♪ >> Chaotic.

I think it is a nice way to put it.

>> Kentucky's only congressional Democrat offers his take on the State of the Union after 2 months of President Donald Trump.

>> The Doge project is creating a lot of questions.

>> Central Kentucky's Republican congressman tries to answer some of those questions so far, not everyone satisfied.

>> And so it's truly amazing to see them and pay their culture into their education experience.

>> And someone's bringing the farm and to the classroom.

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

♪ ♪ Good Evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Friday.

It is March 21st.

We have made it to the weekend.

I'm Renee Shaw and we thank you for starting off your weekend with us.

>> Yesterday we reported that President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.

This morning I had the chance to catch up with the only Democrat in Kentucky's federal delegation.

Congressman Morgan McGarvey of Louisville who called the decision an assault on public education.

But first I asked him how he would describe the first couple of months of Trump's second term.

He sums it up in one word.

>> Chaotic.

And I think it is a nice way to put it.

In fact, you mentioned have of all this week in 7 going into the whole issue of things.

I I recently talked to a guy who's a financial adviser here in London.

I just said, how are things for you right now?

And he said, well, he said, you know, things aren't responding well to all of his tantrums.

And I thought that was a very diplomatic way to say what what Donald Trump is doing right now and and how things are going in Washington and how it's impacting all of us, whether it's your pension, you're 4, 1, k your retirement savings.

Whether it's worried about cuts to department of Education, whether it's worried about cuts to the Medicaid program, which would devastate Kentucky, whether you're one of the 23,000 people who works in the bourbon industry here who is going to bed every night going?

Are the tariffs on again off again?

Am I gonna have a job in a couple of months?

So I think it is.

I think it's chaotic and I don't think that's a good thing right now.

>> So let's talk about when we met on a Friday the day after the announcement of the executive order that President Trump signed to dismantle the Department of Education, the Federal Department of Education, although he even acknowledged that you can't eliminate it without an act of Congress and some would say if this move and the motive behind it is to get the money and the resources directly to the states that no their local school districts best.

What's wrong with that?

I want our public schools succeed.

>> Every day in my legislative career in the state Senate or in Washington.

I've been a champion for public schools because it's what gives our kids a shot.

It's what gets what creates that playing field that allows everybody to achieve their American dream.

You cannot trust Donald Trump on this point.

He has shown so far his willingness to completely rip up the Constitution, whether its article one that gives Congress that power and he has people around him who for years have been saying they want to get rid of the Department of Education and they want to get rid of public education.

This is not new.

Donald Trump has said he wanted to do this.

It's in project 2025. now if he met with some resistance right now, so you're seeing them walk it back a little bit, but I don't completely trust that they are going to KET the Department of Education intact and that they're actually going to get any savings from that directly to the states for the states to spend on public education.

This has been an assault by this administration.

And I think by Republicans all across the country on public education, Linda McMahon, the wrestling executive who's now is in charge of the Department of Education has made attacks on public education and talked about putting public money into private schools with without any strings attached we've seen in Kentucky that the Kentucky General Assembly tried to put it public money into private institutions and one of the people of Kentucky overwhelmingly say they said no back.

65 1% of Kentuckians voted not to allow our public tax dollars to go into private schools in the same election that 64% of Kentuckians voted for Donald Trump.

So I think they are seen the unpopularity of that proposal.

>> Now we'll have more of my conversation with Congressman McGarvey on Monday night.

When I ask him about recent polling showing the Democratic Party's favor ability hitting a new low and where the party can go from here.

That and much more coming up Monday night on Kentucky EDITION.

President Trump says the Department of Education is failing children and their families and he wants to return its authority to the states.

As you just heard his executive order promises that services programs and benefits will still be delivered.

But some Kentucky teachers are speaking out concerned that schools will lose critical funding.

>> And so 182 million dollars filter down from the federal government to the states and is disseminated amongst the districts for special needs and our most vulnerable students.

