♪ So we have internal communications from TikTok and also their internal reviews or turtle studies.

>> What a Kentucky reporter found about teens and TikTok.

>> We started finding these people said, OK, now, how do we KET these people alive or get them what they need?

>> How employees of a Kentucky based company went from helping farmers to conducting search and rescue missions after Hurricane Helene.

♪ ♪ And the city of Lexington prepares for a big birthday bash.

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

♪ ♪ >> Good Evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Friday, October, the 11th, we made it to the weekend.

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

And explosive development involving a social media company.

Kentucky reporter helped uncover substantial internal concerns about TikTok is harms on underage use.

Earlier this week we reported that Kentuckyian more than a dozen other states are suing TikTok Kentucky attorney General Republican Russell Coleman said the popular short form video app was designed to be addictive to kids and that it harms their mental health.

Kentucky public radio State Capitol reporter Sylvia Goodman reviewed the lawsuit filed by the Kentucky Attorney General's office and copied and pasted excerpts of the redacted or blacked out contents.

What was revealed more than 30 pages of documents that had been shielded from view and part one of my interview with Sylvia, we talk about the internal communications that were uncovered that became foundational to the NPR story that was first broadcast this morning.

Sylvia Goodman with Kentucky Public Radio.

We appreciate a few minutes of your time on this explosive story that you lay the foundation for.

So we'll talk about perhaps your tech make a little later.

But I want to get to what we've learned this week about this major company.

I mean, what was revealed this week could really bring about substantial change in consequential change.

Yeah, 100%.

I mean, we're talking pages and pages of investigative materials that have been uncovered under these redactions.

>> And they show a lot of things that are think are going to really change how the court's view this case and are going to be really foundational for a lot of these attorney generals.

Attorneys general across the country in prosecuting.

So we have internal communications from TikTok and also their internal reviews or turtle studies as they try to determine as they, you know, look at the effects of their own technology of their own app.

>> Because they had correct me if I'm wrong, that they're there at did not cause some of the substantial amounts of both a mental health or emotional health harm that later has been revealed.

Is that correct?

>> Yeah.

So I think TikTok does acknowledge that there can be some bad effects of long-term use and they certainly acknowledge it in their internal documents.

But I think another important thing is that they said they have willingly put in place all of these safety measures that they limit you screen time or help them and are better understand their screen time.

All of that deal, for example, if you are a child, 2 scrolls on TikTok, you might after an hour notice that they have automatically put a they call it a limit.

But really just a nudge that tells you you've been on our and they say, look, we've done these things willingly to try and help kids manage their screen time better.

But internally, they acknowledge that use that do not have the self-control.

They don't have the development in order to self regulate themselves on social media and they also acknowledged internally that these limits, for example, that nudge are largely ineffective.

They said internally that we are willing to accept a small decrease in screen time.

But in their internal testing, they really even barely showed that amount that they need.

We acknowledged would be acceptable to them.

So, for example, we saw one said the internal study that the attorney general notes where it went from 108 minutes, a 108.5 minutes of screen time down to 107.

And so right.

Minimal effects of their own guardrails yet negligible effects of their own guardrails.

But also what is also more revealing and perhaps even disturbing is about the filters.

>> That can be used that can substantially impact how teens who are already an impressionable ages, where they're concerned about how they present to them to the world that these filters can also have some irreparable harm when it comes to showing them looking thinner or having fuller lips are bigger eyes.

Tell us about this.

>> Yeah.

So these beauty filters, they are not just on TikTok but TikTok as popular as a lot.

And they really think and some of the artificial intelligence technology behind them and they're very pervasive on the platform and an internal documents.

They acknowledge that they can have some negative effects, especially for young kids, were more impressionable in, you know, body image, body dysmorphia, all of these things.

And, you know, internal documents, employees recommended some safety measures on those filters that they chose not to implement.

So have many U.S. users are there of TikTok and how much of the percentage of that population would be teenagers?

