Latest / Snollygoster | Ohio's Politics Podcast / Debate over releasing the Epstein Files ends

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Debate over releasing the Epstein Files ends · Snollygoster | Ohio's Politics Podcast

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  This podcast was recorded Thursday , November 20th at 10:32 a.m..
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  Things may have changed by the time you hear this.
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  Yeah.
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  Like this week , Tim Ryan will tell us if he wants to run for governor.
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  Well , we're waiting.
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  Still waiting.
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  Let's talk politics.
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  This is Wosu Public Media's weekly look at Ohio politics.
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  And all those snarling gangsters , those shrewd politicians who vote their conscience when they have permission to do so.
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  I'm Mike Thompson.
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  Coming up on the podcast , the biggest political stories often come in the days after an election.
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  Isn't it funny how that always works out ? But first , there is a lot to talk about this week.
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  Now everybody wants to see the Epstein files.
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  At least everybody whose name is not in the Epstein files.
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  Ohio lawmakers make a move on property taxes , and those same state lawmakers finally make promised changes to the voter approved legal marijuana law that also toughens regulations on weed light.
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  First to the Epstein files last week at this time , Republicans were in a pickle.
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  They were going to have to vote on whether to release all the files in the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein , the dead convicted sex offender accused of running a huge sex trafficking ring of minors.
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  President Trump campaigned on releasing the files and then refused to do so.
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  His name and his artwork kept popping up in periodic releases of portions of the files.
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  He tried very hard to get Congress to drop its demand to release the files , but in the end he failed and the vote was set for this week , seeing that he likely was going to lose that vote , the president changed his mind and told Republicans , via social media that they can vote to release the files.
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  That likely came as relief for Ohio's ten Republican representatives , whose constituents wanted them to release the files.
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  At least many of their constituents wanted them to release the files.
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  But up until Sunday , their president and their party leader , who holds their political future in his hands , did not want them to vote to release the files.
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  Trump's reversal let them off the hook.
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  Nine of the ten GOP congressmen voted to release the files.
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  Congressman Mike Raleigh did not vote , saying he was dealing with a family emergency back home.
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  But the other nine GOP congressmen all fell in line and voted to release the files in the near unanimous vote in the House to do so.
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  Ohio's senators were also kind of let off the hook.
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  They did not have to officially put their votes on record , because the House bill passed the Senate on a voice vote for unanimous consent.
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  Now , prior to the vote.
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  But after Trump's reversal , Senators John Houston and Bernie Marino said they support releasing the files.
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  Republican candidate for governor , Vivek Ramaswamy.
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  He called for releasing the files a lot during his short 2024 presidential campaign.
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  But while running for governor , he did not mention the controversy until this week , when he said he , too , supports releasing the files.
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  So for now , the debate over whether to release the files evaporates as a campaign issue.
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  Everyone wants them released , but now we wait.
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  The Justice Department has a month to release the files , but it does not have to release all of them.
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  Classified material documents which are part of an ongoing investigation would be exempt.
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  Justice Department attorneys can black out names , certainly of the victims , but also perhaps the names of others.
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  This issue is not going away.
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  And depending on the names , the details , possibly the images and videos that come out as a part of this release.
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  Politicians from both parties will have to answer questions about them.
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  The wait in Hurry up Ohio.
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  Legislature was busy this week.
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  Lawmakers passed a lot of bills in one final marathon session before the holiday break.
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  They passed new penalties for the owners of vicious dogs , and they mandate that Ohio prisons and jails provide feminine hygiene products to inmates at no cost.
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  Absentee voters now have to make sure their Mail-In ballots get to the elections office by Election Day.
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  No more grace period.
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  Lawmakers standardized Kindergarten cutoff dates around the state , and they also passed several other bills.
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  They were busy.
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  The big issue for most Ohio homeowners is property taxes.
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  As you know , a group is trying to get voters to abolish property taxes completely in Ohio that could be on the ballot next year.
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  So lawmakers have been working hard to bring relief to property tax owners before that vote even gets to the ballot.
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  And this week they did just that , giving final approval to four bills lawmakers say will save property owners more than $2 billion over the next several years.
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  Governor DeWine is expected to sign the bills into law because they match very closely what his remember his working group on property taxes ? Well , these bills kind of are in line with what this working group proposed.
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  So maybe the working group did effective work after all.
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  Anyway , again , we have to explain that Ohio property tax law is very complicated.
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  So let's try to simplify it as best we can.
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  Lawmakers have capped most school district property taxes so they will rise with inflation rather than with rising property values.
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  That has been a big issue across the state , as property values have basically skyrocketed over the past 3 to 5 years.
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  Another bill , County officials now have the power to reduce property taxes if they deem them excessive or unnecessary.
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  Good luck with that.
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  County.
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  Commissioners do have to wait at least a year before they can roll back taxes that voters approved.
