Description
Stuck with a chatbot when you need a refund? New York City wants companies to make it easier to reach a real person. How would that work?
On this week’s The New York Times Close Up, host Jeff Mays talks with NYC Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine about automated customer service, hard-to-cancel subscriptions and junk fees. Levine explains the proposed POWER Act, which would give New Yorkers more ability to take companies to court. He also discusses holding major package-delivery companies responsible for worker treatment and street safety, and responds to concerns that tougher enforcement could hurt businesses.
Then, Times reporter Aimee Ortiz shares the stories of Senegalese vendors on Canal Street who work to support themselves and their families back home. She discusses what brought them to New York, the challenges of street vending, and the faith and community that help them keep going.
Watch The New York Times Close Up on CUNY TV.
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Guest List
Sam Levine
Aimee Ortiz
Recording Date
10/29/2026
First Air Date
10/30/2026
Get closer to this week’s important issues and events. Veteran Times correspondent Sam Roberts returns to television to discuss the big stories with journalists covering them and with leading newsmakers. Preview articles that will appear in The New York Times over the weekend, discover the back stories and savor the conversation that has distinguished the program for 25 years.
For more The New York Times Close Up, visit http://tv.cuny.edu/show/nytcloseup
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