>> I need to look at that number again, but I I believe it's 95% that we reported on right in the high numbers and they determined that of smartphone users, almost everyone in the U.S. are most teens are on these platforms and being subjected to all of these algorithms and and adds that TikTok is trying to beat them.

♪ ♪ >> Now in other news, a some employees of a Hopkinsville based agriculture company are home after spending a week near Asheville, North Carolina, a city almost destroyed by Hurricane Lane.

They were there to provide a lifeline for stranded survivors and they did it with the help of drone technology.

>> People kind of have certain images in their head when it comes to hear the term drones and they don't really realize the vast uses that they have.

The train in North Carolina.

It's so mountain as it's hilly.

It's a lot of trees.

It's a lot of follow its dense canopies on that hill.

>> It is going to make it extremely difficult for a ground by search and rescue the drones, especially those that have thermal imaging capabilities.

We're a natural fit for search and rescue operations.

>> And they pretty much just sent us out and say go as far as you can in your Take off our our thermal drones are a smaller drones and see if you can find people that are stranded.

Looking for help with just any signs of typically wife that we could find to be able to.

Mark those positions are right down where they were at.

So we can work on getting our other people can work on getting ground crews to them.

So there was always kind of a high level of you never know what's coming around the next corner per se.

that never stopped.

A lot of them were just cut.

A lot of areas were completely cut off where >> rivers and creeks and they just completely washed out and you couldn't get him started finding these people said, OK, now, how do we KET these people alive or get them what they need if it was showing that, hey, we need food, we need water will, then we would shift from.

>> Located in its people to now we need to get the heavy lift Jones out and get them to plot.

>> We flew approximately 2 tons.

Of supplies.

So, you know, when we're talking about 88 pounds at a time or 60 pounds at a time, it's it's a lot of air left going on.

We have a PA speaker on I drone that we can relay messages to the ground.

People on the ground.

>> So we'd fly over.

Take a pre-recorded message.

Select the one that's right for the situation broadcast that they know exactly what's getting ready to happen.

>> You know, it's different from here in Kentucky where we have hills, but we don't necessarily have mountains the way that they do because we're Western Kentucky, especially where it's relatively flat.

You just don't see things the way that they are incurred in your camp in North Carolina, you would have everything just swept down the side of the mountain when you took all of all in of what you heard.

>> Individual stories that don't make the moose.

>> About holding on to somebody as long as they could before they were swept away or they lost everything in a mudslide because there is no motor insurance.

If this was everyone's life and a lot of older people lived in these beautiful places.

An and hadn't gone in minutes.

It was a.

>> Thank experience to go up there and try to help everybody out.

these these this equipment really proved itself to be, you know.

Helpful or I guess you could say, like changing your life, saving even.

>> On the way home.

>> The music stops.

The noises, stop.

And you just reflect.

And let me know that.

The my talents were.

To the best of my ability to get where I need to go.

If God calls me to do this again.

I won't.

I will even.

Begin to question going again.

>> Heroes indeed.

The team found more than 100 people while they were in North Carolina now because of recent rain from Lane.

Kentucky is practically drought free.

Take a look at a new map from the U.S. Drought Monitor completed on Tuesday.

It shows a few small areas in yellow which stands for abnormally dry.

But the rest of the state is white, which means normal.

Despite this good news, farmers in some parts of Kentucky have been hurt by dry conditions in recent weeks.

Help is on the way for them.

Governor Andy Beshear talked about it yesterday at his press conference.

>> Last week, the federal USDA declared 10 counties in Kentucky as primary natural disaster areas due to drought.

These primary counties art Anderson, Franklin Martin an Washington.

Mercer Shelby and what for?

An additional 19 counties have been designated as contiguous disaster counties.

Those are counties that neighbor the primary counties which are on the spring.

