10.1.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning everybody, and welcome to the reading of the
Lexington Herald Leader. Today is Wednesday, October first, and your
reader is Rod Brotherton. As a reminder, RADIOI is a
reading service intended for people who are blind or have
other disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material.

(00:21):
All right, first day of the last quarter of the year.
What's our weather going to be this week? Today? Warm
with sunshine, hiy eighty three. Tonight partly cloudy, low fifty six.
Thursday partly sunny and warm, high eighty two, low fifty eight.
Friday sunny and very warm, high eighty two, low fifty

(00:42):
eight again. Saturday sunny and warm, high eighty three, low
fifty nine. Sunday sunny and warm, high eighty one, low
sixty two. Monday mostly sunny and still warm, with a
high of eighty one and a low sixty five, and
Tuesday meat cloudy and humid with a few showers. High

(01:04):
seventy seven, low sixty Looking at the almanac, Yesterday's high
and low eighty five and fifty five, while normal is
seventy six and fifty three. Last year it was seventy
six and sixty five. The record high in nineteen fifty
three was ninety seven degrees and the record low was
thirty three in nineteen forty two. Precipitation on Monday nothing

(01:31):
month to date three point twenty seven normal three point three.
Year to date we've logged forty six point four one
inches of rain, while normal is thirty eight point four
nine and last year we'd had forty one point one.
The record for yesterday's date was one point seven inches
of rain in nineteen seventy two. For the sun and

(01:52):
the moon, the sun rose this morning at seven thirty four,
It will set this evening at seven twenty one. The
moon will come up at four point thirty this afternoon
and set tomorrow morning at one oh six. And our
weather trivia for the day. When does the Atlantic hurricane
season officially end? November thirtieth? All right, let's see what's

(02:18):
happening in the world and in Lexington today. The first
story this morning London mayor to be reinstated immediately after ruling.
A judge ruled Monday that Randall Weddle, the recently impeached
Mayor of London, should return to office immediately because the

(02:40):
City Council had insufficient grounds to remove him. David Williams,
a special judge serving in Laurel County, ruled that Weddle
should be reinstated as mayor of the town, effective immediately,
just weeks after he was removed. Soon after the ruling
is issued, Weddell appeared with the City Council in a

(03:03):
specifically called meeting on several topics, including city tax rates.
Before the meeting started, Weddell asked the council to put
aside personal grudges and to move forward for the people.
You've done what you've done, and the courts have overturned
your ruling. I'm just asking now that you guys start

(03:24):
working with me and I with you. Let's move the
City of London forward, Weddell said. We should be doing
the people's business and putting aside all of our personal feelings.
Weddell added that he doesn't hold any grudges against the
council and wants to finish the projects for London. The
city just needs to move forward. Weddell said, We've got

(03:48):
a lot of projects and a lot of things we
need to get done. We're here for the people of
London and we're going to be staying committed to that
and stay focused on what you've elected me to do.
Earlier this month, the council filed eleven charges of misconduct
or wilful neglect against the former mayor, including misusing police

(04:11):
City Department funds for a personal protection detail, leaven vacant
an ethics commissioned seat, and illegally signing a five million
dollar mortgage on behalf of the city without council approval.
After a recent nine hour meeting, the council unanimously agreed
that three of Weddell's eleven charges warranted removal from office.

(04:35):
Weddell has many supporters in London. More than two thousand
residents signed a petition opposing his impeachment, and people packed
the Laurel County Judicial Center on the day the vote
to oppose his removal. Wettle appeal the peachment ruling September
eleventh and Laurel County Circuit Court. The council appointed Tracy Handley,

(04:57):
a London resident and retired trial science consultant, as acting mayor,
and she was sworn in shortly after Weddell's impeachment vote.
Attorneys representing the council, Conrad Cessna and Chris Weist, did
not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a
statement released on Facebook after William's order, Weddell said the

(05:21):
last three weeks have been a challenging time for him
and his family. He added the time and has been
a challenge for City Hall employees as well. We thank
God for getting all of us through this and today
democracy does live, Weddell said. Weddell was not sworn back
in as mayor during the Monday's meeting. His lawyer, Carmine

(05:44):
in Cairario, said he was pleased with William's decision. I
hope this is a turning point for the City of
London and that the City Council extends its hand to
work with this man chosen by the people of London
to lead the City of London, Reno said in a statement.
And Williams is the right of the Vice Chief Regional

(06:05):
Circuit Judge for the fortieth Judicial Circuit, which covers Clinton,
Cumberland and Monroe Counties. He was appointed as a special
judge for the proceedings because the regular judge from the
twenty seventh Circuit was disqualified from presiding over the case.
According to court documents and The Next story, state senator

(06:27):
sued over failed crypto currency business a Kentucky state senator
is fighting multiple legal battles over a failed bitcoin mining
operation in eastern Kentucky. Senator Brandon Smith, Republican of Hazard,
and his company Mohawk Energy are defendants in two lawsuits

(06:49):
related to the company's property purchase and its use of
expensive crypto currency mining machines. Ricky Dale Cole of Jenkins
Smith in Lecher Circuit Court in January, alleging Smith grossly
inflated the value of Mohawk Energy. Mohawk, a former coal

