MUSIC >> Why did Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky go to the hospital four weeks ago?

What his office is now saying about his health and his future.

[MUSIC] >> Their first cut was not close to what it was last year.

[MUSIC] >> Experts warn there could be a shortage of hay this year.

What can horse owners do to prepare?

[MUSIC] >> We're talking about child welfare.

We're talking about Medicaid, juvenile justice, criminal justice.

>> State lawmakers from across the country are in Kentucky to talk policy.

>> We're grounded in our values, and our values really do carry us through today.

>> And an iconic Kentucky beverage celebrates a century.

[MUSIC] >> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund.

[MUSIC] >> Good evening, and welcome to Kentucky Edition for this brand new week.

It is Monday, July the 13th.

I'm Renee Shaw.

We thank you for spending some of your Monday night with us.

After four weeks of speculation, U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell is talking more about his health.

The Kentucky Republican released this picture yesterday of himself alongside his wife, former U.S.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

McConnell, who is 84, was admitted to a hospital in Washington, D.C.

back on June the 14th.

In recent weeks, there have been bipartisan calls for Senator McConnell's office to release more details about why he's there, how he's doing and when he would be returning to the Capitol.

Yesterday, his office released the most detailed statement yet about his condition.

Here's part of Senator McConnell's statement.

Quote, last month I took a fall which landed me in the hospital.

My doctors have confirmed that I didn't break any bones or suffer a concussion.

I didn't have a heart attack or a stroke.

I don't have any tumors or hemorrhages, but I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital while receiving excellent care.

Over the past several weeks, I've also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.

On the advice of my doctors, I won't be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet.

But rest assured that in the meantime, I'm not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you.

I've been working closely with my legislative staff on current issues, end quote.

That update on McConnell's condition came shortly after news broke that one of his colleagues had died.

Senator Lindsey Graham's office says he died on Saturday from a type of heart disease.

The South Carolina Republican was 71.

Like McConnell, Graham advocated for a strong U.S.

foreign policy.

Senator McConnell released this statement saying, quote, Lindsey Graham was a good friend and a great American, and I was shocked and saddened by his passing.

His constituents and colleagues have counted on his straight talk, conviction and boundless appetite for a worthy fight.

The white House has ordered flags lowered to half staff because of Senator Graham's death.

Governor Andy Beshear has ordered state flags lowered as well.

Yesterday, before Senator McConnell's office released that statement, Governor Andy Beshear appeared on M. S now to discuss the Kentucky law for replacing a senator who leaves office before the end of a term.

The governor described the recent changes in Kentucky law and suggested those changes are inconsistent with the Kentucky Constitution and inconsistent with actions by past governors.

>> Our Republican supermajority has been so worried about me being able to potentially support someone before a special election that they passed not one, but two laws.

They tried at first to say they could submit a list of three people to me from the Republican Party, and I'd have to pick.

Now they say I can't fill a vacancy, but I have to call a special election.

But here's the thing.

There is a Kentucky constitutional provision that says that I appoint all state officers when there's a vacancy.

The question is, does that apply to federal offices?

Well, before there was ever a law in Kentucky on how this would work, multiple appointments were made by governors.

Assumably assuming under that provision.

So if we end up there and I hope we don't, I hope Senator McConnell will provide proof of life tomorrow and that we can all move on.

There's at least going to be probably a little disagreement.

>> So you you would if that became necessary, you would appoint someone if it became necessary to do so on the basis of the Kentucky Constitution as you read it.

>> Well, certainly my hope is that Senator McConnell will provide us the assurances that we need.

But if he is incapacitated, if there is a vacancy, I will look at my authority as governor to make sure that we are represented as Kentuckians.

And certainly, I'll take a strong look at that section of our Kentucky Constitution.

>> The Kentucky General Assembly passed House Bill 622 back in 2024.

That's the bill that requires a special election in the event of a U.S.

Senate vacancy, a shakeup in the Beshear administration.

Today, the governor announced.

Rocky Adkins has stepped down as his senior advisor.

He served in that role since 2019.

Prior to that, Adkins was a state lawmaker in the Kentucky House for more than 30 years.

During that time, he served as House majority leader and minority floor leader.

Beshear announced Ray Perry as his new senior advisor.

Perry previously served as deputy secretary of the executive cabinet.

Adkins last day was Friday and making the announcement, Beshear said, quote, every day, Rocky shows up ready to serve the people of our Commonwealth, and I know his commitment to public service will continue to drive him in this next chapter.

End quote.

Atkins has long been considered as a possible gubernatorial candidate in 2027.

He has yet to say whether he intends to seek the Democratic nomination.

We shall stay tuned.

One Democrat in the Beshear administration has already announced she's running for governor, of course, and that's Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman.

