THE NEW CASH COMMENTARY FOR NOV. 13, 2025

                                                                  CASH MICHAELS

                         DID YOU GET OUR MESSAGE? WE’RE WOKE!

                                by Cash Michaels

Boy, wasn’t last week something?

Democrats from “sea to shining sea” (my fancy way of saying from New York City to California, and many places in between) wiped the floor with win after win, not just in large marquee places like the Big Apple, New Jersey and Virginia, but also here in North Carolina and other states holding smaller, local, but significant off-year elections.

Dems even had victories in tough suburban areas, along with Hispanic voters, who left the party in 2024. Apparently seeing many other latinos being brutally manhandled by federal officers in 2025 has left a bad taste in their mouths this election.

“It was good to see progressives get off the mat,” former Pres. Barack Obama said. “It was a good reminder that, it turns out that the American people are paying attention.”

“And what this election also taught us is that it turns out that if, number one, you have candidates with integrity who believe in something and are in it for the right reasons, they can win. And what we also learned is that when young people are engaged and involved, then we win.” 

“This is a big loss,” Fox News Anchor Bret Baier, a sometime Trump golfing buddy, countered on-air the next day. “If you look inside the numbers, there are some dangerous things.”

For example in Charlotte, Queen City voters reelected Mayor Vi Lyles by 70%, and told all but one Republican City Council members to hit the bricks, now giving Dems an 11-1 majority.

Same song in Wilmington, where Democrats on the City Council now have a 7-0 majority.

This was truly a mandate.

Based on the overwhelming results, it seems like Democratic candidates across the country all got the same memo - run for something!

In this case, “running for something” meant campaigning to improve everyone’s quality of life by addressing our bad economy, corrupted democracy and dysfunctional government with a singular purpose - vowing to do legislatively what’s necessary to make American living more affordable and reasonable for everyone.

Cause when you do that, and mean it, you automatically run against the person and political party responsible for who two-thirds of Americans, according to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, said were responsible that the country has “gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track.”

Trump and the Republicans. 

You see, that’s what’s been missing. A political party that actually, and actively, fought for the American people in the past year. A political party willing to stand up strong against the folks who not only run Washington, but actually own it.

That’s why it’s taken bold Democrats willing to stand up strong and unyielding during the longest federal shutdown in history to make it clear that those days of bending over and taking it from Trump and the Republicans are over. Since Dems can’t pass anything because they are a minority in the House and Senate, and don’t have the White House, they have to leverage the only effective weapon they really have.

Courage!

And hopefully, that courage, that willingness to stand up to Trump and the Republicans as they sell the average American down the river to the rich and filthy, will yield results a year from now in the 2026 midterm elections.

Because only then, if Dems are able to win enough seats to take back the House, making my fellow Brooklyn homeboy Hakeem Jeffries speaker of the House, will we be able to stop much of the foolishness coming out of the Trump White House (a place now known as “Corrupt-a-lago”).

And that’s why last week’s election results were encouraging. Because it shows that Americans, meaning Democrats, a sizable number of independent voters, and even some Republicans, are ready for a dramatic change. After 10 months of Trump, we’ve all seen enough, and we know that we have to stop this nonsense before we completely lose our country, lose our democracy, and lose our minds.

And I love the way it all came together.

In October, 7 million people hit the streets across America in protest to declare that we simply will not have a king.

The federal shutdown also manifested itself in October, with Trump and the Republicans not only ignoring the massive protests, but actually, and insanely, taunting them with more and more brutal ICE and Border Patrol agent raids in our cities; more and more federal employee firings; more and more obscene behavior with a $300 million White House gilded ballroom and wrecking ball to the East Wing; illegal tariffs raising costs for American businesses and consumers; trips abroad to get fancy gifts from foreign leaders while our government at home is shutdown; holding an atrocious and obscene “Great Gatsby” party for rich people at Mar-a-lago resort while over 40 million Americans were set to lose their SNAP food stamp benefits; and a lot of other stuff that signaled to everybody that their president was critically out of touch, committed only to his own warped personal agenda, and not caring at all about solving their problems.

In fact, Trump was actually adding to their problems, and acting as if he had the absolute and unassailable right to do so!

