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Apple expected to roll out texting update that would hit GOP hardest ahead of midterms

An iPhone update coming in September is raising alarms among Republicans who say it will disproportionately block conservative fundraising and voter outreach efforts, echoing past Big Tech controversies that targeted GOP voters.

“It’s no surprise that Big Tech wants to stop Donald Trump and other Republicans from communicating with people, because they’ve tried every other method to interfere already,” Sean Dollman, founding partner of American Made Media Company, the parent company of Launchpad Strategies, which was the exclusive digital firm for Trump 2024, told Fox News Digital. 

“Big Tech has suppressed him, suspended him, and banned him outright. And now they’re trying to make it so he can’t text anybody either. But MAGA won’t be stopped, and MAGA will always find a way.”

Apple is expected to roll out its latest update, iOS 26, in September, which will include an updated text filtration system that siphons text messages from unknown numbers that have no chat history with the recipient to a separate message folder that will not generate an alert to the recipient, leaders from American Made Media Company and Launchpad explained to Fox News Digital of the upcoming update. Text messages from known numbers saved on an individual’s phone are expected to continue alerting recipients and sending the messages to their typical text app. 

GOOGLE’S GMAIL CENSORSHIP COST GOP CANDIDATES $2B SINCE 2019, REPUBLICANS SAY, CITING NEW STUDY

Launchpad Strategies served as the Trump 2024 campaign’s exclusive digital firm handling online advertising and consulting during Trump’s decisive victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris, and continues operating as a “full-service Republican digital agency dedicated to helping campaigns win,” according to its website. 

Launchpad raised $509 million for the Trump campaign in 2024 and an additional $18 million in funds from 40 other clients during the massive 2024 election year, Fox Digital learned. 

JASON CHAFFETZ: TEN SNEAKY WAYS THE DEEP STATE STEALS YOUR DATA AND HOW TRUMP CAN HELP YOU STOP IT

The update could affect election cycles themselves, as text messages concerning voter registration and campaign rallies are expected to also be punted to this new folder, according to fundraisers. 

Data from the 2024 election cycle showed Republicans leveraged text campaigns two-to-one compared to Democrats, putting them directly in the line of fire when the expected update takes effect in September — ahead of the midterms hitting a fever pitch as Democrats look to flip the House and Senate from Republican control.

The text filtration’s scope is expected to extend far beyond just politics, including potentially siphoning texts concerning real-life issues such as doctor appointments from a number not saved in a person’s phone. 

The National Republican Senate Committee, which serves as the Senate Republican’s campaigning arm, circulated an internal memo in July sounding the alarm that the iOS update could cost Republicans more than $25 million in revenue, Punchbowl News reported at the time. 

Apple filtering texts from unknown numbers is not new, with such a program already used within the current iOS 18 systems. The current filtration system is by default not activated until a user toggles a button within the “settings” app. 

The iOS 26 update is also currently available to the public for beta testing, the outlet Fast Company reported in July. 

Under the new update, the filtration system will be renamed to “Screen Unknown Senders,” but will use ongoing criteria to kick text messages to another folder, specifically: if the iPhone owner does not have a contact saved in their phone and if the user has never interacted with the unknown phone number trying to contact them, according to Fast Company. 

The visibility of texts from unknown senders will get a facelift under the new update, with the filtered messages from unknown senders made more easily seen by users with a new filtration button at the top of Apple’s Messages app that will display a blue badge noting how many unread texts an iPhone user has received from unknown numbers, according to the Fast Company report, which sought to quell Republican fundraising concerns over the update. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Apple for comment Monday. 

History repeating itself is of top concern to Republican fundraisers, who pointed to a seemingly similar filtration system with Gmail messages that first hit the public’s radar in 2022. Studies at the time found Gmail allowed the vast majority of emails from left-wing politicians to land in a user’s inbox, while more than two-thirds of messages from conservative candidates were marked as spam, according to data from North Carolina State University’s Department of Computer Science that was previously reported by Fox News Digital. 

The Gmail filtration system resulted in a $2 billion loss for Republican candidates between 2019 and 2022, Fox News Digital reported in April 2022, citing research from the Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee and National Republican Senate Committee.

