On Point: Recent Episodes
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Let's make sense of the world – together. From the economy and health care to politics and the environment – and so much more – On Point host Meghna Chakrabarti speaks with newsmakers and real people about the issues that matter most. On Point is produced by WBUR.
Millions of voters who turned out in 2020 didn't show up this year. Why they stayed home or left the top of the ticket blank -- and how we might reinvigorate Americans' belief in voting.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on why he thinks the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is an intellectual disgrace for the Biden administration.
Starr County, Texas is 97% Latino. For more than 130 years the County voted for Democrats. Until last week.
In fact, Starr County has been swinging right for the past 8 years, with a 75-point shift to Republicans since 2016. What's motivating Latino voters in Starr County to back Republicans over Democrats?
This month marks 20 years since the start of the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War.
Marines who were on the ground share their stories and the two-decade long struggle to heal.
The war in Ukraine. A trade battle with China. 'Mass deportations' to Mexico. How are Europe, Mexico and China preparing for Donald Trump’s return to the White House?
Voters across the country went for Donald Trump and other Republicans in big numbers -- and endorsed progressive measures like abortion access and an increased minimum wage in ballot initiatives. What this tells us about what voters really want.
Trump won the presidency, but down ballot votes didn't always follow party. How can we understand the conflicting and diverging values expressed in the 2024 election?
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the historic eras the U.S. could return to if Donald Trump’s various campaign policies are enacted.
Republicans dominated the election -- with Donald Trump taking back the White House, flipping the Senate and likely keeping control of the House. How the Republican Party did it, and the policies and priorities it will have in Congress and the White House.
Just seven swing states decided the fate of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. A roundtable conversation with journalists on the ground, right after Election Day.
A Wisconsin city became a political flashpoint in the national immigration debate. In On Point's latest collaboration with ProPublica: How Whitewater, Wisconsin has responded to a new wave of immigration.
Republicans have already filed more than 90 lawsuits challenging voting rules and practices – before a single ballot has been counted. What clues these lawsuits hold about a looming legal battle after Election Day.
According to a recent poll by the American Psychological Association, more than two out of three Americans say the upcoming presidential election is causing a significant amount of stress in their lives.
The consequences of election-related stress and what you can do to manage it.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the political power of fantasy over reality and its role in Trumpian politics in the U.S.
This month, more than a dozen former Trump staffers went on the record to say that everyone should heed the warning that Donald Trump is a fascist and would rule as a dictator.
False claims and threats about the 2024 election are expected to get worse after Election Day. How are social media companies preparing?
The Federal Elections Commission has issued rules that make coordination between campaigns and big donors legal and more direct. How's that shaping the 2024 election? We explore the connection between billionaires and the campaigns they're influencing.
The Georgia Supreme Court has blocked the state's Republican-led election board from enforcing new election rules introduced just weeks before Election Day. We speak to Republican Janelle King, a board member who pushed for the rule changes.
2024 is set to be a record-breaking year for political advertising, with some $10.2 billion spent across the U.S. Most of those dollars are aimed at seven swing states. What do voters in those states see on their TVs and online — and what does that say about current political messaging?
The latest on special counsel Jack Smith’s case against former President Donald Trump and his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the influence of French historian and philosopher René Girard’s beliefs about the nature of human beings on our daily lives, social media, and JD Vance’s conversion to Catholicism.
Donald Trump has promised to deport millions of migrants if he's elected. He wants the largest mass deportation in U.S. history. How Trump plans to do that and its likely consequences.
Donald Trump claimed that newborns are sometimes “executed." That is not true. He’s talking about perinatal palliative care. We learn the facts about the care these grieving families receive and why it's sometimes needed.
Wisconsin is one of the states that will likely determine the 2024 election. On Point goes on the road to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to talk to the chair of the state election committee about the security and trustworthiness of the vote.
With Election Day quickly approaching, many voters are still wondering what a potential Kamala Harris presidency would look like -- and how it would differ from the Biden administration.
Some 53 U.S. Senators and representatives are leaving Congress this year. What’s driving this flood of retirements? What does it mean for the 2024 election and beyond?
While the presidential race is getting most of the attention, control of several key state legislatures is also up for grabs, in places like Arizona and Michigan. The contests for legislative control across the country – and why they matter.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty outlines the details and potential consequences of Donald Trump’s plan for the mass deportation of more than ten million migrants currently in the U.S. should he be elected president again.
Former President Trump wants to build a tariff wall: 60% tariff on goods from China, 20% on imports from everywhere else in the world. But what exactly are tariffs, and who do they help or hurt?
For years, Republican strategist Sarah Longwell has been conducting focus groups with so-called “flippers,” voters who supported Donald Trump in 2016 then flipped to Joe Biden in 2020. Longwell’s analysis on what’s influencing them in 2024.
Israel. Hamas. Hezbollah. Iran. One year since Hamas's brutal attack on Israel, the Netanyahu government has expanded its war beyond Gaza. What’s next in the widening war — and what are the consequences?
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the moments in the vice presidential debate when Republican candidate JD Vance contradicted the evidence of his own track record with misrepresentations and obliquities.
Local election officials are working hard to make sure the 2024 election goes off without a hitch. And they're doing that despite being criticized, hounded, attacked, and threatened.
Three county elections officials, Democrats and Republicans, from Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania share their experiences from the frontlines of America's elections.
Under the Biden Administration, the FTC significantly stepped-up antitrust enforcement. Last year alone Biden’s regulators filed a record 50 antitrust enforcement actions. And mergers reached a 10-year low.
Have Biden's antitrust actions helped consumers?
Every presidential path to victory in 2024 leads through Pennsylvania. In Cambria County, voters flipped from blue to red in a few short election cycles. What clues does the county hold for 2024?
Arizona was the first state in the country to adopt universal school vouchers. But who is benefiting from this program, and who gets left behind? With school voucher questions on several state ballots right now, we look at lessons from Arizona in our latest collaboration with ProPublica.
Arizona is the national pioneer for universal school vouchers. What lessons does it have for other states? And who’s actually benefiting most from universal vouchers? Our latest collaboration with ProPublica.
The Taliban has banned women from speaking in public. They're banned from singing, reading, reciting poetry, or even laughing outside their homes.
What do the recent crackdowns mean for Afghan women -- and what can the international community do to stop it?
Zyn nicotine pouches have exploded in popularity, generating millions of dollars for tobacco giants — and a new subculture on the internet, or “Zynternet.”
Zyn has even found its way into national politics. What's behind the rise of Zyn?
Ukraine wants to use western long-range weapons to strike targets inside of Russia. Vladimir Putin says if President Biden approves such use of western weapons, it will mean massive war.
Could a decision to help Ukraine win its war spark a larger geopolitical catastrophe?
Menstruation is a definitive experience of a woman's life, and an indicator of her health. So why has period blood or menstrual fluid been largely under-researched?
Russia’s efforts to influence American voters in this year’s elections are getting more advanced. They’ve even used American media personalities to try to sow division. How can we protect election integrity?
In a new memoir, New York Times correspondent Edward Wong retraces the complicated story of his father’s life as a zealous young Communist in China to an immigrant in America. What does it mean to love country over party?
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the entertainment value of conspiracy theories as a source of their appeal.
The gender divide among Gen Z voters is deeper than any other generation. Young women are drawn to progressive politics. Young men are drawn to Trump. But why?
Vice President Harris proposes giving a $25,000 grant to first-time homebuyers to help solve America’s housing crisis. Many are skeptical.
But Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has championed a similar program in his state.
Becoming a parent was once a social norm. But today, more Americans than ever are ambivalent about having children. What could create a renewed sense of meaning in parenting?
Hear On Point's mini-series on the declining birth rate in the United States.
We're not looking at economics, or education, but another aspect of parenthood highlighted and debated in two new books.
Do children bring a unique sense of meaning to life?
In 2020, Alina Chan called for the scientific community to not abandon a potential lab leak origin of SARS-CoV-2. She was called a conspiracy theorist and a race traitor. Her story and the search for the origins of COVID, four years later.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty imagines a presidential debate in which Vice President Kamala Harris candidly answers the questions of undecided voters.
In his new book "The End of Race Politics," Coleman Hughes argues that closing racial divides in America means building a color-blind society. Coleman Hughes joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Mexico could soon become the world's first country to elect every single one of its judges, even on the Mexican supreme court. Will it combat corruption or is it a political power grab?
Our planet’s rich nature sounds are disappearing, drowned out by human-made noise. Sound recordist Matt Mikkelsen travels the world, listening to and working to preserve our vanishing soundscapes.
Phoenix, Arizona has crossed a troubling milestone. More than one hundred days of temperatures over 100 degrees. Across the country, extreme heat kills more Americans than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined. So why don’t we label is a disaster?
The world’s focus on growth - also known as GDP - has led to higher living standards, longer life and more jobs. But it has also destroyed the climate and created mass inequality.
Economist Daniel Susskind argues that what we need isn’t less growth, but less destructive growth. Is that possible?
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty finds contemporary resonances in the new book by British historian Richard J. Evans, “Hitler’s People: The Faces of the Third Reich.”
The Barred Owl is considered “invasive” in the Pacific Northwest and it’s pushing the Northern Spotted Owl to extinction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a plan -- kill nearly half a million Barred Owls over the next 30 years.
Some colleges receive tens of thousands of applications every year. Admissions officers are turning to Artificial Intelligence to help with the screening. What that could mean for who gets into college and how.
On Point’s “money ladies,” Michelle Singletary and Rana Foroohar, are back to answer your questions about housing, inflation, the lingering impact of COVID and more.
Some estimates say artificial intelligence could replace hundreds of millions of jobs in the not-too-distant future. Why the rapid advances in AI may be the best argument yet for universal basic income.
Could artificial intelligence replace hundreds of millions of jobs in the not-too-distant future? If that happens, might universal basic income help people make ends meet?
VP candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz hail from Midwestern states. Both use that identity to try and appeal to voters. Who will Midwesterners decide has it right?
The two candidates for Vice President hail from the Midwest. Both use that identity to try and appeal to voters. But what does it mean to be a Midwesterner?
Last week, Boston Red Sox player Jarren Duran was suspended for two games after responding to a heckling fan with a homophobic slur.
Men’s pro sports have a rocky history with LGBTQ issues, and although teams are trying, some question whether it’s enough.
For three years, hundreds of people in Texas and Illinois received payments of $1,000 a month, no strings attached. It was the biggest study of its kind. And after eight years of research – the results are in. What did we learn?
The topline numbers about the U.S. economy don’t seem to match what millions of Americans are feeling. Which information is right?
For three years, hundreds of people in Texas and Illinois got payments of $1,000 a month, no strings attached. It was the biggest study of its kind. And after eight years of research – the results are in. What did we learn?
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on Donald Trump’s propensity for lies and falsehoods, and their connection to the power he has over his followers.
On Point and ProPublica are launching a new collaboration, bringing you monthly special episodes that combine ProPublica’s groundbreaking investigative reporting with On Point’s incisive analysis.
In the first episode: The world is awash in plastic waste. Oil companies claim to have a solution, an advanced form of chemical recycling. But can it deliver on its promise?
Many economists and politicians say inflation is easing and top-line economic numbers look good. But a lot of Americans aren’t feeling it. Why doesn’t economic data match the so-called “felt economy” for millions?
Disabled and sunk ships. Frightened sailors. Not because of sharks – but because of whales and orca. Scientists seeing an increase in unexpected large marine mammal interactions. Why?
The world is awash in plastic waste. Oil companies are promoting a new technology the say could change the game -- An advanced form of chemical recycling. But can it deliver on its promise?
On Point and ProPublica are launching a new collaboration, bringing you monthly special episodes that combine ProPublica’s groundbreaking investigative reporting with On Point’s incisive analysis. The collaboration will bring you new reporting from across the country on issues that are changing the way we all live.
