Trump Reinstates FBI Whistleblowers Punished By Biden, Grants Back Pay Trump Reinstates FBI Whistleblowers Punished By Biden, Grants Back Pay Authored by  , FBI Director   claimed on Thursday that nearly a dozen whistleblowers punished by the Biden administration would be reinstated with back pay. image Patel said that 10 FBI agents would be impacted and added that their security clearances would also be restored. The move will likely come in the form of settlements with the assistance of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. “We greatly appreciate @realDonaldTrump commitment to transparency and accountability,” Patel wrote on X. Breaking: agreements have been reached with 10 FBI Whistleblowers (and counsel) to include a combination of backpay, security clearance, and reinstatement. We greatly appreciate for… — FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) While Patel did not specify which agents would benefit, the Biden-era FBI faced countless accusations of bias and weaponization. Whistleblower testimony exposed how the FBI sought to tie President Donald Trump to the Jan. 6 protests of the 2020 election. Other testimony revealed that the bureau justified surveillance and other powers by citing distorted data about “domestic violent extremists,” all based on the single events of Jan. 6. And here is: United States Marine Marcus Allen — a former FBI staff operations specialist turned whistleblower — brought to the verge of tears as he spoke about years of suffering for lawfully expressing dissent over the actions of the FBI and DOJ: “The FBI questioned my… — 🇺🇸RealRobert🇺🇸 (@Real_RobN) Patel’s move followed Trump’s purge of the FBI and DOJ, removing corrupt and biased officials tied to whistleblower accusations. There has been some debate over whether Patel’s move came later than expected. Fri, 08/22/2025 - 14:45
Everything That's Wrong With The Leftist Media In One (Now Deleted) Post... Everything That's Wrong With The Leftist Media In One (Now Deleted) Post... https://modernity.news/2025/08/21/everything-thats-wrong-with-the-leftist-media-in-one-now-deleted-post/ After video of a man being detained by ICE Wednesday quickly circulated, one reporter suggested that it would never be revealed who he is or where he had been taken, only for all those details to emerge just minutes later, and completely humiliate the ‘journalist’. image The footage shows the guy trying to get away from ICE in DC, but being detained and then crying and whining like a baby. BREAKING: Just saw DC Police + federal agents detain a man on the National Mall. He appeared to try to escape, then was quickly tackled to the ground by several agents + was screaming in Spanish “please, I’m not a criminal, I work here, I want to be with my family” — Aimee Cho (@AimeeCho4) Miami Herald ‘investigative journalist’ Julie Brown published a post whinging that “his crying…hits me in the gut.” “We will probably never be told who he is, why he was stopped or if he was here illegally,” she added. She soon got an answer as an NBC reporter revealed that ICE confirmed the guy’s name, that he was illegally here from Mexico and had been previously arrested and charged with sexual battery against a 13 year-old-child. Ms Brown instantly deleted her previous post. She’ll now pretend it never happened. — Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) The internet is forever. Deleted but not forgotten — Greg Price (@greg_price11) It just keeps happening. Yes, "he's crying". Pretty sure the child he molested was crying too. — Prophet Dynamic (@DaProphetDyn) Fox News anchor Jessica Tarlov also deleted a post after writing “This doesn’t make D.C. safer. It’ll just make people not come to D.C. The cruelty is always the point.” 🚨 Jessica Tarlov claims removing child predators from DC streets doesn't improve safety. The individual in the video, previously arrested for aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13, is an illegal immigrant. What do you think? Should predators go free? — Alec Lace (@AlecLace) Trump advisor Stephen Miller called her out and she had to eat crow. I didn’t know he was – the DHS memo on him came out hours after the video. Wouldn’t ever defend such a person! Hopefully you guys will only go after these types versus hardworking folks that have committed no crimes! Will delete my original tweet. — Jessica Tarlov (@JessicaTarlov) For those of you who think that I quietly deleted my tweet, see below. When you’re trying to be quiet you don’t reply to Stephen Miller. I wouldn’t ever want to promote knowingly wrong information so I deleted the original tweet after the DHS memo came out – which was hours after… — Jessica Tarlov (@JessicaTarlov) You didn’t bother to find out why he was detained. It’s really disgusting. Bash Americans first with you people. https://t.co/Ob7LOOsk3V — TheMorningSpew2 (@TheMorningSpew2) https://twitter.com/TheMorningSpew2/status/1958330229849551280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw You’re missing the point, Jessica. It’s not that you got it wrong, we’re used to that. No. The point is WHERE you went with it and what you said before anyone knew anything. What you assumed because of your own ugly, warped biases. THAT’s the issue. That’s the