In 1995, Allen Porter was convicted of a double murder in Queens. He spent nearly 34 years in prison, maintaining his innocence every step of the way.

On Jan. 30 of this year, a Queens judge vacated his conviction, but the case is far from over. Porter, who is out on bond and wearing an ankle monitor, and his attorney, Charles Linehan, joined NY1's Errol Louis to discuss why Porter remains in legal limbo as the Queens district attorney appeals the ruling.

Linehan explained the judge's findings that prosecutors suppressed significant exculpatory evidence, including notes documenting that a witness said Porter was not at the scene. The prosecutor acknowledged that the evidence had not been disclosed to the defense. Porter reflected on earning his degree from Bard College while incarcerated, his plans to study finance at Baruch College, and what life has been like since his release. They also discussed what comes next in Porter's fight to fully clear his name.

Is labor union influence in New York shifting? Recent elections have raised new questions about the political value of a major labor union endorsement. Andrew Cuomo secured backing from many prominent unions in the 2025 mayoral primary but lost to Zohran Mamdani, while Antonio Reynoso fell to Claire Valdez in a congressional race despite broad labor support.

NY1 statehouse reporter Bernadette Hogan joined NY1 political anchor Errol Louis to examine what a union endorsement means for candidates in 2026. They discussed how an endorsement's value depends on more than a logo: unions must invest money, mobilize members, and build a real turnout operation for their support to matter. The conversation also explored the union-backed Working Families Party, its tensions with the Democratic Socialists of America, and its challenge of maintaining ballot status while deciding whether to align with Gov. Kathy Hochul in this November's election. They also considered Mamdani's high popularity as he approaches consequential contract negotiations with powerful public-sector unions.

Steve Kornacki is the chief data analyst at NBC News and a familiar face to anyone who watches election night coverage. He joined NY1's Errol Louis to discuss this week's surprising New York Democratic primary, where multiple democratic socialist candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani won, including Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, while several incumbents suffered unexpected defeats. Kornacki also explained his "KornackiCam" livestream, which tracks election results in real time, and broke down the night's biggest surprises, particularly Chevalier's victory, which significantly outperformed expectations.