First let me say I am as surprised as you are to see a new entry here. I gave up my podcast and blog in May of 2021. After the pandemic shutdown I had moved the production from a great audio studio in midtown, Manhattan to what had been our little home library, now cluttered with padded wall panels to dull the noise coming through our windows.
I thoroughly missed the engagement, missed the sense that I learned something from every guest, and miss the optimism of the focus of my show ever since. But I’ve not been idle these last several years.
As many of you know, I was pressed into action by my friend E. Jean Carroll in her effort to bring her assailant Donald Trump to justice. A four-year process ended in a trial last April and May in which a unanimous jury found for E. Jean, believing her and her two contemporaneous witnesses (of which I was one). The victory was glorious. Then the very next evening Trump went on to defame E. Jean at a CNN “town hall.” And he didn’t stop.
A new trial -- this one solely devoted to his defamation (and during which he constantly defamed E. Jean Carroll on his social media network) was held in January. He was found guilty for maligning her, wounding her reputation, and doing so with malice to the tune of $83.3 million dollars.
I remain dazzled by the passion, hard work, and erudition of the lawyers at Kaplan, Hecker, & Fink – not to mention the ingenuity of their paralegals and clerks. I was moved to tears by the valedictory remarks by Judge Lewis Kaplan, who was grateful by the second jury’s thoughtful commitment to performing its civic responsibilities. And E. Jean is the most courageous 80 year old I know. The outcome was wonderful, particularly because she wants to donate most of the money to help fund women’s causes.
I am not planning on writing much more about this experience, though I have been asked to. I was a vital accessory to the trial, but that story is my friend’s to tell. I am eager to move on with my own life, and want to feel free to let it follow a new direction.
So why am I here? I’ve left Twitter, Facebook, and almost all social media for the last two years or so. (Having all your online posts subpoenaed will do that to a person.)
But I have frequently heard from you, who have discovered my podcast or blogs online in the last year or so. At the risk of sounding like Sally Field at the Oscars (Google it, youngs), you liked them. You really liked them.
That means something to me. I’m looking towards new ways of connecting with you. I am writing something that I hope will turn into a book. In the meantime, here is my list of 5 Things that Make Life Better for Me:
1. My family. The love I have for them is deep. We’ve been through a few crises lately, and it feels like we’ve only grown closer as a result.
2. My friends. They are in my corner and I couldn’t be more grateful. I know I couldn’t be luckier in that department.
3. A TIE: Escaping the endless stressors by reading a book. This is a classic. As is my morning coffee. Still the only way to really start the day.
4. Joe Biden. History will remember him as one of our best presidents. He’s 81years old. But so are my crushes Paul McCartney and Harrison Ford. Let President Biden and his team continue -- but mostly allow him to save democracy for the next four years. There is a solid bench of younger, talented people ready to do the same going forward. Let’s just get through this election cycle to prevent Donald Trump from using the White House as a cudgel against any American who isn’t a member of his strange and angry cult.
5. My favorite story is the one about Dr. Ruth Gottesman, the 93 year old former professor at and current chairman of the board of the Albert Einstein Medical College in New York City. Dr. Gottesman announced this week that she was donating $1 billion dollars to the medical school – located in the Bronx, the city’s poorest borough -- to endow free tuition in perpetuity. Watch the video of her announcement here. It just might make your day.
https://www.youtube.com › watch