Manhattan won't get a casino if the Legislature's plan to open seven commercial gambling facilities goes through this year.

Governor Andrew Cuomo on this week's night of dealmaking and pre-dawn votes in The New York Times: "I failed. I failed. ... "My legislative proposals were asking for the moon."

The Post scores Governor Cuomo had a night of "legislative wins." "I think legislators heard the message, and I think at the end of the day, the legislators did the right thing."

Maria Cruz, he former personnel boss at former Senate Minority Leader Pedro Espada's Bronx health clinic testified in the corruption trial against him today and told jurors about his bad credit rating, seafood habit, luxury cars and family friends on the payroll.

The Queens GOP switched its endorsement from George Maragos to Bob Turner.

Dov Hikind Tweeted a warning about the Taliban threat to New York City.

A new environmental impact study on the Indian Point nuclear plant is being conducted by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Ray Kelly's speech burst into flames at a recent fundraiser.

Rick Santorum thinks Puerto Rico must make English the official language to gain statehood.

President Obama called those who oppose his energy policies a "Flat Earth Society".

(Photo: Wikimedia)

As the Legislature debates the sudden onslaught of deals and compromises tonight, Governor Andrew Cuomo sent out a press release touting an agreement with the State Assembly and Senate to amend to the New York State Constitution to allow some amount of casino gambling. The deal would provide for a maximum number of seven additional casinos in the state.

"By taking these important first steps to legalize casinos we are finally confronting the reality that while New York is already in the gaming business, we need a real plan to regulate and capitalize on the industry," Governor Cuomo said in the statement.

"This is a process that will ultimately put thousands of New Yorkers to work, drive our economy, and help keep billions of dollars spent by New Yorkers on gaming in the state," he added.

Assembly Speaker Shelly Sever echoed Mr. Cuomo's arguments, and pointed towards the casinos in neighboring states to justify the measure.

"Under the current system, gaming revenue is pouring out of the state as New Yorkers spend their entertainment dollars in neighboring states," he said. "We need the ability to keep that revenue here in New York. Today's vote represents the first passage of this amendment and we will work on accompanying legislation to further define this issue."

Mr. Cuomo has already announced a deal over a new DNA data bank. Further deals over pension reform and redistricting are expected as part of this of this process.

Constitutional amendments in New York have to be approved by two separate legislative sessions and then a vote by the public, so the agreement is not guaranteed and would take place in 2014 at the soonest.

Domenic Recchia Jr. (Photo: NYC Council)

Councilman Domenic Recchia Jr. represents the 47th District, which includes Coney Island, and he has a few concerns about the proposal to put a casino there if Governor Cuomo is successful in his attempt to lift the statewide ban on gambling.

"Everybody's jumping to put a casino in Coney Island and I'm just saying, 'Whoah, let's talk about this," Councilman Recchia said.

Councilman Recchia's main concern is that people in the neighborhood may become hooked on gaming.

"I'm very concerned about people getting addicted to gambling and I want to make sure that, if this happens, there is funding for programs," Councilman Recchia said. "It is proven through studies that neighborhoods surrounded by casinos have a very high bankruptcy rate."

Though the councilman is worried about the effect a casino could have, he thinks Coney Island could be a good location for gaming as long as the plan includes gambling addiction programs.

"It's up to the governor to make a determination, but we already have certain parcels of land that are zoned for hotels, so we are ready to go," Councilman Recchia said. "But if we do this, we have to have funding in place for programs to help people that get addicted to gambling so they dont go bankrupt."

Councilman Recchia also wants to make sure any plan to build a Coney Island casino brings jobs into the area.

"A lot of times, they build these casinos and they bring in people from the West Coast, from all over. "We want jobs, jobs, jobs. Yes, we want jobs but those jobs have to stay in Brooklyn and especially Coney Island," Councilman Recchia said.

Diane Savino (Photo: NYSenate.gov)

State Senator Diane Savino is not pleased with GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. After watching Mr. Romney's New Hampshire victory speech, Senator Savino wrote a Facebook post saying, "I sometimes hate this frigging business." The Politicker talked to Senator Savino this morning to find out why she found Mr. Romney's speech "offensive" and to get her thoughts on the prospect of a casino in Coney Island, which is part of her seat in the 23rd District.

Senator Savino described Mr. Romney's speech as "the worst kind of gutter politics."

