At about 11 a.m., my doorbell rang. It was my neighbor Alan.

“There’s a fire,” he said. I joined him on the street as we saw a plume of white smoke in the sky behind my house. Alan looked at me.

“Are you going to leave?” Alan said.

“I don’t know,” I said. Neither one of us was the decision maker in our family.

I went inside to turn on the news. There was a fire in the highlands of Pacific Palisades, and the Santa Ana winds were causing it to spread quickly. Though I lived in Pacific Palisades, I was not that worried; we lived in a small, contemporary Cape Cod style home in an area called the Alphabet Streets (streets at the base of the hills, named with the letters A-K, but no J). It was typically not prone to the danger of the seasonal fires.

In the 28 years we lived there, we’d had to evacuate only once, but our home had never been in any real danger. We’d returned from that evacuation after three days, so I assumed that was the worst case scenario.

What we did back then was take our important documents and the few valuables we had. So I matter-of-factly texted my wife Wendy, told her to come home from her job as a therapist to figure out the documents we needed, then she could go back to work. I was supposed to take my daughter Talia to the airport, but told her to take an Uber, and assured her there was nothing to worry about as I began to take our few pieces of art off the walls.

Soon we got a one text warning from the L.A. Fire Department to prepare to evacuate. Then, just as Wendy arrived home, Alan texted. “Just got a text from the fire department. Evacuate now.”

Wendy found us a hotel in Marina del Rey. She went back to work, while I went to the hotel.

It was chaotic, filled with evacuees fortunate enough to afford a hotel. I ran into a neighbor, a television executive, Johnnie. He said his fireman pal had said that this was a “100-year fire.” Johnnie could be hyperbolic, so I smiled, went to my room, and turned on the news.

It was much worse than I realized; in the hills people had abandoned their cars to escape the approaching flames; the high school was on fire, the dry cleaners, and Gelson’s grocery; the Fire Department couldn’t battle the fire because of the winds, they were just going to let it burn all night. But the online fire map told me that the fire still hadn’t reached my home.

I went back to the lobby to wait for Wendy, who was coming from work. A woman who lived behind Gelson’s asked me where I lived. I told her the Alphabet Streets.

“Oh, your house is gone.” She said a friend of hers said the “I” street was on fire (my house was on the “G” street). Her rudeness in delivering this news helped me justify not believing it.

At 8:07 p.m. a notification on my phone said my home fire alarm was going off. Vainly I tried to convince myself smoke seeping in was what set it off.

The next morning Alan sent me a video made by a neighbor who’d snuck back onto our street. Not a house remained.

Willful ignorance and wishful thinking had defined not just those 24 hours, but my life in Los Angeles. I am fortunate in that I probably could have afforded to move out of L.A., but didn’t; so as I saw our city become drier and hotter, I ignored it, and we stayed. What could happen?

Well, we’ve lost everything; most of our financial worth, all our belongings, clothes, furniture, books, photos, school projects, love notes. A house that brought memories of raising a family, hosting Passover and Thanksgiving, the joy of having a home, now gone. And still, I’m better off than most.

I’m in a hotel, wondering what’s next. I still have to finish that script.

Goodman is a screenwriter and former president of Writers Guild of America West.

The resulting trade brought great prosperity and led to the rise of Buffalo and Rochester and New York City. The economic boom reverberated throughout the state, contributing to the founding of such household-name corporations as American Express, Kodak, IBM and Xerox.

New York no longer leads the nation. Its population is declining (an almost 340,000 drop in the last five years), safety and quality of life crises pervade the state, and individuals and companies are leaving for other states. 

New York can regain its standing as the nation’s leading state, if it shows that it can still accomplish big things. What is the next generation major infrastructure project? What is the next game-changing idea akin to Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s applied sciences competition? 

To push the Empire State forward, Gov. Hochul must use this week’s state of the state address to focus on a few key areas.

The state’s budget has dramatically increased from $173 billion to $237 billion in six years. The state (including all localities) now leads the nation in taxes and spends more per capita than every other state (except Alaska). Raising taxes cannot be the answer to every problem. Efficient government is paramount. To stop the flight, we need to control additional costs on private businesses and landlords while making the state more affordable, especially housing, for residents. 

New Yorkers must not just be safe but feel safe. The bail and discovery reforms implemented in 2019 are well-intentioned policies that, in practice, ultimately skewed too far away from protecting victims and the public.

