As the temperature goes up, it's important to make sure your energy use goes down.

We can argue how much they're going to get paid.

That may be a better argument, but they're going to get paid.

>> And Lenox programs around the state are dishing out the money.

Connection with your ancestors.

It's not only personal back like the entire nation can see as well and feel it with you.

New artwork by the I was here project explores ancestry and encourages community conversation about the past.

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good Evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Wednesday, June 25th.

I'm Christine an in our KET Louisville studio.

>> Filling in tonight for Renee Shaw.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Let's say he wave continues.

LG E and KU are asking customers to conserve energy to ease the strain on the power grid.

Here is some of that advice.

Turn off all unnecessary lights and appliances.

Try to avoid using your oven and consider a slow cooker instead.

Make sure vents are clear.

So air can circulate through your home.

And makes the biggest difference you can make is adjusting your thermostat.

>> Every little thing adds up.

I mean, for example, setting your thermostat to the highest, comfortable setting every degree can save you about 47% on the cooling portion of your bill.

So if you know, we have unanimous that said about 70.

If you feel like you could go to 74.

75.

Now you're talking.

5 degrees, which each degree give you 47%.

Cheaper 100 cooling portion of your bill.

We want to make sure, for example, that you you close those lines.

If you get lines with son facing windows that is letting a lot of sun in your house or apartment close those, you know, make sure your your air-conditioner events are not blocked, KET windows, you know, keeping furniture and rapes and other things off of those.

All that helps to number one.

You know, it helps our customers.

We know that the high temperatures will have an impact on their bills.

And so we want to help KET those bills lower for folks.

And these tips will help.

And also it protects the system.

It protects the grid as far as the high demand that we've seen recently due to these extreme high temperatures.

>> All great tips to KET in mind.

This summer is just getting started.

Unfortunately, the heat and humidity are not can be letting up anytime soon.

Members of the state Senate majority met with the press today as more than 100 newly passed laws will take effect this week.

One of those laws is House Bill 4, which eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion or dei initiatives at public universities.

Senator Mike Wilson of Bowling Green spoke about the bill which abolishes Diversity Offices, Mandatory Dei training identity based scholarships and more.

>> Importantly, the bill preserves real student support systems.

For veterans.

First generation students, Pell Grant recipients and those with disabilities.

Well, as practiced, do you guys shifted from inclusion?

2 X closure, House Bill 4 restores balance by ensuring a student's and faculty are evaluated by ability.

>> And character, not identity check boxes.

>> Universities around the Commonwealth have until June 30th to adapt to the new law majority floor leader Max Wise said they're working with university presidents to ensure their compliance.

And we'll have much more from that press conference tomorrow night on Kentucky edition, along with a look inside the temporary chambers won the capital undergoes construction.

The Fancy Farm political picnic will be Saturday, August second and as usual, some big names have been invited, but we'll be all except that's a question.

Nic.

Organizers say they've invited Governor Andy Beshear, both Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul.

All 3 announced candidates for the U.S. Senate all statewide constitutional office holders, Congressman James Comer, who serves that part of the state and the district state representative and state senator, you'll see coverage and Fancy Farm right here on KET.

President Donald Trump says the U.S. and Iran will talk next week as the cease-fire between Iran and Israel appears to be holding.

This is after a report yesterday that recent U.S. strikes only set back Iran's nuclear program by about a few months.

Also yesterday, Senator Mitch McConnell was on the U.S. Senate floor praising President Trump's decision to order the attack.

he ordered.

>> Built the blow to Iran's nuclear program.

Bolstered American credibility.

Ensuring continuous and Israel leverage.

And the Rams for shooting a nuclear weapons and its support for terrorism.

We're good.

Thanks to the Israelis.

Historic average for more than a year and a Iran's ability to threaten regional stability.

To massively degraded.

Not since before the Islamic Revolution.

Has there been such an opportunity?

For America?

Israel?

Our partners, Theresa Regional Dynamics on such favorable terms.

Achieving it has required no large-scale deployment of U.S. ground forces.

It required all is supporting our friends.

Israel is a and I'm sure to treat pasta.

Not a lot of building.

And you should choose your return.

On our investment in assist in Israel.

Is and >> Senator McConnell says his remarks about Medicaid are being misunderstood.

Punchbowl News reported that Republican lawmakers met and discussed the proposed Trump administration tax and budget bill, a bill that Democrats say will cut Medicaid by about 700 billion dollars.

Punchbowl news says during that meeting, McConnell said Medicaid recipients will quote, get over it.

Senator McConnell's office is responding.

A spokesperson says, quote, Senator McConnell was speaking about the people who are abusing Medicaid, the able-bodied Americans who should be working and the need to withstand Democrats scare tactics when it comes to Medicaid.

