Democratic Primary Debate: NY-12

**Brian Lehrer** (0:11)
It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good morning, everyone. We'll begin today with some excerpts from, and your reactions to, the debate we co-hosted with New York One last night in the Democratic primary to succeed, Congressman Gerald Nadler in New York's 12th Congressional District. That's the district covering Manhattan from around 14th Street up through the Upper East and West Sides. WNYC Senior Political Reporter, Brigid Bergin, and Errol Louis from Spectrum News, New York One and I were the moderators. Brigid will join me in just a minute. There were five candidates on stage competing for this highly coveted seat, and some of the things they went around about were really interesting and major issues in our world. Two members of the State Assembly, Alex Borges, who represents the East Side, and Michael Lasher from the West Side. That's enough right there for some of you, geographically to make up your minds. Nina Schwalbe, a global public health expert who has held senior positions at the UN and USAID.
Also the anti-Trump political commentator and former attorney George Conway, and Jack Schlossberg, social media commentator and grandson of President John F. Kennedy. Among the things they disagreed on, as we'll hear, were military aid to Israel, a moratorium on data centers, whether Chuck Schumer should resign as head of the Democratic Party in the Senate, and more. Hey, Brigid, happy morning after.

**Brigid Bergin** (1:39)
Good morning, Brian.

**Brian Lehrer** (1:41)
Listeners in the district, you'll get first priority on the phones to say anything you learned from the debate last night, 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692 caller text. And first priority will go to voters in the district who, let's say, went in undecided last night. Let's try not to make it surrogates for each of the candidates, you know, calling in the candidates will speak for themselves in these clips and listeners in all these competitive primary districts, we will have a straight, who are you voting for, series of call ins on these competitive races coming up in a few days. But for today, what did you learn watching or listening to last night's debate or from the excerpts we're about to play, especially if you had not made up your mind going in. And any questions, questions for Brigid, who's covering the race and doing analysis, of course, always welcome at 212-433-WNYC, call or text 212-433-9692.
The first excerpt is a section I moderated on the topic of climate with a very specific angle, and then a quick follow up where I was surprised by the outcome, as you will hear. An increasing source of fossil fuel consumption, as you all know, is the massive growth of data centers to support artificial intelligence systems. I'll note that the two state lawmakers who are with us tonight did not vote this month on a proposed one-year state moratorium on data centers. You had a good excuse, you were all at the first debate, or you were both at the first debate.
But, do you support it? Governor Hoke asked to decide whether to sign that bill. And would you support that at the federal level as well, a one-year moratorium on large data centers, Mr. Lashley?

**Michael Lasher** (3:43)
I absolutely would support a federal moratorium on data centers.
And there is a subtle but important difference when it comes to the state moratorium that was just passed. I was the very first co-sponsor of state legislation to impose a moratorium on data center construction in New York. And Alex, voters should know, signed on to that bill the day it was slated to pass.

**Brian Lehrer** (4:04)
Mr. Boris?

**Alex Borges** (4:06)
I don't know if that timeline is true, but the bill was also introduced like the day it passed.

**Michael Lasher** (4:11)
No, that was the final version of the bill. The original version of the bill had been pending for months, Alex.

**Alex Borges** (4:16)
Yes.

**Michael Lasher** (4:16)
And you never co-sponsored it, and you only came out for a moratorium on data centers at the last possible minute when it was a fate accompli, because Anthropic certainly does not want a moratorium on data centers in this country.

**Alex Borges** (4:28)
That's the first true thing you've said on this. Anthropic doesn't want that bill, and I co-sponsored it and argued for it. You're absolutely right. I do support at the federal level a bill that would flip the incentives here, because right now the incentives we put out for data centers are to do the absolute dirtiest version. What Elon Musk is doing in Tennessee spinning up gas turbines. But if we actually set the rules of the road that you have to bring your own energy, that it has to be renewable, that you have to connect to the grid and pay for those upgrades and pay a fee on top of that, we could actually end up with a grid that is more reliable and more green. But it requires actual regulations that will get us there, and I'll fight for those in Congress. All right.