Kentucky Politics Weekly

As KPW rolls into a bit of a summer break, we've got lawsuits in Kentucky, immigration issues nationally, and bombings abroad. Also, an American hero is returning to his reclaim his crown this July.

Israel is bombing Iran, LA is on fire, Asian needle ants are attacking the South. Just a few of the crisis's on the KPW crew's minds this week.

Democratic State Representative Adam Moore joins the show to talk about Pre-K, MAHA, and his experiences as a Freshman legislator. It turns out he and Majority Whip Jason Nemes have unknowingly formed an anti-8 bit Podcast theme music caucus in the General Assembly

Robin Webb leaves the Democratic Party, Fayette County is raising taxes (maybe?) Trump hates TACOs?, and Bob Menendez is back! All on a packed KPW!

It's Friday on a holiday weekend, we're tired and ready for a break, can you blame us? We've got education policy, tax policy, foreign policy, and monkey wars. This one is all over the place!

Kentucky Magistrates and Commissioners Association Executive Director JC Young joins the show to talk County Governments. Also, Tres talks two of his favorite (and two of Jared's least favorite) topics: his hatred of raising the SALT Deduction cap and his love for local tax reform.

Former State Rep and good Irish Catholic Killian Timoney joins the pod to talk all things pope. Also, we ask the serious questions like can raccoons develop a meth tolerance and why wouldn't a snake handler keep antivenom nearby.

It's Derby week in the Commonwealth and the Louisville Thoroughbred Society's own Gene McLean is back for our annual KPW Derby preview, this year brought to you by the Associated General Contractors of Kentucky. Also, Tres has grievances to be aired and KY Wired rears it's ugly head yet again.

The KY Senate race gains a candidate, there's going to be a new pope, and there may be a new Secretary of Defense soon. Also, we learn important lessons about masquerading as a creepy clown and not licking your friends and co-workers.

We're back from a spring break hiatus. We've got KY Senate finance deadlines, issues with KSP, RFK Jr idiocy, bad Beshear poll numbers, and more!

It will never stop raining and Trump has imposed tariffs on penguins. Not sure what else we can say about this one other than ignore the fact that Abby's mic isn't turned on the first 10 minutes. It gets better.....

It's Sine Die in the KY General Assembly and it's a rare bonus Tennessee Hate Week as the Cats gear up to play the trash men from down south. Also, KPW Foreign Correspondent Jason Emert joins the show to talk Signalgate

Veto week is upon the KY General Assembly but that doesn't mean there's no news. We've got issues at KREF, Trump versus the DOE, Orcas wearing hats, and corrupt snack food magnates.

Whether it's the grind of the General Assembly Session or the fact that the SEC doesn't know how to schedule and UK finished playing at nearly 2 AM, the KPW crew is tired. But the show must go on. We've got a look of the week that was in Frankfort, UK not teaching students about tariffs, and a summary of Bologna-gate.

Tariffs are here. Or they're not. Or maybe they are, we're not sure. Either way, we've got all the KY and national political news you need. Also, the police blotter may be becoming a standard segment of the podcast because we've got a lot this week.

We're past the midway mark in the 2025 KY General Assembly session and a few bills are moving. The KPW crew talks about library boards, conversion therapy, professor tenure, and more. Also, Trump-Zelenskyy goes south, measles in Kentucky, John Morgan is forming his own party, and more!

Well, they can't all be winners. Technical "mistakes" and scattershot thoughts by KPW's host plague this one but the crew powers through with discussions about Frankfort, Washington, drug catapults, and wayward seals. The audio gets better half way through once the technical mistakes are discovered, so bear with it.

The KY General Assembly is in full swing. The KPW crew takes a look at some of the legislation that has caught their eyes. Also, the KY Senate and KY-6 races from 2026 seem to be heating up, and KPW has thoughts.

The Kentucky General Assembly is back and KPW has you covered with some of our favorite (and least favorite) bills so far. Also, friend of the pod Ryan Underwood is here to pitch a bill that creates a new way for businesses to pay taxes. Finally, the KPW crew is VERY excited for the latest track to drop from Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control! That joint is lit!

A week that lasted a month in a month that lasted a year is finally over. We've got coverage of Andy Beshear's conference call, Library legislation, the guy with the brain worms, the woman who likes Assad, and a trash can full of popcorn.

We're 4 days clear of inauguration and the news simply won't stop. This week, we've got pardons, executive orders, convenience store joints, and makeup tips for Matt Gaetz from George Santos!

It's KPW's 6th Birthday and to celebrate, we add the original co-host, Tom Stephens and first guest, Adam Edelen, to the show. We've got ethical issues in State Government, education lawsuits, the tick tock for TikTok, and Tres has thoughts on snow removal and related issues in Lexington.

New year, same podcast! KPW is back in 2025 with a look at the news we've missed. The NOLA and Las Vegas terror attacks, the speaker vote, Carter's funeral, the first week of the KY General Assembly, and the case for taking over Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal! Also, a kudos to the fine folks at Pop Tarts.

We're back with part 2 of our 2025 General Assembly preview. We're joined by Democratic State Senator Cassie Chamber Armstrong for a discussion about tax policy, education policy, and how to shape the agenda from the minority.

Our 2025 General Assembly preview kicks off with a wide-ranging discussion with new State Senate Majority Leader Max Wise. Fresh off the State Senate Caucus retreat, Leader Wise has thoughts on where we may see the 2025 session will lead and what some of the priorities may be. Also, an in-depth discussion of Yacht Rock and Leader Wise takes a position on whether or not Poco is indeed Yacht Rock.

