MASSIEFLIX

WHAS11 Powers That Be: Epstein Files, Flock Cameras, and Midterm Odds

Sep 2, 2026 · 24:22 epsteinflockkentuckytransparency

Louisville one-on-one: Massie on data centers, the Flock-Off Act, the Epstein Files II discharge petition, and why Iran and lame-duck math will shape the midterms. Massie is the first half of the broadcast.

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Chapters

  1. 0:00 Data centers and Flock
  2. 3:10 The Flock-Off Act
  3. 4:29 Epstein Files II
  4. 7:34 Midterms

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  1. Powers that be 1 sponsored by Alex R. 2 White, 3 personal injury lawyers you can trust. 4 Welcome into the powers that be. 5
  2. I'm Isaiah Kim Martinez, 6 and we're joined today by Congressman Thomas Massey 7 of Northern Kentucky. 8 Congressman, 9 thanks so much for taking the time. 10 Thanks, 11
  3. Isaiah. 12 Well, 13 Congressman, 14 you have been all over the national headlines here this week. 15 We know the House was back in session to mainly pass that short term funding bill. 16
  4. You were a no on that, 17 but there is some more conversations on 18 data center legislation, 19 I believe sponsored by Congressman Brett. 20 Guthrie in the works. 21
  5. That 22 conversation has been 23 highly polarized. 24 The president has made some comments on this. 25 Republicans 26 are sort of divided on how they feel about data centers. 27
  6. Where do you stand on this issue right now and 28 what can you tell us about that piece of legislation? 29 Well, 30 data centers and flock cameras are probably less popular than Congress right now. 31
  7. I don't know what Brett Guthrie's legislation does. 32 You'll have to talk to him. 33 I'm introducing a bill on flock cameras today. 34 To withhold federal funding for the flock cameras, 35
  8. my personal opinion on the data centers 36 is that 37 they're so expensive to build per square foot, 38 just like a solar panel farm. 39
  9. They are insensitive to where they are placed. 40 They don't care about the cost of the land under them, 41 and so 42 it's very tempting to put them in green fields and pastures when in fact, 43
  10. If they need to be located somewhere, 44 they should be located 45 in old factory locations and brown fields that of low value. 46
  11. And Congressman Massey, 47 uh, 48 you know, 49 the flock camera. 50 Situation, 51 the flock camera argument has been talked about not 52
  12. just here in our state but across the country. 53 We actually 54 just had an arrest here in Louisville 55 and police are 56 saying that flock cameras actually helped them catch the suspects here. 57
  13. Law enforcement, 58 many of them are in favor, 59 but we know a lot of citizens we've talked to 60 really block cameras or any kind of license plate readers make them nervous. 61
  14. Tell us more about your legislation. 62 And and how it might impact folks 63 here in in in this state if it were to pass. 64 Sure, 65
  15. so I have two carve-outs I want to tell you in my bill. 66 First of all, 67 my bill does not affect 68 license plate readers 69 that facilitate automatic tolling and payment of toll fees, 70
  16. and it also wouldn't affect any of the cameras that are within 71 mile of the northern or southern border of the United States. 72 States 73 those are appropriate uses of cameras, 74
  17. but 75 it's inappropriate to spy on every American with the concept that one of them might, 76 you know, 77 commit a crime. 78
  18. And so that's why we're going to 79 monitor everybody's position and travel 80 at all times. 81 I think that's Orwellian. 82
  19. You know, 83 if you have a security camera, 84 that's fine that you go back 85 and look at the video. 86 If there's been a crime committed, 87 you can go back and get a 88
  20. warrant. 89 That's what the Constitution requires. 90 But the problem right now is the Flock cameras are surveilling every American. 91 And we've seen them abused. 92
  21. We've seen people who have access 93 to the feeds of these flock cameras using them 94 to basically look for their next date, 95
  22. track 96 people that they are dating, 97 and 98 there's not enough guardrails on it. 99 So what my bill would do is very simple. 100 It doesn't ban flock cameras. 101
  23. We don't have the constitutional authority to ban 102 cameras 103 here in Congress, 104 but 105 we can withhold federal funding for these flock, 106 and that's exactly what my bill does. 107
