Procedure 4% Thanks 2% Claims 72% Positioning 1% Promise 0% The question 1% Anecdote 2% Aside 2% Reasoning 11% The ask 6%
Structure · 32 steps
Claims · 11
This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.
Mr. President, Procedure · 8 words I am here with another unanimous consent request, Procedure Thanks · 17 words and I appreciate the Senator from Florida, Senator Scott, for being here to participate in this exchange. Thanks Claims · 64 words I keep coming here to try to reinforce the obvious, scientifically clear point that climate change is real, that that is a simple scientific fact. Unearned certainty The way this has gone is that I came to the floor earlier this year and asked my colleagues to agree on that simple scientific fact: Climate change is real and, frankly, our fossil fuel emissions are causing it. Procedure · 7 words Well, I guess it is no surprise, Procedure Positioning · 10 words but my Republican colleagues would not agree to that fact. Positioning Claims · 54 words So I have returned to the floor, time and again, in hopes that my Republican colleagues could agree to some of the simpler truths contained within that truth. Each time faced with well-documented truths about sea level rise or wide-ranging climate economic fallout, Republicans have objected. Well, climate change isn’t stopping or slowing down, Promise · 4 words and I won’t either. Claims · 18 words So today’s simple truth is that climate change is making wildfires more frequent, more intense, and more destructive. The question · 10 words My question is, can we not all agree on that? Procedure · 4 words Here is some background. Procedure Claims · 213 words This chart from the National Interagency Fire Center shows that average U.S. acreage burned annually by wildfires has almost tripled in the last three decades, 1 and the upward drift of the chart is pretty obvious. The science proving that climate change makes wildfires worse is both clear and straightforward, Unearned certainty and it has been well-known for decades. It is not new. In fact, wildfires are part of a climate upheaval that Big Oil itself predicted. Shell, for instance, in a 1989 confidential planning document, warned that if fossil fuels were not brought under control, ``there would be more violent weather--more storms, more droughts, more deluges.2 Mean sea level would rise at least 30 cm. Agricultural patterns would be most dramatically changed. . . . Boundaries would count for little--overwhelmed by the numbers. Conflicts would abound. Civilization could prove a fragile thing.’’ That is what Big Oil said about climate change effects from their product back in 1989: ``Civilization could prove a fragile thing.’’ This is the underlying temperature increase that is driving the droughts that Shell predicted nearly 40 years ago. So, first, we know that fossil fuel emissions--climate change--is increasing global temperatures. You can’t read it. This goes back to 1860. This is a pretty longtime chart in this instance. This is now. Procedure · 13 words So how does it work? What does that heat do to drive wildfires? Procedure Claims · 35 words Well, warmer air draws more moisture out of the soil, out of plants, out of bodies of water. There is a scientific name for this. NOAA calls the phenomenon evaporative demand or sometimes atmospheric thirst.3 Procedure · 11 words But you don’t have to use scientific language to understand it. Procedure Anecdote · 17 words You just watch a puddle dry up on a hot day. That is what you are seeing. Anecdote Claims · 57 words NASA, NOAA, and the Forest Service call drought conditions like these fire weather--fire weather. According to NASA’s website on wildfires and climate change, ``human- caused climate change [is] the main cause for increasing fire weather in the American West.’’4 Now, it is about a quarter of 6 this evening when I read that quote from NASA’s website. Aside · 26 words You might want to start the shot clock on how long it takes for the fossil fuel goons to get in there and change the website. Aside Claims · 24 words Climate change makes droughts last longer. The Forest Service reports that what was once a 4-month fire season now lasts 6 to 8 months.5 Reasoning · 13 words So there are more opportunities for any spark to start a dangerous blaze. Claims · 16 words And climate changes make drought conditions worse; that is, drier; that is, with more flammable material. Reasoning · 16 words So those fires that do start in that longer season are more likely to become severe. Claims · 34 words In January of 2025, a collection of wildfires in the Los Angeles metro area burned through over 15,000 homes and businesses, killed more than two dozen people, 6 and poisoned the air with toxic pollution. Off point Mr. President, Claims · 80 words 2026 is already on track for one of the worst wildfire seasons on record. August wildfires in Spokane, WA, caused over $1 billion in damage and destroyed over 800 people’s homes.7 In July, wildfire smoke blanketed much of the country and degraded air quality for tens of millions of people. Researchers have found that the number of people in the United States who experience at least one extreme smoke day per year is up 27 times in the last decade.8 Reasoning · 23 words So if you used to have one extreme smoke day in your life, now you have 27 in the same period of time. Claims · 172 words Every county in the continental United States experiences degraded air quality from wildfire smoke at least 16 times every year, 9 and the cost of that is real. Air pollution from wildfire smoke makes people sicker and causes deaths. Scientists have known for decades--decades--that climate change is making wildfires worse. More recently, the data has gotten more precise. We can now connect climate change to specific individual events. In the case of the L.A. fires, scientists from the World Weather Attribution and Imperial College London found that climate change made the weather conditions that drove these fires 35 percent more likely.10 This kind of analysis is called climate attribution. The National Academies recently released a comprehensive report on the current capabilities