November 18, 2025

The U.S. House votes overwhelmingly to force the release of the Epstein files, the NTSB wraps up its on-site investigation of the UPS plane crash in Louisville, thousands of people in Lexington are having their medical debt erased, and a look at some of the resources available for students after high school.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
>> All right.

(00:08):
>> Do not muck it up in the
Senate.
>> The US house says yes to
releasing the Epstein files. So
what happens next?
>> We have all of the things
needed that will address their
individual needs as best we can.
>> Two weeks after the deadly
crash, UPS says it's doing
everything it can to help

(00:30):
people affected.
>> I want to do everything I
can to capture that beauty for
people that's here, people away
from here that don't understand
where it come from.
>> And meet the man who makes
Appalachia look picture perfect.
>> Production of Kentucky

(00:50):
edition is made possible in
part by the KET Millennium Fund.
>> Good evening and welcome to
Kentucky edition for this
Tuesday, November the 18th, I'm

(01:10):
Renee Shaw, and we thank you
for spending some of your
Tuesday night with us. The U.S.
House of Representatives says
release the Jeffrey Epstein
files. The House voted 427 to 1
to release the files. Several
members didn't vote. Clay
Higgins of Louisiana was the
only no vote. All six members

(01:30):
of Kentucky's congressional
delegation voted to release the
files. The vote came after a
majority of House members
signed a so-called discharge
petition requiring a vote.
Congressman Thomas Massie, a
Republican from Kentucky's
fourth district, helped lead
that effort. Over the weekend,
President Donald Trump, who
called the investigation a hoax,

(01:51):
changed his mind and asked the
House to vote to release the
files. Congressman Massie spoke
this morning before the vote.
>> I want to start by thanking
the survivors. I mean, they're
giving everybody hope in this
country. There are survivors of
other sex crimes in this
country wondering if they
should come forward. They're
clouded with shame and concern

(02:13):
that law enforcement will do
nothing. And these survivors
have stepped forth taking that
same risk. Worried that they
will be defamed themselves,
they have been defamed for
stepping forward. But we're
going to get justice for them.
That's going to happen today.
And the people's House, the
founders set up our government
with three branches and and two

(02:34):
branches of Congress. And I
don't think it's any
coincidence that this fight is
being started and it's being
won in the House of
Representatives. I have people,
other survivors of other sex
crimes who come to me and say
thank you. You give me hope.
You give us hope. There is hope
here. We fought the president,
the attorney general, the FBI

(02:56):
director, the speaker of the
House, and the vice president
to get this win. But they never.
They're on our side today,
though. So let's give them some
credit as well. They've they
are finally on the side of
justice. And as ro said, don't
muck it up in the Senate. Don't

(03:17):
get too cute. We're all paying
attention. If you want to add
some additional protections for
these survivors, go for it. But
if you do anything that
prevents any disclosure, you
are not for the people and you
are not part of this effort. Do
not muck it up in the Senate.
>> Congressman Thomas Massie of
Kentucky's fourth district,

(03:37):
Senator John Thune, the Senate
majority leader, says the
Senate will try to pass the
Epstein bill quickly, and if it
passes there, it would need
President Donald Trump's
signature. And he says he would
sign it. Epstein was a
financier who killed himself in
a Manhattan jail while awaiting
trial in 2019 on charges he
sexually abused and trafficked

(03:57):
underage girls. There's been
speculation for years about the
names and the files and other
news. Today marks two weeks
since a deadly UPS plane crash
at the Louisville airport.
Officials say the NTSB has now
completed its on site part of
the investigation. A
preliminary report about the

(04:18):
crash could be released in the
next month or so. Dozens of
workers are still on site,
working to find pieces of the
plane and make the area safe
for nearby businesses.
Officials say 880,000 gallons
of oil have been contained, and
that water quality monitoring
continues for the first time
today. We heard directly from

(04:40):
UPS Airlines President Bill
Moore. He says UPS is committed
to helping everyone impacted by
the crash.
>> What I encourage all of
those, those individuals and
families and businesses
impacted is to go to the
Community Resource Center. We
have insurance adjusters there.
We have resources there. We
have all of the things needed

