THE CASH COMMENTARY FOR MARCH 26, 2026

CASH MICHAELS

WHY MARK ROBINSON, WHY?

           by Cash Michaels

Alright, let’s see a show of hands.

How many of you originally believed former Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson when he swore up and down in 2024 that CNN’s pornography allegations against him were false and nothing but a wicked political attack? How many? Let me see your hands. Alright, Mrs. Robinson, you can put your hand down now. 

And before I continue, let me first state for the record, none of us are perfect. All of us fall short of the glory of GOD one way or another. But that’s to varying degrees. In “Brother” (as in Christian “brother,” NOT Black brother) Mark Robinson’s case, especially after he admitted on a 90-minute podcast last week that he indeed suffered from an “obsession with pornography;” did post online on the “Nude Africa” porn forum under an assumed name that “I’m a black Nazi”; supported the reinstatement of slavery and called slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a “commie bastard,” his is a special case that deserves some attention.

Some extra professional special attention!

“Certifiably sick” is the category you normally check off for such pronounced symptoms of diminished moral capacity. And to think this nutcase was vying to become our next governor. 

Regarding his admitted obsession with pornography, Robinson said, “I’m thinking that maybe I need to get a good therapist (no, you need a GREAT one!). Of course, a Christian therapist, I think, would be best (yeah, that Satanist you’ve been checkin’ in with isn’t working out too well). But I’d like to find out why, throughout my entire life, I’ve been such a carnal person. I don’t understand it. I don’t understand why it’s been that way.”

Yes, this man truly needs deep mental therapy for himself, and honestly,  I hope he gets it.

However, Charlotte Observer op-ed writer Paige Masten observed, “Even in his honesty, Robinson remained defensive, and he seemed to believe that he did something righteous by lying. Even though he wanted to own up to it, he said, other people would be affected, so it would be “selfish” to be truthful.

In other words, Robinson’s admission of contrition comes with a “but.”

That “but” was that Robinson also admitted that he lied about his perverted obsession in order to protect …Donald Trump. And was willing to fight to the end to protect him.

“President Trump and I had become very good friends,” Robinson explained. “And I realized how important it was for President Trump to win that race. And I knew that we were—not only was I in the fight for my life, that the country literally was in the fight for its life,” Robinson told Pastor Josh Hall on his “After the Call” podcast.

“And so I’d make the exact same decision, I’d fight the exact same way, because I always knew, I always knew there would be time for this (acknowledging the truth). But in those eight weeks (after the CNN allegations), there wasn’t time for that. What there was time for then was try to protect as many people as I could and do whatever I could to make sure that the fire that I was drawing didn’t get drawn to them as well.”

Any scholarly university researcher out there who’s been looking long and hard for evidence of true MAGA madness, there it is. Talk about a crackpot in denial.

A conservative Black man who admittedly and proudly castrated himself publicly just to help save the candidacy of a convicted, racist con man running for the presidency. You just can’t beat that off-the-charts madness!

Look at this for a moment…Mark Robinson risked his entire reputation and future, no matter how tattered it might be, NOT to spare his wife, nor his family, nor his church nor his community any shame or pain, but another  man who could care less whether he lived or died, and certainly treated Robinson as such immediately after the allegations came out, and every minute of every day since.

I mean does Mark Robinson have a cushy job somewhere in the Trump Administration or Republican Party that rewards him for his extraordinary  blind loyalty and sacrifice? Of course not! C’mon, Trump has pardoned people who have actually committed crimes far worse than what Mark Robinson has done to himself, and they’ve gotten the royal treatment afterwards. And yet, Robinson’s unbridled loyalty to Trump ultimately means nothing.

Trump once lauded Mark Robinson as “Martin Luther King on steroids” in terms of his leadership capabilities and commanding presence. Surely someone like that could have been useful to the Trump Administration in some capacity, perhaps as a liaison with the so-called white right-wing Christian community Robinson was already very popular with.

