Dr. Amy Acton, Bad Bunny and Refusing to Look the Other Way

Summary

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Andy Beshear Podcast

Episode: Dr. Amy Acton, Bad Bunny and Refusing to Look the Other Way
Date: February 5, 2026
Host: Andy Beshear
Featured Guest: Dr. Amy Acton

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on an in-depth conversation with Dr. Amy Acton, Democratic nominee for Governor of Ohio and former Director of the Ohio Department of Health. The discussion explores Acton’s life story, her pragmatic, bipartisan approach to public service, and the economic and social challenges facing working families in Ohio and the nation. The episode also touches on Black History Month, recent controversial events in Minnesota, the Epstein document release, a Texas special election, and closes with some light Super Bowl and pop culture banter.

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Dr. Amy Acton: Advocacy, Leadership, and Refusing to Look Away

Acton's Personal Story and Its Impact

[03:14–07:27]

• Overcoming Adversity:
  Dr. Acton describes growing up in hardship, including abuse, hunger, homelessness, and moving frequently in Youngstown, Ohio. Consistency arrived only at age 12 after intervention by child services. She credits public schools and community kindness for helping her persevere.

  “I was a frequent flyer in children’s services. A lot of abuse and neglect ... my brother and I actually lived in a tent in the middle of winter. Finally … at age 12, I was removed … got in med school right out of high school … But I was haunted by the kids I left behind ... your zip code can predict, on average, how long you will live …”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [03:51–04:55]

• Not Looking Away:
  Acton promises Ohioans:

  “You will never, ever be unseen by me. Because the people I remember more are the people who don't look the other way.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [05:14]

• Policy Rooted in Compassion:
  Free school breakfast and lunch, investments in public schools, and focus on real-life affordability are central to her platform.

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Bipartisanship and the State of Politics

[06:23–09:17]

• Bridging the Divide:
  Acton highlights her work under both Republican and Democratic administrations and stresses that partisanship isn’t the real Ohio divide.

  “It’s not about party anymore. It is about extreme wealth, power, and ideology against everyone else.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [06:46]

• Pragmatic Solutions:
  Focus on housing, childcare, property taxes, and economic “breathing room”—common concerns across party lines.

  “All these things are compiling to where there’s no more breathing room. And I’m running because I can't look the other way...”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [08:25]

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The Race Against Vivek Ramaswamy & Policy Contrasts

[09:17–13:01]

• Opponent’s Disconnect:
  Beshear and Acton critique billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy’s disconnect from working people and his comments about poverty and social welfare.

  “He said that people are struggling because they're lazy and they're mediocre…”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [09:50]

  “It's that condescension that I think would lead to such bad governance.”
  — Andy Beshear [10:13]

• Healthcare Battles:
  Ramaswamy’s suggestions—cutting Medicaid, Medicare, and child care—are highlighted as “out of touch.” Acton underscores the critical role of these programs in supporting families and rural hospitals.

  “Right now in my state … 40% of children are born on Medicaid ... And what people don't understand is most people getting Medicaid are working.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [13:01]

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Real-Life Impacts: Affordability, Healthcare, and Public Schools

[13:54–17:19]

• Medical Debt:
  Story of a mother in Claremont, OH facing $300,000 in medical debt after premature twins; hospitals and education systems are also in crisis.

  “$300,000 in medical debt. This is one of the things I absolutely want to do. I want to go after medical debt. Governors can do something about this.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [14:49]

• Threats to Public Schools:
  Vouchers undermine public schools, especially in rural/working-class communities.

  “Public schools are all we have. It’s where health care is happening, it's where workforce is happening.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [15:52]

• Affordability Is Central:
  Basic needs—health, education, predictable costs—are slipping out of reach for many.

  “All of this is adding up to people who are doing everything right. They are not lazy, they are not mediocre ... This is all of us. We got to understand. This is all of us.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [17:19]

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Federal Pushback, Corruption & Gerrymandering

[17:28–22:39]

• Defending Against Federal Cuts:
  Democratic governors are the “last line of defense” against federal efforts to defund addiction support, school meals, and more.

  “When you’ve got a Democratic governor, we sue, we win, we get those funds back. But when you don’t… the people of that state suffer.”
  — Andy Beshear [18:13]

• Gerrymandering and Corruption:
  Acton details how Ohio’s gerrymandered legislature and special interests block bipartisan problem-solving:

  “We are going backwards on every single measure in my state because we have a corrupt state houses. So governors need to be pushing back federally and... building a whole generation in their legislature.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [18:20]

• Message on Place and Loyalty:
  The contrast between candidates’ investments in Ohio—Acton’s deep roots vs. Ramaswamy moving his business to Texas:

  “When you love Ohioans, you don’t move your business to Texas. You don’t call them lazy and mediocre.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [22:28]

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Notable Humor and Light Moments

[22:46–24:49]

• Raising Cane’s Prank:
  A story about Ramaswamy supposedly being tricked into expecting a meeting with the Ohio State football coach at a chicken restaurant.

  “I think someone punked my opponent, saying that he would come and meet the entire football team and the football coach at Raising Cane's.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [22:54]

• Personal Quirks ("Secret Superpower"):
  Acton is an avid hiker (climbed Mt. Whitney) and has a notorious sweet tooth for sour candy.

  “People probably don't know that I love being outdoors ... and as a doctor that I'm not always the healthiest ... my team jokes about is I live off of a lot of sacrifices, Sour candy.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [23:55, 24:30]

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Building a Grassroots Movement

[24:51–25:45]

• Campaign Contact Info:
  Acton encourages listeners to visit actonforgovernor.com to support her campaign.

  “We have the biggest record we've set is the number of individual donors ... It is really grassroots. Everyday people. Come join us.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [25:14]

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In My Kentucky Accent: Honoring Black History Month

[26:29–29:18]

• Celebrating and Acknowledging Truth:
  Beshear underscores the importance of Black History Month, urges honest recognition of both triumphs and failures in American history, and criticizes current presidential actions to minimize Black American contributions.

