>> i'm monica malpass. a political powerhouse, congressman bob brady, decides not to run for reelection. what's the real deal? let's get the inside story. ♪ good morning, and welcome to "inside story." i'm monica malpass. let's meet our insiders today, and they are ajay raju, attorney. good morning, sir. welcome. jeff jubelirer, communications executive. always good to have you with us, jeff. sharmain matlock-turner, head of the -- non-profit executive. how are you today? >> good morning. >> good morning. and christine flowers, attorney and journalist. good to see you again, chris. >> hey, monica. >> let's talk about representative bob brady. he's been the head of the democratic committee for 30 years, chairman. he's also been a 20-year congressman from this area, considered to be one of the powerhouses, certainly of the state, the northeast, and within the country. so, let's talk about -- he decided not to run for reelection. he's still gonna keep his chairmanship of the party, but it does certainly have reverberations not only in this

area, but around the country. let's hear your reaction. what do you think really happened here? >> well, we can only talk about -- we don't 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 it's such a tough job -- you're all day long reacting to complaints and criticisms by the constituency. there is no result-oriented job anymore because you're not accomplishing much. you're 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 they're not pursuing most of it, but it's 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 -- he's our representative. he's 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 doesn't 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, it's sad. it's regrettable that he's 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. it's much more minority-majority, 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 i'm sad we're gonna lose that power base. >> he's been able to negotiate deals that were not even within his age. it's 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 un-jam the logjam, if you will. >> yeah, and he's transactional. i mean, he's like, "what do we need? i can do this, and you can do this." he's a guy who literally didn't take president -- former president bill clinton's phone call because he was serving as a

plumber for one of his constituents. he's 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 doesn't like it anymore as much. it's just not a fun place to be, and -- i know we're gonna talk about this -- the distinct could metamorphize into something different, which doesn't mean he's gonna lose. >> because of the gerrymandering case. >> but there is a progressive movement, which is happening in philadelphia. there are a number of people -- it's gonna be tougher to raise money, tougher to win reelection, and we don't 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. let's talk, though, more about this, that you don't 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, that's -- you know, i worked with him in city council when he was sergeant at arms, okay, just a few years ago, and, absolutely, he's 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 hands-on 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 that's going on in washington as well as -- 2018 for the democrats is gonna be a big year, and i know we're gonna talk about what that means, and i think he's gonna be able to play a significant role in that. >> we've 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 that's being created for our state, and it doesn't bode well for, down the road, getting money and action for this area, does it? >> well, i'm not sure of that, because i think you have to absolutely look at what's happening across the country. you have now-congressman 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 we'll 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. >> he's very young, he works across the aisle, he's the head of this blue-collar democratic caucus, and that's what, hopefully, we need, because they're gonna have to still work. even if democrats take over in pennsylvania, it might tighten. it's 13 republicans to 5 democrats. that's absolutely gonna switch between the folks retiring and the redistricting that's coming our way. >> and we have dwight evans as well. here's the unfortunate part for many people -- congressman brady was working on overhauling capitol hill's sexual harassment policies in a time when you've seen numerous people on capitol hill have issues and decide to resign or leave in disgrace, and so what a crime that it didn't get finished, the work he was working on, on the one hand. i'm sure someone else will take that up, but he was working hard on it. >> in a bipartisan manner, too. >> absolutely. >> that's exactly right, the bipartisan. and i think, again, one of the things about bob brady is he -- you know, head of the democratic party. he's 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, i'm a conservative, i'm 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, you're absolutely right. that's a bipartisan deal, and i think that will continue, his legacy will continue on. it's not going to end simply because he's no longer gonna be on capitol hill. >> all right, let's 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. we'll see how it impacts the may primary, because there's 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 he'll sign it if it's halfway fair by february 15th, and in less than two months, it'll 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 it'll be difficult to, from a time-constraint standpoint, to redraw these lines. but the issue of whether or not the republicans who have that 13-5 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? i'm sure they did, and in maryland, it's the other way around -- you have the democrats that drew the maps in their favor. that's what gerrymandering is. it's 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, that's a separate issue. there should be a bit more balance. >> the ruling's 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 4-3 decision. max baer in pittsburgh, democrat, voted not to -- to say that they shouldn't 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 doesn't take up many of these, and he's responsible for pennsylvania sort of when they kick it up. and that's 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, "we're giving it to the legislature. get it done."

