music >> Today, we face one of the most difficult moments in agency.

Any dairy has.

Well, now the loss of one of our own.

>> Kentucky mourns the shooting death of a state trooper.

[MUSIC] >> I think it indicates an ongoing willingness to compromise, and that's going to help Kentucky industries as well as Kentucky consumers.

[MUSIC] >> The industries in Kentucky that expected to get a boost from the trade truce between the U.S.

and China.

>> Social security is not going to call you.

Medicare is not going to call you.

And if you don't recognize that number, you don't answer that call.

[MUSIC] >> Thank you all for being here.

>> And we have answers about Medicare scams, Medicare plans, and Medicare costs from our panel of experts.

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

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition for this Tuesday, September 29th.

I'm Christy Dutton in our KET Studios in Louisville.

Thank you so much for joining us.

A man is behind bars tonight accused in the deadly shooting of Kentucky State trooper, police accused Amani Branch of shooting and killing Trooper Hayden Phillips after Phillips pulled him over on Interstate 65 in Warren County yesterday afternoon around 3:00 eastern time, 2:00 Central.

Phillips was married with three children.

He was 28.

According to a social media post from his wife, and had been a state trooper for three years.

After a search, police found the car and the suspect in Jefferson County, about 90 miles from the scene of the shooting.

The suspect, Amani Branch, is 51 years old.

Police say he is from Portland, Tennessee.

He is now back in Warren County.

State police talked about the shooting during a news conference last night.

>> I'd like to speak directly to Hayden's family.

His wife, Jordan, his children, Casey novice and Connor and his mom and dad.

Robin and OSMA Phillips.

Please know we will seek justice for Hayden.

We repeat that we will seek justice for Hayden.

Because we will not rest until this happens.

Most importantly, the family will be there for you every step of the way.

You will not walk this path alone.

I promise you that.

My prayers and the prayers of this agency are you tonight and every Kentucky that's out there listening to this, see what sacrifices that the men and women in law enforcement do to keep this Commonwealth safe?

A man, a husband, a father, a son.

Fellow trooper, colleague lost his life today to be met.

>> Branch was arraigned this morning in Warren County.

We have video of that arraignment from w n KYTV.

You see branch being wheeled into the courtroom.

He's wearing an orange jumpsuit.

He pleaded not guilty to murder of a first responder.

He was denied bail.

Funeral plans for Trooper Phillips are being announced tonight.

We'll have more details on that tomorrow.

On Kentucky edition.

Well, after years of tariffs, trade disputes and economic uncertainty, the U.S.

and China have reached a new trade agreement that could affect everything from Kentucky farms and factories to prices consumers pay at the store.

The two countries are cutting tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods.

We spoke with an associate professor from the University of Kentucky's Gatton School of Diplomacy about what this latest agreement means for Kentucky Industries.

What consumers can expect moving forward and why the Commonwealth has weathered these trade disputes with China better than other states.

>> China is a substantial trading partner for the U.S.

and for Kentucky in particular.

Certainly the trade war, both with China and with others.

This has hit pocketbooks both in Kentucky and around the country in the form of increased tariffs, taxes paid by Kentucky consumers.

And so that has that has been part of the effect here in Kentucky.

So last week at the meeting between President Trump and President XI, they each picked about $30 billion worth of everyday goods to tax less to impose fewer tariffs for the U.S.

for our exports.

That's mostly farm products coal and hardwood for U.S.

imports.

We're going to reduce tariffs on toys and small appliances.

So it represents a thaw rather than an end to the trade war.

But it certainly is a clawback from the peak.

These $30 billion represents about a quarter of the goods that we import from China.

And about the same on their side.

So Kentucky exports, aside from ag products, exports about $4 billion worth of goods to Chinese markets.

Certainly hardwoods are going to be the industry that will gain most.

Wright China shut out U.S.

hardwoods in the last year.

And so this is going to bring that back coal.

Most of Kentucky's coal, of course, goes to power plants.

Here in Kentucky and around the southeast.

But there could be some benefits there if it's more the steel making type of coal that is used, soybeans have been cut out from this deal, although China is meeting its soybean purchases under other agreements.

And for consumers, this could mean going into the Christmas season that will have slightly cheaper toys.

Coffee makers, small appliances.

As a result of the trade war, trade with China fell by about a quarter, but Kentucky's trade with China actually increased during this period, in part due to aerospace and other products.

So it's going to have some gains for Kentucky farmers.

But the story over the last year hasn't been as difficult for Kentucky as it has been for the country at large.

I think it's a it's broadly a win.

It's going to be a win for consumers.

It also de-escalates tensions in this trade war between U.S.

and China.

It's going to be a win for Kentucky.

Hardwood producers.

It is a win for Kentucky farmers.