But apparently Robinson was seen as too much damaged goods to touch. So now we have a grown man who once aspired to the highest elected office in this state, who is now tossed to the side by the political party he championed, and by its titular leader who wants absolutely nothing to do with him any more.

Please don’t get me wrong - contrition is good for the soul. Falling on your sword before supporters who believed in you, who fought for you, who stood up for you against all odds, is hard, but the right thing to do. It is what Almighty GOD would have us to do, because, as the Good Book says, “The truth shall set you free.”

But what Mark Robinson did last week in his admission of lying to protect Trump, wasn’t brave, courageous, or at all laudable.

It was cowardly and damned stupid, because the man was actually covering up for someone who is destroying this country, and showed that he could do that with his selfish handling of the Covid pandemic during his first term. Instead of saying that he was wrong because Trump is wrong, Mark Robinson would rather take the punishment for protecting a known and proven creep he still supports.

Why protect a man who would openly and despicably celebrate the death of another human being as Trump did last weekend after it was reported that former FBI Director Robert Mueller, an honorable man, had passed? Grant you, Trump had hard feelings for Mueller after he led the investigation into the 2016 presidential election, and found evidence of Russian influence, but no Trump campaign criminal collusion.

And yet our president disparagingly said on his social media platform, “Good, I’m glad he’s dead!” The indecency of that sentiment is something we should all mourn.

Or the embarrassing rant Trump performed last week in front of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, telling our former enemy-now-close-ally that they should remember Pearl Harbor when it comes to being sneaky.

Let us not forget starting a war Trump promised Mark Robinson and MAGA mini minds like him he would never do. The resulting cascade of problems - from high gas prices to the very real prospect of a world war given the growing instability of Trump’s “excursion” into Iran should prove just how selfish the untrustworthy MAGA leader is even to his base.

How do you even give this reprehensible sack of pus and bones so much as a thought when he’s shown long before now that he’s not worth protecting, because he has no capacity for human decency for other people? Why would Mark Robinson gut himself wide open for Donald Trump?

And it’s not just Robinson who is suffering behind his foolishness, but his family, who have suffered because of their association with him.

All of this tells me that Mark Robinson should truly, and I mean this, truly go hide his face somewhere never to be seen or heard from again. I don’t know why he decided now was the time to come out with this nonsense apology after the shameful trail of hatred he proudly championed while he was our divisive lt. governor. 

But I’m sorry, Mark Robinson. Honest contrition is one thing. Dishonest madness is something else. I’m on the side of those who never, and I mean never, want to see or hear from the likes of you ever again!

Unfortunately, there are many more mega-mad MAGA sycophants like you out there, and all I can say here and now is in November’26, expect the Trump foolishness fix!

Now go back to feeling sorry for yourself, Mark Robinson! The rest of us have serious work to do.

 

THE CASH STUFF FOR MARCH 26, 2026

                                                                   MARK ROBINSON

IS FORMER LT. GOV.

MARK ROBINSON

PLANNING TO RE-ENTER

POLITICS?

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

Was former Lt. Governor Mark Robinson’s public admission last week that he’s always had “an obsession with pornography,” and that he first denied that obsession after CNN reported about his alleged remarks on an online porn forum to protect the 2024 presidential campaign of Donald Trump, a way for him to re-enter conservative politics?

That remains to be seen, but if it is, the Greensboro native and once viable Republican candidate to become North Carolina’s first black governor, will have a tall order of regrets to live down.

On a 90 minute podcast titled After the Call, Robinson spoke about his life growing up in a violent household as a child, and also how he leaned towards conservative politics as an adult, going before the Greensboro City Council in 2018 to speak out against gun control. Video of that appearance caught the attention of the NC Republican Party, which later recruited the then tough talking blue collar factory worker to run for lieutenant governor in 2020, shocking the political universe when he won.

But little did anyone know, according to Robinson, he had a dark secret. Beyond writing disparaging things online attacking Jews, Muslims, women, blacks, the civil rights movement and LBTGQ+ people, Robinson had a predilection towards pornography. The harsh things he said about other groups came out during his term as lt. governor, fortifying his dominant position in the state Republican Party and the conservative Make America Great Again movement.