The scale of justice needs to be rebalanced. Two fundamental reforms must be passed. First, judges must be empowered to consider public safety risks when setting bail. New York is alone in the nation in prohibiting such a standard. No longer can we allow the small number of individuals who drive an inordinate number of crimes — one individual alone having been arrested 39 times — to roam the streets. 

Second, the pre-trial discovery reforms to accelerate the process and help defendants make informed decisions whether to accept a plea deal or mount a defense have failed. Rather, we have seen fewer plea bargains and fewer cases going to trial. More cases are being dismissed — rising from 41% to 61% — because prosecutors cannot meet the technical requirements, burdensome paperwork and deadlines of the new discovery law. 

Simply put, the burden is too high in the opposite direction. 

We have seen a disturbing rise in individuals with mental health issues. Both the governor and attorney general recognize the problem of individuals suffering from serious mental illness and the fear New Yorkers feel when violent mentally ill people attack innocent bystanders.

The governor is right to make it easier to involuntarily commit and treat dangerous mentally ill New Yorkers. She needs to articulate a detailed plan to change the involuntary commitment standards by empowering courts and hospitals to ensure more mentally ill people receive the care they need. Currently, no one is being safeguarded. Committing those with such illnesses into treatment facilities is more humane than abandoning them to the streets. 

These criminal and mental health reforms will enhance quality of life, which, in turn, will help the state’s overall business climate and social environment.

Congestion pricing has put the nation’s spotlight on New York to see if it can accomplish the plan’s goals. Full transparency is essential. The governor must commit to an ongoing detailed analysis — with real data on vehicular traffic in the congestion zone — before the state imposes additional fees. Similarly, the MTA must be accountable to complete its projects and run efficiently. New Yorkers need to monitor the MTA’s stats on subway usage, completion of large infrastructure projects, safety and toll and fare evasion. (Approximately $700 million annually is lost from those who evade fares and tolls.)

With the entire country watching, the governor can demonstrate that the congestion toll is not a “money grab” but rather money well invested. 

No doubt, New York is doing many things right. The state has a highly educated workforce and top tier education system, world class cultural institutions, a highly diversified, geographically balanced economy, and high tourism, among other attributes.

In an age of great mobility and a highly competitive economic environment, New York cannot rest on its laurels. The Empire State needs to be true to its motto, Ever Upward. 

Gertler is CEO of U.S. News & World Report and the former CEO of Empire State Development.

And in just a week the DOJ will be back under Trump again. This time, his appointees must stay out of politics, whether to help or hinder anyone for partisan reasons. We realize that might be a naïve hope.

In his report, IG Michael Horowitz concluded that in the final weeks of the 2020 campaign three senior unnamed Trump DOJ officials intentionally plotted to use official proceedings against how Andrew Cuomo in New York and Phil Murphy in New Jersey handled COVID in nursing homes in direct violation of the rules of the DOJ.

As the incriminating text message showed, one plotter wrote to another that this “will be our last play on them before election, but it’s a big one.” “Them” being Cuomo and Murphy. What the Trump officials did was to break clear DOJ rules about keeping secret info secret and tell the press in an effort to score points against the Democrats.

The New York Post and the Wall Street Journal were told about the probes, even before the two states were informed of the investigations. The Post and the Journal then reported the news of the DOJ inquiry, which was news indeed, but telling the press at that preliminary stage — and right before a national election — was against long-standing policy against politicization of the government.

Isn’t that what Trump gripes about?

In August of 2020, the department announced publicly it was looking at COVID nursing home deaths in those two states, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania (which also had Democratic governors) even though there were states with similar situations regarding COVID nursing home deaths in states with GOP governors that were not being reviewed.

The political focus was then amped up in October, as the IG uncovered in reviewing emails, telephone call logs, instant messages, text messages, and calendar entries.

The IG’s summary report says: “The OIG investigation found that three then Senior DOJ Officials violated DOJ’s Confidentiality and Media Contacts Policy by leaking to select reporters, days before an election, non-public DOJ investigative information regarding ongoing DOJ investigative matters, resulting in the publication of two news articles that included the non-public DOJ investigative information. The OIG investigation also found that one of these three then Senior DOJ Officials violated the Confidentiality and Media Contacts Policy and DOJ’s Social Media Policy by reposting through a DOJ social media account links to the news articles.”

Last Friday, during his sentencing in his Manhattan Stormy Daniels hush money felony conviction, Trump used his time before the judge to repeat his rant: “this has been a weaponization of government. They call it lawfare. Never happened to any extent like this, but never happened in our country before. And I’d just like to explain that I was treated very, very unfairly.”

