THE CASH COMMENTARY FOR JAN. 8, 2026

                                                                  CASH MICHAELS

   

  RESOLUTIONS

by Cash Michaels

And how were your holidays?

For my family and me, not bad. As always, I personally take the last two weeks of every year off so I can use that time to rest and reflect. I value that, because one thing is for sure  - I have more days behind me than in front of me, so fine-tuning the time I have left doing things that keep me fulfilled is a very high priority, right behind making sure that my adult children are doing well and managing life in the most constructive way possible.

One of the things I resolved to do during the holidays was to ignore all things Trump so that I could truly enjoy time with family. It was great for my mental and emotional health, to say the least. That’s how much what that man is doing to the country and the world disturbs me, and I must say, not having to pay attention to his disturbing power grabbing antics was truly refreshing.

This is until Saturday, January 3rd…my birthday!

That’s when, along with the rest of the world, I woke up to news that Trump sent in U.S. military forces, acting under the cover of federal law enforcement, to arrest (some say kidnap) both Venezuelan Pres. Nicolas Maduro and his wife (reportedly dragging them from their bedroom, for goodness sakes), and charging them with narco-terrorism, among other drug trafficking-related crimes.

I have no problem with bad guys (and their wives) being bagged, but I just hope that this one is legal, because the folks in Trump’s administration are famous for cutting corners with the rule of law - domestic, international or otherwise.

         Did you see the ignorant clowns on Fox News like Jesse Watters and Hannity trying to justify Trump doing whatever the hell he wanted when it came to invading another country for whatever reason? As far as those bozos were concerned, there is no international law to respect, only what Trump wants, when he wants it. 

        That's the kind of crazy talk world wars are made of. I pray we never find that out.

        I thought Democratic Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett made an excellent point during her appearance on “The View” a few days ago. 

Trump supporters are quick to point out that Maduro actually lost his election for president the last time he ran, but was able to muscle his way to take power anyway. So he wasn’t the legitimate elected leader of Venezuela.

But, as Congresswoman Crockett reminds us, didn’t our own leader try to pull a “Maduro” five years ago this week on January 6th, 2021, only to have his own vice president, Mike Pence, who was in charge of certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, not go along?

Former prosecutor Jack Smith testified before the House Judiciary Committee late last month (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR-bhPzQYUE) that based on the evidence, there was no doubt that Trump was the reason for the January 6th insurrection. Smith felt he would have proven that, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Trump was reelected, he would have been convicted and sent to jail. 

        This week, the White House had the unmitigated gall to blame the Jan. 6th insurrection on law enforcement and Democrat Nancy Pelosi "inciting violence" among "peaceful protestors."

        It’s "facts" like that which make most of us not trust a damn word this administration says or does about anything!!! Trump is a used car salesman on steroids!!!

By the way, raise your hand if you’re comfortable with Trump telling us, now that we’ve raided Venezuela and grabbed its president, that he and his cronies are going to run that sovereign nation and bring oil companies in to control the resources until further notice. In fact, Trump has since announced that Venezuela will "be turning over between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States (worth at least $3 billion), which will be sold to benefit both Venezuela and the United States" indefinitely.

         What exactly does this mean, folks aren't sure, but it sounds like Trump will be creating his own slush fund from oil that legally belongs to some other country, which is constitutionally illegal, since Congress has the power of the purse, not the president. So once again, the rule of law gets dipped in acid to suit Trump's every whim.

Now aren’t you proud? Venezuela is Trump’s 51st state, and to add insult to injury, he warns Columbia, Cuba and Nigeria to pay close attention to his military muscle flex! Hey Greenland, think all of this has nothing to do with you?

Think again!

Another thing that I did that gave me much pleasure (beyond spending time with my two daughters, who came home to celebrate my seventieth birthday with me), was binging on old episodes of “The West Wing” on Netflix. I couldn’t get away from it, especially now that I’m much older than when I first began watching it 25 years ago.

I was amazed at how well each episode has held up over time, and how deep each episode was, especially when it came to the inner workings of our federal government. Of course, many of the scenarios were fantasy because after all, West Wing was originally a political drama on network television.