point. — The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) The Democrats are now literally the party of pro illegal immigration and a desire for continued rampant criminality. "DC Dude" coming soon to a Democrat Talking Point near you! — Prophet Dynamic (@DaProphetDyn) "investigative journalist" 🤦‍♂️ — E 🇺🇸 (@Simply4Truth_) They did the meme. — Donald Rahl (@RahlDonald) Democrat heroes: — Mrs B (@attackdogX) Have these ‘journalists’ ever heard of verifying facts before splurting out their TDS riddled shit-posts. Maybe instead of assuming the worst about people just because Trump supports them, you could wait a few minutes for the facts to come out. — 🫃🏼💉🇺🇦🥥Hollaria Briden, Esq. (@HollyBriden) They are willing to overlook the rap sheet in hopes of engendering more weaponized empathy. — Jon Tveten (@jtveten) Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via  . Fri, 08/22/2025 - 14:00
Beyond The Data Center: Goldman's Silicon Valley Field Trip Finds AI Moving From Chips To Workflows Beyond The Data Center: Goldman's Silicon Valley Field Trip Finds AI Moving From Chips To Workflows Goldman analysts led by George Tong returned to Silicon Valley for their second AI field trip, meeting with AI startups, public companies, VCs, and professors from Stanford, UCSF, and UC Berkeley to assess whether corporate America is truly embracing generative AI. The visit comes as record hyperscale data center buildouts nationwide, while investors search for clues on whether the adoption phase will materialize: a shift beyond infrastructure into the application layer. "Insights indicate AI labs are expanding from the infrastructure layer to the application layer and LLM costs are sharply declining though capex may continue to rise as Gen AI usage and adoption grows," Tong wrote in a note to clients on Friday.  He continued: "Academic research on LLM technologies could further bring down costs. While software development costs are falling and increasing competitive and pricing risks, moats in application AI and SaaS companies include broader user distribution, engagement with power users to drive reinforcement learning from feedback loops, integration into workflows and leveraging proprietary data." Tong's discussions with Silicon Valley business and academic leaders point to an acceleration in generative AI adoption starting in 2026.  Here's a summary of the findings: Shift from infrastructure to applications: AI innovation is moving beyond chips and cloud (Nvidia, GPUs, etc.) toward actual end-user applications and vertical software solutions. LLM costs are sliding: Training and using large language models is getting cheaper, though capex will still rise as usage expands. Academia is helping reduce costs: University research may accelerate efficiency gains in AI models. Software development deflation: Building with AI is cheaper and faster, but that means higher competition and pricing pressure for software companies. Tong said the conversations in Silicon Valley point to "positive implications" for S&P Global, Moody's, Iron Mountain, Verisk Analytics, and Thomson Reuters. He noted that his team has initiated coverage on McGraw-Hill with a "Buy" rating and a $27 12-month price target based on a "digital transformation" in the education space.  The analyst provided clients with a "chart of the week" that showed how McGraw-Hill is leveraging AI to improve product efficacy and drive growth.  image Is the AI rate adoption ( ) by hyperscalers?  image Let's hope so, or AI stocks face a hefty correction.  image More in the full Goldman note 📄.pdf to pro subs. Fri, 08/22/2025 - 13:40
Judge Declares Alina Habba's Roles As US Attorney For New Jersey 'Unlawful' Judge Declares Alina Habba's Roles As US Attorney For New Jersey 'Unlawful' (emphasis ours), A federal judge on Thursday found that Alina Habba, a former attorney to President Donald Trump, has been unlawfully serving as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey since July. image “Faced with the question of whether Ms. Habba is lawfully performing the functions and duties of the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, I conclude that she is not,” Judge Matthew Brann of the Middle District of Pennsylvania wrote in a 77-page 📄.pdf . “And because she is not currently qualified to exercise the functions and duties of the office in an acting capacity, she must be disqualified from participating in any ongoing cases,” Brann said. Trump appointed Habba in March as interim U.S. attorney, a role limited to 120 days unless extended by a vote of the district’s judges. When Habba’s term expired in July, the judges opted to replace her with her second-in-command, Desiree Grace. The Justice Department responded by firing Grace and reinstalling Habba, this time designating her as “Special Attorney to the Attorney General.” By law, interim U.S. attorneys may serve only 120 days before district judges either appoint a temporary successor or the Senate confirms the administration’s nominee. If neither happens, the office’s first assistant may temporarily assume the role. In New Jersey, that would have been Grace, but her removal cleared the way for Habba, now the most senior official in the office, to stay in charge. The Trump administration took this unusual maneuver as Democrats continue