Senator McConnell was urging his fellow members to highlight that message to our constituents and remind them that we should all be against waste, fraud and abuse while working to protect our rule.

Hospitals and have safety nets in place for the people who need it and quote.

♪ ♪ >> It's time now for our midweek.

Check in with NPR's Rylan Martin Rylan.

Let's start with what's dominated the news cycle and that the Trump administration's decision to launch an attack on 3 Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.

Now, Kentucky's federal delegation has been split on this response on Saturday's military operation.

We have Congressman Andy Barr in that Senator Mitch McConnell that support the move.

But while fellow Republicans, Congressman Thomas Massie and Senator Rand Paul have criticized the decision, what do you make of deaths lit as support?

>> In a split along party lines because Democratic Congressman Morgan ago, we also oppose a bill yet within the Republican Party as well.

Just something we've seen quite a bit with in Kentucky's federal delegations, specially Thomas Massie and Rand Paul kind of veering off from the from often the the Trump train, at least on some particular policies.

I think that this, you know, this falls in line.

That's something that messy and Paul have pushed for a bit in recent years, which is that Congress originally in the Constitution is supposed to be the government body that's in charge of going to war.

This is something that's really evolved over the years says anybody can tell that's really it has come the recent decades.

The president's deciding when to go to war.

That is a little bit of a complicated decision that a lot of it is political, especially when there's a Republican Congress in power, a Congress.

That's the same party as the as the president and not wanting to step on the president's toes when making a quick decision like that.

So Messi and Senator poll come out saying that in the least Senator questioning whether or not the president should do it.

But Massey saying that not only does the oppose the United States getting involved in in foreign wars like this, but that the president stepping out of his powers here, as you mentioned before, the rest of Kentucky's Republican delegation and falling in line president praising the president for his to you to go after Iran and also saying that this is important in order to help to defend Israel is that's really what set all this off, which was once the UN said that Iran's nuclear program was the head of its too far beyond the nuclear nonproliferation agreement.

Israel then bombed Iran.

And there's a lot of questions of whether or not the U.S. we get involved and then surprise.

We saw last weekend when President Trump decided to drop those so-called bunker buster bombs.

And we're still waiting to see if you know, if the U.S. is going to get involved, the more if this the cease-fire that's gone into place lately is going to hold and what the US's involvement going to be in here.

But then also looking at other a uniform wars around the world like the war between Russia and Ukraine.

There's been a lot of questions to what extent the United States is going to continue to be involved with that or whether or not they would ever get more involved to try to deter Russia from its invasion of Ukraine.

>> Congressman Massie may not come out completely unscathed in his criticism of the Trump administration's decision.

And as we were just talking about the press and didn't hold back in his response to Congressman Massa's criticism, not only did he called for someone to challenge Massey in the next year's primary.

He also said he would be in Kentucky to help campaign against Massey's.

That sounds pretty serious.

Now we understand the president isn't taking it is the you know, if he's going to be taking this a step farther.

>> Yes, it was launched.

This political Packard is his allies have launched a political pact to of to challenge masse, to really to attack mess in the upcoming next year 2026, a congressional campaign.

This is something and really it could be pretty expensive.

There's been some a lot of numbers around could be as high as 45 million dollars, which is a lot for a year.

This would this.

This pact would be supporting or on behalf of a candidate, Republican candidate to challenge Massey saying, you know, they're really saying that he's gone too far astray of.

But Republicans are standing for at this point, which is really what what President Trump is standing for at this point and so that they want to defeat Republican to get involved here.

It's really unclear who that candidate would be.

There's been some names floating around for a while.

A state representative Jim Mosier.

That is that is one.

But she isn't hasn't really been totally Trump aligned but has made inroads there.

But, you know, we saw last year the kind of Trump aligned candidate Eric Peters, nobody's really been able to mount a challenge in recent years on really since the beginning to Massey in this district.

And and he seems pretty confident at this point.

He says that he got the Trump antibody back in 2020 when he challenged Trump over his coronavirus relief package.

Back then people forget that and actually forced everybody to come back to Washington to vote in person to do to pass that over his objections.

But Messi survived a lot of Trump's criticisms of the years because he's challenge the president several times initially not supporting in the spring.

Ron DeSantis and the 2024 presidential and and then also earlier this year to you challenging the president's big beautiful and also challenging Republican Speaker Mike Johnson's election.

So there's a lot of the Republican leadership is having a little bit of heartburn on whether or not to defend Massey is usually they really want to defend the incumbents in their own party just to maintain the political unity.

But I saw that Speaker Johnson was asked whether or not he would come out and support mask.

And he said that was the hardest question.

He'd been asked that day.

