Washington Post immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti earned herself a wave of backlash when she attempted to use Saturday&#8217;s Kentucky Derby winner — Sovereignty, ridden by Venezuelan immigrant Junior Alvarado — as a cudgel with which to dishonestly attack President Donald Trump and his administration&#8217;s policies on illegal immigration and mass deportation.
Sacchetti, like so many others in broadcast and print media, conflated Alvarado — a legal immigrant from Venezuela — with the millions of illegal immigrants in the United States, suggesting that it Trump was allowed to continue deporting criminal illegals, Alvarado and others like him would be among them.
&#8220;Trump officials, who have sought to expel hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, are celebrating the victory of Sovereignty at the Kentucky Derby. Sovereignty’s jockey, Junior Alvarado, is an immigrant from Venezuela,&#8221; Sacchetti posted via X.
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Trump officials, who have sought to expel hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, are celebrating the victory of Sovereignty at the Kentucky Derby.
Sovereignty’s jockey, Junior Alvarado, is an immigrant from Venezuela. <a href="https://t.co/vbGAGh7GS3">pic.twitter.com/vbGAGh7GS3</a>
— Maria Sacchetti (@mariasacchetti) <a href="https://twitter.com/mariasacchetti/status/1918846076922007915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Critics quickly pointed out the fact that Alvarado was in the United States legally — and Trump&#8217;s deportation policies were aimed primarily at those who were not only in the country illegally but had also committed additional crimes since their arrival.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon posted, &#8220;In America, legal immigrants are awesome and many serve in the Trump administration. I am one. Junior Alvarado is leading in sports. Many like Elon change the world. Stop conflating law-abiding citizens with criminal gangbangers, drug dealers, and human traffickers. We see you.&#8221;
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In America, legal immigrants are awesome and many serve in the Trump administration. I am one. Junior Alvarado is leading in sports. Many like Elon change the world. Stop conflating law-abiding citizens with criminal gangbangers, drug dealers, and human traffickers. We see you. <a href="https://t.co/LX32GXPQwO">https://t.co/LX32GXPQwO</a>
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@HarmeetKDhillon) <a href="https://twitter.com/HarmeetKDhillon/status/1919047378327257130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Great story, Maria. So the entire (dishonest) implication of your premise is that he entered the country illegally and Alvarado is now at risk of being deported. Except he came here legally,&#8221; Joe Concha added. &#8220;The &#8216;hundreds of thousands&#8217; of Venezuelans Trump is seeking to expel entered illegally.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Great story, Maria. So the entire (dishonest) implication of your premise is that he entered the country illegally and Alvarado is now at risk of being deported.
Except he came here legally. The “hundreds of thousands” of Venezuelans Trump is seeking to expel entered illegally. <a href="https://t.co/0lJPgGMOPn">https://t.co/0lJPgGMOPn</a>
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeConchaTV/status/1919063938328572353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;This article, shared by a Washington Post reporter, conflates illegal immigrants, foreigners with legal guest visas, and Latinos as a whole to pretend that cracking down on illegal immigration would exclude jockeys. An immigration attorney quoted in the article confirms there’s been no problem obtaining visas for foreign jockeys. I think these people actually believe their own propaganda,&#8221; Laura Powell said.
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This article, shared by a Washington Post reporter, conflates illegal immigrants, foreigners with legal guest visas, and Latinos as a whole to pretend that cracking down on illegal immigration would exclude jockeys.
An immigration attorney quoted in the article confirms there’s… <a href="https://t.co/JGL9otuuUA">https://t.co/JGL9otuuUA</a> <a href="https://t.co/r8z2tC2BTu">pic.twitter.com/r8z2tC2BTu</a>
— Laura Powell (@LauraPowellEsq) <a href="https://twitter.com/LauraPowellEsq/status/1919089927884882373?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;This woman is allegedly an immigration &#8216;reporter&#8217; for the Washington Post and does not understand the difference between LEGAL immigrants and ILLEGAL immigrants,&#8221; Abigail Jackson posted.
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This woman is allegedly an immigration “reporter” for the Washington Post and does not understand the difference between LEGAL immigrants and ILLEGAL immigrants. <a href="https://t.co/RfT6AWoMbN">https://t.co/RfT6AWoMbN</a>
— Abigail Jackson 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) <a href="https://twitter.com/abigailmarone/status/1919058565370704032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I wonder if she understands that her assertion demonstrates that Trump supporters don’t hate people because of their ethnicity but instead want illegal aliens gone regardless,&#8221; Kurt Schlicter added.
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I wonder if she understands that her assertion demonstrates that Trump supporters don’t hate people because of their ethnicity but instead want illegal aliens gone regardless <a href="https://t.co/dcpNlC7BAM">https://t.co/dcpNlC7BAM</a>
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) <a href="https://twitter.com/KurtSchlichter/status/1919030326883430472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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151st Kentucky Derby

