Tuesday’s 97-2 vote in the Senate to extend permanent protections for 9/11 first responders came after many years of visits to Capitol Hill — more than 280 for John Feal alone, a former demolition specialist and responder from Long Island whose advocacy has helped bring a national conversation to the issue.
And minutes after the lopsided vote, Feal made sure to alert lawmakers that his days of tirelessly knocking down their doors are thankfully coming to a close.
“We’ll put down our swords,” he said on Capitol Hill, acknowledging the good-faith efforts that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell exhibited in recent months to get the bill a clean vote.
After all, during a recent trip to Washington, Feal came bearing a special memento for McConnell: the NYPD badge of Detective Luis Alvarez who died on June 29, a gesture that Jon Stewart recently told Cheddar he had hoped would secure passage of the measure.
McConnell’s commitment to Feal was widely noticed.
Jake Lemonda, the president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, told Cheddar, “When someone gives you their word, that’s their bond. I have so much respect. He stuck to his word. And I thank him.”
Republican Rep. Pete King added, “You have to give [McConnell] credit.” King was joined by his GOP colleague in the Senate Cory Gardner to gather support for the compensation fund from skeptical conservatives, although two Republicans — Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Senator Mike Lee of Utah — were on full blast Tuesday with their no votes.
“Trying to block this was inexcusable,” Rep. King told Cheddar about Paul and Lee.
There is a line that some New York Democrats like Rep. Carolyn Maloney and House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler say about the immediate post-9/11 reality: that New Yorkers were told, as Maloney puts it, a “toxic lie” — that the air at Ground Zero was safe to breathe. (Former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman apologized in 2016 for her role in government-led misinformation in the fall of 2001.)
“Government told them to go back,” Maloney told Cheddar Tuesday on Capitol Hill. History] will show it was a "horrible, horrible judgment and horrible decision.”
But Tuesday was not the day for the sharpest of barbs, nor the most accusatory of finger-pointing. It was, instead, a day of muted celebration: a victory of a hard-fought battle that has come — and continues to come — with devastating consequences (members of Congress have indicated that 18 people have died in the past month alone from 9/11-related illnesses). And while the bill got its final push over the goal line from McConnell, a simple credo has united the advocacy efforts for so many others along the way. As Maloney told Cheddar Tuesday, “We promised we would never forget.”
Russia has defaulted on some of its foreign debt as a tidal wave of western sanctions threatens its economy. The credit ratings agency S&P has placed Russia under "selective default" after it tried to pay its latest obligations in rubles. Russia now has a 30-day grace period to resolve the issue, but Moscow is threatening to take legal action. George Seay, Annandale Capital's CEO, joined Cheddar to break down what this means, and how Russia defaulting on its debt might impact the global economy.
China's zero-covid policy may pose a wide-ranging threat to the local, and overseas economy. Analysts voicing concern on the strict lockdown in Shanghai as businesses and ports remain shuttered, potentially threatening the global supply chain. Shehzad H. Qazi, Managing Director, China Beige Book International joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
The consumer price index in March rose by 8.5% from a year ago, the fastest annual gain since December 1981 and one-tenth of a percentage point above the estimate. The rise in prices is driven by strong consumer demand, supply-chain disruptions and skyrocketing energy costs related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Heather Boushey, Council of Economic Advisers Member for President Biden, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to give her reaction to the latest inflation numbers.
As China faces backlash from its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. is strengthening its relationship with India. India is expected to become one of the top three economic powers in the world over the next 10 to 15 years, bolstered by technological advances and the manufacturing sector. Samir Kapadia, CEO and Principal of The Vogel Group, joined Cheddar to discuss the state of India's economy, and how it can only grow from here.
With the midterms just a few months away, record-setting inflation is weighing on the minds of voters. According to a recent CNN poll, a majority of voters said the state of the economy will play a key role in how they cast their ballot, and 55% said the same of inflation. Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Economic Policy Reporter for Insider, joined Cheddar to discuss how inflation could shape the 2022 midterms, and ultimately determine the balance of power in Congress.
The Brooklyn subway attack is the latest in a string of high-profile crimes that have plagued New York City. The surge in crime comes as cities across the country are trying to recover from the pandemic and bring life back to a sense of normal. Joseph Giacalone, professor at John Jay College and retired NYPD sergeant, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to explain what's behind the rise in crime, and what can be done about it.
After failing to take control of northern and western Ukraine, Russia is shifting its focus to the east. As both sides continue to pour reinforcements into the region, officials are expecting more conventional combat involving tanks, artillery, and aircraft that could shape the war's biggest battles yet. Doug Collins, a former Georgia congressman, joined Cheddar to discuss the change in Russia's tactics.
Catching you up on what you need to know on Apr 14, 2022, with the U.S. sending $800M to Ukraine, updates on the subway shooting in Brooklyn, Gov. Abbott putting a pause on his southern border truck inspections, migrants being bused from Texas to Washington, DC, the travel mask mandate extending until May 3, and more.
This March 19, 2018, file photo shows the Yelp app on an iPad in Baltimore. Yelp reports financial results Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. The online review service will cover the travel expenses of employees who have to travel out of state for abortions, joining the ranks of major employers trying to help workers affected by restrictions being placed on the procedure in Texas and other states. The benefit announced Tuesday, April 12, 2022 covers Yelp's entire workforce of 4,000 employees, but seems most likely to have its biggest immediate impact on its 200 workers in Texas, which has passed a law banning abortions within the state after six weeks of pregnancy. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