Companies track your data online. So it's no surprise that they know a lot about your habits and preferences. Now, they're trying to use that data to offer different prices to different customers, for the same items.
Disabled and sunk ships. Frightened sailors. Not because of sharks – but because of whales and orca. Why are scientists seeing an increase in some unexpected large marine mammal interactions?
It's been a month since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The Secret Service is finally, publicly accepting responsibility. But what decisions and lack of resources led to the failure?
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission launched a probe into 8 companies offering different prices to consumers based their location, shopping history and more. Will “surveillance pricing” help or harm consumers?
Hot flashes. Brain fog. Sleep problems. Millions of women go through menopause each year. But what’s happening in the brain during this life transition? Lisa Mosconi joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
It’s been a month since former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt. What do we now know about how this happened and more importantly what went wrong?
This week, a federal judge issued a ruling that could shake up how we use the internet. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google has illegally used its dominance to stifle competition and quash innovation.
Back in October, we undertook a detailed examination of the case, known as U.S. v. Google, with Tim Wu, an expert on monopolies.
Meghna Chakrabarti and On Point senior editor Dorey Scheimer do their best knowing even together, they are not one Jack Beatty. They take your messages and questions about President Biden's decision to drop out and the new state of the 2024 presidential race.
More than 30 years ago, sociologist James Davison Hunter coined the term "culture wars." Since then, those wars have poisoned American politics.
Today, Hunter says cultural resources that create a sense of national solidarity could end America's culture wars. But what exactly are cultural resources? And can they be renewed?
Hot flashes. Brain fog. Sleep problems. Millions of women go through menopause each year. But what’s happening in the brain during this life transition?
No witnesses. No physical evidence. An ironclad alibi. Nevertheless, a Texas jury sentenced Ben Spencer to life in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Journalist and author Barbara Bradley Hagerty shares what it took to set Spencer free.
More than 30 years ago, sociologist James Davison Hunter coined the term “culture wars," predicting that cultural controversies would increasingly impact America’s politics. He says to understand America’s democratic crisis, we need to first understand our cultural foundations.
Ben Spencer spent decades locked up in Texas for a murder he didn’t commit. What would it take to set him free — even after he was proven innocent? Journalist Barbara Bradley Haggerty’s new book “Bringing Ben Home” delves into Spencer’s case.
More than a quarter of young Americans have cut ties with one of their parents. Sometimes on the advice of therapists, who say families are traumatizing. But some families say they’re the ones being traumatized. We discuss the debate over family estrangement.
A bill aimed to protect kids online is at the center of a heated political fight. What's at stake in the fight over whether new regulations will better protect children or censor them.
High housing costs are pushing more Americans to find roommates, including baby boomers and empty nesters. We take a look at the growing trend of intergenerational living.
More than a quarter of young Americans have cut ties with one of their parents. Sometimes on the advice of therapists, who say families are traumatizing. But some families say they’re the ones being traumatized.
Anti-tourism protests spread around the world this summer. Some cities are charging tourist entry fees, banning cruise ships or imposing fines for bad behavior. Some say the solution to the world’s growing wanderlust isn‘t for people to travel less but to travel better.
A growing number of American baby boomers and empty nesters are getting roommates. Could intergenerational living solve the country’s affordable housing problem?
Techno libertarians, white nationalists and JD Vance are all linked to a movement known as the 'New Right.' What is this movement and how has it influenced the Republican candidate for vice president?
Anti-tourism protests have been spreading around the world. The solution some say isn’t to stop traveling but for tourists to travel better. What it means to have the right kind of tourism.
Kamala Harris is making her prosecutorial experience center stage in her presidential bid against Donald Trump. What Harris’s record tells us about who she is, what she believes, and how she might govern if elected.
JD Vance is linked to a disparate band of conservative intellectuals and activists known as the New Right. Inside this school of thought -- and how it's influenced the Republican nominee for vice president.
Today’s autocratic rulers don’t share a specific ideology. But they do share a thirst for power.
In her latest book, Autocracy, Inc., Anne Applebaum says the new twist is that those autocrats now work together to keep that grip on power.
Kamala Harris is making her prosecutorial experience front and center in her presidential bid against Donald Trump. What Harris’s record tells us about who she is, what she believes, and how she might govern if elected.
Celebrated author Amy Tan doesn’t just write best-selling novels. She’s a passionate birder, too. Her book 'Backyard Bird Chronicles' describes the transformative experience of birding in her own backyard.
Russia, China, Syria, Zimbabwe and Venezuela don’t have much in common when it comes to ideology or politics. But their rulers are bound by one shared interest: Personal power. And Anne Applebaum says autocrats across the globe are now working together to make sure they keep that power.
With nearly three quarters of Israelis wanting Benjamin Netanyahu out of office, On Point news analyst Jack Beatty says the Israeli prime minister is on borrowed political time. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is out of political time after dropping out of the 2024 race.
No matter how much order, sense, or predictability we try to bring to our lives, uncertainty and the anxiety it can create are always there. But new thinking on uncertainty shows us how it can be a good thing.
Author Amy Tan is a passionate birder and nature artist. Her new book describes the transformative experience of birding in her own backyard.
Is the government covering up what it knows about UFOs, now called Unexplained Aerial Phenomena? We dive into 75 years of UFO history and the beginnings of government mistrust.
No matter how much order, sense, or predictability we try to bring to our lives, uncertainty and the anxiety it can create are always there. But new thinking on uncertainty shows us how it can be a good thing.
In places where human beings have done everything they can to pave and plow over nature, what might happen if we just left those places alone?
Utah’s Great Salt Lake is the largest salt lake in the Western Hemisphere. Since the 1980s, the lake has shrunk by two-thirds, and is projected to disappear entirely in the next five years. If it does, it will lead to massive environmental, economic and public health issues.
In places where human beings have done everything they can to pave and plow over nature, what might happen if we just left those places alone? Inside the rewilding movement.
After surviving an attempted assassination, Donald Trump promised he would seek unity as he accepted the GOP’s nomination. We take a look at what Trump said, and whether or not that message was embraced by delegates, Republican party leaders, and Trump's base nationwide.
The Great Salt Lake is central to environmental and economic life in Utah. It holds great religious significance, too. But it's rapidly drying up.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty has a tale of two parties: “Republicans united in the shimmer of victory, Democrats divided in the shadow of defeat.”
Donald Trump has transformed Republican politics, and Republican policy, as reflected in the GOP's newest platform.
Analysts say it echoes the language of its presidential candidate, instead of previously held Republican views, on a range of issues from the economy to abortion.
After surviving an attempted assassination, Donald Trump promised he would seek unity as he accepted the GOP’s nomination. What did Trump actually say -- and was it embraced by delegates, party leaders and Trump's base nationwide?
Sharks are full of secrets, despite being some of the oldest creatures on the planet. Marine biologist Jasmin Graham has spent a decade studying them — and trying to bring more women of color like her into the field.
The Republican Party issued its first platform since 2016 ahead of this week’s Republican National Convention. Analysts say it echoes the language of its presidential candidate, instead of previously held Republican views, on a range of issues from the economy to abortion.
Dr. Anthony Fauci was the government’s top infectious disease official during the COVID-19 pandemic. What has his career in public service taught him?
Marine biologist Jasmin Graham grew up in a fishing family in South Carolina. Then, she fell in love with sharks. Graham has spent the last decade studying hammerheads and other shark species — trying to learn their secrets and to bring more women of color into marine biology.
An assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump two days before the Republican National Convention. Politicians across the board are condemning political violence and violent rhetoric. Can we turn away from both?
Dr. Anthony Fauci was the government’s top infectious disease official during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lessons he learned from that experience, and reflections on his long career in public health.
For 40 years, federal judges deferred to the expertise of government agencies to interpret ambiguous language in laws. But after a recent Supreme Court decision, that power now lies in the hands of the judiciary.
An assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump: The latest on the investigation, what it means for this week’s Republican National Convention, and the endurance of political violence in America.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty traces how the politics of revenge triumphed over the politics of remedy in the years between D-Day and the attack on the U.S. Congress. This special episode was recorded in front of a live audience at WBUR CitySpace.
Donald Trump has openly admired authoritarians around the world. Now he’s pledging to rule like one. An examination of the promises, powers and plans of a second Trump presidency.
The Supreme Court recently overturned a 40-year-old precedent on who interprets ambiguous language of the law. What that decision means for federal agencies.
Boeing has pled guilty to federal charges related to two deadly 737 MAX crashes. What went wrong in the Boeing C-suite?
Donald Trump has openly admired authoritarians around the world. Now he’s pledging to rule like one. What Trump's authoritarianism could mean for democracy.
Jason De León spent nearly seven years embedded with a group of smugglers moving migrants across Mexico. How that experience changed his perspective on the smugglers’ world.
Boeing has pleaded guilty to federal felony charges related to two deadly crashes of 737 Max jets. A detailed look at Boeing's two most recent CEOs, and what went wrong under their leadership.
There's a troubling trend in medicine -- increasing cancer diagnoses in people younger than 50. But why? Dr. Kimmie Ng and Dr. Tim Rebbeck join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A troubling trend in medicine. Cancer rates among people younger than 50 are rising. What we know, and what we don’t, about the rise in early-onset cancer.
The world of fine art is full of multimillion dollar one-of-a-kinds and breathtaking masterpieces. But it’s also rife with fraudsters and forgers. When fakes demand a fortune, what does that say about the intrinsic value of art?
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty Joe Biden’s display of frailty in his old age at the CNN debate and what that could mean for his campaign for a second term in the Oval Office.
State and federal government is so focused on policymaking that it often fails to provide the services its laws intend. In her new book “Recoding America,” author Jennifer Pahlka outlines why the government doesn’t work and how to fix it.
The world of fine art is full of multimillion dollar one-of-a-kinds and breathtaking masterpieces. But it’s also rife with fraudsters and forgers. What that says about how we value art.
'Recoding America' author Jennifer Pahlka says we can reshape American democracy -- but only if government commits to upgrading its technology and working culture.
Ransomware hackers are attacking health care systems in the U.S. and around the world. Why are health care networks so vulnerable?
Washington Post sports columnist Jerry Brewer used to have no doubt about the unifying power of sports. But in recent years, Brewer says that Americans are bringing political divisions to the games.
Hackers are increasingly targeting health care, paralyzing hospitals by holding medical information hostage and putting lives at risk.
78 days after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after it was struck by a cargo ship, the Port of Baltimore is back in business. The cleanup involved more than 2,000 people, 18 barges, 13 floating cranes, 10 excavators and 22 tugboats.
Sports have brought people together for generations … but could that be changing? That’s the question Washington Post sports columnist Jerry Brewer is asking. How the promise of sports as a national unifier has been broken by our national politics.
The Port of Baltimore is back in business – 78 days after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River, blocking its shipping lanes. What it took to re-open one of the nation’s busiest ports.
Post-presidential debate, the hosts of the 'Pod Save America' share debate analysis informed by their own White House and political campaign experience.
Plus, their guide to saving democracy ahead of the 2024 election.
Russia and North Korea have signed a new deal that brings the two countries closer together than they’ve been since the Cold War. What does this agreement mean for the U.S. -- and the world?
Russia and North Korea have signed a new agreement, bringing the two countries closer together than they’ve been since the Cold War. What that means for geopolitics.
Organ transplant patients are concerned the drugs they take to survive can cause other health problems like cancer and diabetes, and yet the medications haven’t improved in decades. Why has drug development in transplantation been stalled?
People who get an organ transplant must take immunosuppressants daily. These drugs can have serious side effects and can cause secondary diseases like diabetes and cancer. And yet, they haven't been updated in more than a decade. Why?
In the coming days the Supreme Court is set to issue historic decisions on the power of federal agencies, January 6th prosecutions, and presidential immunity. What will the Supreme Court’s decisions mean for America?
A former IRS agent says the agency gives a pass to corporate tax cheats and the super rich when investigating possible tax crimes.