WaPo Reporter Obliterated For Using Kentucky Derby To Bash Trump On Immigration

horse racing

Journalism

Kentucky

Media

Politics

Washington Post

Torrential storms and violent tornadoes wreaked havoc across the Midwest and South over the weekend, killing at least 21 and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses.
Among the victims was nine-year-old Gabriel Andrews, who was swept away by floodwaters while walking to his school bus stop early Friday morning, leaving his family and community reeling while demanding answers from their school district.
The National Weather Service put in place a flash flood warning for 13 counties surrounding and including Franklin County, Kentucky, until 8:30 a.m. that morning, but rather than heeding the NWS&#8217;s county-wide advisory and canceling school for the devastated district, the district <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C26ixMhv5/">announced</a> on Facebook at 5 a.m.: “We need to cancel two bus routes this morning.”
As the storms intensified, the district dismissed &#8220;rumors&#8221; of a shutdown of the schools, despite flooded roadways and up to 12 inches of water <a href="https://www.wkms.org/2025-04-07/significant-flooding-continues-to-wreak-havoc-across-kentucky-tennessee">reported</a> in some areas.
“All schools are operating normally and there are no lockdowns in the district,” the district <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FmxHeBYbc/">posted</a> on Facebook after Andrews&#8217; had been missing for hours.
The reality on the ground was much different, according to Franklin County local Caitlin Green who told CNN affiliate WLKY that “the rain was coming down hard” the day of Andrews’ death, with “flooded roadways” requiring Andrews to hop drains and cross dangerous obstacles to reach their bus stop.
The third-grader&#8217;s body was found around 8:47 a.m., approximately half a mile from where he was swept away in the Hickory Hills area while walking to his bus stop, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/05/us/gabriel-andrews-frankfort-kentucky-death/index.html">reported</a>.
Superintendent Mark Kopp offered no explanation for holding classes during the flood warning. &#8220;We are deeply saddened that this horrific tragedy has claimed the life of one of our students,&#8221; Kopp said in a statement.
The tragedy occurred as Kentucky was under a state of emergency, with rivers nearing record levels, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/severe-weather-flooding-tornado-cda0e8803e4e692d162de856ccc6ef9e">reported</a>. Governor Andy Beshear confirmed more than 500 state roads remain closed.
The storm system responsible for Gabriel&#8217;s death has caused at least 21 fatalities across multiple states as of Monday.
Ten deaths occurred in Tennessee alone, while others were reported in Arkansas, Missouri, and Georgia.
Among the victims was a 5-year-old boy in Arkansas who died when a tree fell on his family&#8217;s home, and a 16-year-old volunteer firefighter in Missouri who perished in a crash while attempting to rescue storm victims, per the Associated Press.
More than 500 state roads remained closed across Kentucky as of Monday morning, with dozens of locations in multiple states expected to reach &#8220;major flood stage.&#8221;
The Frankfort Police Department and Franklin County Coroner&#8217;s Office continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Gabriel&#8217;s death.

US-WEATHER-STORM-FLOODING

Tragedy In Kentucky: 9-Year-Old Swept Away By Floodwaters As Storms Kill 21 Across Region

Natural Disaster

U.S.

On Thursday morning, Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mitch-mcconnell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mitch McConnell</a> (R-KY) announced that he will not seek another term in the upper chamber during next year&#8217;s election, a decision that will bring to an end a lengthy career that included serving nearly two decades as party leader in the Senate.
&#8220;Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,&#8221; McConnell said in a Senate floor speech on his 83rd birthday. &#8220;Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business right here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.&#8221;
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Sen. Mitch McConnell (<a href="https://twitter.com/SenMcConnell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenMcConnell</a>): &quot;Seven times my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate&#8230;Representing our Commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/b33cR7I36e">pic.twitter.com/b33cR7I36e</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1892621015370399750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
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During a record <a href="https://www.senate.gov/senators/longest-serving-party-leaders.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">18 years</a> as party leader in the Senate, McConnell played a key role in shaping the conservative Supreme Court, sending aid to Ukraine, implementing a sweeping tax overhaul, and handling two impeachment trials for President Donald Trump, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-senate-retirement-34c79ef12bf62d14cb71d3c393f23a83" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per the AP</a>.
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McConnell <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mcconnell-to-step-down-as-senate-republican-leader" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> one year ago he would not seek another term as GOP Senate leader. The childhood polio survivor was briefly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-senate-minority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-discharged-from-hospital" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hospitalized</a> in March 2023 with a concussion from falling. In the months that followed, he appeared to freeze and struggled to answer questions. He also got a cut on his face and sprained his wrist after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mcconnell-falls-again-gets-medical-attention" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tripping</a>.
After revealing his plans to step aside from leadership, McConnell indicated that he planned to serve out the remainder of his current term in the Senate, which ends in January 2027, saying in a speech, &#8220;I still have enough gas in my tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics and I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm with which they&#8217;ve become accustomed.&#8221;
McConnell <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mcconnell-falls-twice-in-short-span-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fell again</a> — twice during a short time span — earlier this month. Soon afterward, a spokesperson for the senator told The Daily Wire that McConnell was &#8220;fine,&#8221; adding, &#8220;The lingering effects of polio in his left leg will not disrupt his regular schedule of work.&#8221;
Over the past couple of weeks, McConnell has voted against some of Trump&#8217;s second-term Cabinet nominees. They included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
It did not take long for people to start announcing their intention to run for McConnell&#8217;s seat after the senator announced his plan to retire. Former Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who lost a bid for governor in 2023 after being endorsed by Trump, revealed his campaign on X, posting, &#8220;Kentucky, it&#8217;s time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Let&#8217;s do this.&#8221;
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Kentucky, it&#39;s time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Let&#39;s do this. <a href="https://t.co/YRXAm4Busv">pic.twitter.com/YRXAm4Busv</a>
&mdash; Daniel Cameron (@DanielCameronKY) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielCameronKY/status/1892622418113372645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sen. Mitch McConnell