to block the president’s U.S. attorney nominees from getting a full Senate vote. While the administration has extended several interim appointments by sidestepping Senate confirmation and judicial appointment, Habba’s is so far the only one to face a formal legal challenge. The challenge was brought by three criminal defendants in New Jersey, who argued that Habba lacked legal authority to prosecute them after her 120-day interim appointment ended in July. They asked the court to throw out their indictments, claiming that any case filed under her leadership was invalid. Brann agreed that Habba had no legal authority but declined to dismiss those charges. Instead, he ruled that anyone who prosecutes them “under the supervision or authority of Ms. Habba” would be subject to disqualification, and that any prosecutorial actions she has made since July 1 should be declared voided. The case was reassigned to Brann after Michael A. Chagares, chief judge of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, ordered it moved out of the District of New Jersey. In a brief, one-sentence directive, Chagares said the trial was being transferred to the Middle District of Pennsylvania “in the public interest,” offering no further explanation. Anticipating an appeal, Brann stayed his ruling and allowed Habba to remain in place while higher courts review the matter. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment by publication time. It has argued that the president has broad discretion to decide who leads U.S. attorney offices. “The President has made clear that he will not permit anyone other than Ms. Habba to fill the current vacancy in the office of the United States Attorney on a temporary basis. That is his prerogative; this Court cannot second-guess it,” the department 📄.pdf in a court filing. Shortly after Habba took office, she opened an investigation into New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy over the state’s immigration policies. No charges have been filed so far in connection with the inquiry. In May, her office charged Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) with assaulting federal officers while McIver and two other lawmakers were conducting a “congressional oversight inspection” at an immigration detention center in Newark. Prosecutors allege that McIver tried to block the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who had been barred by federal agents from joining the delegation. McIver has denied wrongdoing and is seeking dismissal of the case. Habba’s office also charged Baraka with trespassing, but later dropped the case. Habba’s office did not respond to a request for comment by publication time. Fri, 08/22/2025 - 13:20
Trump 'Very Angry' At Ukraine Repeatedly Attacking Russian Pipeline To Hungary, Slovakia Trump 'Very Angry' At Ukraine Repeatedly Attacking Russian Pipeline To Hungary, Slovakia For the second time in less than two weeks, Russian oil shipments to Hungary have been suspended following yet another Ukrainian strike on the Druzhba pipeline. Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced it Friday, with Slovak officials also confirming. "This is yet another blow to our energy security - another effort to pull us into the war," Szijjarto stated on social media. It occurred near the Russia-Belarus border. image Prior strikes on the Druzhba pipeline network took place on August 13 and August 18, with the last attack having crippled a vital transformer station, which had previously but briefly halted oil flows. It is certainly nothing new that Ukraine's intelligence and military is targeting Russian energy infrastructure; however, what is new is President Trump's : U.S. President Donald Trump said he got “very angry” after Ukraine damaged a Russian oil pipeline that supplies his friend Viktor Orbán, Hungary's prime minister. Trump   to a note from Orbán, who complained about a Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Aug. 13 hitting the Druzhba oil pipeline, which supplies Hungary, Slovakia and other countries in Central Europe with Russian oil through Ukrainian territory. “Viktor — I do not like hearing this. I am very angry about it. Tell Slovakia,”   according to a letter published online by Orbán's ruling Fidesz party. “You are my great friend,” the U.S. president added. Below is the letter as released by Hungarian state media and the prime minister's office: image The incident that Trump was responding to was an earlier August attack, which occurred "just before the historic meeting between President Trump and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin in Alaska" - as Orban wrote. "Hungary supports Ukraine with electricity and petrol, in return they bomb pipeline that supply us. Very unfriendly move," Orban stated. Trump might also condemn this newest Friday attack if he's asked about it by reporters - but there remains something deeply contradictory about the White House stance. Trump just this week in a Truth Social post seemed to say that Ukraine must go on the offensive against Russia if it hopes to achieve a peace deal which benefits Kiev. As the WSJ https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-ukraine-peace-deal-trump-push-0da03328?mod=itp_wsj,djemITP_h :  By Thursday, he was saying that Kyiv