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Today, Explained

The young candidates shaking up the Dem Party

20 Jun 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: Why are the New York congressional primaries considered crucial?

0.031 - 18.698 Astead Herndon

You can argue that the New York congressional primaries are the most important primaries in all of the country. And that's not just because us New Yorkers think we're the center of the universe. The races that are happening here are highlighting issues that are sure to come up in next year's presidential primary on tech, on immigration, on policing.

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18.678 - 27.971 Astead Herndon

So today, let's talk to two candidates who races are sure to have national implications. One is about AI and how and if we should regulate this new technology.

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28.071 - 34.74 Alex Boris

I think there's a lot of fear among elected officials that if they try to regulate this technology, it will be the end of their political career.

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34.88 - 40.768 Astead Herndon

The other is about generational change, representation, and just how far left is too far left.

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40.788 - 48.178 Daria Liza Avila Chevalier

There was a lot of pressure to be wooker than thou, right? And that has gotten us to a point where a lot of people groan or roll their eyes.

48.158 - 56.11 Astead Herndon

Alex Boris of New York 12, and Daria Liza Avila Chevalier of New York 13. That's this week on America Actually. Let's dig in.

64.527 - 86.998 Noam Hassenfeld

Support for this show comes from Odoo. Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? Introducing Odoo. It's the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all-in-one, fully integrated platform that makes your work easier. CRM, accounting, inventory, e-commerce, and more. And the best part?

87.439 - 99.155 Noam Hassenfeld

Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. That's why over thousands of businesses have made the switch. So why not you? Try Odoo for free at odoo.com.

Chapter 2: How is AI influencing political campaigns and regulations?

99.617 - 127.816 Noam Hassenfeld

That's O-D-O-O dot com. Support for this show comes from Odoo. Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? Introducing Odoo. It's the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all-in-one, fully integrated platform that makes your work easier. CRM, accounting, inventory, e-commerce and more. And the best part?

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128.257 - 136.807 Noam Hassenfeld

Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. That's why over thousands of businesses have made the switch. So why not you?

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Chapter 3: What does generational change mean for the Democratic Party?

137.428 - 142.794 Noam Hassenfeld

Try Odoo for free at Odoo.com. That's O-D-O-O dot com.

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146.318 - 155.79 Astead Herndon

Assemblyman Boris, thank you for joining us. We appreciate your time. Thanks for having me. Why do you think this race has national relevance or has relevance to anyone who doesn't live in New York 12th?

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156.428 - 175.508 Alex Boris

When I launched, I thought it would just be a race about New York 12, about the issues that were here. And three weeks later, on my wedding anniversary, so I remember the specific day, Leading the Future, a super PAC of Trump mega donors, announced that they were going to make me their number one enemy and spend whatever it took to beat me. They wanted to make an example out of me.

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175.588 - 193.995 Alex Boris

They chose to try to send a message to every member of Congress that the cost of having a say in how AI affects our kids' brains or our jobs or the environment, that cost has to be political destruction. And so this race has now become a test of that thesis as to whether we can stand up to this force.

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193.975 - 208.318 Astead Herndon

Yeah, I mean, and I wanted to ask why we think they decided to target you. Eight years ago, you were at Palantir Technologies, and now the AI industries, to your point, has kind of named you as a leading boogeyman in their races. How did we get from there to here?

208.418 - 222.418 Alex Boris

You passed the strongest AI safety law in the country. So I was elected in 2022 to the State Assembly. I became the first Democrat elected in New York State at any level with a degree in computer science. A fact that I find 10% cool and 90% horrifying? Yeah.

222.498 - 229.065 Astead Herndon

I'm like thinking about it in my head. I said, oh, I would say that if I were you, but as like a voter, I'm like, oh, that's probably not great.

229.085 - 248.603 Alex Boris

Yeah, yeah, exactly. But I use that background, that knowledge to pass laws that actually protect people, right? And it's not about being pro-innovation or anti-innovation. It's about shaping the technology so that it actually works for the vast majority of Americans. And one of the bills in particular that I passed was called the RAISE Act. Let's again stick with this. What did you do?

248.583 - 267.549 Alex Boris

at Palantir? So I joined during the Obama administration and I worked on civilian federal projects. What does that mean? So working with the Department of Justice to close down pill mills and tackle the opioid epidemic. Also going after the big banks for their role in the Great Recession. While I led the project, we recovered $20 billion for taxpayers from the big banks.

Chapter 4: What are the implications of the RAISE Act on AI safety?

957.388 - 971.004 Alex Boris

Like if they lock in a power structure where just a few billionaires get to decide how all of this works. You know, that might be a lot harder to change in four years than if we just get it right now. Assemblyman Boris, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate your time. Thanks for having me.

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971.024 - 990.765 Astead Herndon

Yeah, thank you. Up next, how a race in upper Manhattan and the Bronx highlights the splits among the Democratic Party nationally. We asked Daria-Liza Avila-Chevalier, a Democratic socialist running in New York's 13th congressional district, the question that's on a lot of Democrats' minds right now. How far left is too far left?

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995.808 - 1013.277 Sean Illing

Support for the show today comes from Grow Therapy. A lot of people talk about summer like it's supposed to be relaxed and carefree, but if this season brings up money stress, body stress, family stress, or social stress, that's real too, you guys. Grow Therapy can help with that, all of that, all of those.

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1013.257 - 1035.619 Sean Illing

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1035.599 - 1058.232 Sean Illing

Grow accepts over 125 insurance plans. Sessions average $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. You can visit growtherapy.com slash explained today to get started. That's growtherapy.com slash explained. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

1062.818 - 1085.262 Noam Hassenfeld

Support for this show comes from Odoo. Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? Introducing Odoo. It's the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all-in-one, fully integrated platform that makes your work easier. CRM, accounting, inventory, e-commerce and more. And the best part?

1085.703 - 1100.301 Noam Hassenfeld

Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. That's why over thousands of businesses have made the switch. So why not you? Try Odoo for free at odoo.com. That's O-D-O-O dot com.

1104.5 - 1106.162 Daria Liza Avila Chevalier

Sean Rommelstrom, let me ask you a question.

1106.302 - 1122.405 Sean Illing

Which journalistic endeavors do you pay money to support? Oh, my gosh. Which or like how many? Let me think. That one and that one and that one. A bunch of public radio stations. A big newspaper that I can think of. Some sub stacks. So many newsletters.

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