THE CASH STUFF FOR JULY 3, 2025

 

Tyrone Mason

                                              SGT. MORRISON.     TROOPER MACARIO

TWO TROOPERS INVOLVED 

IN BLACK MOTORIST’S DEATH

FINALLY FIRED

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

Two N.C. troopers involved in the October 7, 2024 fatal crash of black motorist Tyrone Mason have finally been dismissed from their jobs by the State Highway Patrol.

Troopers Garrett Macario and Supervisor Sgt.. Matthew Morrison were terminated on June 16th, after being on suspension since January. They were placed on suspension after an investigation, including bodycam footage, revealed that Trooper Macario allegedly failed to render aid to Mason, 31, after a car chase in Raleigh ended with the black man’s fatal crash. Supervisor Morrison then allegedly advised Macario to do nothing until Raleigh police came to the scene, leaving the investigation to them.

A subsequent search warrant revealed that Macario indeed gave false information to investigating Raleigh police officers after the crash, stating that he did not chase Mason’s vehicle, but only came up upon the crash after it happened. The warrant further revealed that Macario originally observed Mason allegedly traveling 70 m.p.h. in a 40 m.p.h. zone and gave chase, only to turn off his lights  and slow down before Mason lost control and crashed his vehicle on Capital Blvd. in Raleigh.

In May, Henrietta Mason, the mother of Tyrone Mason, filed a lawsuit against both troopers Macario and Morrison, and then later, against the Raleigh Police Dept. for maintaining the coverup of exactly what happened on October 7, 2024.

Wake District Attorney Lorrin Freeman declined to criminally charge either state trooper for their roles in the alleged coverup, but did dismiss about 200 prior cases Morrison and Macario had been involved in because, she said, their credibility as law enforcement officers could no longer be trusted.

She called their actions “inexcusable.”

Before they were terminated, Wake D.A. Freeman also banned the troopers from ever patrolling anywhere in Wake County again.

Attorneys for Henrietta Mason issued a statement upon word of the firing of troopers Macario and Morrison, calling it “only one step in a long journey to justice.”

"Let's understand that Trooper Macario not only initiated the unsafe chase that led to Tyrone Mason's death, but that he also failed to render any aid, leaving an honest man to die on the side of the road and then tried to lie and cover it up," the attorneys’ statement said. "Let's remember that the Raleigh Police Department participated in that lie, telling a grieving mother that there was no pursuit, even though they allegedly knew the truth."

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                                            FORMER GOV. ROY COOPER

                                                       SEN. THOM TILLIS

NOW THAT SEN. TILLIS IS

STEPPING DOWN, WHO WILL

VIE TO REPLACE HIM IN 2026?

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

Now that two-term NC Republican US Senator Thom Tillis has announced that he will not be seeking reelection to a third term in 2026, who are now considered viable candidates for his office?

Last weekend, that was the hottest question between Raleigh and Washington, DC, as Sen. Tillis announced he was stepping down after refusing to vote for President Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill” because he believed once it became law, the legislation would “…will force [North Carolina] to make painful decisions like eliminating Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands in the expansion population, and even reducing critical services for those in the traditional Medicaid population.” 

Tillis added that bipartisanship was now a thing of the past in Washington, D.C., and he preferred stepping down to not being able to work with his Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

Most political observers say if anything, Tillis is doing himself a favor. Trump spent part of the weekend rhetorically going after Tillis for refusing to support his ‘big, beautiful bill” that most non-Republican critics say is the biggest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in America history.

Trump vowed to find a tough right-wing primary challenger in North Carolina against Tillis as punishment for the North Carolina senator not supporting his measure.

So which Republicans could now vie in a primary contest to replace Tillis? Heavy speculation is that Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, may now be the most prominent name available to fill the void. Per the GOP, it may be too early for anyone else to announce, but on the Democratic side, likely prospects have long been salivating at the chance to take Tillis’ U.S. seat.

Former North Carolina Congressman Wiley Nickel is the first Democrat to make his intentions known, even before Sen. Tillis announced his decision not to run. Nickel has also served in the NC Senate for four years, but has never held a statewide office.