"He made direct statements accusing the President of exploiting the politics of envy, the statement that President Obama does not care about America, that President Obama is a socialist. It was really the worst kind of gutter politics," Senator Savino said. "You want to disagree with President Obama? Fine, but stop trying to insinuate or overtly state that he's un-American. That's what I took offense to."

The senator also took issue with Mr. Romney for giving "the impression that average Americans aren't really hurting" and are "being manipulated in feeling like there's this economic disparity."

"They're not being manipulated, it's a reality," Senator Savino said.

Senator Savino is a Democrat, but she and three other Senators broke with the Democratic conference last year to form the more Republican-friendly Independent Democratic Caucus. She also enjoys a unique, bipartisan friendship with Republican State Senator Nicole Malliotakis.

Since Senator Savino represents the 23rd District, which includes Coney Island, we asked her about the possibility of a casino coming to the legendary Brooklyn amusement park site. She said she found it "very odd" she hadn't been asked about the casino issue by other members of the media who spoke to Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Councilman Dominic Recchia and Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny.

"I'm sort of amused, because first the Post did a piece on it and the Advance had a piece yesterday and it was very odd to me that they interviewed Marty, and Dominic and Alec-- and I'm the senator. Nobody called me and I'm the senator for Coney Island," Senator Savino said.

In his State of the State address last week, Governor Cuomo discussed his desire to pass a constitutional amendment lifting the state ban on casino gambling. Though most of the discussion of the potential for a New York casino has focused on the Aqueduct racetrack site, Mr. Markowitz has floated the idea of having a casino in Coney Island. Senator Savino said "the big question" remains whether the ban will be lifted, but if commercial gambling does come to New York, she thinks Coney Island has great potential.

"I'm sure part of the conversation between now and the passage of the amendment is about where these casinos going to be located. Is Coney Island a good place for it? I think there's tremendous opportunity for a casino in Coney Island because it's already zoned for recreation in some spots," Senator Savino said.

Senator Savino also cited the recent redevelopment in the area that will allow for "hotels and destination retail."

"The groundwork is already laid," she said.

Though Senator Savino thinks a Coney Island casino has potential, she wants to make sure the people in the community want gaming in their neighborhood.

"I would sit down with the borough president in Brooklyn and the Community Board. All the people who live there, they expect that Coney Island is going to be a huge development. They're already anticipating the retail and hotels, but we have to see how they feel about a casino."

Ultimately, even if the residents of Coney Island clamor for a casino, Senator Savino expects the gaming companies will make the final call about casino locations.

"In the end, the people who determine where to build casinos will be the industry. They're going to do a market analysis, Senator Savino said. "The state isn't running or operating the casinos."

Governor Andrew Cuomo (Getty)

In his annual State of the State address today, Governor Cuomo outlined his ambitious vision for the future New York State including sweeping campaign finance reform, massive construction projects, an entirely new neighborhood built from scratch on the West Side of Manhattan, legalized casinos and a slew of new social programs. Governor Cuomo described his strategy for 2012 as an effort to build on a first year in office where he changed the culture of Albany from partisanship to constructive cooperation.

"By all accounts, last year was a tremendous success. There are many reasons why, including one simple one: We changed our attitude," Governor Cuomo said. "By the end of the year, we were not first Democrats and Republicans, we were first New Yorkers and we acted that way. We put the politics aside and put the people first. And it worked. And we worked. We delivered for the people. … Today, I am telling you this: we are going to reach even higher"

Governor Cuomo said his goals for next year fall into three main categories; growing the state economy, launching programs designed to maintain New York's status as "the progressive capital of the nation" and creating a "re-imagined government" through reforms designed to reduce costs and corruption.

The centerpiece of the governor's plans for making over state government is a set of broad campaign finance reforms including a statewide program of public financing for elections modeled after New York City's system, tighter limits on political donations, stricter regulation on contributions from public contractors and lobbyists and the creation of an enforcement unit in the State Board of Elections that will be tasked with investigating violations of campaign finance regulations.

"These and other reforms to our campaign finance laws are necessary to empower New Yorkers by giving them an equal voice in our elections," Governor Cuomo said.

Governor Cuomo also wants to enact mandate relief and pension reform.

"By next year,pension costs for schools and state and local governments will have increased 100 percent since 2009. We need to reform the pension system and create a Tier VI," said Governor Cuomo.

