Sign in

Kelly Young

@kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social
645 followers 507 following 683 posts

Telling the truth, encouraging the weary, and holding the line in Kentucky.

PostsRepliesMedia
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
A local Crestwood pastor wrote an excellent opinion on Kentucky HB 829. Worth the read. www.pmg-ky1.com/oldham_era/o...
pmg-ky1.com
During school hours: The Holy Spirit does not need House Bill 829
The article reflects a pastor's viewpoint on the proposed bill, HB 829, that aims to allow religious instruction during school hours in Kentucky. He expresses concerns about the impact on public schoo...
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
“Don’t call us. It’s going to pass.” What happens when inevitability replaces representation in Kentucky politics? New Dispatches from Kentucky: open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou...
open.substack.com
Kentucky HB 1 Veto Override and Sen. Lindsay Tichenor’s “Don’t Call Us” Tweet
What a state senator’s response to constituent calls reveals about legislative certainty and public participation in Kentucky
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
actionnetwork.org
Tell Lawmakers — Kentucky's Teachers, School Workers, and Public Employees Can't Afford a 78% Premium Hike
Kentucky's House budget (HB 500) as introduced isn't just bad for public education — it's a full-scale retreat from our kids, our classrooms, and the people who hold our schools together. HB 500 free...
010
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I just wrote a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social letter: Tell Lawmakers — Kentucky's Teachers, School Workers, and Public Employees Can't Afford a 78% Premium Hike. Write one here: actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
actionnetwork.org
Tell Lawmakers — Kentucky's Teachers, School Workers, and Public Employees Can't Afford a 78% Premium Hike
Kentucky's House budget (HB 500) as introduced isn't just bad for public education — it's a full-scale retreat from our kids, our classrooms, and the people who hold our schools together. HB 500 free...
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
A federal judge in the Western District of Kentucky ordered immediate release in an immigration habeas case and required a bond hearing if re-detained. This is a Kentucky due-process check with real liberty impact. I break down why it matters here: open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou...
open.substack.com
Due Process, Enforced in Kentucky
A Western District habeas order forces immediate release and judicial oversight of immigration detention
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
New Dispatches from Kentucky: When federal immigration enforcement uses lethal force and accountability narrows, the consequences don’t stay local. What recent reporting out of Minnesota signals for Kentucky. ⬇️ open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou... #AccountabilityMatters
open.substack.com
The Accountability Gap After Lethal Force
What immigration enforcement shootings reveal about federal accountability and Kentucky’s risk
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
New Dispatches essay: Is ICE becoming a paramilitary force? This looks at how enforcement posture is changing, why that shift matters for democracy, and what history shows still works when force begins to normalize. Link: kellyyoungwriter.substack.com/p/is-ice-bec...
kellyyoungwriter.substack.com
Is ICE Becoming a Paramilitary Force?
How enforcement posture shifts, and how democracies respond
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
ICE is defending a posture that treats administrative warrants as authority for forced home entry. Courts have not settled this. Families are adjusting now. This Dispatches piece explains why it matters for Kentucky and what people can do. open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou...
open.substack.com
When the Door Is No Longer a Line
ICE’s administrative-warrant posture and the quiet reshaping of home entry
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Kentucky’s AG is subpoenaing gas stations over abortion pill ads. This targets information channels, not providers, with chilling effects in rural communities. What’s happening and why it matters for Kentucky: open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou...
open.substack.com
Why Kentucky Is Investigating Gas Stations Over Abortion Pill Ads
How subpoenas aimed at advertising and intermediaries can chill access to reproductive health information in Kentucky
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Kentucky HB 468 restructures civil rights enforcement, shifting claims from administrative review to private lawsuits. New Dispatches from Kentucky: kellyyoungwriter.substack.com/p/when-civil...
kellyyoungwriter.substack.com
When Civil Rights Enforcement Is Rewired
How HB 468 Rebuilds the Machinery of Civil Rights Enforcement in Kentucky
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Kentucky Senate advances a constitutional amendment limiting pardons near elections. This is a permanent shift in executive power, not a personality fight. What it does, why it matters, and what voters should watch. open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou...
open.substack.com
Kentucky Senate Advances Constitutional Amendment to Limit Gubernatorial Pardons Near Elections
What voters need to know, why it matters, and where to find relevant resources
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Kentucky’s 2026 session opened with a surge of education bills. That volume matters. Before votes, schools are already adjusting to pressure and uncertainty. I look at what the early docket reveals. #KYLEG open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou...