When Trump came to North Carolina to campaign in 2024, he would invite Robinson to appear with him, and at one time called the black Republican “Martin Luther King on steroids.”

But, with eight weeks to go in his historic run for governor, it was CNN’s special reporting on Robinson’s alleged porn activity on a website titled Nude Africa, where, under an assume name, he wrote about his obsession with porn, identified himself as a “black Nazi,” called slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a “commie bastard,” and shared his sexual fantasies.

Robinson denied the CNN report, and at first sued the news network for $50 million. But after losing to Democrat Josh Stein by 14 points, Robinson dropped the suit and disappeared for several months, until last week when he appeared on the podcast to admit that he indeed lied to protect President Trump.

“I certainly don’t want to be the person that costs the president of the United States the election,’ he said during the podcast. “Didn’t want to cost anyone else their election.”

  On social media, many critics were underwhelmed by Robinson’s belated admission.

“You chose your side, Uncle Tom,” wrote someone named Mith.

Vanessa sarcastically asked, “Is he in the [Epstein] files too?

Another critic, this one named Robert, posted about Robinson's pornography admission, “Well duh, we’ve already figured that out!” 

And a poster named Michael wrote, “He lied and threatened to sue CNN knowing he was lying the whole time? Shameful!”

But many Robinson supporters remained loyal after his admission.

“I would still vote for him,” posted Cindy. “He has good values.”

John, another apparent supporter, was also understanding.

“Confession is good for the soul. Transparency is a political rarity. Improving ourselves a Godly endeavor. Forgiveness is Devine (sic). I trust that those who have courage to change for the better instead of obfuscation of past responsibility.”

John, apparently addressing Robinson’s critics, continued,“…You failed to see that’s exactly how he wins and ends by boldly declaring his sins asking forgiveness and instigating change in his character and becoming a better person. I say we need his integrity, strength and leadership in these battles against tyranny and terrorism.”

Still, a Robinson critic  named Joyce seemed to sum up the majority opinion of the social media posters when she wrote, “Sounds stupid to me, and guess what? Trump doesn’t give a poo poo about you. He would never protect you. STUPID!

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EXPLORE NC BLACK 

HISTORY WITH

THE FAMILY

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

Now that Spring has officially arrived, and temperatures have stabilized in the 70’s and 80’s, this may be the best time of year to explore North Carolina’s Black history sites to learn more about the proud contributions made to the state’s past. Each historic site has a website for more information.

THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS CENTER/MUSEUM

Located in downtown Greensboro, this is the historic former Woolworth store where on February 1, 1960, four black students from North Carolina A & T State University boldly went intending to challenge the state’s racial segregation law by ordering food at the “whites only” counter . That “sit-in”action reinvigorated the ’60’s civil rights movement across the South and nation. The center/museum maintains many of the artifacts, photographs and other interactive memorabilia of the time. Please go to https://www.sitinmovement.org for more information.

FREEDOM PARK

Located in downtown Raleigh, Freedom Park is a beautiful one-acre monument to the African-American spirit and struggle in North Carolina, featuring a greenspace and 20 “ Voices of Freedom” inscribed on its walkways. The park is free and open to the public. Please go to https://aahc.nc.gov/north-carolina-freedom-park for more information.

ASHEVILLE BLACK CULTURAL HERITAGE TRAIL

As North Carolina’s most popular mountain city, Asheville offers a rich cultural and historic experience when it comes to the African-American community. The Black Cultural Heritage Trail offers important landmarks that pays tribute to that history, and those contributions. Please go to https://bcht.exploreasheville.com for more information.

CHARLOTTE HAWKINS BROWN MUSEUM

Located in Gibsonville, Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown founded Palmer Memorial Institute in 1902, where over 2,000 African-American female students were educated and graduated from. The historic campus has been preserved for visitors to go to see and learn more about the illustrious achievements of this important educational institution. Please go to https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/charlotte-hawkins-brown-museum for more information.