“Big Tech has been silencing conservative voices and actively working against Republicans for multiple cycles. Google’s e-mail suppression – which affects the GOP’s fundraising and GOTV efforts – is another egregious example. Silicon Valley oligarchs are suppressing free political speech,” then-RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, then-NRSC Chairman Senator Rick Scott and then-NRCC Chairman Congressman Tom Emmer said in a joint statement back in 2022, Fox News Digital reported at the time. 

GOOGLE’S GMAIL FAVORS LEFT-WING CANDIDATES, SENDS FAR MORE EMAILS FROM CONSERVATIVES TO SPAM: STUDY

The research found that between 2019 and 2020, conservative candidates raised $737 million on Republican fundraising platform WinRed from Gmail. The data found that just 32% of fundraising emails actually reached recipients, with Republicans estimating they missed out on $1.5 billion in contributions during the 2020 election cycle alone. 

The update comes as the Democratic Party is in turmoil following the 2024 race, which saw former President Joe Biden drop out of the election cycle with just more than 100 days to go before passing the proverbial mantle to Harris before the loss to Trump. The party has since attempted to find its political footing after an exodus of the working-class vote to the GOP in 2024 and voters rejecting left-wing policies, most notably surrounding social issues. 

Republican fundraisers already are working on workarounds for the expected update, including having recipients add fundraising numbers to their phones. 

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Screenshots of fundraising text messages reviewed by Fox News Digital in 2025 show texts touting Trump’s name, accompanied by messages that ask recipients to add the number to their contacts or respond to the text to build a chat history. 

The texts include messages such as, “From Trump: Did you save my number yet?” or “Download the Trump Contact Card to add me to your address book” or other interactive texts such as, “Trump: If you had 5 minutes with me, what would you say? No links. I just want your reply below.” 

‘Powell’s epiphany’: Fed chair admits Trump was right about tariffs and inflation

Last Friday in Jackson Hole, Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell finally – and grudgingly – admitted what the Trump team has been saying all along: tariffs don’t fuel inflation. 

At most, tariffs create a one-time adjustment in prices, not the kind of runaway spiral that demands punishing rate hikes. And even that one-time bump may be negligible if, as we have long argued, foreign exporters – not American consumers – shoulder most or all of the burden. 

The implication is clear: whether the impact is zero or merely a one-time step-up in prices, there is absolutely no justification for the Fed to hide behind “tariff uncertainty” as an excuse for overly restrictive interest-rate policy. 

This really is a historic epiphany from a Fed chair who has long misunderstood the power of Trumpnomics – the four beautiful horsemen of economic growth and price stability: tax cuts, deregulation, strategic energy dominance and fair trade. 

THE FED’S FOOLISH INTEREST RATE POLICY IS STOPPING AMERICA’S ECONOMY FROM BOOMING

Trumpnomics delivered both strong economic growth and price stability in the first term. It is delivering again in the second. 

Markets immediately recognized the punch of Powell’s tariff epiphany. The Dow smashed through its 45,000 ceiling – and I remain on record predicting a march to 50,000. Yields on the 10- and 30-year Treasuries tumbled, driving bond prices sharply higher.  

Clearly, Wall Street got Powell’s dovish tariff message: the door to a September rate cut is now wide open. The only suspense is whether Powell will nibble with 25 basis points – or cut far more boldly. 

But here’s the lingering fear, from the West Wing to Wall Street: While Powell may now grasp that tariffs don’t fuel persistent inflation, he still doesn’t understand who pays. 

GOOD ECONOMIC DATA IS BAD NEWS FOR TRUMP’S INTEREST RATE PUSH

Memo to Jay: Every one of America’s major trading partners – the same countries driving our $1 trillion annual trade deficit – is deeply dependent on access to the U.S. market. When Trump slaps on tariffs, it is their exporters, not our consumers, who shoulder the burden. Without U.S. demand, their economies falter – so pay the tariff piper our trading partners must. 

That’s why in Trump’s first term, despite all the handwringing from the “Panicans” about looming inflation, tariffs on everything from steel and aluminum to China produced the opposite: robust growth with price stability. 

If Powell clings to timidity and keeps rates overly restrictive, he will continue inflicting enormous harm on the U.S. economy. American families are already being crushed by the world’s highest mortgage rates, small businesses can’t get affordable credit, and exporters face a dollar so overvalued it prices them out of global markets. 