  24. And it's interesting you're the bill would be called, 108 and I wanna say this carefully just for the airwaves, 109 flock off Act specifically. 110 I mean this we've seen some areas of your district, 111
  25. I believe it was, 112 it might have been Newport. 113 I have to double check, 114 but there have been some individual municipalities 115 that have actually banned this outright. 116 I mean, 117 is that something that you 118
  26. are in support of? 119 Is that something that that you say, 120 OK, 121 I, 122 I think that's the right way to go about this on a local level. 123 Well, 124
  27. it should be decided locally. 125 If a, 126 if a 127 city 128 or 129 county wants to have flock cameras, 130 they can do it, 131 but my bill says we're not going to charge the American taxpayer for that, 132
  28. um, 133 and that's where the accountability for these things should be, 134 is at the city or county level, 135 not at the federal level. 136 I want to move on to the Epstein Files Transparency Act 2. 137
  29. the big deal, 138 uh, 139 kind of, 140 uh, 141 vote total that we're watching right now is your discharge petition 142 for this second part of this bill. 143 I believe I checked today you are at 49 yeses 144
  30. yourself. 145 And 48 other Democrats, 146 you've noted, 147 I believe it was on CNN 148 that you'll need 3 other Republicans to sign this as well as 2 Democrats who are, 149
  31. I guess, 150 waiting to be sworn in. 151 Marjorie Taylor Greene's not there anymore. 152 I mean, 153 who are the Republicans who you believe will be in favor of this, 154 uh, 155 to help move this forward for you? 156
  32. So I'm using a 157 rarely invoked parliamentary procedure called a discharge petition. 158 To force a vote on Epstein Files Transparency Act 2 159
  33. on the floor of the House. 160 This is how I got the first bill passed, 161 and so I know it's doable. 162 The math actually works out the same 163 today as it did a year ago. 164
  34. I need every Democrat, 165 two of which are being sworn in this week, 166 myself and 3 more Republicans. 167 I've already in the last. 168
  35. 48 hours, 169 or I should say the 1st 48 hours of this discharge petition 170 gathered one other Republican. 171 So now I just need two Republicans 172
  36. and every Democrat. 173 We've got probably by this time, 174 uh, 175 you know, 176 50 Democrats on board. 177 By the end of this week we'll probably be over 100 178
  37. as they learn that it's available to sign, 179 um, 180 and so the pressure is going to come down to the last two Republicans. 181 The bill is important because it allows the attorneys 182
  38. general of the various states where the crimes were committed 183 to prosecute Epstein's co-conspirators for state crimes in state courts because 184
  39. right now you've got the Attorney General of the United 185 States Todd Blanche who refuses to even investigate these crimes 186 after so much evidence has been released. 187
  40. The bill also. 188 standing in court to survivors and members of Congress 189 to sue the Attorney General to get in front of a judge, 190
  41. to get the judge to adjudicate 191 his compliance or noncompliance with the law. 192 We know he's in noncompliance. 193 We just need to get him in front of a judge 194
  42. to demonstrate that and get a ruling. 195 You mentioned you have one Republican already on board. 196 Can you tell us who that is? 197 Yes, 198
  43. Nancy Mace 199 is one of the original 3 women 200 who 201 helped me successfully get the discharge petition signed. 202
  44. As you mentioned, 203 Marjorie Taylor Greene is no longer here. 204 It's different political calculus now. 205 Republicans are past their primaries 206
  45. and they're facing general elections, 207 and this could be a very popular thing for them to do if 208 they're in a tight race would be to support this Epstein transparency bill 209
  46. ahead of the election, 210 and it would be a very unpopular thing not to support it. 211 So I think you've got the pressure of the elections 212 that will help. 213 And then, 214
  47. you know, 215 after the elections you're going to have a lot of lame duck congressmen here. 216 Serving in Congress like myself ironically, 217 who don't aren't going to be worried about, 218
  48. you know, 219 raising the ire of the president and could 220 without any political consequence sign the discharge petition. 221 The other thing 222
  49. you know that makes me 223 confident this bill will eventually pass 224 is there's another contingency, 225 not one that I hope for, 226 but if we lose the majority and Democrats get the majority, 227