Actually, he was treated correctly. But it was his own men at DOJ who engaged in “weaponization of government.”

Four years ago, when Trump lost, Zuckerberg had Meta tamp down on conspiracies after Trump’s election denial and Jan. 6 attack and banned the defeated president from Facebook and Instagram. Now, Zuckerberg is swinging the other way.

Meta is a publicly-traded but private company and they can make any content and moderation decisions they want, when they want. There’s no legal argument to be made against this turn away from fact-checking and towards a more freewheeling, more disinformation-laden, more confusing, more hateful and less illuminating approach.

The timing mostly makes sense here if you take this not really as a principled stand on speech but as an effort to curry favor with an incoming administration helmed by a man that essentially built his brand and political movement on a rejection of shared reality and adherence to narratives, even if those narratives were false. To say that Trump lies is almost beyond the point; every politician fibs but Trump has no use for the truth if it doesn’t aid his cause.

By that token, a turn away from a focus on accuracy and moderation is not an above-the-fray, non-ideological decision. It won’t impact the postings of people who tell the truth and believe in reality. Those who benefit will be the peddlers of lies and provable garbage, on everything from the efficacy of vaccines to the reality of climate change to the basic fact of who won the 2020 election.

Claims of bias against what are by and large dedicated journalists and fact-checkers striving to hit as close to the mark of truth as is possible are often simple acknowledgements that one movement is more in the business of falsehoods, yet these claims are now coming from Zuckerberg himself.

Beyond fact-checking, there’s much to take away from the modifications to speech policies, including the detail that Meta has explicitly carved out LGBTQ identity from a prohibition on referencing or alleging users’ mental health or illness status. What is this, a throwback to the discredited idea from a half century ago when the American Psychiatric Association classified homosexuality as a mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders? That was dropped in 1973, the last time it was acceptable in civil society to call a gay person mentally ill. Moving in this direction is, once more, not an apolitical choice but a starkly political one.

There was a time when Zuckerberg sang a tune, making public assurances that the company was aggressively tamping down on fake news as it faced escalating pressure in the aftermath of its role in the 2016 election. It seems like Zuckerberg has adjudged the winds are blowing differently now, to the detriment of our public discourse.

Manhattan: Totally unbelievable! Felonious Donald Trump whines like bratty little Rhoda Penmark, filmdom’s “Bad Seed,” and twistedly tries to Kool-Aid us into abetting his bald-faced lie that the members of the congressional Jan. 6 Committee should all be jailed. That’s as ludicrously contrary as the idea that a convicted felon, repeat fraudster, perennially failed businessman, immoral abuser, anarchic traitor or would-be dictator is qualified to be president of the United States.

Seriously, the committee’s dedicated role models fulfilled their elected duties to make steady the besieged foundations of our democratic ideals, shaken by traitorous Trump and his misguided ilk of domestic “tourrorists” on that traumatically infamous day, for all of history to plainly witness. Our outstanding President Biden has properly awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson, recognition that also befits each of the committee’s superb patriots.

At the anniversary of Jan. 6, a day of service and Epiphany for our nation, I’d retroactively title the whole committee the 2022 Person of the Year. A prominent lasting memorial, including acknowledgement of the committee, also appears overdue at or near the historic site.

Let’s all hope too that Attorney General Merrick Garland, whose issues likely helped enable Trump to evade proper justice, repairs his own questionable legacy somewhat by duly providing the deprived public with Jack Smith’s final report of his case against Trump. Unfortunately, there are important lessons Americans still need to learn. Phil Vanaria

Pro-Trump judge

Howard Beach: Florida Federal Judge Aileen Cannon is overruled a third time. How long before she is removed from the bench? It’s obvious that she’s lost her objectivity. When it comes to Trump, a convicted felon, Cannon is biased in his favor. Ernest Kienzle

Motion denied

Whitestone: Thank you to the four female justices and Chief Justice John Roberts for saving our respect for the law and having the guts to reject Trump’s attempt to erase his 34 felonies. They proved that even with all of his money, power and special friends on the high court, who will apparently do anything he asks them to do, he’s still a loser and a criminal. Damn the Constitution and hail to the king is the message from Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. I just wish Judge Juan Merchan had given Trump some time in prison, if only to make Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” timely and relevant: Number 47 said to number 3 (Rudy G) / You’re the cutest jailbird I ever did see / I sure would be delighted with your company / Come on and do the Proud Boy’s rock with me. Let’s rock! Michael J. Gorman

