October 28, 2025

Kentucky joins several states in suing the Trump administration over SNAP benefits, Sen. Paul says he welcomes a compromise on healthcare policy, and a state lawmaker wants to draft a bill to help first responders injured in the line of duty.

Episode Transcript

(00:09):
>> These tax credits help lower
the cost of health insurance
premiums. Nearly 100,000
Kentuckians with insurance
plans could see up to 37%
higher premiums.
>> What should Kentucky expect
as the federal government
shutdown drags on?
>> I would call them
extrajudicial killings, and

(00:29):
this is akin to what China does
to Iran does with drug dealers.
>> As the U.S. boat bombings
continue, so does the criticism
from Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
>> We was taught in our early
days that we just tough it out.
We don't ask for help. In this
day and time, we got to ask for

(00:51):
help.
>> Kentucky state lawmakers say
the men and women who keep you
safe don't always get the
benefits they deserve.
>> Production of Kentucky
Edition is made possible in
part by the KET Millennium Fund.

(01:16):
>> Good evening and welcome to
Kentucky Edition for this
Tuesday, October the 28th. I'm
Renee Shaw, and we thank you so
much for joining us tonight.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear
is joining dozens of states in
suing the Trump administration
over SNAP or food stamp
benefits. Money for the food
assistance program is set to

(01:37):
run out at the end of the week.
Because of the federal
government shutdown. The Trump
administration has rejected
using contingency funds to
continue the program, which
helps 42 million people in the
U.S. including nearly 600,000
here in Kentucky. This morning,
Governor Beshear and
Congressman Morgan McGarvey,

(01:57):
also a Democrat of Kentucky's
third congressional district,
discussed the Shutdown's impact
on Kentucky. They discuss both
SNAP and the possible end of
subsidies, helping people who
use the Affordable Care Act for
health insurance. A reporter
asked the governor if the state
could fill the gap if the
federal subsidies end.
>> No state is going to be in a

(02:19):
position to be able to make up
for the federal tax credits
that are there. It would it
would take a massive change on
the state level, which would
require acts of the General
Assembly. So there's not going
to be immediate relief, I
believe, in, in any state
around the country. This is all
entirely on Congress. And

(02:40):
listen, they voted not long ago
to continue a tax cut. And what
Congress said, what the
Republican leader said is this
is relief that families are
currently getting. And we don't
want to eliminate that relief.
Well, that is the exact same
here. You know, they were
willing to continue a tax cut
that primarily helped wealthier

(03:01):
individuals. Are they really
not willing to continue this
this tax credit program that
helps those that are struggling?
Well, that.
>> Congressman Morgan McGarvey
says Kentuckians on the
Affordable Care Act won't be
the only people to see their
health care costs go up.
>> So if you have a private
employer plan right now, those

(03:21):
private insurance groups are
already seeing how many people
are not going to have insurance
and factor in the fact that tax
credits haven't passed yet and
that those costs are going to
skyrocket. Some people are
going to choose not to have
health insurance as well. Well
guess what? People are still
going to get sick. People are
still going to have emergencies.
People are still going to be
going to hospitals and getting

(03:42):
care. Even if they don't have
health insurance, they're still
going to be going, possibly
going to the emergency room,
maybe not being able to to pay
for that care as they are now.
So private insurance, they're
seeing that they're
anticipating it, they know it's
going to happen and they are
going ahead and increasing the
costs of everyone's health
insurance to offset that.
Because Congress, because of
what Congress did and what the

(04:04):
Trump administration did.
>> Republican U.S. Senator Rand
Paul says he wants the federal
shutdown to end soon, and for
essential public employees to
get paid immediately. Senate
Republicans and Democrats have
both proposed legislation to
pay federal workers, but
haven't agreed on if that
should include furloughed
workers or just those still on

(04:25):
the job, like the military and
air traffic controllers.
>> I'm flying today. I want my
air traffic controller to be
paid. I want him or her to pay
attention. I want the flights
to be staggered out so nobody
runs into each other today, so
I want to pay them. I have
voted for that. But we had that
vote last week and every
Democrat voted not to pay the

(04:45):
air traffic controllers or the
soldiers or the essential
workers. It isn't perfect, but
in the midst of this
disagreement, let's pay the
people who are working. I hope
we have that same vote again
this week, and I will vote to
pay the workers again this week.
>> Kentucky's junior senator
also says he welcomes a
compromise on Affordable Care
Act subsidies down the road.

