December 24, 2025 • 26 mins
Journalists from around the state discuss the news of the week with host Bill Bryant, including statements from Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican leaders in the legislature about a revised forecast for state revenues. Panelists: Alex Acquisto, Lexington Herald-Leader; Isaiah Kim-Martinez, WHAS11 in Louisville; and Liam Niemeyer, Kentucky Lantern.
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(00:04):
The entire workforce at a new
Kentucky electric battery plant
is being laid off. As new plans
are made. Kentucky's budget
shortfall looks to be less than
first predicted, a landslide
result in a special election in
Louisville brings a new senator
to Frankfort. What will the
impact be of reclassifying
(00:24):
marijuana here in Kentucky
heading into Christmas week
here in the Commonwealth?
Comment is next on KET. Good
evening. I'm Bill Bryant and we
welcome you to comment on
(00:45):
Kentucky. A look back at and
some analysis of the week's
news in the Commonwealth and
the guests on our panel of
working Kentucky journalists
tonight are Liam Niemeyer,
reporter for the Kentucky
Lantern Isaiah Kim-Martinez,
senior reporter for 11 in
Louisville. And joining us
remotely is Alex Acquisto,
(01:06):
politics and health reporter
for the Lexington Herald-Leader.
On this weekend leading to
Christmas, there is uncertainty
for some Kentuckians. It comes
as a Ford Motor Company
subsidiary will lay off about
1500 workers at the battery
plant in Hardin County.
Governor Beshear has reacted.
>> I also want to state that
Team Kentucky is committed to
(01:28):
making sure that all those
affected by the switch from the
Blue Oval ownership to Ford
find either new opportunities
with Ford or find other
employment quickly. So what
we've got is we've got about 16
or 1700 current employees at
Blue Oval. They're going to be
laid off because the Blue Oval
Company will no longer exist.
(01:49):
Ford's eventually going to hire
2100 people, which is hundreds
more than currently work at the
facility.
>> This comes as Ford is
canceling several electric
vehicle models. Liam, what is
the back story here?
>> It's a big pivot by one of
the country's most prominent
automakers. They've written off
(02:09):
billions of dollars and their
pivot away from electric
vehicles. They're getting rid
of their Ford F-150 lightning,
their electric Ford F-150, and
changing it into extended range
electric vehicle model. But in
Kentucky specifically, they're
taking their battery plant,
which was supposed to make
batteries, of course, for EVs
(02:29):
and turning it into a battery
factory. Battery factory for
the electric grid. Basically
making batteries, say, for
utilities to pair with power
plants to pair with power
intensive data centers so that
these data centers have power
available via the batteries
when they need it. It's it's a
(02:50):
growing sector with the general
rise in electricity demand
fueled often fueled by data
centers. And we'll see how it
works, given that it's, you
know, the first time that
automaker like like Ford or I
guess specifically Ford has
done something like this.
>> Is it a reaction to shifts
(03:11):
in policy to some extent, or is
it totally market driven.
>> A little bit, a little bit
of both. The CEO of Ford,
Farley, you know, mentioned to
reporters that it was a part of
regulatory changes by the Trump
administration. You know, the
Trump administration has, you
(03:31):
know, repealed various
regulations, targeted
regulations that, you know,
that favored the adoption of
electric vehicles. And then and
then there's also just
generally consumer sentiment
with electric vehicles. A lot
of EVs remain very I mean,
pretty expensive. You know, the
(03:52):
Ford F-150 lightning, you know,
tens of thousands of dollars.
And that price tag is just too
much to bear for, you know, a
lot of people, including
Kentucky.
>> Forget to the EV tax credits,
right? The $7,500 tax credits
that essentially were rolled
back. Right, completely that
according to Democrat's,
they'll say that that is a huge
(04:13):
reason why they are taking a
step back. And consumers saying,
look, we want to get into the
EV mindset. The other side, the
Republicans will tell you, like,
Congressman Brett Guthrie, who
I spoke to this week, is he
believes the whole thing is a
liberal pipe dream. He believes
the demand is not there,
certainly not in this decade.
And they say ultimately people
(04:33):
just do not want to pay 50, 60,
$70,000, particularly to drive
in a country where EV
infrastructure, right, the
charging stations across
nationwide, some argue, are
just not quite to the point
where people feel confident.
>> So we're sort of at an
intersection of of business and
(04:54):
politics and policy here, right?
>> Certainly. Yeah. And they
kind of go across party lines.
You have, you know, the
governor who says, listen,
people just need a little bit
more time for us to bring the
price down in Louisville. Ford
is actually prepared to launch
this 2027 midsize pickup, all
electric that they believe will
be sort of the the they call it
(05:16):
their next model T moment, a
$35,000 EV. But then you have
folks, we had a Bullitt County
viewer message us and say, it's
not that I'm anti EV. I'm not.
I'm just not myself ready to
buy one. And that's the reality
for many.
>> Alex, come in with your
observations.
>> I was just going to say
Governor Beshear essentially,
(05:38):
you know, in so many words laid
blame at part of this at
Republicans. I mean, and the
Trump administration, you know,
the Blue Oval plan was
announced when Biden was still
president, when federal tax
credits were in place to
incentivize people to buy
electric vehicles. Now that
those are being sunset, it is
(05:59):
impacting demand. And I think,
you know, politics and the
market is all wrapped up in
this. And at some point it
becomes a self-fulfilling
prophecy for Republicans to say,
you know, see, people don't
actually want electric vehicles.
But, you know, when you roll
back those incentives to coax
people to sort of step out of
their comfort zone and invest
(06:20):
in something like this and kind
of replace them with policies
that favor gas powered vehicles,
of course, it's going to lessen
demand.
>> Liam Kentucky had offered
$250 million in public money
for the Blue Oval operation,
when there was talk of 5 or
6000 jobs. Governor Beshear
says that is all being
renegotiated, correct?