She announced today that she will speak at the Fancy Farm political picnic that first Saturday in August, August 1st.

And you will see all live right here on KET also confirmed to speak Attorney General Russell Coleman and Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell.

We still don't know about State Auditor Alison Ball, treasurer Mark Metcalfe or Secretary of State Michael Adams.

U.S.

Senate candidate Andy Barr, a Republican, is a yes, the Democrat in that race, Charles Booker, is still pending.

Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul have been invited.

Senator Paul confirmed his acceptance this afternoon.

The congressman for the district Republican, James Comer of the First District, has accepted, along with his Democratic opponent, John Drew Williams.

Congressman comer was on the Fox News Channel last night to denounce what's called birth tourism.

He says that occurs when pregnant women travel to the U.S.

just to give birth here so their children will be American citizens.

>> We've got to, first of all, acknowledge the fact that this is an enormous industry.

And I'll be honest, I didn't know how big it was until our friend Peter Swikert wrote his book.

I read his book.

He's highlighted it.

Several members of my committee have kind of taken this on as a huge issue for for oversight and their subcommittees.

And I'm astonished.

You've got billboards in Mexico advertising people to come to the United States to have their babies, to be able to to, you know, find that loophole to make them all citizens.

And and, you know, when they come to the United States and part of the advertisement is you can get on Medicaid and it will be free.

You don't have to pay anything when people from other countries come in illegally and utilize the the benefits of free health care, which is what Medicaid is, then that makes health care more expensive for the rest of us.

And it makes it harder for people who truly are eligible for Medicaid to get on Medicaid.

The first thing we need to do is pay is pass the Save America Act in the Senate.

I know Senator Graham was was a staunch supporter of that bill.

That needs to happen.

The John Thune needs to do whatever it takes to get that bill.

That is the priority for us to be able to reverse this trend, and we have to get a handle.

President Trump has done a tremendous job securing the border, but we have to identify all of these firms in the United States that are advertising and catering to people from foreign countries to come in here illegally and and birth their children at the taxpayers expense, and to be able to get them to pass.

People who are trying to get in this country legally, you know, exploiting that loophole.

So this is a huge expense of the taxpayers.

I think it's a national security concern, and it's just another gimmick the Democrats have pushed to try to be able to maintain some sense of of a power within their base.

>> Congressman comer also said if the Democrats take control of the U.S.

House next January, he says expect them to block President Donald Trump on everything and to investigate and impeach him repeatedly.

The city of Lexington is hosting the Southern Legislative Conference, bringing together thousands of state lawmakers from across the southern U.S.

Kentucky's House Speaker, Pro Tem David Meade, is the chair of the conference, and we sat down with him to learn why this event is important and how it impacts policy discussions right here in the Commonwealth and even beyond.

Here's more from Kentucky Edition's Clayton Dalton.

>> Kentucky Speaker Pro Tem David Meade kicked off day three of the Southern Legislative Conference with one of its annual traditions, the Campaign Against Hunger.

>> We've been doing that now for about ten years, and we try to package about 100,000 or a little more meals in that time period.

It goes to local food banks and across the state, in each state when we do it.

And so far we've done about a million meals over the last few years.

>> This year is the 80th annual Southern Legislative Conference, and policymakers from 15 states, from West Virginia to Florida and everywhere in between have convened in Lexington to discuss prevailing political issues in their region.

>> Right now, we're talking about child welfare.

We're talking about Medicaid, juvenile justice, criminal justice, various aspects of what each state is facing.

There's some housing issues that we're discussing as well.

The issues are always driven by your constituents.

Is what you're hearing out there that could and that could be some of our businesses that are facing issues.

It could be our local citizens who are facing issues, but most of us are all sharing the same problems, the same issues that we need to figure out how to how to fix.

We put panels together from legislators, from other states, professionals from other states, not just from here in Kentucky.

And we get to hear the things that they're facing.

And it's all different sectors.

It's not just industry, it's education, it's health care.

It's the workforce, economic development, all those things that we hear, hear from as we go through the week.

>> One of the topics of discussion during this year's conference, energy demands and data centers.

>> And data centers is one of those topics that folks are talking about right now, the states that the data centers are coming to, how do you make sure you provide that power and and have all that available?

I think the South has done a very good job of that.

Across our region, we have a various mix of energy everywhere from coal to nuclear to wind and solar.

So it's a natural gas as well.

So I think that we're we're better suited and probably better prepared than any other region in the nation.

And we just want to continue that advancement is what we're trying to discuss here.

We get to learn from others mistakes, and that's when we get into those rooms with them.

We ask them, okay, what led you to develop this policy?

What information did you have?

What information were you lacking?

What questions do we need to be asking as we go forward?