In disbelief

Cranbury, N.J.: I can’t believe it. Who voted for this man? What is wrong with the American people? Of the many brilliant, accomplished, and yes, moral American men, how did I wind up with a morally corrupt specimen like this for my president? I can’t bring myself to believe that this is what we’ll all have to live with as president of our great country. Where were people’s brains to even think of voting for this man? To me, this is a disaster. Shame on the American people! Ann Solomon

Tell him that

Boynton Beach Fla.: Voicer Roberta Chaleff promotes one bit of factual news: that Donald J. Trump, convicted felon, will be our president for the next four years. As far as Roberta’s claim that The Donald is “one of us,” feel free, Roberta, to show up at Mar-a-Lago and see if you are welcomed in open arms by Trump and his fellow billionaires. As far as your plea to those of us who do not support the Trump lies, childish name-calling, fraud, cheating and bullying, along with his gross incompetence and childish behavior on occasions too numerous to detail here, to start “acting like good grown-ups by mustering a little pride and dignity of your own,” I suggest you forward your recommendation to the person in most need of such sage advice — Trump or any other member of the Trump family and entourage. William T. Bredin

Goes both ways

Brooklyn: To Voicer Roberta Chaleff: It’s laughable that Republicans like you are chiding Democrats and others you call “Trump-haters” when we have experienced four years of election denial and Biden-hating from you and others who feel as you do. Let’s not even talk about the infamous Jan. 6 riot. My advice would be for you to stop drinking the contradiction Kool-Aid and grow up yourself. Wanda Peakes

Stick around

Carmel, N.Y.: Time to stop our politicians from visiting foreign countries while they have so many issues within their own constituencies that are being overlooked and unresolved. S.J. McCormack

Prevent & mitigate

Brooklyn: Why the hell did L.A. not have pumping stations to take water from the Pacific Ocean and have water mains feeding hydrants to help control the fires, maintain the forests by cutting back dead trees and bushes, have fire breaks and have safe roads so people can get out of harm’s way!? Most of all, they need new building codes to build homes that are not fire traps, as we see block after block burned to the ground. Also, elect new leaders who will do what needs to be done to rebuild all the homes that have been destroyed. Thomas Miller

Local measures

Manhattan: Another warmest year on record from burning oil and gas has brought us weather we’ve never seen before. Torrential rain in California spurred plant growth followed by months of extreme drought that turned it to tinder, ready to burn bigger and faster than ever before, as extreme Santa Ana winds blow embers from neighborhood to neighborhood, even as local reservoirs are full. Overworked hydrants lose pressure no matter how much water is available. What this means for New York is Gov. Hochul has to press for robust climate policy that will bring costs down for New Yorkers. The cap and invest program will do just that. A price on emissions will provide direct rebates to pay consumer energy bills and funds to weatherize homes. Our climate disasters haven’t been as dramatic as California’s or North Carolina’s, but a severe drought leading to brushfires in city parks should be a wake-up call. Laurie Aron

Lack of empathy

Staten Island: To Voicer Tom Saracco, who would label a child born to a female (where’s the male in his scenario?) of a certain age and marital status as “undeserving”: I’m sure you are also anti-abortion. You want to choose who is deserving and who is not based on what you deem appropriate. How can a person be so heartless toward other humans? It’s like that mattress commercial, “How do you sleep at night?” Gina Ottrando

Religion’s riches

West Caldwell, N.J.: Re “Adams pal on Charter panel bows out after News query” (Jan. 11): There is additional befuddlement besides that of the spokesman for the Charter Revision Commission giving a disingenuous explanation for Rev. A.R. Bernard’s resignation after being caught by Daily News reporters not being a city resident. The article details that Bernard is known for his Cultural Center church and its 32,000 parishioners in economically depressed East New York, yet Bernard recently paid off a $1.1 million mortgage on a home and property on Long Island in three years. Have the parishioners of this church ever asked their leader when they will be as providentially affluent? Charlie Peters

Out-of-staters

Red Bank, N.J.: To Voicer Lee Crespi, who has an obvious jealousy of “folks in fancy houses in New Jersey’s suburbs” who have the audacity to “earn a living in Manhattan”: I say N.J. should charge all N.Y. plates entering and leaving the Holland/Lincoln Tunnels toll taxes to come to “New Jersey’s beautiful industrial parks” (and outlets) so people like you can avoid paying the New York state tax on clothing and shoes! Additionally, for the N.Y. plates clogging the Garden State Parkway during summer to utilize our beaches, it should cost you more just because you live and drive in from a different zip code/state. Based on your point of view, this seems fair to me just so you can continue to use a subway system that’s the “lifeblood of NYC.” A. Marie Clarke

The two have said some ugly things about each other over the years: Trump said Obama wasn’t born in America. Obama said Trump was a threat to democracy.