McConnell Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election

Congress

Daniel Cameron

Mitch McConnell

U.S. Senate

Like his father <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2011/06/24/news/economy/ron_paul_gold_audit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before him</a>, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is pushing for an audit of the gold reserves at the United States bullion depository at Fort Knox in Kentucky. He proposed that the Trump administration&#8217;s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been scrutinizing various aspects of the federal bureaucracy, help in the endeavor.
Over the weekend, the X account for ZeroHedge <a href="https://x.com/zerohedge/status/1890856057368347006" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> technology executive Elon Musk, who is overseeing the DOGE effort, &#8220;take a look inside Fort Knox just to make sure the 4,580 tons of US gold is there.&#8221; Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1890869046096060559" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a>, asking, &#8220;Surely it&#8217;s reviewed at least every year?&#8221; Paul then replied to Musk, <a href="https://x.com/RandPaul/status/1891125412442370355" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, &#8220;Nope. Let&#8217;s do it.&#8221;
According to the United States Mint <a href="https://www.usmint.gov/learn/tours-and-locations/fort-knox?srsltid=AfmBOoowzZJPVc66duhbOfyS-nWWxEEoSDbvvowtvGmm6CvHzeKP_dby#accordion-d08d17b2a7-item-17dfee3991" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, Fort Knox has 147.3 million ounces of gold holdings. It says roughly half of the Treasury&#8217;s &#8220;stored gold (as well as valuables of other federal agencies)&#8221; is kept there. The website also notes the gold is held as an asset of the United States at a book value of $42.22 per ounce and only &#8220;very small quantities&#8221; have been removed for purity testing &#8220;during regularly scheduled audits. Except for these samples, no gold has been transferred to or from the Depository for many years.&#8221;
Fort Knox broke from its &#8220;strict no visitors policy&#8221; in 1974 to allow journalists and a congressional delegation into its vaults to view the gold reserves, the U.S. Mint noted, adding the Treasury Secretary &#8220;allows the visit when rumors persist that all the gold had been removed from the vaults&#8221; and previously, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only person other than authorized personnel to access the vaults.
During an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmAi0c69biA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> on Fox News over the weekend, Paul talked about how he has tried to gain access to the Fort Knox gold vaults for a decade and missed his opportunity in 2017 when the bullion depository opened for a second time for then-Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin, and congressional representatives.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been trying to go down and see the gold and make sure it&#8217;s all there for about 10 years. During the first Trump administration I got permission. You have to get permission all the way up to the Secretary of Treasury. And then the Secretary of Treasury said, &#8216;Well, I want to go down there, too.&#8217; And then he said, &#8216;I want to go down there when the eclipse is coming through Kentucky, too, so I can see the eclipse and the gold at the same time,'&#8221; Paul explained.
&#8220;But they came when I wasn&#8217;t there,&#8221; Paul continued with a chuckle. &#8220;So I tried for 10 years. I set up the appointment and then because they wanted to see the eclipse, they changed the appointment. I didn&#8217;t get to go down but the secretary of Treasury and the senior senator from Kentucky did go down and attest that they believe they saw the gold down there.&#8221;
Asked by &#8220;Fox and Friends&#8221; co-host Lawrence Jones what he thinks is the problem, Paul replied: &#8220;I think some of them may not think it needs to be audited all the time, but I think the more sunlight, the better. More transparency, the better. And also it brings attention to the fact that gold still has value and implicitly — not explicitly, but implicitly — gold still gives value to the dollar. That&#8217;s why we don&#8217;t get rid of it. You know we&#8217;ve got it. The IMF has it. The World Bank has it. Most of the central banks around the world have gold. And it&#8217;s an implicit trust that the dollar still has some backing.&#8221;

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)

Rand Paul Suggests DOGE Help Audit Fort Knox Gold Reserves

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Elon Musk

Gold

Rand Paul

Search and rescue operations are ongoing in Kentucky after it was hit with torrential rain over the weekend causing widespread flooding. 
Democratic Governor Andy Beshear said Monday that at least 11 people had been killed by the weather and flooding and that the death toll could still rise. He added that “there is impact and damage everywhere” and warned residents that dangerous conditions throughout the state persisted. 
“We are still in the search and rescue phase of this emergency,” he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKrI_u-OBT0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during a press conference on Monday morning. “We still have multiple different missions that are underway. There are still people that are in harm’s way.”
Beshear that there have already been more than 1,000 rescues across the state with around 175 National Guard troops on the ground. Both Indiana and Tennessee have sent personnel to assist with rescue efforts. 
Two National Guard troops had a dangerous escape after their truck was overcome by water during relief efforts over the weekend, Beshear said. 
“And its very important today that we continue to remind folks not to drive through standing water, not to drive around barricades, they are there for a reason. We need to make sure that we are not creating additional emergency situations,” he said. 
Beshear said that a storm relief fund has been created to provide relief for victims and that the funds will first go toward the funerals of those killed by the flooding.
”All of Kentucky still has standing water in different areas,” he said, noting that around 344 federal and state roads were impacted by the flooding. 
More than 14,000 <a href="https://poweroutage.us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">customers</a> in Kentucky are currently without power, while 17,000 customers are without access to water. 
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President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/president-donald-j-trump-approves-kentucky-emergency-declaration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> an emergency declaration for Kentucky on Sunday, authorizing both FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate the disaster relief response. 
“Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide, at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding,” Trump’s approval said. 
Beshear said Monday that he has applied for additional aid from the Trump administration and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. 
In the coming days, Kentucky is likely to experience more weather hazards as parts of the state are expected to get up to six inches of snow. Much of the water that hasn’t drained will likely freeze and could create hazardous black ice.