(05:02):
that will address their
individual needs as best we can
for what they require. That's
going to be different for every
person that comes through that
door. But we are committed to
making this right.
>> Al Gentry is also working to
replace a natural gas pipeline
on nearby grade lane. That work
is expected to take several

(05:23):
weeks. That is music from the
Louisville Orchestra. The
orchestra plans to pay tribute

(05:43):
to the 14 people killed in the
UPS plane crash, with a free
concert planned for Thursday at
7 p.m. Eastern time at Whitney
Hall at the Kentucky Center. In
addition to honoring those
killed, the orchestra says it
wants to recognize the courage
of first responders and the
efforts of the many UPS

(06:03):
employees who responded to the
crash. It's expected to be an
hour long concert, and people
planning to go are urged to
RSVP. You can find out more
online at Louisville
orchestra.org. Louisville's
mayor says public safety and
housing are a few of his

(06:24):
priorities ahead of the
upcoming Kentucky General
Assembly lawmaking session.
Mayor Craig Greenberg says his
administration has been working
closely with state lawmakers on
the issue of housing. He says
the focus must be on helping
families find and keep housing
that they can afford.
>> We're particularly focused
on housing here in the urban

(06:45):
core, lowering cost barriers
for construction, incentivizing
affordable housing development,
helping local governments build
the infrastructure that makes
housing possible, helping to
strengthen our historic tax
credit program that can create
more housing in these vacant
buildings in and around
downtown Louisville. We know

(07:05):
that when we invest in housing,
will reduce homelessness, will
grow our economy, and will set
families all across the city
and state up for success.
>> Mayor Greenberg is also
renewing a request for state
lawmakers to give Louisville
some autonomy when it comes to
addressing gun violence,
specifically. He's hoping to

(07:26):
limit concealed carry of guns
for people under the age of 25,
and to ban gun conversion
devices. Millions of Americans
owe big money for medical bills,
but almost 6500 people in
Lexington will be off the hook.
The city of Lexington announced
today that a partnership

(07:47):
between the city and the
nonprofit, Undue Medical Debt,
means those 6500 will be
forgiven of more than $12.5
million in debt. Many people
with big medical debts fail to
get proper medical care, and
they can suffer financial
hardship and mental strain
while dealing the impact of
poor credit scores. KET was

(08:08):
there for this morning's
announcement, which included
personal stories about how debt
affects people's lives.
>> At the clinic, I recently
met a patient, a young mother
of two, who was came in
struggling with anxiety and
insomnia. She works two jobs,
takes care of her young
children, and somehow still
finds time to take care of her
aging parents. When I asked

(08:28):
what took her so long to come
in to ask for help, she said, I
thought I couldn't afford to
get better. That moment really
stuck with me because she
wasn't just talking about money,
she was talking about hope,
about the quiet, invisible
pressure so many people feel
when medical bills pile up and
they start to believe that care
is out of reach. At the free
clinic, we see this far too

(08:49):
often people choosing between
refilling their prescriptions
and paying rent, groceries or
therapy. And what do we see
when that burden is lifted? We
see the relief, the dignity and
this space to finally focus on
healing instead of just merely
surviving. That's why today's
announcement means so much.
This isn't just a financial
policy. It's a statement of
values. It's our city saying

(09:10):
you matter more than just your
medical debt.
>> To qualify, people who live
in Lexington have to have
medical debt totaling more than
5% of their annual household
income, or have an income of at
least or less than 400% of the
federal poverty line. And no
one has to do anything to get
this. People affected will be

(09:32):
notified by mail. A tenured
professor at the University of
Kentucky is suing the school.
Ramsi Woodcock was removed from
his teaching position at UC's
College of Law in July. The
university said it was because
of an online petition he
created that called for the
destruction of Israel. UK said
the petition could be
interpreted as anti-Semitic

(09:52):
based on state and federal
guidelines. According to the
Lexington Herald-Leader,
Woodcock's federal lawsuit says
UK violated his rights of free
expression and due process
because, quote, the president
of the university disagrees
with the content of my views.
End quote. A spokesperson for
the University of Kentucky told
the paper, quote, if someone's

