Tragedy Strikes Minneapolis & Whistleblowers Receive Settlement | 8.28.25

Summary

Morning Wire – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Tragedy Strikes Minneapolis & Whistleblowers Receive Settlement
Date: August 28, 2025
Hosts: Georgia Howe, John Bickley (Daily Wire)
Major Guests: Cabot Phillips, Amanda Prestagiacomo, Megan Basham, David Bonson

Overview

This episode covers three major topics:

1. A deadly school shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, focusing on immediate aftermath, background on the shooter, calls for gun reform, and responses from officials.
2. Settlements reached with FBI whistleblowers who were allegedly punished under the Biden administration, exploring details of the settlements, background on whistleblower issues, and broader political implications.
3. Cracker Barrel’s failed rebrand and subsequent PR crisis, examining internal pushback, the role of President Trump, and expert analysis on what really ails the company.

---

Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting

[02:42–07:09]

Key Facts & Timeline

• Incident: At 8:30am, a gunman dressed in black opened fire using multiple firearms–a semiautomatic rifle, shotgun, and handgun–through the windows of Annunciation Catholic School, as children gathered for Mass.
  • Two children (ages 8 and 10) killed in the pews.
  • 17 others injured (14 of them kids); 4 in critical condition.
  • The shooter was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted wound.

    "Officers described finding terrified children hiding all throughout the building." (Cabot Phillips, 03:42)

Eyewitness Account

• A fifth grader described a classmate shielding him during the shooting:

  "He was like laying on top of me, like making sure I was safe and he got hit. So that was really brave of him." (Anonymous Student via Megan Basham, 03:34)

Police & Political Response

• Police Chief Brian O'Hara:

  "This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshiping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible." (Brian O’Hara, 03:58)

• Mayor Jacob Frey made comments that were widely criticized, perceived as minimizing the “thoughts and prayers” response:

  "Don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying elsewhere." (Jacob Frey, 04:29)

• Immediate calls for gun control by Democratic lawmakers.

  "We cannot even make it through the first week of school without mass shootings...the GOP will continue to do absolutely nothing while our kids are being gunned down." (Quoting Gov. Gavin Newsom, 04:40)

• Flags ordered at half-mast by President Trump.

Shooter Background & Motive

• Identified as Robin Westman, 23, a transgender Minneapolis native (formerly Robert). His mother previously worked at the school.
• Uploaded disturbing YouTube videos the night before, showing weapons with:
  • Anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and anti-Trump slogans (“kill Donald Trump for the children,” “6 million wasn’t enough”).
  • Videos displayed church layouts and defaced religious imagery used as targets.
• The FBI is now investigating as a hate crime and act of domestic terrorism.

Advance Warnings & Missed Security

• After a previous Christian school shooting by a trans-identified shooter, Minnesota Catholic and independent schools requested additional security in a widely circulated letter.
  • Governor Tim Walz did not provide additional resources, despite an $18B budget surplus, but did sign legislation making Minnesota a “transgender refuge state.”
  • School official stated: “The tragedy from last week at Covenant School must never happen in Minnesota.” (Paraphrased from Cabot Phillips, 06:27)
• Emotional reflection by hosts on the gravity and horror for affected families.

---

FBI Whistleblower Settlements

[07:12–10:47]

The Settlements

• The Trump DOJ settled with 10 FBI whistleblowers who were allegedly punished during the Biden years for “sounding the alarm on political weaponization.”
• Terms included financial payouts, full back pay, benefits restoration, and in some cases, return to active duty. None required to resign.
• Over 12 years worth of punitive suspensions among them.

  "These individuals were unfairly punished with demotions. They had their security clearances yanked, and some were put on unpaid administrative leave." (Amanda Prestagiacomo, 07:29)

Reasons for Retaliation

• Example:
  • FBI Special Agent Stephen Friend was suspended indefinitely for objecting to use of SWAT teams on cooperative January 6 defendants.