This disaster designation makes farmers an primary counties and those contiguous counties eligible to be considered for farm service agency, emergency loan assistance, a full list of counties again is on the screen and will be included in today's press release, farmers in eligible counties have 8 months from the date of a disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.

So if you're a farmer in one of these counties, you have until June first 2025. to apply for FSA loan assistance.

>> Kentucky Farm Service Agency offices can help answer farmers.

Questions about this assistance.

Time now to go inside Kentucky politics where today we're going to talk about some key state legislative races that are on the Kentucky ballot in November.

And we've got with us anew person, the join the line-up.

We have Logan Gotti who is chair of the Louisville Democratic Party and of course, Abby Piper, who was a familiar face.

She is founder and managing partner of Piper Smith boutique.

So.

Let's talk about a few of them.

Let's start with district.

21.

This is Kentucky House district.

21 Adair, Cumberland, Metcalf and Monroe counties.

I want to start with you, Amy neighbors who is the incumbent is up against Democrat Jeffrey Humble.

>> Sure.

I I don't think it's going to be a contested race, really, to be honest with you and pardon the pun.

But humbles fundraising is pretty humble.

So, yeah, he hasn't raised a lot of money and she's got a good name and reputation.

She's worked hard to get your head down and stayed out of, you know, a lot of the culture wars and such, I think should I think she'll have a good run on into the state house for a second term.

>> So Logan, do you agree with that characterization?

>> I would have to agree.

Yeah, it's a tough area for Democrats to win, unfortunately right now.

But understand that.

I'm glad that we're fielding folks across the board and a lot of these House races.

This is how you start to turn the tide.

>> Yeah.

So we look at while I've got to look at when you look at where Democrats are in terms of their margins and the state house and the state Senate, they are in a super minority situation and a lot of the races are not Democrats did not launch any kind of contest.

Can you explain to us why?

>> Yeah, I think it's it's just a lot you know, issues just finding individuals willing to kind of take the stand right now.

Theirs.

Turning back to the cultural war comment.

You know, I think that there's a lot of fear right now with running as a Democrat and some of these rural areas right now.

But I think some of the work that we're doing right now to sort of demonstrate support for up and down ballot races should lead to some more individuals coming forward in the future.

Throw their name into the hat.

So that Republicans to have to defend some of the seats that have been an contest.

>> We'll talk to us about the 39th House district race.

This is a part of Fayette part a jessamine county Matlock.

It is the Republican incumbent.

Our Ryan Stanford is trying to make some inroads here.

What does that look like to you?

Logan?

>> Yeah, another key race.

I think, you know, it's going trend toward the Republicans.

Obviously, I believe that's an area where Sherwin Stevenson used to have some some territory for thing.

Redistrict are out of south of Lexington.

I like the opportunity for us to potentially make some headway here to minimize that job.

Minimize origin.

It's again, a tough race, but I'm liking what I'm seeing.

>> I think it's a very red district.

I think it's very unlikely that it would change hands at this point in time.

And, you know, Lockett has leaned a little bit more into the culture wars, but his district reflects that a little a little better.

He's very close to Killian Tiffany's current district where he was being his primary by more far right leaning member.

And I think that you'll see that same trend reflected.

So let's talk about that.

That's House district.

45.

And as you mentioned, killing Timmy was defeated in May.

And now we've got a new set of folks here.

We've got Thomas Jefferson, who was the Republican nominee and the Democrat is Adam or tell us about Thomas Jefferson and it's not who we might think of initially.

Yeah.

>> You know, I thought much ever since gonna have a harder general that he had for a primary.

And I think you've seen this in some other districts where >> as both parties sort of shift farther toward the right or the left in the primaries.

It started when the generals because most people really are closer to the middle than we think.

And I think Thomas Jefferson were was definitely struggle as that high.

It's going to be a tight race was always a tight race for Killian as well.

But he is a little farther to the right.

And you know, I wouldn't be shocked to see an upset there.

>> Yeah, I think Adam or as a as a candidate, he's a free one to have.