NORTH CAROLINA CIVIL RIGHTS TRIAL

Interested in visiting a variety of places across the state where activists once gathered to plan and organize in their fight for freedom, justice and equality? Then go to https://aahc.nc.gov/programs/civil-rights-trail to see what areas of the state interest you and your family so that you can plan a trip.

All of these locations and more are maintained by the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.

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THE CASH STUFF FOR MARCH 19, 2026

BRIAN McKNIGHT

                                                            WFXC-FM'S KAREN CLARK

WHY IS THE BRIAN

McKNIGHT BLACK 

RADIO LAWSUIT SO

IMPORTANT?

An analysis

By Cash Michaels

By now you’ve heard of that crazy defamation lawsuit singer Brian “Back at One” McKnight has recently filed against Black-owned and operated Raleigh-Durham radio station Foxy 107.1 WFXC-FM, along with of its longtime announcer, Karen Clark, and its corporate owner, Urban One, Inc. out of Silver Springs, Maryland. 

McKnight’s lawsuit also targets the nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show, which is also affiliated with Urban One, Inc. and heard on WJMH 102.1 FM in Greensboro and WOSF-FM105.3 in Charlotte, among other stations across the state and nation.

In a nutshell, McKnight claims the popular “urban adult contemporary” station that plays R&B and classic soul music, on January 23rd, 2025, aired “a recorded interview” conducted by Ms. Clark with McKnight’s ex-wife, singer Julie McKnight, from its Raleigh studio that was defamatory, “negligent and reckless publication and supervision, vicarious liability/respondeat superior” with punitive damages seeking at least $25,000 separately for each count.

That recorded interview, which was promoted by the station, and based on Julie McKnight’s book,”Mama Bear: Beautifully Blended,” accused Brian McKnight of “…abuse, neglect, dishonesty, and intentional interference with careers…” as well as being an “emotionally abusive, mentally abusive, and a neglectful father…,” his lawsuit contends.

Brian McKnight strongly disputes his ex-wife’s allegations.

“Those same allegations were reintroduced, endorsed, and amplified during the FOXY 107.1 broadcast,” the lawsuit continues, adding that the interview aired over “terrestrial radio and simultaneously published to [Foxy’s] official YouTube channel,” where a 3 minute :34 second clip of it remained as of March 14th, when this analysis was written.

Now, I’m not going to go through all of the ugly blow-by-blows between the warring ex-McKnights. There’s a lot of tawdry stuff there that you can go online and read up on for yourself if you choose.

The point of my writing this analysis is not to take sides or air dirty laundry. I have no dog in this fight. But being an old AM radio disc jockey years before I began working in the Black Press, what stood out to me when I first read this story was, “How did this, by all accounts, well-run, well-managed, successful Black-owned radio station, which has been in the community for many, many years (I was still on the air when Foxy 107.1 FM first came on) find itself in the crosshairs of a lawsuit it could have easily avoided?

Mind you, I’m not saying Foxy should never have done the interview. After all, Julie McKnight was out hawking her book. That’s perfectly normal no matter what the allegations.

But what the ex-wife of singer Brian McKnight was saying and doing amounted to a “personal attack,” by any standard. 

I’m not a broadcast attorney, but there is a “Personal Attack Rule” broadcasters are supposed to follow in cases like this to satisfy their responsibility as a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) public licensee.

The station is supposed to notify the subject of the attack, provide a tape or accurate summary of what was said if a recording is not available, and offer a reasonable opportunity to that subject to respond over the licensee’s station.

Is it a personal attack if what she’s alleging against her ex-husband is true? There’s the rub. The radio station, knowing that they would have her on, and knowing that she would come full of personal allegations against her famous ex-husband, had a duty to at least offer Brian McKnight the same opportunity on their airwaves later on to defend himself.

Inform his management or attorney in a reasonable about of time from the original ex-wife’s interview, send them the tape, then put the allegations to either him or his designated representative with the appropriate opportunity and time for response even by phone, and that’s it.

And if Brian McKnight or someone representing him doesn’t respond in a reasonable period to either written or electronic communications, that’s it, the station has fulfilled its responsibility to its broadcast license. McKnight alleges none of that happened.