    “[Friend] said it was not appropriate and completely unsafe to use a SWAT team to arrest a cooperative J6 defendant over a misdemeanor charge.” (Amanda Prestagiacomo, 08:14)

• Biden DOJ allegedly used the FACE Act to target pro-life protestors.
• President Trump’s administration has prioritized ending “political weaponization,” pardoned J6 defendants, narrowed FACE Act enforcement.

Importance of Whistleblowers

• Senator Chuck Grassley:

  "The whistleblowers are just patriotic people. You ought to listen to them. And if you listen to them, these corrections will be made and they won't have to come to me." (Chuck Grassley, 09:15)

Crime in D.C. – Public Opinion & Trump’s Approach

• Crime ranks highly among American concerns:
  • 81% see crime as a major urban problem
  • 53% approve of Trump’s “crackdown” measures, especially among white and Hispanic voters, less among black Americans.
• Trump federalized D.C. Metro Police, called in National Guard, and push for comprehensive crime legislation.

  "The results have been swift and honestly, pretty remarkable." (Amanda Prestagiacomo, 10:29)

---

Cracker Barrel PR Crisis & Rebrand Failure

[12:03–16:05]

Internal Pushback & Timeline

• In May 2024, new CEO Julie Masino launched a $700 million rebrand, led by a trendy agency.
• Sardar Biglari (major investor and turnaround expert) warned against the move, presenting a 120-page report calling it “obvious folly” and “catastrophic.”
• Biglari’s feedback dismissed as “activist investor” input. He reiterated his warning in November, citing risk to the beloved country-store brand identity.

  "[The] redesign did not address the fundamental problems at Cracker Barrel and actually risked harming the brand of old timey country store that so many customers loved." (Megan Basham, paraphrased, 13:10)

Why Was Cracker Barrel Struggling?

• Wall Street veteran David Bonson: Labor costs (not branding) are the real culprit.

  "Nobody even mentioned minimum wage laws as, as a part of what’s going on … labor costs have skyrocketed. They've had a drop in profits because again, costs have grown more than revenues have." (David Bonson, 14:32)

• Bonson argues for a focus on cost structure, not aesthetics.

Trump’s Influence & Brand Reversal

• After President Trump tweeted in favor of the old logo, company rapidly reversed rebranding, restoring both logo and decor.

  "You can't help but wonder if President Trump had maybe a little something to do with that, given that only hours after he tweeted … the company announced that it was doing exactly that.” (Megan Basham, 15:08)

• Bonson: The current CEO lacks the ability to communicate a new vision, PR firm needs to “take some risks” and perhaps make light of the situation.

  "They need a better messenger than this CEO to kind of communicate what they're trying to do. And honestly, a PR firm that's willing to take some risks to come out and almost make fun of the thing at this point." (David Bonson, 15:32)

Cultural Impact

• Corporate America is now fearful of “woke backlash,” as seen with Target, Bud Light, and now Cracker Barrel.

  “It’s put the fear of God into some corporate boardrooms … they want to avoid being the next cautionary tale.” (David Bonson, 15:44)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible."
  – Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara (03:58)

• "These corrections will be made and they won't have to come to me."
  – Senator Chuck Grassley on listening to whistleblowers (09:15)

• "They need a better messenger ... and honestly, a PR firm that's willing to take some risks to … almost make fun of the thing at this point."
  – David Bonson on Cracker Barrel's brand crisis (15:32)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Minneapolis School Shooting Breakdown: 02:42–07:09
• FBI Whistleblower Settlements: 07:12–10:47
• Cracker Barrel Rebranding Crisis: 12:03–16:05

---

Tone & Style

The episode remains anchored, fact-driven, and pointed, with analysis and direct quotes illuminating the news. The focus is on providing context, immediate facts, voices of those involved, and expert perspective—aimed at listeners seeking a conservative perspective on headline news.

Transcript

[Brandon]

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[Georgia Howe]

A nightmare in Minneapolis as multiple children are killed and many more injured after a gunman opened fire at a Catholic school.

[Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara]

A gunman approached on the outside on the side of the building and began firing a rifle through the church windows towards the children sitting in the pews.

[Host/Anchor]

We break down what's currently known about the tragedy.

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Executive editor John Bickley. It's Thursday, August 28th and this is Morning Wire.

[Host/Anchor]

A handful of FBI whistleblowers have received settlements from the DOJ after years of abuse under the Biden administration.

[Senator Chuck Grassley]

Not all of them want their job back, but we're going to fight for whatever they want and I think we're making some progress.

[Georgia Howe]

And Cracker Barrel's PR nightmare may be coming to an end as the chain reverses course on its controversial rebrand.

[David Bonson]

Where the big focus needs to be is they have to target their ideal customer and deliver value on a plate in kind of cool, rustic southern restaurant experience.

[Host/Anchor]

Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

[Brandon]

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[Host/Anchor]

Two children are dead and at least 17 more people are injured after a gunman opened fire on a Catholic school in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the latest on the horrific crime and the shooter's background. So, Cabot, a horrific story out of Minnesota. What happened?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, Yesterday morning at 8:30, a gunman dressed in all black appeared at annunciation Catholic school K through 8 institution just outside of Minneapolis. Students there had just gathered from Mass to kick off the new school year when the shooter began spraying bullets through the church's windows using a semiautomatic rifle, shotgun and handgun. Two children aged 8 and 10 were killed as they sat in sanctuary pews. Seventeen others, including 14 more kids, were injured. Police say four of those kids were left in critical condition. Here's one fifth grader describing the chaos and how one of his friends was shot trying to shield him.

[Megan Basham]

He was like laying on top of me, like making sure I was safe and he got hit. So that was really brave of him.

[Cabot Phillips]

When authorities were able to rush to the scene, they found the shooter dead from an apparent self inflicted gunshot wound upon entering the school to provide first aid. Officers described finding terrified children hiding all throughout the building. Here's Minneapolis Police Chief Brian o' Hara speaking right after the massacre.

[Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara]

This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshiping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.

[Cabot Phillips]

Now we also heard from the city's Democratic mayor, Jacob Frey, during that press conference, and he really set off a firestorm after these comments, which many interpreted as insensitive and anti Christian.

[Michaela]

The amount of pain that they are suffering right now is extraordinary. And don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying elsewhere.

[Cabot Phillips]

A number of Democratic lawmakers immediately responded to the shooting with calls for gun control. Governor Gavin Newsom, for example, said, quote, we cannot even make it through the first week of school without mass shootings. And, and the GOP will continue to do absolutely nothing while our kids are being gunned down. For his part, President Trump said he was monitoring the situation. He also ordered all flags flown at half mast.

[Georgia Howe]

So what do we know at this point about the shooter?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, police ID the shooter as Robin Westman, a 23 year old Minneapolis native who identified as transgender. According to court documents from back in 2020, Westman changed his name from Robert to Robin because he, quote, identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification. And it is worth noting his mother reportedly worked at the annunciation school from 2016 to 2021. So you can bet the police will be looking into that as a possible connection.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, speaking of connection, what do we know about the motive?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, prior to the shooting, Westman uploaded a number of just really disturbing videos on YouTube. In one from the night before the shooting, he displays the weapons that he was about to use, a number of which were scrawled with anti Christian, anti Semitic and anti Donald Trump rhetoric. One Rifle magazine, for example, had the words where is your go? Others said kill Donald Trump for the children. Hahaha. And 6 million wasn't enough. That's an apparent reference to the Holocaust. Other videos showed the shooter displaying apparent drawings of the church's sanctuary layout. Another showed the face of Jesus Christ in a crown of thorns taped to a shooting range target. The FBI says they are now investigating the shooting as a potential hate crime against Catholics and also an act of domestic terrorism.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, before you go, there were some Catholic schools that had reached out to the governor because they were concerned something like this might happen. What do we know about those efforts before this?