  “I believe diversity is a strength and never a weakness ... when we are honest about some of the mistakes in our past, we are a better country for it.”
  — Andy Beshear [27:42]

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The Johns Segment: Current Events & National Politics

Minneapolis ICE/Border Patrol Surge & Civil Rights

[29:18–37:07]

• Federal Overreach:
  The group discusses the aggressive ICE/home security raids in Minneapolis, doubts about judicial rulings, and the invocation of “Bloody Sunday” as a modern parallel.

  “I think this might be the Bloody Sunday of our generation.”
  — Andy Beshear [30:30]

• Impact of Revealing Video:
  Videos galvanize public empathy and protest.

  “I wish it didn’t take video, but at least when you look back on Bloody Sunday, that video just really touched a nerve...”
  — Andy Beshear [32:45]

• Broader Implications & Community Impact:
  The group predicts similar standoffs in other cities; stresses the need to treat immigrants and protestors with dignity.

  “You're not supposed to treat people this way ... We cannot accept an American body count just for the deportation of a certain number of people.”
  — Andy Beshear [36:26]

Epstein Files: Fallout and Justice

[37:07–41:20]

• Reactions to DoJ Release:
  Shock at the volume of elite names, concern for survivor privacy, and worry about lack of accountability.

  “The number one thing here is you do not re traumatize these victims. With everything they’ve been through, they should be first.”
  — Andy Beshear [39:22]

• Will There Be Accountability?:
  The group wonders whether any powerful figures named will face consequences; focus stays on justice and survivor protection.

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Texas Special Election: Signs of a Shift

[41:20–44:45]

• Democratic Upset in Trump+17 District:
  Discussion of Democrat Taylor Remt’s victory in Fort Worth as a signal that voters are rejecting extremism and care about affordability and electability.

  “...it’s really not red or blue or right or left. It’s how are we going to help the everyday person every day?”
  — John McConnell [42:05]

• Future Predictions:
  Hints that a Democratic House may be on the horizon if trends continue.

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Super Bowl and Pop Culture Banter

[45:01–46:38]

• Super Bowl Picks & Halftime Show:
  Quick-fire picks for game winners and the impact of Bad Bunny’s halftime performance.

  “I'm going with Bad Bunny for the win. He's going to have a halftime show that Trump won't stop talking about. He is going to be like the rapper of the resistance.”
  — Andy Beshear [45:12]

• Favorite Halftime Shows:
  Reminiscing on past shows (Dr. Dre, Prince, Rolling Stones).

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “This is a time that's asking a lot of us … Courage comes from the root word heart. It means opening your heart up when you see things you can't unsee, when you see suffering.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [07:27]

• “It is not partisan. And it is the cost of everyday living.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [08:25]

• “If the American dream is working hard and playing by the rules to get ahead, how can she be suffering … from that $350,000 of debt? Housing, no, kindergarten.”
  — Andy Beshear [17:07]

• “We are going backwards on every single measure … because we have a corrupt state house … Getting a Democratic governor is the beginning of turning my state around.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [18:20]

• “Public schools saved my life as a kid.”
  — Dr. Amy Acton [15:00]

• “I believe diversity is a strength and never a weakness … when we are honest about some of the mistakes in our past, we are a better country for it.”
  — Andy Beshear [27:42]

• “I think this might be the Bloody Sunday of our generation.”
  — Andy Beshear [30:30]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------ | | Dr. Amy Acton interview, early life/values | 03:14–07:27 | | Bipartisanship, running for governor | 06:23–09:17 | | Differences with Vivek Ramaswamy, Medicaid/Medicare issues | 09:17–13:01 | | Real-life costs: debt, childcare, schools | 13:54–17:19 | | Federal defense/bipartisan statehouse challenges | 17:28–22:39 | | Humor, personality, campaign grassroots | 22:46–25:45 | | “In My Kentucky Accent”: Black History Month | 26:29–29:18 | | Johns Segment: Minneapolis protest/ICE raids | 29:18–37:07 | | Epstein file release | 37:07–41:20 | | Texas special election | 41:20–44:45 | | Super Bowl discussion, pop culture | 45:01–46:38 |

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Tone & Style

The episode is unscripted, warm, and authentic. Both Andy Beshear and Amy Acton inject humor and personal stories, balancing earnest concern for working families with hope and humor. The roundtable discussion among the Johns is collegial, candid, and civil, even with political disagreements.

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Bottom Line

If you care about pragmatic approaches to politics rooted in lived experience and compassion—or want a window into how public servants are striving to cross divides and center real people—this episode deserves your time. Dr. Amy Acton’s story, contrasted sharply with her billionaire opponent, and the broad, bipartisan concerns about affordability, healthcare, and democracy, frame a conversation that is deeply human and timely.

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Transcript

[Expedia Advertiser]

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[Andy Beshear]

Welcome to the Andy Beshear Podcast. You can download this podcast on all major platforms and watch our YouTube channel at Andy Beshear Podcast we're in the middle of season two called prime for 2026. We're introducing you to primary candidates from around the country for Senate, for governor, for Congress, and for other offices. Today we have a great episode. Dr. Amy Acton, who is the Democratic nominee for governor in Ohio, is going to join us. Recent polls have her up and she is seeing support across the board. Amy led her state through Covid, working with a Republican governor but simply trying to do what's right. I think she's viewed as objective, not right or left, but trying to move her state forward. You know, you're really gonna enjoy this interview. Then we have our conversation with the Johns, and in my Kentucky accent, I talk about the importance of Black History Month and the fact that this president should recognize its importance too. So buckle up and enjoy this episode of the Andy Beshear Podcast. Our guests on the Andy Beshear Podcast for this week's edition of prime for 2026 is Dr. Amy Acton. Amy is a lifelong public servant who has spent her career fighting for the people of Ohio. Amy grew up in Youngstown, where she faced a tough childhood and she overcame abuse, hunger and periods of homelessness. She put herself through college and medical school in Ohio and did her residency in Columbus at Children's Hospital. Dr. Acton continued her work as a doctor and public health expert at Ohio State and the Columbus Foundation. As the former director of the Ohio Department of public health under Governor DeWine, Amy and I actually worked together on the response to the COVID 19 pandemic. She also took on the opioid crisis, worked to hold prescription drug companies accountable, and her work, I think, has saved countless lives and helped Ohio's economy and schools get through the pandemic and open sooner than many other states. She's running for governor because she refuses to look the other way as Ohio's working families struggle to get by while politicians in Columbus cater to special interests, corporations and billionaires. She's Fighting for a state where Ohioans can thrive. Amy, welcome to the podcast.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me, Governor.