“Donald Trump is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago,” Obama said last year while campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris

Yet there they were last week at Carter’s state funeral yucking it up before the program began like they were sitting courtside at a Knicks game.

Who knows what they were saying — lip readers have their version of the conversation — but whatever it was, it sent social media spinning.

“It did look very friendly, I must say,” Trump later told Fox News. “I don’t know, we just got along.”

The two haven’t talked about taking their act on the road, yet some grudge holders were acting like the sky was falling.

Among them was radio host Charlamagne tha God, who accused Obama of “kissing the ring.”

“After you went so hard calling somebody a threat to democracy and calling somebody a fascist and now you’re just chummy-chummy with the man?” Charlamagne said on his radio show “The Breakfast Club.”

“You got the last real leader of the Democratic Party, Barack Obama, laughing and giggling with Trump. Looking like, yeah, he’s kissing the ring,” Charlamagne said. “That’s what it looked like.”

What were they supposed to do? They were sitting next to each other. At a funeral. For Jimmy Carter.

Obama and Trump were among the five living presidents at the Washington National Cathedral honoring Carter, the 39th president, who died Dec. 29 at the age of 100.

They were joined by former President George W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton, and President Biden, who lauded Carter for his character.

“Jimmy Carter’s friendship taught me, and through his life, taught me that strength of character is more than title or the power we hold,” Biden said in his eulogy. “It’s the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect, that everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves an even shot.”

The presidents were each joined by their wives, except Obama, whose wife missed the event because of a scheduling conflict.

Michelle Obama’s absence was extremely significant because she probably would have been seated between her husband and Trump, and spared us all the political intrigue.

Or she might have created even more.

The last time Michelle Obama was at a state funeral for a president, she received a piece of candy from Bush, who was eulogizing his father, former President George H.W. Bush.

The younger Bush had also given Michelle Obama a piece of candy at the funeral for former U.S. Sen. John McCain.

Trump doesn’t seem like the candy giving type.

Of course, if it had been Trump with the candy, we would have accused him of trying to poison Michelle Obama.

We’ve all had to deal with the discomfort of a wedding, funeral or graduation in the presence of someone we don’t like, an in-law, a former boss or an ex.

We do what these former and future presidents did, we suck it up and act like adults.

It also helps to remember the old adage about politics: There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

Obama and Trump are members of one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. Why would Obama need to kiss the ring? He has a ring of his own.

As the state’s health commissioner, I’ve been troubled by misinformation claiming that a new state plan to fix serious problems with CDPAP will result in current home care users losing access to the services and caregiver they need. Let me be clear: That’s utterly false.

Here’s the simple truth: under the state’s new plan, if you’re a CDPAP user you’ll continue to have the same access to home care, and you can keep your trusted caregiver.

Some business interests have engaged in a multi-million-dollar ad campaign spreading the false claim that New York’s shift to a centralized fiscal intermediary for CDPAP is destined to fail.

And unfortunately, that campaign has understandably left some in the CDPAP community unclear on what’s actually going on.

The businesses behind that misinformation campaign are trying to protect the status quo, which up until now has been something of a “Wild West” — with hundreds of middlemen companies taking a cut of Medicaid dollars without proper oversight, which has sent CDPAP spending skyrocketing to more than $9 billion last year.

That “Wild West” environment was bad for CDPAP consumers because it made the CDPAP program unsustainable for the long-term and put home care users and their caregivers at risk of a financial collapse down the road.

It was also bad for millions of New York taxpayers, who were understandably frustrated to see recent examples of Medicaid fraud and other abuse of the system, such as the federal charges just a few months ago for an alleged $68 million fraud scheme by an entity claiming to be a CDPAP company.

Centralized oversight of a single administrator is the best way to address these problems and protect CDPAP home care users, caregivers and taxpayers.

Under our plan, the state is working with a new lead partner for CDPAP — Public Partnerships LLC (PPL) — which will lead a statewide partnership focused on delivering a stronger program for New Yorkers.