>> Well, Congressman Massie isn't the only incumbent in Kentucky who could be up for a fight next year.

So this week we learned a well-known lawyer in eastern Kentucky is also ready to jump into the Democratic primary in Kentucky's 5th congressional district in hopes of taking on the dean of the House.

Congressman, how Rodgers who?

And he's gonna be seeking his 24th term in office.

What can you tell us about that?

>> Yes, and that Pillar store, he's a he's an Attorney Basin and Prestonsburg in Floyd County and he's done a lot of work over the decades for eastern Kentucky.

You that the most famously in recent years representing of the folks who lost or are worried about losing disability benefits that they've gotten through a particular air con.

There's thousands of people who are just caught in limbo after the that after their conduct in trouble over this and Mr. Tillis turf came to the defense.

He said this release out.

Actually was interesting praising how Rodgers for defending things like in the past, but said that his that the Congressman Roger support for President Trump's so-called big beautiful bill, which would in many ways cut Medicaid and force people to prove that they're working in order to receive benefits, said that that's a huge step back for the district.

>> But we will just have to wait and see how the political theater plays out.

Right?

Lynn Barton, thank you so much for your time and expertise.

>> Thanks, Christine.

♪ ♪ >> The Louisville Metro Council will vote tomorrow on a billion dollar budget plan for fiscal year 2026.

Mayor Craig Greenberg says Louisville is already making progress, improving safety for its citizens.

And he wants to continue that.

>> We already know that homicides and shootings are down over 30% this year alone.

We have to KET that positive momentum going to show even more progress to make Louisville even safer.

And that's what this budget does.

It supports our public safety professionals by investing in a larger team at LMPD at the fire Department and EMS and they're recruiting classes and invest in new and updated equipment.

Mike license plate readers and cameras to help deter criminals and solve crimes.

When they do happen.

It invests in Louisville's first new fire station in over 15 years.

And it continues to invest internationally recognized some and wellness center and a first-class headquarters for LMPD right here in downtown Louisville.

As recommended by the Department of Justice.

It also in the amended budget proposed a budget committee yesterday Metro Council.

It also provides funding to acquire land have a first responder training facility in southwest Louisville, a place where all first responding agencies can learn and can improve Villians who made us all proud.

>> During his news conference yesterday, Mayor Greenberg also acknowledged to recent Louisville Sports championships.

So the Assumption High School rockets won the state softball title and the Trinity Shamrocks won the state baseball title.

In northern Kentucky.

Soon there will be 2 major bridge is under construction.

The 4th Street bridge connecting Newport and Covington will shutdown in January to be demolished in the spring.

It's considered functionally obsolete because the shoulders are only a foot wide.

The future version will have 2 lanes in each direction and 12 foot pedestrian paths on both sides.

It's expected to open in the fall of 2028.

And that work will start after the beginning of the Brent Spence Bridge construction this summer.

Looking now at sports news earlier this month, a settlement involving the NCAA set new standards for college athletics.

The University of Kentucky has since developed a plan to share 20 million dollars of revenue with its student athletes.

But how does the changing landscape affects smaller schools in the state?

Our Emily Sisk caught up with 2 university athletic directors to learn how they're keeping up.

>> Revenue sharing it's a relatively new term in college sports.

But what does it mean for institutions like UK?

It means they can share millions of dollars of revenue directly with student athletes.

But that's not the case at universities like Eastern Kentuckyian northern Kentucky.

I think if we often hear the words revenue share, but I think revenue sure really is for those par 4 institutions that have revenue to disperse and to share.

>> That's not in our case since not add them into major level.

>> In KU and TJ, you participate in division one Athletics but are not in a power for conference.

Meaning they don't have to sing resources or media exposure as schools like UK, 4 U of L. >> It's a little bit different.

I think at our level in terms of the revenue share, it just allows us maybe to do some things that we were able to do for our student athletes.

But certainly not at the level has the power force.

>> One of the things Eastern Kentucky can do involves scholarships.

They now have the ability to divvy up scholarship amounts to different players rather than all players receiving the same amount of scholarship money.

>> It just gives us a chance to maybe get a picture, maybe get a.

>> The softball pitcher in baseball pitcher or position player that can help us.

We can't get a whole team that we may be able to get a player or 2 that that separates us from our competition will continue to try to be successful in football.

And I think basketball softballs and baseball are kind of where we're looking at to to improve.

And this will help us to compete again.

It will help everybody else.

But those are the kind of the sports that we're looking at to try to make a an impact because I think from market value, people like those sports, 30 under arrest in those sports and there's value in those sports.

>> Northern Kentucky is the only public university in the state to not have a football team.

Rubel said that makes in K use budget smaller and more adaptable.