[Expedia Advertiser]

Thank you.

[Andy Beshear]

Well, I'm really glad you're here. I want to start with your background. You've had to go through so much. How do you think that prepares you? Especially when you see some other families struggling, too. You see some other people going through trauma.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Well, that's true. So many people in my state right now are struggling. They're doing everything right, but there's no breathing room. And, you know, that's something I understand personally. I did grow up in Youngstown, Ohio, which is, you know, Bruce Springsteen's songs that we know.

[Commercial Announcer]

Right.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

And it was a pretty rough childhood. I was a frequent flyer in children's services. A lot of abuse and neglect, and my brother and I actually lived in a tent in the middle of winter. Finally, at the age of 12, I was removed from that situation. We literally moved one mile away from where I had been. But I stayed in one school for the next six years. And then I got in med school right out of high school, accelerated BSMD program. And so my life got better. But I was haunted by the kids I left behind at all my other schools who were just as nice, just as smart. But you could watch our lives go different ways. I didn't have words for it yet, but I was learning that your zip code can predict, on average, how long you will live, what kind of life you will have. And a lot of the theme for my running for governor comes from my childhood also. Being a doctor, I've been trying to get behind the things that. The root causes of things my whole Life. I'm almost 60. I'm turning 60 this month.

[Andy Beshear]

Happy birthday.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Thank you. And my whole life has been trying to solve these wicked hard problems. When you're a kid going through things like that, you notice when people look the other way because it's hard to see. It's not that they don't care, it's just they don't know what to do about it.

[Andy Beshear]

So you want to be the governor that never looks the other way?

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Absolutely. It's a promise I'm making to Ohioans. You will never, ever be unseen by me. Because the people I remember more are the people who don't look the other way. I remember a couple who would pull us up on their front porch. Porch. Walking by on the way to school. My brother and I feed us breakfast because they knew we were hungry. And, you know, I keep thinking as governor, and I've been hearing this from superintendents everywhere, all around my state. I say, if we could stop the bad stuff that vouchers and other things are doing in my state, what's the one thing you want? And to a person, every. Every superintendent said, free breakfast and lunch for kids. And these are the things that Ohioans are longing for public servants to do again, to solve problems instead of making problems, which is what we're seeing a lot of.

[Andy Beshear]

And I think you approach this race pragmatically. Not right, not left, not really even red or blue or Democrat, Republican. It's that idea that that kid who doesn't have enough to eat, can't concentrate, can't learn, can't focus. And shouldn't we all be able to say that at least every child in America should have enough to eat?

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Absolutely. I can't. And you know what? I've been traveling my state for almost two years now, listening deeply, and that is the Ohioans I know. You know, my whole career has been about having to work with both sides of the aisle. I've worked for four different governors over time. Both sides of the aisle, obviously. You met me working with Governor Mike Dwine, a Republican governor.

[Andy Beshear]

Right.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

You know, it's not about party anymore. It is about extreme wealth, power, and ideology against everyone else. And everywhere we've gone, we've seen these record crowds show up, and it doesn't know party. We see tons of independents and lifelong Republicans who are exhausted by the hate and the chaos and the vitriol, and they want to see us solving problems. And I was fortunate during a really hard time to bond with Ohioans. And so I think they trust me. And it's as a doctor, not a politician. I keep sharing. This is my very first race since high school.

[Andy Beshear]

You chose a big one.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yeah, and I chose a big one. But it comes. I think I have a voice. And I keep telling people, this is a time that's asking a lot of us. Again, it's gonna take a lot of courage. When I'm out in Ohio, I'm like, I need your help. It's gonna take some courage. Courage comes from the root word heart. It means opening your heart up when you see things you can't unsee, when you see suffering. You've always been a governor that's been willing to put those hard cards on the table and ask more people and go alongside of people. And I've admired your leadership. Many of us in Ohio do. And I just think we're living in a time where, you know, while everyone's trying to Pit us against one another. I think I'm the kind of person, I know you've been, the kind of governor who pulls people around those tables. You know, people keep trying to pit us all against one another, but 95% of what I hear when I'm out talking to Ohioans is not controversial at.

[Andy Beshear]

All, not partisan at all.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

It is not partisan. And it is the cost of everyday living. You know, it's housing and childcare, and our property taxes are going up because our. Our kind of broken state house where I. Where I live keeps, like, giving breaks to the, like, super, super wealthy, but everyone else is struggling to get by. We're dealing with things where there's no childcare, you know, in parts of my state, and it costs $25,000 a year to have two kids in childcare. And, you know, our property taxes are going up because we're not funding the local funds in Ohio. And all these things are compiling to where there's no more breathing room. And I'm running because I can't look the other way. While bad actors and special interests in my state house have been taking the state of Ohio backwards on every measure. Everywhere I go, people in Ohio are ready for change.

[Andy Beshear]

On the Andy Beshear podcast, we're talking with Amy Acton, who is running for governor of Ohio. We just talked a little bit about how some of the policies in Ohio right now are only helping the billionaires and not the working folk. And so that brings us to a pretty big difference between you and your opponent. Who is one of those billionaires.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yes.