But folks were paying attention, and had had enough. They just needed a constructive outlet through which they could express their frustration with the B.S. they were experiencing.

Enter November 4th, Election Day! The day Americans WOKE up!

I put that in caps because I know it bothers MAGA people, but you know what? I don’t care, because now heading into 2026, we have a horserace.

By the way, I recently read a conservative pundit who ignorantly likened being woke to white nationalism. There could be no purer crap. Being woke simply means being aware of the truth, and it is not restricted to any one race, color or creed. It is NOT “reverse racism!”

Last Tuesday, millions of Americans, arguably “woke” to the fact that their country has been hijacked by forces not in their best interests, and took the time and effort to send an important message.

WE’VE HAD ENOUGH!

So now, that fire must continue to burn going into 2026, so that folks can change the House, and counter the power of Trump before it becomes too late.

I must tell you that the size and proportion of last week’s Democratic victories, which for the record, went well beyond the blue state boundaries of New York, Virginia, New Jersey and California , is encouraging. It comes as no surprise that there are reports that Trump is trying to come up with some new policies from his administration that address affordability.

He has also gotten the Supreme Court to stop a judge’s order for him to restart full SNAP benefits. Atrocious!

I can’t tell you how saddened I was to read a quote from a 25 year-old Colorado woman on the front page of the N.Y. Times Friday, “I went to the dumpster behind a Walmart, and I grabbed as much as I could.” Reportedly, her nearest food panty had ran out of food.

What Trump and his Republicans have done to this country is disgraceful, and it sickens me.

But I also busted a gut when I saw tape of Republican House “Squeeker” Mike “MAGA Mouse” Johnson telling low-wealth citizens who have had to go without their needed full SNAP benefits since Nov. 1st because of the GOP federal shutdown, that they “have a home in the Republican Party.”

Any low-income person who falls for that crap, deserves the friggin’ haunted house that comes with it!

In fact, Trump, who vowed that he would lower prices for American consumers on Day One of his administration, is trying mightily to convince folks that grocery prices are down now, crying that Americans are “feeling better,” contrary to facts actually in the stores. Suddenly, “affordability” has become his middle name, apparently replacing “criminality.” Tough to fight the high cost of living with Trump’s incoherent tariffs killing our small businesses for the holidays.

And make no mistake…it is not below Trump and the Republicans to attempt to rig the election system so that November 4th never happens again. In fact, I would be absolutely shocked if our best and brightest in election law, like Attorney Marc Elias, aren’t expecting games to be played, and are gearing up to head these folks off at the pass.

So, did you get our message? We’re woke again, and whether it is the school board, city council, state House, or Congressional House, we’re ready to kick Republicans to the curb like we did last week because they’re too busy kissing Donald Trump’s crooked behind to properly govern in the best interest of the people. Republicans can’t be trusted!

But know this, Democrats…Americans are not totally convinced you have your act back together yet. Don’t think you don’t have to prove yourself here, because you do, more than ever.

Do everything you can to keep all of your campaign promises not just to the people who voted for you, but ALL Americans, PERIOD! Make a significant difference! Show Republicans what true public service is all about.

Are you getting our message, Democrats? Good! Then start fighting for us!

We’re counting on you!

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NEW CASH COMMENTARY FOR NOV. 6, 2025

                                                                 CASH MICHAELS

          BONFIRE OF OUR LEGALITIES

            by Cash Michaels

I was watching the news the other day when I heard the Texas Democratic Party chairman say, “When you elect a clown, you should expect a circus.”

Naturally he was talking about Donald Trump, and I defy anyone to look me dead in the eye and say with a straight face that what we’re going through right now in this country, is not a circus. 

The normalcy we all expect from our government is now a thing of the past. Every day we wake up, expecting to hear more ridiculous nonsense sent out via social media from the president about what or who he likes or doesn’t like that is so beyond what the office calls for, that we’re now emotionally immune to the crazy crap he tries to shove down our throats on a regular basis.  

And that’s dangerous, very dangerous! We'll completely lose our country if we’re not careful!

But let’s cut right to it, shall we? In the ten months since Donald Trump has returned to the White House, the important values that we’ve lost as a nation, and the important values that we are yet to lose, are not important at all to the man who is taking them from us.

