Area, but around the country. Lets hear your reaction. What do you think really happened here . Well, we can only talk about we dont know what happened other than the feds did not see anything they can charge him with, so the statute of limitation passed. He is still the chairman of the Democratic Party and still has tremendous amount of influence in capitol hill. I mean, they call him the mayor of capitol hill. Now, what we have lost is a Senior Leader who would have been chairman of committees from congress. You know, this is a trend where more and more members of congress who are incumbents are dissatisfied with how what the job is, and because its such a tough job youre all day long reacting to complaints and criticisms by the constituency. There is no resultoriented job anymore because youre not accomplishing much. Youre just sort of dealing with crisis and complaints. He did mention partisanship. You know, trey gowdy, congressman brady, many of them are not deciding to run again. This, i think, is a larger trend of that. And he also mentioned family obligations, so partisanship and family that could very well be the bulk of it, although there was a federal probe. They let some of the charges lapse, the feds did, so theyre not pursuing most of it, but its still active, technically. Yeah. No, i think that all plays into the mix, and i wanted to revisit something that ajay said. We are going to you know, we look at this hes our representative. Hes local, and, in fact, my business my office is located in his district a few blocks down from his constituent office on south broad, so we look at it as our congressman. But at a National Level, we really are losing a powerhouse, and, you know, the guy out in montana doesnt know what South Broad Street looks like, but they know who bob brady is, and as nancy pelosi called him, the mayor of capitol hill. He has a lot of clout. So from that perspective, its sad. Its regrettable that hes leaving. I do understand. He did make some comments about, you know, family obligations. But i also want to say one thing. His district has changed, demographically, significantly. Its much more minoritymajority, but he has been able, over the past two decades, to reach out to all of those diverse constituents. And i will say one personal thing. I reached out to him years ago to help me with a very, very difficult, tough immigration case. He was on the phone, his you know, his assistants were helping me every step of the way. So he understands the intricacies of what it means to be a philadelphia power broker and also get down into the weeds and help constituents, and im sad were gonna lose that power base. Hes been able to negotiate deals that were not even within his age. Its just to help out on the labor front, to help out when the schools were at loggerheads, to help in a number of ways in this area to just unjam the logjam, if you will. Yeah, and hes transactional. I mean, hes like, what do we need . I can do this, and you can do this. Hes a guy who literally didnt take president former president bill clintons phone call because he was serving as a plumber for one of his constituents. Hes a guy who said, i realized this when i was watching the eagles championship game in washington by myself because i was waiting for a vote that never happened. Like ajay said, my first thing is, i think he just doesnt like it anymore as much. Its just not a fun place to be, and i know were gonna talk about this the distinct could metamorphize into something different, which doesnt mean hes gonna lose. Because of the gerrymandering case. But there is a progressive movement, which is happening in philadelphia. There are a number of people its gonna be tougher to raise money, tougher to win reelection, and we dont know what possibly is out there still in terms of the folks who work for him in the legal system. And we will talk about the second case in a moment. Lets talk, though, more about this, that you dont feel like some of the pressure from the federal probe was maybe too much, he just felt like, let me step aside and keep my legacy intact . Yeah, well, i think there are a lot of pressures that are going on. See, i think every one of the comments that the guests have made here today are absolutely relevant and play into what his final decision was. I do think that family and age i mean, thats you know, i worked with him in city council when he was sergeant at arms, okay, just a few years ago, and, absolutely, hes been involved in this work a long period of time. I had an opportunity to work with him on a project where he had homes in his district that were sinking, and he was looking for a resolution, and we worked very closely together to design a strategy, and i will say he was absolutely handson to make sure that that worked and that it worked effectively. I mean, i think he really loves working with people and getting things done, but the continued gridlock thats going on in washington as well as 2018 for the democrats is gonna be a big year, and i know were gonna talk about what that means, and i think hes gonna be able to play a significant role in that. Weve lost or will be losing a number of power brokers, though, including representative charlie dent, congressman pat meehan, congressman tim murphy, and now bob brady. When his term ends, he will not seek reelection, as we said. This is a vacuum now thats being created for our state, and it doesnt bode well for, down the road, getting money and action for this area, does it . Well, im not sure of that, because i think you have to absolutely look at whats happening across the country. You have nowcongressman evans who, if anyone knows and understands politics and legislative systems, is going to be in washington and is a quick learner, so i think that well definitely have that. Congressman Brendan Boyle is there. Again, another very smart guy who understands washington. And if the democrats, again, are able to get into the majority, and because a lot of people are leaving, that may create some opportunities for