Monday, March 24, 2025

THE CASH COMMENTARY FOR MARCH 27, 2025


                                                                     CASH MICHAELS

                              AT OUR LOWEST, AND GOING LOWER

by Cash Michaels


Last week, I, among others, lamented the impending destruction of the U.S. Department of Education by the Trump Administration, and the harm such a completely ass-backwards act will do to the future of our country.

In my commentary, I shared how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged that education be the beacon light of freedom for African-Americans during the hard fought 60’s civil rights movement. That visionary hope and wisdom was what my community sorely needed then, and vitally needs even now.

Needless to say, my invoking Dr. King elicited the following interesting response from a smug self described MAGA follower who wrote, “ Dr. King would be horrfied (sic) by the desentigration (sic) of  black culture into single motherhood, crime, and criminal worship. And you'll never convince a thinking person otherwise.”

Hopefully, this MAGA person is not referring to him or herself as a “thinking person,” otherwise they wouldn’t have allowed themselves to misspell two simple words in one sentence. It’s been my experience that “thinking” people don’t do that while criticizing someone else in writing.

And as for Dr. King being “horrified” by the “disintegration” of black culture into “single motherhood, crime, and criminal worship,” then imagine how truly shocked the civil rights leader would be that the nation he fought so hard to free from racial tyranny, and gave his young life to put on the proper and moral path, would instead TWICE elect a extraordinarily morally decrepit and racist president who stands criminally indicted in two federal and two state criminal cases; was convicted of 34 felonies; later pardoned hundreds of convicted white supremacist rioters who tried to overthrow the US government, which led to the deaths of four brave police officers while he cowardly watched it all on TV from the White House drinking a Diet Coke; has separated immigrant children from their mothers; has imprisoned innocent people without due process because he didn’t like what they were saying; has lambasted our brave, deceased U.S. military personnel as “suckers and losers”; falsely accused black people from another country of coming here and “eating our cats and our dogs”; and has had four children by three wives.

Think Dr. King would be proud to stand anywhere near a proven criminal and degenerate president of the United States like that who is currently presiding over the wonton destruction of our nation and culture? 

In the illustrious words of my illiterate MAGA commenter, “You'll never convince a thinking person otherwise.”

Now, the reason for my skewering this MAGA person isn’t just to hang him/her out to dry, but to make the following point: amazingly, it’s only taken a little over two months since the inauguration of Donald Trump to bring this nation down to its intellectual knees.

When your nationally elected leader is corrupt, and has surrounded himself with people who actively seek ways for him to be even more corrupt, your country is in serious trouble.

CORRECTION - make that …OUR country is in serious trouble!

We’re at our lowest point, and getting even lower literally every day with Trump in the White House.

How can I tell?

Because of what now passes for “intelligence” around here these days.

You see, my MAGA follower was Exhibit A in the case against Trump’s governance.

Believe it or not, I’m not troubled by MAGA follower's disparaging words about my community. He or she is not the first to try to erroneously brand my entire community as a bunch of lazy criminals who are not inclined towards a proper two-parent household.

Problem with MAGA follower's racist analysis is that it’s demonstrably false.

Sure, there are far too many African-Americans who lean towards crime. That axiom goes for a lot of communities beyond my own. And that’s what happens when you dump generation after generation of human beings into poverty-stricken urban centers with no jobs, no opportunities and no hope, and then legislate against them so they have little opportunity to overcome social and legal barriers.

I know. I grew up in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY. What is never said is that the majority of Black, white and Hispanic people living under those conditions are good people, just trying to make it the best way they know how. And many have. I did. My family did.

But that’s the culture of Trump’s MAGA movement - browbeat and lie about people in order to gain some perceived psychological and political advantage over them, especially if you’re really afraid of them.

        And when you need to act like you're superior to someone, you're really afraid of them.

Ask the New York Times, CNN or CBS News. How many times has Trump called those organizations names, falsely claimed their readership or viewership had disappeared, and that they were about to go out of business? It’s for the same reason why that ignorant MAGA follower spewed bullpucky about Black people.

Trump’s perceived enemies have power that neither he nor his MAGA movement ever intend to publicly respect.

With the news media, in Trump’s MAGA world, we’re all liars and dishonest bastards, the lowest of the low never to be trusted or believed if we say anything negative about him.

With Black people, in Trump’s MAGA  world, unless we’re confirmed true believers, we’re not white, and are too self aware. We know more about their racial history than our white counterparts. That’s why, Trump says, so-called “radical leftist” history, which is really just American history he and the MAGA movement would prefer people don't pay attention to, should be discounted, diminished, and in fact, literally outlawed.

NO critical race theory, no diversity, equity and inclusion should be ever be allowed.

