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Joe Sonka 😐

@joesonka.lpm.org
16K followers 939 following 7.7K posts

State government reporter for @kentuckypublicradio.org — @lpm.org, @weku.bsky.social, WKYU, @wkmsfm.bsky.social. Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe/BBN. Did a Pulitzer many years ago. DM me news/apocalypse tips! www.lpm.org/people/joe-sonka

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Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 7m
Former GOP state Sen. Ralph Alvarado is facing off against former federal prosecutor Democrat Zach Dembo for the Lexington-area Congressional district, which Trump won by 15 points in 2024. #ky06 KPR's @sylviaruthg.lpm.org breaks down the competitive race:
lpm.org
Election 2026: Ralph Alvarado, Zach Dembo face off in Kentucky's 6th district
Former GOP state Sen. Ralph Alvarado is facing off against former federal prosecutor Democrat Zach Dembo for the Lexington-area Congressional district. What you need to know.
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Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 49m
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the release of a Louisville resident Armelle Bondonga, who’s been in ICE custody in Southern Indiana for eight weeks after being detained at the Louisville airport.
lpm.org
Judge grants release for Louisville woman detained by ICE
ICE arrested Armelle Bondonga in mid-August at a green card interview.
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 1h
Sadiqa Reynolds says her client Amina Seck is being released from ICE custody today.
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 4h
And Jackie Steele
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 4h
about $15K, mostly attorneys from McKinley Morgan's law firm
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 5h
Moynahan launched this new TV ad yesterday, which also features the photo of him with Beshear and says "I was honored when Governor Beshear appointed me." Doesn't mention the endorsement or party.
youtube.com
Honored
YouTube video by Will Moynahan
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 5h
This is a different cardboard cutout than the one I was gifted years ago
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 5h
DCCC is now up with this ad in the R+15 #ky06 district in Kentucky, in which Zach Dembo again ties Alvarado to Bevin, and features Gov. Beshear carrying away a cardboard cutout of Bevin. Dems definitely smelling blood/wave here
youtube.com
KY-06: Basically the Same
YouTube video by DCCCVideo
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 7h
You can’t take your survivalist buckets of creamed corn into the afterlife 
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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 8h
The Senate GOP's main super PAC reportedly plans to spend $5 million to help Sen. Darline Graham in what source tells Axios is an "insurance policy." Graham faces Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in a state that last elected a Democratic senator in 1998.
axios.com
Scoop: Senate GOP to send $5m to shore up Graham in South Carolina
The GOP's concern about a Senate seat in blood-red South Carolina shows the challenge facing Republicans.
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NPR @npr.org · 8h
Catherine Sweeney was in the witness room when Tennessee attempted to execute Christa Pike on Sept. 30. An attempted execution in May had also failed. Here's what Sweeney saw and heard. In collaboration with @wpln.bsky.social: n.pr/4APTm4T
n.pr
'We could all hear her breathing': Witnessing the failed execution of Christa Pike
Catherine Sweeney was in the witness room when Tennessee attempted to execute Christa Pike on Sept. 30. An attempted execution in May had also failed. Here's what Sweeney saw and heard.
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 8h
Midterm messaging: Still on point
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Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
ProPublica @propublica.org · 9h
The government *still* isn’t tracking how often immigration agents detain U.S. citizens. We are. 500+ Americans have been handcuffed, held at gunpoint or held against their will in Trump’s second term. Our tally is almost certainly an undercount. THREAD (content warning: violence) ⬇️
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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
A Texas pediatrician has already paid $15k in legal fees to counter requests from Ken Paxton's office about her vaccine policy. She spoke to the NYT on background after prosecutors threatened this: "You are requested NOT to inform other entities of this request" www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/h...
nytimes.com
Texas Pediatricians Face Paxton Investigations for Vaccinating Children (Gift Article)
Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate, has alleged a sprawling profit-driven conspiracy. Pediatricians say the accusations are an attempt at intimidation.
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 18h
Do you have your Public Brain Gym card?
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 21h
Garbage Human
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Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
ProPublica @propublica.org · 05/10/2026
NEW: Remember when John Oliver opened a church to expose how easy it was to get tax exemptions? This year, ProPublica reporters set out to establish private schools to test if, truly, anyone could open one. We founded two. Here’s how.
propublica.org
How ProPublica Reporters Became Private School Owners in 24 Hours
The reporting experiment demonstrates how easy it can be to open private schools that might then access public money. No credentials or background checks required.
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 22h
These polls, shooo-wee
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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 05/10/2026
The SPEAKER implies. The LISTENER infers. The DUDE abides.
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Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 22h
meanwhile on Xitter...
Curtis Yarvin post on X on 10/5/2026: "Every time I’m in the UK I hear this. More and more people asking, subtly or straight out: what would Hitler do?