>> Yeah, it's you know, with
(06:41):
this, this individual plant, it
was supposed to be two battery
plants, you know, Ford and the
South Korean company SK on that
they partnered with, of course,
are are separating. But you
know, under the original
incentive agreement, they were
supposed to to receive the
public funding, they're
supposed to meet employment
(07:02):
targets by 2026. And, you know,
Beshear did mention that this
money can be clawed back,
potentially, but they're giving
them a little bit of leeway to
figure it out. As the governor
mentioned. You know, once this
battery storage operation is up
and running, they plan to hire
something. Over 2000 workers
(07:24):
there. And, you know, they're
they're trying to give, I guess,
Ford in this case, a little bit
more runway to see what is
possible.
>> Well, governor said it may
go from 1500 to what, about
2100? Sure. Exactly.
>> There's no guarantee that
the same workers. Sure. That's
kind of the big question.
>> And again, not the number we
were talking a year ago or so,
(07:46):
Isaiah. Governor Beshear, you
know, has made this a major
story. It's been a big part of
it himself. What are the
political realities and optics
for him as this unfolds?
>> Well, anytime I think anyone
would say when your marquee
accomplishment fizzles out,
right, particularly if you're
somebody who's potentially
considering a run for president
in just a couple of years, it
(08:07):
is never good for momentum when
you have, especially when this
has been his sector, right?
Economic development, biggest
economic project in Kentucky's
history as far as investment,
you could feel the urgency in
his team Kentucky briefing. He
doesn't like to start those
with bad news. And it was the
very first thing he said was,
listen, this is dissolving. You
know, we already talked about
that. Here's the path forward.
(08:27):
And I don't know if you picked
up on this too. He specifically
kind of gave an out for these
1600 workers. He said if Ford
chooses not to retain them,
we're going to ensure that some
other job that we've made over
in recent years within, I think,
he said, a 45 minute radius.
We're going to take care of
them. We're going to make sure
they get those jobs. That's
someone who understands the
stakes here, especially long
(08:48):
term.
>> This whole storage of energy,
it seems to be a major issue.
Liam, there's a new report that
indicates Kentucky could be on
its way to unaffordable energy.
Unless we do develop ways to to
store energy and batteries. In
other words, fossil fuel
production could become cost
prohibitive in some decades,
according to that report.
(09:09):
>> Yeah, it was a report that
was commissioned by the
Kentucky Resources Council and
other groups, Kentucky
Resources Resources Council,
being a long standing
environmental legal group in
Kentucky, basically, the report
said that if utilities in
Kentucky, you know, don't
(09:29):
diversify their electricity
generation portfolio in the
state, beyond beyond coal,
beyond gas fired power, which
utilities are investing heavily
in, it could be more cost
prohibitive. Now, I will say
that Kentucky state senators
did put out a statement pushing
back against that report this
afternoon or Friday afternoon,
(09:53):
basically, basically saying
that, you know, that they stand
by the laws that they passed,
you know, fortifying and, you
know, shoring up coal fired
power generation and that
Kentuckians need affordable,
reliable energy in the future.
>> All right. So ongoing dialog
on all of that, Kentucky's
budget shortfall will be less
(10:15):
than first estimated. The gap
is now estimated at about $156
million. And Alex, that's about
half what the administration
had said a few months ago. It
is some relief, but the
administration is still making
some cuts, right.
>> The I think the initial
estimate was more than 300
million shortfall. So it's, as
(10:36):
you said, about half of that
now depending or depending on
how Republicans and Democrats
decide to make up for that
shortfall will be determined in
the upcoming legislative
session. But there are already
sort of differing opinions.
Governor Beshear was sort of
quick to maybe not totally
blame, but attribute somewhat
(10:57):
of the cause to Republicans
real priority in curbing the
personal income tax, which
obviously they've done in the
last couple of years. And as of
January 1st, it'll go down to
3.5%. But there is some
sparring between parties on how
to make up for that shortfall.
But it certainly is less than
what was originally projected.
(11:18):
>> And Isaiah, some back and
forth between the governor and
some of the other
constitutional officeholders.
>> Yeah. He specifically said
Bill in his team, Kentucky,
that he he called out Mark
Metcalfe, the treasurer, and
then the state auditor, Alison
Ball, for in his words, I'm
paraphrasing here, just not
being a part of that process or
not being in the latest meeting
with the consensus group. And
(11:39):
he said, listen, like they
should have been there. They
should be a part of the process.
Of course, like Leah mentioned
before, the show, you know, as
per the budget bill, they don't
technically, legally have to.
So it's more of a preference.
And we've heard the sparring
back and forth. I believe it
was Senator McDaniel who came
out and was unhappy with how
early the governor sort of
(12:00):
sounded the alarm on this,
saying it was a little early to
to say 305 million next year.
In fact, the Senate president
took issue with that, too. And
now you're looking at it and
it's more like 156, which the
governor admits is more
manageable. So things look a
lot different now, potentially
than they did a couple months.
>> Auditor Ballard also said
that the administration had not
taken some suggestions for
(12:21):
saving money that she had made.
>> She wasn't, I think, took
exception specifically to the
governor, saying that the way
to address this deficit is to
get rid of essentially jobs
that are budgeted for but
aren't being filled, so they're
vacant. He believes if all
agencies do that cut, those
were good. And the auditor, I
believe, just said that that is
(12:41):
not how we want to approach
this.
>> Yeah. I mean, basically
there was in the reporting that
I did on this back and forth
this week, there was lawyers
that reviewed between state
budget director John Hicks and
Auditor Ball. You know,
basically Auditor Ball was was
asserting that, you know, cuts
(13:02):
to an office that she views as
trying to hold the executive
branch in their spending
accountable seems
counter-intuitive in the sense
of, you know, she cited various
examinations, reports that her
office has done saying that,
you know, asserting that the
executive branch needs to get
its I guess its ducks in a row
(13:25):
in terms of spending before it
comes to the auditor and asks
the auditor's office to cut
spending.
>> Because they've been trying
to expand, to make a conscious
effort.