A second Democrat with statewide name recognition and a proven record as a political moderate of attracting voters from urban and rural areas of the state is former Gov. Roy Cooper, who just completed his mandated two terms in office. Cooper is respected by the national Democratic Party machine, so much so that he was seriously considered to run for vice president in 2024 with then presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

If Sen. Tillis were indeed running for reelection, observers say he would legitimately fear a Roy Cooper candidacy. 

No doubt, with the 2026 primaries scheduled for next March, and the candidate filing ending in December, candidates for Sen. Tillis’ seat on both sides will be making themselves known sooner than later so that their campaigns can begin crucial fundraising.

Observers say the winner of this 2026 midterm contest could determine the balance of the U.S. Senate, which currently has a Republican majority.

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THE NEW CASH COMMENTARY FOR JUNE 26, 2025

                               

                                                   CASH MICHAELS

                              COMMEMORATE WHILE YOU CAN

by Cash Michaels

Now that King TACO has tried to drag us into another Middle East war (apparently his big bunker busting bombs failed to do the job he hoped they would), something he deceitfully promised he wouldn’t do when he ran for reelection, may I share something with you that has always bothered me?

I have been a bit ambivalent about Juneteenth, the latest federal holiday our nation commemorates on June 19th.

Please allow me to clarify - I’ve never been ambivalent about the extraordinary American history that the holiday is based on. How, on June 19th, 1865, chattel slavery officially came to an end in the state of Texas, and the Emancipation Proclamation was officially enforced there. Because slavery came to an end after the Civil War at different times in different places, former enslaved men and women of African descent throughout the South were given their freedom at different times. 

Enslaved people in the state of Texas were among the last to get the word about the end of slavery, almost two years after Pres. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

The earliest Juneteenth celebrations historically began in 1866 in black churches throughout Texas, and spread across the South in the 1920s and 30s. Thanks to the Great Migration of black people from the South to the West, Midwest and the North, those celebrations eventually spread throughout the nation.

Texas officially recognized Juneteenth by proclamation in 1938, and ever since then, different municipalities across the country have, in some way, recognized the historic day until 2021, when it was formally made a federal holiday and signed into law as “Juneteenth National Independence Day” by Pres. Joe Biden.

“We have to remember, our country is founded on the promise of freedom; freedom for everybody," former Pres. Biden said during a Juneteenth commemoration at a black church in Galveston, Texas on June 19th last week, adding that signing the holiday into law was one of the “proudest moments” of his presidency.

"Too many people [today] are trying to erase our history,” Biden added.

Lord, ain’t that the truth!

So when you look up what the purpose of the Juneteenth federal holiday is supposed to be, it’s supposed to commemorate ‘the end of slavery in America.”

OK, so given the illustrious history I’ve outlined above, what’s my problem? After all, I am black. I am a proud African-American, aren’t I?

Ya darn tooten, and always will be! But that doesn’t keep me from questioning the obvious.

How can we commemorate the “end of slavery” in this country, without ever having a real and full discussion as a nation about ending racism, about ending the very thing that fueled "America’s original sin" in the first place.

Oh sure, many have tried, most notably Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the 60’s civil rights movement. The poor man finally came to the conclusion that until we, as a nation, get to the point where judging one another by the content of our hearts and character was much more important than by the color of our skin, we would always deny our nation, and ourselves, the fullness of freedom, and the creed that we’re all supposed to uphold and live by, that all men created by Almighty GOD are equal in His sight, and equal under law.

I call Dr. King the “poor man,” because he gave all he had to help us see, and live out his vision for us, and here it is, 57 years after his death, and we still can’t get it right, and yet we want to celebrate the end of slavery.

There’s someone who posts on the social media platform Substack named Kahil Greene, who recently wrote:

Auschwitz exists solely as a memorial and museum (as it should).

No one hosts weddings where people suffered and died. No corporation books team-building retreats there.

Yet across America, brides defend plantation weddings by claiming they’re “embracing history.”

         But what about this history is beautiful, exactly?

The rape? The whipping posts? The family separations?

America’s refusal to reckon with slavery continues.

Another insightful writer, Vann R. Newkirk II for The Atlantic Daily, recently opined:

The purpose of Juneteenth was always a celebration of emancipation, of the Black community’s emergence out of our gloomy past. But it was also an implicit warning that what had been done could be done again. Now millions of schoolchildren will enjoy a holiday commemorating parts of our history that the federal government believes might be illegal to teach them about.