There are actually some things about CDPAP that won’t change at all under our plan. For example, if you’re enrolled as a CDPAP home care user today, the state’s new plan will provide all the same benefits and services to you. You can still select your own caregiver — whether it be a family member, friend or someone else — and receive the high-quality home care you’ve come to expect.

What will change is the number of fiscal intermediaries operating in CDPAP. Instead of hundreds of middlemen companies that lack clear oversight and standards, PPL will be the state’s sole fiscal intermediary, and it will work with a partnership of several dozen community-based organizations — including 11 independent living centers — to continue delivering culturally competent, multilingual home care services to New Yorkers.

This will rein in the runaway costs and fraud that previously harmed the program and taxpayers, while also protecting CDPAP for the long-term and ensuring continued access for home care users and their caregivers.

The most important thing for CDPAP home care users and caregivers to do now is to ensure they’re registered with PPL.

PPL is working with consumers through direct outreach, offering online resources, a dedicated New York-based support center and public information sessions, as we all work toward a seamless transition by April 1.

Existing CDPAP consumers and personal assistants can either anticipate hearing from Public Partnerships LLC between now and March 28, or can start the process sooner through PPL’s support center at 1-833-247-5346, TTY: 1-833-204-9042 or PPL’s website at pplfirst.com/cdpap.

Program participants can also work with PPL or another approved CDPAP facilitator, including Independent Living Centers (ILCs), who can guide you through the transition and provide ongoing support with CDPAP.

Patient privacy is taken very seriously and during this transition, our dedicated staff at the New York State Department of Health are working closely with PPL and our community partners to ensure patient privacy and data are protected.

Through this transition, we are continuing to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to protecting those who are served by this program. At its core, the New York State Department of Health’s mission is to protect and promote health and well-being for all, building on a foundation of health equity to help all people achieve optimal physical, mental and social well-being.

McDonald is the New York State health commissioner.

Hundreds more will be there in spirit only — the imprisoned Jan. 6 “patriots” — awaiting their release from jail with the stroke of a proverbial pen, the minute this gala becomes official. Their presence would have swelled the numbers even more bigly.

But one vital character in the unfinished opus that is the life of Donald J. Trump will not be attending — the long-time dead Roy Marcus Cohn.

It’s not an incredible stretch to conjure Roy on the steps of the Capitol. If AIDS hadn’t claimed him at 59, terminating his very close relationship with our 47th president, he’d be 97 for this history-making day. Clint Eastwood and Warren Buffett still thrive, close to that number. Queen Elizabeth fell one short of it. Trump’s fellow TV legend, Norman Lear, made 101. The spry and venerable Dick Van Dyke just turned 99, but — unlike Roy — is more intent on stomping fires than starting them.

One could imagine gene-pool winning Trump — diagnosed as the “fittest president ever” — a sureshot to be with us into his 90s — with Roy, still frolicking and scheming and lunching, making America great. It’s an out price these two would still share a very close relationship, if Roy hadn’t upped and died.

VIP sections will be full, led by the family section and the aggrieved first lady, still bitter at FBI agents for rifling through her underwear drawer, but apparently merciful enough toward her husband for having gotten spanked in his underwear by porn star Stormy Daniels. Could an above-the-grass Roy squeeze in?

Or, would legal warrior Cohn sit in the lawyer section, which might be broken down into the disbarred (Paul Manafort, Rudy Giuliani, Jeffrey Clark, et al), and the in good standing? Perhaps, given Roy’s penchant for beautiful women, real estate and showmanship, he could be seated in the “Small-time Real Estate Lawyer channeling Marilyn Monroe in a form-fitting gown at Madison Square Garden cum White House Advisor” section? Admittingly, very select, but who wouldn’t want to be a fly on the padded chair for that convo between firebrand Roy and pitbull Alina?

Then there is the Frankenstein section. Roy could sit next to Jeff Zucker, who innocently enough perpetrated a most significant crime in world history, by elevating a six-time bankrupt to business genius on NBC’s “The Apprentice” — paving his way to the White House.

And, the next day, after a 24-hour countdown has yielded peace in Ukraine, ol’ Roy goes to work…

“Retribution,” Roy’s forte, is a good place to start. Would the burgeoning political career of the Central Park 5’s Yusef Salaam — one that mirrors Trump’s in its celebration of redemption — come to a halt at the litigious hands of Counselor Cohn? After grinding down these five victims to a nub Roy could move on to audial twin Michael Cohen. A team of Hollywood script writers could sketch out what’s in store for dear Michael but they’d never approximate what Roy would do. To call it ghoulish is to low key it.

