Cracker Barrel relents, says its old logo will return

Cracker Barrel relents, says its old logo will return

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer

Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.

In a post on its website, Cracker Barrel said it will retain its old logo, which features an older man in overalls sitting next to a barrel and the words “Old Country Store.”

“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel,” the company said in a statement. “Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain.”

The tempest over the logo began last week, when the company announced plans for a simplified design featuring only the company’s name. Lebanon, Tennessee-based Cracker Barrel, which has 660 restaurants in 43 states, made the change as part of a wider plan to modernize its restaurants and appeal to younger customers.

The chain’s sales have been slipping as it faces growing competition from breakfast chains and others. In its 2024 fiscal year, Cracker Barrel’s same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, dropped 0.1% despite a 4.9% increase in menu prices. Same-store retail sales at its shops fell 5.5%.

But many protested the change. On Monday, Cracker Barrel put out an apologetic statement, saying it “could have done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”

At that point, Cracker Barrel didn’t say it would change the logo, but said it would listen to its customers and keep many of the things they have come to love about the restaurant, like the rocking chairs on its front porches. The company said it would continue to honor Uncle Herschel — the older man in its logo, who represents the uncle of Cracker Barrel’s founder — on its menu and on items sold in its stores.

But the controversy continued. On Tuesday morning, Trump said via Truth Social that 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.” Cracker Barrel’s shares rose after more than a week of declines.

By Tuesday evening, Cracker Barrel had made its decision and scrapped the new logo.

“At Cracker Barrel, it’s always been – and always will be – about serving up delicious food, warm welcomes, and the kind of country hospitality that feels like family,” the company said. “As a proud American institution, our 70,000 hardworking employees look forward to welcoming you to our table soon.”

Trump was among those celebrating the move.

“Good luck into the future. Make lots of money and, most importantly, make your customers happy again!” Trump said via Truth Social.

A late push sends Wall Street near its records

A late push sends Wall Street near its records

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers

Wall Street capped a choppy day of trading Tuesday with slight gains for stocks, leaving the major indexes just below their recent all-time highs.

The S&P 500 closed 0.4% higher after wavering between small gains and losses for much of the day. The benchmark index finished just 2.6 points below its record high set earlier this month and short of recouping all of its losses from the day before.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average also bounced back from an early slide, finishing with a 0.3% gain. The Nasdaq composite added 0.4%.

The market’s uneven start to the week comes after Wall Street notched big gains last week on hopes for interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.

Gains in technology, financial and industrial stocks helped outweigh losses in communication services and other sectors. Chipmaking giant Nvidia rose 1.1% and JPMorgan Chase added 1.2%.

Boeing rose 3.5% for one of the biggest gains among S&P 500 companies after Korean Air announced a $50 billion deal with the company that includes buying more than 100 aircraft. Dish Network parent EchoStar surged 70.2% after AT&T said it will buy some of its wireless spectrum licenses in a $23 billion deal.

Treasury yields mostly fell in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.26% from 4.28% late Monday.

The broader market remained subdued following President Donald Trump’s escalation of his fight with the Federal Reserve. On Monday, he said that he’s removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Cook’s lawyer said she’ll sue Trump’s administration to try to prevent him from firing her.

It marks the latest escalation in his dispute with the central bank over its cautious interest rate policy. The Fed has held rates steady since late 2024 over worries that Trump’s unpredictable tariff policy will reignite inflation. Trump has also threatened to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, often taunting him with name-calling. Still, he is only one of 12 votes that decides interest rate policy.

“We will continue to monitor rising political pressure on the Fed but expect its decision-making to remain guided by its mandate in the near term,” said Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, chief investment officer for the Americas and global head of equities at UBS Global Wealth Management.

Wall Street is still betting that the Fed will trim its benchmark interest rate at its next meeting in September. Traders see an 87% chance that the central bank will cut the rate by a quarter of a percentage point, according to data from CME Group.

The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for Fed action, slipped to to 3.68% from 3.73% late Friday.

