Up Close with Bill Ritter

In this episode of Up Close, we take a deep dive into the NYPD's new commissioner, Jessica Tisch, who will be on the job starting on Monday. She was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams, which will make it her second position under the mayor after serving as the city's sanitation commissioner. So, how will Commissioner Tisch deal with a department that has seen turmoil at the top, while dealing with incr...

The victory of Donald Trump in this year's presidential election may be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, political comeback in U.S. history. After the January 6 insurrection, and after all the criminal cases against him, including guilty verdicts involving felonies, Trump won big. Feeling emboldened by his victory, the president elect has made some controversial cabinet choices, including n...

The battle for control of Congress could very well go through New York. Democrats are trying to flip several Republican-held seats this upcoming election, in hopes of once again gaining control of the House of Representatives. One of the hard-fought races includes New York's 4th Congressional District on Long Island. Republican incumbent Anthony D'Esposito is being challenged by Democrat Laura Gil...

The 2024 Presidential Election is two weeks from Tuesday, and while that campaign consumes much of the airtime, there are so many other important races, like the U.S. Senate race in New Jersey for the seat formerly held by Democrat Bob Menendez. In this episode of Up Close, Bill Ritter talks to the candidates for Menendez's seat, Democratic Congressman Andy Kim and Republican businessman Curtis Ba...

A slew of resignations has slammed the Adams administration amid a federal investigation that could land New York City's mayor in prison if found guilty. Ten of Mayor Eric Adams' top aides have resigned in the last few weeks, some reportedly at the urging of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, but one new appointment and promotion has gotten widespread report. In this episode of Up Close, we're joined by...

In this edition of Up Close, we take a deeper look at the House and Senate, which could have major implications on the next president's agenda, depending on who controls the two legislative branches. A divided government, like we have now, could mean more gridlock. But a sweep of the House, Senate and the White House by either party could lead to major, and consequential changes, one way or the ot...

In this edition of Up Close, we dive deep into the five-count federal indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The five-count indictment accuses the 110th mayor of a series of charges, including accepting illegal contributions and bribery. He is accused of having foreign governments pay for expensive trips for himself. Prosecutors claim the crimes started before Adams became mayor, and contin...

In this edition of Up Close, we examine the state of the race for the White House following former President Donald Trump's rally on Long Island. Polls show Trump is behind Vice President Kamala Harris by double digits in New York, but that isn't stopping the former president from trying to persuade his supporters that he has a chance of winning the state. A win by a Republican presidential candid...

In this episode, Bill Ritter sits down with former commissioner Bill Bratton to discuss the major shakeup in the NYPD. After Edward Caban's resignation went into effect on Friday, Thomas Donlon, a retired FBI official, was sworn in as interim NYPD commissioner. Caban faced calls to step aside after federal agents took his phone last week as part of a criminal investigation. Caban officially resign...

In this edition of Up Close, New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks addresses the biggest debate in schools across the country: how to keep kids in class from paying to their smart phones instead if their teachers. Chancellor Banks addresses the controversial challenge, and how New York City plans to unveil the new school year as summer break comes to an end. Meanwhile, a new book could shin...

The democratic transition is official. President Biden has passed the torch to his vice president, Kamala Harris. She accepted the party's nomination at this past week's Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Democrats who had worried about Biden have quickly rallied for his vice president. One of the people Biden met with before ending his re-election bid was New York's senior U.S. Senator Ch...

On the heels of the Democratic National Convention, Mayor Eric Adams joins Up Close with more on the message from Democrats and whether or not they can win pivotal swing states in the presidential election. Four weeks ago, most Americans – regardless of politics – were wondering how the mess of the Democratic party could quickly rebound from the withdrawal of President Joe Biden from the race for...

In this edition of Up Close, we talk to Democrats and Republicans about Kamala Harris's pick for running mate Tim Walz, and whether or not he's the right man for the job. Walz seemed to come out of nowhere and land the VP nomination, beating out Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the charismatic leader of a key battleground state, and Senator Mark Kelly, an astronaut, a Navy combat veteran, and husba...

In this edition of Up Close, we dig deeper into two elections: the race for the White House and the race for New York City mayor. Bill Ritter talks to Congresswoman Mikie Sherill of New Jersey, one of the first Democrats from the Tri-State area to call for President Joe Biden to end his election campaign. She talks about how Democrats have been energized since he dropped out, and how her party qui...

With just 100 days until Election Day, the 2024 presidential race is on and heating up. In this edition of Eyewitness News Up Close, we discuss the race between former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump against presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. There has been no shortage of attacks and vitriol in what promises to be a tough campaign, to put it politely. It will also be the s...

In this edition of Up Close, we discuss the race for the White House and where Donald Trump and President Joe Biden stand, and sit down with FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh in her first television interview since announcing she's stepping down. Former President Trump accepted his party's nomination for another run at the White House.  Trump said he rewrote the speech after the assassination attem...

On this edition of Up Close, we take a closer look at the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania. A bullet piercing his ear, leaving him bleeding and a nation stunned. This morning, we get reaction from several people, including New York Republican Congressman Mike Lawler. We also talk to former FBI official Richard Frankel and political cons...

President Joe Biden says he's in the race to stay, but not every Democrat is backing him. In this edition of Up Close, we have more on the growing calls for Biden to step down from his re-election campaign, and also get a former New York governor's take on what this all means. New Jersey Congresswoman Mikie Sherill is one of nearly a dozen Democrats in Congress who have publicly thanked Biden for...

The largest school system in the nation wraps up another year of school. There have been successes, and there have been challenges, and more of each to come. We talk to es David Banks about the challenges of the last year -- and what's in store for the upcoming school year. And will it include a ban on cellphones in schools, like others have done or contemplated? We also talk to Dr. Jen Ashton, wh...

President Joe Biden recently signed his latest executive order to protect undocumented spouses of American citizens. With about 200,000 migrants now in New York City, immigration is a hot issue in the 2024 race for president. So, what should the policy be for people trying to come to the U.S. without proper papers? How do you secure the border? Bill Ritter sits down with New York House Representat...

It's one of the most hotly contested congressional races in New York, the primary pitting incumbent Jamaal Bowman versus fellow Democrat George Latimer, the current Westchester County executive. The 16th District represents Westchester County and parts of the Bronx. Millions of dollars have already spent on the race for the Democratic nomination, much of it on ads. Bill Ritter sits down with both...

June 28 will mark the 55th anniversary of the start of the multiday Stonewall uprising, which represents the birth of the LGBTQIA+ movement and stands as a watershed moment in the quest for a more equitable world. As this anniversary nears, WABC-TV Channel 7, the broadcast partner of the 2024 NYC Pride March, is showcasing stories of Pride with a special edition of the Up Close podcast. Host Bill...

Former President Trump was defiant moments after a jury in Manhattan found him guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to try to cover up allegations of an affair with a porn star, this so that voters for the presidential election in 2016 wouldn't know about it. He’s the first former president to become a felon. But he's still running for president as the Republican candidate.  S...

In this edition of Eyewitness News Up Close, we are joined by FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh to discuss the crackdown on lithium-ion batteries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this edition of Up Close, we're joined by MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber, who discusses the controversial congestion pricing plan that's set to go into effect in less than two months. Those who have backed congestion pricing insist the additional tolls are designed to reduce air pollution and traffic below 60th street in Manhattan, but the cost to drivers is hefty. The start date is Sunday,...