A former IRS agent says the agency goes easy on corporations and the ultrawealthy when investigating possible tax crimes. The IRS’s Large Business and International Division reportedly flagged just seven potential crimes last year.
Mexico just elected its first female president. A milestone many are touting will improve the lives of millions of women in Mexico. But will it?
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently said that some migrants “do try to game” the U.S. asylum system. What's the evidence for that and, if true, what needs to change to stop it?
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently said that some migrants “do try to game” the U.S. asylum system. Why he said that and what needs to change to stop it.
From Roots to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to Abbott Elementary, Bethonie Butler’s new book "Black TV" shows how TV series centered on Black characters have evolved over the past 50 years.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi predicted his BJP party would win a commanding victory in recent elections. But India's 969 million voters had something entirely different in mind.
In this year’s European Union elections, far-right parties made gains across many of the EU’s 27 countries, including in France, Germany and Italy. What’s driving this?
In this year’s European Union elections, far-right parties made gains across many of the EU’s 27 countries, including in France, Germany and Italy. What’s driving this shift?
George Stephanopoulos, host of ABC’s “This Week,” and co-host of “Good Morning America," speaks with Meghna Chakrabarti live at WBUR's CitySpace about his new book “The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents In Crisis." Plus, what he's learned from interviewing Donald Trump.
With two wars raging and dynastic power on the rise around the world, the post-1945 world order feels like it’s being tested like never before. British historian Simon Sebag Montefiore says its’s more like a return to normality.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty has been reading "The Age of Grievance" by New York Times columnist Frank Bruni. He outlines the ubiquity of grievance in the U.S., and how Donald Trump has captured this to his advantage.
From "Soul Train" and the "Oprah Winfrey Show" to the blues and Afro Sheen, for decades, Black Chicagoans have shaped culture in the U.S. and across the world.
Humans have long been fascinated by of dreams, but what has science learned about them? Neuroscientist Dr. Rahul Jandial says dreams benefit us -- from helping regulate emotions, to processing trauma.
The COVID pandemic lockdowns. It was an approach endorsed by many public health experts. But could there have been a better way?
Etsy used to be the place to shop for quirky, handmade items from independent crafters all over the world. Now, it’s flooded with mass-produced products. What happened to Etsy?
Etsy used to be the place to shop for quirky, handmade items from independent crafters all over the world. Now, it’s flooded with mass-produced products. What happened to Etsy?
In April, the U.S. military deployed a pair of high energy lasers to combat enemy drones. Now that the once-imagined weaponry of science fiction is reality, how will it impact the future of warfare?
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty looks into a correlation between news awareness and political leanings, and how that has inspired a controversial theory about democratic citizenship.
In China, Big Brother is most definitely watching. Estimates show up to 16 million Chinese citizens -- from university students to taxi drivers -- are political informants for the government.
The Chinese surveillance state is alive and thriving. In fact, up to 16 million Chinese citizens are estimated to be political informants.
Many Republicans in Congress are dodging the question of whether they’ll accept this year’s election results. What’s at stake in 2024 if only one party will accept defeat?
Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women. In the new book "Holding it Together: How Women Became America's Safety Net," sociologist Jessica Calarco says it’s time that changed.
Being alone often gets a bad rap. But research shows alone time can actually boost overall well-being, increasing our emotional regulation, contentment and creativity.
Solitude often gets a bad rap. But research shows alone time can boost our overall well-being and creativity.
Democrats are losing working-class voters at an alarming rate, despite the popularity of President Biden’s policies. A roundtable of working-class voters share what Democrats can do to win them back.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty lays out the ways that President Biden’s Gaza policy has been, what New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof calls, “a moral, practical and political failure.”
Missing packages. Undelivered letters. If you've been having problems with your mail lately, you're not alone. The USPS is rolling out big changes across the country, from Richmond, Virginia to Santa Clara, California.
Oregon made history in 2020 when it became the first state in the nation to decriminalize small amounts of hard drugs like cocaine, heroin and meth. But last month – the state repealed it. What happened?
The Greco-Roman philosophy of stoicism is having a moment. Through wisdom, temperance, courage and justice you can create a virtuous, well-lived life. But have modern day stoics got it right?
A recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office reveals poor living conditions inside military barracks – from mold and exposed sewage, to broken windows, nonexistent HVAC systems and more.
With the first presidential debate less than six weeks away, On Point news analyst Jack Beatty explores some approaches to interviewing a candidate like Donald Trump.
Puerto Rico is in the middle of a major gubernatorial race. As a new political party appeals to younger voters -- who've only experienced years of corruption, poverty and financial crisis -- who wins could have a big effect on the territory.
Once the second largest protestant denomination in America, the United Methodist Church lost about a quarter of its members over issues of sexuality. Now, the church is overturning its prohibition on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage.
Glenn Loury is a renowned Black economist and conservative social critic. In his new memoir, he details struggles from adultery to addiction, all while a professor at Harvard.
Our online feeds are already full of artificially-generated sludge. It’s tainting our discourse, our culture and the quality of information. One neuroscientist argues all of this AI junk threatens our very humanity.
Labor economist David Autor’s research shows how historically, technological advances hurt the incomes of middle- and working-class Americans. But when it comes to AI, Autor says the exact opposite could happen.
Two of rap’s biggest stars are feuding. Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been lobbing diss tracks back and forth for weeks. What does this say about modern hip-hop culture?
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty looks into why President Biden’s initiatives to boost the economy, with legislation such as the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act, are not recognized by many voters.
A lot is at stake in Arizona’s senate race. It could determine control of the Senate -- and the outcome of the presidential election.
The U.S. is building new nuclear weapons, including a massive missile called the Sentinel. They're up to 20 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Rebroadcast: What happens in the brain when you pray or meditate? Neurotheology explores the connection between our synapses and spiritual revelations.
The NCAA’s all-time scoring leader Caitlin Clark begins her WNBA career on Tuesday. Caitlin Clark helped elevate the game of basketball to new heights at the college level. What impact will she have in the pros?
'Buy now, pay later' loans for just about everything are growing. But there’s barely any data or regulation on this emerging market. Are consumers being helped or hurt by this new lending option?
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the rise of illiberalism in the U.S. today and its historic entwinement with liberalism in America.
Some Palestinians have been able to flee Gaza. But millions are still there as the Israeli military moves on Rafah, and there’s still no agreement to pause the war.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Some Palestinians have been able to flee Gaza. But millions are still there as the Israeli military moves on Rafah, and there’s still no agreement to pause the war.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
British pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass led a highly anticipated independent scientific review of gender health services for children in England, commissioned by the National Health Service.
Now popularly known as the 'Cass Review,' it concludes for most young people, "a medical pathway will not be the best way to manage their gender-related distress.” She gave On Point her first broadcast interview in the U.S.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
British pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass led a highly anticipated independent scientific review of gender health services for children in England, commissioned by the National Health Service.
Now popularly known as the 'Cass Review,' it concludes for most young people, "a medical pathway will not be the best way to manage their gender-related distress.” She gave On Point her first broadcast interview in the U.S.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
A groundbreaking review out of the UK finds “poor” or “low quality” evidence for using puberty blockers and hormones to help gender-distressed young people. Dr. Hilary Cass, who led that review, gives her first U.S. broadcast interview to On Point.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
A groundbreaking review out of the UK finds “poor” or “low quality” evidence for using puberty blockers and hormones to help gender-distressed young people. Dr. Hilary Cass, who led that review, gives her first U.S. broadcast interview to On Point.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Dyslexia affects one in every 5 Americans. But only 2 million are diagnosed and receive the help they need. Why?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The Russia-Ukraine war has lasted over two years. But just weeks after Russia's 2022 invasion, both sides came close to a settlement that could have ended the war and saved thousands of lives. What happened?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the power of the MAGA red hat to forge an identity and spread a political message around the world.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
For decades some conservative scholars and politicians have asserted the United States is a constitutional republic, not a democracy. So which one is it?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Rebroadcast: In 1956, a federal judge ordered the town of Clinton, Tennessee to desegregate its high school. The unrest that followed tore the town apart.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Celebrated author Amy Tan doesn’t just write best-selling novels. She’s a passionate birder, too. Her new book on birding describes the wonder she sees looking out her window.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
More than six months since the Hamas attack on Israel, dozens of Israelis are still held hostage, over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, and there’s no peace in sight.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Across Mexico, thousands of illegal rehab centers treat patients with drug addiction, often holding them against their will. Now, these "anexos" -- informal, underground treatment facilities -- are here in the United States.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
More than 80% of Black smokers smoke menthol cigarettes. The FDA is now pushing to ban the products, saying it will prevent death and disease.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point new analyst Jack Beatty argues that Democrats are losing touch with working class voters. What could they do to change that?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The city of Dallas reduced its overall violent crime by 30% compared to this time last year. Its mayor and police chief credit the so-called “hot spot policing.”
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Textualism, which sees a legal system's original structure as immortal, is the dominating philosophy on the court today. But retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer argues pragmatism, which considers consequences of legal decisions, is the better mindset.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Elections in the world’s largest democracy are underway. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s power is ascendant.
But, like in other global democracies, so are concerns about religious nationalism and democratic decline.
Ashutosh Varshney and Vivan Marwaha join Meghna Chakrabarti.About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Languishing. That feeling of a lack of motivation or direction. Most people feel a sense of languishing at some point in their lives. So how do we move from languishing to flourishing? Sociologist Corey Keyes has spent his career trying to find the answer.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Physician Dr. Sharon Malone is on a mission to help women better manage their health in the American health care system. Her No. 1 tip from her book 'Grown Woman Talk' -- Be your best advocate.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty recalls a 1984 speech by President Reagan outlining the importance of allies and collective security.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Your exact location, what apps you use, the last thing you bought online. Your data is for sale – and the U.S. government is buying it. Byron Tau joins Deborah Becker.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Several states have changed policy in recent years to make involuntary commitment easier for people with severe mental illnesses. But forced treatment still raises civil rights questions, with some saying it can harm patients.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The 2024 Ohio senate contest could determine the balance of power in of the U.S. senate. What’s at stake in Ohio?
Karen Kasler, Christopher Devine and Tim Ryan join Anthony Brooks.About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
There are several perfectly legal ways to steal a U.S. presidential election, according to election law expert Lawrence Lessig. Lessig says the U.S.’s election and legal systems are vulnerable – and need immediate correction.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty reviews the evidence that former President Donald Trump’s multiple criminal prosecutions are politically motivated.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Youth sports are supposed to be about fun and team spirit. But now, kids are training year-round and joining expensive travel leagues earlier. It’s costing families, and kids too.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
One virus causes more birth defects in American babies than any other nongenetic disease – but most don’t know it exists. We hear a mother’s journey to understand her daughter’s diagnosis of congenital CMV.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
President Biden told Israel the humanitarian situation in Gaza is unacceptable and an immediate ceasefire is essential. Meanwhile, U.S. weaponry continues to flow to Israel. Could Biden back up his tough talk and curtail military aid?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
"3 Body Problem," a Netflix adaptation of the Chinese sci-fi novel by the same name, is causing controversy in China for its depiction of the Cultural Revolution. How do the Chinese people see this crucial period of their history?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
As humans, we have conversations all the time. But research shows we actually aren’t very good at communicating. Journalist Charles Duhigg shows us not only how to become a communicator -- but a 'supercommunicator.'
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Last month Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead - an apparent suicide. He’d spent the last 7 years speaking out about Boeing’s declining safety and quality.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty tells Meghna what he expects to see outside and inside polling stations in November 2024
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
64 million Latinos live in the U.S. It’s a population bigger than any Spanish-speaking country in the world except Mexico. What defines American-Latino identity?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The pig-butchering scam. It's a criminal industry that targets the vulnerable, engages in human trafficking, and exploits weaknesses in digital currency. How does it work?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Sportsbooks are everywhere. Sports betting has changed how fans engage with games and generated $5 billion in taxes. But the industry is also fueling scandals and concerns over addiction.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Jennifer and James Crumbley were found guilty of manslaughter for a mass school shooting carried out by their son. Could parental accountability curb the U.S. gun violence epidemic? What else could parents be liable for?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Nobel prize-winning economist and psychologist Daniel Kahneman has died at the age of 90.