(05:07):
>> What I've been suggesting is
that President Trump announce a
commission, three Republicans,
three Democrats to study the
issue very quickly of health
care premiums and come up with
a solution in the next few
weeks, open the government back
up for a month or two. And in
that two month period, the

(05:27):
Commission will meet and we
will come up with and try to
figure out a bipartisan
solution for the high insurance
premiums.
>> Senator, Senator Paul spoke
to reporters yesterday in
Louisville after a tour of BAE
systems, the British defense
manufacturer, employs around
400 people in Louisville, where
it makes parts for submarines
and missile launchers for the

(05:48):
U.S. Navy. Aerospace products,
which includes military weapons,
are Kentucky's largest export.
Senator Paul continues to speak
out against the Trump
administration's continued
bombing of suspected drug boats
in the Pacific Ocean and in the
Caribbean near Venezuela.
Secretary of Defense Pete
Hegseth says yesterday the U.S.

(06:09):
bombed four more boats in the
Pacific, killing 14 people.
Before yesterday's U.S. action,
Senator Paul again denounced
the U.S. policy in his
strongest language yet. Here's
Paul on Fox News Sunday.
>> We'll start with you,
Senator Paul, what do you need
to hear in a briefing? What
questions do you have?

(06:30):
>> Well, you know, it's not so
much about a briefing, but we
haven't had a briefing. To be
clear, we've gotten no
information. I've been invited
to no briefing. But a briefing
is not enough to overcome the
Constitution. The Constitution
says that when you go to war,
Congress has to vote on it. And
during a war, then there's a
lower rules for engagement. And
people do sometimes get killed
without due process. But the
drug war or the war or the

(06:53):
crime war has typically been
something we do through law
enforcement. And so far they
have alleged that these people
are drug dealers. No one said
their name. No one said what
evidence? No one said whether
they're armed and we've had no
evidence presented. So at this
point, I would call them
extrajudicial killings. And
this is akin to what China does
to Iran does with drug dealers.

(07:14):
They summarily execute people
without presenting evidence to
the public. So it's wrong.
>> Senator Paul wants a vote
giving Congress the final say
on this policy. In other news,
Jefferson County Public Schools
says its rate of chronic
absenteeism is improving. As
our June Leffler reports, local
officials say they're ready to

(07:35):
offer parents a helping hand or
some firm consequences.
>> JCPS reports that last year,
one third of students were
chronically absent, meaning
they missed more than 17 days
of school. But that's a slight
improvement from the 38% rate
two years ago.
>> It's still too high, but it

(07:55):
proves that we are moving in
the right direction.
>> The district says it sent
more than 4.5 million text
messages to parents about their
child's attendance.
>> We have teams dedicated to
making sure that parents are
being contacted through phone
calls. We conduct home visits.

(08:16):
We meet families where they are.
We are not just simply looking
at statistics and just checking
a box. That's not what we're
doing. We're working to help
remove the barriers that
chronically absent students
face in getting to school.
>> More in-depth conversations

(08:36):
address student needs,
including possible street
violence.
>> If it's something in the
community, we would rely on the
mayor's office, the Office of
Violence Prevention,
collaborate with them to
provide any additional
resources. Our police are also
heavily involved in a lot of
our work. And so if there's
other concerns around what's
going on at school, they're
there to help us with that and
assist.