And 2 new plans to start paying student athletes for the use of their name image and likeness or nil.

But they're focused on one sports currently in particular.

>> We know that we need to remain competitive for us at nku or basketball programs are the ones with the most media exposure.

Most visibility.

And so that's our our direction.

Is it starting with those programs in particular?

And I L is really about their exposure.

It's really about.

More than just their sport.

It's it's not about their sport specifically.

It's that the exposure that they have.

>> That their name image and likeness carries for us.

And so this is a way for us to compensate them to be able to use that.

>> Because each university comes with its own opportunities for scholarships aimed in aisle deals.

Many student athletes enter in and out of the transfer portal.

The directors said this can be a problem when it comes to consistency and fan support to the thing that I I struggle with more than anything is.

>> Is just the inconsistency of rosters.

>> Some fans may or may not worry so much about him and others feel like they've gotten really attached to a current player and then they transfer to another institution.

I think for most.

>> From the from a fan perspective.

That's a little bit difficult, right?

That's frustrating.

You want to buy it.

A challenge for mid major universities is determining if they want to be successful in a specific sports program or KET all their teams afloat.

>> What's the level?

>> Of success that you want to invest in.

And I think that's the question that everybody's trying to face.

>> While the college sports landscape is changing quickly, the athletic directors said it's no longer a question of if they should pay student athletes.

But how much.

>> We're still trying to acquire the best talent that we can.

That's no different.

It just involves a little bit more money.

We need to embrace it.

We can argue how much they're going to get paid.

That may be a better argument, but they're going to get paid for Kentucky edition.

I'm Emily Sisk.

♪ ♪ >> There's something new to see and hear the financial center garage in downtown Lexington.

The I was here project lets girls right near to pieces about their ancestry and then sastry.

That's often misunderstood more in our arts and culture segment.

We call tapestry.

>> Important just for the girls to learn more about their ancestry.

And just being an African-American descendants of African American.

What what we found out, he said, well, many of the girls didn't really understand or know about the black used to here locally in the city of Lexington.

As well as the country.

So this project really.

I wrote for the education that the girls needed to really understand.

You know, the importance of Pence's.

Where we come from.

We know we're we're doing in the current environment and how they can take that.

And make a better future.

>> Installation, impromptu street and the names of the girls figuring witness to this process has been found.

It sounds game is designed to bring community when >> And I hope my ancestors, his team does not begin on them whereas insane people they were in kyiv's KET clean in science.

I think I can take.

They educated.

Some of the world's greatest meetings.

African ancestry in body he hopes can and intimidation that when didn't last a niche and inland.

A slain chains, it was an issue it on the team signed auction block.

>> A lot of people don't understand how it feels to have a really dark pass with your ancestors and have like almost your entire country.

Believe it.

One way.

But then you're taught another way.

So I feel like this connection with your ancestors.

It's not only personal box like the entire nation can see as well and feel it with you.

>> It just means you know what I'm doing those before he the the responsibility to help you find in March as an inconvenience him and I don't want to be seen.

Engine gives freeze.

I don't want to move down upon and in with the miners.

You from the bottom up.

I'm your magazine in June.

>> And you just saw all the people can tell this story to make it out alive.

I'm here to bring attention to how those toys all laid on the bed by blind eyes only still hates it.

Live in studio time selfish times.

The same people who want everybody's going to be watched lives.

>> I hope they see.

I'm not expecting in the necessarily understand on the first try not like that's the point for them to think about it.

But I feel like I want them to see it and think that there's a vision there.

And that's it's something that shouldn't be ignored.

I hope they see.

>> I see a vision but also hope they piece together what they want to wait to the table here.

We don't.

First of all, learn about our history.

We don't understand what's going on in the in the climate, then he's going to be very difficult for the next generations and generations after them to make this world.

Or should I say you like this world in a way it we don't see today.

Instead of all of the divisiveness.

>> We're building a nation here.

Not just black people are not just white people, but everybody is building a nation here.

And everyone deserves those that paved the way.

For my my hand.

>> You can see and hear the installation and the walkway between the financial center parking garage in downtown's 5th 3005th Bank.

>> Well, have you seen the piano is popping up around Louisville?

♪ ♪ >> The downtown tunes program is beautifying downtown and not just through what you can see, but also what you can hear.

We'll take on the ivories tomorrow on Kentucky.

Addition for and we hope you will join us again tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky edition where we inform connect and inspire subscribe to our Kentucky Edition, e-mail newsletters and watch full episodes and clips at KET Dot Org.

You can also find Kentucky Edition on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV.

So this a story idea.

Public affairs at KET Dot Org.

And of course, you can always follow us on social media.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Have a good evening.

♪