Raymond Babbitt wouldn’t be able to tabulate the number of lawsuits Roy would bring.

After Roy dispenses the likes of Liz Cheney, Anthony Scaramucci and Mary Trump he can move on to the media (we actually got a glimpse of how this works when — privy to private, accurate polls — the billionaire owners of the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times bowed out of the endorsement business prior to Nov. 5). Ali Abbasi, Rachel Maddow, Stephen Colbert and others would be advised to look into skeleton removal, ASAP.

And how America gets its news will be unrecognizable after Roy and Elon Musk get finished.

Roy will also take charge of seeing that sports are returned to the glory days of Joe DiMaggio and Esther Williams, each exactly defining which side they played for.

But a man of Roy’s hyperfocus will ultimately zero in on the even-bigger prize — the abolition of the 22nd Amendment. With a compliant Congress and a pliable media this could be as easy as getting Sean Hannity to genuflect to an impending USA Monarchy. Have at it, Roy…

… but, alas, Roy is no longer with us.

So he must be placed in the Apparition section, next to ghosts like John Barron, sharing a snicker with Ivana.

I will miss these festivities.

I have a sock drawer that needs re-arranging.

Marotta is a filmmaker and writer.

The riding and taxpaying public still need to see the detailed construction schedule submitted by the construction contractor. It should have already been reviewed and approved by Amtrak with input from both NJTransit and LIRR, whose operations will be directly impacted by the work. The schedule would provide the weekly, monthly and yearly detailed construction project interim milestones, along with sequencing of work that justify the promised 2027 completion date.

Don’t be surprised if the project completion date slips into 2028 or 2029. The budget may also increase. There will be contract change orders during construction. They may be due to unforeseen site conditions, last minute requests by Amtrak operations, maintenance or other departments, LIRR and NJT. Construction contractors sometimes submit claims for additional financial reimbursement. These claims may be based upon additional work not included in the original contract.

To preserve existing service, some LIRR rush hour Penn trains will be canceled or combined or sent to Grand Central. This results in overcrowded Penn trains with insufficient seating capacity. Some riders will end up standing in the vestibules and aisles. Conductors will be unable to walk through trains and check tickets. Until this work is over, it will be impossible to guarantee safe and reliable on-time service with the same current level of service, including a seat, during a.m. and p.m. peak trips to and from Penn Station for LIRR commuters.

During the past eight years the projected cost of work for the tunnel repair has increased 300% to $1.6 billion. Even with work starting in 2024, there is no guarantee that repairs to the two most damaged tubes will be completed by 2027.

Will Amtrak have sufficient track outages and force account support (Amtrak employees) to meet the promised 2027 completion date? The same Amtrak resources are also committed to other projects along the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston for years to come. Three of these in the New York area include the $1.6 billion Portal North Bridge, $3.1 billion for MTA Metro-North’s Bronx East Penn Station Access and the $16.8 billion Gateway Tunnel Hudson River Phase One projects.

And this does not include ongoing routine maintenance at Penn Station Newark, Penn Station New York, the Hudson and East River tunnels, $2 billion Maryland Susquehanna River Bridge, $4.7 billion 1.4 mile Baltimore Potomac Tunnel, $827 million Connecticut River Bridge, other stations, tracks, bridges, tunnels and facilities along the Northeast Corridor. How can Amtrak provide sufficient numbers of employees to work on these key state of good repair and system expansion projects while supporting work on the East River Tunnel at the same time?

Only a review by an independent engineer of Amtrak’s 2025 and future year’s annual Master Force Account and Track Outage Plans could validate that they have the resources to support future East River Tunnel work, along with all the other major capital projects in the Metro New York area and Northeast corridor.

Amtrak has previously stated that it will require each of the two tubes damaged by Sandy to be out of service for a year and half to advance project work. The other two tubes will also need work to bring them up to a state of good repair. With only three of four tubes available for the next few years, there will be a 25% reduction in Penn Station access and capacity. Besides LIRR, NJTransit, along with Amtrak, need significant access to move equipment to and from the Sunnyside Yards via the same tubes. This facility is used by both Amtrak and NJT for midday and overnight storage to position equipment for rush hour and off peak service.