That’s the part that makes this concerning on the part of why WFXC-FM’s management allegedly allowed this lawsuit-in-the-making to happen in the first place. Their job - from the corporation, to the corporate attorney, station general manager and certainly the program director, is to protect the station’s broadcast license which allows it take to the public airwaves, serve in the public interest and make money. Without that FCC broadcast license, which establishes standards in order to protect people from being personally or professionally hurt or injured due to a one-sided attack on their being, radio and TV stations are just studios that can't broadcast to anyone.

But wait a minute, you say. You listen to the radio, or watch cable TV/streaming a lot, and folks there are always saying something nasty about the president or some politician or celebrity they don’t like.

First of all, cable TV /streaming isn’t regulated by the FCC, so there are no federal broadcast standards to lord over. Secondly, politicians and elected officials can say nasty things about each other up to a point. Some have indeed been sued afterwards. Which is why most attack ads are documented.

Celebrities, like Brian McKnight, who feel personal attacks by an ex-wife can hurt his ability to market himself as an entertainer and earn a living, do go to court to protect their name. And because Foxy 107.1FM, Urban One, Inc. and syndicated radio host Rickey Smiley (who allegedly ran a podcast segment in December 2025 that also contained hurtful allegations that McKnight claims he was never given the chance to counter) have what lawyers call “deep pockets,” McKnight is targeting them specifically for damages.

Announcer Karen Clark, who conducted the fateful interview with Julie McKnight, was also named in the suit, but most likely because she’s an employee, she will be covered by her company.

By the way, this whole thing is likely to be settled out of court by Urban One’s corporate liability insurer, unless Brian McKnight decides going through a painful discovery deposition and court proceeding is worth it. But that’s just my opinion.

On February 20th, an attorney for Urban One filed a “notice of removal” of the lawsuit from State Superior Court in Wake County to the United States District Court for Eastern North Carolina so that it can be heard by a federal judge.

The reason for the requested move to federal court is that Brian McKnight lives in Georgia, while Urban One is headquartered in Maryland, and Karen Clark lives in North Carolina.

Urban One denies any and all allegations.

Editor’s note - the writer of this analysis formerly worked at radio stations WSRC-1410AM in Durham; WLLE-570 AM in Raleigh and WAUG-750AM in Raleigh for over 20 years serving in various programming and administrative capacities.

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STATE AUDITOR FINDS

MORE FISCAL PROBLEMS 

AT WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH SCHOOLS

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

A North Carolina public school district that in 2022-23, according to the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, had a 24% black student population that was over six times more likely than their white classmates to receive a short-term suspension and over there times less likely than white students to score “Career and College Ready" on final exams, is in trouble again for alleged fiscal mismanagement. 

The first investigation by the Office of the NC Auditor of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County System determined that there was an estimated $46 million budget deficit, caused primarily because of alleged fiscal mismanagement.

But now a followup “Rapid Response Special Report” finds that for fiscal year 2025 the school system reportedly delayed recording $15 million in expenditures.

“Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools remains far from having healthy budgeting practices in place,” said state Auditor Dave Boliek in a statement. “Approximately $15 million in expenditures were not properly recorded for months, and the school system yet again failed to complete monthly reconciliations.”

The followup investigation determined that the Winston-Salem/Forsyth School System waited until after fiscal year 2025 was over, in September of that year, to then charged those expenditures June 2025, the last one of that fiscal year.

The state Auditor’s Office found other alleged fiscal practices that it says contributed to the school system lack of sound budget practices.

“The additional findings of financial misconduct the team uncovered in our follow-up show a failure to keep their books straight,” state Auditor Boliek said. “Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools owes parents, teachers, and students accountability.”

One of the state’s largest public school systems, Winston-Salem/Forsyth Schools has had fiscal mismanagement problems before, according to published reports. The student population has dropped by more than 3,000 students since 2018, even though has staffing has increased by 245 positions, causing per pupil enrollment funding problems.

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