open.substack.com
Education Policy Pressure in the 2026 Kentucky Legislature
How early-session education bills are reshaping governance, discretion, and public schools in Kentucky
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
New Dispatches: A lawsuit over HHS grant conditions targeting transgender people reveals how civil rights can be reshaped through funding pressure rather than lawmaking. Kentucky is not a plaintiff, but its institutions still feel the impact. #FederalFundingPressure
open.substack.com
Changing the Rules After the Grant Is Awarded
Why the HHS lawsuit over transgender-related funding conditions matters for Kentucky institutions
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Trump’s threat to cut federal funding not just to sanctuary cities but to entire states is a warning shot. This is governing by financial pressure, not lawmaking, and it reshapes what states like Kentucky can safely do. open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou... #GoverningByThreat
open.substack.com
When Washington Treats the Budget as a Bludgeon
From targeting cities to pressuring states, a warning shot for local democracy
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Kentucky did not sit this one out From Frankfort to Louisville to Lexington, a national ICE enforcement controversy sparked rapid local civic mobilization. What that spread signals for Kentucky, immigrant communities, and democratic pressure: open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou... #DispatchesKentucky
open.substack.com
When Federal Enforcement Sparks Statewide Protest in Kentucky
How the killing of Renee Nicole Good triggered rapid civic mobilization across the Commonwealth
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
When accountability language justifies restructuring rather than repair, power shifts quietly. This essay breaks down HB 11, the JCPS breakup push, and why the timing matters after the Kentucky Supreme Court ruling. open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou... #KYPolitics
open.substack.com
When the State Stops Fixing and Starts Replacing
Performance metrics, governance shifts, and the risk of normalization in Kentucky
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Democratic recovery will take 20–30 years. I am 67. Part III of The Long After sits with what that realization changes. Not answers. Not closure. Just the questions that follow when the work is for generations you will never meet. open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou...
open.substack.com
The Long After, Part III: Living Mid-Story
What It Means to Realize the Work Is for Those Who Come After
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Repairing American democracy will take 20–30 years. Not one election. Not one presidency. Part II of The Long After looks honestly at the structural and cultural damage we are living through and why recovery is generational, not immediate. Part III is next. open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou...
open.substack.com
The Long After, Part II: Why Repairing American Democracy Will Take a Generation
This is the second in a three-part series examining the damage done to American democracy under Trump and why recovery will take a generation rather than an election.
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
What happens after fascism falls? This essay starts with Italy after Mussolini to explain why removing a leader does not end authoritarian damage. Political collapse can be fast. Recovery is generational. Part I of a three-part series. open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou...
open.substack.com
The Long After, Part I: How Fascism Actually Ends
This is the first in a three-part series of essays examining how societies emerge from fascism and why recovery is generational rather than immediate.
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
Kentucky families are facing rising costs, staffing shortages, and growing mental health needs in our schools. The December 9th Interim Joint Committee on Education hearing highlighted how disconnected some state leaders are from those realities.
100
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Social media feeds are full of people sharing their Spotify Wrapped, but Spotify is full of ICE recruitment ads. Cancel your subscription until Spotify stops helping ICE terrorize our communities. app.sosha.ai/s/zDhoQMyV
app.sosha.ai
Spotify: Wrapped in complicity
010
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
When food assistance becomes a political pawn, it’s not just policy—it’s dinner. Nearly 600,000 Kentuckians rely on SNAP to eat. Hunger isn’t inevitable; it’s a choice our leaders make. 👉 Read open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou...
open.substack.com
When the Lifeline Frays
SNAP cuts and rising food costs are pushing Kentucky families to the edge
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
I'm canceling my Spotify subscription until the ICE ads are removed. Streaming hate is a choice and I refuse to fund it. #CancelSpotify app.sosha.ai/s/WiT8MDmP
app.sosha.ai
Don’t Stream Fascism: Cancel Spotify
020
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
My letter to the editor is out in the Oldham Era. Read + share: www.pmg-ky1.com/oldham_era/o...
pmg-ky1.com
Letters to the Editor
The branch worth protecting: public schools and democracy
010
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
They don’t want you to see what’s happening in Kentucky. ICE raids. Hospital closures. Medicaid cuts. This week’s Dispatches tells the truth they’re burying. #DispatchesFromKentucky #WhatsMissing #TrumpRegime #RuralCrisis
open.substack.com
What They Don’t Want You to See
There are two Kentuckys right now.
