. “It’s about sharing my music and my musical journey with audiences in a new way.” The concert, called “Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony,” made its premiere last year in Nashville and has since toured the nation from Pittsburgh to Portland, Oregon. The Kennedy Center will host the program on June 26 and 27, with the National Symphony Orchestra performing hits such as “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You.” Parton will not sing during the concerts, but the events will feature “a unique performance that honors her enduring spirit and unparalleled impact on American popular music culture.” The National Symphony Orchestra will perform alongside guest vocalists and musicians to deliver a “fresh symphonic take on the timeless songs of Dolly Parton,” according to the Kennedy Center.  DOLLY PARTON SUPPORTERS PUSH PETITION TO RENAME NASHVILLE AIRPORT: ‘DEPARTIN’ FROM PARTON!’ “Bringing Dolly Parton’s music to life through the power of a full symphony orchestra has long been a dream of mine,” National Symphony Orchestra Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke said. “Dolly is one of the great storytellers of American music, and I am excited to bring her expansive catalog to the Kennedy Center. Through these unique symphonic charts, her music will be showcased like never before and will surely be an evening no one will want to miss!” The concert is billed as “multimedia,” and will include imagery of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer on screen that will lead “audiences in a visual-musical journey of her songs, her life, and her stories,” according to the Kennedy Center.  “Dolly Parton is an American icon whose music resonates with people from all walks of life and we are overjoyed to bring her symphony to the Kennedy Center!” Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations at The Kennedy Center, told Fox News Digital.  Tickets will become available to Kennedy Center members April 29 at 10 a.m., while the general public can begin purchasing tickets on May 1.  Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell told Fox News Digital back in February that he and his team will help usher in the “Golden Age of the Arts” with shows Americans actually want to see after years of the performing arts center running in the red.  DOLLY PARTON WARNS SABRINA CARPENTER SHE DOESN’T ‘MAKE FUN OF JESUS,’ USE SWEAR WORDS AHEAD OF COLLABORATION “This will be the Golden Age of the Arts,” Grenell said. “The Kennedy Center has zero cash on hand and zero dollars in reserves – while taking tens of millions of dollars in public funds. We must have programs that sell tickets. We can’t afford to pay for content that doesn’t at least pay for itself right now. I wish we didn’t have to consider the costs of production, but we do.”  KENNEDY CENTER SHAKE-UP WILL USHER IN ‘GOLDEN AGE OF THE ARTS’ UNDER TRUMP, RIC GRENELL PREVIEWS “The good news is that there are plenty of shows that are very popular, and therefore the ticket sales will pay for themselves,” Grenell added.  Grenell added during remarks at CPAC that the Kennedy Center will now focus on performances “the public want to see,” such as Christmas-focused productions in December. The Kennedy Center under the Biden administration had rolled out drag show performances, which drew the ire of President Donald Trump earlier this year.  “We have to do the big productions that the masses and the public want to see, we want to have really good programming,” Grenell said at CPAC. “So the first thing that we’re doing … you’ve got to be at the Kennedy Center in December, because we are doing a big, huge celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas. How crazy is it to think that we’re going to celebrate Christ at Christmas with a big traditional production to celebrate what we are all celebrating in the world during Christmastime, which is the birth of Christ.”

SCOOP: Republicans roll out $69B funding plan for new CBP agents, building border wall in Trump budget bill

SCOOP: Republicans roll out B funding plan for new CBP agents, building border wall in Trump budget bill