leadership that normally would not happen for pennsylvania. But time matters. All of that is true, but seniority matters in congress, and time served matters before you become chairs of various committees. So, it is a loss from that standpoint. And our senior congressperson, in philadelphia, is going to be none other than Brendan Boyle. Right. Hes very young, he works across the aisle, hes the head of this bluecollar democratic caucus, and thats what, hopefully, we need, because theyre gonna have to still work. Even if democrats take over in pennsylvania, it might tighten. Its 13 republicans to 5 democrats. Thats absolutely gonna switch between the folks retiring and the redistricting thats coming our way. And we have dwight evans as well. Heres the unfortunate part for many people congressman brady was working on overhauling Capitol HillsSexual Harassment policies in a time when youve seen numerous people on capitol hill have issues and decide to resign or leave in disgrace, and so what a crime that it didnt get finished, the work he was working on, on the one hand. Im sure someone else will take that up, but he was working hard on it. In a bipartisan manner, too. Absolutely. Thats exactly right, the bipartisan. And i think, again, one of the things about bob brady is he you know, head of the Democratic Party. Hes a democrat. You would never think of him as the d is tattooed on his forehead. And yet, he is not a partisan democrat. I wrote about that. He was able to Reach Across Party Lines not just locally, but at a National Level, and i think you know, i mention an anecdote in the column that i wrote. I saw him at the llanerch diner about a year and a half ago. He was sitting with wife, and he was having dinner. And i was wondering why he was out in, you know, havertown, and he had just come from the philadelphia airport, trying to see if he could broker a deal to help out with that first muslim ban, the first travel ban to try and make sure that people could come in. And, you know, here, im a conservative, im a republican, and i looked and i said, you know, he really is someone that i can reach out to and deal with. So i do think the Sexual Harassment, youre absolutely right. Thats a bipartisan deal, and i think that will continue, his legacy will continue on. Its not going to end simply because hes no longer gonna be on capitol hill. All right, lets talk about the gerrymandering case that you referred to briefly, jeff, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court did rule that our map, the congressional map across the state, favors, in their opinion, the g. O. P. Of course, republicans are going to appeal that ruling. Well see how it impacts the may primary, because theres a very quick calendar here where the Supreme Court ask the legislators in our area to be done redrawing a map by february 9th and get it to the governor. Governor wolf says hell sign it if its halfway fair by february 15th, and in less than two months, itll be in place or two and a half. Do you think that that is asking too much, that it really wait until 2020, or can we pull this off . I mean, i think itll be difficult to, from a timeconstraint standpoint, to redraw these lines. But the issue of whether or not the republicans who have that 135 majority, whether they you know, to the victor goes the spoils. Did they take advantage of that and draw the lines in their favor a few years ago . Im sure they did, and in maryland, its the other way around you have the democrats that drew the maps in their favor. Thats what gerrymandering is. Its as old as our republic, and i think the court should intervene, but whether or not the timing is appropriate, whether they need more time, thats a separate issue. There should be a bit more balance. The rulings also being called partisan because a number, or the majority, of the members of the Supreme Court are democrats, so is that coming into play . Are you bothered by that . Yes, but it was a 43 decision. Max baer in pittsburgh, democrat, voted not to to say that they shouldnt have to redo it at this time. Interesting thing is gonna be watch over the next several days. U. S. Supreme Court Justice alito is taking a review of the case to determine whether it should be put on stay or stayed. That very well could happen. The Supreme Court doesnt take up many of these, and hes responsible for pennsylvania sort of when they kick it up. And thats caused Senate President in pennsylvania, joe scarnati, to not release the data which helped them create the maps in the first place. This is really living in a world of bizarre. But the Supreme Court is moving ahead. They have hired staff to begin this process, because they have said, were giving it to the legislature. Get it done. And if they dont, the court will do it itself. Right, for the senate. You know, im giving you an opportunity here. You have the information. You have several congressmen they dont have the information. Yeah, but they could get it. Its not the senate has the information on redistricting. Not on the case they can give the redistricting information to the courts, or otherwise the courts should move ahead and make this decision. We have been waiting 25 years. The league of women voters, the committee of seventy, other citizens have been pushing for a long period of time to try to get a fairer system in pennsylvania, and unless you push it hard, it will be Something Else that will be on the back burner that maybe well get to in another 25 years. Right, and as ajay was saying i wanted to point you know, we talk about this this is a bipartisan problem. In maryland, its you know, if you have a majority of democrats, theyre the ones who are gonna be able to make their districts look like a choking goose like my district in, you know, the 7th district. And in pennsylvania, we have republicanmajority districts that are unfairly drawn, so this is its not simply, you know, one party against the other. Its that people have a right to be represented fairly along, you know, demographic lines, and it shouldnt be to