>> Well, and it needs money for
some of these school audits as
well, I think.
>> JC County.
>> Yeah. All right. Democrats
will keep control of a
Louisville state Senate seat.
Union leader Gary Clemons won
(13:47):
72% of the vote in a special
election Tuesday. Republican
Calvin Leach got about 25% of
the vote in a libertarian
candidate trailed in the race.
>> I know it's going to be hard.
Hard, you know, obviously I
keep hearing we're outnumbered,
but by God, everybody in this
room has been outnumbered a
time or two in our life. So we
can we'll prevail.
(14:08):
>> So, Isaiah, a strong victory
for Clemons. What gave him the
momentum to pull that off?
>> There was a sense that that
is a very union friendly
district, one of the most union
friendly, not just in
Louisville, potentially across
the state. We do know that.
Interesting point here, though,
too, as far as this has been a
blue district for a while.
Senator David Yates, former
(14:29):
senator, dominated that
district in last year's general
election, beat Calvin Leach,
the same Republican challenger,
by 20 points last year. Get
this Kamala Harris, at the time
when she was running against
Donald Trump last year, won it
by 5%. Now you have Gary
Clemons, the Democrat, winning
it by nearly 50%. That's all to
say, though, voter turnout was
at 7%. Just over 5000 voters.
(14:53):
Generally, when that happens,
you have to take all results
with a bit of a grain of salt.
>> Yeah, very committed people
show up in those special
elections. All right. David
Yates, who's now serving as the
Jefferson County clerk, as
state senator, managed to find
ways to pass bills. Notably, he
sponsored the porch pirate bill,
made that a felony. Does
Clemens seem to know how to
(15:14):
follow that path?
>> He says he does. He says
he's working as a union leader,
that he typically reaches
across the aisle. I think it's
interesting, though. I think
he's very aware with the issues
that Republican leadership
would see as potentially a
target on his back. And I asked
him specifically about Dei,
some of the efforts made,
whether that has a place in the
classroom, ask them about if he
(15:35):
would fight specifically for
LGBTQ rights, trans rights, and
both of those answers he didn't
appear to give. At least it
didn't appear to me like it was
a strong conviction. I will do
X, Y, and Z, and it is
plausible that he understands
that those are the issues that
could put him behind the eight
ball before he even starts.
(15:56):
>> We'll talk more about the
upcoming session in Frankfort
in just a moment. But tens of
thousands of Kentuckians are
among those who could see their
health care premiums skyrocket
if the enhanced ACA subsidy
subsidies are not extended.
That's all in limbo in
Frankfort right now, or in
Washington, I should say, Alex,
our Kentuckians preparing for
(16:17):
the possibility of having to
pay those higher premiums or in
some cases, drop their
insurance because they can't
afford it.
>> Certainly. And as you said,
the ACA subsidies will
automatically expire at the end
of the year if Congress doesn't
intervene. You know, it's
December 19th. So that's a very
real possibility. But
essentially, you know,
(16:37):
projections look at increases
to anybody who is on connect.
And Kentucky buys into the
insurance through the ACA
marketplace. Their insurance
could premiums could increase
anywhere from, you know, $500
to a couple thousand dollars.
Louisville Public Media did an
analysis at the end of October
looking at the severity of
(16:58):
these. And, you know, for some
people, you know, $500 increase
in health insurance payments a
month is enough to to drop
health insurance just because
people simply can't afford it.
And as you said, we're talking
about 100,000 Kentuckians who
this could impact.
>> Alex, do you see with the
timing of all this, this
potentially becoming a major
(17:18):
issue in the in the U.S. House
and U.S. Senate races here in
Kentucky?
>> It has to. Right? People
vote with their pocketbook. If
you are a family, especially if
you have kids and you can no
longer afford your health
insurance, or even if your
health insurance costs increase
by 200 $400, you will feel that
that that impact will trickle
(17:40):
out in the rest of how you
spend your money. And you have
to think that that will dictate
how people approach the ballot
box in the primary. Right?
Because people will will feel
that impact. It will be
substantial.
>> Isaiah, how are those
primaries playing out in the in
the US Senate race? Now we see
the Republican on the
Republican side. Andy Barr is
(18:00):
now talking about endorsements.
Cameron has been announcing
endorsements. Morris, we
understand, has made a trip
that I think Liam can tell us
more about it. Yeah, yeah.
>> He's at I believe, a Turning
Point USA affiliated speaking
event. We know that
specifically, Nate Morris has
been trying very hard to get
(18:21):
the attention of some of the
national players in the
Republican Party. We know some
folks like Vivek Ramaswamy,
some of the newest senators who
are Trump endorsed have put
their support behind him. But
then you have folks like
Congressman Andy Barr who this
week made news specifically,
his team put out over 100
congressman members who he says
have already put their support
(18:42):
behind him, endorsed.
>> Him, 107.
>> 107 and then there was sort
of some discussion. There was
some reporting of, well, we're
they're a couple, apparently,
who maybe hadn't announced
their endorsement just yet, or
maybe there was a jumping of
the gun there. One said, hey,
I've never said this. So I mean,
at that point you're talking
about 1 or 2. But the bottom
(19:04):
line is he is trying to preach
the fact that, hey, I already
have the support for those who
are passing the president's
agenda right now. And then you
have Daniel Cameron, who's
interesting when you look at
his list of endorsements, he
has some maybe nine around that
amount. As far as state
representatives, state senators
currently in Frankfort. But his
biggest sort of strength right
(19:24):
now is his endorsements. Are
those local jailers, those
county attorneys, judge
executives, sheriffs. That's
kind of where he's getting a
lot of his support.
>> Well, his strength in the
race has to be almost universal
name recognition as well. Which
he.
>> Most will admit still leads
in that category.
>> Here at the holiday store,
owners are hoping for the best
(19:45):
and also dealing with thieves.
Attorney General Russell
Coleman has a new organized
retail crime unit.
>> We're not talking about
shoplifting. This ain't about
shoplifting. What we're talking
about is organized crime. What
we're talking about is violence.