You know, it is that presence there.

I think it really speaks to the Big Ten's that the Democrats are starting to build showing that there are the common sense leaders, the Common Sense Party that really encompasses a wide swath of the population.

So I'm really interested to see how this one goes.

>> So let's move to your neck of the Woods, Logan and talk about district.

48, this is part of Jefferson, part of Oldham County, Ken Fleming, who's had some competition, several rounds.

And we remember a time when he and Maria Solis, you stuck on a swap seats there.

But he's the Republican incumbent against KET Farrow.

Tell us about KET.

>> Yeah, it is a fantastic candidate.

I know personally that she's been knocking on those doors and what we've been seeing is when Democrats message well, when they get that message out that the doors people will vote for them again because we've seen a big shift in Republicans moving very far to the right.

The redistricting last year actually ended up helping her, I believe, because it encompassed a little bit more of that urban core of Louisville.

Well, not really changing the footprint that existed out in Oldham County.

So this is one where I really feel confident cake for his chances.

>> But Republicans have made gains and the Louisville Jefferson County area these past few legislative or election cycles us and they certainly haven't.

And let's not make no mistake.

An flooding is not a far-right radical.

He's is a pretty moderate conservative who's looking at kitchen table issues.

He's a he's kept his head down as well.

And he's worked really hard.

He did tangle with Maurice Wallace, a back and forth.

But if you look at the fundraising numbers in this district, there are significant cans raised over $180,000, which is significant for a race this size.

KET has raised over $100,000.

Both of those are far from ending at great.

And so it's definitely going to be a knockdown drag out.

But I think an ultimately will prevail because he has served his district.

Well, yeah, so let's talk about House district number 88.

This is part of Fayette, part of of Scott County that has a Democratic leader in this race.

Logan Sharlen Stevenson >> who is the DOT Democratic caucus chair?

She's up against Vanessa Grossell.

>> For District looks so much different.

I mean, she has to represent a lot of South Lexington, South Fayette County, and now she's basically a war.

So she's having to reintroduce herself to a whole new constituent base.

And I think that was the Republicans going and, you know, really pushing her of being afraid of what she can do as a leader in the Democratic caucus.

She definitely has some work to do for, but I've seen around knocking door.

She's got great fundraising numbers.

She's got the governor behind are really confident in their chances.

I mean, >> I think that as a gross was a fantastic candidate.

She this will really be the battle of the I'm the educators.

Vanessa Cross obviously has been an educator.

Her mother as a superintendent in Floyd County.

So but Charlotte has won many times on the backs of educators knocking, you know, being that pavement, knocking those doors.

So we'll have to see how that looks.

I wish her fundraising numbers were a little higher, but it at the end of the day, it all matters on.

It all comes down to who's going to vote and I think will see where the teachers land on that one.

Yeah.

>> We didn't get all the races I've lied to.

So have to have you all back to talk about a few more.

But thank you so much.

Have a good weekend.

♪ >> We the city of Lexington is preparing for a birthday bash of historic proportions.

>> With hundreds of events scattered throughout 2025. the yearlong celebration will mark Lexington's 200 and 50th birthday city officials gathered in downtown Lexington this week to reveal more about the food, fun and festivities.

>> In 1975.

When Lexington celebrated its 2 100th anniversary, the celebration lasted 4 days and featured banquets afternoon teas and a horse race down.

Vine Street.

Needless to say, we're going to do things a little bit different.

If you look behind you and see that we're going from January through December.

It's time to get ready for a 4 year, unlike any in our history.

>> With a timeline that stretches back 250 years.

It's clear, Lexington is a historic city.

We were founded a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

I think that's pretty special.

We have a lot of history to celebrate in 2025. the 2.50 lax commission has all kinds of events planned.

Most are free.

All are open to the public.

>> We're gonna have tons of events, but we're also going to do this through awareness of where Lexington is bam, where it is now and where we wanted to be in the future.