Having only three of the four tubes running inbound mornings and evening rush hours means very tight spacing between trains. One tube is shared by the LIRR, NJT and Amtrak for reverse train movements with equally tight spacing during rush hours. Penn Station is currently operating at 100% capacity during rush hours. Right now, if one of the four tubes is temporarily out of service, the result is numerous delays, cancellation and combining of trains.

Under Amtrak’s plan, that will be the condition for a few years. Amtrak’s East River Tunnel rehabilitation will result in one of four tubes being removed from service 24/7. If a train stalls in one of the three remaining tubes, thousands of commuters will be late.

There is also the West Side Penn Station yard used by LIRR for midday storage of trains. During the evening eastbound rush hour, the LIRR runs equipment from this facility. Full eastbound evening peak service is dependent upon westbound trains arriving at Penn Station. This equipment is turned around to make a second trip east bound, so everything is impacted.

To preserve existing service, it is obvious that some LIRR rush hour trains will be canceled or combined. Others will be diverted to the Grand Central. This will add to travel time for those with West Side Manhattan destinations who prefer Penn Station. This results in overcrowded trains with insufficient seating capacity for those still serving Penn. Until this work is over, it will be impossible to guarantee safe and reliable on-time service with the same current level of service, including a seat, during morning and evening peak trips to and from Penn Station for LIRR commuters.

Reduced East River Tunnel capacity also makes it difficult to add previously promised new services This includes Metro-North East Bronx New Haven line Access to Penn Station via the Hell Gate Bridge (whose start date has now been delayed from late 2027 to a 2028 date yet to be made public) and 40% overall increase in reverse peak service as a result of East Side Access to Grand Central.

Both Amtrak and NJTransit need access to the Queens Sunnyside Yards via the East River tunnels to support their own respective planned service increases. Going from four to three available East River tubes can only result in a significant capacity reduction. This translates to no increase in existing or new services until work on all four East River tubes is completed.

The LIRR 1960’s motto, “Line of the Dashing Dan,” should be changed to “Line of the Slow Moving Sloth” when it comes to completing East River Tunnel repairs as a result of damages from 2012 Superstorm Sandy 15 years later in 2027.

Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former director for operations and program management at the FTA Region 2 New York Office.

Under state law —  Civil Rights Law § 52 — audio-visual coverage of court proceedings that include witness testimony is fully prohibited, and by default the rest isn’t allowed to be broadcast unless the judge gives special permission.

Yes, the courts are technically public for those who have the time and wherewithal to travel to the court (and can compete for the tiny handful of public seats for the Trump trial), but the rest of us have no way to see them, making a mockery of the Sixth Amendment’s promise of a public trial.

That law should be rewritten as soon as possible. Until then, judges should routinely allow cameras in courtrooms, especially in cases of high public interest like the Trump trial. 

The public should see jury selection. Motions. Rulings. Opening arguments. Closing arguments. Jury readbacks. Verdicts. Sentencings. All as they happen, everything but witness testimony. And not because they’re spectacular —  but because so often, they’re wonderfully workmanlike and mundane, teaching a terrific lesson about the way this vital branch of government actually operates.

Decades ago, the practice of putting cameras in the courtroom was controversial. When CourtTV premiered, some share of America worried that the flashbulbs might disorient poor blindfolded Lady Justice.

There are 49 other states that allow cameras in court. Only New York says no. Albany’s fear that letting the public see the courts in action will somehow corrupt their basic integrity is at this point positively absurd. A far higher value, in any event, is letting the public understand how prosecutors and defense attorneys build their cases, and how judges and juries come to their conclusions. The same also applies for civil trials, as cameras were barred from the bench trial on the Trump Organization’s phony valuation of its assets.

Think of the Daniel Penny trial: A precious few journalists in the courtroom related the events of each day, leaving the rest of us to form our conclusions based on characterizations rather than the actual facts exposed to the jury..

It would’ve been far better for all New Yorkers to be able to tune in to as much of the trial as possible, formulating their own opinions with as much information as possible.

New York State’s court system is hopelessly complex and intimidating to the general public. It’s difficult and expensive to obtain transcripts. There are 11 different trial courts and multiple levels of appellate courts. The lowest level trial court is oddly called the Supreme Court.

There’ve been countless attempts to make some sense of the tangled mess, all of which have failed, because that’s what almost always happens in Albany. 

Given the failure to bring order to the courts, we don’t expect the powers that be to require transparency under law anytime soon. So the least judges can do is use their authority in every possible case to open up their individual courtrooms. Merchan took some baby steps. Going forward, he and everyone else should stride more boldly into the future.