So no, I don’t want Americans to stop celebrating and commemorating the historical significance of Juneteenth, but I DO want us to demand that the country we all live in and say we love, one day, or two days, or two years, or however long it takes, have that very difficult conversation about the state of race relations in this country, how the legacy of slavery contributed to it, and what we have to do to eradicate the disease.

        Because racism IS a disease, a uniquely human disease that exposes a serious sickness of the heart and soul. It has historically manifested itself in shameful episodes like slavery, segregation, lynchings, police brutality, denial of civil rights, decrepit educational opportunities, cultural devaluation and theft, and social ostracism.

        What I'm proposing will take real leadership. Normally that would be the president, like Clinton or Obama, both of whom tried twice, but failed. The Republicans made sure of that.

          Since we all know in our hearts of hearts that King TACO isn't about to ever attempt such a thing, that leaves the real leadership role to us, and different people like us, who know, deep down, that this could be, and should be a better country if we tried.

          Real leadership on the ground, in varying communities far and wide, black, white, yellow and brown, picking up the mantle, and leading the way forward, and toward mutual understanding. Media could be an effective conduit for messaging and bringing people together.

          Perhaps having national holidays like Juneteenth and the third Monday of every January devoted to commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. King are golden opportunities for us to have that national conversation across racial barriers, instead of pretending that most of us get it, when we actually don’t.

        Have we made progress since Dr. King last walked this Earth? Sure, we have. The fact that we have a candidate of Muslim persuasion winning the Democratic primary for mayor in New York City, running against a black man who is currently the mayor there, proves it.

        Such a thing would have been unthinkable less than 20 years ago, even after we elected our first black president - twice.

        But now we have to finish the job, because none of us are getting any younger.

Whatever we do, we better hurry up, because the guy we unaffectionately call “King TACO,” is talking about getting rid of national holidays he has a problem with. And judging from the disdain he’s already demonstrated towards anything even remotely smacking of pro-diversity or anti-white supremacy,  you know that getting rid of both the King Holiday and Juneteenth are definitely on his to-do list.

"Too many non-working holidays in America," Trump wrote on his Truth Social on Juneteenth June 19th last week. "It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed."

"The workers don't want it either!" he continued. "Soon we'll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

No customary statement from the White House acknowledging the significance of Juneteenth on behalf of the president. Not even a positive word towards Black voters about Juneteenth, probably because he’s not running for anything now.

Just a rhetorical warning shot to prepare all of us for his eventual steam cleaning of our national holiday calendar to remove any hint of diversity, because after all, in his eyes and half-a-mind, it’s unAmerican.

And King TACO is not the only one.

Last week, our NC Senate decided to pick Juneteenth to advance a bill that, if passed (the NC House has already ratified it) would ban DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies and programs from all of state government.

And state Senate Republicans picked a rookie House Republican of color, the only one, to present the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing discussing it.

Talk about operating in the spirit of the holiday!

Trump doesn’t want a national conversation on race. The very last time we came close to having one besides Dr. King and the 60s civil rights movement was after the police murder of George Floyd in May 2020, and you see how it’s only taken less than five years for all of the good will that innocent black man’s death produced to be dismantled.

And Trump is a major reason for that.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says, “Juneteenth calls us to understand the realities of black Americans, and align the course of our country toward its founding creed of liberty and justice for all.”

Bishop William Barber said on June 19th last week, “It would be a dangerous thing for us to turn Juneteenth into a party. It should be a day for us to assess what memos we need to make sure we don’t miss today.”

No, I personally need Juneteenth to mean more than just a commemoration of an important historical event in American history. I need for all of my fellow citizens to embrace it, not just as the end of slavery, but the eventual end of racism. Or at least work to TRY to make that happen.

Impossible you say? Man’s heart is man’s heart, and he will always be prone to discriminate, and dominate based on perceived birthright superiority?

Well, I counter that while your point is well made, and there's sufficient evidence to support that, in my experience the power of love is greater. I know it is, I’ve seen it, felt it, been a part of it when people of all different stripes and backgrounds absolutely refuse to allow who they are or what they were born as separate them from their common humanity.