We need those funds to educate those kids career and technical programs also funded through federal means.

And when that funding is cut, that means that we're not able to train the workforce for tomorrow when she walked a mile and a teacher, she's you don't really get to see what we see in the classroom.

Will we see kids that come in and they don't have the best things going on at home or we see kids that come in and they've not having body that's lifted them up for this is their safe place or this is the only place that they're getting a good meal.

This is the only place that they're getting provided, education, things that they need, the supports that they need.

They're not coming in on an even playing field and the people that are making these decisions are looking at dollar signs.

They're not looking at all of the other things.

The children of the working man.

And so for a lot of people.

>> It's blue and red thing.

It's a money thing and not thinking about that road.

Every decision that we make is educators is about what's best for kids.

>> If teachers say they're worried a solid plan wasn't in place before dismantling the Federal Department, they say it could cause uncertainty and confusion among districts and planning for the next school year.

U.S. Representative Andy Barr, Republican from the 6th district and Central Kentucky defended the Trump administration's actions.

Barr spoke at a Commerce Lexington luncheon on Wednesday where he told those in attendance that tariffs and the work of Elon Musk's Department of Government efficiency or Doge will eventually be good for the economy.

Protesters who gathered outside the event say bars support of the Trump administration is a threat to democracy.

♪ >> Is supposed to move slowly.

So you know, the slash-and-burn stuff that he's doing and like I said, just disregard for the constitution and the separation of powers.

Let's let's my cause.

You know you by what the Constitution to be honor.

>> One of the things that we're looking at it again, Doge project is creating a lot of questions.

But and Elon Musk told me personally face-to-face in a meeting I had with him.

The goal is not including these rifts with these probation or employees.

Their recommendations have not been in many cases just completely wiped out or have a huge across the border.

If so, we know.

And I'm aware because I've talked to many of you all concern about potential grants or funding streams that might be at risk as a result of this come to our office.

We will weigh in on your behalf.

The whole exercise of do just not to end a lot of these worthwhile funding streams.

It is to segregate the waste, fraud and abuse corruption, mismanagement from that, which the taxpayers actually want and deserve.

>> I personally believe that the only guardrail that's left is that you this year.

He's and we're starting to see that to some degree.

And I think to the Republicans in Congress.

They're they're all going to line up behind him and do whatever he says.

And, you know, hopefully as you as though the VA is dismantled, that EPA is just not mangled on the Department of Education and more people start to lose benefits and hopefully some of those if you're the home grown Republican, sure.

We'll we'll see what he doesn't care about.

He only cares about his donor.

Israelis.

>> Let let me move on to the tariff conversation really quickly because there's no doubt that there is in Kentuckyian beyond questions.

There's kind of 2 tracks here of all what animates the Trump administration's tariff policy.

One, what are the objective of these tariffs?

One is national security.

And that can come in different forms could become come in.

The form of semiconductors are critical technologies that drive the technology of the future like artificial intelligence.

It could also come in the form of using tariffs to extract.

Cooperation from our our allies and our and our neighbors like Canada and Mexico to make sure they can help us secure our border and stop the flow of fentanyl pouring into our communities.

There's another mission and that is the economic, purposeful nus of the policy and what we have seen for so many years as President Trump correctly points out is that even our allies and partners, not just our adversaries like the People's Republic of China.

I whys and partners like India and Canada and the EU and Mexico have unfair trade practices that actually preclude market access for American exporters.

We're going to continue to promote fairness for all American exports to open up markets.

Short-term disruption.

Of course.

And you see a sell-off in the equity markets in that in the short term.

But in the long run.

It is the objective of this administration and your congressman to open up markets so that we have much greater demand globally for Kentucky.

Straight bourbon.

Whiskey.

>> And a post on X, formerly known as Twitter bar denies the claim that it's difficult to contact anyone in his office.

Barr says he and his staff meet with constituents every day.

Barr said he plans to hold a telephone town hall meeting on Monday.