[Andy Beshear]

Who just seems really out of touch in so many different ways.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yes. I'm running most likely against billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy. And he famously. I think. And one of the reasons I don't think he stayed with Doge is he said that people are struggling because they're lazy and they're mediocre and they're just not working hard enough.

[Andy Beshear]

That's what J.D. vance said about the people of Kentucky.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yes.

[Andy Beshear]

In the book that made him famous.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

And pretended he was from here and then blamed us. It's that condescension that I think would lead to such bad governance.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yeah. I think what Ohioans are picking up on in this race is that he just doesn't understand what they're going through. And, you know, he says a lot of interesting policy ideas. Like, one of his was, you know, the way to solve the childcare crisis was to make the school day go from 3 to 4pm and it didn't take long for that to go everywhere on Midas, touch on everywhere around the country. It was so bad what he was saying that his team actually took his post down. Of course my team had a copy of it and they actually left it up on threads by accident. Their covering for it was to say that my team had done AI, that we had done this, but all we did was merely post his own words. And that's been a lot of our campaign has literally been just pointing out his own words.

[Andy Beshear]

So at a time when the cost of living is too high, everything that goes into what people are calling affordability. I worry that as Democrats, we want to coin something in a political science y way as opposed to talk about people's struggles.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yeah, just the cost of life, of everything. Of everything.

[Andy Beshear]

And it's almost. When you say affordability, does it include not being able to buy that home when your parents could at that age? And does it really evoke how you must feel if you feel like you're behind and don't know how to catch up? But the idea that we have a potential candidate on the other side that's a billionaire, that question the need for Medicaid and Medicare, actually the whole project, we gotta actually keep our eye on.

[Expedia Advertiser]

The ball, was dismantling the existence of.

[Andy Beshear]

That nanny state in all of its.

[Expedia Advertiser]

Forms, the entitlement state, the regulatory state and the foreign nanny state. And you know, we've gotten into the thick of a lot.

[Andy Beshear]

This is great. I'm glad to get into it.

[Expedia Advertiser]

Were Medicare and Medicaid mistakes?

[Andy Beshear]

I believe they were, with the benefit of retrospect, particularly Medicaid, particularly the welfare state without work attachments required attached to it.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yes. He was recently on Fox saying that it was perceived. Perceived costs of living.

[Andy Beshear]

Oh, that's right.

[John McConnell]

He.

[Andy Beshear]

He did a. Affordability is a hoax too, to tackle those rising or perceived to be rising costs.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yeah. And then right before he. He launched his bid for governor, he was on Ezra Klein's podcast saying that Medicaid and Medicare are mistakes, big mistakes. And he went on from that. It got even worse what he said after it. And right now in my state, and it's probably similar in your state, 40% of children are born on Medicaid.

[Andy Beshear]

Yes, us too.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Our rural hospitals are collapsing. Right now we have 11 right on the brink. And an urban hospital as well in Cleveland, you know, Medicare is like 2.5 million Ohioans, you know, and what people don't understand is most people getting Medicaid are working.

[Andy Beshear]

Yes.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

It's for disabilities. It does. Our nursing homes, it does our veterans care?

[Andy Beshear]

60% of our long term care costs in Kentucky are Medicaid.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Exactly. So this is all of our parents.

[Andy Beshear]

Yep. Our parents at some point. And our children.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

And our children. And I can't say enough. We're on the brink right now and people are doing everything right. I'm gonna give you a story of someone doing everything right. That might sound like something. You see, I met a mom recently in Claremont, which is right. Little Collar county of Cincinnati. So very.

[Andy Beshear]

I know Claremont.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Right. And it's very close. We share so much estates. And she had premature twins.

[Andy Beshear]

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[Dr. Amy Acton]

$300,000 in medical debt. This is one of the things I absolutely want to do. I want to go after medical debt. Governors can do something about this. This is top of my mind.

[Andy Beshear]

And a governor gets a doctor, right.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

And it's a two parent like working family. And now they're trying to pay off this medical debt. The housing costs too much, as you say when you're young. The schools now, which are being underfunded greatly, public schools are under attack. In my state, my opponent just took $10 million from Yass into his PAC to end public schools as we know it. Public schools saved my life as a kid. I'm married to a 43 year public school, elementary school teacher and a coach. All right. Our schools were given much more. You were able to get out ahead of vouchers here, which was brilliant.

[Andy Beshear]

And you know, beat that same individual when he tried to fund a campaign to get them.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Exactly. And, and you know, in the rural counties, in small towns that went overwhelmingly Trump in that election, they were absolutely, overwhelmingly against vouchers because public schools are all we have.

[Andy Beshear]

Yes. Are the only school.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Right. It's where health care is happening, it's where workforce is happening.

[Andy Beshear]

And they love their Public schools.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

And you love your school. It's the center of the way of life. And right now, these vouchers are given in some of these counties that I've been visiting. $8,500 to private schools and $3,500. Toledo's going to four days a week. We can't bus the public school kids, but we're busing the private. It is a real crisis.

[Andy Beshear]

Same rules don't apply.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

The same rules don't apply. And these, these ideologies are being put through these state houses is why I commend you for being able to get your state out ahead of it. Well, this mom now with the medical debt and high property taxes and our energy bills went up by. Like mine went up by 140 bucks in Ohio right now we're really struggling with energy, electric bills. But then her school stopped kindergarten because they can't afford to do it anymore. So now she's got to pay. Childcare is like $25,000 a year for two kids. All of this is adding up to people who are doing everything right. They are not lazy, they are not mediocre like my opponent says they're not. He said you just have to get a better paying job and you'll be able to handle it. This is the kind of thing that's happening in our states. And this mom's doing everything right. She's not struggling from doing stuff right.