Consent Decrees in Louisville, a regime change in Syria, and KDP's financial woes lead the week. Also, on a very special KPW, the crew learns an important lesson to make sure everyone's mics are on, so please forgive Jared's quiet voice the first 15 minutes.

KPW is back after a Thanksgiving break and we've got Andy Beshear making moves in New Hampshire, thoughts on the assassination of a Health Insurance CEO, a recap of Jared and Abby's trip to Vegas, and the debut of a new podcast feature: Rate That Coup. This week: South Korea.

Jared and Abby are reporting to us live from the F1 race in Las Vegas, so it's an unusual, Saturday morning recording for KPW! We've got new KY Democratic House Leadership, Bearcat on Bearcat legal attacks, the departure of Matt Gaetz, and we ask the question, "Can an emu really escape if it's already feral?"

There's good news and bad news but KPW has it all. We've for JCPS issues, leadership elections, Trump appointments, and a fugitive wallaby.

The 2024 elections are over, DJT is back, and KPW have thoughts. Lots of lessons learned, unlearned, and relearned. So listen up for politics, asteroids, and William Wallace monkeys on the post-election KPW

The United States isn't the only country holding elections this time of year. KPW's official foreign correspondent Jason Emert joins the show to talk about his work as an election observer in Georgia (the Tbilisi one, not the Atlanta one). The crew also rounds out the election and talk about Andy Beshear's proposal to eliminate the electoral college.

It's that time again! KPW is here with your full, 19 Senate race and 100 State House race-by-race breakdown of the election. There's not as many competitive races as there were in the primary but that doesn't mean there aren't some interesting ones. Also a positive, we kept is under 2 hours!

We're a little over a week before the Presidential election and things are only getting crazier. KPW's got Arnold Palmer's manhood, Nazis, questionable science, and Tres and Jared are aggrieved by NFL refereeing.

Jared and Abby are on set, so we're remote this week but that doesn't stop the news. An organ donation scandal, a clan endorsement, a new McConnell book, and chili ice cream lead the headlines.

KPW is back from a week's hiatus and there's lots to get to. The scandal list long this week with LMPD, the Metro Council. and Juvenile Justice leading the way. Also, there's the aftermath of hurricanes and a discussion of the Kentucky Right to Life endorsement list.

Need your carpet cleaned? We've got a recommendation. Can't afford airfare to Turkey? We'll tell you how to get there. Want to make sense of dumb things politicians say? We'll try to help, but no promises.

KPW come to you this week from Bespoken Bourbon at Greyline Station in Lexington. We have a megacast of politicians behaving badly, including posing the question "How do you get banned from a strip club?" Also, praise for Rand Paul, the animal coalition of the willing, and a discussion with Bespoken CEO Scott Savage about their bourbon and the legal paperwork involved in building a distillery from the ground up.

KPW come to you this week from Bespoken Bourbon at Greyline Station in Lexington. We have a megacast of politicians behaving badly, including posing the question "How do you get banned from a strip club?" Also, praise for Rand Paul, the animal coalition of the willing, and a discussion with Bespoken CEO Scott Savage about their bourbon and the legal paperwork involved in building a distillery from the ground up.

It was debate week this week, and Nazi propaganda about people eating pets made it onto stage, so we've got that going for us. Also, Tres and Jared are not impressed with this week's football slate, Abby sticks her hands in other people's water (literally), and more.

Jared is out of town, which means it's just Tres and Abby (and briefly, Linus the dog). They cover all the important news, like media errors, cinnamon bacon, and the Louisville porch pooper.

We've got a full card for KPW Night at the Political fights! Beshear v the DOJ! Beshear v Ball! Vance v Firefighters! Trump v Arlington! Boeing and SpaceX v Gravity! Sheriff (managed by Booze) V Tractor!

The Democrats are convening in Chicago and dolphins are attacking in Japan. We've got these stories and everything in between along with Tres and Jared's pre-season NFL and College Football bets.

After a massive and disappointing technical failure on the last show, KPW is back and better than ever with new recording equipment and better sound, but still with the same snark and 8-bit theme music! We've got Amendment 2 troubles in Pulaski Co, Russian restaurant yelp reviews, and the biggest politicians behaving badly segment in KPW history!

Another Fancy Farm is in the books and the KPW has a breakdown for you. Recording live from directly behind the stage, the crew is joined by State Representatives Michael Meredith, Wade Williams, and Suzanne Miles, State Senator Jason Howell, Fancy Farm Political Chair Steven Elder, and Mario Anderson of Spectrum News.

Biden out, Harris in, mems aplenty, Beshear for VP, the Olympics, and one persistent Louisville physician, this KPW hits it all and more!

It's another huge week in American politics. An assassination attempt, the RNC, and Biden potentially stepping aside. KPW has you covered as we march closer to election day.

Things keep getting worse for Joe Biden and Jake Cox loves it. KPW's got all your Democratic Despair news! Also, while Andy Beshear is running for VP, he seems to believe it's a good idea to pick a fight nitpicking rules that could endanger children. Good idea or bad idea?

The KPW crew is back from vacation and breaks down the Presidential Debate and a week or huge SCOTUS rulings.

Former co-host Stephenie Steitzer Hoelscher is back to fill in for Abby and Jared while they sail the Mediterranean. In this week's news, we've got the LMPD doing LMPD stuff, a win for the AG in court, and the dissolution of the UK Faculty Senate.

Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe drops into the podcast studio to talk her first term in the State Senate, AI, and more. Also, there's talk about Dolly Parton, submarines, and Tres lays down a firm ban on cricket talk.

Donald Trump is convicted and the North Koreans are attacking South Korea with poop, so it's just another, normal, everyday week on KPW. Also, Tres and Abby have their biggest argument ever about the importance of statistics to baseball vis-à-vis every other sport.