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Cracker Barrel Marketing 'Expert' Resigns From Board After Failed Rebrand

Cracker Barrel Marketing 'Expert' Resigns From Board After Failed Rebrand

Authored by Jacki Thrapp via The Epoch Times,

A board member who was part of Cracker Barrel’s controversial and short-lived rebrand has resigned.

Multicultural marketing expert Gilbert Dávila stepped down from his seat on the board of directors for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. on Nov. 20 as shareholders voted to shrink the governing body from 10 to nine directors.

“We thank our shareholders for their strong show of support today, electing 9 of 10 of the Company’s recommended director nominees, including the Company’s CEO, Julie Masino,” according to a statement issued on Nov. 20.

The Tennessee-based company’s 2025 Annual Meeting on Nov. 20 passed “every” proposal submitted to shareholders, including its incentive plan and executive compensation practices.

However, when the plan was made public, it was revealed that Dávila no longer had a seat at the table. Investors criticized Dávila for being part of a rebranding attempt that backfired over the summer, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The board of directors thanked Dávila for being a part of the team since 2020.

“We also thank outgoing independent director, Gilbert Dávila, who has been a valued member of the Board through his five years of service to Cracker Barrel,” the Cracker Barrel board wrote in the Nov. 20 statement.

“Over that time, Gilbert helped oversee the formation of our strategic plan and led our Compensation Committee with skill and dedication. We are grateful for his many contributions.”

The statement did not explain exactly why Dávila is stepping down.

“We are more focused than ever on delivering high-quality food and experiences to our guests while staying true to the heritage that makes Cracker Barrel so special, ensuring we are here to welcome families around our table for generations to come,” the company added.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Dávila for comment.

Dávila’s departure from the company is a partial win for Cracker Barrel investor Sardar Biglari, who criticized the former board member and CEO Julie Felss Masino for what he called a “rebranding and remodeling fiasco.”

The rebranding outraged consumers beginning on Aug. 19 when Cracker Barrel announced it would remove the farmer leaning on a barrel from its logo.

The company’s market capitalization crashed by almost $100 million in 24 hours, prompting it to reverse its announcement and keep the original logo.

“The board has failed in every acquisition and in the opening of new stores, hired the wrong CEO, and approved a ‘Strategic Transformation Plan’ that has not only failed but has subjected the company to market ridicule and set the company back years in terms of its financial and stock price performance,” Biglari alleged in a letter filed with the SEC on Nov. 6.

Tyler Durden Sun, 11/23/2025 - 12:50

Trump Reportedly Preparing To Designate Muslim Brotherhood As Foreign Terrorist Org

Trump Reportedly Preparing To Designate Muslim Brotherhood As Foreign Terrorist Org

John Solomon's Just The News reports, in an exclusive interview with President Trump on Sunday morning, that the president will formally designate the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) as a foreign terrorist organization.

Trump explained that the MB's FTO designation will be imminent and drafted "in the strongest and most powerful terms," adding, "Final documents are being drawn."

MB was founded in Egypt nearly a century ago with branches across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the U.S. The org has been outlawed or labeled a terrorist group by several governments, including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain. 

Trump has weighed the FTO designation since his first term, and his comments come days after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as an FTO and transnational criminal organization.

Abbott's proclamation authorized "heightened penalties" against CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood and prohibited both entities from acquiring land in Texas, alleging that CAIR had "repeatedly employed, affiliated with, and supported individuals promoting terrorism-related activities."

GOP officials, including Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), have requested that the Treasury Department probe CAIR's financial networks.

In August, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the FTO designation was being prepared, though the process is complex because of MB's sprawling network of affiliates.

Bipartisan lawmakers in both chambers have urged Rubio and the State Department to move forward with the FTO designations. Sen. Ted Cruz has warned that MB supports terrorist orgs such as Hamas.

As we've previously reported:

"To this day, the IRS hasn't stripped Muslim Brotherhood 501 (c) (3) s of their tax-deductible status. Jihadi is getting a tax deduction on U.S. soil," Laura Loomer wrote on X while responding to Solomon's exclusive interview earlier today.

