Kentucky Politics Distilled

This week in Kentucky politics, almost all Kentucky school districts have announced they’ll require masks after the legislature scrapped the statewide mandate. The Senate president says the governor might call another special legislative session to attract and retain healthcare workers. And a court heard arguments over the new tax break for donating to private school scholarships.

This week in Kentucky politics, Gov. Andy Beshear called a special legislative session to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers got rid of the school mask mandate and gave schools slightly more flexibility to go to remote learning during the pandemic. And the virus continues to surge across the state and strain hospital capacity. WFPL Education Reporter Jess Clark joins Ryland Barton for t...

This week in Kentucky politics, the coronavirus continued to slam hospitals across the state, but Gov. Andy Beshear isn’t imposing any new restrictions. A Republican lawmaker filed a bill to ban businesses from requiring employees to get the vaccine. And Mitch McConnell said he’s perplexed by people who don’t want to get the vaccine.

This week in Kentucky politics, Gov. Andy Beshear and the state Board of Education issued mask mandates for public schools as the coronavirus delta variant continues to spread. U.S. Senator Rand Paul disclosed (long after he should have) that his wife invested in a coronavirus treatment drug. And new census data shows rural populations declining in Kentucky.

This week in Kentucky politics…politicians have been gearing up for Fancy Farm, which is still happening this weekend despite the spread of the COVID-19 delta variant. Mitch McConnell started airing radio ads urging people to get the vaccine. And Gov. Andy Beshear hasn’t issued a new mask mandate, but says he’s not taking it off the table.

This week in Kentucky politics, former state Representative Charles Booker launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat held by Rand Paul. Paul says he’s confident he’ll win reelection. And two lawmakers say they’ll pass a bill allowing student athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness.

This week in Kentucky politics, Mitch McConnell blocked the commission investigating the January 6th Capitol riot. Several labor unions and nonprofits called on Gov. Andy Beshear to keep the $300 supplement to unemployment benefits. And Attorney General Daniel Cameron argued that courts can’t waive the $300 fee to expunge felony records. We talk about it all on this week’s edition of Kentucky Poli...

This week in Kentucky politics, Mitch McConnell came out AGAINST creating a commission to investigate the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. A Baptist adoption agency refused to renew its contract with the state because of a nondiscrimination clause. And a state legislator got his DUI dismissed due to a recent state Supreme Court ruling. Amina Elahi and Ryland Barton recap it all on this week's e...

The Department of Justice launched an investigation into Louisville’s police department. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said he doesn’t think the country is systemically racist. And the state found out it won’t lose or gain any congressional seats during the reapportionment process. We cover it all on this episode.

This week in Kentucky politics, Mitch McConnell said the state doesn’t need the most recent round of federal coronavirus aid. That’s even though the Republican-led legislature already spent more than $1 billion of the relief funds. He also criticized companies boycotting Georgia after passing new election restrictions.

This week in Kentucky politics, lawmakers overrode all of Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes and passed dozens of bills during the final days of the legislative session. They also set aside more than a billion for infrastructure projects funded by the federal coronavirus package.

This week in Kentucky politics, Gov. Andy Beshear signed dozens of bills passed by the legislature, but vetoed several as well. Next week lawmakers will return to consider overriding vetoes on the last two days of this year’s legislative session.

This week in Kentucky politics, lawmakers rushed more than 100 bills through the legislature ahead of Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto period. The last-minute flurry included massive tax breaks, and more attempts to curtail Beshear’s powers during the pandemic. But several high-profile bills didn’t make it across the finish line.

This week in Kentucky politics, the state Senate passed a bill making it a crime to insult a police officer and boosting penalties for protest-related charges. And on the eve of the anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s death, lawmakers passed a watered-down version of a bill limiting no-knock search warrants.

This week in Kentucky politics, a bill limiting — but not banning — no-knock warrants across the state gained momentum in the legislature. Lawmakers finally unveiled a long-promised election reform bill. And the committee reviewing petitions to impeach the governor and attorney general recommended dismissing the requests.

This week in Kentucky politics, Rand Paul urged state lawmakers to pass a mysterious bill that would change the election system. The debate over historical horse racing machines divided Republicans in the legislature. And criminal justice reform bills have been gaining momentum in the statehouse.

This week in Kentucky politics, impeachment claims against Governor Andy Beshear continued to drag through the legislature, Rand Paul got the entire senate to go on record about Trump’s impeachment ahead of his trial, and Louisville released a scathing audit of its police department, showing over-policing of Black communities.

This week in Kentucky politics, Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed several bills that passed out of the legislature. Three grand jurors from the Breonna Taylor case filed an impeachment petition against Attorney General Daniel Cameron, saying he misled the public. And Mitch McConnell returned to his role as senate minority leader.

This week in Kentucky politics, lawmakers created a committee to review a citizen impeachment petition against Gov. Andy Beshear. The move may have opened the door for more petitions to be filed against state politicians. Plus, officials are worried about a potential attack on the Kentucky capitol. And Mitch McConnell has once again found himself at the center of a presidential impeachment fight.

This week in Kentucky politics, the legislature returned and quickly advanced bills stripping the governor of his powers. All Kentucky members of Congress voted to accept the presidential election results, except for Hal Rogers, who cited unfounded claims of voter fraud. And after Democratic Senate victories in Georgia, Mitch McConnell will return to his role as minority leader.

This week in Kentucky politics, Gov. Beshear issued new coronavirus restrictions, banning indoor services at bars and restaurants and limiting gatherings. Republicans in the legislature quickly criticized the measures. And Kentucky’s GOP elected officials continued to question the outcome of the presidential election.

This week in Kentucky politics, the state Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Andy Beshear’s coronavirus-related restrictions are legal. Leaders of the Republican-led legislature said they still want to strip Beshear of those emergency powers. And Attorney General Daniel Cameron joined a lawsuit challenging mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania.

This week in Kentucky politics, Republicans picked up several seats in the state legislature. GOP leaders say they want to clip Gov. Andy Beshear’s emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell easily won reelection, and later refused to condemn president’s claims of voter fraud.

This week in Kentucky politics, early voting continues as the state enters into a new surge of the coronavirus pandemic. The state treasurer released a report accusing Gov. Beshear of improperly spending money to enforce coronavirus orders. And a new batch of polls came out showing Mitch McConnell ahead of Amy McGrath everywhere in Kentucky except Louisville.

This week in Kentucky politics, Mitch McConnell and Amy McGrath squared off in the only debate of the senate race this year. With less than three weeks until Election Day, both candidates have been crisscrossing the state in an effort to turn out voters. And early voting started this week. Election officials want voters to cast their ballots early.