US-NEWS-KENTUCKY-FLOODING-LX

Kentucky Still Searching For Flood Survivors As It Braces For Another Winter Storm

Andy Beshear

Floods

Severe Weather

Winter storm

Governor Tate Reeves (R-MS) slammed CBS News host Margaret Brennan after she suggested during an interview with Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jd-vance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.D. Vance</a> that states like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mississippi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mississippi</a> wouldn’t be able to coordinate a response to natural disasters without the federal government’s help. 
Reeves ripped into Brennan on X after she pushed back on President Donald Trump’s proposals to transform the role of FEMA during her Sunday interview with Vance. Brennan said that states like Mississippi, Alabama, and Kentucky would suffer if FEMA took a reduced role in natural disaster response. 
“HILARIOUS elitism by [Brennan] claiming that Mississippians know less about emergency management than DC bureaucrats — all because her favorite Democrats in CA and NC have failed their constituents,” Reeves posted on X. “[Vance] did a great job handling her condescending questions. The disdain these people have for any Americans outside of their little bubble is so pathetic and revealing.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
HILARIOUS elitism by <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CBSNews</a> claiming that Mississippians know less about emergency management than DC bureaucrats &#8211; all because her favorite Democrats in CA and NC have failed their constituents.<a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> did a great job handling her condescending questions. The… <a href="https://t.co/YHWqWJhp6h">pic.twitter.com/YHWqWJhp6h</a>
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) <a href="https://twitter.com/tatereeves/status/1883581254114930958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-promises-overhaul-of-fema-floats-getting-rid-of-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promised</a> on Friday that he would sign an executive order that would “fundamentally” overhaul and transform FEMA. He also suggested that he may get rid of the agency altogether and hand over responsibility to the states. 
“You know FEMA has specialized expertise that some of these states just don’t have,” Brennan told Vance. “How will lower income states, the Mississippis, the Kentuckys, the Alabamas, be able to do this for themselves without federal help?”
Vance replied by saying that the reason behind Trump’s proposal to revamp FEMA was to ensure that disaster victims were able to receive support and aid as efficiently as possible. 
“The president, to be clear, is not saying we’re going to leave anybody behind,” Vance said. “He’s saying that the way that we administer these resources, some of which is coming from the federal level, some of which is coming from the state level, we’ve got to get the bureaucrats out of the way and get the aid to the people who need it most.” 
Trump has said it would be better if states were in total control of recovery efforts and the federal government would fund a certain percentage of the response. His proposals to change FEMA come after he has criticized the agency’s response to both Hurricanes Helene and Milton, saying that the agency slowed its response because many of those impacted were in conservative rural areas. 
During a Friday stop in Asheville, North Carolina, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/not-nice-trump-speaks-out-about-fema-denying-aid-to-his-supporters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke out about</a> a FEMA scandal first reported on by The Daily Wire where relief workers skipped homes because of Trump signs or flags.
“A whistleblower testified that some FEMA employees refused to help people who display Trump signs on their property. I think that’s true, isn’t it? I read that. That’s not nice, that’s not too nice, is it? But whoever those property people were, thank you very much,” Trump said.
In November, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-fema-official-ordered-relief-workers-to-skip-houses-with-trump-signs">broke a story</a> that FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington had ordered relief workers in Lake Placid to “avoid homes advertising Trump.” These instructions were given in person and verbally, whistleblowers told The Daily Wire. At least 20 homes were skipped due to the orders.

Mississippi Votes To Remove Confederate Symbols From State Flag

‘Hilarious Elitism’: GOP Governor Fires Back After CBS Says State Can’t Handle Emergency Response