  50. it's a, 228 it's an absolute certainty they will bring this bill to the floor, 229 and the irony is 230 most, 231 if not all Republicans will vote for it, 232 so 233
  51. we should take credit for it ahead of the midterms 234 and use that to our advantage. 235 You know, 236 you mentioned the midterms. 237 How do you expect this to, 238
  52. to, 239 to play out? 240 I mean, 241 you've been honest about you believe some of the Republicans' 242 efforts dealing with foreign affairs, 243 Iran may not bode well for for midterm results. 244
  53. Do you expect 245 Democrats to flip the House and do you 246 expect Republicans to maybe endanger in the Senate? 247 What's your 248 prediction? 249 Well, 250
  54. if you look at the prediction markets, 251 they believe the people who are betting on this are betting that we're going to lose 252 the chance. 253
  55. Better or 254 the Senate chamber, 255 there's a better than 50% chance of that. 256 I think what's happened is the president has fractured 257
  56. the coalition that he built that put us in the majority 258 in both chambers and put him in the White House. 259 He's alienated Maha, 260 the Make America Healthy Again movement, 261
  57. by giving special treatment to glyphosate, 262 a chemical 263 that's used as an herbicide. 264 Can't be sued now if they hurt people. 265
  58. That's not very maha. 266 He's alienated some of the ranchers by his announcement. 267 That he's going to bring in 268 foreign beef at below market prices, 269
  59. 25% below market prices, 270 that's going to hurt farmers. 271 He's alienated those of us who were promised no new wars, 272 and we're looking forward 273
  60. to focusing on America first instead of sending our money overseas 274 for another useless war, 275 and he's alienated that faction of his coalition. 276
  61. So it's, 277 you know, 278 it's sort of death by 279 a dozen cuts, 280 the coalition that he's built, 281 and 282 although he's not on the ballot 283
  62. and he is saying very 284 incendiary things like on the data centers calling people 285 ignorant, 286 poor, 287 or backwards if they don't want a data center in their backyard, 288
  63. although he's not on the ballot, 289 I think the Republican Party will be called to task 290 for 291 some of his statements and executive actions. 292
  64. And um it will hurt us in the midterms. 293 Congressman, 294 again, 295 I appreciate your time. 296 Just a couple more questions here. 297 I want to go back to data centers for a second because a supporter of yours, 298
  65. her name is Savannah Maddox, 299 she's a state representative 300 in your district of Northern Kentucky, 301 and she 302 did not like 303 some of the messaging behind, 304
  66. uh, 305 President Trump's 306 Truth Social post dealing with data centers. 307 He essentially said the only reason communities 308 in the US wouldn't want them is if they want to end up being. 309
  67. Backwards and poor 310 were his words. 311 She posted on X and said President Trump 312 wouldn't be president without the rural voters who inhabit 313
  68. America's heartland. 314 We are not stupid for wanting to protect our rural way of life. 315 She called his messaging concerning. 316 Uh, 317 I assume you're on the same page with her on this, 318
  69. but can you, 319 can you speak broadly on 320 sort of that that pushback that we're seeing for some of his more ardent supporters? 321 Yeah, 322 I read Savannah Maddox, 323
  70. state rep from Grant County's very thoughtful post on this, 324 and I agree with her 100%. 325 It's, 326 you know, 327 it's about treating people with respect. 328
  71. These are local decisions. 329 Just because you have concern about the, 330 the conserving the farmland 331 and your community doesn't mean you're backwards or ignorant or poor, 332
  72. as the president suggested. 333 I think his comments were insensitive and she was right 334 to stake out 335 her defense of her own community. 336
  73. And before I go, 337 I wanna talk a little bit about, 338 you know, 339 you said this to me a couple of months ago that 340 when you really talk about the weeks that Congress is in session, 341 there aren't a lot of days left before, 342
  74. uh, 343 you're, 344 you're done there in Washington DC at least for now. 345 Uh, 346 what do you plan to get done beyond the Epstein Files Transparency Act to, 347