(10:12):
views as stated threaten the
safety and well-being of the
university's students and staff,
we are obligated to protect our
community and our people. End
quote. President Donald Trump
has pardoned a Kentucky man for
a second time on Inauguration
Day last January, the president
pardoned Dan Wilson of
Louisville and others for their

(10:33):
roles in the January 6th, 2021,
attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Wilson had pleaded guilty to a
charge of conspiracy to impede
or injure a federal officer,
but Wilson remained in federal
prison for his having firearms
in his Kentucky home despite
being a convicted felon. The
white House says since the FBI

(10:54):
searched Wilson's home because
of the events of January 6th,
the president is pardoning
Wilson for those charges as
well. Ice raids, police chases,
and the loss of a federal
courthouse. Our Toby Gibbs has
details about all three of
those things, and this look at
headlines around Kentucky.

(11:19):
>> Pikeville is losing its
federal courthouse. The
Paintsville Herald reports.
Cases on the district court
docket will be suspended
December 31st, with all cases
transferred to the federal
courthouses in London and
Ashland. The chief judge of the
U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of
Appeals signed the order
October 29th. Pikeville Mayor
Jimmy Carter said this is an

(11:40):
unfortunate development for
Pikeville and all of eastern
Kentucky. 20 people protested
an ice arrest in Bowling Green
last week. Ice arrested Ismael
Cruz Sanchez at a marathon gas
station. He was taken to the
Grayson County Jail, according
to the Daily News. The
protesters say the man deserves

(12:02):
due process. One protester told
the newspaper it's illegal to
take people away without a
warrant signed by a judge.
Another protester said, quote,
next, it could be you. And
there's concern about high
speed police chases in
McCracken County, the Paducah
Sun reports. That's after two
recent incidents. In one chase,

(12:22):
a driver fired a shot and hit a
police cruiser. The chase ended
with the suspect's car hitting
a house. In another, deputies
and state police used a spike
strip to stop a suspect. A
trooper injured his hand during
that incident. Some people have
asked if these pursuits are
putting the public in danger.
Sheriff Ryan Norman says public

(12:43):
safety is always priority
number one, and sometimes his
deputies choose not to chase a
fleeing car. The Tennessee
Valley Authority, or TVA, says
for the first time ever, gas is
its largest provider of
electric power. Wpln news says
the TVA is getting 34% of its
power from gas, with 33% from

(13:04):
nuclear and 19% from coal, with
headlines around Kentucky, I'm
Toby Gibbs.
>> Staying active is a key to
staying healthy. But just how

(13:25):
active do you need to be and
what kind of movement is best?
Doctor Wayne Tuckson, host of
KET Kentucky Health. Get some
answers from the director of
the University of Kentucky
Sports Medicine Research
Institute.
>> There is this concept of
10,000 steps. I don't really
understand from where it
originated or what it means,
but somebody came up with it

(13:46):
and now we are all slaves to it.
>> Yeah, there was some there
was a research study where
10,000 the number did come from
a research study. Right. But
there's more nuance to that.
But the message is still
correct, right. We need some
level of movement throughout
the day in order to have enough
exposure to physical activity

(14:06):
to improve our health, because
there's nothing in a bottle
that's going to overcome the
commitment it takes to keep
moving and stay physically fit
and physically active. And
10,000 steps gives us a good,
nice round number threshold to
get up away from our desks and
have a little bit of movement
throughout the day. Doesn't
mean 10,000 works for everybody.
Some people need a little bit

(14:28):
more, some people might not
need that much, especially if
you haven't been that active.
But the other thing too is once
you reach 10,000, your body
gets acclimated to it. Guess
what? You probably should do a
little bit more, right and keep
your body moving. If your body
is adapting to it, that's a
that's a good sign. That means
you're getting better. You're
getting fitter. We need to
increase that then.

