Dolly Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, has delivered a scathing response to her longtime manager Danny Nozell as their legal dispute over the singer’s estate intensifies.

Nozell, who managed Parton for more than two decades, obtained a temporary restraining order against Seaver. The former security chief had been trusted by Parton to announce the news of her death last month.

In court documents reviewed by TMZ, Nozell alleged that Seaver demanded money while referring to his claimed experience as a military contractor, his access to weapons and his alleged capacity for violence.

According to the filing, Seaver referred to himself as a “killer” and told Nozell: “All I do is warfare…everyone needs to be worried about what I might do.”

Seaver has now dismissed the “spurious” restraining order as “simply a publicity stunt” in a statement to People.

“Dolly called me her killer,” Seaver said, explaining that the phrase was an inside joke within Parton’s circle. “It was a joke we used around her camp. I was her ‘baby boy ninja’ and Danny Nozell took that text out of context to somehow imagine that I was threatening him. He’s always called me The Killer.”

The Daily Mail has contacted Bryan Seaver, Danny Nozell and Nozell’s attorney, Timothy L. Warnock, for comment.

Nozell filed the restraining-order request through Parton’s company, She’s Alive, LLC. He also stated in the legal documents that he had dismissed Seaver from his position as the singer’s security chief.

TMZ reported, citing court documents, that Seaver allegedly told Nozell: “Her money better be bigger than I can make elsewhere or I’m going to f*** everyone. I am about to become the hand of retribution for my entire family.”

The filing also cited another message allegedly sent by Seaver to Nozell: “All I do is warfare … everyone needs to be worried about what I might do.”

Seaver also allegedly said he planned to launch a podcast aimed at damaging Dolly Parton’s brand partnerships and exposing alleged violations by those involved, according to the court filing cited by TMZ.

Nozell asked the court to require Seaver to stay at least 1,000 feet away from Parton’s office and to bar him from contacting the singer’s businesses or affiliates, according to the report.

Responding to the restraining-order request on Tuesday, Seaver told TMZ: “I am a career soldier and military contractor and do conduct arms deals for foreign governments. I am a security professional and I am a killer.

“However, nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by.”

Seaver said the text messages included in the legal filing had been taken out of context to create the impression that he was trying to intimidate Nozell.

“I was talking frankly in a private way with Danny who I thought was my friend and he fancies himself a gangster,” Seaver told the outlet. “A lot of these messages are two guys having rage talk and crying on the phone together while we were grieving.”

Seaver said one remark, in which he allegedly threatened to “rat f***” an organization whose name was redacted from the report, referred to “people that have done bad to Dolly in business.”

He added: ‘Those comments were about specific, horrible business partners that have done wrong to her and I stand by that.’

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Seaver last week received a notice reviewed by TMZ that he and his security organizations, which provided protection for Parton’s Nashville home, museum and a warehouse, were being replaced by another company.

Insiders told the outlet that they believed Parton’s manager Nozell and Pinnacle Bank were responsible for the decision to terminate him and his employees.

A new security team was deployed to the locations previously overseen by Seaver’s companies on Wednesday after the termination notice was issued, according to the report.

Sources close to Seaver said that he and his associates had been ‘dismayed by the unexpected and, so far, unexplained actions’ carried out in the wake of Parton’s passing.

‘We remain unshakably resolved to fulfill her final directive to protect her family, and we refuse to be intimidated by those whose actions we believe are being taken in bad faith,’ Seaver’s camp told TMZ.

They told the outlet that they believed the actions had been taken ‘with the intent to profit from the life of someone who willingly gave so much.’

According to TMZ, the notice issued to Seaver indicated that the DP Dean Trust had been overseeing Parton’s business and properties in the wake of her passing.

Seaver retains a personal interest in her trust moving forward, according to the report.

Seaver, whose mother Cassie is Parton’s sister, had been appointed by the late Jolene singer to reveal her death in a public statement.

Following Parton’s August 25 passing following a battle with cancer, Seaver had been seen in a clip in which he revealed the sad news.

‘Dolly has lived in the light, and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by [late husband] Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens,’ Seaver said in the emotional clip.

In the clip, Seaver noted that his father Larry had held the security position before him.