If we can collectively, and earnestly do that, then to me, Juneteenth is well worth keeping as a national holiday, because then it truly becomes not just a celebration…a celebration of the end of slavery, but also, the end of racism, and the reaffirmation of humanity.

And to me, there is no more important time to make a valiant national effort to achieve that aspirational goal, than right now, while we all confront  perhaps the greatest force for evil we’ve all ever collectively faced, whose one goal is to keep us divided for his own selfish purposes. 

Celebrate Juneteenth and the King holiday while you can, America, but please don’t make them empty, perfunctory commemorations. Make them really mean something for ALL of us, so that we can survive these current years of hate and turmoil….together.

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THE CASH STUFF FOR JUNE 26TH, 2025

 REBECCA BARBER

                        BISHOP WILLIAM J. BARBER II

BISHOP BARBER CLEARED

OF EX-WIFE’S FINANCIAL

ALLEGATIONS

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

Bishop William J. Barber II, president and founder of the nonprofit social advocacy group, Repairers of the Breach, has been cleared by an independent investigation of allegedly mixing organizational funds with his own personal money.

That false allegation had been made his ex-wife, Rebecca, during the course of their ongoing post-marriage property dispute after mediation talks broke down. Rebecca Barber had falsely claimed in court papers last month that her ex-husband had been paying her alimony from funds actually belonging to Repairers of the Breach. She alleged that since November 2023, she had been receiving monthly support in the sum of $7,000 to her through a joint account for alimony from an account that Bishop Barber controlled which mixed his personal funds with the organization’s.

“Defendant contends that Repairers of the Breach, Inc. is functionally an alter ego of Plaintiff and may possess or control assets that are marital in nature or otherwise relevant to this Court’s equitable distribution determination,” Rebecca Barber’s attorney alleged in a motion in Durham County court in May.

The ten-member board of Repairers voted to investigate last month, and hired a Raleigh law firm to look into the matter. Last Saturday, the board issued a statement about the law firm’s findings:

“We can confirm that all payments made to Reverend Barber align with approved amounts, and any transfers made to a personal account were made from his own salary, independent of Repairers of the Breach.”

Part of the report reviewed by the board concluded, “In summary, based on the documentation reviewed, there is no indication that Reverend Barber directed or received funds beyond his authorized salary.”

In effect, Bishop Barber has been paying his monthly alimony to Rebecca Barber from the $224,000 annual salary he has been receiving from Repairers of the Breach.

Board Chair Jonathan Wilson-Hargrove added that the organization is now moving on with its social justice work, which includes a revival of Moral Monday demonstrations in Washington, D.C.. The next will be June 30th.

Bishop William Barber and his ex-wife, Rebecca had been married for over 37 years before they divorced in November 2024.

Bishop Barber has since remarried.

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                                                                         R. KELLY

NEW DRAMA SURROUNDING 

SINGER R. KELLY IN N. C.

PRISON

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

There’s new, explosive drama surrounding disgraced convicted singer/songwriter R. Kelly as his attorneys in Illinois have filed a motion for a new trial and an emergency motion for bond, a day after a federal judge denied Kelly’s request to be temporarily released from the Federal Correctional Institution Medium 1 in Butner.

Kelly, 58, is serving a 30-year combined sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking, including having sex with underage girls, at the Butner federal facility.

The court denied Kelly’s request after his attorneys alleged that the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was attempting to have the entertainer killed behind bars.

Kelly’s attorneys further alleged that federal prosecutors and prison officials have obstructed justice, intimidated witnesses during his 2021 trial and violated R. Kelly’s constitutional rights, saying in a statement, "In their zeal to become Me Too warriors who brought down R. Kelly, federal prosecutors and Bureau of Prisons officers have intimidated witnesses, obstructed justice, and violated Mr. Kelly's constitutional rights. Our motion sets forth the entire sordid story of both the crimes they committed in pursuing R. Kelly and of the plot to forever silence him to prevent these crimes from being exposed. We will not rest until Mr. Kelly is free."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kelly’s attorneys are seeking home detention for his safety.

Kelly was recently hospitalized at Duke University Hospital in Durham on June 13th for an alleged drug overdose after given a lethal dose of his own medicine while being held in solitary confinement. His lawyers contend this was part of an assassination plot on his life.