(14:48):
>> Sounds like my cat. I can
pet him for five minutes and he
always wants more.
>> Always wants more. We should
always be wanting to be able to
do more, right?
>> You keep using this term
movement. So I'm thinking about
the person at the desk. What
kind of movement am I doing?
>> Well, you can get up and
walk around, right? But you can
also do other things right. If
you're in an environment where
you can't get out of the

(15:09):
building and walk around
outside, my personal preference
is to get outside, but it may
not be feasible. Everybody, you
can get up, do some squats at
your desk, right? Or do some
other exercises or things just
every hour, right. And you can
set some better goals. And that
still counts as movement. And
even you may not be getting the
traditional 10,000 steps,
you're still getting the

(15:30):
movement in that you need.
>> Some good advice there. You
can catch the full episode and
hear Doctor Tuckson discuss
ways to prevent injuries, and
even what supplements to
consider on the next Kentucky
Health that airs Sundays at 130
eastern, 1230 central, right
here on KET. Kentucky has an
early lead in this year's Big

(15:51):
Blue Crush, an annual
competition against Tennessee.
After one day, the Kentucky
Blood Center has 412 donations.
A blood center, a blood center
in Tennessee, has raised 402,
so it's already a close contest.
Kentucky has won three years in
a row and leads the competition
22 to 14, with one tie in the

(16:12):
previous 37 contests. You can
give through Friday, and you're
encouraged to make an
appointment first. Give and get
a long sleeved white T-shirt
while supplies last. Students

(16:37):
in Kentucky need more ways to
learn after high school, so
what can be done to give
Kentuckians more post-secondary
education opportunities? To
find some answers. The Kentucky
Council on Post-secondary
education hosted a student
access summit.

(16:57):
>> We wanted to do something
with our partners in K-12, and
that meant that we needed to
look at all what we call
barriers between each of those
transitions between early
childhood and into
post-secondary. In other words,
what happens when you go from
the eighth grade middle school
into high school, from high
school into college, even from

(17:19):
K through three and then on up?
So this summit is about
bringing K-12 folk. Put them in
the same room with higher ed
people, policy people and talk
about solutions. We have to
become what I call student
ready. We just can't expect our
students to be college ready

(17:39):
all the time. So some of the
barriers we experienced, like
with many students graduating
from high school, may not be
fully academically ready
socially or emotionally. So the
other thing too, if you tend to
be low income or from other
disenfranchized backgrounds,
you may not have had all the
opportunities to get all the
inputs that you needed to.

(17:59):
Maybe a dual credit course or
an AP course.
>> College didn't really seem
like the answer for a lot of
people. That wasn't really
something that was talked about
as much as where I grew up in
Northern Kentucky. And so once
I went, I kind of felt like the
oddball out, like I kind of
thought that that was always
going to be on my tables, but I
didn't necessarily know what
that looked like. But once,
once I got to the high school

(18:21):
and I feel like those
conversations started occurring,
I definitely think that's when
students like you kind of you
see the spark, you know, like
when when you take it from this
like huge dream and you make it
seem like it could be a reality.
I think that's the difference.
And I think the only way that
that's possible is if there are
adults in people in their
support system to facilitate
those conversations.
>> What we know is that those
individuals who have some type

(18:44):
of credential or degree or
degree find themselves to be
able to secure employment that
will help them take care of
themselves and their families,
and that they are able to have
better health care. They'll be
better able to have child care,
just be able to take care of
their needs.
>> I think unless you ask a
student, you don't know where

(19:05):
can we improve? And I think, I
think bringing us in today, I
think we're all at a different
spot in our education and our
paths are very, very different.
And so I think being able to
have these conversations of
like, well, let's highlight
what we can do. Good.
Absolutely. And like, where are
we succeeding. Yes. Like I
think that's amazing. But I
think it's so vital that we
have the conversations of where
can we improve? Like how can we

(19:26):
better support students and how
to better know than our
students themselves. And I
think this is really allowing
us to develop an action plan of
like, we know we're having
these conversations today, but
what are we going to do about
it tomorrow?
>> The CPE says they want 60%
of Kentuckians to have a
college credential by the year
2030. If you've spent much time

(19:58):
exploring our great state, you
know the inherent beauty of
Kentucky's landscape. Our Chip
Polston introduces us to a
photographer who has captured
some remarkable scenes around
the Commonwealth in this
Kentucky life.
>> Extra thanks much, and it's
good to be with you again.
Appalachia is renowned for its

(20:18):
beautiful scenery and terrain,
whether it's the mountains and
the valleys or the many lakes
and creeks that fill eastern
Kentucky, the natural elements
of this area are truly
something else. Dean Hill is a
photographer who has dedicated
his life to capturing the
beauty of this region. Let's
check out his work.