He said that he had been her security head for the past ‘two decades,’ and had been working for her over the past four decades. 

‘I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s,’ Seaver said. ‘Dolly opened doors not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible.

‘Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent. By her example, we believed that anything was possible.’

He added: ‘She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history. My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you.’

Parton has been well-remembered in the weeks since her passing, during which she received an expansive tribute at the Primetime Emmy Awards last week, which featured Reba McEntire and Sally Field.

Nashville International Airport is set to be renamed in Parton’s memory following a vote from the Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners weeks back.

Could Kara Swisher’s decision to leave CNN involve more than her objections to the network’s expected change in ownership?

The veteran technology journalist said on her podcast Tuesday that she plans to depart CNN as soon as possible, following reports that David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance is expected to take control of the network.

“F–k these guys,” Swisher said on “The Pivot.” “I don’t want to work for them.”

The ownership shake-up has also fueled speculation about whether Swisher’s past relationship with Nellie Bowles could make the prospect of staying at CNN especially uncomfortable.

Bowles, who co-founded The Free Press with Bari Weiss, is married to Weiss. Ellison appointed Weiss to lead CBS News after acquiring the company in 2025, and she has been widely discussed as a possible choice for a senior editorial role at CNN.

Some insiders have suggested that Swisher may not welcome the idea of working within a media organization overseen by her former partner’s spouse. Those claims, however, remain speculation, and Swisher has said her concerns center on the incoming owners and their approach to running news organizations.

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One source characterized Swisher’s reaction as jealousy, though no evidence was offered to support that assessment.

After being contacted for comment, Swisher shared the inquiry on Threads and responded: “Here’s my comment: ‘As exciting as girl-on-girl action is for you to gin up, I have been saying for a long time now that I would depart CNN if the deal goes through, due to my lack of confidence in the owners as decent media stewards and not whatever minion they decide to install. Please try to keep up, as hard as that is for you.’”

Bowles previously worked with Swisher on the “Recode” podcast in the mid-2010s, and the two were romantically involved for several years.

Bowles began dating Weiss in 2018, and the couple married two years later. They have two children.

Swisher separated from politician Megan Smith in 2014. She is now married to Amanda Katz, and they also have two children.

Swisher’s CNN contract is scheduled to run through Dec. 31, but she said Tuesday that she has asked her agent to negotiate an early release.

If the request is granted, Swisher could leave well before the end of the year. If not, the expected ownership transition may make CNN’s holiday gathering an unusually awkward affair.

A new House Judiciary Committee report targeting an Arlington County initiative to resist the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies has drawn sharp criticism from local Republicans, who say the findings expose a disconnect with the region’s deep-blue political identity.

The 23-page interim report, issued by the committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, condemned Arlington’s sanctuary policies. It accused the county and other Democratic-led jurisdictions of placing public safety at risk by adopting rules that limit federal immigration officials’ ability to detain or arrest undocumented immigrants with criminal records.

“Chairman [Jim] Jordan’s Judiciary Committee report about Arlington is spot on,” Matthew Hurtt, chairman of the Arlington County Republican Committee, told News Media.

“Arlington elected officials prioritize illegal aliens over the safety of Arlington residents. And as an Arlington resident, I’ve seen this play out over the last several months.”

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The committee pointed to what it described as limited cooperation between Arlington law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, citing the county board’s Trust Policy, which sets rules for local police interactions with immigration officials.

The policy, updated in May 2025, bars the Arlington County Police Department “from initiating contact with federal immigration authorities” even when officers identify an undocumented immigrant as a “violent felon, gang member, human trafficker, or terrorist.”

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The report also cited a closed-door deposition on July 16, 2026, during which Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Arlington County and City of Falls Church Commonwealth’s Attorney, acknowledged that her office takes immigration status into account when deciding case outcomes. She also said her written guidelines do not prohibit prosecutors from considering immigration status in any type of case.

Dehghani-Tafti additionally defended a memo instructing prosecutors to consider alternative charges when a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient is charged with driving under the influence.

Because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services classifies a DUI conviction as a “significant misdemeanor”—a designation that blocks DACA renewal and can lead to deportation—the memo directs prosecutors to consider a defendant’s DACA status in an effort to prevent “disproportionate and devastating collateral consequences.”

