Weekly Round up: A Wild Week From Frankfort to the Vatican

Kentucky lawmakers have wrapped up the 2026 legislative session—and the results are raising serious concerns. In this week’s Blue Dot Podcast roundup, Natalie McDonald and Brian Koehl break down what the GOP supermajority passed, what Governor Beshear vetoed, and how Republicans overrode nearly all of those vetoes to push through legislation that reshapes state power and priorities.

The hosts dig into bills that limit the governor’s authority, expand Senate oversight of key boards, and extend concealed carry to 18–20 year olds—while major issues like healthcare access, hospital closures, housing shortages, and struggling farmers go unaddressed. They also discuss what these choices reveal about Republican leadership in Kentucky and why voter engagement ahead of the May primary is critical.

On the national front, Natalie and Brian react to a surreal clash between Donald Trump, JD Vance, and the Pope, including Trump’s self‑styled religious imagery and the abrupt cancellation of a decades‑long federal partnership with Catholic Charities—moves that raise questions about power, politics, and hypocrisy.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Blue Dot, Northern Kentucky's premier political podcast. Brought to you by the Kent County Democratic Executive Committee. Welcome back to the Blue Dot Podcast for our weekly roundup, where we deliver you all the news you need to know in 10 minutes or less. Thanks for joining. I'm Natalie McDonald.

SPEAKER_00 0:16

And I'm Brian Cale. And this week, as Kentucky Lawmakers, we're back in Frankfurt to conclude the 2026 regular session. Donald Trump took his Messiah complex a couple of steps further by posing in an online post as Jesus and picking fights with the Pope. All while his war of choice in Iran rages on. It's just another sunshiny day here in the golden age, Natalie.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

Totally normal stuff from the president, right? My God.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

Right.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

It's hard to tell. I mean, is this reality or is this an SNL skit?

SPEAKER_00 0:51

I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Who knows? We'll have to revisit the Trump Pope feud in a minute because that's a whole bunch of crazy right there. But as you said, the Kentucky General Legislature has concluded and lawmakers passed a wide range of legislation impacting virtually all of us. And these include things like the state budget, which sets Kentucky's spending priorities. Now, all of these new laws will take effect within 60 days of their final passage. And the most important lesson that we've learned from this year's general legislative session is that we need Democrats in state legislature right now because we don't have a lot of power over what bills get a vote and which ones get passed.

SPEAKER_00 1:33

Yeah, exactly. The governor vetoed 32 bills and also had line item vetoes on six bills, yet the GOP supermajority overrid all of his vetoes, with the exception of three small line item vetoes in the state budget. It's really a shame because not only did Republicans not submit any bills for signature into law that could really help Kentuckians, they overrode vetoes by Governor Bashir as he attempted to mitigate the damage of this GOP legislation.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Yeah, which is a little crazy when you think about it, because Governor Bashir has a higher approval rating in Kentucky than Trump does. You know, people want the policies he and the Democrats champion, but the supermajority is vetoing the will of the people. And I know we've been really vocal about these bills, but they had all legislative sessions to support bills to help make things easier for their constituents, and they chose not to do it.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Yeah, despite the fact that Republicans hold over 80% of the seats in both chambers, they have gone one step further in doing everything they can to take power away from the governor. House Bill 10, for instance, filed by Republican Representative John Hodson, would tighten the rules around executive branch actions during gubernatorial transitions. The bill aims to limit actions Kentucky governors can take towards the end of their terms. For instance, in the six months prior to a new governor taking office, it requires the Attorney General and other officials reviewing and approving many executive branch decisions. The bill also gives the Senate the power to confirm a governor's cabinet secretary appointments.

SPEAKER_01 3:09

Yeah, and this bill also expands the Senate oversight of key state boards, such as the Kentucky Board of Education and the Fish and Wildlife Commission, by making appointments and board chairs subject to Senate confirmation, which wasn't how it was previously. And then additional provisions extend the probation period for employees moving into classified positions and provide temporary whistleblower immunity for those exposing corruption or wrongdoing during transition. So this is also in addition to some of the other measures they've taken over the last few years to limit the governor's power. So that about covers the Republican obstructionism. What are some bills local Republicans are kind of celebrating?

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Well, Savannah Maddox, who uh represents House District 61, which includes part of Boone and Kenton Counties, is celebrating one big legislative win over social media. And what do you think it is, Natalie?