Alabama

CBS News

Donald Trump

FEMA

J.D. Vance

Margaret Brennan

Mississippi

At least two people were killed and nearly a dozen wounded when a factory in Louisville, Kentucky, was destroyed in an explosion on Tuesday.
All of the victims are employees of Givaudan Sense Colour, a factory that produces caramel color for soft drinks, ABC&#8217;s Louisville affiliate WHAS 11 <a href="https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/2-people-dead-large-factory-explosion-louisville/417-a05bfdd5-6dd4-40cf-ab4c-11918f041b6d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Images of the explosion&#8217;s aftermath showed that a large portion of the factory&#8217;s roof had caved as smoke rose into the air. The blast blew out windows in some houses in the Clifton neighborhood, the area that surrounds the factory,
Immediately after the explosion, city officials told people within a one-mile radius to shelter in place since hazardous materials could have leaked into the air. Around two hours later, officials said there was no longer a threat. The cause of the blast is still under investigation.
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BREAKING: Reports indicate people are missing and others are trapped following an explosion at a factory in Louisville, Kentucky. City officials have issued a one-mile shelter-in-place order due to hazardous materials at the site. <a href="https://t.co/hjyKkxq6fO">pic.twitter.com/hjyKkxq6fO</a>
&mdash; CBS News (@CBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1856446668205387995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Twelve people were transported to the hospital following the explosion, and two of them who were in critical condition died overnight, according to WHAS 11.
The massive explosion was caught by a WAVE 3 News sky camera.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Our SkyTrack Camera in Downtown Louisville captured the explosion at a facility on Payne Street in Clifton around 2:58PM today. Live cameras: <a href="https://t.co/m24xrXRrXX">https://t.co/m24xrXRrXX</a> <a href="https://t.co/fxVW9Vm9VR">pic.twitter.com/fxVW9Vm9VR</a>
&mdash; Ryan Hoke ⚡️ (@RyanHokeWAVE3) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanHokeWAVE3/status/1856454792090169382?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We are deeply saddened to share the news that two of our team members lost their lives in this accident. Several other individuals were also injured as a result. We are grieving with the families, friends, and loved ones of those that were lost and injured during this very difficult time,&#8221; Givaudan Sense Colour said in a statement.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
&#8220;We are in the early stages of investigating the cause of this incident and are cooperating with first responders and supporting agencies. We appreciate their heroic response and send our thanks to those in the community who have shown their support throughout the day,&#8221; the company added. &#8220;Our priority right now is on our team members, the families of those we have lost and those that were injured in this accident. We are in touch with them, and committed to supporting them in the coming days and weeks.&#8221;
Tuesday&#8217;s deadly explosion was not the first at the location. In 2003, when the building was owned by D.D. Williamson, one worker was killed when a &#8220;process vessel became over pressurized&#8221; and released 26,000 pounds of aqueous ammonia into the air, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/12/us/explosion-louisville-kentucky/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“And you would think that after one explosion, it wouldn’t happen again. But here we are,” said Lorrie Hibbard, whose grandfather was killed in the 2003 accident. “All I heard was that there was an explosion at the plant again, and it just takes you right back to 2003.”

US-EXPLOSION

2 Dead, 10 Wounded After Building Explodes In Louisville Neighborhood

Death

Explosion

General

Louisville

In an incident that left one person dead, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kentucky" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kentucky</a> sheriff was arrested after shooting a judge at the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, Kentucky.
According to <a href="https://www.themountaineagle.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Mountain Eagle,</a> Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines, a <a href="https://letcher.countyclerk.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/144/2022/09/Updated-Letcher-County-2022-GENERAL-ELECTION-CANDIDATES-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democrat</a>, is accused of shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins, <a href="https://www.letchercounty.ky.gov/government/eo/Pages/jas.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">District Judge</a> of the 47th Judicial District, in his office.
Mullins <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Kevin_R._Mullins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">served</a> as the assistant commonwealth&#8217;s attorney in Letcher County before being appointed as a district judge by Democrat Governor Steve Beshear in 2009. According to the <a href="https://www.eventscribe.net/2022/StimulantSummit/fsPopup.asp?efp=TEJWWldJVE8xNjM0Nw&amp;PresenterID=1335620&amp;rnd=0.1604415&amp;mode=presenterinfo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">profile</a> of Mullins for the Cocaine, Meth &amp; Stimulant Summit in November 2022:
<blockquote>
Judge Mullins has set forth to implement practices that promote substance use treatment for justice-involved individuals and has successfully helped 971 residents of Letcher County (population 22,000) enter inpatient residential treatment. Likewise, the program developed on August 14, 2018, by Judge Mullins and Matt Brown with Addiction Recovery Care to offer peer support services within the courthouse and courtrooms has been adopted in 50 counties across the Commonwealth helping 16,510 individuals into inpatient residential treatment. Judge Mullins served as a founding member of the Responsive Effort to Support Treatment in Opioid Recovery Efforts (RESTORE) Leadership Team. Judge Mullins’ participation on the RESTORE initiative led to his appointment to the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health.
</blockquote>
Letcher County Central High School in Whitesburg locked down; the school wrote on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lcchs/posts/pfbid02W1oubuxyoMEuTmFPYKKhUPZ1svp3n2JuquhYJdzo3GQ4q23pXMfF4GaxGSnQ74tsl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>:
<blockquote>
Parents and Community: After a call from Kentucky State Police, we were ordered to go into a mandatory lockdown because of an active shooting in downtown. Your children are safe. The shooter has been apprehended, but KSP has not released us to come out of lockdown. Your children were never in a concerning situation. Please give us time to work with KSP to figure out our next steps.
</blockquote>
The coroner confirmed one person was killed, but did not identify the dead person as Mullins.