That kind of meeting is essentially a conference call with a member of Congress and their constituents.

He says he doesn't want to have a form for people to shout and engage in theatrical.

Time now for end of week wrap-up of some major political news this week with our good Friends, Trey Grayson and Bob Babbage.

Good to see you all to see you.

Let's talk about this when the veto period where now when lawmakers go back next Thursday and Friday for the final 2 days of the session, what's the governor, Don?

So far?

>> So they had about 100 bill sometime in the last week.

So far he's vetoed as of this recording 2 bills.

One was I thinks Bill relating to the governor.

When you say the governors Office of AG Policy was moved to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture a couple years ago and some of the folks who work on office would like to get grants because that's one of the things from the development board.

And it was a bill that basically said not only could they do that, but also kind of had a backwards look.

So as of 2021, it's okay to get the shot by one of the ethics rules.

So the governor vetoed that said we have these effects rules for a reason.

SOT was won.

That was, you know, that building go up a bus and write write yet.

The second on the yeah.

The second Utah got a lot more of a city was how it was before they go into the bill at public universities.

Not a surprise.

We KET that was going to be vetoed.

Governor did.

In fact, he told yesterday.

>> And he did have Di all about it with music.

I mean, Ed Whitacre, who runs the Lexington NAACP are young girl who would orchestrated the anti or the Pro dei protest at the university's.

It was interesting.

Vito signing.

>> It wasn't his doing other videos that are appearing.

He was dead.

Some fast food restaurant in Owensboro, flipping hamburgers at McDonald's.

That would be too defecation of President Trump right?

But that veto reminded me of the Trump setting when he signed the on women's sports.

Adam, surrounded by young women.

So it does make the point with those advocates there that he's trying to make in Oviedo.

Normally a veto gets barely a picture, but it got attention because of the way he presented that.

>> Presidential like, oh, yeah, we know that these beaches will be overridden and then we were talking off camera.

We've talked with us on the year before.

>> He's not particularly powerful right now with the Legislature's one powers this veto in almost every case are going over at it.

But yes, he has aspirations.

And so it's not simply writing a letter that we put on the lrc website.

It is.

It is the video that can go national that he's got a different audience.

He's not trying to persuade them to not override him, right.

He's trying to persuade a national audience that he's a kind of leader the Democratic Party.

I want to follow right at the national level at the national level to the state inversion.

His brand.

Yeah.

In the state as well.

>> Yeah.

2 may see it in the future now.

Yeah, that's right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I'm a little cynical.

>> Well, it was interesting, though, because Paul Begala said on cable news show earlier this week, he said that the probably the Democratic Party is is they have forgotten about the guy who stitches his name on a shirt and they've advocated for the he she pronouns at the bottom of the email signature.

Yeah.

There was a lot of that and you have a governor who's coming out is all.

Anti or Pro dei.

You know, he's for Wokeism.

Is that what the Democratic Party means on a national level?

>> Well, I think Governor Beshear would say that there's a way to be both.

And that he is threaded that needle.

>> Nice to for the to their title threat of that needle and that's how he got elected and re-elected in Kentucky's.

That's what that's the message he's trying to.

>> To push out nationally that saw her come hard core message on the subject, its with his staff.

Much more curable, understandable and actionable.

If that stands out.

>> Put a pen So he's got some more time.

We go back next Thursday.

Will the Legislature pass more bills an forfeit their opportunity to have any recourse.

If you veto some.

>> If you look, there were a bunch of bills that were left that has one chamber got can change in the other chamber.

All they need is a concurrence.

The change didn't appear to be particularly controversial.

So, yes, I you know, there's probably a couple dozen bills, the potentially if they want to capacity.

There's the slippery s**** issue that if if there's 2 dozen, what about the other, this should the other doesn't, you know, to make it so that the figure that out and sometimes be very careful to say no word on, you know, that was with it just ran out of time.

I'm sorry.

We always are out of time here.