The Federal Reserve spent much of the last several years fighting rising inflation by raising interest rates. It managed to mostly tame inflation and avoided having those higher rates stall economic growth, thanks largely to strong consumer spending and a resilient job market.

The Fed started shifting its policy by cutting its benchmark interest rate late in 2024 as the rate of inflation neared its target of 2%. It decided to hit the pause button heading into 2025 over concerns that Trump’s unpredictable tariff policy could reignite inflation. Lower interest rates make borrowing easier, helping to spur more investment and spending, but that could also potentially fuel inflation.

The Fed and Wall Street will get another update on inflation Friday, when the U.S. releases the personal consumption expenditures index. Economists expect it show that inflation remained at about 2.6% in July, compared with a year ago. Businesses have been warning investors and consumers about higher costs and prices because of tariffs.

The Fed has recently become more worried about the state of the employment market, which has shown signs of weakening. Aside from keeping inflation in check, the central bank is tasked with using its tools to help maintain a healthy job market. It will get another big update on the employment market in early September, ahead of its next policy meeting.

Consumer confidence declined modestly in August as anxiety over a weakening job market grew for the eighth straight month. The small decline from the Conference Board’s monthly survey was mostly in line with economists’ projections.

Crude oil prices fell. European and Asian markets closed lower.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 26.62 points to 6,465.94. The Dow gained 135.60 points to 45,418.07, and the Nasdaq added 94.98 points to 21,544.27.

Cameron Young put his Wake Forest teammate on the bag and has been on a roll

Cameron Young put his Wake Forest teammate on the bag and has been on a roll

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

ATLANTA (AP) — Cameron Young’s biggest goal this year was to play in the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, about an hour away from where the native New Yorker grew up, the course where he once held the scoring record while becoming the first amateur to win the New York State Open.

And there he was in May, spinning his wheels. He missed five cuts in eight tournaments, finished out of the top 50 in two others. That’s when he called an old friend.

Young was teammates at Wake Forest with Kyle Sterbinsky, who was still trying to make his way through various mini-tours. Sterbinsky is from the Philadelphia area, and the PGA Tour was at the Philadelphia Cricket Club for the Truist Championship.

“He was nearing the end of when he was going to keep playing or not. I needed a change. Things were going poorly, and when things are going bad, you change something,” Young said.

“I didn’t want to force his hand,” Young said. “He said, ‘Yes, I’ll work for you as long as you want.’ It was going to be a couple of weeks. Played well. Another four weeks. Played well. And here we are.”

Another key change was Young switching to a Pro V1 prototype before he broke through at the Wyndham Championship for his first PGA Tour victory. Young said it helped him manage how much he spins the ball.

More than close friends and teammates, Young said Sterbinsky is a “fantastic” — he emphasized each syllable — reader of greens.

“Caddies can help you with a lot of things, but I don’t know how many you’re going to find who are actually better at reading greens than any of the players,” Young said. “If he’s not better, he’s very, very good.”

Young, on the cusp of winning two majors as a rookie in 2022, finished the year with a win, a tie for fifth in the first FedEx Cup playoff event, a tie for 11th at the BMW Championship and a tie for fourth at the Tour Championship.

He has gone from No. 67 in the world ranking to No. 20 with Sterbinsky. And as he left East Lake he found himself hopeful of a call from Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley.

Tiger’s new deal

Tiger Woods hasn’t played since last December and his name came up twice last week, a look into the future that was as much about his birthday and any injury.

He turns 50 at the end of the year.

Paul Azinger, upon accepting the Payne Stewart Award, was thanking a close friend from the Concession Golf Club in Florida when he chuckled and said, “Hosting the Senior PGA Championship next year. Tiger is turning 50!”

And then came word that Woods had signed a brand partnership with Insperity, a business performance solutions company in Houston that has hosted a PGA Tour Champions event in the Houston area since 2011.

