♪ >> They have a right to to protest all they want.

But I think it does show what a vibrant and healthy democracy that we all live in.

>> Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr talks tariffs, Medicare and Elon Musk by phone.

>> Let's face it.

It's going to make all the stuff we buy More expensive.

>> Kentucky's only congressional Democrats as bigger tariffs will mean bigger bills.

>> We can put our East south into the shoes of others who have lives and experiences that are very different from her home.

>> And why not curl up with a good book?

The Lexington Public Library has just the thing.

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

♪ ♪ >> Good Evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Tuesday.

It's March the 25th, I'm Renee Shaw and we thank you for spending some of your evening with us.

New laws will be hitting the books in Kentucky affecting everything from the age to start driving to the role coaches can play to help stop child abuse as Governor Andy Beshear signs off on bills passed by the Kentucky General Assembly.

This session today, the governor signed House Bill 15 allowing Kentucky teens to apply for a driver's permit at age 15 are here earlier than what's currently allowed.

Teen still have to wait up until age 17 to apply for driver's license.

Yesterday Beshear signed more than a dozen pieces of legislation into law.

That includes House Bill 38, which increases the penalties for repeated violations of a protective order.

Senate Bill.

120 was also signed a new law.

It requires coaches be tried about how to report child abuse, neglect or other concerns.

Also signed by the governor Senate bill 100 which requires retailers selling tobacco nicotine and vapor products to be licensed and to be regularly inspected.

But Beshear says the bill won't be implemented if lawmakers override his veto of House Bill 6.

That Bill would let the legislative branch veto administrative regulations issued by the executive branch in his veto message to Governor Beshear said House Bill 6 violates Kentucky's Constitution.

The governor is also rejecting some bills passed by state lawmakers Saturday.

The governor vetoed House Bill 495. a bill that overturned his executive order that banned so-called conversion therapy.

That's the process of trying to convert LGBTQ minors to heterosexual Beshear and other critics of come version therapy.

Call it a form of torture.

Last night on Kentucky tonight, our panelists discuss the measure as well as what to do about transgender prison inmates.

I believe Kentuckians were shocked when they found out.

>> That Governor Beshear was seeking to use our tax dollars to pay for transgender interventions in our in our present day.

Not only to a shocked to find out that our tax dollars are being used in Medicaid and the numbers that we're hearing could be up to up to 10,000 seeking Medicaid coverage under Governor Bevin.

>> Okay.

Kentucky hands do not want their tax dollars spent paying for something that's not possible it is not possible.

>> To transition from man to woman from a boy to a girl this or tax dollars should not be paying for things just as a reminder already taken action to protect our kids.

If adults would like to take part in those procedures, they are free to do so.

But our tax dollars should not pay for it.

And so I think most Kentuckians will be overwhelmingly enthusiastic about these 2 pieces of legislation.

And I suspect if the governor does indeed a veto, both you will see the General Assembly enthusiastically take action to protect its tax.

Does not.

I'm not sitting for you as a transgender Kentucky N. >> And you have your right to believe whatever you might want to believe about.

Maybe you do not have the right to take away my access to the health care that saves my life and saves thousands of other lives.

Because you don't understand me.

How many transgender people have you reached out to when you discuss these issues?

>> I have close relationships with several the transition or sand.

We've heard no testimony ease of how this issue has harmed people.

Both young and old and so and I just would like to remind you that I myself, am a D transition or >> ID transition one.

I was 18 years old because I was terrified and I was afraid because people like you come on these shows and you peddle these bad faith arguments to scare people who don't actually know a trans person into believing this monstrous language like what you used to it.

The term mutilation is more at home in a discussion about horror film Senate is in a discussion about serious public policy matter to do.

All you have to do is look at the surgeries and the and the children that have been harmed, the people that have been harmed.

It is mutilating and I'm just going to give an account when again, you said we're not talking about.

>> Transgender surgeries.

This is the governor's memo right here.

And there's a section.

>> The talks inmate in prison were questing a transgender specific surgery.

So this is for the Honda Odyssey.

This is the context of what we were talking about.

>> And again, the request is different from having received.

But but but the idea that the request was made it out.

>> So somebody with a request to leave prison, that doesn't mean they get.

>> Both for being here with us.

>> Also last night, a conversation about abortion and maternal health related legislation from the 2025 Kentucky General Assembly Session.

You can say more on both of those topics online on demand at KET DOT Org.

Slash K why tonight?

When lawmakers gavel back in Thursday and Friday, they'll consider overriding bills vetoed by Governor Andy Beshear and they could also pass more legislation.

But if they do, the governor could veto those bills too.

And the General Assembly wouldn't have the chance to override them.

Now.

And other news, former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and his adopted son, Jonah Bevan reached a settlement and family court today in Louisville and a speedy court hearing.

