Joe Sonka 😐

Joe Sonka 😐

@joesonka.lpm.org

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!

16.1K followers945 following7.9K posts

Joe Sonka 😐 reposted

Justin Baragona
@justinbaragona.bsky.social

Besides being nakedly racist and bigoted, this is just hilariously wrong on all levels. I mean, Omar Yaghi won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year, and he won the Wolf Prize in 2018. And that's just one example.

The Bulwark@thebulwark.com

RFK: "There's five hundred million Arabs in the world. And yet they don't produce science. They don't win the Nobel Prize. They don't win the Fields Prize. They don't win the Wolf Prize. They don't produce literature."

Joe Sonka 😐
@joesonka.lpm.org

Current tally of PAC ad spending in Kentucky state legislative races #kyga26: Pro-GOP: $1.5 million Pro-Dem: $26,000

Kentucky Public Radio@kentuckypublicradio.org

Political action committees have spent nearly $900,000 on independent ads to boost Kentucky GOP legislative candidates, while Democrats are mostly left to themselves. #kyga26

lpm.orgPACs help Kentucky GOP legislative candidates dominate ad spendingPolitical action committees have spent nearly $900,000 on independent ads to boost Kentucky GOP legislative candidates, while Democrats are mostly left to themselves.
Joe Sonka 😐
@joesonka.lpm.org

PACs have spent $1.1 million to help just THREE GOP incumbents in east-ish Louisville: Julie Raque Adams: $576K Susan Witten: $317K Ken Fleming: $229K

Joe Sonka 😐
@joesonka.lpm.org

Updated PAC spending numbers in the R+15 #ky06 "toss up" race, which have now balooned to more than $10 million (not counting campaign spending).

Joe Sonka 😐@joesonka.lpm.org

Alvarado and Dembo had their first debate last night:

lpm.orgDembo, Alvarado debate AI, tax cuts and healthcare in Kentucky race for US HouseRepublican Ralph Alvarado squared off against Democrat Zach Dembo on the debate stage Thursday night as Kentucky’s 6th Congressional district becomes a heated battleground.
Joe Sonka 😐
@joesonka.lpm.org

Another player emerging in #ky06 this past weekend is Our Heritage Matters PAC, which appears to be entering races to help longshot 3rd party candidates and opposed GOP candidates. They are supporting Jay Bowman but mostly going negative against Alvarado.... $61.8K spend. Some background on them:

watchdoglab.substack.comFEC Super PAC reports show over $52 million in independent expenditures in Kansas Senate raceOne Super PAC wants Republicans to vote for Libertarian Senate candidate

Joe Sonka 😐 reposted

University of Louisville Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute
@uoflenvirome.bsky.social

Last week, our @universityoflou.bsky.social BEACON team from the Envirome Institute and the @ciehs.bsky.social returned to western Kentucky to share an update with community members on our ongoing environmental health research in and around Calvert City. www.wkms.org/health/2026-...

wkms.orgResearchers provide update on study of potential health impacts from Calvert City chemical plantsResearchers from the University of Louisville updated far western Kentucky residents on Thursday about where a project studying potential community exposures to hazardous substances emitted from some ...

Joe Sonka 😐 reposted

Liz Essley Whyte
@lizessleywhyte.bsky.social

ICYMI: The MAHA-MAGA marriage is tenuous, and one reason why is the frailty of Kennedy's political apparatus. “It’s not an important election,” said a major Kennedy donor when asked why he hadn’t given recently to MAHA's support for the GOP. GIFT LINK: www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

wsj.comThe MAHA-MAGA Alliance Is Fracturing Before the MidtermsRFK Jr. supporters, who helped return President Trump to the White House, are disillusioned with progress on the movement’s priorities.

Joe Sonka 😐 reposted

Curtis Tate
@tatecurtis.bsky.social

A couple of notable things about this proposal: The chief nuclear officer was involved in building Georgia Power’s $32 billion Plant Vogtle. Also, it has the potential to push coal plants off the grid, or at least make them less competitive. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...

weku.orgLexington company wants to build largest US nuclear plant in Lewis CountyThe Nuclear Company said it wants to begin construction in 2028 if it receives the necessary approvals.

Joe Sonka 😐 reposted

Eric Lipton NYT
@ericlipton.nytimes.com

Replying to @ericlipton.nytimes.com

And of course, here is the story. These documents posted via these threads are a companion of sorts to the story. They also show the kind of work that goes on behind our reporting. You don't just go out to the field. You dig. For months Turn every page, Caro said. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/24/c...

nytimes.comHow Trump Gave the Worst Polluters a Free Pass (Gift Article)The president temporarily waived clean-air rules for industrial facilities that spew cancer-causing gases. Then his appointees worked to gut the regulations altogether.

Joe Sonka 😐 reposted

Taniel
@taniel.bsky.social

Replying to @taniel.bsky.social

Brazil was of two huge election results today—alongside the defeat of the nationalist, authoritarian leader of Serbia: "the slate of candidates selected by protesting students had won at least 135 seats in Serbia’s 250-member legislature" www.nytimes.com/2026/10/25/w...

nytimes.comAleksandar Vucic Concedes Defeat in Serbian Election“It is clear that we have lost these elections,” Aleksandar Vucic said in a surprisingly early speech congratulating his opponents.

Joe Sonka 😐 reposted

Carl Quintanilla
@carlquintanilla.bsky.social

“.. a stunning comeback, sealed late as voters in Lula’s northeastern stronghold rallied behind one of Latin America’s most prominent opponents of Trumpism.” @bloomberg.com 🇧🇷 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

bloomberg.comLula Wins a Record Fourth Term in Brazil in a Surprise ComebackPresident Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva came from behind to win Brazil’s runoff election, halting a right-wing wave sweeping Latin America and defying predictions that the 80-year-old political veteran ha...

Joe Sonka 😐 reposted

Taniel
@taniel.bsky.social

Replying to @taniel.bsky.social

With 83% of the vote counted nationwide, Lula has stretched his lead to 2.8 million votes. That's a lead of 51.4% to 48.6%. That puts him on track for a victory that could be larger than his 1.8% win four years ago, which would be an immense comeback. He's even up in Minas Gervais now, by 0.6%.

Joe Sonka 😐 reposted

Aaron Rupar
@atrupar.com

😳 WOMAN REPORTER: Do sexual abuse allegations mean nothing to you, sir? TRUMP: Wait. Wait! Wait wait wait. Slow down. Who are you with? REPORTER: NBC, sir. But they are very serious sex abuse allegations TRUMP: Quiet! Isn't she a fresh person? You're a horrible little reporter, aren't you?

Joe Sonka 😐
@joesonka.lpm.org

“Speculative data center debt is reportedly being repackaged & sold to institutional investors, including pension and retirement funds, university endowments… This development draws parallels to the subprime mortgage crisis, raising concerns about financial stability within the sector.”

cryptobriefing.comSpeculative data center debt sold to institutions, echoing subprime crisis: AFRSpeculative data center debt is being sold to institutions, raising concerns. CoreWeave bankruptcy by 2029 now at 24.5% YES.
Joe Sonka 😐
@joesonka.lpm.org

“NextDC has been forced to reassure bondholders it has enough funding to get its data centre developments back on track, as jittery global funding markets threaten to stall a $155B pipeline in Australia and put at risk billions of dollars invested in the booming artificial intelligence industry”

afr.comDebt bomb threatens booming AI trade, $155b data centre roll-outBond yields are soaring across companies exposed to artificial intelligence amid worries about heavy spending, limited returns and the cost of servicing loans.