Global rate spreads underscore just how out of touch the Fed is with the rest of the world. The European Central Bank’s deposit facility sits at 2%. The Bank of Japan holds near 0.5%. China runs its seven-day repo at 1.4%. Against that backdrop, the Fed’s 4.25%–4.50% target range remains a glaring outlier – more than 200 basis points above Europe, nearly 400 above Japan, and triple China. 

LEFT’S TARIFF DOOMSDAY PREDICTIONS FALL FLAT AS TRUMP’S AMERICA THRIVES

The result: the U.S. economy combines the world’s highest policy rates and mortgage rates with the world’s strongest currency – a triple hit to American exporters. 

• Financing disadvantage: American manufacturers pay more to borrow, making new plants and equipment costlier.
• Currency distortion: Elevated Fed rates keep the dollar over-priced, inflating the price of U.S. exports while giving foreign competitors a pricing edge.
• Market share erosion: Foreign rivals win contracts not because they innovate, but because they borrow cheaply and undercut U.S. prices.

On the home front, the Powell squeeze is just as punishing. Average 30-year fixed mortgage rates remain stuck in the 6–7% range, double pre-pandemic levels. That locks millions of young families out of the housing market and stalls residential construction — historically one of the most powerful engines of U.S. recoveries.  

Small businesses, reliant on bank credit rather than Wall Street bond markets, face double-digit loan rates that suffocate job creation. Consumers pay more on everything from credit cards to auto loans. 

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And for what? Disinflation is already here. Headline CPI is back near 3% year-on-year. The Fed’s preferred PCE measure runs closer to 2.5% – essentially on target. Energy prices are subdued, supply chains have healed, and wage pressures are stabilizing. Yet U.S. real (inflation-adjusted) rates now stand higher than at any point in nearly two decades – a textbook case of over-tightening. 

Powell defends this stance by claiming the Fed must “anchor inflation expectations.” He has clutched his pearls over the mirage of tariff-driven inflation, even as history shows those fears are overblown.  

Powell’s Jackson Hole admission – that tariffs create, at most, a one-time price adjustment – was an epiphany long in coming.  The question now is whether Powell will act on that epiphany.  

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A token 25-basis-point trim in September would not cut it. To realign America with its global peers, to relieve pressure on families and farmers, and to restore competitiveness to U.S. exporters, the Fed must move decisively with an up to a 100 basis point cut. 

It’s time for the Federal Reserve to stop mistaking tight money for prudence. Keeping U.S. rates far above the rest of the world is not a sign of strength. It is a policy mistake – one that strangles American growth and hands our competitors the advantage. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM PETER NAVARRO

Salvadoran Abrego Garcia seeks asylum in US, floats removal to Costa Rica

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran man at the center of widely watched legal wranglings with the federal government, is making a fresh bid for asylum in the U.S., and he is also pushing back against the government’s plan to remove him to Uganda, and instead suggesting Costa Rica.

“At 5pm yesterday, Petitioner filed a motion to reopen before an immigration judge pursuant to 8 C.F.R. §1003.23(b)(4)(i), to seek asylum in the United States pursuant to 8 U.S.C. §1158,” a Tuesday court filing noted.

Abrego Garcia — who was arrested at an ICE facility on Monday, could be heard saying, “gobierno corrupto,” which translates to “corrupt government,” in a video posted on X by the Department of Homeland Security.

ABREGO GARCIA HEARD SAYING TWO WORDS DURING ICE ARREST

“I, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia … hereby state that I fear persecution in UGANDA on account of my race, nationality, political opinion, and membership in a particular social group,” he claimed in a document titled “Notice of Fear of Removal to UGANDA. 

“I also fear torture by or at the acquiescence of a public official in that country. Finally, I feat [sic] that country will refoul me (re-deport me) to EL SALVADOR, where I also fear persecution on account of the above-mentioned protected grounds and torture by or at the acquiescence of a public official, and where I have been tortured in the past.”

Costa Rica has indicated that it would be willing to accept him, and Abrego Garcia has expressed that as his preference.