[Andy Beshear]

If the American dream is working hard and playing by the rules to get ahead, how can she be suffering? How to get ahead from that $350,000 of debt? Housing, no, kindergarten.

[Expedia Advertiser]

Right.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

And this is. This is what Ohioans are telling me every day. And this is all of us. We got to understand. This is all of us.

[Andy Beshear]

You're listening to the Andy Beshear Podcast. We've got Amy Acton, our candidate for governor in Ohio. We've just talked a lot about health care. Let's talk a little bit about the current federal administration.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

Because governors are, I believe, sometimes the first, but often the last line of defense. And certainly states that have blue governors or attorneys general are standing up to this president.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

That's right.

[Andy Beshear]

Especially when he tries to cut funding for addiction, when he tries to cut funding for meals in schools, when he tries to cut funding for all these different areas. When you've got a Democratic governor, we sue, we win, we get those funds back.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

That's right.

[Andy Beshear]

But when you don't, and that lawsuit's not filed, the people of that state suffer.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

And I will tell you, working alongside a Republican governor, Governor Mike DeWine with. He, for instance, he tried to move things on childcare. He's trying to do stuff on addiction. We have bipartisan business groups trying to do it. And in my corrupt state house, they block all of that. And that's because they are now taking so much special interest money with these strange ideologies that, you know, it would be. Getting a Democratic governor in is the beginning of turning my state around. You know, we used to be one of the healthiest states, the best educated, incredible economic diversity. We are going backwards on every single measure in my state because we have a corrupt state houses. So governors need to be pushing back federally and. Yes, and they need to be pushing back to build and start a whole generation in their legislature. You know, in Ohio, we are at a tipping point. We're so excited because, you know, we're out ahead in this race, just neck and neck race. But we're, we're winning right now in independence by 21 points. Getting tons of Republicans crossing over because they're realizing life is not getting better. Where I grew up, in places like Youngstown, Ohio, and, you know, we went Obama twice, but then we went Trump, and people want change because life's not getting better. But what I've realized is not only are we not pushing back on what's happening federally, but we don't have people in our state who are fighting any longer because we're so gerrymandered that they can't. That we're not actually solving the problems of everyday life for people. I think we're living in a time where we can't look the other way anymore.

[Andy Beshear]

So we're seeing in Kentucky Donald Trump's tariff policy hitting our economy in every possible way. Single worst economic policy of my lifetime. How is it hitting Ohio?

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Same thing. Talking to a lot of businesses, rural Ohio tariffs. Obviously, our farmers, you know, couldn't sell large majorities of soy. And. And so this is a, this is a really, really big issue in a rural communities. And again, you couple that with these bad Medicaid and Medicare policies, those are hurting our rural hospitals most. And hospitals are a big economic driver in many parts of rural Ohio.

[Andy Beshear]

Highest payroll in every one of those communities.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yeah. And then school. So when I am talking, I spend a lot of time going places. You know, quite frankly, Dems hadn't gone in a long time in my state, listening deeply and to a person, things like health care, public schools, a diversity of economic development in our small towns, being able to package themselves. Right. You know, we have data centers coming in our state and, and energy costs are driving up and sometimes we're seeing in small town that there are these non disclosure agreements so people can't even understand what's going on. All of this bad policy that unfortunately the person I'm running against wants to double down on. You know, the person I'm running against actually moved his business to Texas right before running for governor.

[Andy Beshear]

Like you can't make this from Ohio to Texas.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

And he's running to be governor of which one?

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Ohio. So I can't say enough. What people are longing for are public servants who solve the problems of our everyday life. They're exhausted by the hate and the chaos and the vitriol. They want to see people and quite frankly, when good people get in there and then you end gerrymandering, you get good people on both sides of the aisle where that good voters choosing their right and voters actually choosing those folks. So you know, I'm running because I can't look the other way while my state goes backwards. It's an honor and a privilege. When you love Ohioans, you don't move your business to Texas. You don't call.

[Andy Beshear]

That's a pretty fair test.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

When you love. Oh, you don't call them lazy and mediocre. When you love Ohens, you don't keep changing your views on everything and pit people against one another.

[Andy Beshear]

If you know and love Ohio, you know, if the Ohio State football coach is going to meet you, it's not in a parking lot of raising kids.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Oh my goodness.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah, that's me and Vivek Ramaswamy standing in a parking lot outside a famous chicken shack in Columbus, Ohio that you might have heard of.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

So you're bringing up something from our state, a Raising Cane's restaurant where I think someone punked. I think they punked my opponent, saying that he would come and meet the entire football team and the football coach at Raising Cane's. Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

And it was, it's good advertisement for Raising Canes.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

He was punked by that.

[Andy Beshear]

Tell our listeners just a little bit about you. What is your secret superpower? Something you're very good at, but nobody knows.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Oh my goodness.

[Andy Beshear]

I'll give you some examples. Okay, Amy Klobuchar, who's now running in Minnesota, can operate on very little sleep. That's pretty impressive. Wesmore talked about cooking, which is useful. Mine, which I say just about every episode, explaining this is making the Thanksgiving turkey. It's one thing I can do better than just about anyone, but it's only good one Day a year. I mean, why couldn't I have gotten speed reading or operating on very little sleep?

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Right. I would say that people probably don't know that I love being outdoors. So I've hiked and climbed quite a few things in my life. Gardening. Yeah. Mount Whitney.

[Andy Beshear]

You climb Mount Whitney?

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

That's the secret superpower. Yeah.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

People wouldn't know that. And they wouldn't know, as a doctor that I'm not always the healthiest. I'm not a wag the finger kind of prevent public health person. I like a little moderation.

[Andy Beshear]

That's a good thing because people have thought that Democrats have been wagging the finger at them for a long time.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

You know, one of the things my team jokes about is I live off of a lot of sacrifices, Sour candy. So much so that Ohioans are sending me a lot of Sour Patch Kids and Sweet Tarts and Skittles, because, as you know, when you're on the road and maybe having to speak, a whole meal can't go. So we do eat a lot of candy.