(08:56):
>> When parents did not accept
help. The county attorney
stepped in again.
>> It is not my goal to pursue
charges, but I clearly will. In
instances where parents or
guardians are unmoved by the
interventions, resources and
referrals provided to the
student. We've even had
examples of these parents or

(09:19):
guardians are contacting JCPS
personnel and say, don't send
me any more text messages.
Don't call me anymore. Yeah,
that's unmoved.
>> In 2020, for a new state law
mandated school districts
report, guardians to the county
attorney after a child missed
15 days of school. Jefferson
County's Mike O'Connell says he
sent more than a thousand

(09:40):
letters to parents last year.
32 guardians are facing
criminal cases because of that.
In these cases, the student had
missed an average of 47 days.
These parents face possible
misdemeanor charges punishable
up to $500 or a year in jail.
>> There are at least 15 to 20

(10:01):
steps that were pointed out to
me. The JCPS and its staff took
with these parents or guardians
15 to 20 steps before they
brought it to our attention. So
if anybody is listening to this
and think this is a problem, it
is not. It is a problem of

(10:22):
adults who are not doing what
they should do to make sure
that these young children get
to school, especially in grades
K through five. And it's not
because they deserve an
education, it's because they
have the right to that
education.
>> The county Attorney's office
focuses on the parents of K
through five students. Family
court judges handle cases

(10:44):
involving older students for
Kentucky edition. I'm June
Leffler.
>> Thank you. June. State
lawmakers are calling for
reform for law enforcement
officers in the line of
hazardous duty and their
benefits. Last week, the
Interim Joint Committee on
Veterans, Military Affairs and
Public Protection heard
testimony from two Floyd County

(11:05):
men who were shot in the line
of duty. The incident occurred
three years ago, when deputies
went to serve an emergency
protection order to a man in
Allen, Kentucky. The man opened
fire, killing three officers
and a K-9 dog. Three additional
officers were injured. A deputy
who was shot in the leg. An
emergency management director
who was shot in the eye,

(11:27):
testified in Frankfort about
their recovery.
>> I've now been an amputee for
for going on three years.
During this time, I've went
through approximately anywhere
from 8 to 10 prosthetics to
just to get a comfortable fit.
>> We was taught in our early
days that we just tough it out.
We don't ask for help. In this

(11:50):
day and time, we gotta ask for
help. I still need it. I
believe in it department.
>> Both men did not qualify for
retirement because of the
amount of time they had spent
on the job. They were also not
eligible for hazardous duty
benefits. State Representative
Ashley Lafferty, who serves

(12:10):
Floyd County, wants to draft a
bill that would provide all
first responders injured in a
hazardous duty situation with
minimum benefits. Many state
lawmakers voiced support for
that legislation.
>> I hope the testimony here
today shows that we have brave
first responders who are
falling through these cracks.
>> I'll do whatever I can.

(12:32):
Representative Tackett, to be
there with you and to help just
just makes no sense to me. This
hearing this, it feels like,
you know, how is this even
possible that these men cannot
be compensated for what they've
had to endure?
>> A lot of our counties and
cities don't have their
officers in hazardous duty.
That should be the first thing

(12:53):
we change. I have no doubt that
we should not have folks in
harm's way that won't be
compensated if this happens to
them.
>> State Representative Tackett
Lafferty said she's received
letters from the Kentucky
Sheriffs Association voicing
support for her idea of
legislation. Open enrollment is

(13:14):
underway for Medicare. The
federal health insurance
program is for Americans aged
65 and older and other
conditions. Understanding how
the program works, though, can
be very complex. During last
night's next chapter form here
on KETV, we heard from dozens
of people who had questions
about Medicare. And here are
just a few. This caller does

(13:35):
not take medicine at the moment,
and they use Humana now. Why do
they have to pay extra for
medication costs in their
monthly cost if they're not
taking any?
>> Yeah, that's a good question.
I always relate Medicare Part D
to auto insurance or
homeowner's policy. You're not
always filing a claim with your

(13:58):
homeowner's insurance, but if
you need to, it's there to
protect you. And that's what
part D is. And I would I would
recommend if someone is not
taking medication that they go
with the cheapest part D plan
available, which this this
coming year will have a zero
premium. And should that change

(14:18):
and they have medication costs
added sometime in 2026, then
use open enrollment next year
to find a plan that better
suits their needs.
>> Yeah, good advice there.
Okay. From Carl. He has
hospital bills, is on a fixed
income and has Medicare
advantage. Is there anything
that can help supplement the
cost on top of the Medicare

(14:39):
Advantage?
>> I'd say unfortunately, no,
there's you can't add a
supplement onto an advantage
plan. The supplements only work
with original Medicare. That
part A and part B coverage. So
with the Medicare Advantage
plans, you are going to be
charged whatever the plan has
laid out for you. And there's

