♪ ♪ >> A Kentucky congressman leads at impeachment effort against President Biden.

Ahead, his surprising opinion of the investigation.

>> We really stepped up.

And the Senate.

Well for him.

>> USAID is on the way to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

>> We feel lonely will then we know we need to go out and get.

People around us and talk to people, but it can become dysfunctional over time.

>> It's a problem among the elderly loneliness.

How one Lexington Group is fighting it.

Spend it again.

One more time.

And then we have.

Magnet made.

And see how these libraries are helping turn your creative vision into reality.

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KU Team Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Wednesday.

April 24th, I'm Laura Rogers filling in for Renee Shaw.

Thank you so much for joining us.

>> Last night as expected, the U.S. Senate passed a 95 billion dollar foreign aid package to help Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

The House passed the bill over the weekend.

The Senate vote was 79 to 18 with 3 senators, not voting.

A U.S.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was one of those 3 Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader voted yes.

He has been outspoken in his support for continuing aid for Ukraine.

Here is Senator McConnell after last night's vote.

>> Our animation tested whether the arsenal of democracy is in fact.

Building 2 that's right.

The Senate will The history will record that even his allies and partners may have worried about the debt.

Are resolved.

Even as Moscow, Beijing and Iran.

Room or convention are in contention and run its course.

And even as loud voices your home and sister don't abandon responsibilities of leadership.

And the Senate no firm.

>> Of the 95 Billion.

61 billion will go to Ukraine.

President Biden signed the bill today.

The Pentagon says it will Russia billion dollars worth of supplies to Ukraine immediately.

Previously, CNN is reporting that Congressman James Comer from Kentucky's first district wants to end his impeachment inquiry of President Biden Comer is the chair of the House Oversight Committee.

That committee has been investigating the president with many Republicans saying he benefited from his son's financial dealings.

Democrats say the committee has been unable to provide any proof or even specific allegations, according to CNN Com are told league he is fed up and ready for the investigation to end.

Here's a story that affects 30 million Americans, including thousands of people in Kentucky.

Maybe you or someone, you know, could take a new job with a competitor because of a non compete clause in your contract.

The Federal Trade Commission just voted to ban most a noncompete agreements and a noncompete agreement.

An employee can't immediately jump to a competing company.

It can affect everyone from corporate executives to people who work in sandwich shops.

It's estimated one in 5 workers is affected by this.

The Biden administration has been trying to stop noncompete agreements, a TV broadcaster in Lexington tweeted she's been set yet tonight.

Campaigns throughout her career saying, quote, They banned me from appearing on air at another station for 6 months to a year after I left my job.

I also had co workers who want on air who had to sign them.

We can now see a similar situation to the transfer portal where employees can finally do the jobs they want when they want.

And yes, the salary they deserve.

So is there a downside to this?

What looks like a win for workers could hurt innovation across tech and science industries.

According to a labor economist at the University of Kentucky.

>> So if you look at occupations where you're not dealing with trade or the nondisclosure agreement, basically just kind of has this effect of reducing the mobility of the worker.

Then, you know, that could be harmful for those workers and getting rid of those type of non-disclosure agreements might be beneficial because it allows them to to move and earn their way just somewhere else.

Where this could potentially be be somewhat harmful to the economy is maybe other kinds of division, particularly when you're dealing with it.

Tech scientific types of positions where you're dealing with a lot of train secrets or proprietary information that may be a very different story.

>> The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has just filed a lawsuit against the rule.

The chamber told The New York Times that a ban on noncompete agreements would be quote, a vast overhaul of the national economy and applies to a host of contracts that could not harm competition in any way.

The chamber also says the FTC does not have the authority to make this myth.

Governor Andy Beshear is spending part of this week on a business development trip to Europe.

The lane report says the governor is visiting Germany and Switzerland will meet with the leaders of Kentucky companies in those countries and meet with business leaders considering future investments in the United States.

The governor says he is spreading the message that there's no better place to invest.

And Kentucky.

Does.

The Republican led Kentucky General Assembly have an anti Louisville bias viewers question led to that conversation last Monday on Kentucky tonight our panel talked about new state laws that reverse local laws in Louisville and other places.

Does that mean the General Assembly is against home rule?

>> I'll speak for Louisville because that's where I represent.

Feel-like move was not getting its fair shake in the state right now.

And I don't know that I've seen anything that looks as the budget and the taxes in squares it all away.

But I will say that I hear from folks who are really concerned about the way the General Assembly this session for the first time ever started passing laws to explicitly override our Louisville local laws like our source of income discrimination.

