THE CASH COMMENTARY FOR NOV. 12,2026

                                                                        

                                                                   CASH MICHAELS

                                               THE TASK AHEAD

                                                by Cash Michaels

Lots of lip service since the Democrats gave the lowly Republicans a “blue tsunami” ass-whuppin’ during last week’s extraordinary midterm elections. The bottomline has been, and remains, that now that Democrats overwhelming have the power back to lead both locally and nationally, they better damn well do something with it for the American people.

I wholeheartedly agree, and further suggest that Dems don’t have a moment to spare. They don’t officially start the 120th Congress until January 3rd, 2027 (my birthday, by the way), but I pray they’re busy putting their plans together on meaningful ways to lower the cost of living for the American people. 

I’m sure they are, but just in case they skip a few ideas, please allow me to offer some elderly insight and sage wisdom all the way from North Carolina that can grease the skids a little bit further.

                  Make Sure Americans Can See It, and Feel It

The campaign is over. No more talking. Let’s make sure Americans know that Democrats are moving in the right direction when it comes to affordability and accountability. 

On the affordability front, what drove up the cost of living under Trump to begin with? His dumb bunny illegal tariffs to start, of course. 

According to GovFacts.org, “A tariff is a tax that governments place on goods coming into their country. The process in the United States is straightforward. When a ship full of foreign goods arrives at an American port, U.S. Customs and Border Protection collects the tariff. The company importing the goods pays the tax, typically within 10 days of the goods clearing customs.

Gov.Facts.org continues, “The most immediate effect of a tariff is simple: it makes imported products more expensive for Americans to buy. This basic function drives all the complex economic and political consequences that follow.”

So if an import costs $100.00 per unit, and Trump has tacked on a 25% tariff, the American business importing the unit pays $100.00 to the foreign manufacturer, and $25.00 tax per unit to the U.S. government. 

Naturally, the American importing business then passes on that 25% tariff incurred to its customers, and that’s what’s made the cost of items we’ve taken for granted like electronics, toys, and even food cost more in the past year. But according to Article 1 section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress, not the president, has the power to impose tariffs and maintain oversight. That means Democrats can either remove or modify the high tariffs Trump has unconstitutionally imposed (as president, he only has limited power to impose tariffs to begin with, so Congress legally is the final arbiter).

That move by a Democratic Congress should have an immediate impact on the cost of things once Dems take over. Trump won’t like it, but Americans will be grateful. Dems should just make sure Americans know and understand what they’re doing, and why. And let Trump and the Republicans lie and scream and shout all they want.

Also under the US Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war, and that’s exactly what we have going on with Iran, and in Iran right now - a war. But Trump illegally declared it, no one else. Congress has the power of the purse, meaning that it can cut off further funding to the war, forcing military operations to cease at some point.

Democrats have threatened to do just that during the campaign, and they can further ensure that their wishes are carried out by impeaching Trump’s so-called “Secretary of War” Pete Hegeseth without delay (a process which started in earnest this week, long before Democrats take over). I think the evidence is clear that this former Fox weekend TV anchor/deluded strong man wannabe has badly mismanaged our military. 

Get rid of Hegeseth, grab the money reins of the military, and start powering down operations and bringing our brave men and women in uniform home. That will allow the Strait of Hormuz to fully reopen, and world commerce to proceed, especially the flow of oil. That should eventually bring the cost of gasoline and diesel down and back where prices were before Trump started the war over eight months ago. Experts say because of the global oil market that might take some time, which is why the sooner it happens the better.

Eliminate tariffs first, wind down the war second. Trump will kick and scream at both, but the American people will love Democrats for it.

And since Democrats comfortably have both chambers of Congress, how about repealing that so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” while you’re at it, in addition to settling the Obamacare health insurance problem so that Americans can reasonably afford to depend on that again.

Killing the monster which gave big tax breaks to the rich at the expense of cutting the social safety net for the poor (reversing Medicaid and SNAP cuts) will go a long way towards proving to folks that they are being heard and listened to.

All of the above will show Americans that Democrats are serious about leadership and good governance again. And it couldn’t happen a moment too soon! 