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Well, I hope it's something to ease the burden of, let's say, the healthcare crisis we're facing in Kentucky due to the big ugly bill.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

Nope. She is celebrating HB 312, which expands concealed carry to adult Kentuckians aged 18 to 20. I mean, putting time, talent, and treasure into bills like this rather than bills that address the real kitchen table topics affecting Kentuckians is what Republicans seem to excel at. Look, farmers are getting hammered all across the state. There is a housing shortage, and we're looking at closing 35 hospitals across the state due to the big, beautiful betrayal bill. But hey, at least we're enabling 18-year-olds to carry concealed lethal weapons. I feel so much safer.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

And you know, the fact of the matter is it's easy for people to be distracted by kind of these gaslighting social issues to divide us and distract us from the fact that we aren't seeing what all these bills are doing until they're actually put into practice and it's too late. And Representative Maddox is really boasting about this one, you know, this concealed carry extension. And at the end of the day, how does this make the average person's life any better? Sure, it gin's up her base, but what about the things that really matter? They're just, they're just not they're just not looking at that.

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Yeah, and it doesn't look like they're planning to shift course either. Congressman Massey, our congressional representative, is out there mudslinging with his primary opponent, Ed Galrine, about wokeism and diversity. And we now have a sneak peek into the polling between Congressman Massey and Trump-backed Galrine, which shows Massey with a moderate lead over his opponent. The poll from Qantas shows Massey with just under 47% of the vote, with Galrine just under 38% and 14% undecided. So a lot of vote is still up for grabs there.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

Yeah, that 14% undecided is big. And there's a a lot, a lot that can go on there. And the winner of the Democratic primary between Melissa Strange and Jesse Brewer will face whoever wins that Republican primary. And if you haven't registered to vote yet, this is your friendly reminder that April 20th is the last day to register to vote in the primary race, which is taking place on May 19th.

SPEAKER_00 6:23

Yeah, and if you aren't sure of who you will vote for in the Democratic primary on April 19th at 2 p.m., the Kenton Dems will be hosting a State House candidate forum where you will have a chance to hear directly from candidates in districts 64 and 69 before you vote.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

I will be co-modering that one. So I think it'll be a great forum. I might be a little biased, but I think it'll at least have a lot of good information for everyone. And um, but before we kind of wrap up all this Kentucky stuff, I I want to get back to something you said at the top of the podcast, which A, I can't believe I'm actually saying, and B, I can't believe it isn't an SNL skit. But you said Trump is pretending to be Jesus and picking fights with the Pope. Is that right?

SPEAKER_00 7:05

That is exactly what I said. And you know what's even funnier is that the newly converted Catholic JD Vance is doubling down on the fight with the Pope. He actually warned Pope Leo to be careful when talking about theology. I mean, Vance certainly does think highly of himself.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

Yeah, and that's really astonishing. Think about how arrogant you have to be to meg-explain theology to the Pope. You know, Pope Leo was simply on record asking people to pray for peace, which is kind of Jesus' thing. And the Trump Vance duo or acting like he was a lobbying on Capitol Hill. And all this has done is prove the fake Christian wing of the Republican Party wants to interject religion into politics when they want to replace gynecologists with p politicians and make laws to hurt gay people, but not when it comes to praying for peace, loving thy neighbor, and the morality of our leaders. So I'm just so happy they are showing everyone who they truly are.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

Yeah, and if Trump posting a meme of himself as a healing Jesus, surrounded by admirers and some truly surreal iconography wasn't enough, he also decided to punish the Catholic Church by abruptly canceling an$11 million contract with Catholic charities for the care of unaccompanied migrant children who enter the U.S. alone. I mean, this effectively ends a 60-year partnership between the Catholic Church and the federal government that began during the Cuban exile crisis in South Florida.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Yeah, that'll teach them. That'll teach them.

SPEAKER_00 8:39

Yeah. There you go, Pope. Yeah, take that.

SPEAKER_01 8:43

Well, if you're burned out on all of this crazy, you can join Brian and I and a whole bunch of other fun people for Night of Trivia to raise money for the Campbell County Dams on Thursday, April 23rd at the Mansion Hill Sanctuary in Newport. Doors are gonna open at 6 30 with trivia starting at 7 p.m.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Yeah, I I went last year. It's a lot of fun. The trivia will be hosted by special guests, including uh some of the 2026 Democratic candidates. There will also be a silent auction, light refreshments, and a cash bar. My favorite.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

Yeah, get that cash bar in there.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

And I can't wait for that. And we'll talk about how our trivia team did next week because our 10 minutes are up for the weekly roundup. The news is fast and the facts are free. Until next time, stay curious, keep the facts in focus, never stop fighting for what matters. Peace out, everyone.