In June 2021, we spoke with Kahneman, and his co-author Olivier Sibony, about their book, ‘Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment.'
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty looks at what’s counted in official U.S. inflation numbers and finds that the cost of money is not factored into the cost of living.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Author Philip K. Howard says Americans are in a crisis of human disempowerment. But he says re-empowerment is possible, and that could lead to a national flourishing.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The National Association of Realtors agreed to pay a $418 million settlement and change the way members charge commission. A federal jury ruled last year that the NAR conspired to inflate housing market costs. What could that mean for the way homes are bought and sold in the U.S.?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Rebroadcast: The future is closer than it appears. Sensors that can read your brain waves – and sell your data – are hitting the market, and experts say it’s time to establish rules of the road.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Trump's allies are hoping another Trump victory will limit access to abortions, contraceptives, IVF, even recreational sex. But they aren't just hoping, they have detailed plans on how to do it.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Should kids be allowed on social media? A growing number of families are saying "no" to social media at all. Felicia Hernandez, Katie Longhauser and Evan Greer join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty watches a Donald Trump campaign rally with a famous Franz Kafka quote about the normalization of the abnormal in mind.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Due to technical difficulties, the Jackpod will be posted later than usual. Check back later for this week's episode.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The House passed a bill that could force the sale of TikTok, or ban the app altogether. But is targeting a single social media platform the best way to protect Americans from espionage and covert influence campaigns? Jake Auchincloss, Emily Baker-White and Jim Lewis join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Former U.S. attorney Barbara McQuade says disinformation is seeping into every aspect of our political and social lives. How can we stop it?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Exonerees are turning to the private sector to provide them with urgently needed cash. But with interest rates so high, it could end up being a new form of confinement.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Alaska and Maine use ranked choice voting in elections. Four other states could soon join them. We learn why more states are considering ranked-choice voting.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Duke University recently announced plans to close and re-home its century-old herbarium. But with climate change and a looming biodiversity crisis, scientists say these preserved collections of old plants are more important than ever.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Listen: The first chapter of Endless Thread’s podcast Beyond All Repair.
Host Amory Sivertson first met Shane Correia in 2017 while interviewing him about his experience with homelessness for WBUR’s Endless Thread.
But there is another dark chapter in Shane's life: his older sister being accused of murdering her mother-in-law in 2002, when he was 13 years old. Now Shane wants to know, did his sister commit this brutal crime?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on how presidents lose touch with reality.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Given the environmental, political, and human costs of accelerating mineral mining, can the United States reach its clean energy goals? It's the final episode of our special series "Elements of energy."
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
To electrify our economy, the world needs more nickel. And Indonesia has it. Can nickel pave the road to prosperity? In part four of “Elements of energy," hear how the rush for metals is shaking up global geopolitics.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Most of the world’s cobalt is extracted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But to get it, hundreds of thousands of Congolese people labor with no other means to survive. On episode three of On Point’s special series -- cobalt and the human cost of mining.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Copper is key to our green energy future, but copper extraction is deeply harmful to the environment now. Episode two of On Point’s special series “Elements of energy” explores how to resolve that contradiction.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The U.S. sits on some of the largest lithium reserves in the world. It’s a key element for clean energy. The start of On Point’s weeklong exploration “Elements of energy” takes us inside America’s push for a lithium boom.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on President Biden’s State of the Union address and the politics of memory, versus the politics of hope.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Rebroadcast: Millions of Americans sell their blood plasma every year. It’s part of a global, multibillion dollar business.But what is plasma really used for? Kathleen McLaughlin and Dr. Morey Blinder join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
For almost a decade, Poland's democracy was in retreat. But last fall, Poland successfully elected a pro-democracy government coalition. What can the rest of the world learn?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The GOP prides itself on being the anti-tax party. But it wasn't always that way. In Michael Graetz’s book "The Power to Destroy," he describes how the anti-tax movement became one of the most powerful forces reshaping American politics and society in the past 50 years.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
While in power, former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte ordered the murder of thousands of people without trial. Journalist Patricia Evangelista chronicles the leader's bloody 'war on drugs' in her memoir "Some People Need Killing."
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Foreign diplomats are nervous that the United States’ once solid global leadership is on shaky ground. What’s at stake if the U.S. cedes its place as a world leader?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Rebroadcast: The newest food diets. The magic weight loss pill. Changing beauty standards. We hear constant messaging around how we should eat and look. But what does science have to say about it?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the potential influence of low information voters on this year’s presidential election, and the future of U.S. democracy.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
A recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office reveals poor living conditions inside military barracks – from mold and exposed sewage, to broken windows, nonexistent HVAC systems and more.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Hot flashes. Brain fog. Sleep problems. Millions of women go through menopause each year. But what’s happening in the brain during this life transition? Lisa Mosconi joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
In his new book "The End of Race Politics," Coleman Hughes argues that closing racial divides in America means building a color-blind society. Coleman Hughes joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Donald Trump has openly admired authoritarians around the world. Now he’s pledging to rule like one. An examination of the promises, powers and plans of a second Trump presidency.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Many of us struggle to get help taking care of our kids or aging loved ones. How might we rethink the U.S. care economy? Nancy Folbre and Michelle Allgood join Deborah Becker.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty compares and contrasts what a second term for Donald Trump or Joe Biden would mean for U.S. efforts to combat climate change.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
If Joe Biden and Donald Trump are on the ballot in November, they’ll be the oldest presidential candidates in U.S. history. How does age affect our memory, cognition, and even the ability to be president? Zaldy Tan joins Deborah Becker.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. is at a record high. Now, more people with addictions are choosing to recover not in a rehab clinic, but at home, surrounded by loved ones.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
This week marks the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For Wall Street Journal correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov, that means two years of stories of resilience and determination. He tells those stories in his new book "Our Enemies Will Vanish."
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Liberal academic Richard Kahlenberg thinks the only way to truly solve America’s deep inequities is to look at class, not race. "When we focus exclusively on race and ignore the class issues, we are missing a huge part of what makes society unfair in America today."
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Secret spells. Magic potions. The world of witchcraft has a powerful cultural hold and a dark history. What do centuries of witch trials teach us? Marion Gibson and Leo Igwe join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty looks back to 1982 and the presidency of Ronald Reagan as he considers how and why the U.S. should intervene to prevent an Israeli assault on Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Ed Pierson is an aviation manager who used to work on Boeing's 737 Max production line. When a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines flight, Pierson wasn't surprised. A Boeing whistleblower speaks.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Fast fashion retailers like Shein sell t-shirts for less than $5 apiece. This business model, along with social media, fuels an erosion in the quality of clothing at every level. What price are we really paying for super-affordable fashion? Danielle Vermeer and Mandy Lee join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Although hospitals are required by law to post their prices online, many do not. Congress and now even employers and unions are demanding that changes.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Google Chrome plans to phase out cookies that track your online activity in the name of protecting privacy. But big tech also has its own interests in mind. Patience Haggin and Alan Chapell join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty discusses Republican pollster Whit Ayres' observation that Joe Biden is “a bystander watching events spin out of control.”
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Snowpack is getting less reliable in American winters. And in many places, that's not just an environmental problem, but an emotional one, too.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The Chinese government is urging women to have more babies -- after decades of a one-child policy.
But officials face major pushback from Chinese women themselves.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Over the weekend, the U.S. launched retaliatory strikes against Iranian proxies further raising tensions in the Middle East. How will Iran respond? Dan Byman and Afshon Ostovar join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Last month, the Ingenuity ended its mission as the first aircraft to make an extraterrestrial flight. After nearly three years on Mars, what did it teach us? Teddy Tzanetos and Havard Grip join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing an appeal of a Colorado court ruling this week that could keep former President Trump off the ballot. It could profoundly shape the 2024 election -- and American democracy.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
From desalination plants in Australia, wastewater recycling plants in Orange County, CA to net zero water buildings in NYC, in his latest book author and engineer David Sedlak looks not at the problems but the solutions. David Sedlak joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
From the annexation of the Philippines in 1898, to looming confrontation with Iran today, On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on U.S. leadership, vested military interests, and unintended military entanglements.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
About a third of students are on track to miss at least 10% of school days this year. Why are students missing school, and how can we bring them back? Scott Hale and Hedy Chang join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The federal government has jurisdiction over immigration matters. In Eagle Pass, the state of Texas has taken over. But what Texas is doing is illegal and could lead to a Constitutional crisis. Rep. Eddie Morales and Stephen Vladeck join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Editor's note: On Point reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the White House, Governor Greg Abbott’s office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Military Department, and the Texas Attorney General’s Office. All of them either declined our request for an interview or did not respond.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Many of us learned how to do our jobs and connect with colleagues at our first workplace. But after the pandemic normalized remote work, how are young people today getting that professional coming-of-age experience? Cali Williams Yost and Jeffrey Jensen Arnett join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Earlier this month, Florida became the first state to get FDA approval to import cheaper drugs from Canada. But will it work? Nicholas Bagley and Joel Lexchin join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Alabama has carried out the first execution by asphyxiation with nitrogen gas. Kenneth Eugene Smith was executed after a previous attempt involving lethal injection failed.
In this episode from January 2023, we heard about that botched execution and how states have been wrestling with how to carry out the ultimate penalty.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Average height in the U.S. has been in decline since about 1980. What’s causing that, and why does it matter?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty has been reading "The Authoritarian Handbook: 2025," a new report by the bipartisan group Protect Democracy, outlining the promises, powers and plans of Donald Trump as he seeks to return to the White House.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Family members of hostages held by Hamas are furious. They’ve stormed the Israeli parliament, calling for a deal to get the remaining hostages released. But Israel’s war cabinet is split on a path forward. Dahlia Scheindlin and David Makovsky join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
About 40 million Americans have stopped attending a place of worship in the past 25 years. What’s driving it, and what does it tell us about the importance of faith in America? Michael “Mike” Graham and Pastor Jim Davis join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Utah’s Great Salt Lake is the largest salt lake in the Western Hemisphere. Since the 1980s, the lake has shrunk by two-thirds, and is projected to disappear entirely in the next five years. If it does, it will lead to massive environmental, economic and public health issues. Terry Tempest Williams and Ben Abbott join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Polls show Donald Trump dominating the race for the Republican presidential nomination. How does he do it -- and can anyone catch him? Batya Ungar-Sargon, Sarah Longwell and Heather Cox Richardson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty discusses the moral character of President Harry Truman, and whether character matters today for presidents or presidential candidates.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Technical gremlins thwarted our plans for The Jackpod today, but we have a plan. Fingers crossed.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
No matter how much order, sense, or predictability we try to bring to our lives, uncertainty and the anxiety it can create are always there. But new thinking on uncertainty shows us how it can be a good thing. Maggie M. Jackson joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
There’s been a major surge in gang violence in Ecuador, fueled by the transnational cocaine trade. Now, Ecuador's government is fighting back by sending in the military.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
AI has the power to make audio and videos of people saying anything their creators want. So, how will policymakers and election officials prevent it from deceiving voters? Darrell West and Nicole Gill join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The pandemic changed how we work and how we think about commuting. Workers are now more likely to see the daily commute as part of their workday. Should employers compensate for time spent getting to work? Christopher Wiese and Laurens Steed join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
From Roots to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to Abbott Elementary. Bethonie Butler’s new book "Black TV" shows how TV series centered on Black characters have evolved over the past 50 years.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
After the door plug of an Alaskan Airlines’ Boeing 737 Max-9 blew out in flight earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration says it will perform a complete audit of the Max-9’s entire production line.