(20:52):
>> I'm pretty basic with my
photography. I've only got one
camera body, two lenses. I let
Mother Nature do the work for
me. That means I have to be
outdoors during inclement
weather. Rainstorms, snowstorms,
cold weather, foggy weather,

(21:14):
whatever. If I'm in the
elements, when all that is real
dynamic, I will get a good
photograph. My name is Dean
Hill. I do fine art photography
of mainly Appalachia. I'm from
this area, which is Eastern
Kentucky Relief, Kentucky. A

(21:35):
first got into it when I was
just a young kid using like a
pocket camera or one of the
hand-held instamatics that you
hold, and it shows the
photograph upside down and that
my family owned. First time I
took I picked up the camera was

(21:57):
just for fun. It was a myself.
Some friends. We were going out
exploring, hiking at the Gorge
or wherever, and we were just
photographing each other or the
landscape and just doing it for
fun. Photographing now as
opposed to when I was, say, a

(22:17):
younger kid when I ran the
hills and camped and hiked,
fished this area, it actually
brought me back to a whole new
level, because when I was a kid,
I couldn't wait to get away
from this area I wanted. Not
that it was bad, but I wanted
to explore. That involved
several trips out West, the

(22:38):
Peace Corps, several more trips
in Southeast Asia, and when I
came back to Eastern Kentucky,
I had a whole new outlook on
life here and the landscapes.
Everything looked refreshed,

(22:58):
new, different. And that just
pulled me into wanting to
explore even more. I think
Appalachia is an interesting
subject because of one the
people that are growing up here.

(23:20):
It's a special culture that you
can only find in this region.
There are some places that are
close to it, but these people
are close to the land, the
mountains. It's a harsh
environment to be living in,
yet they somehow eke out a
living. It's beautiful country.

(23:41):
It does get abused every now
and then, but for some reason,
Appalachia endeavors to
persevere. You might say it's
still got its beauty. And I
want to do everything I can to
capture that beauty for the
people away from here that
don't understand where I come

(24:03):
from. In a sense, photography
is therapeutic in that it gets
me out in nature. It gets me
into a place where I don't have
to get anything and still have
a good day. Kind of like

(24:24):
fishing, I guess. Worst day of
fishing is better than the best
day at work yet. My work
entails me to be out fishing
all the time, so I'm fishing
for a photograph. If I don't
get it, that's fine. I've had a
good day. If I do get something,
then I'm happy. What does it

(24:48):
mean to be Appalachian? That's
a tough one in a way, because
it's second nature to me,
because I'm born and raised
here, so I just take it for
granted that I am Appalachian.
Anywhere I go. I'm from the
mountains. I'm from Appalachia.
The first time I left this

(25:11):
country, I didn't really want
to lean toward being an
Appalachian. But the farther
away I got, the more I realized
that being Appalachian is
probably unique. It's people
from Appalachia. When you're
around them very long, you see

(25:33):
that there's a uniqueness about
them, and it will be that
language, their mannerism. They
take a pride in where they're
from. So I do that now. If I
was going to describe
Appalachia, beauty. Beauty
beyond beauty, I would call it
that simple.

(25:59):
>> Great stories like this one
come your way on our show each
Saturday night at 8:00 eastern,
7:00 central, right here on KET.
As we continue to cherish this
great Kentucky life. Back to
you.
>> Thank you Chip. And on a
special edition of Kentucky
tonight, Monday night at eight,
we talk about Eastern Kentucky

(26:20):
tourism and you'll see great
beauty shots just like you've
seen in that piece. But we hope
to see you again tomorrow night
at 630 eastern for Kentucky
Edition. Have a great night and