We're talking about violence to
our families as we come in
(20:05):
stores, violence to employees
of great stores like this,
violence to law enforcement as
they intervene. What we're
talking about is higher prices
for all of us. And what we're
talking about is closed stores
in areas not only of Louisville,
but around the Commonwealth.
We're fighting organized crime.
(20:28):
>> So Liam was talking about
draining gift cards that he
mentions violence. Apparently
this is a problem as as thieves
are working the retail circuit.
>> Yeah. I mean, according to
the Kentucky Retail Federation,
you know, they they lost the
state, lost $2 billion worth of
(20:49):
worth of goods in a span of a
year. And that, you know, over
a similar time frame, there was
a 30% increase in organized
retail crime. And so, you know,
Coleman is announcement he
wants to form an organized
retail crime unit to address
the issue. And he's asking the
legislature for a little over
(21:11):
$2 million to to build it up.
You know, there was some
backing there at that press
conference from from state
lawmakers. But, you know, with
potentially more challenging
budget upcoming this year,
we'll see where that request
fits.
>> All right. Well, that moves
perfectly into Kentucky's 60
day legislative session now a
(21:31):
couple of weeks away.
Interesting that while we pause
for the holidays, those issues
are swirling and the dam is
about to break on some big
decisions. Isaiah, the budget
is the big issue. Obviously
have to have to get that done.
Are lawmakers going to be in a
mood to do some one time
spending, or is this going to
be a hold back session?
>> They're certainly not giving
any indication, at least not
(21:52):
the questions I often ask are
about Louisville investment. I
actually had Senate President
Robert Stivers right before
there or in the midst of their
leadership retreat, and I asked
him, how much could Louisville
get this year? And he says, it
really just kind of depends. It
could be zero. It could be 200
million. That's quite the range.
Obviously. I think bottom line
here, you know, they got to get
(22:12):
the Medicaid situation figured
out, right, especially with
some of those federal cuts in
the big beautiful bill. What
are they going to do with the
expansion population? We have
some understanding that there's
going to be a bill where they
look closer at eligibility for
folks who are in that expansion
population of Medicaid. So I
think that's going to kind of
(22:33):
dictate a lot of these.
>> And so, Alex, some leading
lawmakers have indicated the
state cannot make up these for
the federal cuts. But won't
there be some pressure to do
that in some areas?
>> There will. And I think it
will be a big testament to see
one if they decide to sort of
acquiesce, and then two, what
areas they come up with to
(22:53):
decide to to cut. I mean,
that's that's the big question.
And we'll find out in less than
a month.
>> Senate Bill 181 could get
some tweaks. That's the law
that governs communication
between students and teachers
and staff. And a lot of talk
about that. And Alex Kentucky
Youth Advocates released its
annual report. Its kids count
(23:14):
some progress in some areas,
but it also notes that a lot of
children face huge challenges
in our state.
>> Yeah, this is a data book
that this organization releases
every year, and it provides a
snapshot, basically, of the
well-being of Kentucky kids,
usually. Maybe not a surprise
to a lot of people. Kentucky
sort of health determinants
(23:36):
with its children rank pretty
low nationally. As you
mentioned, there were some
increases, but 20% of
Kentucky's kids live below the
poverty line in eastern
Kentucky. That's more amplified.
21% of kids in Kentucky
households are food insecure. I
mean, these are pretty
(23:56):
significant numbers. And while
their nominal increases, like,
you know, graduation rates were
slightly better the last four
years than they were four years
previously, I think we can
expect this organization to
come to the General Assembly,
the session and, and ask for
some investment in some of
these issues, because obviously
they want to improve the
(24:17):
outcome for Kentucky's children.
>> Ask you for a quick answer
on this medical marijuana being
reclassified by the president.
Any idea what impact that could
have here?
>> I think it will have a big
impact. A lot of people are
excited about it. I saw
Kentucky organization this week
saying this is a necessary step
toward this industry, and I
think a lot of people are
pleased with how this will
(24:38):
impact the marketplace.
>> Isaiah. The Kentucky Supreme
Court made a couple of rulings
this week. One keeps London
Mayor Randall Whittle on the
job. The other impacts
Jefferson County Public Schools.
>> Right. This was a Senate
bill that was passed years ago,
and it's been caught up in all
these legal challenges,
essentially would shift power
from the GPS board, who many
Republicans just loathe, for
lack of a better term, to the
(25:00):
JCPS superintendent. Previously,
the Supreme Court had voted to
uphold that law. But then when
we had this new makeup of
justices, including Pamela
Goodwin, they ended up
reversing it four three,
striking it down, though
Representative Jason Nemes
assures me they will have a
bill where they're going to
tweak some language and they're
going to try it again, because
they really want to shift some
of that responsibility away
(25:21):
from the JCPS.
>> Kentucky's Department of
Tourism, hoping for another
record year. It's $14.3 billion
a year and impact. The tourism
commissioner, Mike Mangia, told
me that if he can get them here
once Liam, Kentuckians are warm
enough and hospitable enough
that we we keep them coming
back and may even convince some
of them to move here, which he
says is something that's needed.
(25:42):
>> Yeah. I mean, Kentucky has a
lot of great state parks. And,
you know, the Kentucky Chamber
of Commerce, you know, often
cites a lackluster workforce
participation rate. So, you
know, getting more people, more
potential workers to Kentucky.
I mean, that that's an option.
>> Could be a good thing, right?
We hope you're enjoying this
joyous season. Comment won't
(26:03):
air next week so that our
panelists and the KET staff can
enjoy the Christmas holidays.
We will return with a taped
program on January 2nd. We'll
be talking about the
legislative session ahead, and
then we will return live on
January 9th, which will come
after the session starts and
right after the filing deadline
will have passed on that day.
(26:23):
Have a wonderful Christmas.
>> I'm glad we made it. I got.
>> Three seconds of music, so.
>> We like that. Absolutely.
>> Okay, Alex. Thank you.