In fact, he considered them to be so useless to him, and to the new America he’s constructing, that they're essentially meaningless now, or will be soon.

And that’s why I call this period we’re living in with Trump, "the bonfire of our legalities," coined after that famous 1987 Tom Wolfe bestseller, “The Bonfire of the Vanities.” 

But unlike Tom Wolfe’s classic novel, Trump’s bonfire is about all of the societal and governmental norms he has, and is, expected to trash and burn to turn this country into the authoritarian regime he’s always dreamed of.

Let’s start with what he’s done to the White House. All of the garish changes he’s made in the past ten months may not mean much to you beyond just ostentatious symbols of obscene wealth, but those changes tell us - the American people and the world - what kind of leader Trump sees himself as, and thus, how he will continue to govern.

Apparently American public housing is way below Trump’s usual standard of living. The White House has traditionally been known as “the people’s house” because it belongs to ALL of us, and reflects what we consider best represents our nation. 

Or at least we always thought it did.

Now, Trump can’t breathe unless he’s surrounded by gold and marble garnishments. Apparently he needs a 14-carat toilet bowl to inspire his best thinking. Can’t function unless the very ground he walks on is constructed in tribute to him. He even wants a giant archway built in his honor in the nation’s capital to tout his legacy.

So the guy has a big ego problem, big deal, you say? What laws is he breaking remaking the White House and Washington, D.C. in his image? The question should be what laws isn’t Trump breaking?

Bulldozing the East Wing of the White House for a $300 million gold-encrusted ballroom that none of us as taxpayers will ever actually get to see or step in, paid for by wealthy corporations, without any official clearance or permissions from another governing body, is clearly another one of Trump’s “break the law first,  say 'so what' later” schemes.

        The other night on "Late Night with Stephen Colbert," former First Lady Michelle Obama, when asked what she thought about the destruction of the East Wing for a ballroom, expressed consternation, saying that the country must “decide what rules are we following and who is to abide by them, and who isn’t. I am lost, and I hope that more Americans feel lost in a way that they want to be found again, because it’s up to us to find what we’re losing.”

        Mrs. Obama will always be my Forever First Lady!

Trust me, I get it. The old White House simply wasn’t as glam as Donald and Melania may have wanted it. But trust me, it had a lot more style than the damn prison cell his crooked -ss truly belongs in!

The bottomline here is Trump has no respect for the country he was elected president of - its values, laws or traditions. Only the power that the office wields, and he’s done everything possible to corrupt that.

When he tells folks, “I can do anything I want,” that should betray the mind of a man who does not see himself as an elected leader and responsible representative of the people, but a ruthless dictator. A figure above our laws, above our beliefs and way below our common decency.

That bonfire is burning, and with it, many of the values we all treasure, and virtually everything we used to pride ourselves as a nation as being.

What else is in that bonfire pile so far? Our democracy to start, along with basic principles like free and fair elections. Soon, the very right to vote itself.

The historic shutdown we’re still in the midst of after over 36 days, has also clued us in to what else serves as social and legal kindling for Trump’s bonfire.

- Not caring about whether 42 million Americans, including children, eat or not by denying them their full SNAP benefits.

- Terminating so-called “Democrat federal workers” he doesn’t have the power to fire from their employment without due process at so-called “Democrat federal agencies,” which have been closed, promising that they will “never” get their jobs back because of their politics. 

- Sending masked ICE, FBI and Border Patrol agents to so-called “Blue” (read Democrat-run) cities in a deliberate effort to terrorize people Trump wants out of the country.

- Grabbing so-called “criminals" off the street and shipping them off to prisons in other countries without legal due process.

We can call all of the above “legalities" because federal judges either have, or have been asked to rule on them. But there's more...

  - Ensuring that the wealthy of this country have disproportionate advantages from the federal government compared to the average taxpaying citizen.

  - Making the executive branch omnipotent by seizing the power of the legislative branch to make laws, levy tariffs and stop congressional appropriations, then ignoring contrarian legal rulings of the judicial branch that threaten exercising that power. 

