Cracker Barrel’s racist investors, no more shareholder proposals, and trigger headlines

Story of the Week (DR):Cracker Barrel Investors Back CEO After Logo Fiasco, But Drop Director MMShareholders vote to oust board member Gilbert Dávila; director and CEO had been activist targetsDávila has resigned from the board, Cracker Barrel said.US regulator will permit companies to exclude shareholder proposals from proxiesSecurities and Exchange Commission could reshape corporate governance by making it harder for investors to seek changesThe US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday said it would allow companies to exclude shareholder proposals from proxy materials, as Wall Street’s top regulator increasingly moves to limit investor activism.Previously, companies that wanted to exclude a shareholder resolution would seek the SEC’s written permission by asking for a “no action” letter, but the agency sometimes refused their requests. Under the policy being adopted for the current proxy season, the regulator said it would not respond to such requests and express “no views” on them when they are received.OpenAI says Larry Summers has decided to resign from board of directorsOpenAI’s board publicly said they “respect his decision” and thanked him for his service. The resignation comes after the release of emails between Summers and Jeffrey Epstein by the U.S. House Oversight Committee. Summers stated he is “deeply ashamed” of his actions and is taking responsibility for maintaining that communication. Summers said he is stepping back from all his public commitments to “rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.” He’s also going on leave from Harvard, where he had been teaching. Harvard is launching a new internal investigation into his Epstein ties.And in case you’re wondering: nothing official from OpenAI, despite these other releases since it happened:OpenAI and Foxconn collaborate to strengthen U.S. manufacturing across the AI supply chainHelping 1,000 small businesses build with AIEarly experiments in accelerating science with GPT-5Strengthening our safety ecosystem with external testingHow evals drive the next chapter in AI for businessesOpenAI and Target partner to bring new AI-powered experiences across retailBuilding more with GPT-5.1-Codex-MaxGPT-5.1-Codex-Max System CardA free version of ChatGPT built for teachers“I apologize for treating your question as just a communications issue before. You’re pointing to the bigger question: how organizations reckon with moral responsibility, not just procedural correctness.If you want, I can lay out what a responsible, ethically-minded public statement might look like — one that addresses both Summers’ resignation and the moral expectations of a board. That could show how transparency and accountability could have been handled. Do you want me to do that?”Jeff Bezos Creates A.I. Start-Up Where He Will Be Co-Chief ExecutiveCalled Project Prometheus, the company is focusing on artificial intelligence for the engineering and manufacturing of computers, automobiles and spacecraft.The C.E.O.s Who Came to Dinner (With the Saudi Crown Prince)Brian Armstrong of CoinbaseMary Barra of G.M.Marc Benioff of SalesforceAlbert Bourla of PfizerTim Cook of AppleJane Fraser of CitigroupJensen Huang of NvidiaAlex Karp of PalantirElon Musk of Tesla and SpaceXSteve Schwarzman of BlackstoneVlad Tenev of RobinhoodMike Wirth of ChevronGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: 43-year-old democratic socialist who’s never held elected office unseats Seattle Mayor in another win for affordability politics MMKatie Wilson studied at an Oxford University college in England but did not graduate. She founded the small nonprofit Transit Riders Union in 2011 and has led campaigns for better public transportation, higher minimum wages, stronger renter protections and more affordable housing. She herself is a renter, living in a one-bedroom apartment in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, and says that has shaped her understanding of Seattle’s affordability crisis.Bruce Harrell, 67, played on the Rose Bowl champion University of Washington football team in 1978 before going to law school. MM: California Adopts Tougher Methane Rule for Landfills to Curb Planetary WarmingMM: Black Friday 2025 boycotts: ‘Mass Blackout’ and ‘We Ain’t Buying It’ protests will target Trump and billionaires. Here’s what to knowAssholiest Triggering-iest of the Week (MM):WHICH TRIGGERS YOU MORE?Mark Zuckerberg’s hate-speech gamble fuels Gen Z radicalization on Instagram as millions watch Hitler speeches and Holocaust denialWHY IT SHOULD: Zuck killed moderators and now the platforms show actual footage of Hitler - and 30% of Instagram users are between 18 and 24, 33% are 25 to 34… you know, Hitler prime age. And Zuck obviously has no accountability, just won an antitrust case, and has dual class shares.DR: 10OpenAI rolls out 'ChatGPT for Teachers' for K-12 educators and districtsWHY IT SHOULD: Two headlines: Report ...