>> Yeah.
(26:44):
>> Sorry about that one
question. I just like.
>> The one where you asked me
about areas that the General
Assembly is going to. I don't
even know. I wasn't even paying
attentio
The entire workforce at a new
Kentucky electric battery plant
is being laid off. As new plans
are made. Kentucky's budget
shortfall looks to be less than
first predicted, a landslide
result in a special election in
Louisville brings a new senator
to Frankfort. What will the
impact be of reclassifying
(00:24):
marijuana here in Kentucky
heading into Christmas week
here in the Commonwealth?
Comment is next on KET. Good
evening. I'm Bill Bryant and we
welcome you to comment on
(00:45):
Kentucky. A look back at and
some analysis of the week's
news in the Commonwealth and
the guests on our panel of
working Kentucky journalists
tonight are Liam Niemeyer,
reporter for the Kentucky
Lantern Isaiah Kim-Martinez,
senior reporter for 11 in
Louisville. And joining us
remotely is Alex Acquisto,
(01:06):
politics and health reporter
for the Lexington Herald-Leader.
On this weekend leading to
Christmas, there is uncertainty
for some Kentuckians. It comes
as a Ford Motor Company
subsidiary will lay off about
1500 workers at the battery
plant in Hardin County.
Governor Beshear has reacted.
>> I also want to state that
Team Kentucky is committed to
(01:28):
making sure that all those
affected by the switch from the
Blue Oval ownership to Ford
find either new opportunities
with Ford or find other
employment quickly. So what
we've got is we've got about 16
or 1700 current employees at
Blue Oval. They're going to be
laid off because the Blue Oval
Company will no longer exist.
(01:49):
Ford's eventually going to hire
2100 people, which is hundreds
more than currently work at the
facility.
>> This comes as Ford is
canceling several electric
vehicle models. Liam, what is
the back story here?
>> It's a big pivot by one of
the country's most prominent
automakers. They've written off
(02:09):
billions of dollars and their
pivot away from electric
vehicles. They're getting rid
of their Ford F-150 lightning,
their electric Ford F-150, and
changing it into extended range
electric vehicle model. But in
Kentucky specifically, they're
taking their battery plant,
which was supposed to make
batteries, of course, for EVs
(02:29):
and turning it into a battery
factory. Battery factory for
the electric grid. Basically
making batteries, say, for
utilities to pair with power
plants to pair with power
intensive data centers so that
these data centers have power
available via the batteries
when they need it. It's it's a
(02:50):
growing sector with the general
rise in electricity demand
fueled often fueled by data
centers. And we'll see how it
works, given that it's, you
know, the first time that
automaker like like Ford or I
guess specifically Ford has
done something like this.
>> Is it a reaction to shifts
(03:11):
in policy to some extent, or is
it totally market driven.
>> A little bit, a little bit
of both. The CEO of Ford,
Farley, you know, mentioned to
reporters that it was a part of
regulatory changes by the Trump
administration. You know, the
Trump administration has, you
(03:31):
know, repealed various
regulations, targeted
regulations that, you know,
that favored the adoption of
electric vehicles. And then and
then there's also just
generally consumer sentiment
with electric vehicles. A lot
of EVs remain very I mean,
pretty expensive. You know, the
(03:52):
Ford F-150 lightning, you know,
tens of thousands of dollars.
And that price tag is just too
much to bear for, you know, a
lot of people, including
Kentucky.
>> Forget to the EV tax credits,
right? The $7,500 tax credits
that essentially were rolled
back. Right, completely that
according to Democrat's,
they'll say that that is a huge
(04:13):
reason why they are taking a
step back. And consumers saying,
look, we want to get into the
EV mindset. The other side, the
Republicans will tell you, like,
Congressman Brett Guthrie, who
I spoke to this week, is he
believes the whole thing is a
liberal pipe dream. He believes
the demand is not there,
certainly not in this decade.
And they say ultimately people
(04:33):
just do not want to pay 50, 60,
$70,000, particularly to drive
in a country where EV
infrastructure, right, the
charging stations across
nationwide, some argue, are
just not quite to the point
where people feel confident.
>> So we're sort of at an
intersection of of business and
(04:54):
politics and policy here, right?
>> Certainly. Yeah. And they
kind of go across party lines.
You have, you know, the
governor who says, listen,
people just need a little bit
more time for us to bring the
price down in Louisville. Ford
is actually prepared to launch
this 2027 midsize pickup, all
electric that they believe will
be sort of the the they call it
(05:16):
their next model T moment, a
$35,000 EV. But then you have
folks, we had a Bullitt County
viewer message us and say, it's
not that I'm anti EV. I'm not.
I'm just not myself ready to
buy one. And that's the reality
for many.
>> Alex, come in with your
observations.
>> I was just going to say
Governor Beshear essentially,
(05:38):
you know, in so many words laid
blame at part of this at
Republicans. I mean, and the
Trump administration, you know,
the Blue Oval plan was
announced when Biden was still
president, when federal tax
credits were in place to
incentivize people to buy
electric vehicles. Now that
those are being sunset, it is
(05:59):
impacting demand. And I think,
you know, politics and the
market is all wrapped up in
this. And at some point it
becomes a self-fulfilling
prophecy for Republicans to say,
you know, see, people don't
actually want electric vehicles.
But, you know, when you roll
back those incentives to coax
people to sort of step out of
their comfort zone and invest
(06:20):
in something like this and kind
of replace them with policies
that favor gas powered vehicles,
of course, it's going to lessen
demand.
>> Liam Kentucky had offered
$250 million in public money
for the Blue Oval operation,
when there was talk of 5 or
6000 jobs. Governor Beshear
says that is all being
renegotiated, correct?