As if it was that easy. Have you looked around you? Man, Hitler wouldn’t even know where to start" 102.3 k views, 4:11 a.m. 74 replies, 51 shares, 997 hearts, 95 saves.
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Sylvia Goodman @sylviaruthg.lpm.org · 05/10/2026
VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE is approaching quickly!! Register by 4pm TODAY in Kentucky if you want to vote on Nov 3 Here's the link to register or update:
vrsws.sos.ky.gov
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 05/10/2026
Non-students
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 05/10/2026
People are saying
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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
“It’s this kind of scenario… that several physicians told me ranks among their most troubling cases. Each told me a version of the same haunting story: A patient with a treatable cancer delays standard care for an unproven alternative, only to return once the disease has metastasized.”
nytimes.com
Dying Patients Are Inundated by Misinformation. My Dad Was One of Them.
Cancer patients are being persuaded to spend tens of thousands on unproven treatments by alternative-medicine clinics.
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 04/10/2026
People are saying
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 03/10/2026
Fun!
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 03/10/2026
What happened
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 03/10/2026
Whatever happened to that Tracey-Taibbi podcast?
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Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 02/10/2026
President Trump directed staff to use taxpayer money for TV ads praising him and his presidency, setting in motion a $20 million contract that used funds from the Department of Homeland Security, according to people familiar with the matter. nyti.ms/4jBqx63
President Trump stands in a dark suit and red tie. A crowd of people and a large American flag are in the background. A headline reads: "Trump Directed Use of Taxpayer Money for Ads Praising His Presidency." Photo by Doug Mills for The New York Times.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 02/10/2026
Trump on Letitia James being special prosecutor for the Cornell rape case: "I feel badly for whoever she's looking at, because they won't get a fair shake"
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Brandy Zadrozny @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
2 Illinois residents say they were detained at Broadview, released without charges, then branded domestic terrorists to millions by Johnson. It appears to be the first such suit against one of the admin's corps of MAGA creators who make propaganda in exchange for access. www.ms.now/news/benny-j...
ms.now
MAGA podcaster Benny Johnson sued for defamation over ICE ride-along videos calling protesters ‘terrorists’
Johnson accompanied top DHS officials last year to an ICE protest, where he pointed out “left-wing terrorists” for his millions of followers across social media.
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 02/10/2026
*spent
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 02/10/2026
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's PAC just reported spending another $250K on ads in this R+15 congressional race. They've now spending $500K, with a Trump PAC spending > $1 million. #ky06
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 02/10/2026
My latest 👇 We’re not quite Wisconsin yet, but this appears to be the new normal for Kentucky’s big nonpartisan judicial races. #kyga26 #kyga27
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 02/10/2026
Rep. Andy Barr, the GOP nominee and heavy favorite in the #kysen race, put out a press release touting the endorsement of 72 GOP members of the Kentucky House. It excludes 8 GOP members, mostly from the liberty caucus that were/are supporters of Thomas Massie.
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 02/10/2026
static.klipy.com
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 02/10/2026
@pastandcurious.bsky.social IYKYK
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Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 01/10/2026
At a Frankfort listening session, Kentuckians from across the state described their frustrations with data center developments in their communities and begged lawmakers to act sooner rather than later. #kyga26 #kyga27 From KPR's @sylviaruthg.lpm.org
lpm.org
‘Kentuckians are watching:’ Lawmakers hear pleas to act on data centers
Kentuckians from across the state described their frustrations with data center developments in their communities and begged lawmakers to act sooner rather than later.
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 01/10/2026
👀
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 01/10/2026
Tennessee governor orders third-party review, pause all executions for the rest of the year
tennesseelookout.com
Tennessee governor orders third-party review, pause all executions for the rest of the year • Tennessee Lookout
​Gov. Bill Lee has ordered a third-party review of the botched execution of Christa Pike and put a hold on state executions for the rest of the year. “Carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among...
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Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
Sylvia Goodman @sylviaruthg.lpm.org · 01/10/2026
I'm hearing a few through lines already here this morning. A lot of frustration over the lack of transparency, a feeling that county officials have been conspiring with data center developers behind their backs I wrote about some of those concerns, esp in Carroll Co
lpm.org
Neighbors to Kentucky hyperscale data centers demand transparency
As data center proposals spring up in communities across Kentucky, residents want more answers about their would-be neighbors from developers and their own public officials.
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Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
Sylvia Goodman @sylviaruthg.lpm.org · 01/10/2026
Here in Frankfort for the first legislator listening session on data centers. We have 9 lawmakers here today (all Dems except for Rep. Grossl). We’ve got a pretty full house here today People came from all over the state (ex. Madison, Pike, Carroll, Mercer, Jefferson, etc)
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 01/10/2026
I spy debate moderator @byrobertor.lpm.org
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 01/10/2026
I would love to know when, in his entire career, Andy Barr has “taken on” the Republican Party. #kysen
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 01/10/2026
Midterm messaging remains tight
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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"For America to right itself, we need changes on the scale of Reconstruction and the New Deal. And I worry that’s not going to happen if Democrats and the broader anti-Trump left are taking their cues about what’s necessary and politically possible from the Times." newrepublic.com/article/2160...
newrepublic.com
The Left Must Fight The New York Times’ Monopoly Too
The paper’s editorial vision is out of step with the robust liberalism needed today.
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 01/10/2026
America yearns to know why they should care about a random streamer they’ve never seen or heard that doesn’t have any position of power
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 01/10/2026
NEW on “Paper Trail”: Under Trump 2.0, the White House has often ignored Congress to carry out its agenda. Entire agencies, like USAID, have been gutted. ICE has grown explosively. Behind it all is one man: Russell Vought. 🎧 Listen to our latest episode:
propublica.org
Who’s the Shadow President?
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Mike Luckovich @mluckovich.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
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Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 01/10/2026
"Media were asked to leave the witness room inside the prison before a time of death was declared for Christa Pike. No prison officials were outside to tell the media what was happening as the first responders arrived. No time of death has been publicly provided."
tennessean.com
Court stays Christa Pike execution in Tennessee: Updates
Christa Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. A court stayed her lethal injection that was scheduled for Sept. 30.
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