As China meets its quotas under earlier agreements.

It's a win for some of our manufacturers.

Aerospace is a big part of what we export to China.

So both in terms of de some price breaks for products coming into the U.S.

and stronger markets for U.S.

exports in China.

Will it be implemented perfectly on either side?

Probably not, but I think it indicates an ongoing willingness to compromise.

And that's going to help Kentucky industries as well as Kentucky consumers.

>> The U.S.

and China agreed to limit any further tariff increases through January.

The U.S.

Senate has passed the Protect College Sports Act.

The bill, if it becomes law, would give the NCAA and its conferences like the SEC and ACC a limited antitrust exemption to set and enforce rules on athlete eligibility, transfers and pay.

It would also override conflicting state level name, image and likeness laws.

The NCAA backs the bill, but some labor groups and athletes organizations oppose it.

The vote for the bill was 77 to 22, and although most of the opposition was from Democrats, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Republican, also voted against it.

However, Mitch McConnell, Senator Mitch McConnell voted yes.

The bill still needs to pass the U.S.

House, but the House will be recessed until after the November 3rd midterm elections.

President Trump says he would sign that bill.

Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky's fourth district says he has the votes to force the release of Moore Jeffrey Epstein files.

He says that's one of the reasons why the House recessed early.

Here's Congressman Massie last week on CNN.

>> There are more questions to be answered.

And there are more files to release.

And that's why we've done the Epstein files.

Transparency Act, part two, by the way.

Caitlin, we got the number of Republicans we need, and now we're just two Democrats short.

But those two Democrats were out sick or for family reasons.

As soon as we get back, that second discharge petition for this second bill that Ro Khanna and Teresa Leger Fernandez and I introduced, it's going to succeed, and they'll have seven legislative days to deal with it after the midterms.

That's one of the reasons I'm sitting here talking to you remotely and not in DC, is because they sent us home to avoid this issue until after the midterms.

>> Since the U.S.

House remains recessed, Congressman Morgan McGarvey is back in Louisville and having a little fun meeting with constituents.

>> On the Beth.

Now, I wouldn't with another.

When I saw her standing there.

>> The Democrat visited an adult day care center today, and it offers physical and social activities for seniors.

It also provides supervision for those with conditions such as dementia.

McGarvey heard from workers there about how cuts to Medicaid and veterans benefits will impact the center.

>> So we're saying, how do we take care of this aging population?

Some people call it the silver tsunami, as the baby boomers are coming through, how are we taking care of this?

And as someone who's part of that sandwich generation, I've got young kids, I've got older parents.

How are we, how are we able to and how are we able to afford it?

>> It would be great if we could work ourselves out of a job, right?

Because if we could find a cure for Alzheimer's, for dementia, we wouldn't need to be here.

So what we need from our politicians, just to be frank, is we need for them to go to bat on our behalf, that we need to stop the federal cuts that are coming down for Medicaid and VA, because they used to pay for a lot more than they do now.

So I know that this the country is stretched very thin.

Our families are stretched thin, but we need our elected officials to make sure that they are going to bat for our geriatrics, because ultimately, if you live long enough, this is an issue that will affect every single person in the world, in our nation, and either at some point, if you live long enough, you're either going to be a caregiver or you're going to need care or both.

>> That's one of the things we're looking at today is what impact does Donald Trump's Medicaid cuts have on something like this?

And and when you see so many seniors, 68% are on Medicaid right now.

And what those cuts look like when that's the payment option, a lot of times for people to come to an adult day care center like this, you know, another federal issue we're looking at is veterans.

There's a lot of veterans that come right here to this senior center.

The VA used to pay for more days.

They used to pay regardless of your income level.

Now those payments have gone down.

They're not paying for as many days.

And if you make a little too much money, the VA is not paying for you to come here.

>> McGarvey also weighed in on speaker of the House Mike Johnson's decision to send his Chamber home early this month.

The House will not return until after midterms.

>> The House Republicans sent Congress home because they were afraid to vote on important issues.

I think we should be in Washington to be voting on important issues, one of them could be college sports.

But I mean, we're talking about everything from, you know, the budget, which we still need to be working on, to making life easier for people.

The Republicans don't want to be there doing that.

If we do.

>> Some Republican members of Congress aren't happy with this move either, including Kentucky's Thomas Massie.

He accused Johnson of recessing the House early to prevent a vote on the articles of impeachment.

He introduced against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Massie alleges that Hegseth has waged the Iraq war illegally.

Other Republicans say they need to clock more days doing the people's work.

We're just a couple of weeks away from the Medicare open enrollment period, and many Kentuckians have questions about how Medicare works and the various plans, what they cost and how to enroll.

We answered as many of those questions as we could last night on our Medicare Enrollment 2026 call.

In part of our next chapter series.