(14:59):
not going to be an additional
coverage you can purchase
through the Medicare program.
>> Unfortunately, some bad
actors like to use the open
enrollment period to prey on
people. Our Laura Rogers spoke
with Scott Weganast with AARP
Kentucky about what seniors
should know to avoid being
scammed.
>> This is something

(15:20):
unfortunate that comes with the
open enrollment period for
Medicare, right? Absolutely.
And seniors can be targeted at
any time, unfortunately, and
they're often victimized. But
let's talk specifically about
what our seniors need to look
out for to make sure that
they're not being defrauded.
>> Since the beginning of
Medicare, scammers have taken

(15:41):
advantage of this open
enrollment season. There's
three things. Three key things
that we like to talk about. One,
Medicare is not going to call
you. Okay. So you're not going
to have a call for Medicare.
They're not going to text you.
Two if you get a suspicious
call, do not give out your
personal data. Three you have

(16:04):
to be aware of the sort of an
emotional push that you know,
your policy is going to be
terminated, or you're going to
be charged extra because you
didn't do what x, y, or z. So
the the most important thing to
keep in mind is protect your
personal data. Talk to your

(16:24):
family. Because a lot of times
folks will not talk to their
family about that. So what you
want to do is just make sure
that you always pause and and
and reflect and, and prevent
yourself from becoming caught
up in some Medicare scam
because they're out there and

(16:45):
they're going to come after you.
>> You can see the full one
hour program and find other
resources focused on the issues
facing Kentucky's aging
population. Online on demand at
ket.org. Chapter. One town
considers a wellness center.

(17:07):
Another is thinking about more
leeway for people who own
chickens, bees, and rabbits.
Our Toby Gibbs has that and
more in tonight's look at
headlines around Kentucky.
>> A small plane crash in
Harrison County October 16th
briefly disrupted traffic

(17:28):
lights as well as phone and
internet service. The Grant
County News says the plane
crashed in a field near
Recurrent Energy Solar Farm on
highway 36. The pilot went to
Harrison Memorial Hospital. The
passenger was sent to U-K
hospital. The plane hit a
transmission line, causing the
brief power glitch. Emergency
management Director Joey Nelson

(17:50):
praised emergency services for
its fast response. The
Messenger-inquirer says
Leitchfield wants its own
health and wellness center. The
city council voted for a
resolution supporting the move.
A feasibility study says the
town could support a 50,000
square foot indoor facility
with two basketball courts,

(18:10):
three volleyball courts, a turf
field, a walking track and
meeting rooms. It would cost
about $9 million. State Senator
Stephen Meredith promised to
seek state support. People in
Boone County are debating a
zoning law change that would
allow more chickens, bees and
rabbits on homeowners property.

(18:31):
It was talked about at a fiscal
court meeting last Thursday,
but magistrates did not make a
decision on changing the
current policy. Judge executive
Gary Moore told the Northern
Kentucky Tribune that public
input is important before any
decision is made. The Jessamine
Journal says. A Nicholasville
native has been named a 2025

(18:52):
U.S. Presidential Scholar by
the U.S. Department of
Education. 6400 students are in
the running every year based on
leadership, service, and
character. A smaller group is
then selected, and Palmer M
Schmidt is one of them. Schmidt
is now a civil engineering
student at the Rose-Hulman
Institute of Technology in
Indiana, who's involved in

(19:14):
tutoring and helping food banks
with headlines around Kentucky.
I'm Toby Gibbs.
>> To ensure people involved
with the Kentucky court system

(19:35):
get the resources they need.
The Administrative Office of
the courts has created
behavioral health liaisons.
They serve as connectors for
those dealing with mental
health struggles, substance
abuse, and intellectual and
developmental disabilities.
>> So when looking at state
courts nationally, what we saw
with Kentucky is there was a
gap in serving people with the

(19:57):
justice system that once
somebody came, justice involved.
It was hard to navigate the
system or connect them to the
appropriate resource. And the
behavioral health liaisons
connect individuals so that
they don't fall through the
cracks in our court system.
>> So within communities,
behavioral health liaisons have
the ability to provide more