FEDERAL JUDGE TEMPORARILY BARS ABREGO GARCIA FROM DEPORTATION TO UGANDA

Back in 2019, an immigration judge signed an order denying Abrego Garcia’s application for asylum, but granted an application for withholding of removal. 

But earlier this year, the U.S. removed him to El Salvador. 

Following legal wranglings, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Salvadoran man had “landed in the United States to face justice,” noting that the U.S. “government presented El Salvador with an arrest warrant, and they agreed to return him to our country.” 

TOP TRUMP AGENCY TORCHES DEM LAWMAKERS RALLYING AROUND DETAINED ABREGO GARCIA: ‘IT IS INSANE’

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A grand jury returned an indictment against him earlier this year that included a count for “Conspiracy to Transport Aliens” and a count for “Unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens.” 

He pleaded not guilty.

Former Trump prosecutor fires back at federal probe into his ‘political’ motives

Former special counsel Jack Smith responded through his lawyers on Tuesday to news that a government watchdog had opened an investigation into his two prosecutions of President Donald Trump, calling the inquiry baseless.

Smith’s attorneys at Covington & Burling wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) that the predicate for its investigation was “imaginary and unfounded” and that Smith followed all the Department of Justice’s rules and principles in his work.

“Mr. Smith’s actions as Special Counsel were consistent with the decisions of a prosecutor who has devoted his career to following the facts and the law, without fear or favor and without regard for the political consequences, not because of them,” his attorneys wrote.

EX-TRUMP PROSECUTOR JACK SMITH UNDER INVESTIGATION BY GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL

The Office of Special Counsel is an independent agency unrelated to the DOJ or the special counsels, such as Smith, who have worked there.

The OSC, which functions as a watchdog, handles complaints from government whistleblowers and investigates Hatch Act violations by federal employees. It can impose administrative punishments for wrongdoing, including fines or termination from government work. Fox News confirmed this month that the OSC was investigating Smith under the Hatch Act, which bars certain government employees from engaging in political campaign work while on the job.

The OSC’s investigation came after Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., demanded in a letter to the OSC that it look into instances of Smith seeking to expedite Trump’s prosecutions.

“Many of Smith’s legal actions seem to have no rationale except for an attempt to affect the 2024 election results—actions that would violate federal law,” Cotton wrote.

TOP GOP SENATOR DEMANDS PROBE INTO WHETHER JACK SMITH ‘UNLAWFULLY’ TRIED TO INFLUENCE 2024 ELECTION

Smith spent about two years investigating and prosecuting Trump during the Biden administration. He brought two indictments against Trump, one alleging he violated the Espionage Act by mishandling national defense information and another alleging he attempted to subvert the 2020 election. Smith dismissed both cases after Trump won the 2024 election, a move that aligned with longstanding DOJ policy about prosecuting sitting presidents.

Smith’s attorneys wrote that the actions Cotton cited in his letter, including asking courts to move the proceedings along and to give him permission to file longer briefs, were “unremarkable,” standard for a prosecutor and subject to court approval.

“This investigation is premised on a partisan complaint that suggests the ordinary operation of the criminal justice system should be disrupted by the whims of a political contest,” Smith’s attorneys wrote.

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The letter was addressed to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who is serving as the acting head of the Office of Special Counsel while Trump’s nominee for the role faces roadblocks to Senate confirmation.

The attorneys asked Greer to reach out to them directly before taking any further steps to investigate Smith so that his findings, if any, could be “fully informed by the record.”

Farmers install their own tax to counter crowd control in popular tourist destination

As European cities continue to struggle with surging tourist numbers, Italian farmers have taken matters into their own hands.

Locals have installed their own turnstiles across the Dolomites as influencers continue to flock to the mountain range in northeastern Italy.

Carlo Zanella, president of the Alto Adige Alpine Club, told Fox News Digital that the turnstiles are “working.”

COASTAL CITY GREENLIGHTS NEW VISITOR TAX AMID WIDESPREAD OVERTOURISM TREND

“The turnstiles were installed at the beginning of July by a farmer who owns the land where the path passes,” said Zenella.

Located in Val Gardena on the Seceda, the turnstiles charge visitors about $5 for access.

Zanella shared the “big problem” that farmers are facing. 