Like our pet shop laws that we just passed.

And so I think it speaks to this idea that.

>> Kentucky largely agree with this idea of local control.

>> It's a bipartisan idea.

People closest to the problem should be the ones making decisions about how you solve that problem.

And I think people in Louisville think that this idea of local control is something that the General Assembly has checked out the window this past session.

And I have to say, I agree with folks.

but have you as a that Senator Wheeler, I remember there was a time there was a lot of conversation in the state legislature about states rights.

>> Right.

And not being infringed upon by the federal government is now the Republican dominated General Assembly in fringing on home rule.

>> Well, I think as a state senator state representative.

You not only have a responsibility, your district, you have a responsibility to the com other the whole.

And that includes I think I even have a responsibility to the children and people that are living in Louisville.

And speak to the income discrimination Bill, I think I have a responsibility to property owners throughout the state on occasion when when when local governments seem to go too far, I believe it is our responsibility as state senators, state representatives to make sure to to rain over age.

>> Hear more of that discussion and some talk about the budget, the momnibus bill, the anti-crime bill and homelessness.

When you watch Monday's Kentucky tonight online on-demand at K each, the DOT Org Slash K why tonight?

We will look in depth that housing and homelessness next Monday on Kentucky.

Tonight our panel will talk about the homeless provisions and the Safer Kentucky Act and the federal voucher program that and your questions Monday at 8 Eastern 7 central here on KET.

♪ ♪ >> It's already been a busy week in state and national politics.

We talked earlier in the show about Congressman James Comer and the Biden impeachment effort.

>> A new Kentucky law affecting the homeless and the passage of a foreign aid bill backed by Senator Mitch McConnell.

Here's one a show with some perspective on all 3, Renee.

>> Time now for a midweek, check-in of some major political developments so far this week with our friend Ryland Barton, who is a senior editor within PR states team.

Good to see you.

>> It seems there next.

>> So let's start with some action on the SCOTUS front, the Supreme Court, the United States, they are considering and listening to or have listened to arguments about a case involving homelessness and whether or not cities can punish people for sleeping outside in this awesome implications for a new Kentucky law House Bill 5 that outlaws outdoor camping.

Tell us about this case and its possible consequences for Kentucky.

>> Right.

So but Kentucky is one of many states that are and in cities that have passed laws like this, creating a criminal penalty for street camping in public places.

But this Supreme Court.

Case involves so a band that that was in place in grants Pass Oregon a couple years ago.

That was ultimately blocked by a federal appeals court out West and made its way all the way up to the Supreme Court.

And really this case is going to, you know, determine how sees around a homeless people are set in the nation one way or the other.

Whether or not that you can implement these kinds of bands or whether or not you you can't.

And and and states and cities are a lot to figure out after that.

Either way that this case goes obviously Kentucky Legislature passed overwhelmingly this year.

A lot of with, you know, we can lead legislature supported it be told by Governor Beshear is easily overridden.

He, you know, this bill also included several other elements here but, you know, this is something that, you know, Republican supporters of the bill say that this is no need.

There needs to be some sort of penalty for or street camping to prevent robots from, you know, from putting that ends up in a in places that the public places and Democrats say this is going to cost us, though, process the city of the state.

A lot of money.

It comes down but I think that this is either way it's something that a lot has to be figured out right now because there has been this increase in the number of homeless people.

the items streets in since since the Coronavirus pandemic, then and cities of struggle to deal with this.

But I think a lot of people are worried that by creating criminal penalties for this, it's going to lead to a lot worse outcomes from people who are already in really dire situations.

And, you know, it takes a lot of to end up having to have to deal with things like that.

>> Well, there's been a lot of response just this week from community members and groups and Louisville and several cities across the state and members of Kentucky's federal delegation, Democrat and Republican are also voicing their opinions about this particular issue.

>> No rainfall is in Western Kentucky earlier this week, most voicing his support for this and he says that that this is something the federal government ends up having to spend a lot of money on that and more in the guard.

He in Louisville, a Democratic Congressman, Morton guard, reasonable earlier this week saying just the opposite, the federal government ends up having to stumble you know, we'll we'll end up having spent a lot more criminalizing homelessness.

So as we often see, there's a there's a much different opinions on on how how exactly this law will be implemented.

But yeah, it's it's it's something that, you know, every every city and state in the country just about is dealing with right now.

And you know, I think that no matter what there's there's got to be some step forward here, whether it's states and the federal government, the kind of deal with the figure out what what policy going forward with my life.

