Reality or reality TV?

Donald Trump’s return to office has inspired constant breaking
news headlines. This week: The administration faces scrutiny
after the Elon Musk-led DOGE team instructed all federal workers
to justify their employment via email. Should government workers
take the threats seriously? 


Differentiating what’s worth worrying about might be difficult
when words like “oligarchy” and “autocracy” get thrown around.
Trump may be a polarizing figure, but is he definitionally an
oligarch? KCRW examines how messaging affects the national
conversation about the presidency. 





Later, the Left, Right, and Center panel takes a listener
question about the merits of American bicameral politics over
parliamentary systems. Does our current government enable this
kind of disconnect between executives and the electorate? Could a
parliamentary shift fix our problems?