  75. uh, 348 what, 349 what do you see as sort of maybe some lasting things that 350 you're going to try to do before it's all said and done? 351 Well, 352 one of the things that's in the works 353
  76. and in the news 354 that people don't 355 know about that I've been working on 356 is on this beef topic, 357 the Act, 358
  77. which I've worked on since 2015. 359 I successfully persuaded. 360 Uh, 361 my colleagues here to put that in the House farm bill. 362
  78. So there's a pilot program 363 for the Prime Act. 364 That's my bill that would make it easier by reducing regulations 365 for farmers to have their, 366 uh, 367
  79. beef and pork processed and sold locally. 368 That would help farmers and bring. 369 Down the price 370 of meat 371 that people have to pay for their families, 372
  80. that's in the House farm bill. 373 Um, 374 it's not in the Senate draft right now, 375 but there are senators working on putting it in there, 376 so I would love to see it go in the Senate version. 377
  81. So that when we conference the two bills 378 and you get the final farm bill unambiguously, 379 we've got a success there 380 for consumers and farmers that doesn't involve 381
  82. importing 382 beef of questionable origin from overseas. 383 That, 384 that's really one of the big things that I'm working on 385 that in addition to defunding the flock cameras, 386
  83. although that one's a steeper climb. 387 Congressman Thomas Massey, 388 great conversation. 389 Appreciate you taking the time. 390 Thanks so much. 391 Thanks Isaiah, 392 and we'll have much more on this week's news 393
  84. and politics right after this word from our sponsor. 394 Hi, 395 I'm Sue, 396 distracted driver. 397 I'm attorney Alex White. 398
  85. If you're injured, 399 visit 400 sue distracteddriver.com. 401 Welcome back to the powers that be control of Congress. 402 That's what's potentially at stake 403
  86. in these midterm elections and specifically 404 the 6th congressional race here in Kentucky. 405 That district is being closely watched 406 by both the National Democratic Party and Republican Party. 407
  87. Republicans see it 408 as a strong one that they are trying 409 to hold after Representative Andy Barr 410 vacated the seat to run for Senate, 411 and Democrats believe it's a potential flip. 412
  88. Opportunity 413 again to go into their quest 414 and potentially 415 flipping the House in the process. 416 This race comes down to Republican former state 417
  89. senator Ralph Alvarado versus Democrat Zach Dembo, 418 who is Bashir endorsed, 419 and a headline that has come out of this 420 race so far deals with campaign websites. 421
  90. Here's something that kind of came up to the 422 surface here this week. 423 Congratulations, 424 sir. 425 We appreciate you at the Republican Party of 426
  91. Kentucky's Frankfurt headquarters called the Mitch McConnell building. 427 Congressional candidate Doctor Ralph Alvarado 428 vowed to support law enforcement as 429
  92. he secured the endorsement of Kentucky's Fraternal Order of Police. 430 -- You -- have our backs every single day, 431 and when I go to Congress, 432 I will make you a promise 433 that I will have your back as well. 434
  93. Alvarado, 435 a Republican, 436 also has the backing of President Donald Trump in Kentucky's 437 nationally watched 6th district congressional race against Democrat Zach Dembo, 438
  94. but on their website. 439 The Alvarado campaign appears to have scaled 440 back its promoting of Trump's endorsement, 441 though the former state senator says there's nothing to read into. 442
  95. The president has endorsed me. 443 I'm proud of that endorsement. 444 His photo is still on my website, 445 so if people don't see it, 446 they haven't looked. 447 It's always been there all along. 448
  96. Screenshots of website archives show earlier this summer, 449 the front page read, 450 President Trump needs more allies in Congress. 451 If you scroll down, 452
  97. you saw. 453 Of Alvarado and the president together today, 454 the front page text instead leads with Independent leadership for Kentucky, 455
  98. and the Trump photo is placed in the less prominent media section. 456 -- Any comment you'd like to make or explanation on that -- decision? 457 I think this is phony news, 458 to be perfectly honest. 459
  99. I think anyone who's run a campaign, 460 you go from a primary to a general, 461 your messaging changes. 462 You've seen people on both sides of the aisle 463 talk about this, 464 that 465