>> Now and we should remind our viewers that in the Kentucky a lot of as part of the sweeping anti-crime Bill House Bill 5, the Safer Kentucky Act as it was called was a $250 fine, a belief or unlawful camping and possibly a misdemeanor offense.

So that's what is causing the consternation about that.

Shifting gears, pretty drastically talk about foreign aid.

So Tuesday night the U.S. Senate passed on rather substantial vote.

I-95 billion dollar foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and the House already done this over the weekend.

Senator McConnell, of course, has been a vocal supporter of more support for Ukraine, voted yes.

Tell us about this deal.

>> Yes, this is another example of how of Kentucky's 2 U.S. senators really show that the 2 you know, sides of the Republican Party in the United States right now, especially when it comes to 2 foreign aid and foreign policy.

This is something that Mitch McConnell has pushed for a extensively and really in his speech earlier this year when he was announcing that he would resign from the leadership at the end of the year.

He said, you know, that this new show that, you know, he was stepping down at this time, the Republican Party is really shifting that you really want to stick to his arm.

Stick to his guns on this foreign aid package and and assisting Ukraine against that.

A Russian invasion and also assisting And so this is this is this is a big deal for was really notable in that he gave a speech later in the in the blaming Tucker Carlson for his rhetoric Russia and Ukraine and said that he had ended up in the in the right place which is not on FOX News anymore, but also of Russian President Vladimir Putin and also former President Donald Trump or muddying the waters around this issue and leading a lot of people to feel that this was an important thing for the United States to participate in, which is notable because, you know, McConnell has come out and endorse Donald Trump.

I obviously they've had a very fraught the last couple years.

He blames the the former president for the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

And so he's still he's still willing to criticize the former president least when it comes to this issue of foreign policy because he really wants Republicans to end up, you know, still supporting United States is position as a as a country that's going to intervene in situations like this.

Yeah.

>> And finally in about 25 CNN reported just this morning that Kentucky's first congressional district Congressman James Comer, who heads the House Oversight Committee is, quote, privately fed-up and Don, with the Biden impeachment probe and desperate for an off-ramp.

Tell us more about this headline.

>> Yeah, the important to mention that this is from an anonymous source in Congress.

But, you know, this is something that we've seen for the last several months is about Carson, commerce perceive this impeachment inquiry that that really hasn't gotten off the ground and funding this story really showing that.

Are you saying that he's he's ready to be done with that and also hinting that he's, you know, possibly considering a run for higher office or a run for, you know, possibly coming back and running for governor of Kentucky, but Houston before.

So he's at least according to this story, is ready to the time that this particular chapter.

Yeah.

>> Well, thank you, Roland Martin, as always for breaking it down for us.

We appreciate it.

Laura, back to you.

>> All right.

Thank you so much, Renee.

And now to more political news.

A federal judge is refusing to overturn a $360,000 judgment against Ken Davis, the former Raleigh County clerk, Davis refused to issue same sex marriage licenses in 2015, she said it was against her religious beliefs.

She did jail time and was eventually voted out of office.

A gay couple sued her and 1, $100,000.

Plus $260,000 in fees and expenses.

The Lexington Herald-Leader says Judge David Bunning refused to set aside the verdict.

He says the couple provided ample evidence of how Davis harmed them.

♪ ♪ A Lexington nonprofit called the Caring Place, realized 6 years ago that older people in Lexington, we're experiencing chronic loneliness.

The group decided to create a space and community for them to come together weekly to feel less alone.

>> Our mission is to reach out to the elderly and disabled in the bluegrass community who are socially isolated and therefore probably a very high risk of loneliness.

And all of our program is geared towards building a relationship with them.

It originated back in 2018 and we were originally an outreach from word of Hope.

Saint Martin's Church.

And we were just looking to see originally what we could do with this huge fellowship room that really was underutilized.

So we thought, well, we'll just coffee and every morning and will invite the neighborhood in the neighborhood.

Didn't come in.

So then it was like, wow, questioning why.

And looking at her own neighborhood and looking at the different census figures that come from the that are provided by the city of Lexington was pretty obvious that most of them didn't have transportation and a lot of them were living in one room apartments, not one bedroom, one room apartments.

Those people in that one room apartment.

With no transportation.

We're probably senior citizens.

These were the same people that could have gone to Lexington Senior center except they did not because they met the same objectives, but they were not independently functional.

So it was like, well, let's let's see what we can do.

So we're kind of taking the people that fall between the cracks of the Lexington senior center.

I'm a retired psychologist and I work for community mental health.

So I ran into a lot of people.

His second logical symptoms.