And get this…make sure you erase whatever history you have on Black or female national heroes like Colin Powell and Jackie Robinson, or brave military women like Susan Ahn Cuddy, the first Asian American female officer in the U.S. Navy and first female gunnery officer in the U.S. armed forces. They’re not white, so they all must be subversives. Telling our white children about their stories only awakens them to America’s true racial history.

You know…that dreaded right-wing word - woke.

We don’t want that, Trump’s MAGA America says. We want to keep our population ignorant so that our billionaire buddies can pay no taxes and get away with it. We want to keep everybody ignorant so we can hold onto power. We want to attack those who oppose us. Threaten our enemies with prison or ruin.

In order to take and maintain control of America, Trump says, we have to redefine it so that up and down literally mean the opposite of what they mean now.

Trump now has us hating the very things that made us strong - our diversity of people, talent and ideas. Our welcome to the rest of the world to come here and learn from the most noted scholars and accomplished professionals, now is only extended as long as they bring wealth with them.

Trump wants us all to be asleep and unaware. He wants a proliferation of the MAGA mentality - talk first, think later, if at all. 

And he’s not finished. We’re only seeing the beginning of his Project 2025 conspiracy. Trust me, this madman has plenty of Sharpies, and plenty of blank Executive Order forms to last for the next four years, if not longer.

So yes, America, right now we are at our lowest point so far.

And the worst of it is, there’s no question that Trump plans to take us even lower.

All because Einsteins like my MAGA follower voted Trump into office, suckered by the false promise of a better, greater America…and cheaper eggs.

        This seems like the perfect place to include a riddle:

        Who's dumb, careless, and so dangerous, he has no damn business in the Trump Administration job he was never qualified for?

        Variety, the entertainment newspaper, reported the perfect answer this week:

        "Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s secretary of defense (and former Fox and Friends Weekend co-host), inadvertently included the top editor of The Atlantic in a Signal text chat group revealing the U.S.’s attack plans on Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this month, according to the magazine."

        Pete Hegseth, Bobby Kennedy Jr., the always charming Tulsi Gabbard and others....these are the kind of "geniuses" Trump tapped to protect our country. Per the ignorant and dangerous incident the national news media, and even Variety, reported on recently, late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel said it best earlier this week - "Our national security is being guarded by a bunch of dudes you wouldn’t trust to throw your cousin a surprise party.”

         California Democratic Rep Eric Swalwell, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, tweeted, "Everyone on the public WAR PLANS group text should immediately lose their security clearances and be fired. Their idiocy just put a giant target on America. We are not safe."

        By the way, true to form, Trump's people tried to smear Atlantic journalist Jonah Goldberg after their major screwup was revealed just to cover their ignorant, arrogant rear ends.

        Hey, MAGA follower, please share your "superior thinking" about that!!!

Let’s be clear…..Donald Trump is literally destroying the better, greater America we had. No it wasn’t a perfect America. We certainly still had some pervasive problems we had to deal with. And I suspect that as long as we have breath in our bodies, we will always have problems of some sort. But this despot is actually creating more problems just to remake our country in his sick and depraved image. Anytime you have a president who won’t even obey the federal courts, except when it suits his purpose, you have someone who can’t be trusted to honor or respect the one thing that keeps us all from tearing one another apart.

The rule of law.

We’re at our lowest, steadily headed for lower, folks.

MAGA follower, aren’t we lucky to have millions of “thinking” people like you, to help us get there!!!

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THE CASH STUFF FOR MARCH 27, 2025

 NC LEADERS REACT TO 

TRUMP BID TO ELIMINATE

DEPT. OF EDUCATION

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer


Last week, President Trump made it official, and signed an executive order authorizing the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, threatening 26 million students nationally.

Here in North Carolina, as elsewhere, reaction was split according to which side of the partisan divide North Carolina elected officials were on.

Maurice “Mo” Green, Democratic state superintendent of Public Instruction, issued a statement on X saying, “Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education raises significant concerns for our state’s schools, as federal funding represents nearly 11% of our education budget and supports over 14,000 public school positions.These funds are critical for all of our students, particularly our most vulnerable such as those with disabilities and from low-income families.”

Democrats on North Carolina’s congressional delegation also joined in condemning Trump’s move.

“I fully support any legislation and challenges to this EO, and I will do everything in my power to challenge the GOP and hold this Administration accountable,” vowed Fourth District Democrat Rep. Valerie Foushee, who added that Trump’s executive order was “ unconstitutional and heartless.”

Her Democratic colleague, Rep. Deborah Ross, joined the opposition chorus to call Trump’s action “Illegal and plainly wrong.”

Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12), Ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workplace Safety and a former teacher of 40 years, was perhaps the most profound of the Democrat representatives in expressing her opposition to the Republican president’s executive order.