Symbolism is everything

Only after Dems kill high tariffs and start the process in earnest to wind down the war should they then go after making Trump accountable. Putting money back in people’s pockets is key to making all of this successful. Once folks feel that Dems are fulfilling their affordability promises, they’ll be open to hearing about investigations into Trump’s shenanigans while in office, and how his corruption has wasted taxpayer money, and made he and his family billions. Shutdown all of Trump's self-aggrandizing schemes and stuffs, and folks will love you for it.

Commitment

All of the above will take leadership and deep commitment. I, for one, believe Democrats in the US House have it in the person of soon-to-be-Speaker of the House Hakeem Jeffries (D- Brooklyn). Jeffries, who has earned the leadership mantle more than anyone else in the House, has promised that Democrats will “move aggressively in the first 100 days” to achieve their affordability and accountability goals for the American people, commit to “cleaning up the mess “ of corruption, and “restoring American values” to our government.

Newly minted Michigan Sen. Dr. Abdul El Sayed added that in striving to return good government to the American people, Democrats have to treat those aspirations as “the floor, not the ceiling.”

        As of January, Democrats in both chambers of Congress will have the power, and Americans will expect them to use it to make they lives better. Whether Dems do or don’t will define the party for generations to come. I hope they really know that.

Like I said, lots of lip service coming from the victorious Democrats these days, and rightfully so. But ultimately, they better not screw this up. The American people have been treated atrociously under Trump. No, it’s time to get things back in order so that people can go about their lives. That’s what Americans want more than anything else, and I’m willing to bet that folks across the political spectrum would be eternally grateful to the Democratic Party. 

Maybe even to the point of awarding the 2028 presidency to a Democrat. It’s very possible, but only if Democrats in Congress stay sharp and committed to the task ahead. 

        That will take a lot of work, Democrats, but you have the deep bench of talent to pull it off. So get to work!

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THE CASH STUFF FOR NOV. 12TH, 2026

                                        FORMER LT. GOV. MARK ROBINSON

REPORT: ROBINSON & WIFE

FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Tuesday that former Lt. Governor and 2024 gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson and his wife, Yolanda Hill, filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy last week, in an effort to legally protect their home and property from creditors.  Chapter 13 allows the couple to instead create a payment plan.

According court documents, The N&O reports, Robinson and Hill owe nearly $800,000 after running up over $120,000 in credit card purchases, along with owing $3,000in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Robinson and his wife also are facing a number of lawsuits “…from banks for gaining to pay back debts” The N&O further reported.

This isn’t the first time that Robinson and Hill have filed for bankruptcy. Records show that they have done so at least three times from 1998 to 2003. Also from 1998 to 2002, the couple reportedly failed to pay almost $16,000 in income taxes, which were ultimately paid back in 2003.

But because of “bad money management,” according to Robinson’s 2022 memoir “We Are the Majority,” the couple had two cars repossessed, in addition to other financial struggles.

And once Robinson entered politics, his finical problems didn’t stop, The N&O maintains.

He was ordered to pay the state Board of Elections $35,000 for campaign violations, which he did in December 2024. In 2024, Yolanda Hill closed her nonprofit childcare agency after it owed $132,000, and as of last March, Hill still owed over $101,000 in misspent funds after missing a deadline to pay it back the previous year to the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services.

Robinson currently faces a lawsuit from Louis Money, who accuses him of falsely suing him and CNN after the news organization revealed that Robinson allegedly frequented porn sites under the moniker “Black Nazi.” Money claims that Robinson’s lawsuit against him was “illegitimate” and hurt his reputation.

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                                                                JUSTICE ANITA EARLS

                                                               BISHOP WILLIAM BARBER

IN NORTH CAROLINA &

THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH,

ANGRY BLACK VOTERS 

DROVE THE 2026 MIDTERMS

By Cash Michaels

An analysis

There was no poor performance finger-pointing towards African-American voters last week. Given the massive Democratic success of the 2026 midterm elections, it became undeniably clear that the black vote, especially here in the South, was key to the “blue tsunami” that enveloped the races and wrested long held legislative power away from Republicans.

According to WRAL-TV, “What North Carolina Republicans didn’t realize until Election Day, party insiders say, was how many Republican voters would stay home and how many unaffiliated voters would break for Democrats.” 

Across the country, Americans fed up with the policies of the Trump Administration, and how the Iran war, high tariffs and alleged corruption all contributed to driving up the cost of gasoline, food, and overall quality of living, packed the polls with their protest votes starting with early voting.