(07:10):
cleanup company that pivoted into the cryptocurrency industry, is also
being sued by a Chinese company. An HBT Power, which
helped Mohawk Energy make the pivot, sued Smith alleging a
breach of contract and fraudulent misrepresentation. Last year. Cole alleges

(07:31):
in the suit that he agreed to sell a warehouse
to Mohawk Energy in a deal Smith proposed selled for
below market price in exchange for a twenty percent stake
in the business. Cole now says he's seen no profit
from the deal and has been unable to access information
about the company's finances. The lawsuit also alleges Smith defrauded

(07:55):
Cole by making false promises, misrepresentations, and not communicating with
him about the state of the company. Cole and his
attorney declined to comment on the case, citing the pending litigation.
Smith denies all allegations of serious wrongdoing, as well as
the majority of Cole's narrative. In a counterclaim filed in

(08:19):
the suit, Smith is seeking damages from Coal, alleging he
undermined the company. Smith also claimed Cole is not a
member of Mohawk Energy due to his actions, and if
a judge disagrees and believes he is a member, that
he be expelled from the company. Mohawk Energy Energy joined

(08:39):
the wave of cryptocurrency enterprises settling their sites on eastern
Kentucky during the industry's twenty twenty two rise. Cryptocurrency is
a digital currency unregulated by the government. Machine's work to
solve difficult math problems, for which they earn a new
cryptocurrency as well reward. We just saw that there were

(09:03):
a lot of machines coming into the US and they
were going to have to be repaired, and why not
have repair facilities here in Eastern Kentucky. Smith told the
hair leader with the promise of a forty six dollars
hourly wage after a month of training. The opening of
Mohawk Energy's facility was applauded in Letcher County, where the

(09:26):
decline of the coal industry has reduced economic opportunities and
the population. At roughly twenty one thousand residents, about half
as many people live there now than in nineteen forty
Lecher County was among the worst hit in the historic
and deadly floods of twenty twenty two. Five of the

(09:47):
forty five Kentuckians who died lived here, not to mention
millions in property damage. Smith's Eastern Kentucky district is close
to Letcher County, but he doesn't include it. He has
served in the legislature for more than twenty four years,
starting in the House before being elected to the Senate
in twenty eight He has chaired the Senate Natural Resources

(10:10):
and Energy Committee for several years. According to Cole's a
civil lawsuit, Smith rented his warehouse beginning in April of
twenty twenty two for several months before he approached Cole
in June about purchasing the property. They reached a deal
by August, when Smith and Mohawk gave him two and

(10:32):
a half million dollars in cash, five and a half
million below its actual value, per the lawsuit, and Cole
took the remaining amount as a twenty percent ownership stake
in Mohawk. Cole now says Smith owes him five million
dollars and is also demanding a Letcher County Circuit Court

(10:53):
judge order Smith and Mohawk to turn over financial information
ledg's Mohawk's value was greatly inflated at the time the
two struck a deal, and he also states in the
lawsuit filed in January that he sought to learn more
about the company's members, its finances, the flow of funds

(11:16):
between Mohawk and its members, and more in a December
twenty twenty four request. The suit claims the company and
Smith hadn't complied with that request. Smith, in an interview,
called the turn of events heartbreaking. It was a great
vision to bring tech here at a large scale level,

(11:36):
Smith said. Smith and Mohawks submitted an answer and counterclaim
to the lawsuit in March, denying nearly all of Cole's allegations.
For instance, Smith denies Cole's claim about the exact terms
of the initial lease, when and how Smith approached Cole
about the purchase and the details of the ownership agreement.

(11:59):
Smith and Mohawk deny Cole has any interest in Mohawk
and has intentionally and voluntarily relinquished the interest he may
have had because of statements he'd made to Smith and
others claiming he was uninvolved. Smith's response to the suit
also claims Cole took actions completely opposed to the company's

(12:22):
best interest. Those alleged actions disrupting Mohawk's readily of the warehouse,
solving its progress toward getting a business license, and sabotaging
a contract with a third party. Senator. Smith did not
have benefit of counsel when he entered in any of
these agreements, said Annahhitees, a Frankfort based attorney representing Smith.

(12:48):
That's just a disappointment that there's nothing we can do
about it now. Smith and Mohawk's counterclaim states that Smith
negotiated a substantial contract with the third party to rent
the property and equipment and to allow Mohawk to engage
in activities on its behalf, all of which would result
in substantial income to Mohawk. The plaintiff had knowledge of

(13:12):
the contract and intentionally took actions to cause the third
party to breach the contract with Mohawk, causing Mohawk and
Smith sub to sustain substantial damages. The Kendler claimed states
Cole's lawsuit against Smith was the first two investor lawsuits

(13:32):
he's filed this year. In April, he accused a Lexington
Software Company executive of misleading him into purchasing company stock,
and that lawsuit remains ongoing. This is also not the
only lawsuit in which Smith and Mohawk find themselves involved.

