Capitol Conversations: Bureau reporters break down the latest
By Jimmy Vielkind, Samuel King
September 18, 2026 at 1:30 PM EDT
Worries over AI and data centers are cropping up in campaigns this election season, and it’s not fitting easily on the political spectrum.
A recent ad by U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-New York, attacks his Democratic opponent, Cait Conley, for saying during a forum that data centers are all but inevitable. But Conley supports Gov. Kathy Hochul’s one-year moratorium on data centers; Lawler does not.
Hochul is also touting the new utility rebate checks that will be sent out beginning Sept. 21, while her Republican opponent, Bruce Blakeman, is calling the $200 checks “peanuts” in relation to soaring bills.
And the state Board of Regents voted to phase out Regents exams as a requirement for graduation, beginning in 2028.
The New York Public News Network’s Jimmy Vielkind and Samuel King discuss those developments at the Capitol.
A recent ad by U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-New York, attacks his Democratic opponent, Cait Conley, for saying during a forum that data centers are all but inevitable. But Conley supports Gov. Kathy Hochul’s one-year moratorium on data centers; Lawler does not.
Hochul is also touting the new utility rebate checks that will be sent out beginning Sept. 21, while her Republican opponent, Bruce Blakeman, is calling the $200 checks “peanuts” in relation to soaring bills.
And the state Board of Regents voted to phase out Regents exams as a requirement for graduation, beginning in 2028.
The New York Public News Network’s Jimmy Vielkind and Samuel King discuss those developments at the Capitol.