Iowa and What 'Innovation' Means to Republicans




Political Climate show

Summary: What the heck happened in Iowa? Democratic co-host Brandon Hurlbut shares a first-hand account of the caucus reporting glitch and top voter issues in the first state to hold a presidential nominating contest. We look at where climate ranked. Meanwhile in the capitol, House Democrats have unveiled draft legislation and policy roadmap to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Is this the kind of bold climate leadership that advocates have been calling for? And are there proposals in the CLEAN Future Act that Republicans could back? Co-host Shane Skelton argues that there are. Not to be left out, House Republicans are floating their own climate plan that focuses on planting trees, removing plastic pollution and funding clean energy innovation. But is it the kind of innovation that the planet needs or is it a smokescreen? A good first step or pure optics? We discuss what innovation means to Republicans and where there's common ground with Democrats on this week's episode of Political Climate! Recommended reading:WaPo: Climate change among top concerns for Iowa Democratic caucus-goersNPR: Iowa Farmer Says He's Disenchanted With President TrumpE&C: E&C Leaders Release Draft CLEAN Future ActAxios: What’s in Republicans’ new climate-change pushVox: “Innovation”: the latest GOP smokescreen on climate change policyNRDC: Promising Bipartisan Movement Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast or any of these other services. Find us on Twitter @Poli_Climate! Follow our hosts at @JMPyper @ShaneSkelton and @BrandonHurlbut.