“It’s not the job of a prosecutor to decide lenience against illegal aliens who are oftentimes committing violent crimes against individuals or property crimes, but that is exactly what Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti has been doing,” Hurtt said.

Hurtt also characterized Dehghani-Tafti as a left-wing criminal justice activist and criticized Steve Descano, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for nearby Democratic-led Fairfax County. Fairfax has drawn national attention amid a series of crimes allegedly committed by undocumented immigrants.

In a statement obtained by ARLNow, Dehghani-Tafti dismissed the committee’s findings as a “political sham.”

“The committee refused to hear my testimony in public because open testimony doesn’t let you distort a record,” she said. “This report is the predictable product of that process— a piece of political propaganda timed for the midterms, built on the deliberate misrepresentations of my policies and my testimony.

“Now it’s clear why they wouldn’t hold a public hearing and why they stonewalled my requests for the full deposition transcript,” she added. “They didn’t want the public to see it. I demand the committee release the full, unedited transcript of my deposition immediately.”

News Media has contacted Dehghani-Tafti’s office, the Sheriff’s Office and the County Board for comment.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) — Automated license plate reader systems, including Flock, can build an extensive map of a person’s movements. But Illinois law may leave a significant accountability gap: An officer who uses the technology to monitor someone without a criminal justification could violate department rules without technically breaking the law.

The ABC7 I-Team revealed that Naperville Police Officer Oscar Maldonado told investigators he used Flock cameras to search for a man at least 150 times after Maldonado began an affair with the man’s former fiancée.

The report comes as Berwyn officials announced Wednesday that the city is suspending its use of Flock Safety cameras.

Maldonado’s criminal defense attorney said a police investigation found “a preponderance of evidence” that the officer committed official misconduct. However, he argued that Maldonado did not commit a crime because Illinois has no specific law prohibiting the misuse of Flock technology.

“I’m a defense attorney. It should be a crime. It should absolutely be a crime,” said Jeff Tomczak. “The legislature should act and create the crime of misuse of Flock. Don’t require state’s attorneys to be creative.”

Tomczak said that, under current rules, using Flock cameras to investigate someone who is not suspected of a crime is treated as an administrative violation rather than a criminal offense.

“It’s going to be subject to a legal challenge until the legislature acts, which they should have done already,” Tomczak said.

ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer also said Illinois law may not clearly address how to hold officers accountable in such cases.

“An official misconduct statute in Illinois won’t necessarily cover the simple situation where a police officer accesses license plate information for an improper purpose,” Soffer said.

The reach and oversight of the vast, privately operated surveillance network also came under scrutiny Wednesday during a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill. Leaders of Flock and other automated license plate reader companies did not attend.

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“You know who you won’t hear from? Flock CEO,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, added, “I think they’re afraid to be on camera.”

At the state level, lawmakers are pursuing new safeguards. State Rep. Nicolle Grasse introduced legislation earlier this year that would require Illinois municipalities to establish protections governing the technology.

“There is great benefit that can come from these. But with that benefit comes great responsibility and risk,” said Grasse, D-Arlington Heights. “That brings in the responsibility part, especially for those entrusted with public safety.”

Berwyn Mayor Robert Lovero issued an executive order calling for the immediate shutdown of the city’s license plate reader system. He characterized the move as a precautionary step while officials reassess how the powerful surveillance tool should be used.

The I-Team spoke with Berwyn Alderman Rob Pabon, who has advocated suspending the system since last year.

“There were still people who had concerns about the technology because they felt we shouldn’t be surveilling our community,” Pabon said. “We have a very diverse, working-class community, and we wanted to make sure people weren’t wrongly targeted or that their privacy wasn’t constantly invaded in this way.”

Berwyn’s mayor emphasized that there are no documented reports indicating that the city’s police officers misused the system.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife were welcomed with an elaborate ceremony and a deafening military flyover that appeared to startle President Donald Trump.

Lines of US troops stood at attention at Joint Base Andrews, where the president’s aircraft are based. F-35 fighter jets and Air Force One formed the backdrop as Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, arrived for the high-profile welcome.