- Weaponizing the power of the criminal justice system for political retribution against perceived enemies, and rewarding convicted lawbreakers, like 1600 convicted participants in the Jan. 6th, 2021 Capital riot with pardons, thus turning the rule of law on its head.

- Ordering the Justice Dept. to investigate and/or prosecute specific American citizens.

- Threatening war on non-white nations by indiscriminately killing people in international waters under contrived pretenses.

- Seeking to violate Constitutional law by undermining Americans’ birthright citizenship.

   - Not improving the quality of life or lowering costs for everyday citizens as promised.

- Stealing classified documents, then claiming that the federal government is liable for $230 million because it raided his home to reclaim them.

- Developing a closer, warmer relationship with America’s traditional enemies like Russia and North Korea, and a more antagonistic relationship with traditional allies like Canada.

    - Threatening not to send federal funding to Democrat-run cities, or already canceling funding for needed municipal projects. 

- Canceling millions in research funding to colleges and universities that maintain diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.

            - Threatening powerful law firms that represent people the Trump Administration considers enemies with cancellation of government contracts.

     -  Successfully suing the news media, demoting established news organizations and expelling reporters from the Pentagon, in order to gain control of administration coverage.

             - Dismantling the U.S. Dept. of Education, putting the educational rights of poor, non-English speaking and handicapped students at risk.

     - Threatening the limitation of freedom of speech.

      - Using government influence to personally enrich himself, family and businesses.

       - Threatening the use of the U.S. military on American soil.

               - Accepting expensive gifts from foreign countries and donations from wealthy benefactors.

                - Threatening American civil liberties, including the right to protest.

That’s a pretty long list of violated traditional American values - many with legal implications - that Trump has corrupted and burned through just in the past ten months.

And the damn shame of it is, it is not a compete list by any measure.

A year ago, Zack Beauchamp wrote in Vox before the 2024 presidential election that if Trump won, he would turn “…the government into an extension of his personal will.”

By all accounts, he’s well on his way to doing just that.

How did we get here?

Beauchamp argues in his book, The Reactionary Spirit, that  "...rising political antagonism in America is a perennial outgrowth of its defining conflict over race and national identity — with the current round of conflict sparked largely (albeit not entirely) by backlash to Barack Obama’s 2008 victory."

"The sense among some Americans that they were losing their country to something new, defined by a more diverse population and a more equal social hierarchy, made the idea of a strongman who could roll back change quite appealing to a significant chunk of the American population. These voters had come to constitute a plurality, if not an outright majority, of Republican primary voters — creating the conditions for Trump to rise."

Beauchamp continued, “In 2016, Trump seized on this reactionary discontent and married it to a whole-scale agenda of backlash against the current political order. His policies and political rhetoric — on everything from immigration to gender to trade to foreign policy — were calculated to deepen America’s divisions and mainstream ideas once consigned to the fringes."

But then something unexpected happened in 2016, Beauchamp reminds us. Trump won, and had to scramble to put a government together he was not ready to lead. There was no Project 2025 then, so he had no real roadmap. Some of the people he hired to lead his administration were not as loyal as he demanded, and instead, began working against him.

Trump learned from that experience, and used the four years out of office from 2021 to 2025, to prepare for a second presidency in which he could command more control, demand more loyalty, and become a world power not restricted by the law, but only his own whims.

And from all telltale signs, Trump has no inclination of giving this power up, because as far as he’s concerned, America is just one of his prized possessions like one of his golf courses or resort clubs. Which means he and his family, along with his rich supporters, will now have dominion over that which rightfully belongs to us, the people.

“Cash is making this stuff up,” some of you are saying. Oh, then ask yourself why Trump is closely following the model of other brutal world dictators and how they took power in their respective countries.Vladimir Putin in Russia. Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hungary. Kim Jong Un in North Korea.

Even Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt, otherwise known as the “Quiet General” and “The Pimp.”

These are all longtime autocratic strongmen who do not tolerate dissent, have no problem sending troops in to manhandle or even kill demonstrators, and maintain a tight grip on the levers of their government’s power.

It’s safe to say that Trump loves this style, and doing everything he can corrupt our government to the extent that he can get away with instituting much of this “strongman” stuff here.

