THE CASH STUFF FOR FEBRUARY 12, 2026

 

                                                              REP. DON DAVIS (D-NC-1)

REP. DON DAVIS 

WANTS DHS SEC.

NOEM TO STEP DOWN

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

Last week, First District Democratic Congressman Don Davis weighed in on the controversy surrounding the violent and controversial ICE/Border Patrol raids that have concerned the nation by saying, “Our immigration laws can and must be enforced with respect for life and dignity….” 

This week, Rep. Davis, a political moderate who faces possibly being voted out of his district thanks to Republican redistricting, is calling for Dept. of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem, who is in charge of ICE/Border Patrol, to resign.

Congressman Davis (D-NC-1) now joins Democratic congressional colleagues Alma Adams (D-NC-12), Valerie Foushee (D-NC-4) an Deborah Ross (D-NC-2), along with Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, in calling for Sec. Noem to step down.

Adams, Foushee and Ross are co-sponsors on the House resolution for Noem to relinquish her office.

In a speech on the House floor last week, Rep. Davis said, “Americans expect us to address the alarming behavior of the ICE and CBP agents who have operated beyond the acceptable boundaries of law enforcement,” Davis said in his speech, making reference to alleged brutality and the killing of two American citizens in Minneapolis. “While we must stand with our law enforcement community and enforce our immigration laws, it is crucial that federal agencies operate within the framework of public trust.”

Davis continued, “We must uphold the rights of Americans to exercise their First and Second Amendment freedoms and we also expect our federal immigration officers to adhere to reasonable standards of conduct."

“During Secretary Noem’s tenure, trust has eroded. Secretary Noem, who has so far refused to take responsibility, must be held accountable. Therefore, on the floor of the people’s House, I call for the resignation of Secretary Kristi Noem, the public face of Homeland Security.”

Given that his district now leans more Republican than ever before, Rep. Davis is taking a risk in calling for the resignation of Sec. Noem, many political observers say. But if the projected national anti-Trump Democratic voter wave materializes in the First District, as expected elsewhere across North Carolina and the nation,  then Rep. Davis’ gamble may pay-off.

-30-

FEDERAL JUDGE REFUSES TO

OPEN EARLY VOTING SITES

AT NC A&T, UNC-G AND WCU

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

A federal judge has refused to order three university campuses - NC A&T State University, UNC at Greensboro and Western Carolina University - to establish on-campus early voting sites for students by today, February 12th, the start of North Carolina early voting for the 2026 March 3rd primaries.

U.S. District Court Judge William Osteen Jr. ruled Sunday in a 14-page order that doing so on such short notice would cause confusion for voters.

“[T]he 2026 midterm primary is ‘close at hand,’ with the early voting period to start in less than a week and election day less than a month away,” Osteen wrote Sunday. “Among other potential disruptions or unfair consequences, this court would risk causing voter confusion were it to issue a preliminary injunction now.”

“That the universities hosted early voting sites in prior elections ... is one thing,” Judge Osgteen continued. “Whether they are able or willing to do so now, only days away from the state of the early voting period, is another.”

The College Democrats of North Carolina, along with four university students, sued on January 27th after the Republican-led North Carolina Board of Elections (SBE) ruled that the three schools would not have on-campus early voting sites for the 2026 primaries, even though the schools had had them before.

Republicans on the SBE argued that the cost of establishing early voting sites on university campuses was prohibitive given that students did not use them in adequate numbers justifying the expense.

Judge Osteen, appointed by Pres. George W. Bush, sided with the SBE.

“[T]his court does not find that the burdens on Plaintiffs to be severe, and, further, this court does not find that the burden on Plaintiffs outweighs the legitimate state interests advanced by Defendants’ allocation of early voting sites,”  Osteen wrote.

The students countered that for the most part they do not have adequate transportation, making getting to and from early voting polling places away from campus very difficult, thus inhibiting their right to cast their ballots and validate their citizenship.

-30-