>> and if they don't, the court will do it itself. >> right, for the senate. you know, "i'm giving you an opportunity here. you have the information. you have several congressmen -- >> they don't have the information. >> yeah, but they could get it. it's 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 we'll 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, it's -- you know, if you have a majority of democrats, they're 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 republican-majority districts that are unfairly drawn, so this is -- it's not simply, you know,

one party against the other. it's that people have a right to be represented fairly along, you know, demographic lines, and it shouldn't be -- >> to christine's 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 don't vote what the consequences are if the wrong people get elected and what that means to your day-to-day lives. and that's why today you go to retail public, they're 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 that's a good sign. >> let's 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, it's 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 i'm wrong, fellow guests, that this is a justice department that is led by the trump administration. for them to say, "hey, we can't win this. the judge has taken away everything. we don't have any weapons, if you will, against them -- we're dropping it" -- menendez is gonna win, he's gonna win handily. i would argue he would've won regardless. he'll win by more now than he would less, because it's such a democratic state. >> yeah, and i think when they looked at the decision -- i mean, 10-2 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. it's not the trump administration. it's 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, here's trips..." >> private jets. >> "...here's private jets, but i don't want anything." >> but the loser in this is the justice department. i mean, the prosecutors it's a shame, but, you know, they really -- to get that 10-2 -- people were saying, "oh, it's new jersey. it's the new jersey voters." one of the voters, actually -- i'm sorry, the jurors. one of the jurors said, "we're 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 couldn't make their case. and you're right, it's mcdonnell. we'll leave it at that. "inside story" continues right after this. stick around. >> 6abc's "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 let's talk about what that consideration means, because already a city judge said it's okay, the tax is okay. the commonwealth court said okay, but now it's been bumped up to the top court, and they're 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 didn't have to, so i don't know if that's 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 we're trying to fund. my concern is that if you look at the revenues, they've 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 pre-k 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 pre-k. >> it is a lot of money on the line here, and if they rule against it, then certainly it will impact the pre-k program. that's where the revenues have gone from the soda tax. how do you feel about it? >> i mean, it is -- it's regrettable if it does impact the pre-k program, absolutely. i mean, i've always been against the soda tax because i've always been against sin taxes. it's always the kind of thing where you're trying to -- i know you're trying to find money from some sources, but you're basically telling people how to

live their lives. and you're also -- you're hitting a demographic. it's usually the lower-income demographics that have more -- you know, that they drink the more sodas and the carbonated beverages and what have you, and it's 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, we'll have to leave it at that. i'm sorry. let's 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 didn't 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 we're getting the same kind of push at the pennsylvania legislative level that you're getting in washington. leanne krueger-braneky, who is a legislator from the counties, has introduced legislation similar to legislation in washington to say, "we have to stop this." number one, we need to be clear about the fact that we cannot mistreat women in the workplace. and number two, you cannot use taxpayer dollars in order to shove this under the rug. and the confidentiality agreements, in my opinion, have been used as a way for people to continue to get away with this behavior. >> although some people, victim advocates, would say their victims didn't want to be publicized, either, and have their names hanging out there. so, on the one hand, it helps them and it hurts them. what do you think? >> well, i agree for that part. i agree with everything you said in the sense that sometimes confi-- a lot of women -- you look at the situation with congressman meehan. the victim in that particular case, she does not want to -- she doesn't want to talk about

it at all, and we should respect that right for those that have been sexually harassed or abused, not to have to be out there and have their name -- i also want to say kudos to our controller, rebecca rhynhart, because she's going to look at, in the city, the payoffs, whether it'd be the sheriff's office, other departments and what has gone wrong there as well. >> all right, we'll leave it at that. thank you so much. we're gonna have a fun "inside story" tailgate party to celebrate the eagles with our insiders right after this. ♪

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so experience netflix on the 100% fiber optic network made for streaming. switch to fios and get a year of netflix on us with a two year agreement. go to getfios.com to switch today. >> 6abc's "inside story" is presented by temple university. >> welcome back to "inside story." of course, we are all die-hard eagles fans. tonight is the big game. we could not end the program without having our own tailgate party, so welcome to the "inside story" tailgate edition, and we're munching on, of course, all the philadelphia staples -- tastykakes, hoagies, and we have pretzels. unfortunately, we couldn't get in any cheesesteaks, but we love cheesesteaks, all of them, don't you worry. anyway, so i want to ask everybody around the table -- what do you think's really gonna go down tonight? can they pull it off? can some of our eagles stop