064
Reposted by Kelly Young
Kentucky Democrats @kydemocrats.org · 28/07/2025
Kentucky is showing the nation what's possible when you put people over politics. Governor @andybeshearky.bsky.social’s approach of finding common ground and delivering results is exactly why our state is moving forward.
49125
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Trump’s new AI directive bans “woke” systems, defunds dissent, and centralizes control over how technology talks, thinks, and serves the public. This is infrastructure built to obey. In Kentucky, we’re already seeing the pressure. Read my latest essay: “When the Algorithm Obeys the State” #AI
open.substack.com
When the Algorithm Obeys the State
On July 23, 2025, the Trump Administration unveiled a sweeping set of executive orders and policy measures aimed at reshaping how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is regulated, deployed, and funded in the...
032
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Even some of Trump's biggest media supporters are turning on him over the Epstein cover-up. app.sosha.ai/s/3P1UPcmI
app.sosha.ai
MAGA media rips Trump over Epstein cover-up
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Someone told me they’re overwhelmed by all the protests and causes right now. I get it. There’s so much happening. My advice? Pick one thing. That’s all. Bring what you’ve got. Show up how you can. That’s how movements are made.
010
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
Oldham County Day brought out the best of our community—neighbors catching up, kids laughing, and sunshine all around. Proud to be part of it. #OldhamCountyDay #KentuckyCitizensForDemocracy
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
Come see us today at Oldham County Day! #kentuckycitizensfordemocracy #oldhamcountyday #kycitizens
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
When Trump guts global education & foreign aid, Kentucky loses too. We send students abroad, host scholars, and build clean water projects. That’s why this budget matters. 🔗 open.substack.com/pub/kellyyou... #KYPolitics #ForeignAid #HigherEd #ResistAuthoritarianism #KellyYoungWriter
open.substack.com
Why the Trump Regime’s Attack on Foreign Aid Hits Close to Home
What happened:
011
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
The Trump regime is coming for public education. This week’s SCOTUS decision just gave them the green light. I wrote about what this means for KY. #KYPolitics #DefendPublicEd
kellyyoungwriter.substack.com
When the Supreme Court Lets the Trump Regime Dismantle the Education Department
I’m sitting here looking out my office window as a couple of summer thunderstorms roll by.
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
A federal judge just blocked Trump’s executive order to deny birthright citizenship—for now. It’s a warning. Not just for immigrants, but for anyone who thinks constitutional rights are permanent. Kentucky’s kids are watching. We should be too. #KYpolitics #14thAmendment #AuthoritarianCreep
open.substack.com
When Citizenship Becomes Conditional — A Kentucky Reflection
A federal judge recently issued a provisional nationwide block on Donald Trump’s executive order denying birthright citizenship.
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” just gutted Medicaid. 200K+ Kentuckians at risk Up to 35 rural hospitals may close SNAP cuts too This is targeted harm. The regime doesn’t want you to notice until it’s too late. #Kentucky #MedicaidCuts #TrumpRegime #WhatsMissing #KellyYoungWriter
lpm.org
Trump megabill to cut Medicaid, grow deficit, two Kentucky House members oppose
Two of Kentucky’s GOP congressional delegation were among the few to jump party lines to vote against the Republican tax and spending bill in the Senate and House, drawing anger from the president.
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
New tariffs from the Trump regime could crush KY farmers, distillers, and manufacturers. This isn’t trade policy—it’s a power play. We’ve got to stay alert and call it what it is. #KYPolitics #StopAuthoritarianism #KentuckyResistance
reuters.com
US Commerce Secretary Lutnick says tariffs take effect on August 1
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said some trade deals had been made with trading partners and letters would go out to other countries notifying them of higher tariff rates.
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
The Medicaid cuts are law. And 35 rural Kentucky hospitals are now at risk of closing. This isn’t theory. This is targeted harm. If your hospital is on this list, it’s time to speak up—before it’s too late. 🧵
200
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
👋 Hey — I’ve rebranded to reflect my work as Kelly Young, political writer in Kentucky. Now at @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social!
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Kentuckians shelled out $93 million in extra utility costs to subsidize a private steel mill deal. No transparency. No refunds. Just a rigged system where we pay and they profit. #FollowTheMoney #TakeActionNow #KYPolitics #CorporateWelfare #EnergyJustice
kentuckylantern.com
Kentuckians paid millions in electricity costs for a steel mill. The utility says it was justified. • Kentucky Lantern
A steel mill's discount on electricity draws Kentucky regulator's scrutiny as costs are absorbed by other ratepayers.