Oh boy... 

Things are about to get very interesting. 

Muslim Brotherhood Leader: Will Push Sharia Law in America "By Ballot or Bullet" ... 

Tyler Durden Sun, 11/23/2025 - 12:15

Federal Agents Seize 20 Pounds Of Meth Stuffed In Frozen Meat At Arizona Border Stop

Federal Agents Seize 20 Pounds Of Meth Stuffed In Frozen Meat At Arizona Border Stop

Authored by Savannah Hulsey Pointer via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents intercepted methamphetamine hidden inside packages of meat at an Arizona checkpoint just days ago. 

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection patch on the arm of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Mission, Texas, on July 1, 2019. Loren Elliott/Reuters

According to a Nov. 19 CBP statement, agents found the drugs on Nov. 14 at an Interstate 19 checkpoint near Amado, Arizona when an X-ray scan caused agents to investigate a vehicle moving through the checkpoint. 

Four packages of methamphetamine, totaling more than 20 pounds, were found in frozen meat. An unnamed 32-year-old male Mexican national, who was driving the vehicle, was arrested and will face prosecution for narcotic smuggling.

“As much as smugglers try to get creative, our agents never let their guard down,” Tucson Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Henry Laxdal said. “Their hard work and dedication have prevented an extraordinary amount of drugs from ever reaching United States streets, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

CPB reported the finding the same day federal authorities announced the seizure of more than half a ton of methamphetamine in Colorado following an investigation into a Mexican drug trafficking organization in the state.

The investigation, which lasted two years, garnered evidence for the indictment of 15 people, 11 of whom have been arrested. The other four, including the group’s leader, are believed to be in Mexico. 

Most of the 1,115 pounds of methamphetamine, which equated to millions of doses of the drug, was found hidden in boxes of pear squash imported from Mexico.

Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge David Olesky said that the investigation shows ties “to elements in Mexico involving the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels.”

Both of those cartels are among the eight Latin American crime groups recently designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration. 

CBP reported that October encounters with illegal immigrants were at a record low, and the month was the sixth in a row with zero releases into the interior of the United States. [our report]

Preliminary Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data showed that there were 30,561 total encounters nationwide, a 29 percent decrease from the previous October record low of 43,010 in 2012, and a 79 percent decrease from October 2024.

September of this year saw border crossings at levels 93 percent below the peak of illegal border crossings under the previous administration.

A crackdown on illegal immigration was one of the issues that President Donald Trump made central to his campaign. 

The immigration enforcement includes operations in cities in the interior of the United States. The Department of Homeland Security also announced on Nov. 19 that more than 250 arrests of illegal immigrants were made as part of Operation Charlotte’s Web.

DHS said on Nov. 15, when it announced the increased enforcement in Charlotte, “Sanctuary policies prevented nearly 1,400 detainers from being honored, putting criminal illegal aliens back on Charlotte’s streets.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Tyler Durden Sun, 11/23/2025 - 11:40

Trump Era Sparks Biggest U.S. Gas Pipeline Boom Since 2008

Trump Era Sparks Biggest U.S. Gas Pipeline Boom Since 2008

A massive pipeline buildout is sweeping across Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, marking the largest expansion of Gulf Coast natural-gas capacity since the 2008 shale boom, according to Bloomberg.

As many as a dozen projects are slated for completion next year, enough to boost the region's gas-shipping capacity by 13%, or about the equivalent of Canada's total consumption, according to US Energy Information Administration data.

"This is the most activity I've seen in my 20 years in the industry," said Jack Weixel of East Daley Analytics.

Though most projects long predate Donald Trump's second term, the timing aligns neatly with his push to expand US LNG exports and strengthen US dominance in global energy markets. New LNG terminals scheduled for service in 2027 and beyond will rely heavily on these pipelines. As one analyst put it, "Pipeline development tends to respond to LNG export capacity - not so much drive it."