  100. refreshing your message. 466 It is pretty common between campaigns, 467 and Alvarado isn't alone. 468 The campaign website of Republican Congressman Andy Barr, 469 who's leading the 6th district seat in order to run for McConnell's Senate seat, 470
  101. shows Barr with his family as the top image. 471 That's compared to early July when the first thing you saw was a 472 photo of Barr and Trump together with the text reading Trump endorsed. 473
  102. A Barr campaign spokesperson said in a statement, 474 Kentuckians know that. 475 Andy Barr is proud to have President Trump's endorsement. 476 Andy Barr can't wait to keep fighting for Kentucky 477
  103. alongside President Trump as our next US Senator. 478 Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, 479 a Democrat, 480 believes something else is at play with these website changes. 481
  104. Nationally, 482 you turn on the news right now and they say, 483 is Trump an asset or a liability for Republican general election candidates? 484 Well, 485 you see right here in the 6th, 486
  105. Ralph Alvarado's running away from him. 487 And Congressman Andy Barr again, 488 who's held that seat since 2013, 489
  106. acknowledges that in his mind this is a competitive district, 490 a competitive race that 491 both sides seem to see as a purple district, 492
  107. one that 493 could potentially go either way, 494 including in this year's elections. 495 Speaking about 496 the other side though, 497 the other. 498 The US Senate here in Kentucky, 499
  108. we do have 500 a race that is very high profile. 501 We have Congressman Andy Barr, 502 like I said before, 503 going up against Democrat Charles Booker 504 of Louisville. 505
  109. This is Mitch McConnell's seat 506 that is up for grabs, 507 uh, 508 this November, 509 and 510 there has of course been a lot of talk about Senator Mitch McConnell. 511
  110. When is he going to return? 512 Is he going to return 513 when senators go back to Capitol Hill after the Labor Day 514 holiday this coming week after that recess is over? 515
  111. The expectation is mid September. 516 That is about the timeline. 517 Here is what I heard from a couple 518 prominent Republicans about Mitch McConnell's return here just a few days ago. 519
  112. It's a rare sight in Louisville, 520 the annual country ham breakfast and auction without Mitch McConnell. 521 He's so full of history 522 and so I think that was missed today. 523
  113. That was missed by everyone. 524 The longtime senator was forced to miss one of his 525 favorite events this year as he attends to his health. 526 This video is from last August, 527
  114. but we are getting a better idea of when McConnell 528 may be back casting votes in the US Senate. 529 Congressman Andy Barr, 530 McConnell's choice to succeed him, 531
  115. said. 532 He's learned this from Senate Republican leader John Thune, 533 and they expect him to be back in the Senate giving that critical vote 534 in September. 535
  116. The vote Barr is talking about is to pass a new farm bill that needs 536 McConnell's vote to break a tie along party lines and advance in the Senate. 537
  117. -- That -- farm bill is something he's always been involved in. 538 He's won a lot of awards from Farm Bureau over the years, 539 so 540 he wants to 541 certainly cast a vote for the farm bill, 542
  118. Republican. 543 Congressman James Comer tells me Kentucky 544 farmers are being strained by rising costs 545 from tariffs and the increased price of fuel and fertilizer right now, 546
  119. something McConnell and his staff are likely hearing a lot about. 547 The farm bill would provide a new safety net for the agriculture community. 548 Another issue top of mind for farmers right now beef production. 549
  120. The Kentucky Farm Bureau, 550 which puts on that breakfast, 551 has been critical 552 of President Donald Trump's move. 553 Import more beef at lower prices. 554
  121. I understand 555 the president's desire to lower prices. 556 That's, 557 that's what the American people want and that's what he's trying to do. 558 But in the long run what we have to do for our cattlemen 559
  122. is to rebuild the herd. 560 That's the, 561 that's the ultimate answer. 562 I've expressed my 563 displeasure with the president and the Secretary of Agriculture. 564
  123. You know, 565 when you, 566 when you talk about America first, 567 if we're going to have 568 tariffs, 569 and we should. 570 -- Stick with it one way -- or the other. 571 Are you on that same 572