And that's going to be our primary goal as we go in through our General Assembly, is to make sure that we have all those safety precautions in place that the ratepayers don't bear those costs.

Also, we have Oklahoma, that's here, Missouri that's here.

Those states also are seeing some expansion in data centers.

And they're they're explaining to us what they're doing as well.

And it prepares us as we go into this upcoming session.

>> The 2027 Kentucky legislative session is months away, but Representative Mead shared some of the legislative priorities that are front and center.

>> Every state right now is dealing with Medicaid, and I think that that's going to be a huge issue that we're all going to discuss moving forward.

Housing crisis.

We're all facing that across our states.

That's something else that we're going to continue working on.

Those are two of our biggest topics right now as we move forward into the fall.

It gets later in the year, closer to session, there will be more of those issues that will pop up.

That will be our priorities as we move into session about October, November, we really start laying out the plan for January.

>> For Kentucky Edition.

I'm Clayton Dalton.

>> Thank you so much, Clayton.

Now, the latest from Kentucky's second largest school district.

There is disagreement about whether there is a deal in place allowing the departure of Superintendent Demetrus Liggins from Fayette County Public Schools.

Liggins is now on paid administrative leave from the job, Liggins attorney says.

According to the settlement, Liggins would withdraw his request to return.

In exchange, he would get pay for the three remaining years of his contract.

But the board chair, Tyler Murphy, tells KY T TV in Lexington that a deal hasn't been reached.

He says the board rejected that pay request.

The school board would have to approve a settlement.

The next meeting is set for July 20th.

That's a week from today, and there have been repeated requests for Liggins to resign because of the school district's financial problems.

[MUSIC] After a smaller than expected first harvest, agriculture experts warn there could be a hay shortage this year.

Earlier droughts have caused up to a 45% reduction in maize first cut yield.

Horse owners are urged to plan ahead.

More about that in tonight's rooted segment, which is our focus on farms and agriculture.

>> I've talked to some hay producers that their first cut was not close to what it was last year, and in some cases, it's a ten or a 15% reduction.

I talked to one that it was closer to a 45% reduction.

And I think that's got everybody being a little concerned and just wondering, you know, what, what am I going to have if you're used to buying hay from a particular producer, contact them now and find out.

Ask ask how things are right now.

We've had a lot of rain.

We have seen lots of julys in August that yeah, it rains the first part of the month, but then it stops and then it gets really dry and it gets really hot.

And now all of a sudden our pastures are not what we need and we have to start feeding hay sooner.

So while we didn't think we needed to start till October or November, what if we have to start in September?

Now our inventory has changed.

I think the other thing that we need to think about is that while we might not be short here, there may be other parts of the state.

There may be areas in surrounding states that are short.

I mean, I see hay coming into the state because it's a mobile commodity.

I also see it leaving.

So if they make arrangements and they happen to live in West Kentucky or Tennessee or Missouri, and they've already contacted a hay producer, it's on a truck leaving, then that is going to impact our our supply, the moisture being a little better.

Hopefully we'll get some weather conditions that will get that grass growing and we will get a decent second cut.

I also worry if there's some of the weed issues that we deal with that come on, when it starts to get a little warmer in July, and that can really impact negatively our second cut because it's going to put plant material in there that we don't want.

Probably the biggest one that that horse people need to look for and be aware of is foxtail.

A lot of things for horse people to look at and to think about.

But the biggest thing is if you're buying hay from somebody, go talk to them, make arrangements, come up with a plan, figure out how much you need, where can I store it, all those sorts of things so that it's not a hurry up and make a decision, but making a logical and an informed.

And as some of my county agents like to use the term that we've made an intentional decision in what we're going to do, feeding our horses going forward.

>> Depending on how feeding pastures fare, horse owners tend to start feeding hay around October.

[MUSIC] In Kentucky, an estimated 1 million people are serving as caregivers for a loved one.

That's almost one in every four Kentuckians.

And it can take a toll physically, mentally and emotionally.

And it's a role someone might have to take on without much warning.

>> It's a it's an interesting change in the relationship, right?

Because you have this existing long term relationship, whether a parent or a spouse.

And the thing that's tricky about it is no one tells you in advance that you're going to become a caregiver.

It just sort of slowly happens over time, and you find yourself taking on things that the person used to be able to do for themselves very easily, you know, maybe managing money or medications or even just keeping them safe in the home.

And so you get a mix in this relationship.

You have the old part, and then you have this new piece that comes in and it really starts to make a shift in those relationships.

>> Join us tonight as we learn more about the challenges facing caregivers, as well as some strategies that can help us all deal with that demanding role.

If and when it's time, tune in for the Caregiving Experience, a KET Special report tonight at 8:00 eastern seven central, right here on KET.