>> Yeah, it's you know, with
(06:41):
this, this individual plant, it
was supposed to be two battery
plants, you know, Ford and the
South Korean company SK on that
they partnered with, of course,
are are separating. But you
know, under the original
incentive agreement, they were
supposed to to receive the
public funding, they're
supposed to meet employment
(07:02):
targets by 2026. And, you know,
Beshear did mention that this
money can be clawed back,
potentially, but they're giving
them a little bit of leeway to
figure it out. As the governor
mentioned. You know, once this
battery storage operation is up
and running, they plan to hire
something. Over 2000 workers
(07:24):
there. And, you know, they're
they're trying to give, I guess,
Ford in this case, a little bit
more runway to see what is
possible.
>> Well, governor said it may
go from 1500 to what, about
2100? Sure. Exactly.
>> There's no guarantee that
the same workers. Sure. That's
kind of the big question.
>> And again, not the number we
were talking a year ago or so,
(07:46):
Isaiah. Governor Beshear, you
know, has made this a major
story. It's been a big part of
it himself. What are the
political realities and optics
for him as this unfolds?
>> Well, anytime I think anyone
would say when your marquee
accomplishment fizzles out,
right, particularly if you're
somebody who's potentially
considering a run for president
in just a couple of years, it
(08:07):
is never good for momentum when
you have, especially when this
has been his sector, right?
Economic development, biggest
economic project in Kentucky's
history as far as investment,
you could feel the urgency in
his team Kentucky briefing. He
doesn't like to start those
with bad news. And it was the
very first thing he said was,
listen, this is dissolving. You
know, we already talked about
that. Here's the path forward.
(08:27):
And I don't know if you picked
up on this too. He specifically
kind of gave an out for these
1600 workers. He said if Ford
chooses not to retain them,
we're going to ensure that some
other job that we've made over
in recent years within, I think,
he said, a 45 minute radius.
We're going to take care of
them. We're going to make sure
they get those jobs. That's
someone who understands the
stakes here, especially long
(08:48):
term.
>> This whole storage of energy,
it seems to be a major issue.
Liam, there's a new report that
indicates Kentucky could be on
its way to unaffordable energy.
Unless we do develop ways to to
store energy and batteries. In
other words, fossil fuel
production could become cost
prohibitive in some decades,
according to that report.
(09:09):
>> Yeah, it was a report that
was commissioned by the
Kentucky Resources Council and
other groups, Kentucky
Resources Resources Council,
being a long standing
environmental legal group in
Kentucky, basically, the report
said that if utilities in
Kentucky, you know, don't
(09:29):
diversify their electricity
generation portfolio in the
state, beyond beyond coal,
beyond gas fired power, which
utilities are investing heavily
in, it could be more cost
prohibitive. Now, I will say
that Kentucky state senators
did put out a statement pushing
back against that report this
afternoon or Friday afternoon,
(09:53):
basically, basically saying
that, you know, that they stand
by the laws that they passed,
you know, fortifying and, you
know, shoring up coal fired
power generation and that
Kentuckians need affordable,
reliable energy in the future.
>> All right. So ongoing dialog
on all of that, Kentucky's
budget shortfall will be less
(10:15):
than first estimated. The gap
is now estimated at about $156
million. And Alex, that's about
half what the administration
had said a few months ago. It
is some relief, but the
administration is still making
some cuts, right.
>> The I think the initial
estimate was more than 300
million shortfall. So it's, as
(10:36):
you said, about half of that
now depending or depending on
how Republicans and Democrats
decide to make up for that
shortfall will be determined in
the upcoming legislative
session. But there are already
sort of differing opinions.
Governor Beshear was sort of
quick to maybe not totally
blame, but attribute somewhat
(10:57):
of the cause to Republicans
real priority in curbing the
personal income tax, which
obviously they've done in the
last couple of years. And as of
January 1st, it'll go down to
3.5%. But there is some
sparring between parties on how
to make up for that shortfall.
But it certainly is less than
what was originally projected.
(11:18):
>> And Isaiah, some back and
forth between the governor and
some of the other
constitutional officeholders.
>> Yeah. He specifically said
Bill in his team, Kentucky,
that he he called out Mark
Metcalfe, the treasurer, and
then the state auditor, Alison
Ball, for in his words, I'm
paraphrasing here, just not
being a part of that process or
not being in the latest meeting
with the consensus group. And
(11:39):
he said, listen, like they
should have been there. They
should be a part of the process.
Of course, like Leah mentioned
before, the show, you know, as
per the budget bill, they don't
technically, legally have to.
So it's more of a preference.
And we've heard the sparring
back and forth. I believe it
was Senator McDaniel who came
out and was unhappy with how
early the governor sort of
(12:00):
sounded the alarm on this,
saying it was a little early to
to say 305 million next year.
In fact, the Senate president
took issue with that, too. And
now you're looking at it and
it's more like 156, which the
governor admits is more
manageable. So things look a
lot different now, potentially
than they did a couple months.
>> Auditor Ballard also said
that the administration had not
taken some suggestions for
(12:21):
saving money that she had made.
>> She wasn't, I think, took
exception specifically to the
governor, saying that the way
to address this deficit is to
get rid of essentially jobs
that are budgeted for but
aren't being filled, so they're
vacant. He believes if all
agencies do that cut, those
were good. And the auditor, I
believe, just said that that is
(12:41):
not how we want to approach
this.
>> Yeah. I mean, basically
there was in the reporting that
I did on this back and forth
this week, there was lawyers
that reviewed between state
budget director John Hicks and
Auditor Ball. You know,
basically Auditor Ball was was
asserting that, you know, cuts
(13:02):
to an office that she views as
trying to hold the executive
branch in their spending
accountable seems
counter-intuitive in the sense
of, you know, she cited various
examinations, reports that her
office has done saying that,
you know, asserting that the
executive branch needs to get
its I guess its ducks in a row
(13:25):
in terms of spending before it
comes to the auditor and asks
the auditor's office to cut
spending.
>> Because they've been trying
to expand, to make a conscious
effort.
>> Well, and it needs money for
some of these school audits as
well, I think.
>> JC County.
>> Yeah. All right. Democrats
will keep control of a
Louisville state Senate seat.