Black voters throughout the South were additionally angry about Republican-led Southern states like Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee using the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that effectively gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act last April to redistrict majority Black voting districts out of existence.

“So much of what this administration has done has been to roll back the protections that give us access to the ballot, while simultaneously flooding us with propaganda that tells us that it doesn’t matter,” Nadine Smith, president and CEO of Color of Change, which worked to mobilize voters across the South before the election, told The Guardian. “What you saw was Black voters showing up in the face of an administration that has spent two years attacking our rights, weakening voter protections and redrawing maps specifically to diminish Black political power.”

"Once again, Black voters have proven that we are not bystanders in this country, we are its builders," said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP. "The Trump Administration tried every trick in the book to block voters from the polls, but we showed up and showed out, and we voted. This election's outcomes are not the finish line. They're a reminder that we the people have the power. And keeping that power requires us to vote, hold elected officials accountable, and fight for our freedom." 

Here in North Carolina, impressive early voting numbers totaled over 2.8 million ballots, with Democrats leading the balloting with 1,085,328, outpacing Republican voting 738,748 and unaffiliated voting 995,434

Of those final early voting numbers, black voters totaled 599,251 statewide. In terms of  North Carolina voter registration, African-American voters are 1,520,489.

Nov. 3rd, 2026 Election Day stats weren’t available at press time.

Those exceptional North Carolina early voting numbers, especially for Black voters who vote primarily Democratic traditionally, yielded extraordinary Election night results.

Among them, commanding victories for former Governor Roy Cooper in his race for the U.S. Senate, and Associate Justice Anita Earls in winning a second eight-year term on the NC Supreme Court.

“It is the honor of my life to be elected to serve another term on the Supreme Court. I am so grateful to everyone who worked so hard to make this victory possible,” Justice Earls said in a statement. “Thank you for your trust, North Carolina!”

         In addition, all three incumbent Black North Carolina Democratic Congresspeople - Don Davis in the redrawn Republican-leaning First District, Valerie Foushee in the Fourth District and Alma Adams in the 12th District - were joined by two new Democrats, LaKesha Womack, who defeated first-term Republican and former North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore in Congressional District 14; and Cyril Jefferson, the mayor of High Point, who unseated first-term Republican Rep. Addison McDowell in the Congressional 6th District. Jefferson is the first African-American to represent the Sixth.

Ms. Womack owns a business development firm and is a mentor in Goldman Sachs’ One Million Black Women: Black in Business program.

As a result of the midterm elections unofficially, whereas Republicans led the North Carolina Congressional delegation 10-4, as of January, Democrats will lead the delegation 10-4.

In the NC House, for the first time in sixteen years, Democrats took back the majority from Republicans, unofficially winning 71 House districts compared to the GOP holding on to just 48.

One district was won by an unaffiliated candidate.

Rep. Robert Reives III of Chatham, currently the house minority leader, is now considered most likely to elected the new North Carolina state House speaker, becoming only the second African-American behind Daniel T. Blue of Wake County to do so.

In the state Senate, there were still elections up in the air at press time that could determine whether Democrats could claim that legislative chamber as well.

There were Black success stories throughout the South as a result of the “blue tsunami,” with former Atlanta Gov. Keisha Lance Bottoms being elected the first African-American woman to be elected governor of Georgia. Many Black activists say despite the midterm Democratic success, the Democratic Party needs to invest more money in the South to get even better results. 

“In the cold of winter, people began marching in Eastern North Carolina,” wrote bishop William Barber of Repairers of the Breach. “We saw an historic turnout in the primary, and we put out the invitation for thousands to march.You joined hands with others in your communities and led a thousand

Marches to the polls. Your witness inspired others. Together, we celebrate the largest midterm turnout in US history today.”

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AFTER UNC MADE DEAL,

FEDS ENHANCE PROBE OF

DUKE MED SCHOOL AMIDST

CIVIL RIGHTS ALLEGATIONS

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

The Trump Administration’s U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services has referred its findings related to allegations of civil rights violations in student admissions at Duke Medical School in Durham to the US Dept. of Justice for further action. Published reports in the Duke University student newspaper, The Chronicle allege that Duke Medical School allegedly did not comply with federal DHHS demands for information after it was alleged that racial proxies were still being used in the admissions process, despite a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing race as a factor in college admissions.