Lawyer writing documents

Kentucky Sheriff Arrested After Shooting Judge

Crime

Judge

Shooting

Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear banned &#8220;conversion therapy&#8221; for &#8220;LGBTQ+ youth&#8221; on Wednesday in a sweeping executive order.
“Kentucky cannot possibly reach its full potential unless it is free from discrimination by or against any citizen – unless all our people feel welcome in our spaces, free from unjust barriers and supported to be themselves,” Beshear said in a <a href="https://www.kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&amp;prId=2288" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “Conversion therapy has no basis in medicine or science, and it can cause significant long-term harm to our kids, including increased rates of suicide and depression. This is about protecting our youth from an inhumane practice that hurts them.”
The order applies to therapy for minors under the age of 18, saying, &#8220;Discrimination against our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, including our LGBTQ+ youth, is unacceptable in this Commonwealth.&#8221;
The text of the <a href="https://governor.ky.gov/attachments/20240918_Executive-Order_2024-632_Relating-to-Protecting-Minors-from-Conversion-Therapy.pdf">order</a> makes clear that banned types of therapy include “any practice, treatment, or intervention that seeks or purports to change an individual&#8217;s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
Allowed under the law is any therapy that is either “neutral” regarding “sexual orientation or gender identity” or helps “facilitates an individual’s coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, so long as such practice, treatment, or intervention does not seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Critics say the order undermines the rights of parents and their freedom to pursue religious values within their homes.
“Governor Beshear’s executive order is an unlawful action that will hurt children, trample the fundamental rights of Kentucky parents, and suppress free religious expression,” David Walls, executive director of The Family Foundation, said in a <a href="https://www.kentuckyfamily.org/gov-beshear-signs-unlawful-executive-order-banning-conversion-therapy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
“This order, like previous failed legislative efforts, is designed to promote false LGBTQ ideologies and muzzle Christian counselors, therapists, and pastors from helping children struggling with sexual orientation or gender identity confusion,” Walls continued. “Kentucky parents and their children should be free to seek the faith-based counseling on sexuality and identity issues that they need. The Christian message on sexuality and human dignity is not harmful, it is life-bringing.”

Kentucky Dem Gov Bans ‘Conversion Therapy’ For ‘LGBTQ+ Youth’

Kentucky Dem Gov Bans 'Conversion Therapy' For 'LGBTQ+ Youth'

Conversion Therapy

LGBTQ

Social Issues

Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear said on Thursday that he went too far in his criticism of Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) for drinking Diet Mountain Dew.
During an interview with CNN earlier this week, the governor quipped about comments made by Vance, Republican nominee Donald Trump&#8217;s newly tapped running mate, at a rally in Ohio. Vance, speaking to supporters, blasted Democrats for labeling voter identification policies &#8220;racist.&#8221;
“I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday, and one today, I’m sure they’re gonna call that racist too but — it’s good,” Vance said.
Beshear, who has been floated as a potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris, told CNN that Vance&#8217;s comments were &#8220;weird,&#8221; adding, &#8220;Who drinks Diet Mountain Dew?&#8221;
At a press conference on Thursday, the Democrat apologized for his remarks about the beverage, The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4793125-beshear-apologizes-to-mountain-dew-after-knocking-vances-weird-joke/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“Folks, I’ve been a person that when sometimes I’ve gone over the line, I’ve wanted to make sure that I set the record straight, so, I do owe an apology to Diet Mountain Dew,” he said.
“So if you enjoy Diet Mountain Dew, you be you, we wanna support you,” Beshear added. “And, to Diet Mountain Dew, very sorry, didn’t mean to say negative things about you.”
A Vance spokesman told The Hill that Beshear “is an out of touch elitist who grew up with a silver spoon.”
“His wealthy lawyer/politician daddy, secured him his first job out of law school at the law firm he was partners at, and then went on to basically gift his son his political career,” spokesman Taylor Van Kirk said. “Beshear will never relate to working-people in the heartland because he had everything handed to him and never had to struggle.”
In another interview earlier this week, this one with MSNBC, Beshear also slammed Vance over the senator&#8217;s depiction of Appalachia in his bestselling memoir &#8220;Hillbilly Elegy.&#8221;
“And I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what they look like. Because let me just tell you that JD Vance ain’t from here,” Beshear said. “The nerve that he has to call the people of Kentucky, of eastern Kentucky, lazy. Listen, these are the hard-working coal miners that powered the industrial revolution, that created the strongest middle class the world has ever seen.”
In his book, Vance describes growing up in a poor family that moved from Kentucky’s Appalachian region to western Ohio in search of a better life.

Andy Beshear Apologizes To Diet Mountain Dew After Knocking JD Vance For Drinking It