And that’s why time is running out for Americans who don’t want a dictatorship of any kind to first pay attention to what’s really going on; second, CARE about what’s really going on, and how it affects ALL of us; and third, seriously prepare to do everything in your power to stop Trump’s power grab and reckless bonfire of our legalities.

        It was heartening indeed to see the tremendous Democratic enthusiasm and victories in New York City, Virginia, New Jersey, California and other places during Tuesday night’s elections, and hopefully Dems can not just hold onto that energy going into 2026, but spread it like wildfire all over this country. No, Trump wasn't on the ballot, but the tremendous mess from his bonfire was!

I’ll share with you what my good friend and colleague, Law Professor Irving Joyner of North Carolina Central University School of Law, told me recently:

For…those who still believe in a progressive Democracy, the test of that commitment must be demonstrated during the coming thirteen months. If there is no visible resistance to the steady destruction of this Democracy before the 2026 mid-term election, this Democracy will be completely destroyed. While it will take decades to restore what we previously achieved in this country, the first steps toward restoration must be taken now!

        “This is not only how we stop Donald Trump, but how we stop the next one,” vowed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani Tuesday night.

Amen!

THE CASH STUFF FOR NOV. 6, 2025

 

FORMER REP. CECIL BROCKMAN

BROCKMAN RESIGNS FROM 

LEGISLATURE; CLEARS WAY 

FOR CRIMINAL TRIAL

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

The choice for Cecil Brockman was apparently academic.

Faced with serious criminal charges of allegedly taking indecent sexual liberties with a minor child, the six-term Guilford County Democratic state House representative decided last Friday to pour his energies into defending himself, instead for fighting for his longheld office.

“I am currently facing criminal charges brought against me in Guilford County,” Brockman wrote in his resignation letter to the Office of the North Carolina House Clerk. “Due to the seriousness of these accusations, I need to focus on my defense of these allegations.

“As a result, I am currently unable to fulfill my duty and service to my constituents in Guilford County,” Brockman continued. “As a result, I am resigning my position from the NC House of Representatives effective immediately.”

If Brockman, 41 of High Point, did not issue his resignation when he did, he would have faced a bi-partisan House committee appointed by Republican House Speaker Destin Hall to review the charges against him, and formally recommend his removal from the state House.

Even though several top Democratic leaders noted that regardless of how serious the charges were, Brockman had the right to due process, all of them, from Gov. Josh Stein to Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton to Democratic House Leader Robert Reives, all called for Brockman to relinquish his office, saying that it would be difficult at best for him to adequately represent his Guilford County constituents under such a dark cloud.

It wasn’t long after the formal announcement of Speaker Hall’s committee that Brockman tendered his resignation through his House office.

The High Point Democrat was arrested October 9th by the State Bureau of Investigation on two counts of statutory rape and two counts of indecent liberties with a minor child under the age of 16. 

The charges are based on an investigation into allegations that Brockman met a 14 year-old teenager on a dating app, went to live with the child in Atlanta when it turned 15  in June, then moved back to High point with the child in August.

Local law enforcement first became aware of the relationship when Brockman reported the teenager missing October 5th. Referring the case to the SBI, the child was later found, and after reviewing alleged sexually explicit videos involving Brockman on the child’s phone, the former representative was arrested and charged.

Thus far, Brockman has had two court appearances via wifi transmission, the first from a hospital bed. On Monday his bail was lowered from $1.05 million to $250,000. If he is released on bond, Brockman must live with his mother, and wear an ankle bracelet.

    While sitting in a chair from the Guilford County Jail, wearing a prison jumpsuit with a deputy standing behind him, Brockman complained that lies were being told about him.

        "I would like to know why lies are being accepted without there being a rebuttal to those lies," the former Democratic lawmaker opined Monday. “I don't think it's fair on my behalf to have to sit here and hear constant lies told on, by the state's behalf, your honor, and me not being able to respond through at least my attorney.”

Cecil Brockman is set to make his next court appearance on Nov. 13th.

Meanwhile, the Guilford County Democratic Party is expected to select a replacement to fill out the rest of Brockman’s unexpired House term, and forward that recommendation to Gov. Josh Stein for his approval.

