The White House pulled out all the stops in releasing the third National Climate Assessment on Tuesday, inviting a select group of eight television meteorologists to the White House. President Obama conducted interviews about the report with these weathercasters, who included widely known figures like Al Roker of NBC News, and lesser-known folks such as Jeff Renner of KING 5-TV in Seattle. The White House also made senior officials, including EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and White House Science Advisor John Holdren, available for interviews.
The report found that climate change is already affecting the U.S. in significant ways, from increasing the frequency and severity of deadly heat waves to causing escalating risks of coastal flooding due to sea level rise. With polls showing that Americans trust TV meteorologists as science messengers, the White House's use of these experts may have been a shrewd move. (Then again, this has been tried before, as Roker was among the meteorologists invited to The White House in 1997, when former President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore tried to engage the TV meteorology community in a climate science discussion.)
The meteorologists were universally awe-struck by their day on the White House beat, although they did not let the setting intimidate them into avoiding tough questions. Roker, for example, asked about U.S. assistance for freeing the missing girls in Nigeria.
Roker also asked why Obama is only now pressing for action on climate change, after focusing on other topics, such as health care, in his first term.
Here's a section of the interview transcript:
ROKER: Mr. President, you released the climate assessment today. This was one of your major policy issues that you wanted to tackle when you got into office. And it's been an uphill battle. Why has it taken so long to get to this point where you're sounding this urgency?
OBAMA: Well I tell you, we've been sounding this urgency for the last 5 years. You've seen some resistance from Congress. Part of the reason for putting forward this assessment -- which involved hundreds of people, experts, businesses, not for profits, and local communities sharing their experience -- is -- we want to emphasize to the public, this is not some distant problem of the future. This is a problem that is affecting Americans right now. Whether it means increased flooding, greater vulnerability to drought, more severe wildfires -- all these things are having an impact on Americans as we speak.
Renner, from Seattle, even helped break the story of a White House lockdown on Tuesday afternoon, which was triggered by an unknown vehicle that entered the White House perimeter behind a motorcade.
They took care of some tourism business at the outset of their day.
We're in! It's @jeffrennerwx @jimgandy @JaniceHuff4ny and me at the @WhiteHouse. Waiting on 1st #climate briefing. pic.twitter.com/CULiqoUav3— John Morales (@JohnMoralesNBC6) May 6, 2014
In the briefing room, waiting for the first presentation of the updated National Climate Assessment. More ahead. pic.twitter.com/gYxR3EYRuc— Jeff Renner (@jeffrennerwx) May 6, 2014
Roker was the White House veteran of the group.
Been coming here since the 1st President Bush. It never gets old. http://t.co/Fh66H7v7Ex— Al Roker (@alroker) May 6, 2014
In 1997, @billclinton invited a group of TV weather people and meteorologists to @WhiteHouse to talk Global Warming pic.twitter.com/LFdMRAOwsm— Al Roker (@alroker) May 6, 2014
ABC's Ginger Zee spent some time in the White House press briefing room, with fellow ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl.
I would like to give a big shout out to @jonkarl for the warm welcome at The White House - with @davidfmeyers pic.twitter.com/69JlNkKDlQ— Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) May 7, 2014
Zee (and others) interviewed EPA's McCarthy, who is tasked with proposing greenhouse gas emissions regulations for power plants.
First Interviews included @GinaEPA - next up @BarackObama - see it on @ABCWorldNews pic.twitter.com/HGcCCAji69— Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) May 6, 2014
They took photos as they got ready for their big interviews.
President Obama has separate interviews each meteorologist. Almost time for @jeffrennerwx to head out pic.twitter.com/YjM8dPlbvk— Greg Thies - KING5 (@K5Greg) May 6, 2014
@janicehuff4ny and I getting ready to interview @BarackObama http://t.co/XCbCQV2OsA— Al Roker (@alroker) May 6, 2014
Waiting for my interview opportunity with the President. pic.twitter.com/8VH4HW2fOD— Jeff Renner (@jeffrennerwx) May 6, 2014
And during those interviews.
Interview with @BarackObama completed! @JohnMoralesNBC6 has it tonight at 5, 530 and 6 on @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/SmHuEJ5Q0E— Chad Matthews (@chadmatthews6) May 6, 2014
SC's Weather Man @JimGandyWLTX talking climate change with @BarackObama. #News19 @WLTX pic.twitter.com/pWGccHEGUT— Scott Cooke (@cookescott) May 6, 2014
And right after their big interviews.
Just finished my interview with the President in the Rose Garden. Details at 5; the complete intv at 7pm. pic.twitter.com/vCItaybsNU— Jeff Renner (@jeffrennerwx) May 6, 2014
Post briefing on the south lawn of the White House. Plenty of compelling 'meat' in today's report. pic.twitter.com/ZqMqAs65ct— Jeff Renner (@jeffrennerwx) May 6, 2014
And lastly, they broke news about the White House lockdown, while scrambling to find alternate locations to broadcast the evening weathercast for their stations.
White House on lockdown after a car gets onto closed road following behind Kerry's motorcade. No threat to president pic.twitter.com/PrV4sbbFel— Greg Thies - KING5 (@K5Greg) May 6, 2014
Because of security scare at @WhiteHouse I've scrambled to another DC location. For more #Obama interview watch @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/3CWDSOHCYY— John Morales (@JohnMoralesNBC6) May 6, 2014
I am at the White House & we are on lock-down. Someone drove in behind a motorcade. Driver in custody, just saw dog & officer checking car.— Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) May 6, 2014