“The Issue Is”: Earth week with Jerry Brown and Jennifer Granholm

LOS ANGELES - It’s Earth Week and "The Issue Is" is going green.

To kick things off, Elex Michaelson is joined by former 4-term California Governor Jerry Brown. Brown, who has made environmentalism and climate change the cause of his life’s work, talks the state of the planet, dealing with high gas prices while decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels, and working with China.

Next, Michaelson speaks with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who was in Downtown Los Angeles to tour the Cleantech Incubator. The Secretary, and former Michigan Governor, talks clean energy, gas prices, the future of electric vehicles, and the work of the Biden Administration.

Continuing the Green theme, Michaelson also speaks with Kate and Brian Flynn, founders of Sun & Swell Foods, an organic food company that comes in compostable packaging.

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THE ISSUE IS: THE STATE OF THE PLANET

GOVERNOR BROWN’S CENTRAL TAKE: "We're talking about Earth, we're talking about seven billion people, millions and millions of species, and who knows what else. So I would say that it's always a question of both good and bad. The good is that people are aware, they're developing a planetary awareness - it comes from our space program, it comes from ecological understanding. So that's good. And climate, now, is on the agenda, whereas a few years ago it was barely even mentioned. But having said that, what the world has to do and the number one and two people have to take the lead is China and the US, and we have to do is get off fossil fuel almost 100% and do that takes political will, takes money, it takes the people going along with it…"

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THE ISSUE IS: HIGH GAS PRICES

GOVERNOR BROWN’S CENTRAL TAKE: "We've got a problem, I understand that. Some people have to drive 75 miles a day. They've got a real issue. Now, having said all that, they're just going to have to find a way to, to share, to make do, and the government has got to minimize those prices... The fact is, the Russians have a lot of oil, the Middle East is not going to share it with us, and the planet demands we get off oil as soon as possible. That takes the government helping us buy electric cars so we can get electric busses and machinery, so it's going to take a great spending to alleviate economic hardship. But in the short term, there's no way to ease the pain, it's out there for some, much more than others…"

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THE ISSUE IS: DEMOCRATS’ CHANCES IN THE MIDTERMS

GOVERNOR BROWN’S CENTRAL TAKE: "I see big trouble, big trouble, and it's been, you know, the cycle you go from Republican to Democrat and back. It's happened all the time. So I think the Democrats have big trouble. The Republicans are veering way to the right, but unfortunately the Democrats are very divided themselves. You get the Bernie Sanders wing. You have a lot of cultural liberals that are not, you know, not in sync with some of the moderates and conservatives. So I'd say the party has got its work cut out for it, for the midterms and even two years beyond... It's not decided yet, but if I were a Democrat, I think I'd stay on my toes…"

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The Issue Is: with Elex Michaelson is California's only statewide political show. For showtimes and more information, go to TheIssueIsShow.com.

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