(13:53):
HBT Power, the Chinese company, sued Mohawk in November of
twenty twenty three the US District Court for the Western
District of Kentucky. Mohawk entered an agreement with HBT Power
in Junior twenty twenty two, according to HBT powers lawsuit,
under which Smith had planned to train workers and eventually

(14:15):
repair high voltage bitcoin mining machines that consumed thousands of
electricity electricity watts inside Cole's warehouse. Whitey's told The Hair
Leader that two months after Smith received his industrial business license,
HBT representatives continued to live on the premises. After Smith

(14:35):
and other Mohawk employees asked them to leave. Whitey said,
they call the police claiming wrongful eviction, but the question
of property ownership remains, per HBT Powers attorney, the fact
that Mohawk did not own the property at the time
that it entered into the contract with our client has

(14:56):
always been one of the key content contention rudents that
we've had, High Root Jsumra, a Florida based attorney representing
HBT Power, told The Herald Leader. Smith counterclaims he was
never fully recompensated for the warehouse renovations to fit thousands
of machines. Smith still thanks blockchain, the technology systems that

(15:20):
underlies cryptocurrency is the future. He says. The latest iteration
of Mohawk Energy was supposed to bring change to eastern Kentucky,
a region that has long struggle to revitalize its economy
after the days of coal in twenty twenty one. In
twenty twenty two, just before Mohawk Energy's mid twenty twenty

(15:41):
three step into the cryptocurrency space, Smith sponsored bills offering
tax breaks and deregulation for crypto enterprises in Kentucky. In
twenty twenty one, the General Assembly passed a bill he
authorized and authored to offer tax incitives for cryptocurrency mining
company investments of at least one million dollars that purchase

(16:05):
and upgrade existing buildings inside the state, and that earn
income and create jobs. It also passed a bill that
he supported, sponsored by House Majority floor leader Stephen Rudy,
Republican of Paducah, exempting electricity expenses for cryptocurrency mining operations.

(16:27):
Both bills passed through the committee he chairs. In twenty
twenty two, he pushed for tax incentives on purchasing bitcoin equipment,
which did not pass. Enthusiasm in the General Assembly has
continued to pace even without Smith's direct sponsorship. Not a
single no vote was recorded on House Bill seven oh

(16:51):
one this year's legislative session, a bitcoin rights bill that,
among other things, bans local zoning changes that discriminate against
cryptocurrency minds. Bitcoin in US an asset is also doing
better than ever. After reaching a low of sixteen thousand,

(17:11):
five hundred and forty eight dollars each in early of
twenty twenty three, the price now stands at one hundred
and ten thousand dollars. As the expansive warehouse codling more
than fifty thousand square feet waits in legal limbo. A
few employees remain maintaining the site and safeguarding the valuable equipment.

(17:34):
We just have to pray that when this thing clears,
these companies will see that we really are a diamond
in the rough and that somebody would be willing to
partner come in and then help take Mohawk and this
region to the next level of tech, Smith said, and
next on the front page, the baby whose death led

(17:55):
to mother's charges was full term. Note this story contains
details some readers may find disturbing. Police believe the baby
found dead last month in the closet of a former
University of Kentucky's student athlete was delivered at full term,

(18:15):
according to court documents. That detail was one of several
revealed in documents filed in Fayette County District Court in
the criminal case of the baby's mother, twenty one year
old Laken Snelling. Other key details in the documents, search warrants,
and affidavits filed by Lexington police include that Snelling told

(18:38):
medical staff the baby was made a whimper after it
was born. Snelling's roommates discovered the newborn baby in Snelling's closet,
and Snelling was detained by police just hours after giving birth.
The documents were filed September seventeenth and were first reported
on by media on Friday, September twenty sEH. Snelling, a

(19:02):
former member of the UK stunt team, was charged with
concealing a birth, tampering with physical evidence, an abuse of
a corpse after the baby was found dead August twenty
seventh at her Park Avenue home in Lexington. She has
since withdrawn from school. On Friday, she appeared in court
with her attorney and waived her right to a preliminary hearing.

(19:25):
The case was sent to a Fayette County grand jury.
The coroner has said extensive microscopic analysis is needed to
determine how the baby boy died. According to the court documents,
Snelling told police she gave birth to the baby in
her bedroom about four a m. August twenty seventh, and

(19:47):
he fell on the floor. According to police account, she
didn't think the baby was breathing or was alive. Police
said about thirty minutes later, Snelling said she passed out
and fell on top of the baby. When she woke up,
Snelling said the baby was turning blue and purple, and
she told police she wrapped him in a towel like

(20:08):
a burrito, lay him next and laid next to him
on the floor because it gave her a little comfort
in the moment. Snelling said she woke up again when
her alarm went off at seven thirty am, and she
had a class at nine point thirty. Snelling said she
got a trash bag from the kitchen and placed the baby,
still wrapped in the towel, inside it, and then put

(20:30):
the trash bag in the closet. After taking a shower,
police say, Snelling told him she used paper towels and
a towel to clean up. Snelling then drove to school,
but rather than going to class, police said she sat
in her vehicle in the parking lot and used an
app to order food because she was not feeling well.

(20:51):
Snelling told police she then went to the University of
Kentucky's student health clinic, but did not go inside. Meanwhile,
according to the documents, Snelling's roommate found her baby. In
interviews with police detectives, the roommate said they and Snelling
were in a Snapchat group together in the four a m.