But it does look like there are some bills.

I've heard of some bills that will noncontroversial right rounds.

There's also an opportunity to send the bill but again vetoed and make a point.

Make a point.

There are some bills, house bills in the Senate with a couple of readings that could go on the floor for a vote.

And there.

Pretty widely acceptable that had big majorities to get there.

They're also bills that you could attach a line or 2, too.

>> They might be a very acceptable as well.

That language or not so much just depends on what your goal is.

I would agree with trade, though, the board to pass some bills take up some of those because they can.

They should have the bandwidth at the time to do that.

And it's a it's a victory for those who whose bills those are.

The cause was go home with a win.

And so to the people affected by that law, as legislators are have those bills that are so close can go to leadership.

And it's a way for leadership to say I'm gonna I'm gonna do this for you.

>> And your constituents in your district or whatever your passion.

Yeah, we're gonna we're not.

We're going now is the effort you put in phase one through 28.

And we're going to good to see don't to restart it.

Next time.

Yeah.

>> OK in a minute, 19 talking about the U.S. Senate race and we know that the federal delegation members have been in their districts this week and we caught up with several of them as they've been out and about.

Where is the U.S. Senate race stand right now?

Well, I think we're going to learn a lot in early April when the 1st quarter fundraising reports come out, the new cameras only official candidate of the big candidates on the Republican side of the race.

>> That report card, that money raising will be looked at by a lot of people who's on it, who's not on it?

>> How much does the race?

Because the question that a lot of folks have as county resident money from individuals.

Andy Barr engine enough who's likely to run but isn't officially in the race.

He can continue to raise money that he can transfer.

So how much money does it raise as a non candidate, candidate?

Does he actually out raise camera?

There's rumblings that he might be wanting to get in the race right after the first for 1st quarter and probably the sun with Morris.

That was one of the challenges of tying your shoes.

This is a businessman from Lexington here down the Morris.

I my guess is an April.

We're going to start to see bar and Morris will either be in or out.

And then with a recently on right in time for the Derby.

>> Right in time for the Derby, another horse race to deal with right.

>> Bar will be an within the next month.

Everybody says and Morris is becoming the anti McConnell candidate which could get Trump attention and other people's attention as well.

Yeah.

>> Lots of follow.

We thank you all.

>> Always good to see you.

♪ ♪ >> U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky says the 2017 tax cuts helped Kentucky farmers.

McConnell was in Lexington this week taking part in a panel with the Kentucky Farm Bureau.

The panel discuss the bureau's farmland, transition initiative, a program that addresses the loss of Kentucky farmland and decline in Kentucky.

Farmers.

McConnell talked about the benefits of that program along with the 2017 tax cuts.

He helped push.

>> How much of an exemption?

It is.

A farm family get all her estate tax.

Trying to KET it in to the family in the 2017 tax bill.

We were able to double left from 7 million to 14 Million.

Which would eliminate most Kentucky farms.

From having to be sold to death in order to try to get out of the next generation.

The couple left was this proposal that and even the farm bureau come up with and I think we could begin to fight back against the laws of farms.

>> McConnell said that he hoped to KET those exemptions from the 2017 tax bill in place.

All this week.

Students across the state have been learning lessons from the farm all in for AG Education is an initiative designed to help children understand the role agriculture plays in their everyday lives.

Those behind the initiative also hope it will plant a seed that could lead to a career and AG for some students.

♪ >> While in Prague just insane.

>> A whole we want to see for our kids.

We want to make sure that they enjoy what you're doing.

We want this to scream.

We started this regionally just trying to give kids a little bit agriculture education.

And so it's truly amazing to see them and pay their culture into their education experience that getting in the classroom right now.

>> So today's AG Literacy Day, we've come to the local elementary school and we're teaching the kids different types of lessons to go along with the book that we read today in just about the different types of that culture and Richmond.

And we read this on Jackie's Garden we also created stations.