He said it’s about visitors “who go to the meadows to pass or have a picnic and ruin the grass that the farmer has to cut to make hay.”

The Dolomiti Superski area, spanning over 12 valleys, had 4 million winter visitors in the 2024 season, according to The Times.

“I am against the influencers,” said Zanella, “because they almost always tell things that are not in events [related] to the locality and show the mountain differently from what it is. They are only interested in making money [through] advertising.”

Photos of the mountain range shared on social media show daily lines of thousands of tourists.

In the Province of Belluno, where the Dolomites are located, tourist arrivals increased 11% from 2019 to 2023, according to the official tourism portal.

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“The first 11 months of 2024 show a stability in flows compared to the previous year,” the tourism portal notes.

Zanella said local authorities have met about how to handle tourism issues, but no decision has been made yet.

He believes the best way to reduce the flow of tourists is to highlight that “there are other even more beautiful places to visit.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Ufficio Informazioni e Accoglienza Turistica for comment.

From chance meeting to wedding bells: Tennis star’s girlfriend scores love match

Paige Lorenze, the fiancée of American tennis star Tommy Paul, reflected on her relationship with the competitor on Monday as the U.S. Open began.

Lorenze posted a video on her TikTok page showing herself having a beverage just outside one of the stadiums in which the matches are played.

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“POV: got free US Open tickets from a guy named Tommy 3 years ago when I lived in NYC … now I’m engaged to him,” she screen-captioned the nine-second clip.

The entrepreneur is one of the several wives and girlfriends who descended on Flushing Meadows to watch one of the top Grand Slam tournaments of the tennis season. Lorenze brings more than 1 million Instagram and 728,000 TikTok followers with her.

MORGAN RIDDLE, GIRLFRIEND OF AMERICAN TENNIS STAR, PREPARES FOR US OPEN EXPERIENCE: ‘TRIGGER MALE SPORTS FANS’

She and Paul were engaged in July after dating for about three years.

Paul, a 28-year-old New Jersey native, is still looking for the first Grand Slam title of his career. He’s made it as far as the fourth round of the U.S. Open in 2023 and 2024. He reached the semifinal of the Australian Open in 2023 and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and the French Open.

He started strong in the first round of the U.S. Open, picking up a win over Elmer Møller in straight sets. He will play Nuno Borges in the second round on Thursday.

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Lorenze’s video certainly underscored just how fast time can pass by.

Deion Sanders speaks out after son’s NFL setback: ‘Going to be straight’

Deion Sanders expressed hope for his son, Shilo, to find an NFL team after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived him ahead of the roster cutdown deadline on Tuesday.

Shilo Sanders joined the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in the spring. By all accounts, he was performing well enough in training camp to have a shot at making the team. However, he threw a punch at a Buffalo Bills player and was ejected in the final preseason game of 2025. The team then decided to waive him.

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The Colorado Buffaloes head coach offered his thoughts on the defensive back on Tuesday.

“He’s my son, I’m proud of my kids, all of them. And I prepared my kids for any and everything that could possibly happen in life and in sports,” he said, via ESPN. “That’s part of fathering, that’s part of parenting, that’s part of having a relationship. 

“So, he is mentally where he needs to be, physically where he needs to be. We’re praying that he gets another opportunity to go with a team, but if he doesn’t, the plans have already been put forward to what he’s going to do next.”

JULIAN EDELMAN REVEALS ‘INSIDER TRADING’ FANTASY FOOTBALL STRATEGY HE USED ON THE PATRIOTS

Deion Sanders added that he was sure Shilo would be OK one way or the other.

“Shilo’s a man of many talents,” he said. “I don’t know if you guys know — he’s a man of many talents and he’s going to be straight. All the Sanders are going to be straight with or without football. You better believe that. You better believe that I take care of mine and I’ve always have, and y’all know what I mean. You better believe that.”

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There’s always the chance that Shilo Sanders could find himself on the practice squad of the Buccaneers or any other team.

Uncle Herschel is back — but Cracker Barrel still has bigger problems to fix

Welcome home, Uncle Herschel.

Responding to a weeklong barrage of complaints from its loyal customers, Cracker Barrel announced late Tuesday it was scrapping the restaurant’s rebranding campaign and returning to its classic logo.