Among our topics, what is and isn't covered by Medicare.

>> So under original Medicare, which is Medicare Part A and part B, it does not cover eyeglasses, routine eye exams, routine dental services, dental cleanings.

It doesn't pay for custodial care, long term care, or a caregiver in certain situations.

There are a lot of gaps to the original Medicare benefit.

>> You don't know about all the changes, but we know about some changes that are coming up.

And one of them deals with weight loss, weight loss drugs.

And that's a big issue right now, isn't it?

Angela, you want to take that one.

>> Yeah.

So Medicare recently released a demonstration project.

It's the GLP one bridge program.

It will allow individuals to purchase medications like Wegovy and Zepbound at a $50 copayment.

There are some rules that they have to meet, and they should speak with their prescribing physician to see if they can become a part of this GLP bridge program, but it's very important.

It is only going to last until December 31st of next year, unless unless Medicare and Congress makes some changes.

>> So again, it's a pilot program.

>> That's right.

>> This time of year, many of us are bombarded with phone calls about Medicare open enrollment.

One caller asked about the dangers of being scammed.

>> I received tons of spam calls every day.

They tell me I have Medicare benefits that I have not claimed have unclaimed funeral benefits.

It goes on and on.

One caller I spoke to for a few minutes asked me if I live close enough to a bank to drive or walk to it.

>> Oh no.

>> I immediately hung up.

This is getting ridiculous.

Any advice or help would be appreciated.

You take it and then we're going to let Emily build off of that.

>> Yeah, I wish we could.

We had a magic wand to keep that from happening.

I would say put make sure you're on the do Not call list.

Check that every so often.

Don't respond to any commercials and really just don't even answer the phone.

If you don't know the know the phone number.

>> Yeah.

And you work with seniors a lot.

Lindsey do you hear about this happening.

>> A lot?

Constantly, constantly.

Yeah.

So and if you don't recognize the number, don't answer the phone.

And truly, if it's important, they'll leave a voicemail.

And most of those people that are cold calling you will not leave a voicemail.

>> All right, let's go back over to Emily and Scott to continue our conversation.

Emily?

>> Yes.

Thank you.

Marvin.

Scott, we just heard from a caller sharing, as I'm sure many of our folks watching have experienced this.

Our panel gave some good responses there.

But what are you supposed to do when you're just getting your phone blown up by these calls?

Is should you be reporting them or just ignore them?

What do you do.

>> Right now?

Medicare covers almost 69 million Americans, so they have become a very rich target for scammers.

They know Medicare, open enrollment begins the 15th of October through the 17th.

So what you can do is already been mentioned a couple of times, but find that information at aarp.org.

Fraud Watch Network.

We have an extensive list of different scams and frauds.

With that are being updated constantly.

It's a it's a service that we provide free.

But what you can do, Social Security is not going to call you.

Medicare is not going to call you.

And if you don't recognize that number, you don't answer that call.

Be alert.

You know, think you know, pause, reflect and protect yourself from the scammers who are relentless and their techniques.

And you mix in some AI with some of their new techniques.

It is it is brutal.

And it's criminal.

Yes.

And you have to protect yourself with knowledge.

>> This was an enlightening and informative discussion.

And you can watch the full hour long conversation online on demand at ket.org.

For folks living in Eastern Kentucky, electricity prices have continued to climb up and up in recent years.

The energy planning Inventory Commission, or Epic for short, is taking a closer look at why that is and what solutions the state could consider to bring some relief to your wallet.

Our Emily Prince was at the Commission's meeting yesterday and has this report.

>> Affordability has been an issue in Eastern Kentucky for many years now.

>> Eric King, executive director of the Energy Planning Inventory Commission, or Epic for short, says his organization is putting the data together to assess the region's energy costs.

Epic was formed by the General Assembly in 2024 to provide independent analysis on the state's energy capabilities during this year's legislative session, lawmakers gave epic a task determine if coal remains a viable resource for energy or even other uses, and look at how energy costs could be lowered in eastern Kentucky.

>> As you recall, in 2024, there were many retirements of coal plants.

So a lot of downward pressure on coal fired generation in that part of the state.

And even across the the state of Kentucky.

We're taking a deeper look into the causations of affordability issues, why bills are are high for some regions and than others.

And coming and providing a public discourse about those conclusions.

>> Yesterday, epic met inside the temporary capital annex structure leaders said they're working to put their analysis together by December 1st, which was the deadline given by the General Assembly, Epic officials said they're looking at household electricity costs and will give an estimate by county.

They're also reviewing policies in other states to see if there are other rate design options that could reduce costs.

This comes as the Public Service Commission, which regulates the state's electric utilities, announced an audit of Kentucky Power.

That's the utility that serves more than 160,000 customers in the eastern part of the state.