But what most fans of the show appreciated was how those fantasy scenarios were ultimately resolved by real world political solutions, courtesy of writer/producer Lawrence O’Donnell, who has since become a heralded political commentator on MS NOW (formerly MSNBC for the past 20+ years).

What a lot of people don’t realize is that West Wing was a precursor to the election of Barack Obama, our first American president of color, and some of the people who were consultants on the show later worked to get Obama elected in 2008.

Many people who watch “The West Wing” today and enjoy it, all say the same thing: they wish our country had a West Wing administration leading the nation, instead of what we have now.

That’s a shame, but that sentiment speaks to the kind of country many of us believe we should be - one that is always striving to be better, to be inclusive, to be strong on principles, to be leaders of the global community in education, scientific discovery, freedom, opportunity, and prosperity.

        Doesn’t mean our problems would just disappear, but that we would be better suited to deal with them, and do so with a greater sense of unity, honesty and resolve.

The West Wing - another case of popular culture in our country reflecting our best values and vision.

Then, of course, everyone is anxious about the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, and whether the Democrats can hold it together long enough to retake the U.S. House of Representatives and put a stop to much of Trump’s free-for-all madness. Mind you, unless Dems are also able to increase their numbers in the U.S. Senate, all they can hope to accomplish is to put a stop to the rubber stamp foolishness of the current Republican-led House majority and Speaker Mike “MAGA Mouse” Johnson.

But for my money, that would be enough until we were able to truly get the Senate back.

Make no mistake, however, if the Dems do take back the House for the midterms, they must try to do everything in their power to finally fix the health insurance crisis, and affordability problem - two things that Americans definitely want solid action on.

I pray that my fellow citizens finally realize that governing is really a numbers game. Only when your party has the numbers can good things get done. Only when your political party has the numbers and has won control can it bring about the change you seek legislatively.

Yes, at the end of the day, I sincerely hope that my fellow citizens wake up and realize that electing Trump and his dangerous clown show to run OUR government was the biggest mistake we’ve ever made, and that we seriously must resolve to fix that problem incrementally so that by the time 2028 rolls around, and Trump protege Vice President John David Vance starts hanging his “for President” banners in our faces, we’re ready, willing and able to collectively say, “get the hell outta here” with a sense of unity, duty and purpose.

That is my greatest New Year’s resolution - to do everything I can, with the time I have left, to make sure that in 2026 AND 2028, the deep stench of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance is removed from our government, and that we can return to being the bright, principled and hopeful country we used to be.

Are you with me?

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THE CASH STUFF FOR JAN.8, 2026

                                                       CHRISTIAN STURDIVANT

HOW BLACK YOUTH FALL 

PREY TO FOREIGN TERRORIST 

RADICALIZATION

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

If you were one of the many to be surprised by news from federal authorities that an 18-year-old alleged ISIS-inspired American terrorist had been stopped before he could kill people in a Charlotte grocery store and a Burger King restaurant on New Year’s Eve, and he happened to be black, don’t be.

Foreign radicalization of African-American youth has long been a tool of terrorist organizations like ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) and al-Qaeda, as well as foreign governments like Vladimir Putin’s Russia, published reports show.

During their January 2nd press conference, federal authorities identified Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill, a suburb of Charlotte, as an ISIS-inspired terrorism suspect who had been arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Sturdivant was stopped before he could carry out his alleged plot to commit mass killings at the fast food restaurant where he worked, and an unknown grocery store. After a search of his home, federal authorities determined that the black youth had long been planning an attack  on non-Muslims, LGBTQ people, law enforcement and military personnel with the hammers and knives in his possession. Sturdivant reportedly spent a lot of time online reading ISIS material and creating TikTok videos about his fealty to ISIS.

Also found during a search of his home, a Kevlar vest and a handwritten note expressing how he hoped to die in a battle with police.

Sturdivant was stopped after communicating with undercover NY City police officers and FBI agents posing as ISIS followers, but it wasn’t the first time.