christines point, you know, people care so much about this issue. Most people probably assume gerrymandering used to make movies with dean martin until now. [ laughter ]. Because the power of the franchise because now we understand the power of the franchise if you dont vote what the consequences are if the wrong people get elected and what that means to your daytoday lives. And thats why today you go to retail public, theyre aware of the issue of gerrymandering, and it is not just the talking heads and the analysts and the pundits and the insiders are talking about it. The regular public is talking about it, and thats a good sign. Lets talk about senator bob menendez in new jersey. There has been a decision. He will not be retried for alleged bribery. The courts said that they did not agree with many of the charges, and, in fact, federal judges threw out 7 of the 18 most heinous of the crimes that he was alleged to have done, so now he is going to run for reelection anyway but without this burden hanging over him, because now the prosecutors have said they will not pursue the case. Good or bad for the state of new jersey . I mean, its good because it takes away the taint of sort of new jersey and corruption and so forth and so on. Clearly i mean, i assume, and correct me if im wrong, fellow guests, that this is a Justice Department that is led by the trump administration. For them to say, hey, we cant win this. The judge has taken away everything. We dont have any weapons, if you will, against them were dropping it menendez is gonna win, hes gonna win handily. I would argue he wouldve won regardless. Hell win by more now than he would less, because its such a democratic state. Yeah, and i think when they looked at the decision i mean, 102 even in the hung jury case, i mean, the majority of people, supermajority, were going to acquit him anyway. And i know the lawyers you guys probably have more information but it appeared as if this was a circumstantial case where there was never really any hard evidence of the quid pro quo. No witnesses. You had no video. And you, as a savvy lawyer, i think you just. The wheel. Its not the trump administration. Its the mcdonnell case. The mcdonnell case has made it very difficult and the bar is really high to bring these cases in. Even though it smells really, really bad to say, hey, a luxury hotel, heres trips. Private jets. Heres private jets, but i dont want anything. But the loser in this is the Justice Department. I mean, the prosecutors its a shame, but, you know, they really to get that 102 people were saying, oh, its new jersey. Its the new jersey voters. One of the voters, actually im sorry, the jurors. One of the jurors said, were not really sure what a senator does. I remember that was one of the comments made. But it really is i mean, the prosecutors just couldnt make their case. And youre right, its mcdonnell. Well leave it at that. Inside story continues right after this. Stick around. 6abcs inside story is presented by temple university. Welcome back to inside story. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is going to consider whether the new soda tax in philadelphia is, in fact, an illegal double tax, and lets talk about what that consideration means, because already a city judge said its okay, the tax is okay. The Commonwealth Court said okay, but now its been bumped up to the top court, and theyre gonna rule. What do you think will be the outcome . Well, there was a divided Commonwealth Court, and the Supreme Court has decided to hear the case, which they didnt have to, so i dont know if thats a good sign or not, and they will decide on one issue, whether or not it violates the sterling act. I was in favor of, and i still am in favor of, the underlying premise behind the soda tax, of what were trying to fund. My concern is that if you look at the revenues, theyve been 15 below even the most conservative estimate. Is this sustainable, and can we put the money that we need to put in order to expand prek and to accomplish some of the original goals of mayor kenney, which i think are important, and whether or not we get the revenues from the soda tax or elsewhere, we still have to somehow figure out how to fix prek. It is a lot of money on the line here, and if they rule against it, then certainly it will impact the prek program. Thats where the revenues have gone from the soda tax. How do you feel about it . I mean, it is its regrettable if it does impact the prek program, absolutely. I mean, ive always been against the soda tax because ive always been against sin taxes. Its always the kind of thing where youre trying to i know youre trying to find money from some sources, but youre basically telling people how to live their lives. And youre also youre hitting a demographic. Its usually the lowerincome demographics that have more you know, that they drink the more sodas and the carbonated beverages and what have you, and its hurting them more. So, i mean, overall, i would be sad to see the revenues lost for the schools, but, you know, we should try and figure out another way to get them instead of just i do think that this is also troublesome, because it does appear to be a double tax in a way. All right, well have to leave it at that. Im sorry. Lets move on. I want to talk about a new report about Sexual Harassment at the government level, and the report shows that Pennsylvania State officials have paid out 3. 2 million either in legal fees or in settlements to allow anonymity in cases where they didnt want the bad publicity, apparently, just in the last 15, 20 years. Now there are bills at the National Level as well to try to stop these kind of confidentiality agreements and payouts so that the light can come to these cases. What should be done here . Should pennsylvania quit paying so much money without the light of day . I think were getting the same kind of push at the pennsylvania legislative level that youre getting in washington. Leanne kruegerbraneky, who is a legislator from the counties, has introduced legislation