On the economic front, Governor Cuomo hopes to bring revenue to the state through a series of large-scale construction projects created through public/private partnerships including a new Tappan Zee Bridge and "the largest convention center in the nation." Governor Cuomo said his office is pursuing a joint venture with a gaming company called the Genting Corporation to build this convention center at the Aqueduct Racetrack and raze the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. Governor Cuomo said the site of the Javits Center could then be used to create an entirely new Manhattan neighborhood.

"We will follow the highly successful Battery Park City model, which has resulted in housing, hotels, museums, and over 10 million square feet of Class A office space," Governor Cuomo said. "We estimate over $2 billion in private sector development in creating a new 21st century neighborhood for the West Side."

The governor also reiterated his desire to revoke the state ban on commercial gaming and bring casinos to New York.

"When it comes to gaming, we have been in a state of denial. It’s time we confronted reality. It’s not a question of whether we should have gaming in New York — the fact is we already do," said Governor Cuomo referencing the state's abundance of electronic gaming machines, Indian casinos, racinos and the legal casinos in nearby states and Canada.

Governor Cuomo also wants to give the economy a boost by investing over a billion dollars in public funds to local governments including $200 million in regional economic development awards and $1 billion in development incentives for the city of Buffalo.

"While we build on our strength in New York City, we must also invest in the struggling areas of our state," Governor Cuomo said. "The State of New York is ready to invest $1 billion in a multi-year package of economic development incentives. That’s a “B” — for $1 billion and for Buffalo."

Governor Cuomo said he expected the Buffalo investment to yield "$5 billion in new investment and economic activity." The governor also plans to invest state money to fund a series of infrastructure improvements and alternative energy initiatives.

Socially, the Governor said he wants to cement New York's status as America's "progressive capital" by launching programs designed to help farmers secure loans, aid immigrants transitioning to American life, double the number of minority and women-owned businesses that obtain state contracts, protect tenants from abusive landlords and foreclosures, ensure "reproductive rights" for women, and improve public education with $60 million in challenge grants to SUNY campuses.

Governor Cuomo also hopes to improve quality of life in New York by fundamentally changing the state's food stamp system and criminal DNA databank. With food stamps, the governor said he wants to "increase participation in the food stamp program" by removing "barriers to participation" including New York City's current practice of requiring applicants to submit to electronic fingerprinting. Governor Cuomo also promised to propose a bill that would expand the DNA databank to include samples from "any person convicted of a felony or Penal Law misdemeanor."

"This databank helps establish guilt and innocence; it has provided leads in over 2,700 convictions and — just as important — led to 27 exonerations of the wrongfully accused," Governor Cuomo said. "Currently, DNA is collected only from those convicted of less than half the crimes on the books in New York State."

Education will also be a major focus for the governor next year.

"I learned my most important lesson in my first year as Governor in the area of public education. I learned that everyone in public education has his or her own lobbyist. … The only group without a lobbyist? The students," Governor Cuomo said. "This year, I will take a second job— consider me the lobbyist for the students. I will wage a campaign to put students first, and to remind us that the purpose of public education is to help children grow, not to grow the public education bureaucracy."

Though he acknowledged his plan for 2012 is an "ambitious agenda," Governor Cuomo sounded confident he can make his vision a reality.

"We are the state of infinite possibility — because we are New York. There is nothing that we can’t do when we are together. Because we are New York."

HuffPo's Dan Collins says "New York is deep into a love affair with Gov. Andrew Cuomo."

Another round of 2012 predictions featuring our very own Colin Campbell.

Newt Gingrich campaign staffers in New Hampshire released a creepy Christmas carol video in support of their candidate.

A handy slideshow featuring the 25 richest members of Congress.

President Barack Obama made two nominations for vacant slots on the Federal Reserve board.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Getty)

Amid mounting reports of a troubled relationship between City Hall and the governor's mansion, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he'd support Governor Andrew Cuomo on two of his main initiatives for next year--pension reform efforts and the push for casino gambling. Mayor Bloomberg commented on both subjects during a press conference after he announced that average life expectancy for New Yorkers has reached an all-time high.

When asked about the possibility of casino gambling coming to New York, Mayor Bloomberg said he recognizes that the governor faces "the problem of trying to come up with ways to provide the services people want" in a tough economic climate. Governor Cuomo has said he wants lawmakers in Albany to pass a constitutional amendment ending the state's ban on commercial gambling. Afterwards, the governor plans to conduct a study to decide the number of casinos that would be allowed and where to put them, including potentially in the five boroughs. Mayor Bloomberg said he'd  back any decision Governor Cuomo makes--as long as New York gets a cut of the profits.

