Power & Politics

This week, Tom Eschen sits down with Anthony Aguirre, President & CEO of the Future of Life Institute and Tush Nikkolaj President and CEO at Logical Net Corporation, talking AI regulation and innovation

Producer Olivia Holloway's Headlines: New NY Prediction Market lawsuit, new Siena Poll, White House Media Ban/unBan, Waymo movement, AI Regulation

00:00 Intro & Show Preview

01:19 NY Sues Polymarket

03:39 Siena Poll: Hochul vs. Blakeman & Data Centers

08:40 White House Press Access Fight

12:51 Waymo's Push Into New York

18:33 State AGs Call for Federal AI Rules

23:04 Interview: Anthony Aguirre, Future of Life Institute

39:51 Interview: Tush Nikkolaj Logical Net 55:50 Power & Pop Culture

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NYS Senator Pat Fahy (D-Albany), is running for reelection in New York's 46th Senate District. The interview spans from public safety to utility prices, economic investment and the City of Albany's Budget.

Fahy is facing Republican nominee Martha McHugh.

0:00 Introduction: Senator Pat Fay, SD-46
0:19 Albany Violence & Downtown Revitalization
3:06 Juvenile Crime, Absenteeism & Raise the Age
7:37 Solar Panels, Farmland & ORES
10:16 Utility Affordability & Data Centers
14:24 Albany's Finances & $200M Downtown Fund

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Republican Martha McHugh is running for New York's 46th Senate District, discussing her campaign with CBS6's Tom Eschen. She talks about job creation, solar complexes and local control, data centers and public safety.

00:14 Why she's running
00:58 District's diversity in population, density
03:40 Solar and home rule
05:20 Data centers
07:54 Utilities/Public Service Commission
10:44 Raise the Age
12:22 Minority-party strategy

McHugh is opposing incumbent NYS Senator Pat Fahy (D)
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Episode recorded 9/18/2026

Host Tom Eschen speaks with PSC Chair Rory Christian and Historian Andrew Morris.

Tom and Power & Politics producer Olivia Holloway go through this week's Holloway Headlines: 287g lawsuit update, data center regulation at federal and state level, and more. Tom and Olivia discuss controversial advertisements (Novig, Good Good) in this week's Power & Pop Culture segment.

New York is launching the Energy Affordability Index, a tool Public Service Commission Chair Rory Christian says will help the commission guide decisions about rate increase proposals from companies. Christian talks about how those decisions will impact New Yorkers energy bills, and how those companies are using artificial intelligence.

Andrew Morris, the Chair of the Union College Department of History, looks back 100 years at the City of Schenectady's Election of the first Socialist mayor in New York State, George Lunn. He discusses Lunn's politics, policies, and a look at how he compares with NYC Mayor and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani

⁠00:00⁠ — Intro & Episode Preview

⁠01:18⁠ — Holloway's Headlines: Sheriffs Sue Over Immigration Law

⁠06:58⁠ —Holloway's Headline: Data Centers, State & Federal Regulation Proposals

⁠15:50⁠ — Rory Christian on Energy Affordability & AI at Utilities

⁠30:25⁠ — Andrew Morris on Schenectady's Socialist Mayor & Mamdani

⁠54:19⁠ — Power & Pop Culture: Outrage Ads and AI

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New York is launching the Energy Affordability Index, a tool Public Service Commission Chair Rory Christian says will help the commission guide decisions about rate increase proposals from companies. Christian talks about how those decisions will impact New Yorkers energy bills, and how those companies are using artificial intelligence.

Andrew Morris, the Chair of the Union College Department of History, looks back 100 years at the City of Schenectady's Election of the first Socialist mayor in New York State, George Lunn. He discusses Lunn's politics, policies, and a look at how he compares with NYC Mayor and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani

00:00 Intro: What's on This Week's Episode
01:17 PSC Chair Rory Christian on the Energy Affordability Index
11:52 AI at New York's Utilities — and Grid Cybersecurity
15:09 Schenectady's Socialist Mayor: Who Was George Lunn?
26:28 Lunn and Mamdani: Parallels a Century Apart

Abridged version due to technical difficulties, this podcast will be updated with Holloway's Headlines and Power & Pop Culture on Friday afternoon.

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