had no chance of https://www.wsj.com/world/trump-truth-social-ukraine-russia-a545b8a3?mod=article_inline  without new attacks on Russia. “It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense,” Trump posted on social media. “Interesting times ahead!!!” His turnaround underscored the fading optimism about Trump’s latest push to end the war. Trump seems to be signaling that he wants to see Ukraine go on the offensive, but refrain from hitting energy sites. This is at least consistent with Trump's wanting a 'freeze' on attacks targeting energy infrastructure, which had been enacted for a brief period months ago. Hungary continues to rely heavily on Russian oil, even after most European nations have imposed sanctions and sought alternative sources. Polish-Hungarian relations in three tweets. — Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) Budapest's Russian energy supply is primarily delivered through the Druzhba pipeline, which passes through Belarus and Ukraine before reaching Hungary and Slovakia. Fri, 08/22/2025 - 13:00
FTC Sues Gym Chain For Making It 'Exceedingly Difficult' To Cancel Memberships FTC Sues Gym Chain For Making It 'Exceedingly Difficult' To Cancel Memberships (emphasis ours), The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against the operators of LA Fitness and other gyms over allegations that they make it “exceedingly difficult” for subscribers to cancel recurring gym memberships and related services, according to a issued by the agency on Aug. 20. image The FTC 📄.pdf was filed on Aug. 20 against Fitness International LLC and Fitness & Sports Clubs LLC, which together own and operate LA Fitness and other gym chains, including Esporta Fitness, City Sports Club, and Club Studio, which have more than 600 locations and more than 3.7 million members nationwide. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for violating the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA) and seeks monetary relief for consumers harmed by the alleged practices. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants use “difficult” cancellation procedures that are found to be time-consuming and inadequately disclosed to consumers when they join up. Members who wish to cancel must generate a cancellation form online and print it. Then, they need to submit the printed forms to the gym during limited hours. The forms must be submitted to the “specific manager at the location who is authorized to process the forms,” and not just any gym employee, the complaint states. Another way to cancel is by certified or registered mail, which necessitates a visit to the post office. The cancellation processes are “opaque, complicated, and demanding,” the FTC stated, adding that many consumers who have gone through the procedures “nevertheless find that they continue to be billed for their memberships.” According to the agency, the gym operators have retained the system despite receiving tens of thousands of reports from consumers complaining about the cancellation procedures. The companies offer gym memberships in the range of $30 to $299 per month, depending on additional services such as towel service or child care. The costs incurred by the consumer, while joining, include the first and last month’s dues, monthly recurring dues, and annual fees, the FTC stated. “The FTC’s complaint describes a scenario that too many Americans have experienced—a gym membership that seems impossible to cancel,” said Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. The commission voted 3–0 to authorize the filing of the complaint. According to https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/3386 , an online seller must disclose all material terms before attempting to charge any consumer’s credit card, debit card, or bank account, and provide simple mechanisms to stop recurring charges. The FTC is the enforcer of this Act. Gym Response Fitness International President Jill Hill expressed disappointment with the FTC complaint in a company published on Aug. 20. “The allegations are without merit, and the statute the FTC relies upon—the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA), enacted almost 15 years ago—was designed to address only online retail transactions, does not require any specific method of cancellation, and has never before been applied to the health club industry. We remain confident that we will prevail in court,” Hill said. She said most of the gym memberships were done at physical locations and not online. The companies have “launched an online cancellation option for all members, regardless of how they originally signed up,” Hill said. “With just a few clicks, members may cancel online—a step we voluntarily implemented well ahead of regulatory deadlines,” she said. The companies work to comply with all health club state laws regarding membership cancellations, according to Hill. The FTC had announced a “Click-to-Cancel” by the Trump administration to give businesses additional time to comply. The rule mandates that canceling a subscription must be as simple as signing up. Fri, 08/22/2025 - 12:40