(20:18):
access to programs, resources,
and services. We're connected
widely with serving the Office
of Statewide Programs, which
would include family and
juvenile services, along with
pretrial services, working
really closely with the
community health centers within
each community, also navigating

(20:40):
jail services and opportunities
within the jail.
>> So most of the people that
we are assisting are looking
for either mental health
services, substance abuse
services, housing, food,
parenting classes, those type
of services that are difficult
to find if you're not within

(21:01):
the court system or you're a
community partner.
>> The role is as involved as
the need of the individual.
This could be as small as just
linking a person to the
appropriate person through a
phone number. It could also be
as large as walking the person
through the entire process,
which could mean connecting

(21:23):
them to the individual.
Following up with the
individual to ensure that the
services were made or the
appointment was attended.
>> The ultimate goal of our
treatment courts, which include
drug court, mental health court
and Veterans Treatment Court,
are to serve a population that
is vulnerable, that needs
additional support in lieu of

(21:44):
prison. If we don't assist
these individuals, who's going
to and we provide wraparound
services, we treat the whole
person. So we provide treatment
and look at how they can be
more successful in our
community.
>> In other health news,

(22:04):
researchers at the University
of Kentucky are studying the
short term and long term health
effects of the 2023 train
derailment in East Palestine,
Ohio. They received almost $2
million to the National
Institutes of Health to
continue the research.
>> So in looking at the
portfolio of what was needed, I
would only want we would want

(22:25):
to contribute to a gap, an area
that wasn't being met. And one
of the big areas that wasn't
being met. We saw and heard
from the community was
information. Just information
about what these chemicals were.
How could they measure them in
their bodies? What the health
effects might be. So when we
saw that gap, we we created an

(22:46):
online survey that anyone could
respond to and participate in
that would allow the community
to begin the process of
tracking the experiences and
the health symptoms that they
had, the chemicals that they
were exposed to, vinyl chloride,

(23:08):
acrylates they cause eye nose
irritation, throat irritation.
And that's exactly what we saw.
Now, what are the long term?
These chemicals, even in
mixture, could cause long term
chronic health outcomes. And
not many research studies are

(23:30):
available for us to identify
and say this is exactly what to
expect. So we're keeping an
open mind and an open ear to
the community as we hear about
symptoms that they're
experiencing. These chemicals
could cause cancer. That's a
possibility. And we're tracking
that these chemicals in our one

(23:51):
of our studies included
measures of immune function,
which is your body's ability to
respond to infection. It also
indicates stress and tissue
repair. We do see signs of the
body's response to, you know,
increased levels for tissue
repair and a definite immune

(24:14):
response. So we we know that
the immune system can affect
every organ in the body. We did
measure stress in the in our
cohort in our population. And
they are they are screening
very, you know, quite high for
post-traumatic stress disorder.
So we we plan to measure

(24:36):
impacts on heart. We are going
to also measure the impacts on
lung. We want to look at the
respiratory function and how
well their lungs work. So the
long the long term goal is, is
truly go back and answer the
community's questions. And and
that that is did their exposure
did being near the the

(24:59):
derailment near that Fenton
barn where vinyl chloride was
being burned, you know, let out
into the drainage ditches and
then burned. Did that exposure
cause them any long term health
consequences? And we want to
answer help them answer that
question.
>> Scientists at UK are

(25:20):
partnering with the experts at
the University of Pittsburgh
and Yale University for the
study. UK health care is
getting the biggest gift in its
history. Someone is writing a
very big check. Find out who

(25:41):
signing that check, how much
it's for and where that money
will go. Answers to all those
questions tomorrow, Wednesday
on Kentucky edition, which we
hope you'll join us for again
at 630 eastern 530 central,
where we inform, connect and
inspire. We hope you'll connect
with us all the ways you see on
your screen, Facebook,
Instagram and the social media
channels that will keep you in

(26:02):
the loop of all the great
things happening here at KET.
And we encourage you to send us
a story idea by email to Public
Affairs at ket.org dot, and
look for us on the PBS app that
you can download on your smart
devices. I'm Renee Shaw. Thank
you so much for joining us
tonight, and hope to see you
right back here on Hump Day
Wednesday. Thanks so very much

(26:23):
and take good care. See you
tomorrow night.