What the heck happened in Iowa? Democratic co-host Brandon Hurlbut shares a firsthand 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 Washington, D.C., House Democrats have unveiled draft legislation and a 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 any proposals in the CLEAN Future Act that Republicans might 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-Goers
  • NPR: Iowa Farmer Says He's Disenchanted With President Trump
  • E&C: E&C Leaders Release Draft CLEAN Future Act
  • Axios: What’s in Republicans’ New Climate-Change Push
  • Vox: "Innovation”: The Latest GOP Smokescreen on Climate Change Policy
  • NRDC: Promising Bipartisan Movement

Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.

Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple PodcastsSpotifyStitcherGoogle PlayOvercast or any of these other services.

Find us on Twitter @Poli_Climate! Follow our hosts at @JMPyper @ShaneSkelton and @BrandonHurlbut.