A military band performed while US officials hurriedly laid out a red carpet leading toward the Chinese president’s enormous Air China jumbo jet.

As Xi stepped onto the tarmac, military aircraft thundered overhead in a flyover marking his arrival. Trump visibly winced and briefly smiled at the noise, while Xi maintained a stern, expressionless demeanor.

The formal reception echoed the ceremony Trump received during his May visit to Beijing, which also featured a lavish carpet and troops assembled at attention.

The presidential limousine, known as “the Beast,” arrived carrying Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. The couple walked to the aircraft to meet Xi and Peng, with the two couples exchanging remarks for several minutes.

However, strong winds, the roar of aircraft engines and the absence of media access made it impossible to establish what the two leaders discussed after Xi’s landing.

Trump and Melania’s personal airport greeting marked the first time in more than 11 years that a US president had traveled to an airport to meet a visiting world leader.

The previous occasion came in 2015, when Barack Obama welcomed Pope Francis at Joint Base Andrews, according to C-SPAN.

Trump had previously criticized Obama for giving Xi a “full honors ceremony with music and cannons” during a 2012 visit. “So wrong,” the then-reality star wrote on X.

The scale of this year’s reception has also unsettled some Republicans who have sharply criticized Xi. One of Trump’s allies condemned the decision to arrange what he called a “lavish” visit for a “dictator.”

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Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, a Trump ally in the Senate, delivered a forceful attack on the president’s approach during remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday.

“Had the White House asked me for advice, I would have suggested the president not invite Xi Jinping to Washington for such a lavish welcome,” said Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“During every minute of dialog, our commander-in-chief should keep in mind that his guest is a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator who seeks to dominate his neighbors and whose massive military arsenal is aimed directly at the United States of America,” Wicker added.

Despite the public display, coverage of the airport ceremony was restricted by a media blackout after Trump barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.

Journalists from Fox, CBS and NBC were present but did not record the event as they followed a judge’s deliberations over a lawsuit brought by the excluded outlets against the administration.

During the media ban emergency hearing, Justice Department attorney Michael Velchik urged US District Judge Timothy Kelly to not restore reporters’ passes until after Chinese leader Xi Jinping visits, citing national security concerns.

Tensions loom in the upcoming trade talks between Xi and Trump, who are expected to address a slew of issues from technology to the future of Tehran. 

Besides the two having bilateral negotiations, there will also be an array of cultural and social events over the three-day visit. 

A state dinner will be hosted in the White House’s East Room on Thursday evening with CEOs and Cabinet members on the invite list.

The Trumps, Xi and Madame Peng will also visit the National Archives to view historical documents. Notably, the original Declaration of Independence and Constitution are housed there. 

Amid the niceties, Xi is reportedly planning to press Trump on Taiwan and a $14 billion US military package that has been approved but not yet shipped to the island nation that China claims sovereignty over. 

Trade will also be top of mind as the trade truce the two struck ends on November 10 and there has yet to be a breakthrough on a range of topics, including rare-earth minerals.  

A California murder suspect was arrested three times in under two weeks and released after each encounter with authorities before his alleged crime spree ended with the killing of an innocent woman and a fiery shootout with sheriff’s deputies.

Prosecutors said they sought to keep 44-year-old Derek Spencer in custody after he allegedly attacked a Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy. Instead, Spencer posted bail, was arrested twice more and released both times before allegedly killing 76-year-old Cheryl Macy, a widely respected former employee of the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.

“Sadly, this should never have occurred but bail reform in California has prioritized criminal offenders over victims,” the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement to News Media.

Spencer was eventually killed early Monday after authorities said he opened fire on Placer County sheriff’s deputies during a tense standoff in the rugged forest near Iowa Hill.

Authorities said Spencer also started two fires as tactical teams moved in, forcing three SWAT operators threatened by the flames to be rescued by helicopter overnight.

The fatal confrontation came after a series of arrests and releases that prosecutors said highlighted serious weaknesses in California’s bail system.

Spencer was first arrested Sept. 3. Sacramento County deputies accused him of felony vandalism, resisting arrest and attacking a deputy with a deadly weapon.