[Andy Beshear]

So tell our listeners how to follow your campaign.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Oh, please come join us. We [e-mail] we have, we're so excited. We're setting records. We've just set another one. We have. The biggest record we've set is the number of individual donors. We've had more donors give in the first half of the last year than people going two years statewide, which shows.

[Andy Beshear]

A huge amount of support.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

It is really grassroots. Everyday people. Come join us. We have toolkits. We have a lot of influencers. So we have ways you can go and make your own content and just be a part of this movement for change. So the website is actinforgovernor.com this has.

[Andy Beshear]

Been a conversation with Amy Acton. She is the Democratic nominee for governor of Ohio. And in the most recent polls, she's up. So make sure you check out that website. Amy, thanks for joining us.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Thank you so much, Governor. Thank you.

[Andy Beshear]

So we're back with Amy Acton, candidate for governor of Ohio. And we never miss an opportunity to sell our swag. See, we wanted to make sure that this doctor who helped the state get through Covid, that is now traveling with as cold as it is, had a sweatshirt that could keep her warm. Amy, as a token of our appreciation and with us trying to get listeners to buy a little bit more from the store, please accept this sweatshirt from the Andy Beshear podcast.

[Dr. Amy Acton]

Thank you very much. I. I will definitely be wearing this. Yeah, because you're Pretty cool, Governor.

[Andy Beshear]

Thank you. Our next segment on the Andy Beshear podcast is in my Kentucky Accent. That's when I talk about what's on my heart and my mind. This week. This week, I'm thinking about Black History Month. Black history is American history. And it's so important to recognize the African American leaders that have made such an important and positive impact on the United States of America. It's also important that we are honest about our history, that we recognize where America went wrong to make sure we do things right moving forward. Unfortunately, during this year's Black History Month, we have a president that acts like it doesn't exist. He's removed Juneteenth as a day people can get in free to our national parks and replaced it with his own birthday. He's trying to take different references to slavery or the mistreatment of African Americans in the United States out of the Smithsonian and act like it didn't happen. Folks, let me tell you where I stand. I believe diversity is a strength and never a weakness. That we are better off having more voices, more backgrounds, more experiences at the table. I believe one of the things that's made America great is every generation is replenished by people with diverse backgrounds that help us be the best country that we can be. And when we celebrate the things we have in common and our differences, when we make sure that we recognize that every single person has value, and when we are honest about some of the mistakes in our past, we are a better country for it. So while Donald Trump may not believe in diversity, I most certainly do. And here in Kentucky, we're going to celebrate Black History Month just like we should. ABC's David Muir, the most trusted anchor in America. The most watched anchor in America. Thank you for making World News Tonight with David Muir, the novel number one newscast in America. Most trusted, Most watched David Muir on abc.

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[Andy Beshear]

Our next segment on the Andy Beshear podcast is my conversation with the Johns. We've always thought about this podcast as a conversation among friends. The way that we process the difficult news of the day so this is when I talked to John Rabinowitz, an attorney, and John McConnell about those issues of the week and of the month. You know, some of us are Democrats, others Republicans, but that doesn't mean that we don't agree on most of what we talk about. And we can certainly always do it in a civil way. Last week we had a lot of heavy topics, and I think one, at least, we need to continue the conversation, and that's what's going on. In Minneapolis. We had a large ICE and then Homeland Security through Border patrol surge in Minneapolis, we have seen overly aggressive tactics. Two Americans are dead. And people have taken to the streets in what seemed like almost record numbers, standing up for what they believe are American values where their rights are respected. I'm going to start with a pretty big statement. I think this might be the Bloody Sunday of our generation. I got to go to Selma last year on the 60th anniversary. I got to talk to the foot soldiers that marched across that bridge towards hatred. And even in a country at that time that was divided, the images that came out of Bloody Sunday changed so many minds and so many hearts. And I think, or maybe I hope that that's what we're seeing right now.

[John Rabinowitz]

Well, and it's sad that we're still having to talk about this, that even after those events, this is still dominating the news and what's coming out of Minnesota. And now, of course, you guys will have to explain to me, a district judge has now said that this is not retaliatory, but even though admitting that there is racial profiling going on. So, Andy, I mean, when you look at this in the state.

[Andy Beshear]

So that is a ruling where Minnesota's ag Keith Ellison, tried to stop all of the ICE and Border Patrol activity activity, tried to stop almost all federal law enforcement activity in Minnesota. And thus far, they've been ruled against.

[John McConnell]

I think the precedent was not in his favor either.

[Andy Beshear]

But you can counter that with there are a number of rulings in Minnesota right now finding certain members of ICE or Border Patrol in contempt. There are certain rulings about what can and can't be conducted from it. And I guess the most recent news is Donald Trump said that they would not engage protesters, which I hope is accurate because we have seen not only do they not have the training, but they go about it in an aggressive way that's not safe.

[John McConnell]

You know, Andy and John, I want to go back to your original statement. Do you think obviously it's horrific with the deaths and what has transpired to date. Do you Think you feel that way because we have the videos that are actually like that reveal that what we are being told is something by the federal government is something totally different than what happened in reality.

[Andy Beshear]

I wish it didn't take video, but at least when you look back on Bloody Sunday, that video just really touched a nerve or maybe touched the heart of America where, you know, even at divided or divisive times, we don't want people beaten or hurt or mistreated. And that video is just so rough and so awful. And it's not the only one. I mean, obviously there are, you know, the two high profile individuals that have been killed, but there's been plenty of others that have had really aggressive tactics used on them, have been thrown in the back of a Humvee, taken to a different state and then the authorities say, oh, you're here legally. They're released in the other state and they say, good luck getting back home. How is that the United States of America?

[John Rabinowitz]

Well, and then the video too of a five year old being walked away from a car. You know, every parent has the 90%.