Both parties agree to extend the Suns protective order against Matt Bevin.

That will last another 6 months, a lesser civil restraining order against Glenna Bevin.

Matt Bevin's ex-wife.

We'll also go into effect Jonah Bevan and his lawyers say this is much needed protection and one step towards accountability against the Biden family, Jonah and his lawyers allege that Matt Bevin abandon Jonah and placed him in an abusive reform school and Jamaica called Atlantis Leadership Academy.

>> But I want to KET in mind days of the kids and facilities.

It may cause I when I was in, there's one part of the EU is more than 100 kids in the facility and these showdowns in the cases, kids or not.

They're not letting kids voices be heard.

And that's what needs to happen.

And today we tried it out.

Find out what he didn't want people to see.

This is the first step in what might be further legal action.

>> And certainly there will be legal action against leave U.S.

Leadership Academy.

Joan was not the only adoptee that was abandoned.

Unfortunately, not only would that leave U.S. leadership Academy, but there are many, many other adoptees that are across the country, including here in Kentucky.

And I was contacted lives here in Kentucky from some of them who do need assistance.

>> Jonah, Bevin's lawyers say they may file another civil suit against the Bevin family while there is no criminal case against the former Republican governor donors, lawyers say they would help county or commonwealth attorneys with the case.

The agreement also stipulates that the Bevin family's lawyers provide Jonah information on his biological family.

Jonah says he would like to connect with his parents, not knowing if they're even dead or alive.

Family court Judge Angela Johnson said it shouldn't have to take a court order to connect Jonah to his biological parents.

Congressman Andy Barr hosted his first telephone town Hall of the year last night.

The conversation was streamed live on Facebook for 90 minutes.

He answered questions about Medicare and Medicaid tariffs and cots by Elon Musk's.

The Department of Government efficiency or doge.

The conversation came 2 days after Barr declined to participate in a town hall in Lexington, we're nearly 1000 people showed up to ask questions of the 6th district.

Congressman last night.

His first question was about those who participated in the weekend event with a color repeating bars claim that many of the attendees were paid.

Activists.

>> No matter that we're facing threats to our democracy, I think it's pretty evident that's a free speech and the right to protest is protected in America.

And I believe in that I believe in the First Amendment and the right of my constituents, Americans everywhere to petition their government for redress of grievances.

To the extent that they have them and that the that spirit and that freedom is alive and well and especially even more so under this president.

And I think, yeah, that just goes to show we live in a thriving.

>> Free country where democracy is alive and well.

And for anyone who thinks that there is there are threats to democracy, did consider the 77 million Americans elected this president and this agenda.

I would argue that that is democracy.

>> Another caller said he was at Saturday's town hall and that there were a lot of conservatives like him and the crowd.

>> None of us voted for the South African billionaire to come in rummaged through a private financial and health information.

And so we did in the name of waste, fraud and abuse.

People are losing their Medicaid.

Children are losing their bored kids.

You're losing their lunch money.

What are you really doing to make life better for us, Kentucky?

And the purpose driven industry is is in terrible shape because of the tariffs.

And I haven't heard anything so far this evening that really addresses the fact that so much of the American system has been handed over to an unelected.

The on Elon Musk is an American.

>> Not the individuals who work for the Department of Government efficiency, which by the way, is an is an agency that was actually created in the Obama administration called the U.S. Digital service that has been renamed.

That agency has legal authority and the individuals, the quite bright individuals who are working for that agency, our IT professionals are auditors, their forensic accountants there, people who are doing what taxpayers demand, which is to find ways fraud and abuse and make sure our government works more effectively >> in commemoration, Congressman Barr in did last night's event by saying there would be more telephone town halls in the future bars serving in his 7th term as Kentucky's 6th district.

Congressman and says he's considering running for a U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell seat next year.

Kentucky's lone Democrat in Washington says when it comes to President Trump's tariff policy, one only needs to look at his first term to see the impact tariffs had on the bourbon industry.

3rd district Congressman Morgan McGarvey of Louisville says across the board tariffs on the nation's trading partners and allies hurts Americans.

He says the president would be wise to listen to political leaders from both sides of the aisle sounding the alarm against sweeping tariffs.

>> How concerned are you about Trump's tariff policy?

I'm extremely concerned about Trump's tariff pasta.

Let's face it.

It's going to make all the stuff we buy here at home.

More expensive.

And the talent or attempts here in Kentucky are going to put Kentucky jobs at risk.

This isn't a guess because we saw what this did during Trump's first term, the bourbon industry in Kentucky has a 9 billion dollar economic impact in place.

23,000 people the bourbon experts were cut in half by Trump's 25% tariffs in his first term.

This is the kind of thing it impacts everybody from the farmer who puts the corner the ground to the Cooper who puts the burden in the barrel to the union worker puts the burden in the battle to the person who drives it to a liquor store.