Bill Ackman Is Promoting An Anti-Woke AI-Powered School Coming To New York Bill Ackman Is Promoting An Anti-Woke AI-Powered School Coming To New York Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman is throwing his support behind Alpha School, a private education network that blends artificial intelligence with an unconventional approach to learning, https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/bill-ackman-school-ai-curriculum-cef53f44 . The school, which already operates in Texas, Florida, and California, plans to open a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade campus in Manhattan this fall. Alpha’s model is unusual: students complete math, reading, and other fundamentals in just two hours a day using AI-driven software. The rest of the schedule is filled with activities meant to build confidence and practical skills, such as bike rides or drone workshops. “We do not let anything—political, social issues—come in the way,” said co-founder MacKenzie Price. “We stay very much out of that.” Price, who has become a prominent critic of traditional education on social media, launched Alpha more than a decade ago. The school employs “guides” rather than certified teachers and charges families between $40,000 and $65,000 annually, depending on location. image Ackman, best known for running the $20 billion firm Pershing Square, has recently taken on the role of informal booster for Alpha. He first heard about the school earlier this year and was impressed by its reliance on technology and its decision to avoid hot-button debates around diversity, equity, and inclusion. He has since hosted parents at Alpha’s Austin campus and is scheduled to appear on a panel about education at his Hamptons home, alongside Price, Alpha principal Joe Liemandt, and financier Michael Milken. The https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/bill-ackman-school-ai-curriculum-cef53f44 that though not an investor, Ackman’s enthusiasm has elevated the school’s profile. A person close to Alpha described him as a “de facto ambassador.” On social media, he praised its approach in what some observers saw as a glowing endorsement. Ackman’s embrace of Alpha fits into his broader criticism of higher education, especially his attacks on Harvard University’s handling of campus antisemitism and its embrace of DEI initiatives. His online campaign against Harvard leadership last year helped push the school’s president to resign. Alpha plans to expand quickly, with new schools opening in Arizona, North Carolina, Virginia, California, and Puerto Rico. Price has said she may eventually raise outside investment to fund growth, but for now Ackman’s backing is giving the school an influential foothold in New York’s crowded private-education market. Fri, 08/22/2025 - 12:05
US National Security Probe Targets Wind Industry US National Security Probe Targets Wind Industry By Julianne Geiger of The Commerce Department just opened a Section 232 “national security” probe into imported wind turbines and parts—quietly on Aug. 13, publicly today. That matters because 232 isn’t a press release; it’s a legal on-ramp to more tariffs on top of the new 50% duty already applied to the steel and aluminum content in turbines and components. image Here’s the operational read: the U.S. wind build is heavily import-dependent for blades, drivetrains, and electrical systems. In 2023, the U.S. brought in about https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-21/us-launches-probe-of-wind-turbines-opening-door-to-more-tariffs?utm_source=chatgpt.com , with roughly 41% from Mexico, Canada, and China. If you tax the metal inside the machine—and potentially layer more 232 duties later—you squeeze project profit margins, renegotiate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs—long-term contracts to sell the power), or delay FIDs. None of those outcomes lowers your Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE—think of it as the average lifetime price per unit of electricity once you add up all the costs). Wood Mackenzie pegs the tariff bite (+5% total project costs) under the earlier tariff proposals; in a universal 25% tariff scenario, turbine costs could rise ~10% and LCOE up ~7%. And that was before Commerce slapped a 50% surcharge on the steel/aluminum content—so the floor just moved higher. Expect original equipment manufacturers to reroute supply chains, localize sub-assemblies, and raise prices anyway. Vestas has already said the quiet part out loud: these costs flow straight through to electricity prices. Don’t confuse this with an offshore-only story. Onshore wind is where the bulk of U.S. volume lives, and it’s far more sensitive to every $/kW swing, gearbox delivery delay, and tower steel price jump. Section 232 is also being deployed against other “critical” imports (planes, chips, pharma), so wind isn’t a one-off carve-out—it’s part of a broader, durable trade posture that project finance now has to underwrite. Winners and losers? Near-term winners include U.S. tower fabricators and any blade/drivetrain maker who can credibly and quickly localize. Losers are developers stuck with fixed-price PPAs and engineering firms with thin contingencies. Grid bottlenecks and permitting are still the bigger choke points, but tariffs aren’t a rounding error anymore—they’re line-item pain. The probe suggests that “buy more domestic, pay more near-term” is policy, not rhetoric. Expect delayed Commercial Operation Dates (CODs—the day projects actually flip the switch and start earning revenue), tougher PPA negotiations, and a faster push to U.S. content. Wind still looks okay economically on paper, just with a higher metal cost and a thinner margin for error. Fri, 08/22/2025 - 11:45
Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin To Revoke DEI-Related NIH Grants Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin To Revoke DEI-Related NIH Grants By Matthew Vadum of , The Supreme Court voted 5–4 on Aug. 21 to allow the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants linked to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. image The new ruling clears the way for the funding reductions while litigation over the grants continues in the lower courts. The justices five separate opinions explaining their votes. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett voted to allow the grants to be cut. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Chief Justice John Roberts voted to deny the government’s request to rescind the funding. The high court https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a103_kh7p.pdf#page=8 it acted because the federal government faces the possibility that the grant monies, once paid out, may not be recovered. Moreover, “the plaintiffs do not state that they will repay grant money if the Government ultimately prevails.” The case is known as National Institutes of Health v. American Public Health Association. The Department of Justice 📄.pdf an emergency application with the nation’s highest court late last month, asking the justices to block a ruling by Boston-based U.S. District Judge William Young, who found the cancellation was unlawful and ordered the government to restore the funding. NIH began taking steps in February to end the grants that conflict with President Donald Trump’s policy priorities. The NIH is the world’s largest government funder of biomedical research. The emergency application from two lawsuits challenging the cuts to grants involving DEI, “transgender issues,” “vaccine hesitancy,” and other issues. The American Public Health Association described the cuts as an “ongoing ideological purge” of projects with a purported connection to gender identity, DEI, or “other vague, now-forbidden language.” A coalition of 16 attorneys general, largely Democrats, alleged their public research institutions are facing harm because of the funding delays and cuts. The district court directed the NIH “to continue paying $783 million in federal grants that are undisputedly counter to the Administration’s priorities,” the department said in its filing. “Following the change in Administration, the NIH identified, explained, and pursued new funding priorities. That is democracy at work, not, as the district court thought, proof of inappropriate ‘partisan[ship]’—let alone a permissible basis for setting agency action aside.” In his written https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a103_kh7p.pdf#page=8 in Department of Education v. California in April that let the Trump administration withdraw education-related grants. “Lower court judges may sometimes disagree with this Court’s decisions, but they are never free to defy them,” Gorsuch said. Unless we want anarchy to take over the federal judicial system, “a precedent of this Court must be followed by the lower federal courts no matter how misguided the judges of those courts may think it to be,” Gorsuch said, quoting a prior Supreme Court ruling. In his dissenting https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a103_kh7p.pdf#page=7 , Roberts said the district court ruling was justified. “This relief—which has prospective and generally applicable implications beyond the reinstatement of specific grants—falls well within the scope of the District Court’s jurisdiction under the [federal] Administrative Procedure Act.” Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson joined the dissent in part. In her dissenting opinion, Jackson said the high court’s new ruling is “Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist,” a reference to a fictional game featured in the comic strip, “Calvin and Hobbes.” “Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this Administration always wins,” she said. Fri, 08/22/2025 - 11:05
Cracker Barrel's Board Should Fire The CEO Immediately Cracker Barrel's Board Should Fire The CEO Immediately Submitted by Cracker Barrel is learning the same lesson Bud Light did: fat, bearded, gun toting middle Americans not only dislike change — especially the “woke” kind — but will also turn on you for taking a staple brand they love and pile-driving it into the ground. Today Cracker Barrel’s stock cratered more than 10% after the company unveiled a rebrand that scrapped its iconic barrel-and-man logo in favor of a sterile, text-only “woker” design minus the old white guy and the…well, cracker barrel. image The move, pushed by CEO Julie Felss Masino, has triggered furious backlash from customers, conservatives, and investors alike, with many calling it the chain’s “Bud Light moment. And me, just calling it grossly f**king incompetent. I mean, honestly. How do you become goddamn CEO of Cracker Barrel without understanding that this is your