(21:14):
Hour of August twenty seventh. One of the roommates sent
a message to the group chat, stating she heard a
loud noise that sounded like something had fallen, police wrote.
Another roommate stated she heard the noises too, and whatever
caused them was so forceful it knocked a picture off
her wall. One roommate stated the noises lasted for approximately

(21:37):
an hour. Snelling responded to those messages at eight forty
eight am, police said, telling the group via text that
the noises were from her passing out because she hadn't
eaten and wasn't feeling well. She told them she was
going to see a doctor. Curious as to Miss Snelling's story,

(22:00):
the roommates entered Miss Snelling's room in an attempt to
locate the source of the loud noises. Police wrote. In
the room they found a blood soaked towel on a
floor in a plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth. They
looked in Miss Snelling's closet and located the deceased newborn

(22:20):
baby placed in bags, and the newborn appeared to be
a full term baby. Police have said they were called
to the residence for a report of an unresponsive infant
at about ten thirty a m. The baby was pronounced
dead at the scene. Police said one of the roommates
told them. All the occupants of the residents had suspicions

(22:43):
that Miss Snelling was pregnant, but never confirmed it with her.
Police detained Snelling when she returned to the home. They
took her to police headquarters for questioning and then transferred
her to the UK hospital for treatment. It should be
noted that when speaking to medical staff at the University
of Kentucky Labor and Delivery, she stated that the baby

(23:06):
had a little bit of fetal movement, but passed out
shortly after the document's state. Police said Snelling also told
medical staff that the baby made a whimper and that
she guessed the baby was alive. Police said a search
of Snelling's phone showed several searches including different things pertaining
to pregnancy, images of her during labor, photos of her

(23:30):
doing things ordinary pregnant women would not be doing, and
concealed or hidden pregnancy. Also, during the search of the phone,
the photos that were taken while she was in labor
were deleted in an attempt to hide the birth, which
leads me to believe that other items could also have
been deleted in an attempt to hide any evidence of

(23:52):
the pregnancy. Birth and newborn baby. Police said they believed
an iCloud account shared by Snelling and her mother could
contain current or deleted information that relates to Miss Snelling's pregnancy,
to the birth of the full term baby, and ultimately
its potential demise. Snelling, originally from White Pine, Tennessee, has

(24:15):
pleaded not guilty to the charges against her and is
out of jail on bond. She was a UK senior
majoring in interdisciplinary disability studies and was a member of
the UK Stunt team of Our City Sport, focused on
the technical and athletic aspects of cheerleading and next Trump

(24:38):
says Netta Nahu accepts twenty point plan to the end
of the Gaza War. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister
of Nettunahu said they had agreed to a twenty point
plan designed in the war in Gaza, though the prospects
for peace remained unclear without the direct involvement of Hamas.
Trump said the framework support of other leaders from the

(25:01):
Middle East and Muslim majority nations during a press conference
Monday alongside Netanyahu, suggesting it could lay the ground for
a broader peace in the region. Still, the proposal, which
mandates Hamas have no role in the future of Gaza.
Must be accepted by the militant group, which would need
to agree to substantial concessions. Hamas, which sparked the war

(25:27):
with an October seventh, twenty twenty three, murderous attack on Israel,
set ahead of the Trump Netanyahu meeting, that it had
not seen the plan and would need to study the proposal.
Trump warned that if Hamas rejects the deal, then Neta
Yahu would have our full backing to destroy the militant group.

(25:48):
We're not quite finished. We have to get Hamas, but
I think they're going to be able to do this.
So now it's time for Hamas to accept the terms
of the plan that we put for today. Trump said.
The plan stipulates that the two year conflict would end
immediately if accepted by both Israel and Amas, and that

(26:11):
all hostages and the remains of those who died would
be returned within seventy two hours. The agreement would also
see Israel release nearly two thousand prisoners. That stipulates that
Israel would not occupy or annex Gaza. The proposal encourages
Gaza residents to remain in place pledges the immediate resumption

(26:32):
of aid, and says a panel of experts would be
convinced and convened to rebuild and energize the war torn
area with economic development. Netanyahu at the press conference that
he supported Trump's plan in the war, saying it achieves
our war aims and Israel will retain security responsibility, including

(26:53):
a security perimeter for the foreseeable future. He added. The
plan calls for Hamas to not to have any direct
or in direct role in the governance of Gaza, instead
handling control of the territory to a technocratic a political
Palestinian committee responsible for delivering the day to day running

(27:14):
of the public services. That body would be overseen by
a Board of Peace to be chaired by Trump and
involve the participation of other world leaders, including former UK
Prime Minister Tony Blair. The terms also reference the future
where the conditions for a Palestinian state may finally be
in place if the agreement is implemented. Trump casts the

(27:38):
plan unveiled money is laying the groundwork for a possible
broader Mid East peace, highlighting his efforts to convince more
Arab Gulf states to normalize relations with Israel and the
President said, Arab and Muslim partners are fully prepared to
step up. It's just part of the bigger picture, which
is peace in the Middle East, and let's call it

