Cracker Barrel's Botched Rebranding Attempt

In the realm of activism, the radical pro-Palestinian group "Within Our Lifetime" (WOL) continues to make headlines. Led by Nerdeen Kiswani, a CUNY graduate and longtime activist in New York City, the organization has evolved from the NYC chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. Kiswani, who serves as the group's chairwoman despite multiple arrests, guides WOL's inner structure, which has been marked by lawless actions such as protests, property destruction, and campus occupations. Despite a decline in activity from other pro-Palestinian groups, WOL remains active in New York.

Elsewhere, San Francisco has seen significant changes. Tent encampments in the city have decreased by 85% since the pandemic, and the quality of life has improved, with a 57% increase in respondents saying it's excellent or good. Crime in San Francisco has also decreased by 27% year-over-year. These improvements, however, have been met with some controversy, as the significant contributions of Republicans to the city's turnaround have been largely ignored.

In the corporate world, the logo change at Cracker Barrel sparked a backlash on August 27, 2025. Conservative activists highlighted a shift towards DEI, Pride, and race politics, leading to a selloff that knocked its stock down as much as 17 percent. Christopher F. Rufo argues that this incident exposed how even companies that rely on conservative customers have drifted towards certain ideologies. Rufo suggests that conservatives can win culture fights, corporations follow the media narrative, and consumer reaction can change corporate behavior.

Meanwhile, in the realm of ideas and policy, the Manhattan Institute, a think tank, publishes a quarterly magazine of urban affairs. The magazine, which is available for subscription, has featured articles by Allison Schrager, C. Jarrett Dieterle, and Christopher F. Rufo. The Institute's website also offers options for app download, subscription, and donation.

On the topic of pharmaceuticals, President Trump's May 12 executive order aims at foreign countries that impose price controls. However, Burke Smith argues that the price-control policies outlined in the order may be impossible to implement properly and could make life-saving medicine costlier. He suggests that the Trump administration would be better served by using diplomacy to export a market-based approach instead of importing socialist price control mechanisms.

In a separate article, Smith also discusses the potential implications of the Trump administration's policies. He argues that the administration would be better off focusing on diplomacy rather than importing socialist price control mechanisms, which could lead to increased costs for life-saving medicines.

These developments span various sectors, from activism and politics to business and policy, providing a snapshot of the current state of affairs in these areas.