  124. page? 573 Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, 574 a Democrat, 575 going a step further. 576 Most Kentucky cattlemen and women 577 strongly supported this president, 578
  125. and his move could bankrupt them. 579 Just bankrupt them. 580 Back to McConnell. 581 Barr points out that Republicans will need the 582 retiring senator's vote again in the fall, 583
  126. including on legislation to keep the federal government funded. 584 Meanwhile, 585 in the Democratic Party, 586 we're seeing some national attention continue to be put 587 on some candidates who are winning in races across America who identify. 588
  127. As democratic socialists or 589 find themselves aligned with DSA 590 policies and priorities we've seen this 591
  128. in Kentucky, 592 in Louisville on a local level, 593 and in other big races, 594 Michigan, 595 Wisconsin, 596 some other states, 597 New York, 598 of course, 599
  129. and socialism, 600 that word. 601 Seemed to be the primary focus from Republicans in 602 Louisville just a few nights ago for their big annual 603
  130. GOP dinner. 604 They had some 605 big name candidates there and they 606 tried to make it very clear that they are making this race, 607 in their words, 608
  131. about their policies 609 versus what they deemed to be socialist policies. 610 The theme of Louisville's annual GOP dinner was centered on rejecting socialism, 611
  132. denouncing it on stickers given out to guests, 612 and we see it right here in Kentucky with Charles Booker, 613 and I promise you tonight, 614 socialism may be spreading across the Democratic Party. 615
  133. I will not let it take root in Kentucky. 616 Andy Barr is the Republican nominee in the race to succeed Senator Mitch McConnell. 617
  134. He repeatedly took jabs at his opponent, 618 Democrat Charles Booker of Louisville, 619 but he also warned Jefferson County Republicans not to get complacent. 620
  135. Kentucky 621 is not a foregone conclusion. 622 We have to do our part 623 because 624 if Kentucky loses this Senate seat. 625
  136. Then we're going to lose the Senate, 626 and if we lose the Senate, 627 we're going to lose our country. 628 In a notable moment, 629 both Congressman Brett Guthrie and James Comer 630
  137. recognized the political savvy of one of the 631 lead voices of the democratic socialist movement, 632 New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 633
  138. referred to often as AOC. 634 But I'll tell you, 635 you can't underestimate her. 636 A lot of people want to dismiss her. 637 She's smart. 638 She does her homework. 639
  139. She's articulate, 640 and she's a leader of a substantial number 641 of new members of Congress, 642 so the fight, 643 -- the fight is real -- and she is leading. 644
  140. A 645 revolution 646 of young people in America. 647 Now she's leading in the wrong direction, 648 and we all know it, 649 but we have to accept the fact that this is a battle. 650
  141. And for the first time we heard Maria Rodriguez, 651 the Republican running to represent Louisville in the US House, 652 taking aim at her Democratic opponent, 653
  142. incumbent Morgan McGarvey, 654 when a resolution came before Congress 655 to condemn the horrors of socialism. 656 Dear Morgan voted no. 657
  143. And we even heard the concerns of socialism voiced on a local level, 658 with Republican Metro Councilman Anthony Piagentini saying this 659 as he shared his vision for flipping the council red in November. 660
  144. They are active in Jefferson County. 661 They are targeting metro council races. 662 They are targeting our school board, 663 and they are coming 664
  145. for the future of this city. 665 We are not going to let that happen. 666 The GOP says it's a decision at the ballot box between common sense and crazy, 667
  146. while Democrats argue rising costs during this Trump administration are 668 the reasons candidates focused on the working class will continue. 669 To see success. 670
  147. By the way, 671 September 14th, 672 that's when the US Senate reconvenes. 673 We'll be looking to see 674 whether Senator Mitch McConnell makes his return, 675 uh, 676 around that time that week. 677
  148. Doug Profitt will be back next week joining me for the powers that be. 678 Until then, 679 have a great day. 680 Thanks for watching. 681 Powers that be sponsored by Alex R. 682
  149. White, 683 personal injury lawyers you can trust.

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