Would be greatly reduced if they were not so lonely.

Most people don't realize that there are actually suffering from persistent loneliness, which is a very chronic, painful, physically painful type of disorder.

So we gathered them in.

We started most of our things virtually so today, that's where we still are.

We have approximately like 60 phone buddies or so at this point individually, talking to each of the participants, sometimes it depending upon their their stage of loneliness and loneliness comes in different stages.

We might be calling them up.

Every day of the week.

We have what we call a virtual welcome center.

And that is a zoom meeting with our participants and our volunteers.

We come together at 10 o'clock.

>> On a Wednesday and Saturday morning we a blue Christmas every year because people have recognized that.

Both winter time and Christmas is the loneliest time for many, many people, we decided that that would be part of our mission to do that.

>> If we feel lonely will, then we know we need to go out and get.

People around us and talk to people, but it can become dysfunctional over time.

And so what happens is that person withdraws becomes very and lives in chronic pain.

If the community could be more aware of themselves because they could prevent loneliness and themselves, they could help somebody else to prevent or mitigate it.

>> A caring place also provides meals to the elderly in Lexington who face food, insecurity.

This past Saturday, it held a volunteer recognition day to celebrate volunteers from the University of Kentuckyian Central Kentucky.

We have provided 6,000 hours of work to help the elderly and disabled communities in the Bluegrass area.

♪ ♪ >> There are some sports news.

Kentucky's new men's basketball coach is recruiting more than just players.

ESPN reports that coach Mark Pope will hire Alvin Brooks.

The 3rd as an assistant Brooks is currently an assistant at Baylor.

He's been there since 2016 and helped the Bears turn into a successful national program.

Baylor won the national championship in 2021.

And ESPN praises Brooks for his skills as a recruiter.

This means Pope has all 3 of his primary assistant coach us.

Have you ever wanted to create something that just didn't have the means to do it?

Lexington, public libraries have makerspace is where you can 3 D print.

So make buttons and Magnus record podcaster videos and lots more.

So we are getting creative and this week's Arts and culture segment we call tapestry.

>> Sometimes it's everyday things like broken.

We need to help them.

3 D print a new one.

Sometimes they want to create buttons are magnets for a birthday celebration.

So from the everyday to those special days, the experience to learning spaces are here to help.

>> Maker spaces can be all sorts of different things.

So we have to a more traditional makerspace models where customers can come in.

They can create.

We have staff there to help guide them and teach them new skills and equipment.

>> That's right.

I'm here to play.

>> And then we also have the Clipper Foundation Steam lab at Centro and that spaces specifically dedicated grades 3 and up and we really focused on steam.

So science, technology, engineering, arts and math and having students have those hands-on experiences and also showing the different career pathways.

And then we also have a digital studio at Northside.

>> I'm here at the Northside Public Library.

But more in the digital studio.

The digital studio is made up of several Customers can utilize.

We're most popular spaces.

The audio is the audio.

ABC is a sound treated that has a pro grade microphones and equipment to where of folks going Deep podcast.

Teen music We've had officers come in and do audiobooks we have a voice over actors work in that space.

The space that I'm in now is our production studio.

And so this is for content creators and photographers.

The film, you know, their projects.

We have cameras and all are professional lighting so that's all the equipment that you need to make a video review of photography, shoes.

>> A lot of the equipment that we have with to be really costly to have in your own home.

A lot of times customers need these things, but they only need them to 3 times a year.

So there's not really and the desire for that But if we have them here, then customers all day can come and use them all year long.

2 more time.

>> And then we have.

Magnet made.

>> One of our goals as the library is to be a place of lifelong learning.

And part of that is the makerspace is part of that is continuing to learn new skills.

Developing new interest and knowledge that people can then take into the workforce so they can come and learn a new craft or a new skill that then they can translate into, you know, pursuing a new job opportunity.

We've seen that time and time again in our Northside Digital studio.

People are building up those skills that are very, very impressive on their resumes and then that helps them pursue different career opportunities.

>> Very cool space.

You can visit the traditional maker spaces at Lexington, Public Libraries, East side and Mark's very branches along with the steam lab at Central and a digital studio at Northside.

Just 10 days away from the Kentucky Derby.

Churchill Downs has been issued 200 Million Dollar Redevelopment Project just in time for the run for the Roses.

>> The panic is the heartbeat of any race track across the country.

>> And we will take you to the new and improved to 12,000 foot paddick tomorrow on Kentucky Edition, we hope that you will join us again tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky edition.

>> Where we inform connect and inspire.

Follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram to stay in the loop.

♪