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are carving out $68.8 billion for President Donald Trump’s border wall and to hire more agents in the field amid talks on a massive bill to advance the commander-in-chief’s agenda. While Trump spent much of his first term focused on a physical barrier between the U.S. and Mexico, the legislation now under consideration seeks to modernize the task with $46.5 billion for an integrated “border barrier system,” according to details first viewed by Fox News Digital. It would incorporate physical fencing along with updated surveillance tools, roads, and lighting. The bill also aims to pay $5 billion for new facilities and personnel for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), something the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sought since Trump came back to the White House. ACLU APPEALS TO SUPREME COURT TO STOP VENEZUELAN DEPORTATIONS; BOASBERG HOLDS EMERGENCY HEARING FRIDAY NIGHT It would specifically dedicate $4.1 billion to fund new front-line personnel to patrol the border, while also incentivizing new and current CBP staff with retention bonuses, among other measures – for which $2 billion is dedicated. It would also put $813 million into modernizing CBP’s existing fleet of vehicles, with its current tech falling prey to mechanical issues and high maintenance costs. The bill also seeks $2.7 billion to fund an array of modern technology that agents could use to crack down on illegal immigration at the border, including ground sensors, drones, radar, and remote surveillance technology, among other items. For people caught crossing illegally, it would fund $673 million in upgrades to the U.S.’s current biometrics system aimed at tracking those illegal migrants. Just over $1 billion in funding for new and updated air and maritime platforms is also included. The legislation also puts millions toward threat-assessment and logistical planning for multiple upcoming international events in the U.S. – $1 billion for the 2028 Summer Olympics, and $625 million for the coming World Cup soccer championships. Other funding items include $1 million to commemorate American victims of illegal immigrant crime, and $500 million to specifically crack down on cartel drug smuggling at the border. Border security is a core pillar of congressional Republicans’ priorities in the budget reconciliation process. The Homeland Security Committee, which has jurisdiction over significant amounts of U.S.-Mexico border operations, was directed to use up to $90 billion in new spending to achieve those goals. Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and immigration czar Tom Homan, have emphasized the need for more funding to carry out the president’s agenda. DHS sent a memo to House and Senate Republicans earlier this month warning that failure to pass the legislation “will undo all the Trump Administration’s Massive Successes.” DEMOCRAT SENATOR VAN HOLLEN MEETS, SHAKES HANDS WITH ABREGO GARCIA Budget reconciliation lowers the Senate’s passage threshold from 60 votes to 51 for certain items relating to federal spending, taxes, and the national debt. It therefore allows a party controlling the House, Senate and White House to pass sweeping reforms while entirely sidelining the opposing party, in this case Democrats. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Republicans are aiming to use reconciliation to pass broad swaths of Trump’s agenda. In addition to border security that includes new commitments to fossil fuel energy, the national defense, and Trump’s tax policies – both extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and fulfilling newer promises to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime pay, and retirees’ social security.

Wisconsin judge threatens courtroom boycott over Hannah Dugan arrest

Wisconsin judge threatens courtroom boycott over Hannah Dugan arrest

A Wisconsin judge is threatening not to hold court in protest of federal authorities arresting her fellow judge Hannah Dugan last week. Judge Monica Isham made the announcement in an email to judges across the state on Saturday. Her email, titled “Guidance Requested or I Refuse to Hold Court,” made clear she had no intention of working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “If there is no guidance for us and no support for us, I will refuse to hold court in Branch 2 in Sawyer County. I will not put myself or my staff who may feel compelled to help me or my community in harms way,” Isham wrote. “I have no intention of allowing anyone to be taken out of my courtroom by ICE and sent to a concentration camp, especially without due process, as BOTH of the constitutions we swore to support require. Should I start raising bail money?” Isham wrote, referring to the Wisconsin state constitution as well. NEW MEXICO SUPREME COURT BANS JUDGE AFTER ALLEGED TDA MEMBER ARRESTED AT HOME “If this costs me my job or gets me arrested then at least I know I did the right thing,” she added. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon reacted to Isham’s ultimatum on social media, saying the threat was “problematic.” NEW MEXICO JUDGE RESIGNS AFTER ALLEGED TDA MEMBER ARRESTED AT HIS HOME Dugan was arrested and charged with obstruction of an official proceeding on Friday after evidence came to light that she had shielded the migrant from ICE agents, according to a criminal complaint. She was also charged with concealing an individual to prevent discovery and arrest. Federal agents from ICE, FBI, CBP and DEA attempted to arrest the undocumented male – Mexican national Eduardo Flores-Ruiz – following his scheduled criminal court appearance before Dugan on April 18 to face three misdemeanor battery charges for allegedly beating two people. Dugan demanded that the officers proceed to the chief judge’s office and – after his hearing ended – escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a restricted jury door, bypassing the public area where agents were waiting in order to help him avoid arrest, per the complaint. Dugan has worked with legal aid organizations and as executive director of Catholic Charities in the past. She was elected to Branch 31 of the Circuit Court in 2016 and ran unopposed in the 2022 election. She primarily oversees cases in its misdemeanor division, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report

Thiruvananthapuram Airport receives bomb threat, disposal teams deployed, investigation underway

Thiruvananthapuram Airport receives bomb threat, disposal teams deployed, investigation underway

The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Sunday received a bomb threat via email, officials said on Sunday. The bomb squads are conducting thorough checks across the terminals. Further information on the incident is still awaited. These threats come only a day after multiple bomb threats were made via email to various hotels in Kerala’s capital. After receiving the threat, a full emergency was declared at Thiruvananthapuram airport.