In this episode from 2020, we hear from a Boeing engineer and an aviation analyst about what’s at the root of the safety issues with the 737 Max, troubling the plane then and now.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the Americans who seem poised to reject democracy in 2024.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
It’s hard to miss the growing popularity of non-alcoholic drinks and younger people choosing to cut back on alcohol consumption. What’s driving this change? Emily Nicholls and Elva Ramirez join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Clashes in the West Bank are escalating. Since Oct. 7 – hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed, thousands arrested, and many banned from entering Jerusalem. As tensions rise, we discuss the current crisis in the West Bank.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
With two wars raging and dynastic power on the rise around the world, the post-1945 world order feels like it’s being tested like never before. British historian Simon Sebag Montefiore says its’s more like a return to normality.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Presidential primary season is set to begin. On the Republican side, one candidate has dominated the polls so far. Can anyone beat Donald Trump? Jess Bidgood, Whit Ayres and Tim Miller join Anthony Brooks.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Sgt. Aquilino Gonell left the Dominican Republic at 12 years old in pursuit of the American dream. On Jan. 6, 2021, that dream turned into a nightmare as Gonell was attacked and beaten by a violent mob as he sought to protect the Capitol.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Teen mental health is declining, particularly among girls. The pressure of social media is often cited as a leading cause. But that’s not the full story behind the mental health of teenage girls in the U.S.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Congress is looking to cut fees that credit card companies charge merchants for processing payments. But if that happens, credit card companies say rewards programs will suffer.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Inflation is slowing, unemployment’s low and the Federal Reserve thinks we’ve probably avoided a recession. Finance journalists Michelle Singletary and Rana Foroohar on what to watch for in our personal finances and national economy this year.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Harvard researchers have been studying how we can live happier and healthier lives since 1938. They’ve tracked people across their entire lives, and more recently their descendants. What have they learned?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
A conversation with Woniya Thibeault, winner of the wilderness survival show "Alone." She wants to show people how to deepen their connection to nature — not just to survive, but to thrive.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Barbara Brandon-Croft is the first Black, female nationally syndicated cartoonist. “Where I’m Coming From,” featured nine Black women who talk about everything from racism, politics and love. A conversation with Barbara Brandon-Croft.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Americans are spending more time alone and less time with friends. The dramatic drop in how much time you spend with friends, and why it's so important to reverse the trend.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Before she was a teenager, Achut Deng escaped civil war in South Sudan and life in a Kenyan refugee camp. Until recently, she carried that secret history with her.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
American English has many forms. It's evolved over 400 years to match this country's dynamic history. Humanities professor Ilan Stavans says that because it's so adaptable, American English is the last thing that unifies this otherwise fractured nation.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
A survey has found that American Christians’ beliefs are as diverse as the country they live in. A conversation about the broad spectrum of belief in American Christianity. (Originally aired on December 12, 2022.)
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled former President Donald Trump is not eligible to be on the state’s primary ballot. The court determined the 14th Amendment disqualifies Trump because he engaged in insurrection. This episode from our archive explores how the U.S. Supreme Court might consider how the 14th Amendment applies to Donald Trump. (Originally published 9/11/23)
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
When PBS first asked Italian chef Lidia Bastianich to cook for a television audience, she had one condition: She wanted them to film in her actual kitchen. A quarter century later, Bastianich is still inviting viewers into her home.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
In the last Jackpod of 2023, On Point news analyst Jack Beatty answers listener questions ranging from political messaging to what binds us as a nation.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
An Arab and Israeli writer have developed an unlikely friendship, writing long letters back and forth for years about how to achieve peace in the Middle East. They’ve never actually met or spoken — until now.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Leonard Leo has been described as a puppet master – pulling strings between rich and powerful conservatives to turn the American judiciary to the right. Who is Leonard Leo and how has he been so effective?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Your carbon footprint helps you identify actions you can take to personally fight climate change. It also shifts responsibility away from petrochemical companies. If that seems convenient for Big Oil, it's because the carbon footprint concept was popularized in part by oil giant BP.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
You've seen baby formula and razor blades locked behind plastic cases. Retailers say it's partly because of a rise in shoplifting. But analysts say there’s no clear data to back up that claim. Katherine Masters and Alexis Piquero join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have generated some $10 billion for the U.S. this year. What does the staggering rise of these two women say about our economy -- and about us?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the appeal of Donald Trump’s promise of revenge and retribution to many Republican voters.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
There are middlemen between you and pharmaceutical companies that make huge profits from drug prices. They’re called pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
With a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, global calls for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire are growing. Israel says it will not stop until the Hamas threat is gone. Is there any path to stop the violence in Gaza?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Sports Illustrated recently pulled authors and articles from its website after reporting found that they were generated by AI. How did the once legendary publisher fall so low?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
In 2020, Chileans overwhelmingly supported writing a new constitution. Two years later, Chileans overwhelmingly rejected it. This month, they will vote on a different version, but many say it’s worse than what they already have.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
In places where human beings have done everything they can to pave and plow over nature, what might happen if we just left those places alone?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
A social media post from Donald Trump has On Point news analyst Jack Beatty inquiring about the demise of political argument in the U.S. and what that means for democracy.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Some voters want President Biden to condemn Israel's bombing of Gaza. Biden believes his public embrace helps him influence Israel -- but that may be changing. Nimrod Novick and Amb. David Hale join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Parents have delicate conversations with their kids on intimacy, violence, even the meaning of life. Now, kids want to talk about climate change. Parents, are you prepared?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Tim Alberta is one of America's top political reporters. He's also the son of an evangelical preacher. In his new book, Alberta investigates how politics has corroded the Evangelical movement that raised him.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Pharmacists at major chain stores like CVS and Walgreens are at a breaking point. Many workers have staged walkouts, saying they are overworked, understaffed and risking patient safety.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Video games. A massive global industry expected to generate nearly $190 billion in revenue this year, according to industry estimates. So why have there been unprecedented layoffs across the gaming world?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on evidence the U.S. is failing at the fundamental mission of keeping its people alive, and the correlation between politics and life expectancy in the U.S.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The U.S. has struggled to build wind farms at sea. What's causing the setbacks?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The U.S. government says it foiled a plot by the Indian government to assassinate one of its citizens who was living in the United States. It's called transnational repression, and the FBI says it's a growing problem. Enes Kanter Freedom, Yana Gorokhovskaia and Roman Rozhavsky join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The 1993 Oslo Accords were a milestone in the Arab-Israeli peace process. But after 30 years of talks, there's no peace yet. Lessons for the future from peace efforts of the past. Yossi Beilin and Omar Dajani join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Almost a quarter of U.S. children under 18 live with a single parent and no other adults. That’s the highest rate in the world. So, what does it mean for those children?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
One in five Americans now live under the same roof as their parents, grandparents or adult children. It's a remarkable change from a few generations ago. Why more Americans are choosing to live in multigenerational housing.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The whole hog barbeque is the original style of American barbeque. It’s a tradition deeply rooted in indigenous and Black history. Ryan Mitchell joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The former U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith has a new memoir. In it, she discovers a surprise in her late father’s military records that changed how she sees herself as a Black woman in America.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
School systems around the country are grappling with ways to teach students media literacy. California has just passed a law to do that, and experts say they’re doing it right.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
More than 21,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since last summer setting off a political fight for resources. On Point follows up on the story we brought you last month to report on Mayor Brandon Johnson's efforts to convince the voters who put him in office to continue supporting him.
Plus, analysis on what is different about this moment in a city that has historically celebrated immigrants.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Barry Rosen says he can understand in some way what the hostages in Gaza are going through. Rosen was press attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 when he was taken hostage and held, along with 51 others, until January 1981.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
It's been more than 40 days since Hamas kidnapped some 240 people in Israel. Only four have been released. What's next? Gili Roman and Dani Gilbert join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
No stereotype can tell the story of more than 20 million people. We look at the true diversity of the Asian American academic experience. Julie J. Park joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the rise in Donald Trump’s use of rhetoric and imagery associated with 1930’s Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
Two leading historians say the former president represents a present-day form of fascism.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Former State Department official Josh Paul was in charge of U.S. arms transfers to other nations for years. But when it came to the current arms sales to Israel, he says the entire process was different.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
It’s been almost 15 years since the last deadly plane crash on a U.S. airline. But near misses in U.S. aviation have grown 25% in the last decade. What's behind the rise in close calls? Paul Rinaldi and Dorothy Robyn join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Unexplained aerial phenomena. Is the government covering up what it knows? We dive into 75 years of UFO history and the beginnings of government mistrust. Garrett Graff joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The UN is investigating whether war crimes have been committed by Israel and by Hamas. But what exactly qualifies as a war crime? And why are they so hard to prove – and prevent? Janina Dill and Michael Bryant join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Congress is currently considering the “Retirement Savings for Americans Act,” an ambitious bill that seeks to create a national retirement system.
Back in April 2021, two economists told us about their bipartisan plan to help millions of low-income Americans save for retirement.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
In Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky and other states, voters made some big statements about what they want in state and local government. What this could mean for races next year and beyond. Delegate Don Scott, Jack Beatty, Simon Rosenberg, Austin Horn and Coy Ferrell join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty tells us about the history of New Hampshire primary voters ending the candidacies of Democratic presidents seeking reelection, and asks whether President Biden could suffer the same fate in 2024.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Gaza’s health care system has collapsed. Food and water are scarce. More than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in the Israel-Hamas war, as international pressure for a broader ceasefire rises. Maria Abi-Habib, Hiba Tibi and Merissa Khurma join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
In "Romney: A Reckoning," journalist McKay Coppins gets unfettered access to the senator’s journals, emails and dozens of private interviews to unpack what led Romney to combat the GOP’s embrace of Donald Trump.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The FTC is suing a private equity firm, and the anesthesiology companies it owns in Texas for monopolistic practices that it says harm patients' health and their pocketbooks. Gretchen Morgenson and Brendan Ballou join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Republican Congressman Mike Johnson is a hard-right evangelical from Louisiana. Now, he's speaker of the house.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point's Paige Sutherland reports on a Supreme Court case being heard on Nov. 7 that has the potential to grant firearms access to hundreds of thousands of domestic abusers who are currently prohibited.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Antisemitism is on the rise in the United States, with threats against Jewish people reaching near-historic levels, according to FBI director Christopher Wray. What historical and intellectual undercurrents are driving this increase? Erwin Chemerinsky, Julia Steinberg and Simon Sebag Montefiore join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty tells us why he thinks the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, and the subsequent rise in immigration, shapes today’s politics, and growing anti-democratic sentiment.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The worldwide production of plastic has doubled in the past 20 years worldwide. Plastic waste in the environment has grown too. Can a new global treaty help? John Hocevar, Dr. Charlotte Lloyd and David Clement join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Israel vows to eliminate Hamas. But is there a plan for the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war? Thomas Warrick, Barak Greenapple and Hiba Husseini join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The NCAA is asking Congress to keep college athletes as students, not employees. They say it's to protect the students. Opponents say it’s about the money. Will the NCAA get its antitrust exemption and what could it mean if it does?