His agent at Excel Sports Management, Mark Steinberg, said it was an organic relationship that evolved over the last three years. Should golf expect to see Woods in Houston next year? Another chuckle. No, Steinberg said that wasn’t part of the contract.

Still, it was the first big deal involving Woods since he left Nike and launched his apparel brand Sun Day Red at the start of 2024.

Insperity will use Woods in brand campaigns and various programs, and the company plans to support several events that benefit his TGR Foundation and its mission of education, including support of the Genesis Invitational and Hero World Challenge.

“Insperity’s commitment to helping businesses thrive and their focus on long-term growth resonate with my values and goals,” Woods said in a news release.

Breakfast at Bethpage

The Ryder Cup now has what amounts to its own pregame show on the golf course.

“Breakfast at Bethpage” makes its debut this year, hosted by Colin Jost of “Saturday Night Live” in what has been described as a blend of CollegeGame Day and ManningCast.

Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions is behind this program that will be broadcast live from the grandstand at the first tee each morning of the matches on Sept. 26-28. There also will be reports from among the fans on the first tee and other parts of the course, with celebrity guests on the show.

“The Ryder Cup’s First Tee is legendary for its energy, and Breakfast at Bethpage will put fans right in the middle of that excitement,” Manning said.

Pro Shop Studios, the production company behind the “Full Swing” Netflix series and co-producers on “Happy Gilmore 2,” has teamed up with Omaha Productions to develop the format and is collaborating on all creative elements for the program.

It will be available to watch on the Ryder Cup’s website, app and YouTube page, along with being streamed on Peacock.

The Fanny connection

Harry Hall completed his best year by reaching the Tour Championship, which sends him to the Masters for the first time next year. Part of that is a connection with Nick Faldo, which led him to Swedish caddie Fanny Sunesson.

They met at The Players Championship a few years ago. Hall also got to know Faldo, who invited him to his home in Montana to hit balls.

“The best experience in the world,” Hall said, adding that Faldo watched him hit balls at Royal Portrush last summer.

Sunesson is more than a caddie. Long ago she worked with the German national team on course management, including one young lad years ago whose name was Martin Kaymer.

“I’ve been working with Fanny Sunesson on my mental game really, and we’ve been working together for the last 3 1/2 months,” Hall said at the BMW Championship. “And I’ve put a lot of my decision-making and getting a little bit more comfortable on the course down to my work with her.”

Hall was among those who reached the Tour Championship without full access to signature events to start the year.

He got into Kapalua from winning an opposite-field event in 2024 (tie for eighth). His tie for sixth at Colonial helped get him into the Travelers Championship, where he tied for ninth.

His sixth-place finish at the BMW Championship allowed him to get into the Tour Championship, and he’s set for 2026.

Europe on the rise

Tommy Fleetwood finally got his first PGA Tour victory. He also became the 17th player from the European continent to win on the tour over the last three years.

Fleetwood was the sixth English winner in that span, joining Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, Harry Hall, Aaron Rai and Matt Wallace. More remarkably is that Sweden is the only other country to produce two winners in that stretch, Ludvig Aberg and Vincent Normann.

Europeans combined to win 10 times this year, not a bad sign for them in a Ryder Cup year.

Divots

Two streaks are getting plenty of attention. Scottie Scheffler has gone 14 consecutive tournaments finishing no worse than eighth, which the PGA Tour says is the longest such streak since Ben Hogan over three years in the early 1950s. And the LPGA Tour now has had a different winner in the first 22 tournaments to start a season, the longest streak in its 75-year history. … Auburn junior Jackson Koivun has a PGA Tour card waiting for him when he turns pro next summer. He also has spots in the U.S. Open and British Open if he’s still an amateur. The major exemptions come with Koivun winning the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading player in the world amateur golf ranking this year.

Stat of the week

Tommy Fleetwood was the first player since Chad Campbell in 2003 to make the Tour Championship his first PGA Tour title.

Final word

“Look, the sports business is not that complicated. You get the product right, you get the right partners, your fans will reward you with their time because they’re telling you it’s good and they want more of it. And then the commercial and the business part will take care of itself.” — Brian Rolapp, CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises.