In 2022, federal authorities allege, Sturdivant, then a minor, was stopped by his grandfather from killing his neighbor with a hammer and knife. The black youth reportedly received psychological treatment after that incident.

Federal authorities allege that Sturdivant was planning an ISIS-inspired jihad. Had he succeeded, the Charlotte black youth would have been the second in exactly a year to commit such a deadly act.

The January 1st New Year’s 2025 New Orleans truck attack that killed fourteen people, and injured 57 others on a crowded Bourbon Street was perpetrated by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old African-American man who drove from Houston, Texas to commit the deadly terrorist attack. He was killed during a gun battle with police.

In his truck was found an ISIS flag, and on social media, Jabbar had posted several videos declaring his allegiance to ISIS. It is not known how long Jabbar had been an ISIS follower.

Beyond the ISIS flag and perpetrator’s videos, the FBI determined that the New Orleans 2025 attack was an instance of domestic terrorism inspired by, but not committed by the foreign terrorist group, since no direct connection could be determined.

These are just two recent so-called ‘lone wolf attacks” involving young black males inspired by foreign terrorist or anti-American groups.

In a March 2015 online article titled, “The Allure of ISIS Recruits," it’s explained that the reasons why ISIS is able to attract young people from across the world vary:

Poverty and oppression may explain why people in some countries embrace violent extremism, but it does not account for the flow of Western volunteers or the dreamy allure of fighting for a faraway cause. Biographies of those who have reached out to participate in jihad suggest a variety of motives, including alienation, personal crises, dissatisfaction with empty spiritual lives — and adolescent rebellion.

However, when it comes to African-Americans, significant factors can lead to recruitment, such as feelings of disenfranchisement, social grievances, and oppression. 

Experts say terrorist groups exploit these feelings online in order to recruit, if not inspire, new followers of color.

This is also how Russian operatives, during the 2016 elections, used black grievances, like a deadly police shooting in Charlotte then, to exploit the black-white racial divide for the purpose of starting a race war.

According to the University of Michigan Law School article “Virtual Hatred: How Russia Tried to Start a Race War in the United States,” Throughout the [2016] campaign, Russian operatives created hundreds of fake personas on social media platforms and then posted thousands of advertisements and messages that sought to promote racial divisions in the United States. This was a coordinated propaganda effort.”

Inciting racial differences made the national environment ripe for violence, and while several other fatal shootings occurred, the Russian-inspired race war never happened.

Because of the insidious nature of foreign-inspired terrorism, experts say it’s hard to know how many young African-Americans have been or are being indoctrinated. Published reports say federal authorities normally track these young people’s movements, internet and phone usage whenever possible in hopes of heading off any possible plots that may be underway.

Normally, when those efforts are successful, authorities are able to either arrest ISIS-inspired young people at airports on their way to join the terrorist organization, or, as in the case of Christian Sturdivant, just before they commit a violent terrorist act.

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 HOW BLACKS IN NC

LOST GROUND IN 

2025 (PART 1)

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

As 2026 proceeds, a look back at 2025 raises important questions for African-Americans in North Carolina about how much social, political and human capital was lost last year, and whether much, if any of it, can be regained in the future.

At the top of the list of social and political ground lost to blacks in 2025 has to be the destruction of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies and programs not only in state government, but private industries as well, affecting hiring, education and small business opportunities.

Even though Democratic Gov. Josh Stein vetoed measures ratified by the NC General Assembly that dismantled DEI in state government, many agencies began ending the policy and practice on their own. And those vetoes can still be overridden by the NC General Assembly in 2026.

Tens of millions of dollars of federal education grants used to “strengthen teacher recruitment and retention, reduce vacancies, and improve hiring processes” for at-risk student needs in schools across North Carolina were also cut off by the Trump Administration, according to published reports. As a result, recruiting efforts for more teachers of color have been hurt, and those already on the job are at risk of losing their employment.

In their termination letter, those teachers were told the special program they were working under “…includes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.” The letter also alleged that teachers were being trained in “divisive ideologies.”