[John McConnell]

We have got to have better things to do than detain five year olds. We have bigger fish to fry.

[Andy Beshear]

And now arresting journalists. So there was a protest that came into a church and you can question that tactic or not, but the idea that you would arrest a whole lot of people because of it is pretty concerning.

[John McConnell]

Well, I hope the new leadership that's in place there in Minnesota helps temper down what's going on. I don't know what will transpire this week. Every day things seem to change. I think I heard today that Trump said that he's not going to fund sanctuary cities and Minnesota and Minneapolis being one of those. So we kind of go. It's like a roller coaster in that area.

[Andy Beshear]

It's wild though that Tom Homan is now supposed to be the moderate one in this administration on their immigration policy. It just shows how far out there gotten. And if you look back in time, there are administrations, take President Obama's that deported record numbers of people and he caught some flack from the left on that, but did it without all of this.

[John McConnell]

And I think there was cooperation at that time with ICE and the local police here. I don't think there's any interest in, at least in my opinion, it doesn't seem to be a lot of interest in, in the mayor using his local police to help police immigration.

[Andy Beshear]

I haven't talked to the mayor. I know the governor. I believe that they would help ICE on any violent criminal because no one wants a violent criminal on the streets. But this idea that you pull up to Home Depot unannounced and jump out with assault rifles, like ICE is doing in some places, that leads people to run and that leads to dangerous situations in the surrounding communities when it happens. You're supposed to plan these operations. You're supposed to focus them on where they are and who you're pursuing. You're supposed to do the homework on who is an American citizen, who's here legally and who's not before you show up and demand the papers.

[John McConnell]

And guys don't think it's not relatable to here. My brother in law was in town, he was taking an Uber over to our house. He got out, he said, the Uber driver just told me a crazy story. She told him that she had picked up some clients and was driving them into Lexington. They got pulled over and two of the passengers got detained by ice.

[John Rabinowitz]

Wow. So, Andy, do you feel that Minnesota, the standoff that's starting to happen is going to be something that could be repeated around the country?

[Andy Beshear]

Yes, and will be. Minnesota is known for its activism, Minneapolis especially. But cities don't watch what happened in Minnesota and not react. I mean, these, if it happens in a city in Kentucky. Right. These are our people. These are our neighbors. Democrat, Republican, doesn't matter. You're not supposed to treat people this way. And we cannot accept an American body count just for the deportation of a certain number of people. That is not right. The acceptable number is zero. And this administration is already way above that.

[John McConnell]

And something tells me we'll be talking about this for weeks to come. But another major news event, John and Andy, that happened last Friday is the Department of justice released over 3 million documents, papers, videos, pictures from the Epstein file. And so I like your thoughts. To me, again, just shows how horrific this was. It also shows what the survivors went through. And then in addition, I cannot believe the number of powerful individuals in all kinds of work that were like in some way had either communicated with him or, or had some sort of relationship with him. It's actually pretty shocking.

[John Rabinowitz]

I was mentioned zero times, but thank God. Thank God. But President Trump was mentioned close to.

[Andy Beshear]

A thousand times and Elon Musk had emails going back and forth about when he might arrive at the island. But powerful people of all parties in it, and certainly anybody who engaged in that activity, that is unforgivable. Human trafficking is horrendous. These are oftentimes young women, sometimes young men who are coerced in different ways and forced ultimately into a life where they are raped multiple times a day, sometimes every day for long periods of of time. The release of the documents needed to happen, but how it happened concerned me. There weren't appropriate redactions. The number one thing here is you do not re traumatize these victims. With everything they've been through, they should be first. You know, we should think about them even before we're talking about Jeffrey Epstein or the president and their involvement. The number one thing has to be those girls who were abused and that we do it in a way that hopefully helps heal and not re traumatize them. And then apparently they released some graphic pictures.

[John McConnell]

That's what I was going to mention. Wouldn't that be your number one thing? You redact, you look for pictures of potential victims and you cover those up to make sure those aren't released. It's pretty shy. What are your thoughts on the Department of Justice basically saying, done with the review of these files.

[Andy Beshear]

With how big this has become, they can't do that. This is going back on a promise the President made. Remember, President Trump grabbed onto this and at a time when some people thought what was in the documents might be a conspiracy theory, but he grabbed onto it. He promised to release them all. Then he becomes president and starts calling it a hoax created by Democrats. So at this point, it is so big that the Justice Department has to do more. And if he can order the Justice Department to try to make things up about his political enemies, the very least he can do is ask him to seek justice for these victims of human trafficking.

[John McConnell]

Do you guys think there will be accountability for some of these names mentioned? That people will be held responsible for some of their actions? These are some powerful individuals named.

[Andy Beshear]

Well, what we don't know is what investigation has been done based on the mentions in the documents. You know, anybody can mention someone, but if there is an email suggesting someone is going to that island, that should be investigated. Those are the types of pieces in there that should be.

[John Rabinowitz]

Did they go? Did they actually follow through? And then you look at the pictures that came out in Melania's new movie that just came out.

[Andy Beshear]

The director yet?

[John Rabinowitz]

The director is in a photo with Epstein with two young women singing, a bed with his arms around him.

[John McConnell]

I think definitely more to come on this.

[Andy Beshear]

And how as an older man or even a middle aged man, do you not walk into that situation and say, this is wrong, I'm leaving and everybody else should too.

[John McConnell]

Terrific.

[Andy Beshear]

So a special election just wrapped up in Texas and my goodness, this ought to be A huge red flag.

[John McConnell]

You got a huge smile on your face.

[Andy Beshear]

I do. Alarms ought to be going off for national Republicans. This is a state House special election in Fort Worth. This was a district that Trump carried by 17 points and the Democrat, Taylor Remt won solidly running away with it. While it wasn't a big turnout. A Trump +17 district where you pretty much destroy the other side in Texas, that says something.