Embattled Fed Gov. Lisa Cook says she’ll sue Trump to keep her job

Embattled Fed Gov. Lisa Cook says she’ll sue Trump to keep her job

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook will sue President Donald Trump’s administration to try to prevent him from firing her, her lawyer said Tuesday.

“President Trump has no authority to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook,” said Abbe Lowell, a longtime Washington lawyer who has represented figures from both major political parties. “His attempt to fire her, based solely on a referral letter, lacks any factual or legal basis. We will be filing a lawsuit challenging this illegal action.”

The case is likely to end up at the Supreme Court and could more clearly define the limits of the president’s legal authority over the traditionally independent institution. The Fed exercises expansive power over the U.S. economy by adjusting a short-term interest rate that can influence broader borrowing costs for things like mortgages, auto loans, and business loans. Trump, a Republican, has repeatedly demanded that Chair Jerome Powell and the Fed’s rate-setting committee cut its rate to boost the economy and reduce interest payments on the government’s $37 trillion debt pile.

If Trump succeeds in removing Cook from the Fed’s board of governors, it could erode the Fed’s political independence, which is considered critical to its ability to fight inflation because it enables the Fed to take unpopular steps like raising interest rates. A less-independent Fed could leave Americans paying higher interest rates, because investors would demand a higher yield to own bonds to offset potentially greater inflation in the future, pushing up borrowing costs throughout the economy.

Who’s on the board?

Trump appointed two members of the board, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, in his first term and has named Steven Miran, a top White House economist, to replace Gov. Adriana Kugler, who stepped down unexpectedly Aug. 1. If Miran’s nomination is approved by the Senate and Trump is able to replace Cook, he would have a 4-3 majority on the Fed’s board, which votes on all interest rate decisions, along with five of the Fed’s 12 regional bank presidents.

Legal experts say the Republican president’s claim that he can fire Cook, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden in 2022, is on shaky ground. But it’s an unprecedented move that hasn’t played out in the courts before, and the Supreme Court this year has been much more willing to let the president remove agency officials than in the past.

“It’s an illegal firing, but the president’s going to argue, ‘The Constitution lets me do it,’” said Lev Menand, a law professor at Columbia University and author of a book about the Fed. “And that argument’s worked in a few other cases so far this year.”

Menand said the Supreme Court construes the Constitution’s meaning, and “it can make new constitutional law in this case.”

Allegations against Cook

Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, made the accusations last week. Pulte alleged that Cook had claimed two primary residences — in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and in Atlanta — in 2021 to get better mortgage terms. Mortgage rates are often higher on second homes or those bought to rent.

The most likely next step for Cook is to seek an injunction against Trump’s order that would allow her to continue her work as a governor. But the situation puts the Fed in a difficult position.

“They have their own legal obligation to follow the law,” Menand said. “And that does not mean do whatever the president says. … The Fed is under an independent duty to reach its own conclusions about the legality of Lisa Cook’s removal.”

The Fed has declined to comment on Trump’s effort to fire Cook.

Trump said in a letter posted on his Truth Social platform late Monday that he was removing Cook effective immediately because of allegations she committed mortgage fraud.

Cook says she won’t resign

Cook said Monday night that she would not step down. “President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so,” she said in an emailed statement. “I will not resign.”

The courts have allowed the Trump administration to remove commissioners at the National Labor Relations Board, the Merit System Protection Board and other independent agencies. Yet Cook’s case is different.

Those dismissals were based on the idea that the president needs no reason to remove agency heads because they exercise executive power on his behalf, the Supreme Court wrote in an unsigned order in May.

In that same order, the court suggested that Trump did not have the same freedom at the Fed, which the court called a “uniquely structured, quasi-private entity.”

Removing governors ‘for cause’

The law that governs the central bank, the Federal Reserve Act, includes a provision allowing for the removal of Fed governors “for cause.”

