James Poniewozik: “Today’s political dramas have conspiracy, murder and supervolcanoes. But their conventional White House protocols and procedures might be the most disorienting aspects…”

“I am now struck by the same nagging feeling. This is all wrong, I think. It feels too normal — even the series that takes place in an enormous subterranean city.”

“It’s not just that TV dramas can’t compete with the show we’re watching unfold on the news. Increasingly, they seem to operate in a parallel universe.”

The Wrap: “The chaos of the Trump administration’s opening weeks, with his back-and-forth, on-and-off actions related to tariffs and wanton cuts to reduce government, has propelled the business channels into the eye of the storm.”

“Amid this economic roller coaster, with wild fluctuations in the stock market — punctuated by the Dow dropping nearly 900 points in one day, or more than 2% — pressure to capture Wall Street’s skittish state of mind has increasingly taken center stage.”

“President Donald Trump launched some of his harshest attacks yet on the media on Friday, using a speech at the Department of Justice to baselessly accuse outlets including CNN of illegal and corrupt behavior,” CNN reports.

“Donald Trump’s return to the White House has been a boon to cable news ratings, but the blessings have not been distributed equally,” The Wrap reports.

“Fox News has continued its remarkable dominance in cable news, rising to 3.1 million viewers in prime time in February compared to 2.8 million in January.”

“Meanwhile, rivals MSNBC and CNN have also recorded gains, but off a much smaller base and after dramatic losses in the wake of the Nov. 4 election.”

Ruth Marcus writes for The New Yorker on her decision to leave the Washington Post after 40 years.

Wall Street Journal: “The embrace of right-leaning programming is a stark contrast to much of the past few decades in Hollywood. Producers have long used their shows to take aim at conservative politics…”

“Now, the entertainment industry is pulling back on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on the business side. Television agents and some executives say privately there has also been a chilling effect on any programming that could be perceived as ‘woke.’”

“Tony Hinchcliffe, the comedian whose -appearance at a New York rally for then-candidate Donald Trump drew bipartisan backlash after he made disparaging comments about Puerto Rico, has inked a deal with Netflix,” Politico reports.

Ruth Marcus. a top political columnist for The Washington Post, resigned today while accusing publisher Will Lewis of killing her column that criticized owner Jeff Bezos’s drive to overhaul the opinion pages to focus on his libertarian priorities, NPR reports.

Axios: Washington Post to overhaul newsroom structure.

“After making multiple moves to support Donald Trump using The Washington Post (which has steadily lost the publication thousands of subscribers), Amazon executive Jeff Bezos is now supporting the president via Prime Video, by adding nearly half of ‘The Apprentice’ to the streaming service,” The Wrap reports.

“Seasons 1 through 7 of the NBC show are set to hit Prime over the next two months, rolling out weekly.”

“The Federal Communications Commission sent letters to 13 public radio stations asking them to compile materials detailing past sponsorships by March 31,“ Bloomberg reports.

“The request builds on FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s investigation into whether public TV and radio stations are airing advertisements, in violation of federal guidelines.”

Jon Stewart responded to the Trump-Zelensky Oval Office meltdown with “his longest Daily Show monologue ever,” Late Nighter reports.

It’s worth watching all 24 minutes.

Paramount Global president Jeff Shell has privately told CBS News chief Wendy McMahon and “60 Minutes” boss Bill Owens “that they need to get on board” with a Trump settlement and an admission of wrongdoing — “a red line the pair will not cross,” Status reports.