[John Rabinowitz]

Elections are just bigger in Texas and.

[John McConnell]

Well, it does seem that in these special elections, the Democrats are outperforming the Republicans in a lot of these different states. I do think the Democrats are very smart in the candidates they're picking. I love the military background, love the working background. Electability, yeah, 110%. And they're focused on, by the way, a lot of these. What we have said on this podcast a ton. It's really not red or blue or right or left. It's how are we going to help the everyday person every day? Affordability.

[Andy Beshear]

And people are calling that affordability. I think how you started describing it is, is how people really think of it. But if we put it under affordability, I think Democrats win if they focus on two things. Electability, sure. Get the candidate that more people can vote for. And by the way, you govern better when that's the case. And second, affordability, in this instance, I think we're seeing a continuation and even a growth of what we saw in November of last year. I look at Abigail Spanberger and Mikey Sherrill's. Since I was involved in those, I saw the numbers as it went. They were great candidates, they were going to win even though structurally those races should not have been favorable to them. New Jersey hadn't had a three straight terms of a Democratic governor in 70 years. Virginia had a popular Republican incumbent that couldn't run for reelection yet. You saw, I think, a 12 and a 15 point win. Part of that's great candidates, very electable on message. They'll be great governors. But there is definitely a repudiation of Trump in there.

[John Rabinowitz]

And you'll see more distance, I think too, because you got it outspent 10 to 1. And Trump even didn't acknowledge he was supportive. Be it on Truth Social, he came out, Trump endorsed. Yeah.

[John McConnell]

The only thing I would say is it was a special election. It was on a Saturday, low voter turnout.

[Andy Beshear]

It was in Texas.

[John McConnell]

It was in Texas in a Republican controlled area. But guys, let's count our chickens before they hatch. All right, let's see what happens.

[Andy Beshear]

The Democrat representative from Fort Worth, Texas.

[John McConnell]

That'S Pretty smile on your faces, guys.

[Andy Beshear]

Well, I think what it says is, is the country believes things have gone too far. And I think we all have said before, people don't like extremism. Yeah, that's. That's not where we want to be as, as a country. And whether it's the tariff policy, the immigration, the big health care cuts that are coming, I think that the American people are going to say, we didn't vote for this. We voted for a president we thought would make life a little bit easier, would lower costs. We didn't vote for this.

[John McConnell]

And it surely looks. I mean, listen, the pendulum always swings. It surely looks like there's probably going to be a Democratic controlled House come November. But that's not atypical in these presidential elections the year after the party switching. But it needs to happen.

[Andy Beshear]

All right, Super Bowl. Super bowl time is this Sunday. Who will be the winner?

[John Rabinowitz]

Patriots.

[John McConnell]

My heart tells me Patriots. But I'm going to bet on the Seahawks.

[Andy Beshear]

I'm going with Bad Bunny for the win. He's going to have a halftime show that Trump won't stop talking about. It's going to blow up his popularity. He is going to be like the rapper of the resistance. I'm going to say he's going to sell more albums in this next year because of this.

[John McConnell]

Wait, are you a Bad Bunny fan?

[Andy Beshear]

I'm not sure.

[John McConnell]

Hold on a second.

[Andy Beshear]

I'm not sure.

[John McConnell]

This is a new revelation.

[Andy Beshear]

Four songs. But I'm telling you, he is getting set up for huge popularity. And I love that the president, at different times, has tried to say he might not be legal. He's from Puerto Rico.

[John McConnell]

That's actually funny. But in thinking about this, I was thinking to myself after I asked my daughters, really, who Bad Bunny was, and I probably should have already known that.

[Andy Beshear]

Did they play some songs for you?

[John McConnell]

They did. I had not heard them. I probably should have, but.

[Andy Beshear]

Did you get into it?

[John McConnell]

Listen, they said it fine. Not really like country music, but that's all right. Now, I will say I was thinking about what the best halftime show was that I remember going back to that and why I loved the Dr. Dre when the Bengals were in was great. That was amazing.

[Andy Beshear]

Yes.

[John McConnell]

Prince was pretty good.

[Andy Beshear]

Snoop and Eminem joined in that.

[John McConnell]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

You even had. I think Warren G was out there with them.

[John Rabinowitz]

Yeah.

[John McConnell]

And the way the set was unreal. That's what I remember. It's just what a show.

[Andy Beshear]

I remember Prince.

[John McConnell]

Yes.

[Andy Beshear]

Put on a pretty good show, too. The Rolling Stones, I was so excited for. But the sound just wasn't there on that one, but they certainly performed. So you have it here. One Seahawks, one Patriots, and one bad bunny for the win. Hey, podcast family, it's Andy and the Johns. The Johns are sitting here in their brand new Andy Beshear Podcast Merch. What do you think of it, fellas?

[John Rabinowitz]

It's great. I always love a good hat.

[John McConnell]

Yeah, listen, I love it and I hear there's a rumor that there's going to be some swag that says Andy Beshear Podcast and the Johns. Finally, John. So respect.

[John Rabinowitz]

I think finally we're going to get some merch to drop that's actually going to feature us.

[Andy Beshear]

We'd love to see you in the Andy Bashir Podcast merch. Make sure you take those photos, post it to social media and tag us at Andy Beshear Podcast. We will feature one great photo on our YouTube channel every week, so join us at the Andy Beshear Podcast. You can download us on all major platforms or catch us on Sirius XM progress at 11am on Saturday mornings. That's a wrap on another episode of the Andy Beshear Podcast. It was great having Dr. Amy Acton in studio. She is running a great race in Ohio. And remember, the best way you can tell someone you care about them is by merchandise from the Andy Beshear Podcast. We've got hats, we've got T shirts, we've got sweatshirts, we even have tote bags. So make sure you go on the website andybashearpodcast.com Click on the merch and make sure that that person you care about knows about it by getting some merch from the Andy Bashir Podcast Store. We'll see you next time.

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