President Trump signs executive orders to eliminate cashless bail nationwide and prepare National Guard units for deployment to crime-ridden cities. Alleged MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia is detained by ICE and faces deportation to Uganda after turning down a plea deal. Cracker Barrel apologizes after a “woke” rebranding effort sparks a massive customer backlash and costs the company nearly $100 million.
It’s Tuesday, August 26, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
Trump Signs Executive Orders to Crack Down on Crime
Topline: Emboldened by a dramatic drop in crime in Washington, D.C., President Trump signed a series of executive orders on Monday aimed at cracking down on “soft on crime” policies nationwide.
The first executive order targets cashless bail, a policy that allows suspects to be released from custody without posting bail while they await trial. The order begins by eliminating the policy in D.C. and threatens to withhold federal funding from any other jurisdiction that keeps the policy in place. “Somebody kills somebody, they go, don’t worry about it, no cash, come back in a couple of months. … You never see the person again,” Trump said.
A second order directs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to establish specialized National Guard units in each state, specifically trained and equipped to quell “civil disturbances.” A third order targets the desecration of the American flag. While the Supreme Court has ruled that flag burning is protected speech, the order directs the Attorney General to “vigorously prosecute” offenders for related crimes like trespassing and calls for the revocation of visas for any non-citizens who burn the flag.
The moves were met with defiance from some Democrats. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker warned federal officials against trying to “incite my people into violence as a pretext for something darker and more dangerous.”
Alleged MS-13 Member Detained, Faces Deportation to Uganda
Topline: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal alien and alleged MS-13 gang member, was detained by ICE on Monday and may be deported to Uganda after he rejected a plea deal on human smuggling charges.
Abrego Garcia was taken into custody at an ICE office in Baltimore on Monday after turning down a deal that would have allowed him to plead guilty to human smuggling and be deported to Costa Rica. He now faces potential deportation to Uganda, one of several African countries that have agreed to take non-violent illegal aliens from the U.S. His attorney immediately filed a lawsuit to block the deportation. The case has been assigned to Judge Paula Xinis, an Obama appointee who has previously sided with Abrego Garcia.
The detention comes as the Trump administration celebrates a major victory in its war on cartels. On Monday, Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a top official in the Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and is expected to be sentenced to life in prison. “El Mayor will spend the rest of his life behind bars,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “Their reign of terror is over.”
Cracker Barrel Apologizes After ‘Woke’ Rebrand Backfires
Topline: Cracker Barrel has issued an apology after a major rebranding effort, which critics blasted as an attempt to distance the chain from its traditional Southern roots, sparked a massive customer backlash and cost the company nearly $100 million in market value.
Last week, the restaurant chain unveiled a new, modern logo that removed the iconic barrel and “Uncle Herschel” character, and began remodeling its stores with a blander, white-walled aesthetic that was widely mocked online. After losing nearly $100 million in market value, the company released a statement Monday saying they “could have done a better job” with the rollout.
The backlash is seen as part of a larger culture war debate. Critics have pointed to the company’s recent embrace of Pride month, its removal of “Duck Dynasty” merchandise, and the revelation that its former head of management training served on an advisory council for the LGBTQ activist group the Human Rights Campaign as evidence of the company kowtowing to left-wing activists.
Brand consultant Andrew Beck told Morning Wire that the company’s new communication strategy is attempting to “reach a customer that looks more like the people … that were recruited to do this change than it does the actual customers of Cracker Barrel.”
