In January, outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden warned of the dangers of an oligarchy gaining power as he delivered his farewell address.

This comes at a time when several extremely wealthy tech moguls like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos are making their presence known in Washington D.C.

Tuesday on the "Sound of Ideas" we'll look at how the term "oligarchy" is being used in the current political climate and the overall influence of wealthy individuals on American politics.

Are there parallels between the robber barons of the Gilded Age and growing wealth inequality? Or has there always been a small powerful cadre influencing politics.

Later in the hour we'll hear from Conor Morris, our Education Reporter, about how some travel visas for international students are being revoked.

And finally, we learn more about how funding was pulled for LGBTQ+ history markers that were to be placed here in Ohio.

Guests:
- Michael Coppedge, Ph.D., Professor, Political Science, The University of Notre Dame
- Matthew Ward, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Political Science, Baldwin Wallace University
- Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
- Tony Pankuch, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Center for the History of Psychology, The University of Akron