Amid President Donald Trump’s promise to close the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12)  blasted the administration for essentially installing a tip line, otherwise known as an “End DEI portal," “…where the public could make complaints about diversity, equity and inclusion practices in K-12 public schools as the Trump administration works to purge DEI from the government,” according to The Hill.

“The Trump Administration is once again using the federal government to attack teachers, students, and schools that dare to promote fairness and inclusion,” Congresswoman Adams, founding chairwoman of the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus, said in a statement. “This so-called ‘tip line’ is a shameless attempt to silence educators and dismantle programs that ensure every child—no matter their race, gender, or background—has a fair shot at success. Instead of working to strengthen our public schools, Trump is weaponizing the Department of Education to push a political agenda.”

In an effort to intimidate over 50 private and public universities across the nation to cease their DEI programs and practices, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) under the Trump Administration began investigating them for allegedly violating  Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

One of the universities accused was Duke University in Durham.

The DOE’s Office of Civil Rights accused Duke and over 50 other major institutions of racially discriminating against white and Asian-American students…

The state's onslaught against DEI continued as the NC House voted 69-45  to ban state and local government agencies (including schools) from promoting, supporting, funding, implementing or maintaining workplace DEI programs, policies, or initiatives.

All House Republicans present voted for the measure.

House Bill 171 also instructed Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek, to audit state agencies periodically to determine if they are in compliance with the new law once it’s ratified by the NC Senate.

Any state employee that violates HB 171 could lose their job. There are civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.

A previous version of HB 171 would have mandated criminal punishment for violations.

House Majority Leader Rep. Brenden Jones (R-Columbus), primary sponsor of the bill, said that it was needed to prevent discrimination and restore hiring practices.

The war on DEI in 2025 extended to scientific research in North Carolina as well, setting back work done curing sickle cell anemia and other diseases that primarily affect black people.

Plus, the Trump Administration announced the dismantling of the Dept. of Education, and three notable figures of North Carolina black history, who unquestionably did much to inspire and uplift the community died. 

        All of that and more in part 2 next week.

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THE CASH STUFF FOR NEW YEAR'S DAY, 2026

                                                       REP. ALMA ADAMS (D-NC-12)

REP. ADAMS BLASTS GOP

FOR FAILURE TO QUELL

HIGH ACA COSTS

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

It’s the New Year, over 20 million Americans are having to pay increased  premiums for their Obamacare (Affordable Care Act/ACA) healthcare insurance costs, and North Carolina Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC-12), like every other House Democrat, blames Republicans.

Just before the Christmas holidays, Rep. Adams joined other House Democrats in voting against the most recent Republican healthcare bill because it failed to extend the ACA tax credits that help keep premium costs low for subscribers.

In North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District, an estimated 88,000 residents use the ACA tax credits, and across the state, 157,000 subscribers are projected to lose their health insurance because without those tax credits, their ACA premium costs will explode.

Now, as of the New Year, an estimated 4 million American ACA subscribers are expected to lose their health insurance across the country, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. This is in addition to the 10 million Americans who are projected to lose their health insurance because of provisions in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill," (OBBB) which passed Congress last July.

In addition, here in North Carolina, because of cuts in the OBBB to Medicaid and Medicare, at least five rural hospitals are at risk of closing.

Rep. Adams has been outspoken about the fact that for 16 years, Republicans in Congress have tried to kill Obamacare, and replace it with their own healthcare plan for the nation, but have failed.

In a statement issued after the last Republican healthcare vote in the House passed, Rep. Adams said, “As America suffers from the Republican healthcare and affordability crisis, the Republican solution is to make healthcare more expensive and ensure less people have access to it.” 

“Their proposal raises healthcare costs without the ACA tax credits, forces Americans to lose coverage, takes away protections from our most vulnerable, and undermines women’s right to reproductive freedom. Americans deserve more than a shoddy, last-minute bill that doesn’t make their healthcare better or their lives more affordable. It’s time for Republicans to work with Democrats on a bipartisan healthcare solution because it’s clear they can’t handle it on their own.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in an interview right before Christmas that when Congress comes back in session after the holiday break, he expects the House to vote on a “…clean three-year extension of the ACA tax credits…” thus giving Congress time to find a permanent solution.