“For cause” is typically interpreted to mean malfeasance or dereliction of duty by an official while in office, not something done before that person is appointed, Menand said.

To establish a “for cause” firing also requires a finding of fact, said Scott Alvarez, the Fed’s former general counsel and now adjunct professor at Georgetown Law.

“We know there’s allegations by Bill Pulte, but Lisa has not been able to respond yet,” Alvarez said. “So we don’t know if they’re true. Allegations are not cause.’’

Lowell said Monday night that Trump’s “reflex to bully is flawed and his demands lack any proper process, basis or legal authority,” adding, “We will take whatever actions are needed to prevent his attempted illegal action.”

Cook is the first Black woman to serve as a governor. She was a Marshall Scholar and received degrees from Oxford University and Spelman College, and she has taught at Michigan State University and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

___

Associated Press Writers Mark Sherman and Paul Wiseman contributed to this report.

Embattled Fed Gov. Lisa Cook says she’ll sue Trump to keep her job

Embattled Fed Gov. Lisa Cook says she’ll sue Trump to keep her job

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook will sue President Donald Trump’s administration to try to prevent him from firing her, her lawyer said Tuesday.

“President Trump has no authority to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook,” said Abbe Lowell, a longtime Washington lawyer who has represented figures from both major political parties. “His attempt to fire her, based solely on a referral letter, lacks any factual or legal basis. We will be filing a lawsuit challenging this illegal action.”

The case is likely to end up at the Supreme Court and could more clearly define the limits of the president’s legal authority over the traditionally independent institution. The Fed exercises expansive power over the U.S. economy by adjusting a short-term interest rate that can influence broader borrowing costs for things like mortgages, auto loans, and business loans. Trump, a Republican, has repeatedly demanded that Chair Jerome Powell and the Fed’s rate-setting committee cut its rate to boost the economy and reduce interest payments on the government’s $37 trillion debt pile.

If Trump succeeds in removing Cook from the Fed’s board of governors, it could erode the Fed’s political independence, which is considered critical to its ability to fight inflation because it enables the Fed to take unpopular steps like raising interest rates. A less-independent Fed could leave Americans paying higher interest rates, because investors would demand a higher yield to own bonds to offset potentially greater inflation in the future, pushing up borrowing costs throughout the economy.

Who’s on the board?

Trump appointed two members of the board, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, in his first term and has named Steven Miran, a top White House economist, to replace Gov. Adriana Kugler, who stepped down unexpectedly Aug. 1. If Miran’s nomination is approved by the Senate and Trump is able to replace Cook, he would have a 4-3 majority on the Fed’s board, which votes on all interest rate decisions, along with five of the Fed’s 12 regional bank presidents.

Legal experts say the Republican president’s claim that he can fire Cook, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden in 2022, is on shaky ground. But it’s an unprecedented move that hasn’t played out in the courts before, and the Supreme Court this year has been much more willing to let the president remove agency officials than in the past.

“It’s an illegal firing, but the president’s going to argue, ‘The Constitution lets me do it,’” said Lev Menand, a law professor at Columbia University and author of a book about the Fed. “And that argument’s worked in a few other cases so far this year.”

Menand said the Supreme Court construes the Constitution’s meaning, and “it can make new constitutional law in this case.”

Allegations against Cook

Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, made the accusations last week. Pulte alleged that Cook had claimed two primary residences — in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and in Atlanta — in 2021 to get better mortgage terms. Mortgage rates are often higher on second homes or those bought to rent.

The most likely next step for Cook is to seek an injunction against Trump’s order that would allow her to continue her work as a governor. But the situation puts the Fed in a difficult position.

“They have their own legal obligation to follow the law,” Menand said. “And that does not mean do whatever the president says. … The Fed is under an independent duty to reach its own conclusions about the legality of Lisa Cook’s removal.”

The Fed has declined to comment on Trump’s effort to fire Cook.

Trump said in a letter posted on his Truth Social platform late Monday that he was removing Cook effective immediately because of allegations she committed mortgage fraud.