of climate attribution, including on wildfires.11 To no one’s surprise, the fossil fuel industry and its allies are already out to discredit this work. In the face of tens of thousands of Americans losing their homes to wildfires, millions more facing skyrocketing insurance premiums as wildfire risk becomes either unavailable or unaffordable, Reasoning · 66 words and the risk of crashing home values--because when you can’t insure your home, guess what. You can’t get a mortgage on your home. And if you are the kind of person who bought your home with a mortgage and needs somebody with a mortgage to buy it from you when it is time to sell, that crashes the value of your home. It destroys its worth. Claims · 42 words Well, in the face of those facts, the traditional response of the fossil fuel industry is to try and hide the truth, but there is truth, and the truth is climate change is making wildfires more frequent, more intense, and more destructive. The ask · 12 words And I really hope that we are able to agree on that. Off point Mr. President, The ask · 56 words so notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 559; further, that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. Off point
At a glance
Lost points for Off point ×85 Procedure ×6 Unearned certainty ×2 Anecdote ×2 Thanks Positioning Aside Off topic None of this speech addressed the bill under debate and what it would change.
Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.
What the tags mean →
Signal · 87
11 of 98 deductions are Signal
Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.
Procedure Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business. What the tags mean → “I am here with another unanimous consent request,” Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Thanks Thanks and tributes. What the tags mean → “and I appreciate the Senator from Florida, Senator Scott, for being here to participate in this exchange.” Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Procedure Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business. What the tags mean → “Well, I guess it is no surprise,” Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Positioning Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it. What the tags mean → “but my Republican colleagues would not agree to that fact.” Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Procedure Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business. What the tags mean → “Here is some background.” Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Procedure Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business. What the tags mean → “So how does it work?” Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Procedure Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business. What the tags mean → “What does that heat do to drive wildfires?” Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Procedure Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business. What the tags mean → “But you don’t have to use scientific language to understand it.” Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Anecdote A story that illustrates instead of making a point. What the tags mean → “You just watch a puddle dry up on a hot day.” An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Anecdote A story that illustrates instead of making a point. What the tags mean → “That is what you are seeing.” An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Aside A remark off to the side of the point. What the tags mean → “You might want to start the shot clock on how long it takes for the fossil fuel goons to get in there and change the website.” An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
Relevance · 0
85 of 98 deductions are Relevance
Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “I keep coming here to try to reinforce the obvious, scientifically clear point that climate change is real, that that is a simple scientific fact.” About climate change being a scientific fact, not the labor bargaining bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “The way this has gone is that I came to the floor earlier this year and asked my colleagues to agree on that simple scientific fact:” Recounts earlier floor requests on climate science, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Climate change is real and, frankly, our fossil fuel emissions are causing it.” About fossil fuel emissions causing climate change, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Well, I guess it is no surprise,” A comment anticipating Republican objections on climate, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “but my Republican colleagues would not agree to that fact.” About Republicans declining to agree on climate facts, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “So I have returned to the floor, time and again, in hopes that my Republican colleagues could agree to some of the simpler truths contained within that truth.” About repeated floor attempts to win agreement on climate truths, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Each time faced with well-documented truths about sea level rise or wide-ranging climate economic fallout, Republicans have objected.” About Republican objections to climate statements, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Well, climate change isn’t stopping or slowing down,” About climate change continuing, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “and I won’t either.” About the speaker’s own persistence on climate statements, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “So today’s simple truth is that climate change is making wildfires more frequent, more intense,” About climate change and wildfire frequency and intensity, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “and more destructive.” About wildfire destruction from climate change, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “My question is, can we not all agree on that?” Asks for agreement on wildfire and climate claims, not about the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Here is some background.” Introduces background on