From WNYC in New York, this is On the Media. I'm Bob Garfield.

And I'm Brooke Gladstone. What defines a shiny object? In the Trump era, it's the latest

outrage or lie, ethical violation, or Twitter tantrum dominating the headlines and igniting the pundits on cable news.

This week, the White House moved to lower emission standards for cars.

Weekend oversight of its most high-risk nuclear facilities is being sued by four cities for

violating the law by undermining the Affordable Care Act, and Trump sided

with the House and against the Senate for stiffer work requirements for food stamps.

It didn't make a dent, seduced by shiny object. It's what marks we who tweet or post or report

the news as perpetual suckers,

distracted yet again from the crucial and complex.

But how could it be otherwise?

The bombardment is so relentless.

It's impossible to appraise each individual burst.

That is, until you realize that really, there's only one shiny object, and that's the

president himself, fulgent as a forest fire, incinerating whatever stands in his way.

At one point, he started to attack the press, And it's just me and my boss and him.

He has a huge office. And he's attacking the press. And there were no cameras. There was nothing

going on. And I said, you know, that is getting tired. Why are you doing this? You're doing it

over. 60 minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl snagged President Trump's first post-election TV interview

in November 2016.

Why do you keep hammering at this?

And he said, you know why I do it?

...