demographic? If you asked me to find me a woke Democrat in this crowd, I couldn’t. If you asked me to find someone who does their own plumbing or shot a deer before 6AM the day this photo was taken, I could simply point to anyone — including the women. image How does the company’s CEO just not walk into one of their own restaurants and open their eyes? How does she not understand that nobody has ever said, “Let’s pull off at Exit 49 for a plate of woke minimalism.” People go for biscuits the size of baseball mitts, kitschy décor that hasn’t changed since Nixon, and that faint smell of maple syrup soaked into the walls. Instead, the CEO has singlehandedly torched decades of brand identity with a text-only logo that looks like it was spit out by a bored intern with Microsoft Word. The has been ferocious. Meanwhile, CEO Julie Felss Masino is insisting the feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive,” which is corporate-speak for “I muted my notifications yesterday morning and set my e-mail to my ‘out of office’ reply". This is the executive leading a $700 million “modernization” push to swap cozy country stores for sterile farmhouse chic. In other words, the woman who thought you could make Cracker Barrel better by making it look less like Cracker Barrel. image Masino’s vision is essentially to strip away the hokey charm and replace it with something she clearly believes will appeal to “younger, more diverse diners.” The menu is being tinkered with too—lighter options, healthier twists, a nod to “evolving tastes.” But here’s the obvious question: did she learn nothing from Bud Light? After watching the number-one beer in America self-immolate by alienating its core base, Masino still thought bulldozing nostalgia in favor of bland “relevance” was a stroke of genius? That’s not bold leadership—that’s corporate malpractice. Forget about not having a case study back at Harvard Business School to remember. Bud Light walked this exact plank literally just 2 years ago when it decided to suddenly pivot into a progressive rebrand via Dylan Mulvaney. 🔥 50% OFF FOR LIFE: Using this coupon entitles you to 50% off an annual subscription to Fringe Finance for life:  The fallout was brutal: sales cratered, Modelo swooped in as the new king of American beer, and over a year later Bud Light is still limping like a horse that should have been put down. Ex-Anheuser-Busch execs admit it hasn’t recovered at all. And here’s the kicker—once you lose that loyal customer, they don’t come back. People who think salisbury steak is gourmet eating will switch to Modelo or, in Cracker Barrel’s case, literally any other highway diner, and they’ll never think twice about it. The stock immediately plunging more than 10% should be all the impetus the board of directors needs to show Julie Felss Masino the door immediately and try and save its brand. How can anyone with a straight face defend this gamble after the smoking ruins of Bud Light and even Jaguar’s own branding fiascos showed what happens when you gut your brand’s entire identity to chase “relevance”? This isn’t bold leadership, it’s gross incompetence. In one trading session she managed to vaporize over $100 million in shareholder value. One day. So the $700 million renovation now has costed $800 million. If wiping out nine figures in value with a single rebrand isn’t grounds for termination, what exactly is? image QTR’s Disclaimer: Please read my full legal disclaimer   with my best effort to uphold what the license asks, or with the permission of the author. This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any stocks or securities, just my opinions. I often lose money on positions I trade/invest in. I may add any name mentioned in this article and sell any name mentioned in this piece at any time, without further warning. None of this is a solicitation to buy or sell securities. I may or may not own names I write about and are watching. Sometimes I’m bullish without owning things, sometimes I’m bearish and do own things. Just assume my positions could be exactly the opposite of what you think they are just in case. If I’m long I could quickly be short and vice versa. I won’t update my positions. All positions can change immediately as soon as I publish this, with or without notice and at any point I can be long, short or neutral on any position. You are on your own. Do not make decisions based on my blog. I exist on the fringe. If you see numbers and calculations of any sort, assume they are wrong and double check them. I failed Algebra in 8th grade and topped off my high school math accolades by getting a D- in remedial Calculus my senior year, before becoming an English major in college so I could bullshit my way through things easier. The publisher does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided in this page. These are not the opinions of any of my employers, partners, or associates. I did my best to be honest about my disclosures but can’t guarantee I am right; I write these posts after a couple beers sometimes. I edit after my posts are published because I’m impatient and lazy, so if you see a typo, check back in a half hour. Also, I just straight up get sh*t wrong a lot. I mention it twice because it’s that important. Fri, 08/22/2025 - 10:25