(27:59):
eat colonel piece in the Middle East, Trump said of
the twenty point plan so far, this is more than
anybody expected. But the level of support that I've had
from the nations of the Middle East Israel Shekel jumped
to a session high versus the dollar after Trump said
Netta Yahu had agreed to the plan. And now, after

(28:23):
a short pause, I hope you'll rejoin us for a
continuation of the reading of the Lexington Herald Leader for today.
Thank you for listening, and now please stay tuned for
more news right here on Radio I. Now we will
continue reading from the Lexington Herald Leader for this wednesdaycept October. First,

(28:43):
your reader is Rod Brotherton, and like always, we start
with the obituaries and read only the name, age, and
location if given. If you would like further information on
any of the obituaries, please see their website or call
us during the weekdays at eight five, nine, four, two
sixty three ninety and we will be glad to read
the entire obituary for you. I'll repeat the number at

(29:06):
the end of the listings in today's obituary index starts
with Patricia Connolly fifty five of Lexington, Jerry Cox eighty
one of Mount Vernon, and Keith John Grierson eighty six
of Lexington. If you would like any further information about

(29:28):
the listings, please visit legacy dot com slash obituary slash Kentucky.
You can also call us at Radio I at eight
five nine four two two sixty three ninety and we
will try to read them to you over the phone. Now,
let's return to the news. Our next story. Senat GOP

(29:49):
candidates don't want to talk about Paul and Massey, two
names you won't hear much in Kentucky's most hotly contested
political Thomas Massey and Rand Paul, the contrarian pair of
Kentucky Republicans, gained national notoriety and consistent state press for

(30:12):
bucking the will of President Trump with their opinions on
foreign policy, tariffs, and the files related to the late
sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But none of the three leading
candidates in Kentucky's Republican primary for the US Senate in
twenty twenty six want to talk about them. Former Attorney

(30:34):
General Daniel Cameron declined to be interviewed about Massey and
Paul's frequent disagreements with Trump. Lexington tech entrepreneur Nate Morris
did not respond to an interview request, and Representative Andy
Barr's team provided a statement instead of granting an interview.

(30:54):
Paul himself addressed this at a recent appearance alongside Massey
in northern Kentucky. If they haven't figured out a smart
strategy yet, then they need to think through it, he said.
It's not my job to tell other people like what
to like or dislike about what I'm doing. This is

(31:15):
to be expected, said Trey Grayson, a former Kentucky Secretary
of State who lost to Paul in the twenty ten
GOP primary, which was the last time a US Senate
seat was open in Kentucky. An endorsement from Trump is
the golden ticket to the nomination, he said. Side with

(31:35):
Massi or Paul, the ticket might be granted to somebody else.
The lens that everything in the Senate primary has to
be viewed through is what increases or decreases the likelihood
of a Trump endorsement for your candidacy or for an
opponent's candidacy through that lens. It's best not to weigh

(31:59):
in at all, he said. But there's another GOP candidate
who doesn't care about that. Michael Ferris has never held
elected office and is still trying to generate name idea
around the state, having only raised about four thousand dollars
in the first months of his campaign. He is not
shied away from criticizing Trump, as well as other Republicans

(32:22):
popular in Kentucky when he disagrees with him. I'm not
a Trump loyalist and I'm not hunting a Trump endorsement.
That's for my opponents, Ferris thirty eight, told The Herald
Leader in an interview. Ferris is a US Air Force
veteran from Elizabethtown who runs a helicopter repair business. It's

(32:44):
not that hard to thread the needle between expressing support
for Trump while approving some of some actions taken by
Massey and Paul. Ferris argue tariffs. He understands that Massey
believes they're essentially attacks the should require approofal from Congress,
but agrees with the principle of Trump trying to juice

(33:06):
American manufacturing. Trump's one big, beautiful Bill Act. Ferris didn't
offer outright praise, but wouldn't stand in its way like
Massy did. Not to sound flip floppy, but if the
response from my constituents is I should be voting for
the bill, even after I educate them that it's not

(33:28):
exactly what they want, then ultimately I think my opinion
is of no matter. Farris said. He lauded Trump's emphasis
on deporting illegal undocumented immigrants, the work of the Department
of Government, efficiency, and various executive orders, but like Massey, Paul,

(33:50):
and a majority of Americans who have been polled on
the issue, he dislikes how the Trump administrations handled the
Epstein files. Releasing the full files related to Epstein was
a campaign promise of Trump and a rallying cry for
media supporters like Cash Pattel and Dan Buningo to popular

(34:11):
Trump aligned influencers. The pair now run the FBI, and
the administration has been resistant to Massey's efforts to release
all the files. They were supposed to be warriors for
truth who ran podcasts for four or five years, saying
they would turn the FBI into a museum the next day.