Cook says she won’t resign

Cook said Monday night that she would not step down. “President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so,” she said in an emailed statement. “I will not resign.”

The courts have allowed the Trump administration to remove commissioners at the National Labor Relations Board, the Merit System Protection Board and other independent agencies. Yet Cook’s case is different.

Those dismissals were based on the idea that the president needs no reason to remove agency heads because they exercise executive power on his behalf, the Supreme Court wrote in an unsigned order in May.

In that same order, the court suggested that Trump did not have the same freedom at the Fed, which the court called a “uniquely structured, quasi-private entity.”

Removing governors ‘for cause’

The law that governs the central bank, the Federal Reserve Act, includes a provision allowing for the removal of Fed governors “for cause.”

“For cause” is typically interpreted to mean malfeasance or dereliction of duty by an official while in office, not something done before that person is appointed, Menand said.

To establish a “for cause” firing also requires a finding of fact, said Scott Alvarez, the Fed’s former general counsel and now adjunct professor at Georgetown Law.

“We know there’s allegations by Bill Pulte, but Lisa has not been able to respond yet,” Alvarez said. “So we don’t know if they’re true. Allegations are not cause.’’

Lowell said Monday night that Trump’s “reflex to bully is flawed and his demands lack any proper process, basis or legal authority,” adding, “We will take whatever actions are needed to prevent his attempted illegal action.”

Cook is the first Black woman to serve as a governor. She was a Marshall Scholar and received degrees from Oxford University and Spelman College, and she has taught at Michigan State University and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

___

Associated Press Writers Mark Sherman and Paul Wiseman contributed to this report.

Trump and Republican senators fight over a century-old tradition for judicial nominees

Trump and Republican senators fight over a century-old tradition for judicial nominees

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the Senate’s century-old tradition of allowing home state senators to sign off on some federal judge and U.S. attorney nominees is “old and outdated.” Republican senators disagree.

Trump has been complaining about what’s called the blue slip process for weeks and has pushed Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to abandon the practice. But the veteran senator hasn’t budged. On Monday, Trump said he may sue, arguing that he can only get “weak” judges approved in states that have at least one Democratic senator.

“This is based on an old custom. It’s not based on a law. And I think it’s unconstitutional,” Trump told reporters. “And I’ll probably be filing a suit on that pretty soon.”

A look at the blue slip process and why Republicans are holding on to it, for now:

Trump faces rare pushback from Republicans

It’s unclear who Trump would sue or how such a lawsuit would work since the Senate sets its own rules. And Senate Republicans have been unbowed, arguing that they used the process to their own benefit when Democrat Joe Biden was president. They say they will want the practice to be in place if they are in the minority again.

Republicans also note that judges who don’t receive approval from their home state senators are unlikely to have enough votes for confirmation, anyway.

“In Biden admin Republicans kept 30 LIBERALS OFF BENCH THAT PRES TRUMP CAN NOW FILL W CONSERVATIVES,” Grassley posted on X shortly after Trump’s remarks on Monday.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican member of the judiciary committee, posted on X that getting rid of the blue slip “is a terrible, short-sighted ploy that paves the path for Democrats to ram through extremist liberal judges in red states over the long-term.”

Republicans “shouldn’t fall for it,” Tillis wrote.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has also defended blue slips, saying in the past that he had used the process himself and worked with the Biden administration when there was a judicial vacancy in South Dakota. “I don’t sense any rush to change it,” Thune said.

It’s a longstanding practice, though it’s evolved

The blue slip is a blue-colored form that is submitted to the two home state senators after the president nominates someone to become a district judge or U.S. attorney, among other federal positions that are contained within one state.

The home state senators can individually return the slips with a positive or negative response. If there is a negative response, or if the form is not returned, the chairman of the judiciary panel can choose not to move forward.

