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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NY Business Leader on Why Pandemic Recovery is More Complex than 9/11
By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Kathryn S. Wylde has been president of the Partnership for New York City since 2001, thrust into the devastation of 9/11 and the business recovery effort when fear of another terrorist attack clouded whether Manhattan would ever come back.
Wylde hosted strategy sessions with then-Governor George Pataki and Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton at the Partnership’s Downtown offices in the aftermath. But, she told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank, that the economic issues were more clear 20 years ago compared to the complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were able to be ready for recovery by January,” she said. “We hosted the Davos World Economic Forum at the Waldorf and had thousands of notable leaders of countries and businesses from around the world flying into New York.”
International travel is still not fully open. The city’s offices were not open at 100 percent until June 15, 2021 – 15 months after the coronavirus forced large-scale shutdowns to control the spread of the disease.
Wylde says New York has suffered immeasurable financial losses as a result of the pandemic.
“On 9/11, we had the temporary displacement of 3,000 small businesses and we lost about 130,000 jobs – most of which were recovered completely within a year and a half/two years. Today, we’re down 462,000 jobs and we don’t know how many of those are going to come back,” the business leader said.
She told WCBS 880 that small businesses in retail and hospitality may never be the same. But, there has been record venture capital investments in new professional services companies that are catering to pandemic needs. Their biggest challenge, Wylde said, is competing for workers.
The Partnership for New York City lists 387,000 open job postings. With a tight labor market and a work from home environment, hiring skilled workers remains a major hurdle this fall.
“Today, we’re economically, at a macro level, in better shape, but the implications of this whole remote work situation and what’s happened to our brick-and-mortar economy – the small businesses – which are 9 percent of the economy but they’re 20 percent of the jobs – we don’t know how much of those are coming back – both the businesses or the jobs. We don’t really know the damage caused a year and a half into this,” Wylde said, noting large businesses are better positioned for the post-pandemic economy because they amass greater resources.
She is concerned emerging variants of COVD-19 that are more transmissible and more contagious, and potentially could weaken vaccine efficacy, might require new shutdowns that could wipe out some sectors.
Despite the widescale problems, Wylde remains optimistic about New York’s recovery. When asked how she keeps going, she told Connolly and Carousso she is encouraged that communities have come together, which she said is reminiscent of the 1970s and early 1980s when the city was faced with a fiscal crisis that ignited a seismic shift from mostly industrial work to a service economy.
“The same thing I’ve seen happening while government was focused full bore on the health crisis, communities came together to support each other, and to provide services, and to make sure neighbors had groceries, and that the elderly had visitors, and that the health care workers were applauded with pots and pans as they were going off to save lives,” Wylde explained. “I’ve seen communities come together in a way that demonstrates the strength and resilience of New York.”
Watch Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso’s full conversation with Kathryn Wylde on the Small Business Spotlight video above.
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WCBS 880 Weekly Rewind: Afghanistan Evacuation Turns Deadly, China Blames the U.S. for COVID, Kathy Hochul Takes the Reigns of New York
Produced by Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — U.S. forces pressed ahead with evacuation efforts of American citizens and Afghan allies Friday, a day after an ISIS suicide bomber killed 13 United States service members and hundreds of Afghans and under threats of more attacks. President Joe Biden is sticking to the Tuesday deadline to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan.
WCBS anchor Steve Scott filled in for Lynda Lopez on The 880 Weekly Rewind and examined the urgent evacuations in Kabul with CBS News Military Consultant and Retired Army Col. Jeff McCausland.
WCBS’ Paul Murnane looked into the “inconclusive” report on the origins of the coronavirus with CBS News Asia Correspondent Ramy Inocencio who has been reporting in Wuhan and Hong Kong on how China has flipped the script on the United States, blaming the U.S. for the virus without evidence.
In New York, history was made as Gov. Kathy Hochul became the first female executive in the state. She hit the ground running with a series of COVID-related policies, including masks and vaccinations in schools and promising to get federal relief funds to landlords, which had been stalled under her predecessor Andrew Cuomo’s administration. Hochul also vowed to be transparent and acknowledged nearly 12,000 more deaths due to COVID-19 than Cuomo said publicly.
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: 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.