DHHS alleged in a September letter to Duke Medical that Black students admitted to the school statistically had lower MCAT or Medical College Admission Test scores than their White and Asian counterparts. The federal agency also charged that Duke Medical would not produce explanations for the admission discrepancies when asked. As a result, the case has now been referred to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, and Duke Medical has been notified accordingly.

For the school’s part, it claims that it has complied with all official inquiries into its admissions process.

“We are disappointed that despite Duke’s cooperation in answering the Department’s inquiries and submitting information demonstrating its ongoing compliance, [DHHS] has decided to refer the matter,” A Duke Med spokesperson told The News and Observer of Raleigh by email. “As we have said before, Duke is committed to complying with the law in a manner that is consistent with our academic mission.” 

This Duke Medical School Justice Dept. investigation comes on the heels of UNC-Chapel, whose admissions policy was also under Trump Administration scrutiny, signing a deal to end whatever probes the federal government had launched into its policies and practices.

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THE CASH COMMENTARY FOR THURSDAY, NOV. 5TH, 2026

                                                         CASH MICHAELS
                   

                 DON'T CRY, REPUBLICANS. I'VE GOT AWARDS FOR YA!

                                                by Cash Michaels

Republicans, your collective, ugly, arrogant behavior during the 2026 midterm elections was so bad, so disgusting, you deserve my custom-made 2026 Midterm Election Losers Awards - the only political awards in the world dedicated to recognizing the worst politicians, if not worst human beings, on the planet. 

Our very first “worst” honor is the “You Wasted Our Damn Time with Nasty and Worthless TV Campaign Ads” award. Needless to say, most of the award winners for nastiest campaign commercials are any and every Republican who ran for office who actually thought using spineless scare tactics with blatant transphobic rhetoric, racism, and out and out lies about your Democratic opponent, instead of telling voters what your plan is to get Americans back on their economic feet, was going to work.

You clowns thought more voters would be concerned with fighting your stupid culture wars instead of caring about feeding their families and struggling to afford the high cost of living you created. Well, YOU were dead wrong!

So big Republican losers like you, Michael Whatley, you Ken Paxton, and you, Mike Rogers, not to mention tons of other Republicans across North Carolina and nation, make room in your home for this distinguished honor, because history will show that during the 2026 midterm election season, all of you outdid yourselves with the worst gutter politics imaginable.

You should be proud…NOT!

The next honor for you crafty Republicans is the heralded “Thought You Were Too Slick By Half” award. This goes to what is now the outgoing Republican majority of the NC House which, along with the Republican-led NC Senate, redrew the once predominately Black First Congressional District into a predominately White Republican voting district, thinking doing so would be political manna from Heaven. Boy did Democratic incumbent Congressman Don Davis prove you clowns wrong, beating your lame GOP candidate Laurie Buckout for a second time in a row… this time in a Republican district, no less! Talk about shame of shames (tee-hee)!

Next, the singular winner of the “I Can Buy as Many Republicans as I Want” award goes to none other than the touted richest man in the world, Tesla and Space X industrialist Elon Musk, who reportedly dropped an insane $200 million+ into crazy Ken Paxton’s failed Texas Senate campaign alone. And that was just some of the multi-millions Musk has pumped into GOP campaiges, hoping to keep Republicans in control of Congress. 

What a waste!

Another negative, but well-deserved recognition to give worthy Republicans is the “Who You Callin’ Crazy ?” award. Since the GOP was painfully devoid of any positive recommendations to offer the American people for solving the affordability crisis (primarily because along with Trump, you allowed it to happen), you began referring to Democrats as “crazed lunatics and radicals,” and “communists and extremists” who would “destroy America.”

Didn’t work, Einsteins!

Apparently the era of just having strong public policy disagreements and debates is long over for Republicans. Violent, senseless language and juvenile political labels seem to be the coin of the realm for you guys. The vile, racist, islamophobic taunts thrown at Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, for example, were extremely disturbing and disgusting, and should never have a place in American politics.

Period!