Again, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Kelly’s attorneys purportedly have a signed declaration from Mikael Glenn Stein, said to be "a kingpin in the Aryan Brotherhood" prison gang, in which he explains “how he did the bidding of the Bureau of Prisons in exchange for better treatment and privileges while in prison, working directly for a BOP official he names as “Childress.”

“Childress told me that I would be sent to FCI Butner. He said I would go to the medical center first; and I would then be moved to Kelly’s unit. There, Childress told me that I was to execute R. Kelly,” the declaration reads, THR reported.

“Stein, however, had a change of heart and decided not to help the BOP officials any further, as stated in the signed declaration. Closing out his missive to the court, Stein said that he is not confessing all of this information to help Kelly, who he believes should pay for his crimes after his sensational trial and 2021 RICO conviction,” THR added.

Kelly’s attorneys also indicated that they will be petitioning President Donald Trump to pardon R. Kelly, noting that the two do not have a prior relationship, even though Kelly once rented an apartment in Chicago’s Trump Tower prior to his arrest.

The Board of Prisons has maintained that it will not comment on the allegations made by R. Kelly’s attorneys.

In a statement, the BOP said:

"For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including medical and health-related issues. Additionally, the Bureau of Prisons does not comment on pending litigation or matters that are the subject of legal proceedings."

At presstime, the court had not yet ruled on Kelly’s attorneys motion.

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NCNAACP JOINS DNC IN

INTERVENING IN JUSTICE 

DEPT. LAWSUIT AGAINST

NC ELECTIONS BOARD 

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

The North Carolina NAACP has joined the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the League of Women Voters of North Carolina (LWVNC) in intervening in a U.S. Justice Dept. lawsuit against the NC Board of Elections.

The Trump Justice Dept. alleged in a May 27th filing that the state Elections Board maintains corrupted voter rolls in violation of federal law.

“Accurate voter registration rolls are critical to ensure that elections in North Carolina are conducted fairly, accurately, and without fraud,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a press release.“The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that maintain inaccurate voter registration rolls in violation of federal voting laws.”

But the DNC, NC NAACP and LWVNC see the case differently.

“Hundreds of thousands of North Carolina voters are once again facing the threat of losing their right to vote because of voter registration database issues that stem from the state’s efforts to comply with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA),” the NC NAACP and LWVNC court filing explained. “Over the last 18 months, these voters have experienced a seemingly endless loop of scrutiny, despite doing everything they can to confirm that they were (or currently are) properly registered.”

“This case rests on the threadbare allegation that the State’s voter list maintenance practices were defective because the State accepted voter registration forms from voters who had driver’s license numbers or social security numbers but failed to list them on the form,” attorneys for the DNC added.

That allegation was also the crux of Republican state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin’s case in trying to get over 60,000 votes thrown out of his contest to unseat current Democratic NC Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs in their November 2024 contest. After six months of litigation, a Trump appointed federal judge finally put an end to the case by ruling that Griffin, a state appellate court judge, could not succeed in his lawsuit.

The state and national Republican parties supported Griffin in his efforts, however. And now, the Trump Justice Dept. has filed suit making a similar allegation, stating that the North Carolina Board of Elections has violated the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA).

“But even assuming arguendo that the federal government’s speculative allegations are well-founded, HAVA specifies what a state must do if a voter does not provide their driver’s license number or social security number when they register: (1) the voter must be assigned a unique identifying number, and (2) the voter must provide photo identification or a document establishing residency when they vote in their first federal election,” notes DNC legal filing. “The federal government has not alleged any well-pleaded facts which show North Carolina failed to follow these two steps.”

“More importantly, the federal government’s prayer for relief — seeking to compel the State to collect driver’s license numbers or social security numbers from some unspecified number of voters — finds no statutory support from HAVA,” they continue.

Now that the state Elections Board is in Republican majority hands, it is more likely to work with the Justice Dept. than fighting the lawsuit as it did when Judge Griffin sued the board to get votes thrown out.

“We are still reviewing the complaint,” new state elections director Sam Hayes said in a prepared statement, “but the failure to collect the information required by HAVA has been well documented.  Rest assured that I am committed to bringing North Carolina into compliance with federal law.”

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