“We thank our guests for sharing their voices and love for Cracker Barrel,” the company posted on X. “We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain.”

Critics immediately pounced on social media, suggesting the company was caving to right-wing pressure, including a call earlier in the day from President Donald Trump, who encouraged the company to reverse course before it was too late.

CRACKER BARREL SCRAPS NEW LOGO DESIGN, KEEPS ‘OLD TIMER’ AFTER LISTENING TO CUSTOMERS

“Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate poll), and manage the company better than ever before,” Trump urged early Tuesday. They got a billion dollars’ worth of free publicity if they play their cards right. Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity. Have a major news conference today. Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again.”

Trump then acknowledged the company’s mea culpa Tuesday night.

“Congratulations Cracker Barrel on changing your logo back to what it was. All of your fans very much appreciate it,” Trump wrote. “Good luck in the future. Make lots of money and, most importantly, make your customers happy again!”

Company executives need to go beyond restoring the logo and acknowledge that Cracker Barrel was built on moral, commonsense values. 

Attributing the company’s decision to Trump’s remarks about the logo misses the larger concern. Returning Uncle Herschel to his chair beside the barrel is a start, but if that’s where the company retreat ends, Cracker Barrel will continue to sell fewer biscuits, fried chicken and Mama’s pancakes in the years to come.

Sadly, today’s Cracker Barrel isn’t your aunt or uncle’s wholesome highway pit stop it once was.

In recent years, Cracker Barrel has sponsored Pride events, partnered with the Human Rights Campaign to fan and normalize pronoun nonsense and sexual confusion and warmly embraced corporate DEI efforts. In the process, its stock price has dropped from a high of $147.91 in 2021 to the mid-$50s today.

Corporate rebranding and cultural firestorms often flow from internal ideological ignorance and progressive arrogance to outside firms obsessed with forcing their distorted and often woke worldview on everyone else.

Reports now suggest Cracker Barrel dismissed or ignored earlier warnings from investors. Sardar Biglari, one such entrepreneur, called the entire rebranding exercise “obvious folly.”

How did Cracker Barrel manage to go off its rocker?

If this story sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen it before. From Coca-Cola’s “New Coke” fiasco in the 1980s to Bud Light’s tone-deaf campaign celebrating Dylan Mulvaney, there’s precedent for corporations committing unforced errors. It took decades for Bud Light to cultivate its brand and just 32 hours to destroy it.

While the company says the man in the logo is a composite, “Uncle Herschel” was a real man and a real uncle of Danny Evins, the company’s founder. Cracker Barrel even calls him the “soul of Cracker Barrel.” He was a salesman who frequented general stores all over the South and was known to “sit a spell” and visit with customers. At company headquarters in Lebanon, Tenn., there’s even a statue of him standing beside an empty bench as if to invite you to sit and converse.

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I think Herschel, who died in 1998, would have some thoughts about what’s been going on.

When Coca-Cola was fielding complaints after rolling out its new formula in 1985, company President Don Keough decided to take some of the protest calls himself. One was from an elderly woman. She was crying.

“I said, ‘Honey, what’s the matter?’” he recalled. “She said, ‘You’re taking away Coca-Cola … You’re playing around with my youth.’”

The late David Ogilvy, nicknamed the “Father of Advertising,” knew well the lure and idiocy of trying to fix something that isn’t broken. “It takes uncommon guts to stick to one style in the face of all the pressures to come up with something new every six months,” he warned. “It is tragically easy to be stampeded into change.”

Cracker Barrel underestimated the emotional tug and power of its familiar logo. In a world of constant change, Herschel remained a constant. In an economy that seems to celebrate the hard-charging, the old man represents those who are comfortable and content — a reprieve from the chaos and noisy churn everywhere else.

Company executives need to go beyond restoring the logo and acknowledge that Cracker Barrel was built on moral, commonsense values. They should politely pivot from politically correct corporate silliness and simply embrace the wholesome, sensible and timeless standards that have driven the company’s success: truth, fairness, kindness, respect and good old-fashioned hospitality.

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The lesson here is simple: If you don’t want your company to go broke, resist the urge to go woke.

Cracker Barrel says it’s listening — but time will tell who the company is listening to in the days to come.

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