“Executive orders are not laws and only Congress has the ability to abolish a federal department,” said Congresswoman Adams. “President Trump’s attempt to dismantle the Department of Education is blatantly unconstitutional and is yet another effort to sidestep the authority of Congress. This will be challenged in court and, make no mistake, we will win. The Department of Education was established through an act of Congress and only an act of Congress can abolish it."

Rep. Adams continued, ‘“It is cruel just for the sake of it and targets our most vulnerable children. Students with disabilities rely on the ED for special programming and funding. Hungry kids use ED funds for free school lunches, oftentimes their only reliable meal throughout the day. Low-income students use their schooling to build a better life for themselves.”

“I have always been a champion for education and I invite my Republican colleagues to be the same,” Rep. Adams concluded. “Let’s put partisanship aside, work together, and stand against this unconstitutional action so we can stand for our children’s futures.” 

Per North Carolina, according to numbers from Rep. Adams’ office, Trump’s order to shutter the U.S. Dept. of Education means the state would lose 10.9% of its funding for public schools, which means the salaries of 14,000 NC public school educators and staff would be put at risk, especially since in North Carolina, public schools are the largest employer in 44 NC counties, and a top five employer in all 100 counties.

In addition, school systems with students who have disabilities or students on the free lunch program, will also be at risk.

Still, members of  North Carolina’s Republican congressional delegation expressed support for Pres. Trump’s executive order.

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC-5) actually attended the signing of Trump’s executive order, posting on X, “Love to see it.” Her Republican colleague, Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC-8), a pastor, added, “ Today is a great day to dismantle the Department of Education!”

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                                                                       KEVIN HOWELL

NC STATE SELECTS ITS

FIRST BLACK CHANCELLOR

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer


When it come to NC State University, Kevin Howell has always been part of the pack.

And now, Chancellor Howell is officially the Wolfpack leader.

Howell, NC State University’s first African-American student body president, was appointed last week by the UNC Board of Governors as the school’s first Black chancellor.

Howell is the 15th chancellor in the school’s 138-year history. He succeeds the outgoing Randy Woodson, who retiring after 15 years of service.

He takes office on May 5th, and his salary will be $600,000.

UNC President Peter Hans announced Kevin Howell’s selection, saluting his long record of service to NC State and the UNC System, calling him a “born leader.”

His deep relationships across the state have helped drive investment and growth. I am confident that he will strengthen NC State’s role as a frontier research university, keeping North Carolina competitive in the most important fields of our future,” Hans said.

A native of Shelby, NC, Kevin Howell distinguished himself early, earning his bachelor’s degree in political science from NC State in 1988, serving as student body president during his senior year.

Howell then earned his law degree from UNC- Chapel, later serving as a legal clerk with the N.C. Court of Appeals.

He also served as legislative liaison for two North Carolina governors, and also director of governmental affairs for the NC Bar Association.

Howell returned to his alma mater in 2006, serving as assistant to the chancellor for external affairs, partnerships and economic development from 2023.

Currently, Howell is chief of external affairs for the UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine, where he leads “…the development and implementation of strategies shaping public policy and legislation for a health care system with 19 hospitals, more than 900 clinics, 3,000 physicians and more than 40,000 employees.”

“Kevin Howell is a leader with incredible connection- and relationship-building skills,” said Ed Weisiger, a member of the chancellor search committee and chair of the NC State Board of Trustees. “He is a trusted partner to those he leads and to those with whom he interacts and works. In short, Kevin simply makes organizations better and healthier by working in them. He is a great product from NC State who has shown his worth across time and in roles of ever-increasing responsibility. We are so pleased to have him return to NC State.”

One of the major challenges Howell will have to deal with is the Trump Administration’s proposed cuts to federal aid in the aftermath of the impending closure of the U.S. Dept. of Education.

N.C. State is a research institution, so federal aid and federal funding of research projects are vitally important. The White House claims that that funding will not be disrupted.

Those who know Kevin Howell personally, say that he is absolutely the right choice to lead NC State University now, and into the future.

After Howell’s election was officially announced, Rev. Carl Kenny of Durham wrote on social media about his longtime friend, “Let me tell you what I know about Kevin Howell, the newly appointed Chancellor at NC State University.  He's one of the kindest, even tempered and open-minded people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. It is for those reasons and others I selected  him to be the best man during my wedding in 1999.  I've witnessed him maneuver through difficult and complex situations when we both served as counselors in the former Office of Minority Affairs at Duke University.

If anyone is capable of navigating through this difficult political season, it is Kevin. He has the personality and class necessary to be heard without centering the need to control the moment. Anyone who thinks Kevin is a pawn to be used during this polarized season fails to fully understand the character of this amazing man.”