Leader Jeffries believes the three-year extension will pass the House by virtue of a discharge petition that will force the vote over Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s objections, similar to what was done forcing the release of the Epstein files in November. 

There are at least four House Republicans who have committed to voting for the three-year extension bill, and if that happens, then it will be up to the Senate to also vote accordingly.

“It will pass, with a bipartisan majority, and then that will put the pressure on John Thune and Senate Republicans to actually do the right thing by the American people: pass a straightforward extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits so we can keep health care affordable for tens of millions of Americans who deserve to be able to go see a doctor when they need one,” Jeffries told ABC News.

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                                                       REP. AMOS L. QUICK III

REP. QUICK BEMOANS 

ATTACKS ON DEI AND

VOTING ACCESS

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

In a commentary appearing statewide online this week titled “NC’s Future Depends on Inclusion - Not Retreat”, Rep. Amos L. Quick III (District 58), Democrat of Guilford County, warns that if North Carolina “…wants to continue leading the nation in job creation, innovation and education, we must lead on inclusion as well.”

Rep. Quick also opposed the Republican-led Guilford County Board of Elections removing North Carolina A&T State University as an early voting site for the 2026 midterm elections.

According to Rep. Quick’s commentary, removing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs from universities, government, and private industry while also removing polling access at the nation’s largest historically black college/university (HBCU) “sends a clear and chilling message - certain voices are being pushed out of North Carolina’s future.”

In his commentary, Rep. Quick notes that with North Carolina “experiencing one of the most dynamic periods of economic growth in [its] history,” with skilled people moving here from all over the nation and the world, this is no time for either the NC General Assembly nor the UNC Board of Governors to implement policies attacking DEI.

“Instead of strengthening our talent pipeline, the General Assembly and the UNC Board of Governors have chosen to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across public universities. These decisions are not only morally troubling they are economically reckless,” Quick writes.

The impact of these DEI attacks has been sweeping, Quick continued.

  • Multiple universities: including North Carolina A&T State University, have closed or restructured their DEI offices.

• Dozens of DEI-related positions were eliminated across the system.
  
• Identity-based centers that support historically marginalized students were
  weakened or defunded.
  These changes were not driven by student needs, workforce demands, or economic strategy. They were driven by politics and they jeopardize the very institutions that fuel North Carolina’s economic engine.
  The Economic Case for DEI Remains Overwhelming
  DEI is not a slogan. It is a proven economic strategy.
  

• Companies with racially and ethnically diverse leadership teams are 36% more
  likely to outperform peers.
  
• Diverse companies are 70% more likely to capture new markets.
  North Carolina’s own success story proves this.
  North Carolina A&T State University, the nation’s largest HBCU, produces more Black engineers than any other institution in America. These graduates are the backbone of the Triad’s growing advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and clean-energy sectors. 

        Rep. Quick adds that with attacking DEI in North Carolina in 2024, came “…a broader pattern of restricting access, representation, and participation” with the removal of early voting sites at NC A&T University for 2026.

Noting the NC A&T has a “long history of high student turnout…,”students are forced to travel off campus to vote, creating unnecessary barriers for thousands of young voters.”

Rep. Quick implored his colleagues in the NC General Assembly to reverse their “regressive” trend , and not vote to override Gov. Josh Sein’s veto of their anti-DEI measures. He said the trend is not just morally wrong, but “ economically self-destructive.”

“North Carolina added more than 91,000 new jobs last year, most requiring postsecondary education or specialized training. Eliminating DEI programs directly undermines our ability to fill those jobs with homegrown talent,” Quick wrote.

Rep. Quick’s commentary comes on the heels of a new report that says North Carolina needs more teacher diversity in its training programs.

According to the National Council  on Teacher Quality, 26 of North Carolina’s 57 teacher preparation programs were not producing candidates “as diverse as the state’s existing teacher workforce.”

The report added, “When teacher preparation programs fail to graduate diverse cohorts, students lose out on the proven benefits that teachers of color bring — higher achievement, stronger relationships, and classrooms where every student feels they belong.”

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