Democrats have opposed several of Trump’s nominees this year, including Alina Habba, a nominee for U.S. attorney in New Jersey, and two prosecutors nominated in New York who have been blocked by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

The blue slip tradition has been in place since at least 1918, according to the Congressional Research Service. But like many Senate traditions, it has evolved over the years to become more partisan. Until 2017, at the beginning of Trump’s first term, blue slips were also honored for nominees to the circuit court, which oversee multiple states. But the Republican-led judiciary panel, also led then by Grassley, did away with that tradition.

In the past, the White House has often worked with home state senators as they decide who to nominate. But Trump and Democrats have shown little interest in working with each other.

Trump is growing frustrated

Trump has focused his ire on Grassley, a longtime ally who is the senior-most Senate Republican. In a July post on social media, Trump called on Grassley to have the “courage” to stop honoring the blue slips.

“Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the ‘Blue Slip’ problem,” Trump posted.

Grassley responded by defending the practice, and he said he was “offended by what the president said, and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insults.”

Trump revived his complaints this week, culminating with the threat to sue. On Sunday, he posted that “I have a Consultational Right to appoint Judges and U.S. Attorneys, but that RIGHT has been completely taken away from me in States that have just one Democrat United States Senator.”

It’s all part of a broader nominations fight

Even as Republicans have defied Trump on blue slips, they have agreed with him that the nominations process needs to move faster — especially as Democrats have slowed votes on all of his nominees.

Trump and Republicans pressured Senate Democrats to lift some of their holds on nominees ahead of the traditional August recess, threatening to force them to remain in session all month. But the effort was unsuccessful, and the Senate left town anyway, with Trump posting on social media that Schumer can “GO TO HELL!”

After that standoff, Thune said the chamber will consider in the fall Senate rule changes that would make it harder for Democrats to block or slow votes on nominations.

“I think that the last six months have demonstrated that this process, nominations, is broken,” Thune said. “And so I expect there will be some good robust conversations about that.”

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged

By JOCELYN NOVECK and DAVE SKRETTA Associated Press

It’s a love story and, baby, she said yes: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged, they announced Tuesday.

In a five-photo joint post on Instagram, the superstar singer and football player revealed their engagement, the fairytale culmination of a courtship that for two years has thrilled and fascinated millions around the world, but especially Swifties, the pop star’s enormous and ardent fan base.

“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” the caption read, accompanied by an emoji of a dynamite stick.

Kelce was a famous football player when they met — a star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and a Super Bowl champion — but Swift’s unique level of fame catapulted him into a different orbit entirely. Their relationship was documented in countless shots of Swift celebrating at Chiefs games and fan videos of Kelce dancing along at Swift’s Eras concert tour as it traveled the globe.

There were those who speculated, with no evidence, that the relationship was not genuine but a cynical ploy for more fame, while some even theorized it was a plot to influence the U.S. elections. In the end, those voices were quieted by a happy couple who simply looked in love — now with an engagement ring rivaling the size of Kelce’s three Super Bowl rings.

It’s unclear when and where the two got engaged. A representative for Swift did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment.

It’s been just two weeks since Swift — and Kelce — last ignited a media frenzy, with the announcement of a new album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Kelce and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, assisted Swift with the rollout, hosting her on their typically football-oriented podcast, “New Heights.” During the episode, she likened her career to her now-fiance’s, saying their jobs were “to entertain people for three hours in NFL stadiums.”

When Jason Kelce asked his brother and Swift, sitting side-by-side, how they handled the discourse around their relationship, Swift said they just didn’t.

“We don’t, really. I don’t see a lot of things,” she said. “My name can be in the actual headline, and it’s none of my business.”

The news broke in the middle of the Kansas City Chiefs’ media availability, though after head coach Andy Reid had departed. That left Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna to field questions about his teammate’s engagement.

“Man, it’s incredible. I was caught off guard but you know, great for them,” Danna said, a few minutes after the news raced across social media. “But you know, great for them. That’s a blessing. Any time you find that type of joy, blessing, love — that’s a beautiful thing.”

Like many of the Chiefs, Danna has hung out with Swift and Kelce at a New Year’s party and after most of their home games.