Katie Van Dyck and Jill Bodensteiner join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
As the Donald Trump trials continue, the list of key witnesses are growing. From his former lawyer Michael Cohen in New York, to several more taking plea deals in Georgia.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Hundreds of Catholics are gathered in Rome this month for a major meeting about the future of the church. For the first time ever, women and laypeople are invited – and have a vote. Cathleen Kaveny, Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla and Fr. Tom Reese join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
After a mass shooting in Maine, On Point news analyst Jack Beatty turns to 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes to try to understand why gun ownership is so prevalent in the U.S.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The border crisis is no longer just a border issue. Northern cities like Chicago are scrambling to accommodate busloads of migrants arriving daily, causing political backlash at the local and national level. Cata Truss, David Moore and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The politics and dynamics influencing Israel's top leaders, and how that could shape the course of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The health ministry in Gaza reports at least 3,700 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since October 7. How are Palestinian Americans processing the ongoing conflict? Leila Farsakh, Philip Farah and Laila El-Haddad join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Tensions are high not only in Israel and Gaza, but across the region, as fear of the conflict spilling over grows. Ali Hashem, Randa Slim, Ryan Crocker and Ehud Eiran join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Half of 5-year-olds in America today can expect to live to age 100. So how can we age well and live with purpose well into retirement? William Kole joins Meghna Chakrabarti;
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty tells us that accusing presidential candidates of being mentally unfit for office has a dubious history in American politics.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
As war continues to devastate Israel and Gaza, 7.5 million American Jews are sharing their own struggles. We hear their stories and differing perspectives on the ongoing tragedy.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
More Americans are saying they don’t want to have children. But what does life without children really look like? Maria Coffey joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
After the death of George Floyd, there were mass protests, corporate pledges and swelling public support for Black Lives Matter. But what came out of it?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Hamas is an Islamist militant group, designated by the U.S. and EU as a terrorist organization. It's now delivered the biggest blow ever to Israeli security. What are Hamas's origins?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
In this podcast extra episode recorded before a live audience at WBUR’s CitySpace, Meghna speaks with NPR Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep about his new book exploring how President Lincoln worked to unite a divided America.
Plus, the state of democracy and journalism, today.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Earlier this week, Harvard professor Claudia Goldin won the Nobel Prize in economics, only the third woman in history to do so. In this conversation with Goldin from last year, we hear how her focus on women in the workforce has led to great discoveries. Claudia Goldin joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty tells us how a second Trump administration could drastically weaken federal agencies and increase the power of the president.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The U.S. is warning Hezbollah, and the United Arab Emirates are warning Syria, not to enter Israel-Hamas conflict. Could the war spill over into a regional tragedy?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
California public schools have a new way of teaching math, to achieve more equitable outcomes. Critics say the math guidelines are flawed to the core.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
An oil boom has arrived in the South American nation of Guyana. Is it a contradiction that a country threatened by climate change could get rich selling fossil fuels? Amy Westervelt and Melinda Janki join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The National Science Foundation has funded its first ever research hub focused on Indigenous knowledge. This $30 million investment will fund projects from ancient clam-farming to mapping climate change on tribal lands.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
For the first time ever, scientists have fully decoded the Y chromosome. Long thought to be the stubby counterpart to the X chromosome, turns out there's far more to the Y than meets the eye.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty tells us what stands to him out about the districts of the eight representatives who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.
Also, listeners respond to last week’s episode about ‘The line’ -- the feeling many working-class Americans have about being left behind.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
When Donald Trump suggested that General Mark Milley should be executed, it was the latest in a long line of violent rhetoric from the former president.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The Justice Department is suing Google for allegedly using its power to stifle other search engines. It’s the first major tech antitrust trial in decades. Tim Wu, Leah Nylen and Matt Schruers join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The Supreme Court is hearing a case this week that could hamper federal enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The case may also change the way the government enforces civil rights laws across the board.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Ultra-processed foods now make up the majority of calories in the typical American diet. Studies show the health effects are about as bad as smoking. What would it take to get back to eating real food? Dr. Chris van Tulleken joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The Federal Trade commission sued Amazon this past week, accusing it of monopolistic practices. This episode from our archive explores the history of federal antitrust regulation and how FTC chair Lina Khan has championed new thinking about monopolistic power in the U.S. (Originally published 2/17/22)
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The Federal Trade commission sued Amazon this week, accusing it of monopolistic practices. This episode from our archive investigates how the Amazon Marketplace operates, who wins and who loses. James Thomson and Stacy Mitchell join Meghna Chakrabarti. (Originally published 6/7/21)
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
The Federal Trade commission sued Amazon this week, accusing it of monopolistic practices. This episode from our archive explores how Amazon operates and what power it has. Brad Stone and Stacy Mitchell join Meghna Chakrabarti. (Originally published 4/26/21)
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Historian Heather Cox Richardson is one of the most important public intellectuals in the country. She says her understanding of American history gives her hope for America’s future, in this special conversation recorded before a live audience at WBUR's CitySpace.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
On Point News analyst Jack Beatty explores Donald Trump's appeal to voters who see their dignity affronted daily. Plus, a searing message for Democrats and President Biden from one Black voter who polls indicate is far from alone.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
For 20 years, President George W. Bush’s emergency AIDS relief plan for Africa has saved millions of lives. Now, a small group in Congress wants to kill the plan.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Electric vehicles are the elephants in the room as the United Auto Workers strike for better pay and benefits. In an electric future, can unionized auto industry jobs survive? Jack Ewing, Stephen Silvia and Jason Walsh join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
By the end of this century the Pacific Ocean could rise more than 6 feet, threatening 1,200 miles of California coastline and the communities on it.
We hear lessons from California on what must change for everyone living on the edge of rising water. Rosanna Xia and A.R. Siders join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Ice and minerals on the Moon could help humanity travel to space’s distant planets and asteroids. But which countries, which companies should get the right to extract those resources? Michelle Hanlon joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Produced by WBUR, Boston’s NPR, in partnership with The Trace, The Gun Machine looks into the past to bring you a story that most Americans never learned in history class: how early partnerships between mad scientist gunsmiths and a fledgling U.S. government created the gun industry in the Northeast, and how that industry has been partners with the government ever since.
Host Alain Stephens examines how this 250-year relationship underpins all Americans’ interactions with guns — including our failures in dealing with the fallout of gun violence.
The Gun Machine debuts on Oct. 4, 2023. Listen and follow on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
There’s growing momentum for what could be a historic Israel-Saudi Arabia peace deal. But why now?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
Jack Beatty offers his unique perspective and insight on aspects of current political life in the U.S. In this episode, what’s behind a raft of polls showing a deterioration in support from a key voting block for President Biden in 2024.
Plus, listeners tell us why they turned away from causes that were once part of their identity.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
More than 100 million people in America have medical debt. Some of those trying to help have to resort to debt buying companies. We learn how the debt buying industry works, and who wins and who loses. Noam Levey joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
This year more than a third of Yellowstone’s bison have been removed from the herd – most of them shot – after they wandered out of the national park in search of food. That’s intensified the debate into how to best manage the iconic animal. Rick Wallen joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
2021 was a good year to invest in cryptocurrency. But then came 2022 and the trillion-dollar crypto wipeout. We hear tales from the world of cryptocurrency and casino capitalism. Zeke Faux joins Deborah Becker.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
In the '60s, some advocates wanted everyone to have access to psychedelics. Not everyone agreed. Now, with psychedelics growing in popularity, the tensions between access, money, and research are back.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
There's a troubling trend in medicine -- increasing cancer diagnoses in people younger than 50. But why? Dr. Kimmie Ng and Dr. Tim Rebbeck join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
In this weekly podcast, Jack Beatty offers his unique perspective and insight on aspects of current political life in the U.S. In this episode, the tenacity of Donald Trump's most ardent followers.
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
HGTV is a channel for dramatic remodels and dreamy properties. But is HGTV popularizing cookie cutter design over regional character across America?
About:
On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world.
$24 billion of pandemic-era child care funding expires at the end of this month. What can providers and families do?
Award-winning sci-fi writers Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck talk with Meghna Chakrabarti about the world they created in “The Expanse” and what they’re working on next.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution bars from office any public official involved in an insurrection. Can legal reasoning withstand political reality when it comes to Donald Trump?
In this new weekly special podcast, On Point’s news analyst Jack Beatty offers his unique perspective and insight on aspects of current political life in the U.S. Today, the leading presidential candidates. Jack Beatty joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Congress is gearing up for a fight over the farm bill – a massive piece of legislation that includes subsidies for America’s farmers.
12 years after a nuclear meltdown at Fukushima, Japan pours treated wastewater from the site into the ocean. Is the plan safe?
Even though the economy is doing better, few Americans say they’re better off financially this year than they were last year. So what's behind the pessimism Americans have about their own financial lives?
When dozens of companies in the U.K. experimented with a four-day work week, employers and employees loved it. Could a four-day work week work in the United States?
In a world where we emphasize productivity and even celebrate busyness how, how we can slow down and find meaningful rest.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are still protesting what they see as a threat to Israeli democracy and their personal freedom. Now, those protests are including the rights of Arab-Israelis, too.
Wildfires have become a tragic part of life in many communities. After a summer of wildfires, rethinking how we live in combustible landscapes.
There is a major effort to decriminalize sex work in the U.S. But not all current or former sex workers share the same goals. In fact, in many states, they are fighting against each other. Should the law be changed, and how?
The West African country of Niger has been a bright spot of growing democracy and security across sub-Saharan Africa. Now, a coup there threatens to destabilize the region.
Many of us turn to music to feel better. But music can also help us physically heal. Studies show music can affect our blood pressure and our heart rate – and even help us manage pain.
Parasites. Cause of human disease. Big on the yuck-factor. It's easy to think of them as doing no good -- but researchers say that's the wrong way to think of these essential creatures.
This is Part III of On Point's Week of Wonder.
How do you find deep happiness? Researcher Dacher Keltner says the answer is to find everyday wonder.
What if you could taste the world’s electrical fields? Hear vibrations in a leaf? Or see magnetic currents guiding you home? Science writer Ed Yong helps us perceive the world the way animals do – through eyes, ears, antennae and more.
WBUR's On Point brings you a week of wonder: A curation of shows from the past year reveling in the wonder of the world we live in. Over the course of the week, we explore what captivates our mind, illuminates our humanity and both delights and confounds us.
Earth needs darkness just as much as it needs light. Human light pollution is pushing back the dark, which is changing the natural world, and could be hurting us, too.
It’s been a year since President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act to boost clean energy projects. Is the bill enough for the U.S. to meet its climate goals?
Former President Donald Trump faces racketeering charges in Georgia for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. What could this indictment mean for Trump and his alleged co-conspirators?
Opioid overdose deaths for Black people in America have skyrocketed. For younger Black Americans, they’ve almost doubled. We learn what can be done about it.
One in seven new mothers experience postpartum depression. It’s a serious condition that can be fatal. Now a new pill – and other medical options -- are bringing hope.
Calling 911 can have tragic consequences for people having a mental health crisis. They can be arrested or even killed. Some advocates and police officers are trying to change that.
Born in the Bronx, New York, hip-hop culture soon found some of its most talented, controversial, and politically influential rappers in Los Angeles. On the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we take a special look at how the West Coast helped make hip-hop one of the most dominant cultural forces in the world.
Rural colleges in America are struggling. Due to enrollment and funding shortages, many have had to close or slash core majors to stay afloat.
The political organization No Labels says it wants to unite Americans around a third-party presidential candidate. But critics say their efforts are more likely to lead to the re-election of Donald Trump.
The waters off Florida and across the Caribbean are reaching record-breaking temperatures. As high as 100-plus degrees Fahrenheit. If warm seawater is here to stay, what will it mean for all that lives in the ocean and on land?
Index funds. They’re a very popular way of investing across the stock market. But now the top four funds control roughly one-quarter of all public U.S. companies. We hear how index funds are shaping corporations and the American economy.
Liberal academic Richard Kahlenberg thinks the only way to truly solve America’s deep inequities is to look at class, not race. "When we focus exclusively on race and ignore the class issues, we are missing a huge part of what makes society unfair in America today."
From Turkey to Chile to Hungary, authoritarian leaders don’t come to power on their own. They get there with the help of political parties, the rich and powerful, friendly media and the just plain corrupt.
Many Democrats think delivering tangible economic benefits to working class and lower-income voters will help them win more elections. But is that true?
Since the start of the war, experts in the U.S. and Europe have lamented that countries outside the West have been slow to stand by Kyiv. What’s behind the caution towards aligning with the West?
Facebook hired Frances Haugen to help it filter out violent rhetoric and abusive behavior. But she says the company ignored her team’s recommendations. So, in 2021, she leaked thousands of pages of internal documents to the media.