[Cabot Phillips]

Right. So following the mass shooting at Covenant Christian School, which also was carried out by a trans identified shooter, the heads of numerous Catholic and independent schools across Minnesota sent a letter to Tim Walls pleading for additional security at their schools. That letter stressed the, quote, urgent and critical need in Minnesota to make sure our schools are secure and safe. The tragedy from last week at Covenant School must never happen in Minnesota. Now, one of the authors of that letter told the Daily Wire on Wednesday that Governor Walls did not provide any additional security despite the state's $18 billion budget surplus that year. Walls did, however, sign legislation that year making Minnesota a, quote, transgender refuge state.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, absolutely unimaginable for those parents and families. Cabot, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Absolutely.

[Georgia Howe]

The Trump DOJ has finalized settlements with 10 FBI whistleblowers who were punished by the Biden administration for sounding the alarm on political weaponization.

[Host/Anchor]

Here are the details. Is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestagiacomo. Hey, Amanda. So first, tell us about these settlements with the doj.

[J]

Yeah. So these settlements varied a bit based on the whistleblower in question, but they reportedly included payments for damages. Some included full back pay and benefits. And at least three whistleblowers were allowed to return to their duties at the FBI. None of the settlements required any whistleblower to resign. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, who co chairs the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, he advocated strongly for these whistleblowers, and he helped secure the settlements. Grassley noted that these individuals were unfairly punished with demotions. They had their security clearances yanked, and some were put on unpaid administrative leave. Collectively, among the 10, there were over 12 years worth of inappropriate suspension time.

[Host/Anchor]

All right, so a lot of damage for speaking out. So what sort of things were these whistleblowers specifically punished for?

[J]

Yeah, there were a variety of different things going on, but each case dealt with Biden DOJ seeming to play politics. In one example, FBI Special Agent Stephen Friend was punished for speaking out about DOJ actions against J6 defendants. Friend was suspended indefinitely without pay, and he had a security clearance revoked after he said it was not appropriate and completely unsafe to use a SWAT team to arrest a cooperative J6 defendant over a misdemeanor charge. Now, President Donald Trump, during his 2024 campaign, made ending government political weaponization a top priority. He signed an executive order on day one to address this issue and to ensure accountability. He also pardoned J6 defendants, who he viewed as political targets of the Biden administration. In another example, Trump's DOJ narrowed the scope of Face act enforcement. As we've covered here, the Biden DOJ was using this act to unfairly target pro life protesters. Grassley appeared on Miranda Devine's podcast this weekend to discuss these whistleblowers. Here he is on the importance of whistleblowers.

[Senator Chuck Grassley]

I get most of my information from whistleblowers, patriotic people that want nothing more than to make sure the government does what the law says the government should do. You gotta listen to whistleblowers. The whistleblowers are just patriotic people. You ought to listen to them. And if you listen to them, these corrections will be made and they won't have to come to me.

[Host/Anchor]

Okay, now shifting gears a bit here. Trump is also tackling crime in Washington, D.C. we followed that very closely. We have polling on this now. How do the American people feel about Trump's actions?

[J]

Yeah, so crime is a top issue for Americans, and overall, they support Trump for his actions on crime. An AP NORC poll released just yesterday shows that 81% of Americans agree that crime is a major issue in large cities. And 53% of Americans approve of Trump's methods for taking on crime. And that includes very strong approval from independents. About half. Polling also shows that white and Hispanic Americans are really on board with this crime crackdown, while there is a major drop when you look at polling of black Americans where there's only 27% support now, a quick recap here. Earlier this month, Trump federalized the Metro Police Department in D.C. he also called in National Guard for support, as well as some federal enforcement entities like the FBI and atf. The results have been swift and honestly, pretty remarkable. And lastly, Trump is seeking to address this crime issue legislatively. He said yesterday that he's working with GOP congressional leaders to craft a comprehensive crime bill.

[Host/Anchor]

He's certainly hitting the law and order issue on several fronts at once here. Amanda, thanks so much for reporting.

[J]

You're welcome.