That's the kind of economic impact we're talking about here at home.

But I do want to talk about tariffs for just a second.

You see said I soon we know where you are on tariffs.

I was talking with a group here at home this week.

It was asked about tariffs and, you know, tariffs are neither good nor bad.

They're a tool.

And their tool that our government, your government, you can use for a certain policy.

And so what I like to see if tariffs are put in place is a specific goal.

And agreed upon goal that we're trying to push and so like take, for example, you pass a policy that says we want to make semiconductor chips here, the United States, we want to do it for jobs.

And any faction would defer national security, whatever the reason we want to do this year, passing legislation, we're incentivizing.

I once in a bison that production here in the United States and to further incentivize it, we're gonna put a tariff on people who are buying those same products from other countries and bringing them into the United States to make it more expensive to make that more competitive for our domestic market.

That's an example of a tariff with a specific goal with a specific target that's going to improve things here at home.

What Donald Trump's tariff policy is done, which is why it's been panned by economists from across the political spectrum.

I mean, when Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and I are all saying the same thing about Donald Donald Trump's tariff plan.

It's probably worth listening to when it comes to the government funding bill and the continuing resolution.

>> Some felt perhaps Senator Schumer sold out that he acquiesced and did not get anything in return.

And does that does that action set up for an even tougher battle?

And whatever that process starts for the budget that has to be Don in late September.

What are your thoughts about that strategy that Senator Schumer has employed?

Did you agree with it?

And our does that show some feckless leadership or acquiescence that this is not the time for in your view.

>> Well, let's talk about what the CR was and CSU sense for continuing resolution.

It just means we're somewhat funding the government on last year's levels, although this wasn't a continuing resolution, this was a really bad budget that they've passed through the end of the fiscal year.

That's that's not going to help us here in Kentucky.

I thought House leadership to really good job.

Of positioning the Democrats to vote against this terrible budget that was passed by the Republicans and to give the Senate the cover.

It needed.

To also vote against it and to use that as leverage in a negotiating process that that's part of what the legislative process is as we are supposed to negotiate.

So I think the Senate cave too early and I would have liked to have seen them negotiate more, get more.

One of the things that could have gotten are some of the community funded projects that a lot of us have and the budget and that is what Representative democracy is.

We send people to Washington from our local communities to say, hey, this is where federal money can best be spent at home.

We know that because we live there.

We're from there.

It's going to cost Louisville millions of dollars in this budget in public safety and infrastructure projects.

So, yeah, I would have loved to have seen them negotiate warm and I don't think they did that being said that's not the last leverage point for Democrats in Washington.

There are several more coming up.

And so we do have another budget.

We do have more financial issues coming up where it is possible that the Republicans certainly will need Democratic votes to pass something.

And when you need Democratic votes to pass a norwin, the Democrats are the majority.

They need Republicans votes to pass something that is when you do negotiate.

People don't always love that process.

You've seen in Frankfort many times.

It's similar in Washington, but that is how the legislative process can come together and ultimately move the country forward.

And I hope that the Senate Democrats, we'll follow the House Democrats leads and making sure that we're pushing for those negotiations.

>> Are you optimistic about the direction of the country?

Look, you know.

I'm an optimist by nature.

And so I'm always going to believe that America is the greatest country on Earth.

That our promise as Americans has always been.

That everyone has an equal chance at success.

And we're going to form a more perfect union.

We have not always lived up to that promise.

Our trajectory while always heading in the right direction has never been Lanier.

There's many times in this country.

We can point to civil war.

Where we have faltered.

But we have ultimately headed in that right direction toward a more perfect union if I didn't believe that was possible, I really and truly could do this job.

Congressman Morgan McGarvey, thank you.

Thank you.

And here we should.

>> You can see my full interview with Congressman McGarvey online on demand at KET Slash KET Dot org slash Kentucky edition.

Pike County was one of the hardest hit areas during last month's flooding within a day of the storm.

Pike County Emergency Management began organizing meetings with local, state and national agencies to coordinate the response as the region once again rebuild volunteers on the ground say volunteers are needed to help get survivors back into their homes.

>> The weekly briefings we actually started these the Monday after the flooding.

Flooding happened on the 15th and 16th of February.

We started on the 17th.

We have representatives from.

State and county road departments.

The Red Cross, FEMA.

Department of Transportation.

We have someone from logistics.

The health department Appalachian Regional Hospital Pikeville Medical Center.

We're able to maximize our resources with where they're strategically at throughout the county.

We are mobilizing volunteers from all over the U.S..

They come in to help these homeowners.

>> The homeowners are our number one priority trying to help them get back into their homes as fast as we can.

As of right now, we've had 693 individual assessments we've had 1020 say oven public assessments and 122 businesses affected.