2024 Election

Elections

JD Vance

Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, the son of a former governor, criticized the background of Donald Trump&#8217;s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), on Monday.
Beshear appeared on MSNBC and was asked if he would be open to being tapped as Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; running mate after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign on Sunday. After saying he would &#8220;at least listen&#8221; if Harris asked him to join her ticket, Beshear took a swipe at Trump&#8217;s VP choice.
&#8220;And I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what they look like. Because let me just tell you that JD Vance ain&#8217;t from here,&#8221; Beshear said. &#8220;The nerve that he has to call the people of Kentucky, of eastern Kentucky, lazy. Listen, these are the hard-working coal miners that powered the industrial revolution, that created the strongest middle class the world has ever seen.&#8221;
&#8220;We should be thanking them, not calling them lazy,&#8221; Beshear added. &#8220;So today was an opportunity to both support the vice president, but also to stand up for my people. Nobody calls us names, especially those that have worked hard for the betterment of this country.&#8221;
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&#8220;I think if somebody calls you on that, what you do is at least listen. And I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what they look like. Because let me just tell you that JD Vance ain&#8217;t from here.&#8221;
— <a href="https://twitter.com/GovAndyBeshear?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovAndyBeshear</a> on the possibility of running for VP <a href="https://t.co/M6MskbCixq">pic.twitter.com/M6MskbCixq</a>
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) <a href="https://twitter.com/Morning_Joe/status/1815365095637283292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Beshear&#8217;s criticism of Vance stems from the Republican senator&#8217;s 2016 book &#8220;Hillbilly Elegy,&#8221; where Vance describes growing up in a poor family who moved to western Ohio from Kentucky&#8217;s Appalachian region. After Trump selected Vance to run with him last week, the senator was slammed for how he depicted Appalachian communities in his memoir.
Vance was primarily raised by his maternal grandparents as his mother battled poverty and drug addiction. While Vance grew up in Middletown, Ohio, he spent time with his extended family in Jackson, Kentucky. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the Marines and graduated from Ohio State University and Yale Law School.
Beshear was born into one of Kentucky&#8217;s most powerful families. His father, Steve Beshear, served as a state representative from 1974 to 1980 and as the attorney general from 1980 to 1983. He then served as lieutenant governor from 1983 to 1987 before he was elected governor of Kentucky in 2007, serving until 2015. The younger Beshear followed in his father&#8217;s footsteps, serving as attorney general from 2016 to 2019 before he was elected governor.
An MSNBC host also criticized Vance after the vice presidential nominee said he wanted to be buried in his family&#8217;s plot in Kentucky. The host, Alex Wagner, <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/tv/msnbc-host-calls-jd-vance-wanting-to-be-buried-in-family-plot-an-easter-egg-of-white-nationalism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> Vance&#8217;s wish an &#8220;Easter egg of white nationalism.&#8221;
During his speech at the Republican National Convention last week, Vance <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jd-vance-introduces-his-mom-at-rnc-celebrates-her-10-years-of-sobriety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opened up</a> about his family and introduced his mother to the crowd.
“Our movement is about single moms like mine who struggled with money and addiction but never gave up,” Vance said. “And I’m proud to say that tonight my mom is here, 10 years clean and sober. I love you, Mom.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
&#8216;I LOVE YOU&#8217;: JD Vance stuns RNC crowd with sentimental line about his mom during speech. <a href="https://t.co/Szu6PcXUOH">https://t.co/Szu6PcXUOH</a> <a href="https://t.co/QFiRYnWNEn">pic.twitter.com/QFiRYnWNEn</a>
— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1813944346749682172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Andy Beshear/JD Vance

Dem Governor Born Into Powerful Family Hits Vance Over Depiction Of Appalachia: ‘JD Vance Ain’t From Here’