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[Host/Anchor]

Barrel's PR fiasco continued this week with new revelations that a major investor tried to warn the company not to proceed with its disastrous rebranding effort. Meanwhile, after President Trump weighed in, the company announced it's going back to the original logo.

[Georgia Howe]

Here with the details is Daily Wire Culture reporter Megan Basham. So Megan, the people have won. Cracker Barrel is bringing back the old logo. But even before that announcement, we learned there was some intense infighting behind the scenes over this. What have we learned?

[Megan Basham]

Right. Yes. So I want to walk you through the timeline here for a minute. So just hang with me. If we go back to May of 2024, that is when the Cracker Barrel board of directors and its new CEO Julie Masino told the shareholders that they were going to be rolling out what they called a strategic transformation plan to revamp Cracker Barrel's brand image. And it was going to cost $700 million. Now, Massino said that she'd hired a cutting edge brand agency to lead this effort. However, that triggered some alarm for one of the company's biggest investors, a man named Sardar Biglari. Now, a little background on Biglari. He bought the chain Steak N Shake back at the height of the 2008 recession and he famously turned it around and made it profitable again. So he does know a little something about this business. Well, in October, he repeatedly warned that this plan was, quote, obvious folly. And he put together a 120 page presentation explaining why he thought the results were going to be catastrophic. Those were his words. Now, Big Laurie is also a well known Trump supporter and according to Fox Business, Cracker Barrel's board and its execs dismissed him as an activist investor. Well, in November, Big Laurie tried again. He sent a scathing letter to the other shareholders saying that the redesign did not address the fundamental problems at Cracker Barrel and actually risked harming the brand of old timey country store that so many customers loved. But once again, the board and the execs rejected his argument. And we flash forward a few months and we see that looks like Big Laurie was right.

[Georgia Howe]

So if the branding wasn't Cracker Barrel's problem, why was the company struggling?

[Megan Basham]

Right. That's a good question. And I spoke to Wall street veteran David Bonson and he agreed that branding should never have been Cracker Barrel's prime focus. Here. He says that the company and the media ignored other political realities that Cracker Barrel has been facing.

[David Bonson]

Nobody even mentioned minimum wage laws as, as a part of what's going on, which has been a huge factor at Cracker Barrel and a lot of other restaurants in that price point is labor costs have skyrocketed. And one thing that no one can really dispute is they've maintained pretty good revenues. They haven't had a big drop in business, they've had a drop in profits because again, costs have grown more than revenues have.

[Megan Basham]

So ultimately, Bonson said Cracker Barrel needs to address cost structures, not logos.

[Georgia Howe]

But the old logo is back and they've also halted the new decor scheme, right?

[Megan Basham]

That's right, it is. And you can't help but wonder if President Trump had maybe a little something to do with that, given that only hours after he tweeted that Cracker Barrel should bring back the old logo, the company announced that it was doing exactly that. Now, that said, Bonson did tell me that he doesn't necessarily think this is going to be particularly helpful. He says that he thinks the company needs a new message and a new messenger.

[David Bonson]

They need a better messenger than this CEO to kind of communicate what they're trying to do. And honestly, a PR firm that's willing to take some risks to come out and almost make fun of the thing at this point.

[Megan Basham]

And one other thing Bonson told me is that, yes, this incident and others like it at Target and Bud Light, well, he says it's put the fear of God into some corporate boardrooms. And a lot of executives right now in corporate America are treading very carefully because they want to avoid being the next cautionary tale of woke backlash.

[Georgia Howe]

All right. Well, please keep an eye out and let us know if that CEO gets fired over this. Megan, thanks for reporting.

[Host/Anchor]

Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe. We'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.

[Michaela]

These are questions that take cultures thousands of years to answer. During Answer the Call, I take questions from people just like you about their problems, opportunities, challenges, or when they simply need advice.

[Brandon]

How do I balance all of this grief, responsibility? How do you repair this kind of damage?

[Michaela]

My daughter, Michaela guides the conversations as we hopefully help people navigate their lives. Everyone has their own destiny. Everyone.