"I just want to make sure that if there is gambling, the revenues come to New York City," Mayor Bloomberg said. "We need revenues just like everywhere else in the state."

Mayor Bloomberg also reiterated his support for the governor's pension reform efforts and said their offices discussed benefits this morning. Governor Cuomo has described pension reform as his top priority for 2012.

"We will do anything we can to support the governor's efforts on pensions," Mayor Bloomberg said.

In June, Governor Cuomo introduced legislation that would raise the retirement age from 62 to 65, double the amount new hires contribute to pensions and add raise the length of employment required for pensions to vest to 12 years instead of the current ten. Governor Cuomo's pension reforms are designed to cut costs from the state budget.

Governor Andrew Cuomo (Getty)

Governor Andrew Cuomo would consider bringing a casino to the five boroughs if he's able to end New York State's ban on casino gambling. In an interview with the Daily News, the governor said the Big Apple is one of several locations he's consider for potential casinos. "I’m not excluding any locations at this time," Governor Cuomo said. "New York City is a real location. ... Albany is a real location. Buffalo is a real location.”

Governor Cuomo would like the legislature to pass a constitutional amendment ending the ban next year before conducting studies about the specifics of how many casinos would be opened and where they would be located. Once details are finalized, the plan would be required to be approved by voters in a public referendum.

Governor Cuomo has previously expressed optimism about ending the gambling ban. Polls show a majority of New York voters support legalizing gambling.

Casino gambling was one of many topics discussed by Governor Cuomo in his Daily News interview. He also addressed the widespread speculation he'll run for president in 2016 by saying he never thinks about a White House bid.

"Not at all," Governor Cuomo said. "I’ve been around too long. I’ve heard too much talk. I’ve seen the movie too many times."

The governor also addressed his allegedly frosty relationship with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. According to Governor Cuomo, all is well between the two politicians/

"We get along well; we communicate well; we communicate often," said Governor Cuomo.

Governor Cuomo also indicated that gambling isn't the only big change for New York that he plans to work on.

"There are going to be eye-catching things next year," Governor Cuomo said.

Bloomberg Businessweek's cover. (via http://www.flickr.com/photos/bizweekdesign)

Tomorrow: Cuomo, Schumer, Gillibrand, Silver and Quinn among the guests expected at Rangel's fundraiser. [Jeff Mays / DNAinfo]

NY-9: AFL-CIO endorses Weprin. Goldfeder and Simanowitz too. [Michael Johnson / Capital Tonight]

Israel: Rep. Grimm makes the trip. [The Brooklyn Politics]

Same-Sex Marriage: Maryland Archbhishop tells governor there "I am well aware that the recent events in New York have intensified pressure on you." [George Matysek / Catholic News Service]

Toll Hikes: Cuomo said he didn't know hikes were on the way, but was aware of financial trouble at the agency. [Michael Johnson / Capital Tonight]

Gambling: "Cuomo says his administration is "actively" involved in the review that could lead to more than the current Indian-run casinos in New York." [AP]

Gambling: Cuomo said "It is already happening" so the question is "how should it be done." [Casey Seiler / Times Union]

Gambling: "It's a topic that we are looking at actively," said Cuomo. [Glenn Blain / Daily News]

Nuclear: "Cuomo is right to call for Indian Point’s shutdown and we strongly support his pulling the plug." [East Villager News]

Fracking: DiNapoli calls for gas-drilling fund. [CNBC]

Food Politics: Brad Lander has a slew of bills. [Molly Culver / Patch]

Economic Councils: "[Lt. Gov. Duffy] said he decided to exclude the press from the initial gathering because he wanted to give the group time to 'go through all the mechanics of getting this up and running.' " [Michael DeMasi / Biz Journal]

Economic Councils: "It was my decision to close it, and I accept full responsibility," said Duffy. [Jimmy Vielkind / Times Union]

Fallout: Biggest winner from Weiner scandal is Rep. Crowley. "[H]e'll be freer to play kingmaker in the mayor's race" and "he's likely to inherit much of Weiner's district." [CHN]

Hospital Beds: 3,593 in Queens, where 2 million people live. [Veronica Lewin / Queens Tribune]

And now, lets all read Andrew Rice's piece on Ground Zero, in Bloomberg Businessweek.