On its website, the GCDP states, “Members of the Guilford County Democratic Party’s County Executive Committee (CEC) who live in N.C. House District 60 will meet on Zoom  Saturday, November 15 at 10:30 a.m. to choose a replacement for Representative Cecil Brockman. Brockman resigned his seat October 31.
CEC members who are eligible to vote will be notified by mail and email.
A Candidates Forum will be held on Zoom at 9 a.m. November 15, just before the meeting. Both the forum and meeting will also be livestreamed on the Guilford County Democratic Party’s Facebook page.
For more information, email gcdpchair@guilforddems.org. Be sure to include “District 60 CEC Meeting” in the subject line.

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“CHILDREN ARE HUNGRY…” SAYS 

BISHOP BARBER REGARDING HOW

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS 

CUTTING SNAP BENEFITS

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

With the federal government shutdown which began October 1st, now the longest in United States history, the effects are certainly being felt here in North Carolina.

Certainly there are federal employees here who have been either furloughed or fired, and airports across the state are experiencing slowdowns as a result of air traffic controllers not showing up for work because they haven’t been paid as Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Washington, D.C. continue to argue over reopening the government.

But the most important crisis rising from the federal shutdown is the fact that over 40 million people across the nation - 1. 4 million of those right here in North Carolina - were having to do without their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as of November 1st. Their funding for food had been cut off.

The Trump Administration, through the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, refused to release SNAP contingency funding as of November 1st so that low-income people could purchase food, blaming Democrats in Congress for the shutdown.

Two federal Judges last Friday ruled that SNAP benefits should be provided, and Pres. Trump told reporters shortly afterwards that those SNAP contingency funds would be released as soon as the administration received legal clarity on the order, which would further delay implementation of the order.

        House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries charged that Pres. Trump and the Republicans had "weaponized hunger," noting that they had found funding for construction of a $300 million White House ballroom and $20 billion to bailout Argentina.

        At least 25 state governments sued the Trump Administration to release at least $8 billion in contingency SNAP funding. Food banks in many of those states, including North Carolina, have tried to provide what they can to needy families until SNAP is officially restored. 

        On Monday, the Trump Administration finally partially funded SNAP benefits, but for most SNAP families, that cut the monthly allotment from $175.00 to just a paltry $90.00.

According to the North Carolina Dept. of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), out of the 1.4 million people here who rely on SNAP benefits, “More than 700,000 households receive benefits each month and 4 in 5 families participating in SNAP in North Carolina have either a child, senior or an adult with a disability.”

"Food and nutrition are foundational to good health and people should not have to worry about their families and communities going hungry" said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. "NCDHHS hopes for a quick resolution to the federal shutdown to ensure people in North Carolina are not at risk of losing critical food benefits."

Bishop William Barber, president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach; and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, calls the federal government shutdown a “…moral crisis of Republicans holding food for hungry people hostage so they can keep the extreme cuts they made to healthcare that are projected to kill 51,000 people next year.”

On Saturday, November 1st, Bishop Barber wrote, “At the Capitol on Thursday, our Moral Monday delegation prayed that the courts would order the Trump administration to use emergency funds to re-charge EBT cards today. Yesterday, US District Chief Judge John J. McConnell said that the USDA must do that under law, yet tens of millions of people who planned to buy groceries on the first of the month cannot.”

Bishop Barber continued, “When people are hungry, we are called to feed them. But we must also organize their pain. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.” Children are hungry on the day after Americans shared candy with whoever knocked on their doors. In this moment, we must all come together to build a voting block that can fundamentally shift the politics of this nation.”

“And we must do it in the places where those who are drunk on power have decided they are “safe.”

Calling it “our Edmund Pettus Bridge,” Bishop Barber called for a campaign to “…register and mobilize every eligible voter in the Congressional districts that North Carolina’s legislature just gerrymandered to create an additional vote for MAGA extremism in the US House.”

Barber held a moral mass meeting Sunday at St. James Christian Church in Wilson to “… announce a campaign of litigation, nonviolent resistance and mass voter mobilization…” to begin in the First Congressional District, which Republicans in the NC General Assembly just redistricted to give Pres. Trump one more congressional seat in the 2026 elections.

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