Chances are, you’ve noticed more and more businesses asking you to leave a tip – from coffee shops and breweries to take-out and drive-thrus. How did we get here?
Third Places – communities outside of our homes, schools or workplaces – were impacted by the pandemic. How can we rebuild them?
Americans spend almost $100 billion a year on state lotteries. Why do so many states receive just a fraction of that money?
Florida governor Ron DeSantis had a strong start in his run for the GOP presidential nomination. But lately, his polling numbers have dropped and big donors are hitting the pause button. Why isn't his strategy working?
What happens in the brain when you pray or meditate? Neurotheology explores the connection between our synapses and spiritual revelations.
In some places in the U.S., available foster care homes have been cut as much as 60%. Why is this is happening and can it be fixed?
A million miles from Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope has spent the past year peering deep into the cosmos and back in time. Why the telescope’s discoveries have scientists in awe.
In much of the world, it’s been dangerously hot this summer. And extreme heat is only expected to become more common. Cities across the globe have hired “chief heat officers” to figure out how to adapt to life on a hotter planet.
The newest food diets. The magic weight loss pill. Changing beauty standards. We hear constant messaging around how we should eat and look. But what does science have to say about it?
10-step skincare routines, products made from snail mucus. South Korea now exports more cosmetic products than smartphones. But pursuing beauty ideals can come at a social, emotional and physical cost.
The International Seabed Authority is meeting to devise regulations that could allow mining of the deep ocean floor for minerals needed for green energy technology. But bringing those minerals to the surface could disrupt delicate deep-sea ecosystems.
25 years ago, a neuroscientist and a philosopher made a bet that by now, science and philosophy would understand what makes and defines human consciousness. Want to guess who won?
Steven Dettelbach is the current head of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. But can ATF itself be doing more?
Many Americans with ADHD are scrambling for their prescription medication due to a months-long shortage. Why is the rate of adult ADHD diagnosis growing four times faster than diagnoses among kids?
Decades before the Supreme Court's recent ruling striking down affirmative action, voters in California did the same, ending affirmative action in the nation's largest state higher ed system.
Many Americans look to work as a means of self-actualization, community and purpose. But if our job is our only identity – what happens if we lose it?
10 years ago, U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden stunned the world by revealing government officials were surveilling private citizens across the globe. A decade later, has anything changed about government surveillance?
Until recently Bruno Lozano was the mayor of Del Rio, Texas. Once seen as a rising star in the Democratic party, he’s now a fierce critic of President Biden’s handling of the southern border.
Amanda Ripley is a journalist, and even she, like millions of Americans, decided to turn off the news. So what needs to change? Ripley has an answer, and it begins with giving people hope.
Pulitzer Prize-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens challenges us to honestly answer the question, can any culture lay total claim to specific styles of music?
The whole hog barbeque is the original style of American barbecue. It’s a tradition deeply rooted in indigenous and Black history.
In 1956, a federal judge ordered the town of Clinton, Tennessee to desegregate its high school. The unrest that followed tore the town apart.
TikTok is a driving force in the music industry. How does the platform identify snippets of music and turn artists into the next generation of global music stars? That's the job of Ole Obermann, which makes him one of the most influential people in pop music today.
From 2017 to 2021 nearly 40,000 foreign-born graduates of U.S. universities were recruited to Canada alone.
Apple, Meta, Amazon and Disney want workers to be in the office more days per week. How does where we work affect our productivity and office culture?
Last year, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf filed lawsuits against each other. Now, the two groups are forming an alliance. What does it tell us about Saudi Arabia’s growing efforts to sportswash its reputation?
Russian officials have warned NATO since the start of the Ukraine war that it could resort to nuclear weapons. Most observers think that's bluster. But one former defense attaché to Moscow takes what he's hearing very seriously.
The Southern Baptist Convention – the nation's largest Protestant denomination – overwhelmingly voted to oust women from church leadership. What’s driving this crackdown, and what impact will it have on the church’s already declining population?
The city of Milwaukee has an ambitious climate plan to cut its carbon emissions. Hundreds of U.S. cities have similar plans. Very few have met their goals.
This week former president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to dozens of federal criminal charges for his handling of classified documents. How will the trial of Donald Trump alter the nation's political landscape?
Woniya Thibeault used her knowledge of skills used by early humans to become the first women to win History Channel’s wilderness reality show, Alone. Now she wants to show you how you can deepen your connection with nature, and why you should.
State and federal government is so focused on policymaking and not implementation that it often fails to provide the services its laws intend. In her new book “Recoding America,” author Jennifer Pahlka outlines why the government doesn’t work and how to fix it.
A new Florida law lets teachers prohibit students from using phones in class. How do phones alter a student's ability to focus, stay on task, absorb new information and exercise self-control?
In the race for the White House, due to President Joe Biden's age, Vice President Kamala Harris is under a lot more scrutiny than number twos on the ticket usually are.
80% of California's water from the Colorado River is used for agriculture. As the river dries up, the first cuts tend to land on farmers. But is targeting the country’s food supply the best way out of this water crisis? Tina Shields and Richard Howitt join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In 1973, countries came together and signed a historic treaty to stop the international trade of endangered species. 50 years later, the CITES agreement has never been updated, even as species go extinct faster than ever.
Kremlin critic Bill Browder recounts how he was targeted by a deepfake video call that he says came from Russia.
A prominent Kremlin critic says the Russian government invited him to a Zoom call that turned out to be a deepfake. But what happens when governments start using deep fakes against each other?
Two of the biggest tech companies in the world, Microsoft and Google, are warning about the dangers of unregulated AI development. At the same time, they’re racing each other to push AI into their most popular products.
Republicans in the Texas House voted overwhelmingly last week to impeach State Attorney General Ken Paxton. Charges include fraud, bribery and more. But it’s also revealed a divide in the Texas GOP itself.
A pandemic, war in Ukraine, supply chain breakdowns -- all led to soaring prices. And now, the idea that inflation is driven in part by corporations keeping prices high is gaining momentum. We hear why economists are beginning to take 'greedflation' seriously.
One virus causes more birth defects in American babies than any other nongenetic disease – but most don’t know it exists. We hear a mother’s journey to understand her daughter’s diagnosis of congenital CMV.
In the past five years, states allowing access to life-ending medication for the terminally ill have more than tripled. But as more states allow such end-of-life care, is access really growing? And for who?
The debt ceiling deadline is quickly approaching. How will it impact your personal finances if the U.S. government can’t pay its bills?
In 1993, then Secretary of Defense Les Aspin invited the CEOs of America's largest defense contractors to a private get-together. We hear how a secret dinner at the Pentagon kicked off a massive consolidation in the defense industry. Norman Augustine and Rep. John Garamendi join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The children of fallen soldiers often bottle up their suffering. But some are opening up with the help of a writing seminar for Gold Star kids. Bailey Donahue, Maria Rossi and Thomas Brennan join Anthony Brooks.
J. Edgar Hoover, former FBI director. History has cast him as powerful, paranoid, a man not afraid to intimidate and investigate his critics. That's how he's seen now. What about then? Beverly Gage joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Hunter Biden faces possible indictment from the Justice Department. Exploring the details behind the headlines about the President's son. Adam Entous joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Florida law now bans public colleges from offering general ed classes that “distort significant events” or “teach identity politics." What happens when the government tells colleges what they can and can’t teach? Ana Ceballos, Andrew Gothard and Eden McLean join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Thousands of miles of fiber optic cable at the bottom of the world’s oceans carry more than 95% of the world’s data, from phone calls and emails to encrypted military secrets. Rick Chislett spent 41 years laying fiber optic cable around the world.
Thousands of miles of fiber optic cable lying at the bottom of the world’s oceans carry more than 95% of the world’s data. Now, those undersea cables are at the forefront of a new rivalry between China and the U.S. over who controls the flow of big data.
The U.S. military promised to implement policies that would counter extremism in its ranks. But still it persists. What more should the Pentagon be doing to stop extremism in the military?
Commercial real estate is cratering. In cities like Los Angeles and Chicago, more than 20% of office space lies vacant. What does that mean for America’s cities?
Former president Donald Trump tried to overthrow an election he lost. Now, he’s running for president again. How should news organizations cover candidate Trump in post Jan. 6th America?
This year more than a third of Yellowstone’s bison have been removed from the herd – most of them shot – after they wandered out of the national park in search of food. That’s intensified the debate into how to best manage the iconic animal. Rick Wallen joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
When the Department of Homeland Security appointed Nina Jankowicz to lead an effort to fight disinformation and hate speech, disinformation and hate speech came for her. Now, she’s suing Fox News. Nina Jankowicz joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
The COVID-19 emergency declaration is over. Over three years, Americans saw their lives forever changed. We check in with Americans we heard from during the pandemic about life now.
The federal COVID-19 public health emergency is coming to an end today. But as we look back at the three-plus years of the pandemic, did we miss the opportunity to best protect our country? Olivia Troye and Shana Gadarian join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The U.S. debt limit clock is ticking. The nation could default in weeks. In 2011, the country came within 72 hours of that happening.
Press one. Press two. Try to find a human, but you can’t. Welcome to the nightmare that is customer service.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly has reported from around the world. From war zones to Washington. In her new book, she looks back on the choices she made as a reporter and a mother.
The Supreme Court doesn’t have a code of ethics -- unlike every other judicial bench in the U.S. Who should require and enforce a code of ethics on the high court?
When Sheila Clemmons Lee’s son was killed in a Nashville police traffic stop in 2017, she joined a coalition campaigning to create a police oversight board. Now, the Republican super-majority in the Tennessee state legislature has moved to abolish the board.
In Tennessee’s state assembly, Republicans are unabashedly exerting their power – over-ruling local laws, expelling Democratic lawmakers. What does Tennessee tell us about the health of democracy in U.S. state legislatures?
Americans are moving out of big cities. Cost, quality of life and the pandemic are shifting decades of population growth patterns. So where do Americans want to live now?
Thousands of people die each year waiting for an organ transplant in the U.S. The Biden administration says it’s time the system is reformed. We hear how to improve America’s organ transplant system.
Nearly 30,000 experts in the computing and AI world signed an open letter calling for a pause on AI development. What guardrails are needed before more advanced artificial intelligence is unleashed.
The world of fine art is full of multimillion dollar one-of-a-kinds and breathtaking masterpieces. But it’s also rife with fraudsters and forgers. When fakes demand a fortune, what does that say about the intrinsic value of art?
Nearly three-quarters of Americans believe there should be a mandatory retirement age for elected officials. In many state judiciaries, there already is. Is the bench better for it?
The Affordable Care Act says you don't have to pay for preventative healthcare. But a federal judge in Texas recently struck that down. And it could change the way 160 million Americans get their care.
Cyber warfare is the future of war. And in many ways, that future is already here. So, is the United States ready?
People the world over are feeling economically and culturally insecure. Economist Pranab Bardhan says liberal leaders aren’t paying enough attention to that, and that’s led to a growing disenchantment with democracy.
As maternal deaths rose in the U.S. during the pandemic, Black women bore the brunt. In fact, they are almost three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women.
Joan Biskupic has been a supreme court analyst for twenty-five years. Her new book tells the inside story of the court’s conservative transformation -- the personalities and the politics behind the court we have now and will have for years to come.
Major League Baseball has new rules designed to speed up the game and attract new fans. We learn what fans and players think of the sport’s big changes in the first few weeks of the new season.
President Biden’s new emissions standards are designed to accelerate the push towards electric vehicles. Among the challenges – batteries, and China’s stranglehold on the supply chain. How to reach an electric future.
By limiting access to abortion, Republicans have achieved a long sought-after goal. But it has cost them dearly in recent elections and many are looking to 2024 with trepidation.
It's episode five of our series 'The power of populism.' Populism can have an authoritarian trajectory, but can it also bring about better democracies?
