Al Cross: Two years on, Andy Beshear has beaten expectations and the public gives him good marks
Two years ago Friday, Kentucky inaugurated the nation’s second-youngest governor, a lawyer just turned 42. Andy Beshear lacked the experience…
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Al Cross: Is there any room remaining in politics for nice guys like Larry Hopkins?
The devolution of American politics, led by the Republican caucus in the U.S. House, can be told in the stories…
New cases of coronavirus keep falling in Kentucky, but state’s hospital ICUs remain near capacity
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Fewer people are getting the coronavirus in Kentucky, and the state’s hospitals have fewer…
Al Cross: As most see democracy threatened, KY’s election chief says keep calm and listen
Millions of Americans went to the polls this week, no longer confident that their votes would be accurately counted, because…
Al Cross: McConnell must give senators go-ahead to disavow election laws built on Donald Trump’s lies
This column has never dealt at length with Donald Trump because it’s about Kentucky politics. But now, Kentuckians and our…
Al Cross: Questioning authority has become too much of a good thing, and it’s killing people
“It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” – Benjamin Franklin Franklin may have said it first,…
Al Cross: Voting with their faces and making deadly decisions; the real issue is lack of political courage
When I was covering Kentucky politics for a living, I started a file folder labeled “Gutless Wonders.” It was about…
Stivers says legislature may allow school districts to determine mask policy, rather than follow state board
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News The Kentucky General Assembly may well let local school officials decide mask policy, rather…
Al Cross: Legislators get the power they wanted; now they must use it wisely and show courage
Permanent federal approval for one coronavirus vaccine Monday should have eliminated the arguments of some sadly misled, vaccine-hesitant Americans that…
Al Cross: Some Republicans sacrifice science on the altar of politics — and, here we are, on the brink of crisis
The pandemic has returned, perhaps stronger than ever, and the politics of it are more deadly than ever. Americans are…
Al Cross: Gov. Andy Beshear may be masking a reason for not going to Fancy Farm… masks
When Gov. Andy Beshear said he and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman wouldn’t attend the Aug. 7 Fancy Farm Picnic because…
COVID cases hit two-month high; at current vaccine rate, state won’t reach 70 percent until December
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Kentucky reported 669 new cases of the coronavirus Wednesday, the largest daily number in…
Al Cross: Rand Paul trends more eccentric, leaving room in the middle
By his own account, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, M.D., is discouraging Kentuckians from getting vaccinated against the coronavirus. He wrote…
Al Cross: Both parties go too far with election bills; bipartisan compromise is needed
In a democratic republic, it’s essential that voters have confidence in the system by which they, democratically with one vote…
Al Cross: Mitch McConnell continues to choose his own interests over those of the country
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell usually has facts and logic to support what he says, but in opposing a bipartisan…
Under three percent of Ky. coronavirus tests positive in last seven days; new cases continue to decline
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Major measures of the pandemic in Kentucky continued to decline last week. The percentage…
Al Cross: Mitch McConnell’s silence makes him less worthy of leadership — at what price is power?
So, Liz is out. What about Mitch? Republican House members’ removal of Rep. Elizabeth Cheney from their leadership Wednesday made…
Al Cross: For our Derby visitors, real and remote, a scratch sheet on Kentucky politics
OK, we’re back to normal. Partly. The Kentucky Derby is back where it has been since the Great Depression, on…
Al Cross: Republican legislature grabs wheel from Democratic governor; voters will have a say in 2022
When Kentuckians elected Andy Beshear in 2019, they created a recipe for partisan conflict between a legislature with a recent,…
Al Cross: Rural Republican Stivers finds common ground on race with urban, Democrat senators
Just before the legislature adjourned Tuesday night, there was a remarkable scene on the dais of the Senate: fist bumps…
Al Cross: Al Smith’s journalism was one of good faith, now often missing
Al Smith, my friend and mentor who died last weekend after a very full life, was known best as the…
Al Cross: In a sneaky way, the secretive, short-circuited legislature makes itself more secret
For years, the Kentucky General Assembly has been sliding down the slippery slope of secrecy, into a hole that shields…