wildfires, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “This chart from the National Interagency Fire Center shows that average U.S. acreage burned annually by wildfires has almost tripled in the last three decades,” Wildfire acreage statistics, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “and the upward drift of the chart is pretty obvious.” About the trend in a wildfire chart, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “The science proving that climate change makes wildfires worse is both clear and straightforward,” About the science linking climate change to wildfires, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “and it has been well-known for decades.” About how long the wildfire science has been known, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “It is not new.” About the age of the wildfire science, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “In fact, wildfires are part of a climate upheaval that Big Oil itself predicted.” About oil industry predictions of climate effects, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Shell, for instance, in a 1989 confidential planning document, warned that if fossil fuels were not brought under control, ``there would be more violent weather--more storms, more droughts, more deluges.” Quotes a Shell document on climate effects, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Mean sea level would rise at least 30 cm.” Quotes the Shell document on sea level rise, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Agricultural patterns would be most dramatically changed. . . .” Quotes the Shell document on agriculture, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Boundaries would count for little--overwhelmed by the numbers.” Quotes the Shell document on boundaries, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Conflicts would abound.” Quotes the Shell document on conflict, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Civilization could prove a fragile thing.’’” Quotes the Shell document on civilization, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “That is what Big Oil said about climate change effects from their product back in 1989:” About the oil industry’s past climate statements, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “``Civilization could prove a fragile thing.’’” Repeats the Shell quote on civilization, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “This is the underlying temperature increase that is driving the droughts that Shell predicted nearly 40 years ago.” About temperature rise and droughts predicted by Shell, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “So, first, we know that fossil fuel emissions--climate change--is increasing global temperatures.” About emissions raising global temperatures, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “You can’t read it.” A remark about a chart being unreadable, but its context is temperature data, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “This goes back to 1860.” About the historical range of a temperature chart, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “This is a pretty longtime chart in this instance.” A comment about the temperature chart, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “This is now.” A comment about present-day temperature data, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “So how does it work?” Introduces the mechanism of heat and wildfires, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “What does that heat do to drive wildfires?” A question about how heat drives wildfires, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Well, warmer air draws more moisture out of the soil, out of plants, out of bodies of water.” About warmer air drying soils and plants, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “There is a scientific name for this.” Introduces a scientific term for drying, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “NOAA calls the phenomenon evaporative demand or sometimes atmospheric thirst.” About NOAA’s evaporative demand terminology, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “But you don’t have to use scientific language to understand it.” About explaining drying in plain language, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “You just watch a puddle dry up on a hot day.” About a puddle drying as an illustration, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “That is what you are seeing.” Restates the drying illustration, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “NASA, NOAA,” Names agencies discussing drought conditions, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “and the Forest Service call drought conditions like these fire weather--fire weather.” About agencies calling drought conditions fire weather, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “According to NASA’s website on wildfires and climate change, ``human- caused climate change [is] the main cause for increasing fire weather in the American West.’’” Quotes NASA on climate change and fire weather, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Now, it is about a quarter of 6 this evening when I read that quote from NASA’s website.” A remark about the time and the NASA quote, still on wildfire science, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “You might want to start the shot clock on how long it takes for the fossil fuel goons to get in there and change the website.” A quip about the fossil fuel industry altering NASA’s website, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Climate change makes droughts last longer.” About climate change lengthening droughts, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “The Forest Service reports that what was once a 4-month fire season now lasts 6 to 8 months.” Fire season length statistics, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “So there are more opportunities for any spark to start a dangerous blaze.” About more chances for fires to start, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “And climate changes make drought conditions worse;” About climate change worsening drought, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “that is, drier;” Clarifies drought as drier conditions, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “that is, with more flammable material.” About flammable material from drought, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “So those fires that do start in that longer season are more likely to become severe.” About fires becoming severe in longer seasons, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “In January of 2025, a collection of wildfires in the Los Angeles metro area burned through over 15,000 homes and businesses, killed more than two dozen people,” Statistics on the January 2025 Los Angeles fires, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “and poisoned the air with toxic pollution.” About toxic air pollution from the Los Angeles fires, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “2026 is already on track for one of the worst wildfire seasons on record.” About the 2026 wildfire season outlook, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “August wildfires in Spokane, WA, caused over $1 billion in damage and destroyed over 800 people’s homes.” Statistics on Spokane wildfire damage, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “In July, wildfire smoke blanketed much of the country and degraded air quality for tens of millions of people.” About July wildfire smoke and air quality, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Researchers have found that the number of people in the United States who experience at least one extreme smoke day per year is up 27 times in the last decade.” A research statistic on extreme smoke days, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “So if you used to have one extreme smoke day in your life, now you have 27 in the same period of time.” Restates the smoke day statistic, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Every county in the continental United States experiences degraded air quality from wildfire smoke at least 16 times every year,” About county-level smoke exposure, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “and the cost of that is real.” Introduces the costs of smoke exposure, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Air pollution from wildfire smoke makes people sicker and causes deaths.” About health effects of wildfire smoke, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Scientists have known for decades--decades--that climate change is making wildfires worse.” About scientists’ long knowledge of climate and wildfires, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “More recently, the data has gotten more precise.” About improved climate data, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “We can now connect climate change to specific individual events.” About attributing specific events to climate change, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “In the case of the L.A. fires, scientists from the World Weather Attribution and Imperial College London found that climate change made the weather conditions that drove these fires 35 percent more likely.” Attribution findings on the Los Angeles fires, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “This kind of analysis is called climate attribution.” Defines climate attribution analysis, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “The National Academies recently released a comprehensive report on the current capabilities of climate attribution, including on wildfires.” About a National Academies report on attribution, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “To no one’s surprise, the fossil fuel industry and its allies are already out to discredit this work.” About the fossil fuel industry discrediting attribution work, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “In the face of tens of thousands of Americans losing their homes to wildfires, millions more facing skyrocketing insurance premiums as wildfire risk becomes either unavailable or unaffordable,” About wildfire losses, insurance premiums and home values, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “and the risk of crashing home values--because when you can’t insure your home, guess what.” About the link between insurability and mortgages in wildfire risk, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “You can’t get a mortgage on your home.” About inability to get a mortgage on an uninsurable home, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “And if you are the kind of person who bought your home with a mortgage and needs somebody with a mortgage to buy it from you when it is time to sell, that crashes the value of your home.” About home values falling when mortgages are unavailable, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “It destroys its worth.” Restates the effect on home worth, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Well, in the face of those facts, the traditional response of the fossil fuel industry is to try and hide the truth,” About the fossil fuel industry hiding climate truths, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “but there is truth,” Affirms the existence of climate truth, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “and the truth is climate change is making wildfires more frequent, more intense,” Restates the wildfire and climate claim, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “and more destructive.” Restates the wildfire and climate claim, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “And I really hope that we are able to agree on that.” Hopes for agreement on the wildfire claim, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “so notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S.” A unanimous consent request for S. Res. 559, a different measure from the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “Res.” Continues the request regarding S. Res. 559, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “559;” Continues the request regarding S. Res. 559, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “further, that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to,” Procedural terms of the S. Res. 559 request, not the bill under debate.