[MUSIC] A Kentucky based beverage company is celebrating 100 years.

L eight one the ginger citrus soda has become a big part of the state's identity.

L eight markers or makers rather say staying grounded has helped them make it this far.

>> Our founder, G L Wainscott.

He was always into.

He was into a carbonated machine and was a got into soda making.

And he had actually come out with.

The original product was Russell Coleman.

And he was eventually sued by the world's largest soda manufacturer, which, you know, at that time, he had led him to travel all across northern Europe to look at different ginger ales, you know, ginger beer type recipes, you know, that he ultimately brought back and decided he wanted to make his own ginger product and ginger soda, and he wanted to make it uniquely his own so that he could never get sued again.

1026 At the Clark County Fair, he wanted to have some fun, give an opportunity to the people to name that product.

And so he held a naming contest there, and a child came up with a late one that he chose.

And that was all about it being the latest thing.

And that that stuck.

Our first flavor that we came out with was in 2018, and it was cherry.

Often the way we approach flavors is thinking about what people want, but also what they don't realize what they want.

So as you think about some of the things that we've come out with, you know, peach is a great flavor.

We just brought it back out this year for a limited time, and people were excited to see it.

After two years of being away, BlackBerry has become very popular for us as well.

You know, last year we came out with pawpaw, which was a viral craze, was just exciting.

The green bottle represents something to people.

And, you know, it really does represent an element of not only ale eight, but Kentucky ale.

In Kentucky, our DNAs are intertwined.

And I think that's pretty special.

The people of Kentucky have really adopted this brand as as one of their own.

And, you know, often when you see someone drinking an ale.

Eight they've either lived in Kentucky, passed through Kentucky, or were born in Kentucky.

So as part of our 100th anniversary, we've come out with a special 100th anniversary package.

So from now, since earlier this year, all the way through the end of the year, the six pack of the original ale eight will be coming in a special diamond logo package that is inspired by a lot of the history of design with ale eight as well, as well as the 1920s.

One of the great things about the ale eight Bottling Company is we're in our fourth generation of family.

Fielding Rogers is the chairman of the company, and he is the great, great nephew of our founder, G. L Wainscott.

And he still mixes every batch of formula of L eight.

Formula today, and he does it in a secret room with the original notes on the wall.

A lot of brands talk about secret formulas.

This is real, which is pretty cool.

And we are the last.

We're really a unicorn in this industry.

You know, there's a lot of big, large companies that own a lot of these.

We're the last remaining original family owned soda out there that the family still owns it.

And it's privately owned.

Part of what's helped us.

We're grounded in our values, and our values really do carry us through today.

>> To celebrate, L eight is throwing a block party in downtown Winchester on August the 1st.

The family centered event will feature a pop up shop, food trucks and interactive mural, and of course, activities for kids.

And there's a secret headliner who will be announced on July 27th.

The birth of L eight is not the only historic fact worth noting.

Our Toby Gibbs has more in this look at this Week in Kentucky history.

>> July 16th, 1950 was a somber day for Kentucky as ten soldiers from the Bluegrass State died while fighting in the Korean War.

Happy birthday to Albert Benjamin Chandler, better known as Happy Chandler.

Born July 14th, 1898, he would become governor of Kentucky twice in the 1930s and in the 1950s, and also served as a U.S.

senator and baseball commissioner.

Speaking of baseball, Louisville hosted a baseball game on July 19th, 1865 as the Louisville Grays beat the Nashville Cumberlands.

It's believed to be the first game west of the Alleghenies, played under standard baseball rules.

WHAS radio signed on the air on July 18th, 1922, the first radio station in Kentucky.

Some jokingly said the call letters WHAS should stand for.

We have a signal.

Blue Moon of Kentucky by Kentucky and Bill Monroe became Kentucky's official bluegrass song on July 15th, 1988.

What is Kentucky's state fruit?

It's the BlackBerry and it became official on July 13th, 2004.

And that's a look back at this week in Kentucky history.

I'm Toby Gibbs.

>> Thank you.

Toby.

And those blackberries look yummy.

The wrong ballot didn't sit right with one Jefferson County voter.

And it turns out she wasn't alone.

>> But I think we also, you know, in talking to her, gave her a lot of credit because I think this issue would have never come out.

People would have continued to be voting with the wrong ballots and the wrong elections.

>> The power of community journalism.

How one voter and two reporters sparked a countywide elections audit to ensure every vote counts.

More about that story tomorrow night on Kentucky edition, which we hope we'll see you again for at 630 eastern, 530 central.

Keep in touch with us all the ways you see on your screen.

The social media channels stream our content online, on demand, and even send us a story idea at the email address on your screen.

I'm Renee Shaw and I'll see you real soon.

Have a great