The Sacramento County DA’s Office filed charges Sept. 8, including felony assault with a deadly weapon likely to cause great bodily injury and attempting to use threats and violence to stop the deputy from performing official duties.

Prosecutors asked the court to keep Spencer jailed, but a judge set bail as required by law, according to the DA’s office. Spencer posted bail and was released Sept. 11.

His arrests did not stop there.

Around 11 p.m. Sept. 13, Folsom police responded to an alarm at a model home in the 4600 block of Dehone Circle. Officers found Spencer leaving the property and arrested him on suspicion of burglary, the department told News Media.

He was booked into Sacramento County Main Jail but released on his own recognizance the following day, prosecutors said.

Two days later, Sacramento County deputies arrested Spencer a third time, alleging he had stolen a vehicle. He posted bail and was released again on Sept. 17.

Spencer was also scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing in the deputy-assault case. He failed to appear Sept. 18, leading a judge to issue a warrant, the DA’s office said.

Prosecutors were still reviewing the burglary and vehicle-theft reports for potential charges when Spencer’s alleged rampage spread into neighboring counties.

Authorities said Spencer stole another vehicle and guns and shot at a moving vehicle in El Dorado County on Sept. 19. The following day, Placer County deputies began searching for him after he allegedly pointed a gun at victims.

Deputies located Spencer near Iowa Hill, but he allegedly rammed a sheriff’s patrol vehicle and fled. Authorities said he later fired at deputies and law enforcement helicopters, prompting a major manhunt and warnings for residents to lock their doors and remain inside.

While tactical teams searched a home where Spencer had reportedly been seen, they discovered Macy’s body inside. She had been shot to death, and investigators believe Spencer killed her before escaping into the nearby forest. Authorities have not publicly disclosed any previous connection between Spencer and Macy.

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A California Highway Patrol aircraft using infrared technology located Spencer shortly before 2:30 a.m. Monday, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. Several tactical teams spent hours moving through the steep, heavily wooded terrain in darkness to reach him.

When deputies approached, Spencer opened fire, authorities said. A standoff followed, and drone video allegedly captured him starting two separate fires.

At about 4 a.m., Spencer fired again from behind a berm, prompting deputies to return fire and fatally strike him, the sheriff’s office said.

The flames soon threatened SWAT operators in the forest. A tactical flight crew from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office RAVEN aviation unit flew through darkness and low-visibility conditions to hoist three operators out of the area.

The unit said the mission relied on a specialized night-hoist capability available to only a limited number of law enforcement aviation teams in the region.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office called the case a “dangerous crime spree that took a tragic turn, resulting in the loss of an innocent life.”

The Sacramento County DA’s office pointed to the California Supreme Court’s recent Kowalczyk decision, arguing that it has limited judges’ ability to detain repeat offenders before trial, even when they may pose a danger.

“While the District Attorney’s Office has and will continue to argue that dangerous and repeat offenders like Derek Spencer remain in custody, California must repeal the Kowalczyk decision and change the law to prioritize victims when addressing bail,” the office said.

The Placer County DA’s office separately said Spencer’s repeated releases raised “serious questions” about whether state law and recent court decisions give judges enough power to prevent similar tragedies.

“As prosecutors, our responsibility is not only to seek justice after someone is harmed, but to speak plainly when the system presents warning signs that cannot be ignored,” the office said.

Macy served the Placer County DA’s office from 2006 to 2020 and remained a cherished part of its extended family. She was also a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire honored Macy at a county Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday, telling community leaders that her death had left his office and the wider community heartbroken.

Gire called for answers, transparency and accountability while urging the community to remember how Macy lived rather than how she died. His office said former colleagues remembered the energy she brought to her work, the warmth she showed others and the lasting impact she made across Placer County.

“The loss of Cheryl is devastating to our office and to the entire community,” the office said. “Our hearts are with her family, her friends, and everyone who knew and loved her.”

Her granddaughter, Addison, told KCRA that Macy had a special way of hugging her loved ones: three squeezes to say, “I love you.”

“She was the only person who’s ever done that and told me that,” Addison said, calling it a memory she will always carry.

The fatal deputy-involved shooting and Macy’s death remain under investigation.