The surge is powered by rising global LNG demand and by the US, the world's largest exporter, sinking tens of billions into new terminals from Sempra, NextDecade, Venture Global, and others. Texas and Louisiana regulators, typically friendlier to fossil-fuel infrastructure, have also sped up approvals.

Bloomberg writes that environmental groups warn the boom locks in decades of gas use, but industry insists LNG helps countries transition away from dirtier fuels.

Among the major lines underway are Enbridge's 137-mile Rio Bravo line and the 366-mile Blackcomb Pipeline, along with new or expanded systems from Kinder Morgan, Williams and Energy Transfer. The Permian Basin, awash in associated gas, badly needs the relief; prices there routinely fall below zero because pipelines are maxed out. "The general rule of thumb is the Permian needs a mega pipeline every 16 to 18 months," said Amol Wayangankar of Enkon Energy Advisors.

Energy Transfer says its 442-mile Hugh Brinson Pipeline will be its most profitable asset yet, helped by rising demand from AI-driven data centers. More capacity is also planned for 2027, suggesting the boom is far from over.

As Caitlin Tessin of Enbridge summed it up: "Natural gas is definitely on. The country is thirsty."

This note builds on our recent premium note about the "largest-ever LNG supply wave" set to hit global markets in the coming years. This surge will likely trigger a bust before setting the stage for a structural rebound in the 2030s.

Read the full report here.

Tyler Durden Sun, 11/23/2025 - 11:05

In Charts: The Rise And Fall Of The Thanksgiving Turkey

In Charts: The Rise And Fall Of The Thanksgiving Turkey

Authored by Sylvia Xu via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Americans will eat nearly 30 million turkeys this Thanksgiving, the National Turkey Federation estimates.

A flock of white turkeys in a shelter as part of an effort to prevent exposure to avian influenza on a farm in Townsend, Del., on Nov. 14, 2022. Nathan Howard/Getty Images

That’s almost as many turkeys as there are people in Texas, the country’s second most populous state.

Although turkey continues to take center stage on the Thanksgiving table, American turkey farmers are challenged this holiday season by a drop in demand, accompanied by ongoing outbreaks of bird flu, which disrupts supplies, drives up prices, and threatens farm livelihoods.

Rise and Fall of Turkey in America

Turkey consumption in the United States has followed an arc over the past century, driven by agricultural, technological and health trends.

According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average person in the United States ate less than three pounds of turkey a year in the 1930s and 1940s. By 1960, that number had doubled, as producers introduced specialized bird breeds that yielded more meat.

Advances in production and the introduction of processed products such as luncheon meats, ground turkey, and deli items drove turkey’s popularity in the 1980s. Marketing campaigns promoted the bird as a healthy, low-fat meat.

Annual turkey consumption rose from an average of about 10 pounds per person in 1980, to a peak of 18 pounds per person in 1996.

Since that time, however, consumers have been steadily eating less turkey. In 2025, average turkey consumption is projected to be just over 13 pounds per person, a nearly 40 year low.

In total, the USDA projects 4.5 billion pounds of turkey will be eaten in 2025—the lowest amount since 1990, according to the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report.

The USDA estimates 195 million turkeys were raised in 2025, the lowest number in 40 years. This is the second consecutive annual decline, with production falling about 3 percent from 2024 and around 11 percent from 2023.

The 30 million turkeys Americans will eat this Thanksgiving  represents 15 percent of the total number of turkeys raised in the United States this year. It also represents a 35 percent drop from the 46 million turkeys consumed during the Thanksgiving holiday in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

While health-conscious consumers and dieters propelled turkey’s rise, health concerns about processed foods are now one factor causing turkey consumption to drop.

Consumers are “steering a bit away from highly processed meat,” Heidi Diestel told The Epoch Times. Diestel’s family has raised turkeys in Sonora, California, for four generations.

Bird Flu

Since February 2022, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)—also known as bird flu—has resulted in the death of almost 21 million turkeys, or about one-tenth of the current U.S. turkey flock.