So, you know, our initial was an estimate on businesses was 100 and where up to 100.

And 22 now.

>> Those.

Individual assessments were going back to make sure that some of the more possibly estimated low and there there may be we're pretty confident there's going to be more destroyed than than the 20 to 25 that we're looking at right now.

>> The greatest need here in Clay County is for us to have volunteers come help.

The homeowners are still in the middle of not being able to get back into their homes.

They have wet contents in their homes.

She racked that needs to come out.

Personal belongings that have been damaged.

We need to get all that to the street before the homeowner can move to the next step of rebuild.

>> We still had people that were getting assistance to not back on their feet from the 2022.

Flood and some of those folks got.

>> Affected again with this flood.

And 25 that weren't rebuilt or back into their facilities are homes after that flooding.

These homeowners have.

>> Gone through this devastating flood a few years back and now going through it again.

And so it's an emotional, a part in their life that they're trying.

They're remembering back from a few years ago.

So we also bring along chaplains that are trained professionals to help these homeowners with an emotional and spiritual support.

We're working with the state of Kentucky.

We have a travel trailer program that.

>> Initiated in 2022.

After that flooding.

We have 18 sites there.

And today they'll start last and sing moving folks and starting today throughout this this coming week and then as more sites are needed, will populate more sides, different locations.

It's going to be years before we can actually >> get people back.

It does some sort of normalcy.

As far as their house and is concerned.

>> States Senator Phillip Wheeler of Parkville has said he estimated that the floods caused at least 50 million dollars worth of infrastructure damage in Pike County.

♪ Y you won't find a Kentucky Navy commander story on a Defense Department website.

>> And a Kentucky town is a nominee and a national newspapers.

Best town competition.

>> Our Toby Gibbs has both of those stories and more and this look at headlines around Kentucky.

♪ >> And online article about a Paducah native has been removed as part of a Defense Department dei website urge the Paducah Sun reports defense dot Gov.

Posted an article about commander BJ Farrell shortly after she took command of the USS Constitution in 2022.

But the Sun says as of last Wednesday, it was no longer on the website.

The Pentagon initially removed, but repost did and article about baseball legend Jackie Robinson's military service.

Also in Paducah, Quilting group called Studio Art Quilt Associates says it's pulling its exhibition from the upcoming American Filters Society Quilt Week event.

According to the Paducah Sun.

The studio says the society rejected 2 of its quilts for being too controversial into quilts, dealt with women's reproductive rights and women's anatomy.

A warning.

This is a disturbing story.

A man and Trimble County is headed to jail for 30 days for torturing puppies.

The Paxton media group reports Thomas Bagwell pleaded guilty to 10 counts of animal cruelty at one count of animal torture.

He was accused of stealing 11 puppies and dumping them along.

So for Dam road, a truck driver found the puppies.

They survived.

This is the first prosecution under a fence law passed in 2024.

Wink Nky says new port in northern Kentucky is up for USA.

Today's 10 best award in the category of best historic small town.

There are 20 nominees.

People could vote through noon on Monday.

March 31st.

Winners will be announced Wednesday, April 9th.

With headlines around Kentucky.

I'm told to get.

♪ >> Looking for a good book to read the Lexington Public Library has a suggestion.

The library just announced its book choice and the winner is.

We are thrilled to announce.

>> That happiness, false pay.

And to Kim, here's our selection for the 2025 community reads.

Community reads is about bringing people together through box.

>> When we read a book of at work of fiction, we can look at it in different ways.

We can see ourselves reflected in the story and the characters and themes.

>> Or we can put our CE South into the shoes of others who have lives and experiences that are very different from our own.

And I think in that way, this book is particularly special.

>> We sought out a book that would have a little bit of something for everyone.

Happiness falls by and you can check all the boxes if you like a mystery check your family drama checked, enjoying awful Plenty of that have this false story of a missing father and his family's desperate search for him leads them just to question everything they know about him.

And one another full of shocking twist.

Some fascinating questions of love, language and human connection.

Happiness falls, but the mystery in a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis.

>> Lexington Public Library is dedicated to fostering lifelong learning.

And this initiative is a key part of that mission.

So we invite everyone in our community to read Happiness Falls, participate in discussions with their friends, neighbors and community and attend our special offer dent with antique him on May 31st at the Central Library's.

>> Fierce theater.

>> The community reads program is part of Lexington's 200 and 50th birthday celebration.

Well, there are questions tonight about the employment status of the University of Louisville's president.

The latest on Cam shot.

So whether she's still in or out at U of L tomorrow night on Kentucky edition, which you hope to see you forward.

6.30, Eastern 5.30, central.

We inform connect and inspire.

I'm Renee Shaw.

We thank you so much for being with us tonight.

And we hope to see you right back here again tomorrow.

Take good care.

♪ ♪