tom brady? what's your assessment, sharmain? here's the ball. ready? you got to catch first. >> i'm ready. yes. >> she got it, baby. [ cheering ] >> that's the sign right there, that i caught right away. we're definitely gonna win. i mean, i was nervous, you know, during the -- the playoff game, and they just, like -- they just smoked it. i think that they're gonna really do a good job. no, i don't think it's gonna be easy, but i definitely think we're gonna win by a touchdown. >> is it a momentum thing? you got the underdog shirt working. ♪ who let the dogs out? ♪ woof, woof, woof, woof >> ♪ who let the dogs out? >> yeah! >> and we're used to being underdogs in this town and winning, anyway. so go super bowl, go amazon, go. >> all right, throw it to jeff. yep, you're up, man. what's happening? >> you can't put chemistry on statistics. >> okay. >> you can't measure it. >> passion. >> it's heart. it's guts. this team is the story of the year. i am not -- admittedly so, i've jumped on the bandwagon. i'm originally from western pennsylvania, i'm a

steeler guy, but this team is likeable... >> that's okay. >> yeah, we forgive you. >> ...likeable, likeable, likeable, and we all have to be anti-patriots. the patriots -- they've been there, done that. we want it more. >> that's right. >> it's our turn. we want it more! all right. ajay, you got it. >> we want it more! >> speaking of statistics, eagles, other than the packers, eagles have gone for it on fourth down more than any other team in the nfl -- >> you analyzed. i like that. >> and here's why that is important -- in order to go on the fourth down -- this is not where you do long passes. it is hard-fought a yard or two. you need a steely-eyed quarterback, a tough running back, and an offensive line that works together. that is the essence of teamwork. that team is built at the intersection of grit and guts, and that's what defines the eagles today. and quite frankly, that's what defines our city. we are located at the intersection of grit and guts, and that's what makes this year's particular eagles team so special. >> all right, on to christine.

and is that gonna be enough, christine? yeah, nice catch! a little spiral, a little spiral. >> lombardi! >> very nice. is that enough grit and guts to overcome a team that's been there so many times and won it, and they have a ring for every finger now? >> you know what? it is because -- i mean, in 1960 was the last time we had a championship. the next year, i was born. so i have never seen a super bowl. philadelphians truly want this. so does that team -- they want to give it to us. and, i mean, we have it. we have a great defense. we have a quarterback who stepped up so amazingly, and that story was unbelievable. and let's not forget carson wentz. i mean, that guy brought us to the promised land. nick foles is gonna get us through the pearly gates. >> absolutely. >> but we are gonna do this. guys, we are gonna do this. and, you know, about the patriots -- you know, i love the way they use that name. they pollute boston harbor, and then think that they've created something wonderful. [ indistinct conversation ]

>> but i do want to say, also, is the people behind the scenes that are not gonna be playing on the field that i think are a big part of why we're gonna win. coach pederson, the back office, the decisions that were made all year, the fact that people did not give up and give in on this. to my friend anne gordon who's been telling all the stories out there about why the eagles are so special -- >> coach pederson actually made a prediction saying last summer he thought the team had what it took, and people laughed at him. >> exactly. they did. >> how about howie roseman? >> yes. >> alshon jeffery, jay ajayi. >> right. >> and also -- >> excuse me. and so many others. >> can we say something about eagles of the past? reggie white and jerome are looking down from heaven as is buddy ryan, as is jim johnson, and bedock and wilbert and harold carmichael and herman edwards! i mean, this is history. >> michael quick. >> and michael quick is gonna be there. >> and mike and merrill, you know? i mean, merrill's an honorary player. >> this is for all of them. >> so we're gonna do it. here.

>> i think it's 14-12, eagles. it's gonna be ugly, it's gonna be tight, but we are gonna win it. i don't see any other outcome that's even possible, and i love that they're keeping it loose this week, having some fun, then getting down to business and taking it seriously. they know how to do that evenly without it going too far. >> and taking all of their ministers with them, too. their priests, their pastors, all of that. they're leaving no stone unturned. >> all right, and i say we can do it. everybody want to do a little chant with me, "e-a-g"? all right, here we go. ready. i'm nydia han with gray hall. we're following developing news from south car line a where at least two people are dead, following an amtrak train crash. and fly, eagles fly, super bowl sunday is here, and we have live game day coverage from the streets of philadelphia, to the fan zones in minnesota. plus rain is on the way could weather impact your super bowl plans? meteorologist chris sowers has the accu weather forecast.

those stories and more next up on "action news".

"action news", delaware valley's leading news program, with gray hall, nydia han, and meteorologist chris sowers. good afternoon, on this super bowl sunday, february 4th i'm nydia han with gray hall. here's a look at some of the stories we are following