KCRW To the Point

The president calls himself a “very stable genius,” and stories from a new book by that name are already part of Trump lore. He was confused about Pearl Harbor. He didn’t know India had a border with China. Some aides doubt his fitness for office.

With Bernie Sanders leading the Democratic candidates, Republicans are reviving a political dirty word: “socialism.”  Meantime, the Trump campaign has weaponized digital media, assaulting voters with disinformation. Will Democrats respond in kind?

China has locked down an entire city to control the coronavirus, while President Trump has eliminated federal programs to cope with disease epidemics. Meantime, the Iowa caucus disaster means continued disunity for the Democratic party.

John J. Lennon is a confessed killer doing time at Sing Sing Prison. He’s also published in the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and Sports Illustrated. He talks about illicit gambling behind bars and “escape” into fantasy football for this week’s Super Bowl.

Did President Trump abuse his power? That’s now up to the Senate. But is that even a crime? Democrats and Republicans agree on the facts, but not on the Constitution. Trump says he can do whatever he wants. At stake is the separation of executive and legislative powers basic to America’s founding document.