Then there’s the special “Just Whose Side Are You On?” award, and surprise, this one is given to a now former Democrat, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens, the whack job sore loser who most distinguished herself recently as another petty, two-faced and despicable political turncoat, second only to North Carolina representatives Tricia Cotham (who was finally ousted election night) Carla Cunningham, Nasif Majeed and Shelly Gillingham. Stevens’ bizarre post Halloween /pre-Election Day betrayal of former Democratic colleague Dr. Abdul El-Sayed by suddenly endorsing Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, despite all of Rogers’ history with Donald Trump, and racist campaign ads against Sayed, was jaw dropping. This crackpot should never, and I mean NEVER, hold political office again. I trust the good people of Michigan will make sure that happens!

Before we go  on any further, I bet you’re wondering if we have any “good behavior” recognitions for Republicans? The answer is Hell no! Especially if they were Trump MAGA! That brings us to our last “honor” for Republicans -  the “How Low Can You Go” award, given to Republican politicians who displayed a propensity for scraping the absolute bottom of the morality and decency barrel.

And it’s a three-way tie, ladies and gentlemen! Both Pres. Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have long distinguished themselves as mean-spirited and totally clueless clowns long before the 2026 midterms. Both are proven cold-blooded liars who lead with their corrupt politics, not with a scintilla of human decency or common sense. Add to that dynamic duo absolute loser Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy who sponsored an extremely crass political ad you’ll recall, featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent openly calling her a liar about the fact that she was an alleged child rape victim of her father

Trump and Vance actually defended this monstrosity of a campaign tactic. In fact, they usually have a very bad habit of defending the indefensible, like racism, sexism and blatant falsehoods about their Iran war, the high cost of living, and the needless economic suffering most Americans are going through because of their senseless policies. 

Talk about low. This is an administration that was responsible for innocent American citizens and undocumented immigrants being fatally shot down in the streets by ICE and Border Patrol officers; billions of dollars of government corruption; hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars spent on ridiculous self-glorification projects; and a runaway war in Iran that is costing the nation dearly in lives and money. 

And of course, these two-faced GOP’ers never hesitated to bellow that “God is on our side,” even if they were up to the most evil and corrupt schemes possible. 

So those are the well-earned awards Trump, Vance and the Republicans deserve for much of the low, hateful crap they pulled during this election season. They didn’t care who they hurt with their lies, rhetoric and attacks. Well, I guess the midterm “blue wave” election proved the joke is on them.

Oh, and let’s not forget, speaking of going low, the unbridled hatred displayed by the Trump Administration towards anything that smacked of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or celebrating any American history that honored the vital contributions of African-Americans to this country. Trump’s efforts to erase Black people from America’s history and achievements were disgraceful.

Well guess what? Black voters from North Carolina and throughout the South wrote Trump and the Republicans a new chapter in American history Election night. And it was a hard lesson, baby, wasn’t it? Five Black congresspeople elected from North Carolina. A record! You made clear you wanted to get rid of us, instead, we made clear we got rid of you ... by the boatloads!

As awful as the Republicans behaved, that’s how great the Democrats here in North Carolina and the rest of the nation were. They were strong, tough, focused and stayed on message. Democrats were also smart and unflinching in the face of adversity. When it looked like Trump, the Republican majority in Congress and the conservative-led US Supreme Court would just roll over them with disabling laws, racial gerrymandering and ridiculous rulings, Democrats hunkered down, got their act together, and paid attention to the mindless mistakes a power hungry and corrupt president and co. were making, taking advantage of those errors and opportunities.

Democrats were unified in their message promising to stand up for Americans suffering from high prices at the pump and the grocery store, as well as putting a stronger check on Trump’s corruption in office. 

The result - Democrats won big time Tuesday night, making historic gains all over the country, including here in North Carolina, where they took over the NC House for the first time in sixteen years, and even unseated several Republican congressional incumbents like Tim Moore and Virginia Foxx. That’s why we proudly award Democrats the “Keep Standing Strong” award.

Dems, I have no bad awards for you after that boffo performance. Only the gratitude of a grateful nation that feels good about itself again.  

But make no mistake, voters fully expect that you’ll get right to work improving the economy like you promised, and making life better for all. Sure, give the crook-in-chief Holy Hell during his last two years in office, but just don’t forget why we put you back in control.

There can, and will be a better America again, Democrats, but only if you keep your word. On Election Day, America struck back!

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