By Linda Blackford | Editor
Good morning! The U.S. Senate debate between Congressman Andy Barr and Charles Booker heated up the airwaves last night; they hit on all the hot topics. Reporter McKenna Horsley has the story.
Speaking of the midterm elections in roughly two weeks, contributor Tom Loftus is still following the money, especially what special interests like Churchill Downs are giving to PACS.
Meanwhile, voter advocacy groups are suing the federal government, saying that Kentucky is one of the states that was targeted as part of the Trump administration’s attempts to get hold of voter data.
And what does sepsis have to do with hospital bills? Today’s Commentary will explain.
Have a wonderful Tuesday, and thanks for reading.
Charles Booker, right, speaks during a debate at the WKYT studios in Lexington, Ky., on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Courtesy pool photographer Ryan Hermens)
By McKenna Horsley
In the race to succeed U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and former Democratic state Rep. Charles Booker sounded off on a host of issues Monday evening in their only televised debate ahead of Election Day.
Race-goers gather in Churchill Downs’ paddock ahead of the Kentucky Derby. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)
By Tom Loftus
Churchill Downs contributed $570,000 during the last three months to Republican PACs that have been spending big on independent advertising aimed at electing State Sen. Julie Raque Adams and other Republicans to the General Assembly in November.
A polling location is open for early voting at Paristown Hall in Louisville on Saturday in May, 2026. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)
By Justin Hicks, Louisville Public Media
A lawsuit filed in a federal district court Thursday alleges the Department of Homeland Security has systematically collected sensitive data on Kentucky voters, despite the state’s refusal to share it.
Voters say the cost of healthcare will be a major factor in how they vote in this year’s midterm elections. (Getty Images)
COMMENTARY
By Tom Stephens
There is no single explanation for America’s high healthcare costs. But any serious effort to control them must start with hospitals.
Between 2022 and 2024, hospital care accounted for $277 billion, or 40%, of the growth in national health spending, according to a KFF analysis. Those costs reach families through premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, businesses through employee benefits, and taxpayers through Medicaid.
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