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Sunday, March 16, 2025

THE CASH STUFF FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 20TH, 2025


                                                            ATTY BENJAMIN CRUMP


ATTORNEYS CRUMP, SELLERS

LEAD PROBE INTO WHY HIGHWAY

PATROL LIED ABOUT CAR CRASH

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer


The man many call “Black America’s attorney general” because of his high-profile civil rights advocacy for the families of police abuse victims, is now representing the family of a Black man who died in a suspicious car crash in Raleigh last October.

Suspicious because the actions of a NC Highway Patrol officer investigating the crash has been called into question by the Wake County District attorney, leaving the victim’s family seeking answers.

In search for those answers, the family of Tyrone Mason has hired prominent Black civil rights attorney, and North Carolina native, Benjamin Crump to investigate the case.

Atty. Crump is well known for his advocacy in the infamous Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor cases, among others.

        Joining Atty. Crump is another nationally known and respected Black attorney Bakari Sellers, a frequent veteran political commentator on CNN, but also an accomplished wrongful death litigator like Crump.

Last Friday, attorneys Crump and Sellers held a news conference along with the family of Tyrone Mason to announce their official involvement in the case, and demand that justice be done.

Based on what is known thus far, Mason was killed in a single-car crash on Capital Blvd. in Raleigh in October 2024. The crash was investigated by State Trooper Garrett Macario.

But according to Wake District Attorney Lorin Freeman, Macario gave "false and misleading information" about the fatal crash to Raleigh Police. That forced D.A. Freeman to reluctantly dismiss the case because she had serious concerns about Macario’s credibility.

While reviewing the dash cam and bodycam video footage from the crash - footage that has not been made public thus far - Freeman said she saw enough evidence to convince her that she was not getting the truth from the investigating officer.

It’s incredibly frustrating. We trust our law enforcement to tell the truth. And when we have reason to believe they aren’t, it’s disgusting, frankly. It’s frustrating,” Freeman told ABC11 TV station last January.

As a result of questions about Trooper Macario’s credibility, approximately 200 DWI cases he was previously involved in as a key witness have now been dismissed.

Atty. Crump told reporters Friday that D.A. Freeman “…wouldn’t have dismissed those cases if there was not something on that video, from the dash cam and the body cam, that was just God awful,” Crump said. “Just show the video.”

Macario and his supervisor, Sgt. Matthew Morrison, have both been on leave since D.A. Freeman raised those concerns. Both officers are on administrative leave, and are being investigated by the State Highway PatroL and the State Bureau of Investigation.

Henrietta Mason, the victim’s mother, told reporters, ““From Day 1, when they came to me and told me my son died in a single-car accident with no witnesses, I told them that is not true, someone had to be chasing my son.”

          Trooper Marcario has been with the NC Highway Patrol since 2018.

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DUKE UNIVERSITY AMONG 

OVER 50 BEING INVESTIGATED

FOR DEI PARTNERSHIP

By Cash Michaels

Contributing wrier


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

Now of the universities accused is Duke University in Durham.

The DOE’s Office of Civil Rights is accusing Duke and over 50 other major institutions of racially discriminating against white and Asian-American students because of their partnerships with the non-profit The PHD Project.

Founded in 1994, The PhD Project was launched with the goal of “…creating more role models (of color) in the front of business classrooms” and “diversifying corporate America by diversifying the role models in front of the classrooms,” according to its website. Over 1500 of its members have earned their doctoral degree, with currently more than 240 students in PhD programs. Ninety percent of the program’s members complete their business PhD, with many going on to work in higher education after graduation.

Among the members of color who were inductees into the PhD Project’s Hall of Fame with North Carolina collegiate ties was the late Quiester Craig, Ph.D., Dean Emeritus of the School of Business and Economics at N.C. A&T State University, inducted in 2011; and Dr. Fay Cobb Payton, professor of Information Systems/Technology at N.C. State University, inducted in 2017.

Members of the Hall of Fame were “presenters, mentors and advisors” who have helped recruit outstanding, highly qualified students from diverse backgrounds to enter and complete Ph.D. programs in a variety of business fields.

According to statistics released by the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates in 2022, African Americans earned 7.5 percent of all doctorates awarded to U.S. citizens or permanent residents of this country, which is the highest number ever recorded.

Historically, the DOE’s Civil Rights Division investigates schools and programs accused  of violating the civil rights of students of color or females. But now that the Trump Administration has made eradicating DEI programs and practices from the American landscape a top priority, any program as seen as being primarily beneficial to students of color or women is now determined to be discriminatory and illegal.

In a press release, the DOE alleged that The PhD Project “…limits eligibility based on the race of participants.” The project counters that it has broadened its scope in recent months.

A visit to the project’s website shows not just men and women of color, but whites and Asian-Americans as members as well.

If Duke or any of the other over 50 universities under investigation are found to be in violation of the new interpretation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, they could lose federal funding.

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