From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

American populism, 21st century style.

Hello again, I'm Orman Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

Treasury Secretary

Geithner and Fed Chief Bernanke were on the hot seat today as members of Congress channeled the outrage

of their constituents. Historians are reminded of populist anger during the Great Depression,

the Gilded Age, and Andrew Jackson's war against central bankers. Advisors on Capitol Hill and

at the Obama White House are calculating

the depth of public resentment over the loss of home value and retirement savings. Is it greater

on the right or the left? Will it paralyze Congress? Can a popular new president turn it to his

advantage? On reporter's notebook letter on, should American cops speak plain English? First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John D. and

Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Hello again, Marman Alney, back with To the Point.

Some AIG executives have given their bonuses back, but the fires of populist anger have already

been lit. Can Republicans credibly lead the charge against Wall Street? Will leftists turn on the

Democrat in the White House? Can public outrage be harnessed to help fix the economy? We'll ask

those and other questions today.

On reporter's notebook, the codes used by police dispatchers have been staples of television shows and movies,

but they're being replaced all over the country.

We'll get the story from Dallas.

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