Union leader Gary Clemons won
(13:47):
72% of the vote in a special
election Tuesday. Republican
Calvin Leach got about 25% of
the vote in a libertarian
candidate trailed in the race.
>> I know it's going to be hard.
Hard, you know, obviously I
keep hearing we're outnumbered,
but by God, everybody in this
room has been outnumbered a
time or two in our life. So we
can we'll prevail.
(14:08):
>> So, Isaiah, a strong victory
for Clemons. What gave him the
momentum to pull that off?
>> There was a sense that that
is a very union friendly
district, one of the most union
friendly, not just in
Louisville, potentially across
the state. We do know that.
Interesting point here, though,
too, as far as this has been a
blue district for a while.
Senator David Yates, former
(14:29):
senator, dominated that
district in last year's general
election, beat Calvin Leach,
the same Republican challenger,
by 20 points last year. Get
this Kamala Harris, at the time
when she was running against
Donald Trump last year, won it
by 5%. Now you have Gary
Clemons, the Democrat, winning
it by nearly 50%. That's all to
say, though, voter turnout was
at 7%. Just over 5000 voters.
(14:53):
Generally, when that happens,
you have to take all results
with a bit of a grain of salt.
>> Yeah, very committed people
show up in those special
elections. All right. David
Yates, who's now serving as the
Jefferson County clerk, as
state senator, managed to find
ways to pass bills. Notably, he
sponsored the porch pirate bill,
made that a felony. Does
Clemens seem to know how to
(15:14):
follow that path?
>> He says he does. He says
he's working as a union leader,
that he typically reaches
across the aisle. I think it's
interesting, though. I think
he's very aware with the issues
that Republican leadership
would see as potentially a
target on his back. And I asked
him specifically about Dei,
some of the efforts made,
whether that has a place in the
classroom, ask them about if he
(15:35):
would fight specifically for
LGBTQ rights, trans rights, and
both of those answers he didn't
appear to give. At least it
didn't appear to me like it was
a strong conviction. I will do
X, Y, and Z, and it is
plausible that he understands
that those are the issues that
could put him behind the eight
ball before he even starts.
(15:56):
>> We'll talk more about the
upcoming session in Frankfort
in just a moment. But tens of
thousands of Kentuckians are
among those who could see their
health care premiums skyrocket
if the enhanced ACA subsidy
subsidies are not extended.
That's all in limbo in
Frankfort right now, or in
Washington, I should say, Alex,
our Kentuckians preparing for
(16:17):
the possibility of having to
pay those higher premiums or in
some cases, drop their
insurance because they can't
afford it.
>> Certainly. And as you said,
the ACA subsidies will
automatically expire at the end
of the year if Congress doesn't
intervene. You know, it's
December 19th. So that's a very
real possibility. But
essentially, you know,
(16:37):
projections look at increases
to anybody who is on connect.
And Kentucky buys into the
insurance through the ACA
marketplace. Their insurance
could premiums could increase
anywhere from, you know, $500
to a couple thousand dollars.
Louisville Public Media did an
analysis at the end of October
looking at the severity of
(16:58):
these. And, you know, for some
people, you know, $500 increase
in health insurance payments a
month is enough to to drop
health insurance just because
people simply can't afford it.
And as you said, we're talking
about 100,000 Kentuckians who
this could impact.
>> Alex, do you see with the
timing of all this, this
potentially becoming a major
(17:18):
issue in the in the U.S. House
and U.S. Senate races here in
Kentucky?
>> It has to. Right? People
vote with their pocketbook. If
you are a family, especially if
you have kids and you can no
longer afford your health
insurance, or even if your
health insurance costs increase
by 200 $400, you will feel that
that that impact will trickle
(17:40):
out in the rest of how you
spend your money. And you have
to think that that will dictate
how people approach the ballot
box in the primary. Right?
Because people will will feel
that impact. It will be
substantial.
>> Isaiah, how are those
primaries playing out in the in
the US Senate race? Now we see
the Republican on the
Republican side. Andy Barr is
(18:00):
now talking about endorsements.
Cameron has been announcing
endorsements. Morris, we
understand, has made a trip
that I think Liam can tell us
more about it. Yeah, yeah.
>> He's at I believe, a Turning
Point USA affiliated speaking
event. We know that
specifically, Nate Morris has
been trying very hard to get
(18:21):
the attention of some of the
national players in the
Republican Party. We know some
folks like Vivek Ramaswamy,
some of the newest senators who
are Trump endorsed have put
their support behind him. But
then you have folks like
Congressman Andy Barr who this
week made news specifically,
his team put out over 100
congressman members who he says
have already put their support
(18:42):
behind him, endorsed.
>> Him, 107.
>> 107 and then there was sort
of some discussion. There was
some reporting of, well, we're
they're a couple, apparently,
who maybe hadn't announced
their endorsement just yet, or
maybe there was a jumping of
the gun there. One said, hey,
I've never said this. So I mean,
at that point you're talking
about 1 or 2. But the bottom
(19:04):
line is he is trying to preach
the fact that, hey, I already
have the support for those who
are passing the president's
agenda right now. And then you
have Daniel Cameron, who's
interesting when you look at
his list of endorsements, he
has some maybe nine around that
amount. As far as state
representatives, state senators
currently in Frankfort. But his
biggest sort of strength right
(19:24):
now is his endorsements. Are
those local jailers, those
county attorneys, judge
executives, sheriffs. That's
kind of where he's getting a
lot of his support.
>> Well, his strength in the
race has to be almost universal
name recognition as well. Which
he.
>> Most will admit still leads
in that category.
>> Here at the holiday store,
owners are hoping for the best
(19:45):
and also dealing with thieves.
Attorney General Russell
Coleman has a new organized
retail crime unit.
>> We're not talking about
shoplifting. This ain't about
shoplifting. What we're talking
about is organized crime. What
we're talking about is violence.
We're talking about violence to
our families as we come in
(20:05):
stores, violence to employees
of great stores like this,
violence to law enforcement as
they intervene. What we're
talking about is higher prices
for all of us. And what we're
talking about is closed stores
in areas not only of Louisville,
but around the Commonwealth.