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  Keep in mind these are taxes that voters approved , but county officials can now roll them back whether they do or not.
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  We shall see.
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  Those changes could affect future tax bills.
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  It's not going to have an immediate impact on your tax bill right now.
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  But lawmakers passed a bill that could have a more immediate impact on homeowners.
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  The legislature increased , the owner occupied tax credit for the next four years.
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  They say that will save homeowners some $400 million , and homeowners will see that that right away.
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  Within the next couple of years.
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  They will see it in their tax bill in the next couple of years.
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  To pay for this , lawmakers will increase taxes on landlords who own large a large number of rental properties.
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  Of course , landlords don't like this idea.
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  They say it's just going to pass on the added taxes to renters.
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  But owner occupied homeowners will get some immediate relief with this bill that passed.
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  Will this be enough relief to thwart the effort to abolish property taxes completely ? Of course , we don't really know.
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  But lawmakers , by saying we cut property taxes by some $2 billion , they can tell voters that they hear their complaints and are trying to do something about it.
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  So we shall see.
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  But they this is meaningful property tax reform.
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  Is it meaningful enough to thwart this effort ? Of course we don't know.
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  But this is more than just a token relief on property taxes.
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  And of course , the other side of the equation is how much does this affect what schools collect , what local governments collect to pay for city services and education ? We shall see , as they say.
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  So if you live in a home , you're happy.
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  If you live in a home that you own , you're happy.
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  If you like to buy hemp infused gummies and THC drinks , or you're in the business of making or selling those products , you're not so happy with what lawmakers did this week.
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  Now , it is not a done deal yet , but lawmakers approved a midnight compromise that will have Ohio match the newly passed federal ban on most intoxicating hemp candies and drinks.
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  The drinks will remain legal through the end of next year , when the federal law takes effect , and lawmakers promised to relax state laws on drinks If the federal government does.
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  The bottom line intoxicating hemp products could be much harder to get in Ohio.
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  The bill also makes some technical changes to the voter approved marijuana law , so that that law doesn't change a whole lot for folks enjoying legal marijuana in Ohio.
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  Now , the Senate still must give final approval , and the governor needs to sign it for this to become law.
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  But it looks like tough regulations , tougher regulations on intoxicating hemp will become a reality until the governor signs it.
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  Eat the gummies if you got them , just eat responsibly.
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  We'll be right back.
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  Sources and methods.
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  The crown jewels of the intelligence community.
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  Shorthand for.
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  How do we know what's real ? Who told us ? If you have those answers , you're on the inside.
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  And NPR wants to bring you there.
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  From the Pentagon to the State Department to spy agencies.
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  Listen to understand what's really happening and what it means for you.
• 9:52
  Sources and Methods , the new National Security podcast from NPR.
• 9:57
  Time now for our Snow The Gospel of the week segment , where we honor the shrewdest politician or political move of the past week or so.
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  I always say the best time for hard political decisions is the days and weeks right after Election Day.
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  That's why lame duck sessions are so productive.
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  Outgoing lawmakers are free to be bold , and lawmakers who are staying have months and months before the next election.
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  So hopefully voters forget what they did well 16 days ago.
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  City of Columbus voters went to the polls where they passed a $2 billion bond package.
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  They passed a new tax for the Columbus Zoo , and they elected establishment candidates for city council.
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  Then a week after the election , Columbus City Council announced water rates could go up by about $150 a year.
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  They say the money is needed to pay for a new water plant Land.
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  Also , residents who get their electricity from the city's division of power could see a 13% rate increase.
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  So the week after the election , water rates could go up , electric rates could go up.
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  Hmm.
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  Then there's the case of City Council Member Emmanuel Remy.
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  He was re-elected earlier this month , but this week , city council voted to pay one of his former aides some $85,000 in a settlement after she accused him of harassing behavior.
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  This was anger , harassment , not sexual harassment , according to the complaint.
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  This settlement has been in the works for months.
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  It was actually signed off on a month before Election Day , but City Council did not take it up until two weeks after Election Day.
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  And when did the council vote on it ? When Emmanuel Remy was out of town attending a conference so he couldn't answer reporters questions.
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  Now , it would not have mattered in the election because Remy ran unopposed and he has agreed to management training , and he promises to reform his ways.
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  City Council President Shannon Hardin said it is time for accountability for council member Remi , so long as that accountability comes after Election Day for , let's call it , shrewd post-election time management.
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  The Columbus City Council gets our roster of the week award.
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  That will do it for this week's edition of roster , which is part of the NPR network.
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  As always , please be sure to give us a good review Apple podcast wherever you get your podcast.
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  We'll be very thankful if you do.
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  Speaking of giving thanks , we're going to take next week off because of the Thanksgiving holiday , so enjoy the holiday , please and thank you for listening.
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  For our digital producer Michael de Bono's , our audio engineer Dalton Jones , I'm Mike Thompson for Sonali Gosta from Wosu Public Media.