And based on that, the kids got to do things like plant there and seeds to a look at different types of food plants And we like the latter.

Part of the seas are the stands are the roots has that.

And then they also got to create their putting is are talking about still at the soil and what this bill does to grow our food.

So we're using putting a noreaster represent the dirt and the alarms and that represents wars in the soil that provide ministry.

>> Well, basically lying about plans highlight this soil and stuff an issue in a row.

The point is that a game like mostly for help.

That to man is it's a minute that this soil helps this soya.

We have slept.

Can stomach wound dissipation that we've had is, you know, read books to kids, been able to participate in pesos.

They have a look at some of just innovative stuff.

These teachers have really put together and all the amazing things in their classrooms, be able to give these kids a little bit of their culture, education.

>> Think it's super important that we have this every year and that we are implementing agriculture into our curriculum.

I mean, we all be we all wear clothes.

We all need all of these different things.

Agriculture provides us every single day and a lot of times kids don't know where their food comes from.

I think it has from the grocery store or a kn or the freezer and they don't realize that it comes from the farms.

They don't make that connection that, hey, like my cheeseburger is coming from these cows.

And those are the kind of connections that we want to make for these kids be kids.

How's it?

Gave them 8 from them and about myself like fines from >> animals sometimes and slashed nicely.

Yeah, we save our morning.

>> The best description or descriptor that is from us.

How is this relevant to the state?

If you go into the last call us and you talk about topics that students are familiar with in all 7, Mike Israel.

Also they can apply.

That's what a week is about.

>> If they're so stagger culture early, they're really understand the scope and the debt.

The agriculture brings to our and our entire country.

And at that, we might be other food if you want people to work in the agriculture industry.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> I'm Lisa Night.

Check out a ballet troupe all the way from Ukraine.

Plus food, hygiene and tattoos.

Our Joe Gibbs tells us more on this.

Look at what's happening around the Commonwealth.

♪ >> Already underway in Jefferson County is the Louisville Tattoo Festival.

Whether you've got hundreds of tattoos or a blank canvas, there's lots to check out at this unique festival under a tattoo contests.

Learn more about the art form.

Of course, get something from both local and world trap artist.

A state ballet theater of Ukraine is performing the sleeping beauty tomorrow in Bowling Green, a lavish it sets beautiful costumes and familiar storyline.

Make this a perfect first ballet experience from the Enchanted that this magical classical art experience.

Bring is here.

And it's the perfect weekend to get outside and celebrate with John James Audubon State Park in Anderson as a guided hike tomorrow to get you connected to the nature as it transforms into a beautiful spring showcase, get some steps in and learn all about the signs of spring on this educational hike.

>> It's only March, but the Derby is coming to the Alltech Arena this weekend.

The Vintage Derby that is vintage market days is more than a flea market.

It's a celebration of creativity are done and of course, been huge.

A good cause and the perfect unique piece to brighten up your space this spring season.

Foodies will want to flock to Corbyn for its annual restaurant week.

Starting Monday, nearly a dozen local food spots will be offering a delicious signature item for you to try to recruit top ramen to the luck of the There's a wide variety of fun at the ties and dishes to sample the screen for the and that's what's happening around the Commonwealth on towing it.

>> Thank you, Joe Gibbs.

We hope you go out there.

Make it a great weekend to Com a group of working journalists join Bill Bryant for comment on Kentucky tonight.

That's coming up in about an hour.

Bill and his panel.

Look back at the important news of the week, including the governor's vetoes of legislative action and the 2026 U.S. Senate race.

That's comment on Kentucky tonight at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

We thank you so much for joining us this week on Kentucky EDITION.

And we hope to see you right back here again on Monday at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central where we inform connect and inspire.

Connect with us all the ways you see on your screen.

Facebook X, formerly Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop and feel free to send us a story idea we'd love to hear from you by email to public affairs at KET Dot Org.

>> Once again, thanks for being with us.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you Monday night.

Taken care.

♪