(34:32):
Dan Bongino, the unbridled spirit of Conservative Truth podcasting, saying
we need to hold those people accountable. Then they get
up there and say this guy trafficks somebody to nobody.
That's ridiculous, Ferris said. Almost every criticism Ferris offered came

(34:53):
with a caveat that he was not anti Trump. Yet
he heat praise on Paul, whose approval rating is high,
and Massy. It looks like it's two Kentucky fellas doing
the bidding of the entire country to make sure that
we're not ruled by a single man again, Phara sit.
I'm one hundred percent not anti Trump, but when a

(35:16):
man is wrong, he's wrong. I've been there, You've been there,
They've been there. Massy in particular, has drawn the ire
of Trump. He has spoken out against and voted against
Trump's Marquee budget bill. He has criticized the administration's bombing
of a nucletar's side in Iran. It was also a

(35:39):
thorn in the president's side when Trump pushed for the
passage of a COVID nineteen relief bill in twenty twenty.
All of this has led to Trump seeking Massy's aulst
and he and a political action committee tied to his
team have run adds against Massy and sought a viable
Republican primary challenger. To date, the group has not yet

(36:04):
tapped the Kentucky candidate in Massy's Northern Kentucky based district.
Paul's relationship with the President is a little more complicated.
Trump has often lumped the two together, though per Pat Massey,
he said he likes Massy's hair better, but still maintains
a relationship with Paul. Barr's spokesperson offered a statement on

(36:27):
the matter, stressing that Barr is his own man. Andy
Barr isnn A Thomas Massey ran, Paul or Mitch McConnery Republican.
He's his own man and proud to be a top
ally of President Trump. Andy chaired Trump's primary campaign in Kentucky,
and he's the only candidate in this race who helped

(36:48):
the President implement the America First agenda. Spokesperson Alex Blizi wrote,
Andy Barr and the President are just getting started delivering
for Kentuckians. Barr is not the only candidate with Trump bonafides.
Cameron spoke on the campaign's behalf at Fancy Farm, the
state's largest political speaking event, in twenty twenty four, and

(37:12):
was endorsed by Trump early in the twenty twenty three
GOP governor's primary. Morris has made a point to gain
connections in Trump's circle, getting plaudits from the president's son,
Donald Trump Junior, as well as former Trump advisor Steve Bannon.
Morris also touts a friendship of Vice President j. D.

(37:32):
Vance and is connected to him through campaign advisor Andrew
sou Robbion. While Paul has diverted from Trump much more
vocally and at a higher rate than Senator Mitch McConnell,
who seat in the GOP contenders are vine to phil
candidates have made more negative comments toward McConnell than any

(37:54):
other Republican politician. Morris made much of the early days
of his campaign Senator around going negative on McConnell, calling
his run a referendum on the longtime senator. That theme
dominated his campaign launch, which came with the direct endorsement
of the late Charlie Kirk, a conservative influencer whose recent

(38:17):
assassination rocked US politics. Cameron and Barr both criticized the
Senator at the start of their prospective campaigns, but have
cooled in their rhetoric since. All three candidates in turned
for McConnell and have some ties to him, but Morris
pitched himself as the least influence by the senator who

(38:40):
served for more than forty years, given that Cameron worked
for him and Barr has served alongside him for more
than a decade. Thus far, no candidate has publicly criticized
any moves by President Trump, while Barr has used his
elected role to sidled close to Trump, peering at the

(39:00):
signing of Trump's budget bill and advocating for a two
hundred and fifty dollars bill with Trump's face on it.
Morris and Cameron have made sure to laud every major
Trump move along the campaign trail and social media. Morris
has the strongest connections to Paul of the top three
GOP candidates. A Hero Leader article published in the run

(39:24):
up to Paul's twenty sixteen presidential campaign titled Ran Paul's Moneyman,
Nate Morris leverages trash contacts for political cash, highlights Morris
and Paul's relationship. He's a go getter who really differentiates himself.
A lot of people offer to help, but then they

(39:45):
wait for you to tell them exactly what to do.
Nate just went out and started doing it, Paul said
in an interview at the time. He's just connected us
to some great people. Paul has also campaigned along Cameron,
giving him a boost, and Cameron's ill fated twenty twenty
three general election run against Governor Vasher. Political action committees

(40:08):
affiliated with Paul also chipped in to help Cameron during
that cycle. Paul and Barr's relationship has been less direct.
They often find each other on the same side of
an issue, but Barr rarely aligns with Paul's more heterodox
stances on foreign policy or markets. Rayson wondered if as

(40:29):
the candidate's approached the May primary in twenty twenty six,
they might rethink their reticence on Massey, and particularly Paul,
who is considering a run for president in twenty twenty
eight and has not drawn the same amount of public
criticism from Trump. As we get closer to May, does
their start to grow a little bit of a crack

(40:51):
in the perception that Trump the dominant figure in the
party six months from now. If there's inflation, that could
be he Grayson said, I can see why they're not
saying anything right now on Paul, but it's still just fascinating.
Then in a state wide race, you wouldn't want to
embrace the other statewide Republican who's really popular inside the party. Next,

(41:18):
details emerge about the suspect in the Michigan church shooting.
The loan suspect and a mass shooting and devastating fire
at a Michigan church during a Sunday service is a
former US Marine who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Thomas
Jacob Sandford, a forty year old Burton Man who allegedly

(41:41):
opened fire on a Mormon church service and set fire
to the place of worship, served in the Marines from
June of twenty oh four through June of twenty oh eight.
According to records provided by the Marine Corps. He was
deployed to a RAQ from August twenty oh seventh through
twight and had the rank of sergeant. According to the records,

(42:04):
his military occupational specialty was organizational Automotive mechanic and vehicle
recovery operator. Grand Blank Township police Chief Raymond Rainey. William
Rainey named Sandford as the lone gunman who shot ten
at the church and intentionally set fire to the structure.