“I’ll think of a good little engagement gift,” Danna said. “Maybe some Pop-Tarts back to her. It won’t be homemade.”

The NFL, which has gained untold numbers of fans since the relationship became public, posted the news on X with their congratulations — then quickly deleted it and reposted it when they realized they tagged the wrong Swift account.

“Two of the most genuine people meet & fall in love. Just so happy for these two,” Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, said on Instagram. Brittany Mahomes and Swift have frequently shared a suite for games at Arrowhead Stadium. Meanwhile the Cleveland Guardians, the baseball team Kelce grew up rooting for, joked online: “Thanks a lot, Taylor Swift. Now no one cares that next year’s schedule is out.”

Kelce and Swift’s relationship featured prominently in the just-released six-part ESPN documentary “The Kingdom,” which chronicles the franchise’s ultimately foiled pursuit of an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title last season. Kelce was joined by his parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, on the red carpet last Sunday for the premiere at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri.

“She’s very good for him. I don’t hesitate in saying that,” Ed Kelce said of his future daughter-in-law. “They are two people that truly deserve each other.”

___

Noveck reported from New York and Skretta from Kansas City, Missouri.

Cracker Barrel says it “could’ve done a better job” with release of new logo that angered some fans

Cracker Barrel says it “could’ve done a better job” with release of new logo that angered some fans

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer

Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo but apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.

“If the last few days have shown us anything, it’s how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel. We’re truly grateful for your heartfelt voices,” the company said Monday in a statement on its website. “You’ve also shown us that we could have done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”

Cracker Barrel took heat last week when it announced a simplified logo featuring only the chain’s name. Gone was the picture of an older man in overalls leaning against a barrel. The words “Old Country Store” were also removed.

The change was part of a wider rebrand, which has seen Cracker Barrel update its cluttered, antique-filled restaurants with lighter paint and modern furniture.

Many on social media, including Donald Trump Jr., criticized the new logo, with some threatening to boycott unless it was changed back. Sensing an opening, the rival chain Steak n’ Shake called the new logo “a cheap effort to gain the approval of trend seekers.”

“Heritage is what got Cracker Barrel this far, and now the CEO wants to just scrape it all away,” Steak n’ Shake said in a statement on X.

Cracker Barrel shares have dropped more than 10% since the new logo was introduced on Aug. 18.

On Monday, the Lebanon, Tennessee-based company emphasized that many things about Cracker Barrel won’t change, including the rocking chairs on its front porches and vintage Americana and antiques scattered throughout its restaurants.

Cracker Barrel also said it will continue to honor Uncle Herschel — the older man in the former logo, who represents the uncle of Cracker Barrel’s founder — on its menu and on items sold in its stores.

But Cracker Barrel said it also wants to make sure that the business stays fresh and attracts a new generation of customers.

“That means showing up on new platforms and in new ways, but always with our heritage at the heart,” the company said in a statement.

The company said it will also keep testing, learning and listening to its employees and customers.

Cracker Barrel shares fell less than 1% to close at $54.26 per share Monday.

Peach Crisp

Peach Crisp

Soak up the end of peach season and embrace the fall coziness! This recipe makes for the perfect end-of-summer dessert.

Ingredients

  • 6–8 ripe peaches (~ 6 cups, peeled & sliced)
  • 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup ( 1 stick) unsalted butter (cold, cut into cubes)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven
Preheat oven to 350 degrees f.

2. Prep filling
In a large bowl, gently combine peaches with sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, cornstarch and cinnamon. Then, spread the mixture evenly in a greased 9×9 baking dish.

3. Prep topping
In another bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Incorporate the butter using your hands or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

4. Bake
Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the filling mixture and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the peach juice is bubbling.

5. Serve it hot
Enjoy right away for a cozy, end-of-summer dessert! Try it with vanilla ice cream or toppings of your choice.

August 26th 2025

August 26th 2025

Thought of the Day

August 26th 2024
Photo by Getty Images

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