Fernando Mateo speaks with Bronx supermarket owner Marvin Cruz to highlight the unsustainable challenges facing small businesses in New York City. The conversation centers on the rise of unregulated street vendors who sell produce and perishables directly outside established stores, creating a competitive disadvantage for tax-paying owners burdened by high overhead and strict health inspections. Cruz explains that this loss of revenue forces a painful domino effect, leading to the dismissal of local employees and the potential collapse of essential community infrastructure.

Fernando Matteo and former corrections commissioner Louis Molina critique the current administration's handling of the New York City jail system, specifically focusing on the escalating costs and delays associated with closing Rikers Island. They argue that replacing the island with community-based jails is a waste of taxpayer billions and fails to address the underlying issue of managing a violent detainee population that lacks behavioral incentives. The conversation highlights the breakdown of institutional discipline, noting how regulations allowing inmates out of their cells for most of the day contribute to chaos and danger for staff.

Today, Fernando Mateo discusses the socioeconomic challenges facing New York’s workforce. The first segment highlights the hardships of TSA agents during a government shutdown, emphasizing their struggle to pay basic bills while advocating for Title 5 status to achieve pay parity with other federal agencies. Mateo then shifts focus to the taxi and transportation industry, critiquing high fuel costs and the lack of specialized license plates for non-emergency medical transport, which he argues limits both driver income and community access to healthcare. Throughout the broadcast, Mateo and guest Jake Novak offer a pro-business and patriotic critique of local leadership, specifically targeting Mayor Zohran Mamdani for tax policies they believe alienate small business owners and immigrants.

Fernando Mateo interviews union leaders representing TSA agents who endured an extended period of work without pay during a government shutdown. The discussion highlights the personal financial hardships faced by these essential security workers and emphasizes their continued dedication to national safety despite receiving near-minimum wages. The participants identify a systemic failure in how the agency was established, specifically pushing for Title 5 status to grant agents the same pay scales and protections as other federal employees.

Fernando Mateo discusses the economic and safety challenges currently facing New York City’s transportation industry. During an interview with Germaine Zayas of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, the conversation highlights how rising fuel costs and ride-share price surging are burdening both drivers and passengers. To provide relief, the participants advocate for non-emergency medical transportation as a stable financial alternative for drivers and call for the creation of specialized vehicle plates to better serve the community’s healthcare needs. The segment also addresses a lack of legal accountability regarding the murder of a local cab driver before concluding with Mateo’s personal reflections on the American Dream and the importance of civic contribution.

On the premiere of No Excuses with Fernando Mateo, Fernando is joined in studio by former New York City Mayor Eric Adams to talk about his life after the mayorship, New York politics, and much more. In the next hour, Fernando and Jake Novak discuss the breaking news of Curtis Sliwa's skit collaboration with Mayor Mamdani and what it should show New Yorkers.

Fernando Mateo is joined by former Mayor of New York City Eric Adams. They discuss the mayor's life after office, the state of New York politics and much more.