Neil A. Carousso produces NewsNation original “Kurt’s Country” – a celebration of country music and a slice of Americana with host Kurt Bardella.
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WCBS 880 Weekly Rewind: Inside the Afghanistan Crisis
Produced by Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The United States military is evacuating Americans and Afghans from Kabul after the Taliban regained control of the war-torn country as U.S. troops withdraw.
WCBS anchor Lynda Lopez looks at the failures in Afghanistan and the resulting humanitarian crisis, especially the plight of innocent Afghan women and girls who had made strides the past two decades in their fight for basic rights. The 880 Weekly Rewind also talks to a U.S. veteran who served in Afghanistan and Ari Fleischer, the press secretary for former President George W. Bush when the war on terror began.
Also on this week’s episode, Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert who is a voting member of the FDA’s advisory committee that approved Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, explains why he does not believe booster shots are necessary, yet, as officials announce third doses will be available to fully vaccinated Americans starting the week of September 20.
Subscribe and download The 880 Weekly Rewind podcast for in-depth reporting and deeper analysis of the top stories of the week, produced by Neil A. Carousso, for WCBS-AM New York.
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‘At their wits’ end’: Inside a decades-long fight to declassify 9/11 documents
By Lynda Lopez, WCBS Newsradio 880
Produced by Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A bill introduced in Congress last week would require the Department of Justice, Central Intelligence Agency and the Director of National Intelligence to oversee a review into declassifying documents related to the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
The families of 9/11 victims, first responders and some survivors have been calling on the federal government to release the documents for some time, alleging they will reveal Saudi Arabia financed the attacks.
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal has been leading the bipartisan effort to get the documents declassified and into the hands of the families looking to sue Saudi Arabia.
He spoke with WCBS 880 this week saying he believes the documents are the key to winning the lawsuit.
“There is mounting credible evidence, profoundly significant evidence that the Saudi government was complicit and indeed aided and abetted the 9/11 attackers,” Blumenthal said. “These 9/11 families lost loved ones, and they are seeking justice against the Saudi government, but they need some of the documents and notes and other evidence to prove their case in court against the Saudi government.”
He adds that the lawsuit is also much more than getting justice for these families.
“It’s about holding accountable a foreign government that may have aided and abetted and enabled an attack on the United States – one of the most unspeakable and heinous attacks in our country’s history,” he said.
Multiple administrations have refused to release these documents in the past with many saying that it would be a national security concern.
“No government, and no official, has yet provided any explanation or justification for refusing to release these documents,” said Blumenthal.
However, Brett Eagleson – who lost his father, Bruce, on 9/11 – says the investigation by the FBI is now over and the information can be released for the lawsuit.
“It’s gone on for too long, quite frankly, and the families are at their wits’ ends, it’s been 20 years, we’ve been made promises and assurances from previous administrations, and the time has come,” he said. “As we look to see what’s going to happen over the next 30 days, the focus of the world will be on us … And we need to take this opportunity to let the world know, and let the United States know, what our own government has been doing to us. They’ve been blocking justice, and they’ve been blocking truth and information. And quite frankly, they’ve been blocking the closure that we so justly deserve. So, we are really hopeful that we can finally cross the finish line.”
The Justice Department on Monday announced it will be reviewing 9/11 records with a goal of providing the families of victims with more information about the run-up to the attacks.
The announcement came after 1,800 relatives, first responders and survivors signed a statement saying President Joe Biden wouldn’t be welcome at the 20th anniversary events in New York City, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania unless the documents are released.
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WCBS 880 Weekly Rewind: Cuomo Resigns Amid Sex Harassment Scandal, COVID Cases Soar Among Children, Taliban Gains Ground in Afghanistan
Produced by Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will take over the reigns from Gov. Andrew Cuomo who announced his resignation effective August 24. We look at what New Yorkers can expect from the state’s first female executive.
WCBS anchor Lynda Lopez talks to CBS News Foreign Correspondent Charlie D’Agata about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. She examines the COVID-19 Delta variant surge among unvaccinated children with Dr. Jon LaPook, an internist at NYU Langone Health, who discusses ways to keep kids safe in schools this fall.
On The 880 Weekly Rewind, Lopez also speaks with Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Middlefield, CT resident Brett Eagleson whose father Bruce died in the September 11th terrorist attacks. Along with thousands of 9/11 families, they are demanding the truth from the federal government about alleged Saudi involvement in the attacks.
Subscribe and download The 880 Weekly Rewind podcast for in-depth reporting and deeper analysis of the top stories of the week, produced by Neil A. Carousso, for WCBS-AM New York.
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WCBS 880 Weekly Rewind: The Case Against NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo; NYC’s Vaccine Passport Aims to Stem Delta Variant Spread
Produced by Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) sexually harassed at least 11 women, according to an investigative report presented Tuesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Now, Cuomo faces an impeachment battle in the state legislature and potential legal repercussions.
Lynda Lopez digs into the investigative findings and examines the legal case taking shape on The 880 Weekly Rewind.
Plus, New York City has taken a pivotal step to require vaccinations while hospitals in the south are overwhelmed with young COVID-19 patients.
Subscribe and download The 880 Weekly Rewind podcast for in-depth reporting and deeper analysis of the top stories of the week, produced by Neil A. Carousso, for WCBS-AM New York.
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NYC Tech Firm Embraces Remote Work in Brooklyn Apartment Building
By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Co-working from your apartment building could be part of the post-pandemic hybrid workplace.
Remote work may be here to stay, but Metro Tech Services has put a new spin on it by operating out of a new co-working space in a Brooklyn apartment building.
Tony Dopazo’s Williamsburg apartment building Level converted party rooms on the first and ninth floors to fully functioning work spaces with desks, computers and private conference rooms that are free for those who live there. Dopazo also pays about $80 a month for space on the balcony that offers picturesque views of the city and meets the technology standards of a growing New York tech company.
“Signing that long-term lease, the huge capital outlay to design and build out your office space, I think, that people are thinking long and hard about that now,” Dopazo said on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank.
He calls co-working in apartment buildings a “piece of the puzzle” for hybrid work that will enable companies to minimize the risk of signing long-term contracts for corporate office spaces when it may not be necessary anymore.
“Other enterprises right now are really looking at that as a good model for them in the near-term,” Dopazo said.
The Brooklyn tech owner told WCBS 880’s Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso that downsizing made sense for his firm to cut costs and he’s enjoying the flexibility, but he noted some workers are not well-equipped to work from home. He’s been getting calls from employers who hire Metro Tech Services to outfit their employees’ remote work spaces to avoid any disruption of their operations.
“Everyone is moving to voiceover I.P. because it allows you to bring your handset to your home, plug it into your router, and make and receive phone calls from your regular handset,” said Dopazo.
Metro Tech Services has about 90 clients across various industries.
Embracing remote work has made Metro Tech and its clients more nimble, but in reducing managerial oversight, it has opened the door to allow talented workers to pursue new opportunities at the same time. Dopazo realized this after turning a couple workers into contractors. One moved to California and the other started his own business.
“They’re now contractors for me so we maintain that relationship, but I’ll also say, projecting now that things are getting a little hectic, I do need to bring in full-time folks now so this is the next challenge,” he explained.
“Unfortunately, they’re great, but I don’t see them as full-time. In other words, they’ve gotten spoiled and good for them. I think they’ve both done well.”Dopazo now discourages his workers from moving out of New York to work remotely.
See the co-working space in Dopazo’s Williamsburg apartment building on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight video above.