Off point Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate. What the tags mean → “and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.” Procedural terms of the S. Res. 559 request, not the bill under debate.
Reasoning · 87
0 of 98 deductions are Reasoning
Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.
Nothing lost points.
Conclusions found · 1
Conclusion “so notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S.”
Because “This chart from the National Interagency Fire Center shows that average U.S. acreage burned annually by wildfires has almost tripled in the last three decades,”
“According to NASA’s website on wildfires and climate change, ``human- caused climate change [is] the main cause for increasing fire weather in the American West.’’”
“The Forest Service reports that what was once a 4-month fire season now lasts 6 to 8 months.”
“In January of 2025, a collection of wildfires in the Los Angeles metro area burned through over 15,000 homes and businesses, killed more than two dozen people,”
“In the case of the L.A. fires, scientists from the World Weather Attribution and Imperial College London found that climate change made the weather conditions that drove these fires 35 percent more likely.”
“The National Academies recently released a comprehensive report on the current capabilities of climate attribution, including on wildfires.”
Respect · no score
Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.
Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.
Clarity · 95
2 of 98 deductions are Clarity
Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.
Unearned certainty Something stated as certain with nothing to back it. What the tags mean → “the obvious, scientifically clear point” Asserts obviousness in place of citing evidence for the claim being made.
Unearned certainty Something stated as certain with nothing to back it. What the tags mean → “clear and straightforward” Declares the science settled as an assertion rather than pointing to a source at this point in the argument.
Claims · 11
This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.
1 “average U.S. acreage burned annually by wildfires has almost tripled in the last three decades” Data from the National Interagency Fire Center shows that average U.S. acreage burned annually by wildfires has almost tripled in the last three decades. search 2 “Shell, for instance, in a 1989 confidential planning document, warned” A 1989 confidential Shell planning document warned of climate effects including more violent weather and extreme events if fossil fuels were not controlled. search 3 “NOAA calls the phenomenon evaporative demand or sometimes atmospheric thirst” NOAA uses the terms ‘evaporative demand’ and ‘atmospheric thirst’ for warmer air drawing moisture from soil, plants, and water. search 4 “human- caused climate change [is] the main cause for increasing fire weather in the American West” NASA’s website on wildfires and climate change states that human-caused climate change is the main cause of increasing fire weather in the American West. search 5 “The Forest Service reports that what was once a 4-month fire season now lasts 6 to 8 months” The U.S. Forest Service reports that the fire season has lengthened from about 4 months to 6 to 8 months. search 6 “burned through over 15,000 homes and businesses, killed more than two dozen people” The January 2025 wildfires in the Los Angeles metro area destroyed over 15,000 homes and businesses and killed more than two dozen people. search 7 “August wildfires in Spokane, WA, caused over $1 billion in damage and destroyed over 800 people’s homes” August 2026 wildfires in Spokane, Washington caused over $1 billion in damage and destroyed over 800 homes. search 8 “the number of people in the United States who experience at least one extreme smoke day per year is up 27 times in the last decade” Researchers have found that the number of Americans experiencing at least one extreme wildfire smoke day per year increased 27-fold in the last decade. search 9 “Every county in the continental United States experiences degraded air quality from wildfire smoke at least 16 times every year” Every county in the continental United States experiences wildfire-smoke-related degraded air quality at least 16 times per year. search 10 “climate change made the weather conditions that drove these fires 35 percent more likely” Scientists from World Weather Attribution and Imperial College London found that climate change made the weather conditions driving the January 2025 L.A. fires 35 percent more likely. search 11 “The National Academies recently released a comprehensive report on the current capabilities of climate attribution” The National Academies recently released a report on the current capabilities of climate attribution, including for wildfires. search