We're fighting organized crime.
(20:28):
>> So Liam was talking about
draining gift cards that he
mentions violence. Apparently
this is a problem as as thieves
are working the retail circuit.
>> Yeah. I mean, according to
the Kentucky Retail Federation,
you know, they they lost the
state, lost $2 billion worth of
(20:49):
worth of goods in a span of a
year. And that, you know, over
a similar time frame, there was
a 30% increase in organized
retail crime. And so, you know,
Coleman is announcement he
wants to form an organized
retail crime unit to address
the issue. And he's asking the
legislature for a little over
(21:11):
$2 million to to build it up.
You know, there was some
backing there at that press
conference from from state
lawmakers. But, you know, with
potentially more challenging
budget upcoming this year,
we'll see where that request
fits.
>> All right. Well, that moves
perfectly into Kentucky's 60
day legislative session now a
(21:31):
couple of weeks away.
Interesting that while we pause
for the holidays, those issues
are swirling and the dam is
about to break on some big
decisions. Isaiah, the budget
is the big issue. Obviously
have to have to get that done.
Are lawmakers going to be in a
mood to do some one time
spending, or is this going to
be a hold back session?
>> They're certainly not giving
any indication, at least not
(21:52):
the questions I often ask are
about Louisville investment. I
actually had Senate President
Robert Stivers right before
there or in the midst of their
leadership retreat, and I asked
him, how much could Louisville
get this year? And he says, it
really just kind of depends. It
could be zero. It could be 200
million. That's quite the range.
Obviously. I think bottom line
here, you know, they got to get
(22:12):
the Medicaid situation figured
out, right, especially with
some of those federal cuts in
the big beautiful bill. What
are they going to do with the
expansion population? We have
some understanding that there's
going to be a bill where they
look closer at eligibility for
folks who are in that expansion
population of Medicaid. So I
think that's going to kind of
(22:33):
dictate a lot of these.
>> And so, Alex, some leading
lawmakers have indicated the
state cannot make up these for
the federal cuts. But won't
there be some pressure to do
that in some areas?
>> There will. And I think it
will be a big testament to see
one if they decide to sort of
acquiesce, and then two, what
areas they come up with to
(22:53):
decide to to cut. I mean,
that's that's the big question.
And we'll find out in less than
a month.
>> Senate Bill 181 could get
some tweaks. That's the law
that governs communication
between students and teachers
and staff. And a lot of talk
about that. And Alex Kentucky
Youth Advocates released its
annual report. Its kids count
(23:14):
some progress in some areas,
but it also notes that a lot of
children face huge challenges
in our state.
>> Yeah, this is a data book
that this organization releases
every year, and it provides a
snapshot, basically, of the
well-being of Kentucky kids,
usually. Maybe not a surprise
to a lot of people. Kentucky
sort of health determinants
(23:36):
with its children rank pretty
low nationally. As you
mentioned, there were some
increases, but 20% of
Kentucky's kids live below the
poverty line in eastern
Kentucky. That's more amplified.
21% of kids in Kentucky
households are food insecure. I
mean, these are pretty
(23:56):
significant numbers. And while
their nominal increases, like,
you know, graduation rates were
slightly better the last four
years than they were four years
previously, I think we can
expect this organization to
come to the General Assembly,
the session and, and ask for
some investment in some of
these issues, because obviously
they want to improve the
(24:17):
outcome for Kentucky's children.
>> Ask you for a quick answer
on this medical marijuana being
reclassified by the president.
Any idea what impact that could
have here?
>> I think it will have a big
impact. A lot of people are
excited about it. I saw
Kentucky organization this week
saying this is a necessary step
toward this industry, and I
think a lot of people are
pleased with how this will
(24:38):
impact the marketplace.
>> Isaiah. The Kentucky Supreme
Court made a couple of rulings
this week. One keeps London
Mayor Randall Whittle on the
job. The other impacts
Jefferson County Public Schools.
>> Right. This was a Senate
bill that was passed years ago,
and it's been caught up in all
these legal challenges,
essentially would shift power
from the GPS board, who many
Republicans just loathe, for
lack of a better term, to the
(25:00):
JCPS superintendent. Previously,
the Supreme Court had voted to
uphold that law. But then when
we had this new makeup of
justices, including Pamela
Goodwin, they ended up
reversing it four three,
striking it down, though
Representative Jason Nemes
assures me they will have a
bill where they're going to
tweak some language and they're
going to try it again, because
they really want to shift some
of that responsibility away
(25:21):
from the JCPS.
>> Kentucky's Department of
Tourism, hoping for another
record year. It's $14.3 billion
a year and impact. The tourism
commissioner, Mike Mangia, told
me that if he can get them here
once Liam, Kentuckians are warm
enough and hospitable enough
that we we keep them coming
back and may even convince some
of them to move here, which he
says is something that's needed.
(25:42):
>> Yeah. I mean, Kentucky has a
lot of great state parks. And,
you know, the Kentucky Chamber
of Commerce, you know, often
cites a lackluster workforce
participation rate. So, you
know, getting more people, more
potential workers to Kentucky.
I mean, that that's an option.
>> Could be a good thing, right?
We hope you're enjoying this
joyous season. Comment won't
(26:03):
air next week so that our
panelists and the KET staff can
enjoy the Christmas holidays.
We will return with a taped
program on January 2nd. We'll
be talking about the
legislative session ahead, and
then we will return live on
January 9th, which will come
after the session starts and
right after the filing deadline
will have passed on that day.
(26:23):
Have a wonderful Christmas.
>> I'm glad we made it. I got.
>> Three seconds of music, so.
>> We like that. Absolutely.
>> Okay, Alex. Thank you.
>> Yeah.
(26:44):
>> Sorry about that one
question. I just like.
>> The one where you asked me
about areas that the General
Assembly is going to. I don't
even know. I wasn't even paying
attentio
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