(42:26):
Reine said Sandford drove a vehicle into the church, exited
the vehicle and shot several rounds. He is also believed
to have intentionally set fire to the building. Michigan State
Police specialist Lieutenant Kim Vetter said rumors about Sandford's motive
our purely speculation. Vedder said it may take some time

(42:48):
to determine his actual motive. Four of the ten people
in the church have died, and police said earlier Sunday
that they expect to find addition fatalities in the rubble
of the church. Two police officers arriving with the thirty
seconds of the first call for help at ten twenty

(43:09):
five local engaged in gunfire with Sandford in the parking
lot and shot and killed him within minutes. Rainy sid
Little has been released about Sandford. Police are expected to
provide another update at eight pm Sunday. Michigan State Police
could be seen at Sandford's home Sunday afternoon, approaching with

(43:30):
the department's bomb squad. The Clarkston News reported that Sanford
served a stint in Okinawa, Japan, before serving in Iraq.
Sandford's uncle also served in the Marines, while his grandfather
served in the Navy during World War II. According to
the newspaper. Randy Thronson, a seventy one year old Burton

(43:51):
man who lives a few doors down from Sandford, said
it's usually a quiet area with nothing but fender benders,
drawing the police to Atherton Road. Thronson said Sandford was
a good neighbor who plowed Thronson's and others driveways for free.
Tronson served in the military for twenty five years and
said Sandford also was a veteran. It's really said, Tronson said,

(44:17):
might have just snapped it was a marine on the move.
The Clarkson News reported about Sandford in twenty oh seven,
saying in an article that Sandford followed an uncle who
was a Marine and a grandfather who served in the
Navy in World War II. The next article, US city
should be military training grounds, Trump says. President Trump and

(44:43):
Defense Secretary Pete Hegsith summoned more than eight hundred of
the country's top brass to a military base in Virginia
on Tuesday, the voice of familiar litany of culture war
talking points and criticize a military that they complain had
become distracted by political correctness. The rare and highly anticipated

(45:06):
call up through the country's military commanders, who flew in
from Asia, Europe, in points between on short notice. The
President delivered a rambling address that included familiar talking points
and critiques, and also Trump's revelation that he had told
Hegseth to use US cities where he has deployed troops

(45:28):
as training grounds for the military. It was unclear why
with a shutdown of the federal government looming, Trump and
his Defense secretary needed to gather the country's senior military
leaders from overseas deployments to tell them face to face
that they were straight out of Central Casting. As Trump

(45:49):
characterized the gathering, I'm thrilled to be here this morning
to address the senior leadership of what is once again
known around the world as the Department of War, Trump said.
Though Trump has renamed the department, Congress has not yet
approved the change. Trump praised his own tariff and border
policies and insulted former President Biden. Discussing his efforts to

(46:14):
send troops to US cities, he said, we should use
some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military.
Heg Sith spoke first, telling the assembled generals and admirals
that he was tightening standards for fitness and grooming, cracking
down even more rigorously against woke garbage, and getting rid

(46:36):
of attacks on toxic leadership that he said had gone
too far. In his address, Sexith railed against what he
called stupid rules of engagement that he said limited soldiers
and commanders in the field. He defended his firing of
more than a dozen military leaders, any of them people

(46:57):
of color and women. He said that from now on,
promotions would be based on merit, complaining that in his view,
they were previously not. We've already done a lot in
this area, but more changes are coming soon. He said.
It was standard fair for Hegsith, who undoubtedly come under

(47:18):
criticism for the expense of flying the commanders to the
Washington area as the federal shut down looms. Trump acknowledged
the cost of the gathering as he boarded a helicopter
to head to the Marine base at Quantico where the
gathering was being held. These are our generals, our admirals,
our leaders. And it's a good thing. A thing like

(47:41):
this has never been done before because they came from
all over the world, the President said. And there's a
little bit of expense, not much, but there's a little
bit of expense for that. We don't like to waste it.
We'd rather spend it on bullets and rockets. The generals
and admirals assembled were mostly quiet during and remarks by
Hegsith and Trump. It is tradition for the military to

(48:04):
present a non partisan posture when Hegsith's some of the
senior officers last week. He gave no reason for the meeting,
which has no precedent in scope and scale in recent memory.
The military leaders were told to expect a speech from
the Secretary, heralding a so called warfighter culture he has

(48:25):
championed since taking office, but they were given little other
information and next October two fifty lex events celebrate Lexington
as the horse capital of the world and an editor's
note as Lexington celebrates the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary

(48:45):
of its founding, Herald Leader and Kentucky dot Com each
day throughout twenty twenty five will share interesting facts about
our hometown. Compiled by Liz Carey. All are notable moments
in the city's history, some funny, some said, others heartbreaking
or celebratory, and some just downright strange. October is traditionally

(49:09):
a time for spooky spirits, but this year in Lexington,
the month will focus on the equine spirit two. For
the year long celebration of Lexington's founding two hundred and
fifty years ago, the two point fifty lex Commission decided
the theme for the month of October would be the
city's equine heritage. Coinciding with the Fall meet at Keeneland,

