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Capitol Conversations: Bureau reporters break down the latest

Gov. Kathy Hochul signs an Executive Order to create the nation’s first moratorium on new hyper scale data centers on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. during an event in Brooklyn. The governor touted the measure as establishing the strongest standards for data center development and creating a blueprint to support localities.
Susan Watts
/
Office of the Governor
Gov. Kathy Hochul signs an Executive Order to create the nation’s first moratorium on new hyper scale data centers on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. during an event in Brooklyn. The governor touted the measure as establishing the strongest standards for data center development and creating a blueprint to support localities.

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.

Jimmy Vielkind covers how state government and politics affect people throughout New York. He has covered Albany since 2008, most recently as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal.
Samuel King is a Capitol News Bureau reporter for the New York Public News Network, producing multimedia stories on issues of statewide interest and importance.