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Today’s Big Story

The Return of Landlines

Taking dumb phones one step further, kids are getting into the corded, stationary telephones

We didn’t see this one coming. Sure, some young people have embraced the dumb phone to combat brain rot, but who could’ve imagined a desire for landlines again? After all, according to the most recent data, more than 76% of Americans now live in homes without any landline phones. AT&T even tried to stop servicing them in California last year.

These phones are incredibly limited by today’s standards, right? There are no stored numbers and you have to be home to make or answer a call. And I’m old enough to remember my mother scolding me for “stretching out the cord” because you can only move as far as that coiled cord would allow. They, of course, can’t send texts, take photos or load Instagram and TikTok. But that’s the point.

Early-adopters who are now parents are giving landlines to their kids, reports Fast Company. From retro fun to safer conversations, these old-school home phones are helping families rethink how children connect with friends. And there are more modern versions of the retro phones. Seattle-based Tin Can is hoping to lead the revival with a redesigned corded phone that lets kids call their friends and arrange get-togethers—without involving parents and without the distractions or dangers of a smartphone, such as texting, cameras, or internet access.

Because audio-only calls tend to come with fewer distractions—no faces to look at, no enticing filters or emoji—one parent told The Atlantic that she sees her sons “really tune in to what people are saying.” Another parent in the neighborhood, has noticed a similar pattern with her 8-year-old daughter. “The progression from January until now” in the way her daughter “can engage people in conversation is mind-blowing,” she said. The kids are “practicing listening,” and better understand the meaning in subtle verbal cues.

India Braces for Export Shock

Trump's 50% tariff kicks in as Modi urges self-reliance

President Donald Trump’s steep 50% tariffs on India have kicked in, weeks after the U.S. president issued an executive order imposing an additional 25% penalty on India over its purchases of Russian oil and weapons. This makes India—one of the U.S.’s strongest partners in the Indo-Pacific—among the countries hit with the highest tariffs in the world.

This could deal a blow to exports and growth in the world's fifth largest economy, given that the U.S. was, until recently, India’s largest trading partner. The BBC reports that the “setback has sent the Indian government into firefighting mode.” Earlier this month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a promise to cut taxes to mitigate their economic impact. He has also urged domestic self-reliance.

According The Guardian, the effects are already visible. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) reported textile and apparel manufacturers in Tirupur, Delhi, and Surat had already halted production due to “worsening cost competitiveness.” Indian goods have been rendered “uncompetitive compared to competitors from China, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, and other south-east and south Asian countries,” said FIEO president SC Ralhan. India–U.S. trade relations have expanded in recent years but remain vulnerable to disputes over market access and domestic political pressures. India is one of the fastest-growing among major global economies and it may face a slowdown as a result.

The World’s Most Expensive Cities

Nearly half of them are right here in America

It seems like no matter where you’re living, costs are up and there’s no escaping the daily burdens of late-stage capitalism. But then when you crunch the numbers and dive into the empirical data, there are some places that are even harder on the wallet. Unfortunately, for my fellow Americans, most of those cities are here in the United States.

According to Visual Capitalist’s 2025 ranking of the world’s most expensive cities to live in, 40% of them are American-made. This is an eye-opening reminder of how costly daily life has become. Topping the list at 100 on the Cost of Living Rent Index? New York City is the global leader thanks to sky-high rent and everyday expenses that can leave your wallet significantly lighter. Not far behind is San Francisco, ranking 85.3 on the index. There, housing demand, tech-sector strength, and limited inventory drive living costs up and place it among the world’s elite in affordability challenges.

As Men’s Journal puts it, these U.S. outposts “now rival traditional hubs like Zurich and Geneva. That means if you’re living (or even just dreaming) of a major American metro, you’re likely navigating costs on par with the world’s wealthiest and most expensive cities.” These urban areas show that U.S. living isn’t just expensive by American standards, it’s among the priciest in the world.

Cracker Barrel Says It Will Go Back to Old Logo

The company’s streamlined new look sparked a culture-war firestorm

I’m no branding expert, but even I could’ve told someone at Cracker Barrel HQ that a minimalist rebrand was not the way to win back customers. But it seems this short-lived national nightmare is over. Because on Tuesday, your Boomer parents’ favorite restaurant announced it would be going back to its old logo, amid a public backlash.

“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel. We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain,” the company said in a statement, referring to the classic illustration of a man, known as Uncle Herschel. The announcement comes after mounting controversy surrounding the new logo, which kicked Uncle Hershel to the curb in favor of an over-simplified text-only logo.

Some customers, including MAGA figures who decried the switch as a “woke” gesture. The backlash, which included calls for boycotts and for the resignation of its chief executive, Julie Felss Masino, damaged the company’s market value. Shares dropped more than 12% last week. Interestingly, the Tennessee-based chain’s announcement came hours after President Trump weighed in (of course) on the corporate culture war clash and called on Cracker Barrel to “go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response.”

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