(49:33):
events will feature horses, Lexington's love of them, and the
city's reputation as the horse capital of the world. The
city's history will be chronicled in a special feature from
k ET. At seven pm on October thirteenth, k ET
will show Lexington two hundred and fifty years at the

(49:54):
Kentucky Theater, from the city's establishment on the banks of
Town Branch Creek through the Civil War, the Great Depression,
and the World Wars. The three hour documentary will take
viewers through the city's past, narrated by actor and Lexington
native Josh Hopkins. The movie is free and open to

(50:14):
the public. Doors open at six and seating is first come,
first serve. The film will later be televised on KET
on October twentieth. You can't celebrate Equine Month without the
start of the Fall meet at Keeneland, running from October
third through October twenty fifth, The meet will feature twenty

(50:36):
two stakes races over seventeen days, worth a record breaking
ten point eight five million dollars in purses. The meat
begins with the weekend of eleven races, eight of which
are Challenge Series qualifiers, four specific Breeder Cup races that
will run October thirty first through November one at the

(50:58):
del Marthur Bridge Club in del Mar, California. On October fourteenth,
Black Soil Ky will host author and equestrian Chanelle Minifield
to talk about her debut book, Yes That's Vegan, Rooted
and Balanced, and her current goal of becoming the first

(51:19):
Black American to ride in the Olympics. Guests will enjoy
a recipe prepared by Minifield from her book, using local
produce from Black Soil, Kentucky. The event runs five thirty
to seven thirty pm October fourteenth at Black Soil, which
is an eight twenty lane allen Road Suite one seventy six.

(51:42):
Tickets are free, but the doors to the event closed
promptly at six pm. Organizer said. At the end of
the month, from October twenty second through November two, the
Kentucky Horse Park will host the National Horse Show, ranked
as one of the top shows in the by the
North American Writers Group. The Hunter Jumper event will feature

(52:05):
junior and amateur owner jumpers and top Olympic Open jumpers
from America and around the world participating in a full
array of hunter divisions. There will be plenty of spooky
things leading up to the Halloween. As part of lex
two fifty two. On October twelfth, the Mary Todd Lincoln

(52:26):
House will host a history walk through the Lexington Cemetery.
The self guided tour will focus on Lexington's divided loyalties
during the Civil War and will feature museum staff stations
along the route to share stories from the time. Tickets
are ten dollars online, with walks at two, two thirty

(52:47):
and three pm which begin at the Henry Clay Monument
in the Cemetery. On October twenty sixth, it's time for
the Thriller Lexington. Possibly the old thriller parade in the country,
the Lexington Thriller Parade started in twenty two part of
the city's Halloween parade. It has become a must do

(53:10):
event for Halloween and zombie lovers throughout the area. The
event has been named a top ten Halloween destination by
USA Today and has been featured in the top twenty
five Best Halloween Festivals across the US by Oprah magazine.
Organizers are still looking for zombies too. You can register

(53:34):
to b one and sign up for Thriller rehearsals at Lexington,
ky dot gov and next. Denmark closes airspace to civilian
drones after incursions. Denmark banned all civilian drones effective Monday
over safety concerns as Copenhagen prepares to host a European

(53:57):
Union summit on defense. Transport Minister Thomas Danielsson announced the
airspace closure on Sunday after a slew of incidents involving
unidentified drones in recent weeks. The closure will be in
effect from Monday to Friday. He said the drones have
created disruption and uncertainty in the country, particularly among the

(54:22):
military and police. He said the closure of airspace to
civilian drone use will allow law enforcements to focus on
security for the EU meetings on Thursday and Friday. The
European Council is meeting informally on Thursday to address general
defense in Europe, as well as the body's support for

(54:43):
Ukraine amid its war with Russia. A more formal summit
of the European political community is expected to take place
on Friday. Last week, Denmark's Defence Minister trolls Lundpoulsen said
the recent drone sidings in Denmark's airspace likely warn't by Russia,

(55:05):
though there has been a rise in Russian violation of
Allied airspace. Instead described them as hybrid attacks, meaning they
were the result of different types of drones. Authorities believed
they were launched from somewhere local. The drone incidents had
caused Denmark to at times shut down airports and the

(55:28):
airspace around its largest military base. During his speech on
Wednesday before the UN General Assembly in New York City,
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky warned the international community that Russia's
advanced weaponry and defense technology are putting the entirety of
Europe under threat. He cited Moscow's use of drones and

(55:52):
artificial intelligence. They are living through the most destructive alms
race and human history, said European leaders, including Poulsen, met
on the sidelines of the UN General Debate last week
to discuss the establishment of a drone wall to prevent
drone attacks from Russia or otherwise. The system to detect

(56:18):
and disable drones would create a virtual wall along eastern
EU countries including Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. There
have been other unidentified drone sightings in Lithuania, Poland and Romania.

(56:43):
And now this concludes the reading of the Lexington Herald
Leader for today, Wednesday, October first, twenty twenty five. Your
reader has been Rod Brotherton. As always, thank you, thank
you for listening, and now please they tuned for sports
news right here on Radio I