Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is calling on Senator Mitch McConnell to publicly disclose more about his health after the longtime Republican lawmaker remained out of public view for nearly three weeks following his hospitalization in Washington.
In a letter released Wednesday, Beshear said Kentuckians deserve more information about McConnell’s condition and his ability to continue serving in office.
“Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and well-being, and ability to hold office,” Beshear wrote.
McConnell, 84, was hospitalized June 14 and has not released a public statement, photo or video since then.
His aides have provided few details beyond saying last week that he “continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
The lack of public updates has fueled speculation over whether the former Senate Republican leader will return when the Senate reconvenes next week.
Republican leaders sought to tamp down those concerns Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming both said they had spoken with McConnell and described him as alert and engaged in discussions about current events.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had not spoken with McConnell since the senator’s hospitalization.
“I have no idea how he’s doing,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from the NATO summit in Turkey.
McConnell has announced he will retire when his current term expires in January, but questions about his health have intensified interest in what could happen if he is unable to complete the remainder of his term.
Kentucky law no longer allows the governor to appoint a temporary replacement to the U.S. Senate.
Republican lawmakers changed the state’s succession process in 2021 and again in 2024, removing the governor’s appointment authority and instead requiring a special election if a vacancy occurs.
Tyler Durden Thu, 07/09/2026 - 18:25Michigan is getting hit hardest in a fast-spreading nationwide outbreak of a stomach parasite, with cases exploding more than fourfold in a matter of days.
The state saw infections skyrocket from 170 to 681 by Monday, the biggest single jump reported anywhere in the country, according to health officials.
New York has logged 120 cases since May 1, a state official told The Post, while Texas has confirmed 48 cases as of Monday. Illinois has also seen a sharp rise, with reports ranging from 11 to 80 cases through mid-June, according to CDC data.
Michigan health authorities, who are investigating what they call a "large and growing outbreak," now put the state's count at roughly 700 as of Monday - about 13 to 14 times Michigan's typical annual total of 40 to 50 cases. Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state's chief medical executive, said the cases are concentrated in eight southeast Michigan counties: Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Wayne, Shiawassee, Jackson, Oakland, and Livingston.
Federal officials have urged caution about linking the spikes together. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is "no evidence of a single, multistate Cyclospora outbreak linking cases" being reported now, and the Food and Drug Administration said it was "not in a position at this time to characterize the current numbers as definitively unusual" while its investigation continues. Nationally, the CDC counted 145 cases across 17 states between May 1 and June 16 - a tally that excludes Michigan's surge - with 20 hospitalizations and no deaths, in patients ranging in age from 5 to 86. Ohio, not among the states the outbreak was first reported in, has separately confirmed at least 177 cases this year.
Many people who catch the parasite - called cyclosporiasis - show no symptoms at all. But for those who do, it's brutal. Those who catch the parasite experience watery, "explosive" diarrhea that can leave victims running to the bathroom dozens of times a day, along with severe cramping, vomiting, nausea, fatigue and fever.
The illness is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis, a microscopic parasite that spreads through food or water contaminated with feces - most often fresh produce - and is not known to spread from person to person, because the parasite needs one to two weeks outside the body to become infectious. It is treated with the oral antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, sold as Bactrim, typically over a 10-day course; untreated, symptoms can last from a few days to more than a month and may relapse. The CDC advises washing all fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking.
Cristy Cooper spoke to The Post from her hospital bed as she battles the infection.
"This is worse than like any flu I've ever gotten or anything, it's just so... it's miserable. I'm worn out from it. I really am," she said.
Cooper's nightmare started June 25 with what she described as "unbearable" diarrhea.
Within days came crushing gas, exhaustion, vomiting, nausea, painful cramps and a 100.2-degree fever. Doctors are treating her with a sulfa-based antibiotic, and she's now on the road to recovery.
Tyler Durden Thu, 07/09/2026 - 18:00
Authored by Will Hild via The Center Square,
As the Texas Stock Exchange begins its launch, Texans have every reason to celebrate. Soon, the TXSE will join Nasdaq Texas as a fully functioning venue, and the NYSE has signaled a strong commitment to Texas as well. It is clear that Texas is emerging as a serious challenger to New York as the nation's financial capital.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott rings the Closing Bell of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in celebration of the launch of NYSE Texas in Arlington, Aug. 20, 2025. Photo: Texas Office of the Governor via Facebook / Used with PermissionTexas earned this moment by embracing lower taxes, lighter regulation, and, perhaps most importantly, better governance laws and more favorable proxy rules designed to make the state the best place in America to do business.
But Texans should remember why those reforms became necessary.
For years, some of Wall Street's largest financial institutions embraced Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) activism, using their enormous influence to pressure companies on political and social issues far beyond their fiduciary responsibilities. Many Texans viewed those efforts as an attempt to use financial power to reshape industries that are foundational to the state's economy and culture.
These companies came after oil and gas, cattle and coal. They pushed racist diversity standards and forced companies to hire based on factors they proclaimed were more important than simply focusing on who was best suited for the job.
This was met in Texas with significant contempt, and the backlash was swift. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened investigations into Net Zero Banking and Asset Manager alliances led by the likes of Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock and State Street, among others. He also sued BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard alleging antitrust violations. The state comptroller divested significant assets from BlackRock and the Texas Board of Education did the same.
The message from Texas was simple: financial institutions should focus on delivering returns, not political agendas. That's why as the TXSE becomes an operational venue, Texans must pay close attention to who's financing the exchange.
BlackRock, one of the most recognizable champions of ESG investing, is the founding institutional investor of the TXSE. Its CEO Larry Fink has argued that companies must address issues ranging from climate change to racial and gender inequality and famously said BlackRock would "force behaviors." In his 2021 letter to CEOs, Fink proclaimed that "no issue ranks higher than climate change." Texans saw his actions as evidence that America's largest asset manager was using its market power to influence policy rather than simply maximize shareholder value.
J.P. Morgan is also a major investor. This is the same bank that faced serious backlash for de-banking gun companies and manufacturers, and even President Donald Trump himself. JPMorgan Chase has also made aggressive climate finance commitments, including a pledge to finance a $1 trillion Green objective, to help transition to a lower-carbon economy.
Bank of America, another institutional investor in the exchange, likewise committed hundreds of billions of dollars toward sustainable finance initiatives. The bank has also embraced Critical Race Theory, requiring race-training for workers that calls America a system of "white supremacy" and encourages employees to be "woke at work."
The list goes on and the pattern is clear. The very companies helping to finance an alternative finance hub in response to a politicized marketplace are, in many cases, the ones that helped create the conditions that made such an alternative appealing in the first place. In other words, the demand for a more business-focused exchange did not emerge in a vacuum, but arose in large part as a reaction to the conduct of the very firms now seeking to capitalize on it.
That doesn't mean Texans should oppose the Texas Stock Exchange. Texas positioning itself as a market center is a major victory for Texans and for free enterprise. It demonstrates that companies are choosing Texas because it has created a better environment for business than New York, New Jersey or Delaware.
But success should never replace vigilance.
Texans should welcome every company that wants to invest in Texas, provided they respect the principles that made Texas attractive in the first place. If Wall Street firms have truly returned to prioritizing shareholders over politics, Texans should applaud that change.
If not, Texans shouldn't forget history.
Texas built an environment to free businesses from political activism. The companies investing in TXSE should understand that Texans expect them to leave their activist agendas behind.
And they'd be smart to remember, everything is bigger in Texas, including accountability.
Will Hild is the executive director of Consumers' Research, the nation's oldest consumer protection organization.
Tyler Durden Thu, 07/09/2026 - 17:40