And just last month, the PSC opened an investigation to determine why utility bills have been on the rise.

The PSC said.

From 2020 to 2025, ratepayers have seen a roughly 22% price increase and data centers are not forgotten in the energy discussion.

Earlier this month, Eric King released an op ed saying Kentucky can attract data centers without dumping the costs on ratepayers.

But he said a statewide policy needs to be in place to make sure that happens.

>> The data center must pay their own way.

What does that actually mean?

A lot of people disagree in terms of what that means.

So we're defining it in terms of understanding the complexities of the energy system.

So not just that data center or the transmission or the substation that's being manufactured and set up to serve that customer.

But broadly to that system where what could be some additional spikes in prices or, or potential costs that are not being accounted for.

>> King said.

Epic does not endorse or recruit any type of consumer, including data centers.

I asked him about his thoughts on a hyperscale data center that's moving forward in Hancock County in western Kentucky.

The PSC recently approved the power plants from Tara Wolf as they look to turn an old aluminum smelter into a 400 megawatt data center.

The executive director called the Hancock County Project a unicorn.

>> That particular project, it's already interconnected to the grid, which makes it very valuable.

It also makes it very attractive in terms of a developer and a community where you're you're going to have it isolated.

Infrastructure costs are going to be much less than you would find elsewhere.

That's why the PSC, I think, moved in haste to approve it, because it was very not cut and dry, but it was very clear the intent of the data center and the process they were using to get to the grid.

>> King said.

Even though projects like these are taking shape, Kentucky needs a statewide framework to lay out the ground rules in Frankfort.

For Kentucky Edition.

I'm Emily Prince.

>> The executive director, said.

Because of the Energy Planning Commission, he believes Kentucky will be prepared for whatever comes next in the energy industry.

[MUSIC] Financial problems for addiction recovery, care.

The attorney general says UK violated the state's open records law and part of a road is renamed for a Kentuckian killed in the war in Iran.

Our Toby Gibbs has details in tonight's look at headlines around Kentucky.

>> A New York judge has ordered addiction recovery Care, a Kentucky treatment provider, to pay more than $18 million to two creditors for defaulted payments.

WKU Public Radio says Angelica Capital Trust and Clear Cove Opportunities Fund both loaned money to Arc last year, but Arc didn't pay them back.

Over the summer, Arc also agreed to a $16 million settlement with prosecutors over allegations of Medicaid billing fraud.

[MUSIC] Attorney General Russell Coleman says the University of Kentucky violated Kentucky's open records law three times since August.

The Kentucky Lantern reports in the first case, UK denied a professor's request for his tenure and review committee report.

[MUSIC] In the second case, a woman requested body camera video of the UK police arrest of a student.

In the third case, a rabbi was refused his request for emails from two UK employees.

UK had no comment on the attorney general's findings.

[MUSIC] The Courier-Journal reports part of a state highway is now named for technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, who was killed during the fighting with Iran.

Pruitt, of Nelson County, was one of six people killed March 12th when a refueling plane crashed Saturday.

Part of Kentucky Highway 523, also known as Deatsville Road, was renamed the technical Sergeant Ashley Beyond Pruitt Memorial Highway.

[MUSIC] From w e KU radio.

The Sierra Club gives all but one of Kentucky's electric utilities and F grade.

It gives Kentucky power a D.

[MUSIC] The Sierra Club is a well-known environmental advocacy group.

[MUSIC] It gives all of Kentucky's electric utilities poor grades because of their reliance on coal and natural gas.

The Sierra Club says Kentucky Power earned a D instead of an F because of its plans to use some wind and solar energy.

[MUSIC] A Glasgow radio station is celebrating 80 years on the air.

[MUSIC] WCLU signed on the air September 25th, 1946.

[MUSIC] W KY reports current and former owners and longtime supporters gathered Friday to acknowledge eight decades of broadcasting.

[MUSIC] With headlines around Kentucky.

[MUSIC] I'm Toby Gibbs.

>> The Wildcats are now a ranked team.

Details in tonight's look at sports.

Well, UK beat South Alabama on Saturday.

45 to 21.

And that means the cats are now three and one on the season and are now 24th in the new Associated Press football poll.

They will play South Carolina next Saturday, and the Louisville Cardinals were ranked 16th, but they fell out of the top 25 with the loss Saturday to Wake Forest.

And they're going to play North Carolina State on Saturday.

And that is all the time we have for tonight.

Join us again tomorrow night at 630 eastern, 530 central for Kentucky Edition, where we inform, connect and inspire.

You can subscribe to our Kentucky Edition email newsletters and watch full episodes and clips at ket.org.

You can send us a story idea at PublicAffairs, at ket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

To stay in the loop.

Well, thank you so much for joining us.

We'll see you again tomorrow night.

Have a good