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
Kentucky’s SB 181 doesn’t protect students, it isolates them. It cuts off the quiet, everyday connections that keep kids safe and supported. This isn’t about safety. It’s about control. #TakeActionNow #SB181 #PublicEducation #TeacherTrust #StopTheFear
open.substack.com
SB 181 in Kentucky: “Safe Messaging” or Another Shot in the Culture War?
Kentucky’s Senate Bill 181 is now law, and with it comes a statewide mandate to funnel all student-staff communication through district-approved, traceable platforms. Lawmakers say it’s about safety a...
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
📷 We’re now on Instagram! Follow @takeactionnewsnow for visual breakdowns, weekly calls to action, and updates you can share fast. ✊ Same mission. New platform. 👉 instagram.com/takeactionne...
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
They tried to bulldoze the forest. They tried to erase due process. People stood up. People dissented. This is what resistance looks like—this week. #ResistanceStories #TakeActionNow #ProtectTheForest #DefendDueProcess #ThisIsTheWork
open.substack.com
Resistance Stories
When forests and due process were under attack, people and courts refused to quit.
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Trump’s mass deportation agenda isn’t coming—it’s already here. 📍Street vendors arrested 📍Workers detained with valid papers 📍Federal funds used as blackmail 5 stories the regime wants buried. Read. Share. Act. #MassDeportationWatch #TakeActionNow #HiddenNews #AuthoritarianAgenda
open.substack.com
What's Missing This Week
Every Monday, I highlight the stories the Trump regime does not want you to see—the ones being sidelined so authoritarian initiatives can quietly shape our lives.
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Authoritarians don’t need to dismantle the government. They just fill it with loyalists. Trump’s move to revive Schedule F would purge civil servants and replace them with political hacks. It’s a hostile takeover of the federal government. #Authoritarianism #ScheduleF #TakeActionNow #CivilService
open.substack.com
Know the Playbook
Tactic: Stack the Government with Loyalists
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
New Weekly Watch just dropped. How to spot propaganda before it spreads. What Trump doesn’t want in the headlines. Where resistance is WORKING. Call script ✅ Mutual aid links ✅ Action steps ✅ #TakeActionNow #NoKings #WeeklyWatch #Resist
open.substack.com
Weekly Watch: How to Spot Propaganda Before It Spreads
Propaganda isn't just a relic of wartime posters or Orwellian fiction.
000
Reposted by Kelly Young
Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 09/06/2025
We will not cower, even in the face of Trump’s militarized escalation. On Saturday, we are going to rise up all across the country in defiance of this administration’s authoritarian agenda. Join the nationwide peaceful protests for No Kings Day: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i...
(around an image of a map of No Kings events) NO KINGS JUNE 14 - NATIONWIDE DAY OF DEFIANCE nokings.org
19732981472
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
I'm attending Indivisible's event, “What’s the Plan? A Weekly Discussion with Indivisible’s Co-Founders” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/indivisible/...
mobilize.us
What’s the Plan? A Weekly Discussion with Indivisible’s Co-Founders · Indivisible
The onslaught of news, the chaos coming out of the White House – it’s all meant to overwhelm us. It’s a deliberate strategy to sow confusion and make us believe we are powerless to fight back. The an...
000
Reposted by Kelly Young
DrDinD.bsky.social @drdind.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
SHARE this as a reminder to EVERY member of our military: “We don't take an oath to a King. We don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator” “We take an oath to the Constitution." #FreedomToDissent
22373443540
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
5 stories the Trump regime doesn’t want you to see. 🔬 NIH cuts 📚 Texas censorship 🚔 Community safety gutted 🧊 ICE abuses 💧 Tribal sovereignty stripped We shine a light. They hide in shadows. Read + act ⬇️ #WhatsMissing #TakeActionNow #AuthoritarianWatch #HiddenNews
open.substack.com
Stories You May Have Missed
I’m struck by how much the Trump regime hides in plain sight.
000
Kelly Young @kellyyoungwriter.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
When lies start to feel normal, that’s not peace it’s surrender. This week’s Weekly Watch breaks down hypernormalization, abortion criminalization, and the latest from the Trump regime. No spin. No fluff. Just clarity and action. 📰 New issue out now. #TakeActionNow #WeeklyWatch
open.substack.com
The Weekly Watch
What they don’t want you to see. What you can do about it.
000