Democratic Party

Kamala Harris

Republican Party

The federal government engaged in a stunning deception by secretly shaping a medical association’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transgender policy</a> for political aims — then arguing in court that red states were not allowed to diverge from that policy, because it would be putting politics over scientific expertise.
The findings could deal a crippling blow to the Biden administration’s efforts to stop Republican-led states from banning the genital mutilation of children, and prove embarrassing for the judges &#8212; including an appointee of Donald Trump &#8212; who appeared to accept the argument that medical associations are above politics and should be deferred to by red-state politicians.
The Biden administration sued states including Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky, with transgender guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) as its key piece of evidence. But the documents obtained via discovery in an Alabama lawsuit show that, in fact, the WPATH guidance was crafted in close collaboration with the Biden administration specifically with an eye to influence such lawsuits and block legislation.
Rachel Levine, a transgender Biden political appointee in the Department of Health and Human Services, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admins-rachel-levine-met-with-wpath-as-he-pushed-for-removal-of-trans-surgery-age-restrictions?topStoryPosition=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pressured WPATH</a> not to recommend that gender surgeries be limited to a specific age, fearing that spelling out the age &#8212; which would be low &#8212; would make it easy for citizens to object to them as radical and lead to a backlash.
“She liked the SOC-8 very much but she was very concerned that having ages (mainly for surgery) will affect access to health care for trans youth and maybe adults too. Apparently the situation In the USA is terrible and she and the Biden administration worried that having ages in the document will make matters worse. She asked us to remove them,” a WPATH email said.
WPATH complied, with officials noting that they were still suggesting surgeries for minors, just making it more difficult to get a “headline” out of it by obscuring it.
Some in WPATH chafed at letting politics govern a medical document, with one noting that it was a “global document” that should not be contorted for one country’s politics and saying, “I am a little surprised that we would be asked to do this after all the care and endless discussion by experts to reach this consensus on ages for surgeries.”
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“I’m concerned about the headline: SOC 8 changes at last minute at request of USA official,” one wrote. Another said: “It is frustrating to have to have politics in our brains as we make these decisions. But it is what it is!”
After Tennessee state lawmakers voted to ban the gender conversion of minors, private individuals sued the state in federal court, and the Biden administration intervened, taking their side. The <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.tnmd.94244/gov.uscourts.tnmd.94244.41.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">administration argued</a> that “Standards of care for treating transgender youth diagnosed with gender dysphoria have been published by several well-established medical organizations, including the World Professional Association for Transgender Health” and, “The standards of care published by these organizations provide a framework that is based on the best available science and clinical experience.” Of 60 footnotes, eight cite directly to WPATH.
Judge Eli Richardson, a Trump appointee hearing the case in the Middle District of Tennessee, relied on WPATH’s SOC to <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.tnmd.94244/gov.uscourts.tnmd.94244.167.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">block enforcement of the law</a>, saying that the state only has a compelling interest in banning something if it is harmful, and WPATH says transgender procedures are safe.
“WPATH is the leading association of medical and mental health professionals in the treatment of transgender individuals. … The guidelines are based on scientific research and clinical experience,” he wrote. “The Court thus evaluates Defendants’ evidence in light of the prevailing standards of care and conclusions contained in the WPATH and Endocrine Society guidelines.”
Tennessee argued that children may regret not being able to procreate as a result of their gender surgeries, but Richardson relied on WPATH, writing, “Indeed, the WPATH guidelines explain that &#8216;there is evidence that fertility is still possible for individuals taking estrogen and testosterone&#8230;&#8217; The Court is therefore not convinced that possible negative impacts on fertility warrant an outright ban on procedures used to treat gender dysphoria in minors.”
He noted that he is not the only judge who has made law based on the SOC, saying, “The Court finds further support for its reliance on information contained in the guidelines in the fact that several courts in cases similar to this have relied on these guidelines.”
Tennessee lawmakers similarly explained, as an example of harms averted by a ban, that people undergoing gender surgery are often unable to have sexual function, but Richardson said that the WPATH guidelines say that “gender affirming care can help [transgender individuals] improve their sexual function and increase their sexual pleasure and satisfaction.” (Richardson might have been embarrassed to know that in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leaked-files-from-transgender-medical-org-show-medical-malpractice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leaked documents</a>, WPATH President Marci Bowers said she had never seen a single boy whose puberty was blocked achieve orgasm as a transgender woman.)
Richardson’s ruling was ultimately overturned by an appeals court. But the Supreme Court has agreed to take up the Tennessee case, a move that the DOJ is attempting to use to stall a similar ban in Alabama, where a lawsuit resulted in the unearthing of the WPATH documents.
Stanley Goldfarb, a longtime professor of medicine and chairman of <a href="https://donoharmmedicine.org/content-author/dr-stanley-goldfarb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Do No Harm</a>, a group that opposes injecting leftist politics into medicine, told The Daily Wire, “It is shameful and wrong that Levine and allies manufactured the outcome they needed to corner politicians into endorsing dangerous and experimental medical treatments for children” and “used the power of the federal government to bully WPATH into disguising bad politics as independent, evidence-based science.”
Attorneys general in the conservative states argued that WPATH standards were based on flimsy science. The emails obtained in discovery in the Alabama case showed that WPATH members themselves agreed.
One reason some members were willing to give into Levine’s demands to remove recommended ages for surgery was because, they acknowledged, there was little medical evidence supporting WPATH’s recommendations in the first place. “I’m concerned about the headline: SOC 8 changes at last minute at request of USA official. The one reason I might be ok changing is we don’t have exact data/studies in recommending the ages,” one WPATH member said. “I do wonder how they will be defended in court cases, but it should be done.”
Jon Arcelus Alonso, the co-chair of the SOC initiative, chided WPATH President Marci Bowers for internally acknowledging that the group’s recommendations were often based on scant scientific evidence. Instead, Bowers said they were based on the “consensus” of members. “In the last few days I have heard from Marci that the ages don’t have any scientific backup. Our guidelines are not only evidence based but they are primarily consensus based. There are many recommendations in the SOC that don’t have direct evidence,” he wrote.
He urged WPATH to confidently profess to be the embodiment of medical science regardless. “We need to believe that we are the experts and we know what we are saying and no being shaken by others,” he added.
Another WPATH member dismissed the need for scientific precision, writing, “My hope with these SoC is that they land in such a way as to have serious effect in the law and policy settings that have affected us so much recently; even if the wording isn&#8217;t quite correct for people who have the background you and I have.”
Meanwhile, Loren Schechter, an expert witness in some of the lawsuits who was involved in WPATH, advocated for removing language in which the group characterized how strong the scientific evidence was for each of its statements.
“I am concerned about language such as ‘insufficient evidence,’ ‘limited data,’ etc… I say this from the perspective of current legal challenges in the US. Groups in the US are trying to claim that gender-affirming interventions are experimental and should only be performed under research protocols (this is based on two recent federal cases in which I am an expert witness). In addition, these groups already assert that research in this field is low quality (ie small series, retrospective, no controls, etc&#8230;). My specific concern is that this type of language (insufficient evidence, limited data, etc&#8230;) will empower these groups,” she wrote.

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Biden Admin Influenced Transgender Medical Guidance, Then Cited It In Court As Science That Couldn’t Be Questioned By Red States

Courts

Joe Biden

Tennessee

Transgender

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