The wave of infections continued in November; the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed eight turkey operations were affected in Michigan, North Dakota, and South Dakota, impacting 431,300 birds.

Farmers are also taking a hit from Avian respiratory virus, or aMPV—an upper respiratory tract viral infection that affects all types of poultry but is most harmful to turkeys.

HPAI is nearly 100 percent fatal to exposed birds, according to former National Turkey Federation chairman John Zimmerman. Although its symptoms are generally milder, aMPV is equally devastating.

Packages of turkey under Amazon’s private-label Amazon Saver brand are displayed at an Amazon Fresh grocery store in Federal Way, Wash., on Dec. 12, 2024. The National Turkey Federation estimates that Americans will eat nearly 30 million turkeys this Thanksgiving. David Ryder/Getty Images

In addition to the flocks impacted by HPAI, an estimated 60 percent to 80 percent of turkey flocks were affected by aMPV in 2024, according to Zimmerman, a Minnesota turkey farmer, who testified before the House Agriculture Committee in March.

The highly contagious respiratory illness is also known as turkey rhinotracheitis, or swollen head syndrome. It’s responsible for high death rates in commercial flocks and reduces egg production in breeder stock.

“Together, these two respiratory viruses have exponentially increased volatility, supply shortages and market uncertainty,” Zimmerman said.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu, present in wild birds worldwide and primarily responsible for HPAI outbreaks in U.S. domestic birds and dairy cattle, originated in Guangdong, China.

From its first outbreak in 1996, it spread across Asia to Africa, Europe, and then to the United States. The first U.S. case was detected in early 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Known for infecting cattle and ravaging poultry flocks, the virus is also feared for its potential to infect humans. Worldwide, since 2003, more than 890 human H5N1 infections have been reported in 23 countries, according to the CDC’s September update.

In the United States, the CDC has reported 71 cases of human H5N1 infection since 2024, including one death in Louisiana in January.

On Nov. 14,  Washington state’s health department confirmed the nation’s first human case of the H5N5 strain of HPAI.

Milk samples await testing at the Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., on Dec. 11, 2024. U.S. turkey farmers face falling demand amid ongoing bird flu outbreaks that disrupt supply, raise prices, and threaten livelihoods. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images Turkey Prices

The USDA recently projected that wholesale prices for frozen whole turkey hens will reach $1.32 per pound in 2025. That’s a 40 percent increase from 2024’s price of 94 cents per pound.

“The 2025 rise in price is a response to lower production with HPAI pressures combined with steady demand,” according to a report from the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Despite this year’s jump in turkey wholesale prices, economist Bernt Nelson noted in the report that “prices are still 32 percent lower than just three years ago.”

The most recent USDA Agricultural Marketing Service data show the average per-pound feature price for whole frozen turkeys decreased during the second week of November.

“It’s encouraging to see some relief in the price of turkeys, as it is typically the most expensive part of the meal,” Farm Bureau economist Faith Parum said in a Nov. 19 news release.

Total cash receipts from turkeys in 2025 are forecast at $4.8 billion in the USDA’s September projection. This represents a 30.6 percent increase over turkey receipts of $3.7 billion in 2024, yet it remains 33.3 percent lower than the peak of $7.12 billion in 2022, when the current HPAI outbreak began.

Read the rest here...

Tyler Durden Sun, 11/23/2025 - 10:30

What It Takes To Be Rich In Europe

What It Takes To Be Rich In Europe

The income threshold for being considered rich in Europe varies considerably from country to country.

In Luxembourg, wealth begins for a three-person household with an annual net income of 175,000€, while in Turkey, even less than 20,000€ is enough to cross the threshold (higher pane below).

Germany ranks in the upper mid-range. 

It is also interesting to see how the figures change after adjustment for the cost of living (lower pane below).

Source: Voronoiapp.com

Although the gap remains, the income differences even out when you take into account what the income can actually buy locally. 

Tyler Durden Sun, 11/23/2025 - 07:35

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