That's our goal.

>> So our very first one and I want to give you a sneak peek on will be our New Year's Eve celebration.

This will be its central buying center.

It will be a celebration outside New York style.

So save the day December 31st and plan to be at Central Bank Center.

Lexington for New Year's Eve that will kick off our 2025 year and welcoming in our 2.50 likes year.

You did not want to miss New Year's Eve because in New York City they drop a ball.

>> So in Lexington, we would naturally drop.

A blue Morse.

It's going to be epic.

This year long celebration is absolutely expected to boost our tourism economy as well as our local economy with signature events and festivities planned all year long.

The influx of visitors will support our hospitality industry businesses and partners.

And we know that our guests have a lot to enjoy and our local restaurants, shops, attractions, hotels and venues.

>> Our rest of us will learn about our mistakes.

Our successes and those corky little things that makes Lexington one of the top 5 small cities in America like Michael Priestly in the unit acquired just saying the train is leaving the station.

If there's room for plenty more on board and we hope you join us.

>> And get on board New Year's Eve.

It sounds like other 250 lax events include music performances, art exhibits, wellness challenges.

And of course, many activities centered around bourbon.

Along with bourbon comes basketball.

We're just minutes away from the official start of the University of Kentucky basketball season.

Tonight is big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena.

The entertainment begins at 07:00PM Eastern, both the men's and women's teams, of course, have new coaches.

Mark Pope leaves the man Kenny Brooks leads the women.

And as we told you, there's something new about Rupp Arena.

It's an led embedded glass floor designed specifically for big Blue Madness.

Bbn enjoy many golf with a Halloween fame tree week and a festival of him.

Our Joe Gibbs tells us all about it and this look at what's happening around the Commonwealth.

♪ >> It's straight weekend, Lexington, to celebrate the ways trees improve our lives by enjoying the city's green spaces, planting trees, attending educational programs and more.

This annual event is pretty popular.

Is sure to check it out.

Tomorrow is the 14th annual Zombie Walk in Pulaski County.

Donate to the Blood Drive pop on the Haunted Hayride and drag your and Ed Feet on the zombie walk.

There's lots of frightening fun going on.

This family friendly event is a no-brainer.

It's time for the Trigg County Country Hand Festival downtown.

KET says busting with live music, carnival rides pig races and no shortage of ham.

Whether you're looking for something fried frozen, sweet or salty, there's sure to be something here to satiate your taste.

Haunted mini golf is back at big Bone Lick State Historic site.

Spooky sounds of the area environment await brave participants.

Try your hand at this ghoulish golf.

If you dare.

The inaugural.

Miami Valley Scream Park opens today.

Take the haunted chairlift above the valley and find yourself in a forest full of frights or enjoy the last frightening fall activities like apple bobbing hayrides and face painting.

There's something for everyone at this festive family event.

If 4 days of rock music bluegrass and moonshine sound good to you.

You don't want to miss the boat.

Shiners ball in Livingston.

Enjoy the music under starry skies will drop through the Appalachian Hills looking for crawdads.

This festival is a great way to and If you're looking for Halloween fun, you can enjoy from inside your car.

Check out the Halloween white drive-thru at Fort Boonsboro State Park.

Enjoy the sights and the sounds of sub spooky displays.

This is a fun way to get into the Halloween spirit and that's what's happening around the commonwealth.

I'm told to get >> Thank youto be a lot of cool things to do around the Commonwealth without a do it for us.

This week on Kentucky Edition, we so appreciate your time and attention and we hope to see you right back here again on Monday night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central, we inform connect and inspire.

You connect with us all the ways you see on your screen, Facebook, X or Instagram to stay in the loop were sent us a story idea and public affairs at KET Dot Org and look for some PBS app to download us there.

Thanks again for watching.

Have a great weekend ahead and we'll see you right back here again Monday night.

Thank you.

♪