It’s easy to think of American populism as disempowered rural residents versus the urban elite. When it comes to America’s electoral system and influencing national policy, who has the real power?
On Point continues to explore “The power of populism” this week. Today, Wisconsin and the politics of resentment. How populism flourished in the Badger state.
Populism is on the rise across the globe, from Turkey to Hungary to Brazil. The second episode of our series “The power of populism” looks at the appeal of populism in India, and what it means for the future of the world’s largest democracy.
Populism has been on the rise in recent years. But why? And what exactly is populism? It’s the first episode of our series "The power of populism."
For the first time in our nation’s history, a president was indicted on criminal charges. What’s next for Donald Trump?
Student discipline problems rose sharply in the pandemic. Schools say disruptive behavior has been on the rise for years, but they're not allowed to do much about it. Now, lawmakers want to change that. Ben Court, Patrick Wall and Elizabeth Errico join Meghna Chakrabarti.
T-Mobile had a major cell phone outage in February. Last year, AT&T customers in Minnesota lost service for four days. What would it take to make America's wireless networks more reliable?
Health care professionals across the country say they're being forced to compromise the quality of care they give their patients in the name of profits.
Dr. Jamie Wooldridge is a pediatric pulmonologist. She says the stresses of the health care industry are driving many doctors and nurses to leave the profession.
In our nation’s for-profit health system, more and more health care professionals say they're being forced to make choices that are bad for patients. Much like soldiers at war, clinicians now report suffering from “moral injury.”
Gun violence recently surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death for American children. For Black children – that’s been the case since 2006. Why Black children bear the brunt of gun deaths and what can be sone to stop it.
The COVID pandemic paved the way for widespread use of telehealth doctor’s appointments. They worked. But some states are rolling back access to virtual visits.
20 years after the U.S. invaded Iraq, congress is quietly repealing its authorization of the war. We look back at the past two decades in Iraq, through an Iraqi's eyes.
Mass protest in Israel have delayed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to transform Israel’s judiciary. But there are signs of deeper troubles for Israeli democracy.
Sitting members of Congress are aiding January 6th defendants. Visiting them in jail, releasing raw Capitol footage to Fox news. We hear what it means when members of Congress back the people who tried to tear Congress down.
The U.S. is considering banning the hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok, over concerns that its Chinese ownership poses a threat to national security. What’s to fear about TikTok?
Why did Jacob Wideman murder Eric Kane?
In 1986, the two 16-year-olds were rooming together on a summer camp trip to the Grand Canyon when Jacob fatally — and inexplicably — stabbed Eric.
That night, Jacob went on the run, absconding with the camp’s rented Oldsmobile and thousands of dollars in traveler’s checks. Before long, he turned himself in and eventually confessed to the killing — although he couldn’t explain what drove him to do it.
It would take years of therapy and medical treatment behind bars before Jacob could begin to understand what was going through his mind that night. It would take even longer to try to explain it to his family, to his victim’s family and to parole board members, who would decide whether he deserved to be free ever again.
This debut episode of “Violation,” a podcast from WBUR and The Marshall Project, introduces the story of the crime that has bound two families together for decades.
Jacob’s father, John Edgar Wideman, is an acclaimed author of many books on race, violence and criminal justice. He spoke with Violation host Beth Schwartzapfel in a rare, in-depth interview about his son’s case that listeners will hear throughout the series, including this premiere.
Recently, we explored why Earth needs darkness just as much as it needs light. We asked listeners in the On Point VoxPop app to go outside at night with their phones and describe what they saw and heard.
For the first time in U.S. history, a former president may be charged with a serious crime. We discuss the legal and political fallout of the possible indictment of Donald Trump.
In America we have the wealth and the know-how to end poverty, so why don’t we? Sociologist Matthew Desmond seeks answers in his new book “Poverty, By America.”
Just three weeks after the catastrophic earthquake in Turkey, reconstruction was already underway. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has promised to rebuild in one year. But is racing to rebuild the right answer? Evren Aydoğan, Divya Chandrasekhar and Jared Maslin join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Teen mental health is declining, particularly among girls. The pressure of social media is often cited as a leading cause. But that’s not the full story behind the mental health of teenage girls in the U.S.
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank marks the second largest bank failure in America’s history. Some say a 2018 rollback on bank regulations helped cause it. What happens when so-called midsized banks also get too big to fail?
Computer brain interfaces used to be the stuff of science fiction. Now, headphones and earbuds with sensors that can read your brain waves – and sell your data – are hitting the market. Experts say it’s the time to establish rules of the road.
A Texas lawsuit attempting to ban the abortion pill could undermine how the FDA approves drugs. If the plaintiffs succeed, experts say the pharmaceutical industry could be thrown into chaos -- leaving past and new drugs also on the chopping block.
Emily Fobert is a research fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia. In the lab, Emily studies how light pollution affects marine life.
Earth needs darkness just as much as it needs light. Human light pollution is pushing back the dark, which is changing the natural world, and could be hurting us, too. Johan Eklöf joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
The State of Missouri controlled the St. Louis police force from the Civil War until a decade ago. Now Republican state politicians want that power back. We explore the struggle for control of the police between the city and state.
Professor Nico Smit specializes in aquatic parasitology at Northwestern University in South Africa.
Many years ago, while working on his Ph.D., Smit ran across something special in the coastal waters off South Africa: a tongue-replacing parasite.
Parasites. Cause of human disease. Big on the yuck-factor. It's easy to think of them as doing no good -- but researchers say that's the wrong way to think of these essential creatures.
Barbara Brandon-Croft is the first Black female cartoonist to be nationally syndicated. Her comic strip, “Where I’m Coming From,” ran from 1991 to 2005 and featured nine Black women who talk about everything from racism, politics, friendship to love.
Following a scathing independent report last year, Britain is shutting down its leading gender identity clinic. We’ll talk about what lead to the closure, and how the debate over “gender affirming care” is unfolding in the United Kingdom.
More studies are finding that natural immunity from COVID can be as protective as vaccination. U.S. health leaders knew this in 2021 — but most didn’t publicly acknowledge it. Why?
Injustice in America’s for-profit justice system. When profit becomes the point, families become targets of the very justice system that is meant to protect everyone.
When dozens of companies in the U.K. experimented with a four-day work week, employers and employees loved it. Could a four-day work week work in the United States?
In July 2022, Florida Governor DeSantis signed Florida House Bill 1467. It requires all schoolbooks to be reviewed by a district employee holding an educational media specialist certificate, to ensure the books are grade level appropriate and free of pornography.
Shortly after the bill went into effect, videos started popping up on social media of empty school bookshelves.
Brian Covey, who posted a video of those empty bookshelves, joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis is making changes to public K-12 education. How are his policies and politics impacting Florida classrooms?
Thirty years ago, a secret dinner at the Pentagon led to a flurry of consolidation in the defense industry. We hear the story of that so-called "last supper" and what it means for the Pentagon's $800 billion budget today.
Millions of Americans sell their blood plasma every year. It’s part of a global, multibillion dollar business.
Since the 1950s the number of occupations requiring a state license has ballooned. Who benefits, who loses when one in four workers in American need a license to do their job?
100 years ago, average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47. Today, it's closer to 80 -- and lots of people are using those extra 30 years to reinvent themselves.
When a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, residents were forced to evacuate. Industry critics say lax safety regulations and industry lobbyists set the stage for this disaster.
Contemporary political battles have put school classrooms at the center of a debate about race and our country’s history. How should American educators be teaching the history of slavery?
Since Russia invaded Ukraine one year ago this week – nearly 8,000 civilians have been killed, 11,000 injured and millions displaced. We hear from Ukrainians about their year of living through war.
It’s been nearly a year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Both sides are preparing for new offensives. Can NATO keep its promise to stand with Kyiv for as long as it takes?
Amazon is no longer content with being your go-to retailer, streaming service, or smart speaker, … the trillion-dollar company now wants to be your doctor’s office and your pharmacy. What that could mean for you, the patient.
There are more child sexual abuse materials online than ever before. And not just on the dark web but on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. Why aren’t the major tech companies doing more to stop it?
A deal with the Netherlands and Japan marks America’s latest effort to curb China’s semiconductor production. National security, meets economic rivalry, meets trade war geo-politics.
Before the shooting down of more unidentified aerial objects over the past few days, there was the China spy balloon. That gave us a rare glimpse into spycraft between the U.S. and China. What have we learned?
The federal government asked the seven Colorado River Basin states for a plan to cut water. All came to an agreement – except California. Now the federal government may have to step in. How will the West adapt as the Colorado River runs dry?
Congress recently, and quietly, gave the FDA the power to prohibit off-label uses of medical devices. What’s behind that change and what it could mean for prescription medication?
In the 1980s, a lawyer devised a tax dodge that would save the ultra-rich millions. In the 1990s, Congress stepped in to make the maneuver even more lucrative.
Populism, border politics and primaries. In this podcast special, On Point news analyst Jack Beatty highlights key moments from President Biden's second State of the Union address.
American English has many forms. It’s evolved over 400 years to match this country’s dynamic history. Humanities professor Ilan Stavans says because American English is so adaptable, it can unify our fractured nation.
The Taliban promised they would honor Afghan women's rights. Instead, they have banned women from universities, even required covering the faces of female mannequins.
One in five Americans now live with their parents, grandparents, or adult children -- all under one roof. It's a remarkable change from a few generations ago.
John Reynolds has lived in Yosemite National Park his entire life. In this 'First person' diary, he shares how living in nature helps him maintain a sense of awe.
How do you find deep happiness? Researcher Dacher Keltner says the answer is to find everyday wonder.
The banality of evil. That was Hannah Arendt's famous observation during the trial of Adolf Eichmann, the ‘architect of the Holocaust.’ Now, there's evidence that Eichmann's evil was anything but banal.
Special police units like the now-disbanded SCORPION team in Memphis are common around the country. Police chiefs say they’re essential for fighting crime. Critics say their elite status and lack of accountability is a recipe for abuse.
A recent edition of On Point explored the role of patriarchal power in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the consequences of that for Mormon women in abusive relationships.
Currently, only men in the Mormon Church get to ascend the religious hierarchy.
Kate Kelly founded the group Ordain Women roughly a decade ago to try to change that.
This month, a Utah man murdered his wife, their five children and his mother-in-law, before killing himself. That’s sparked a conversation among Mormon women about power and safety in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In the 1980s, the world came together to ban CFC's, commonly used chemicals that were destroying the atmosphere’s ozone layer. Are there lessons we can apply to tackling climate change?
House Republicans are getting down to business, drafting legislation to spend more money on border control, less on the IRS. Hardliners are calling for radical changes to social security and Medicare. How will the GOP advance its agenda in the House?
Over 40 million adults in America suffer from an anxiety disorder. But anxiety, the emotion, has an evolutionary purpose: It helps us prepare for an uncertain future.
Until recently Bruno Lozano was the mayor of Del Rio, Texas. Once seen as a rising star in the Democratic party, he’s now a fierce critic of President Biden’s handling of the southern border.
Almost every major company in the U.S. requires their employees to participate in diversity, equity and inclusion training. But is DEI training achieving what it aims to do?
So far, the presidency of Joe Biden has seen some big legislative successes, but a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. With a new Republican House majority determined to block his agenda, what’s next for the Biden presidency?
College enrollment is down across the nation. Demographic changes are largely driving that. What does the decline mean for the future of small colleges?
In Europe there are ‘dementia villages’ where residents can live freely despite their memory loss. Could that work here in the U.S.?
Representative George Santos has lied about almost every aspect of his life. How do uncontrolled fabulists get that way -- going way beyond the little fibs we all tell -- to cutting all ties with the truth?
The American Academy of Pediatrics has released new guidelines to tackle the obesity epidemic. They’re calling for family counseling, early treatment with drugs and even surgery. Can pediatricians turn the epidemic around?
In 2012, horrified by the Sandy Hook school shooting, stay-at-home mom Shannon Watts founded Moms Demand Action. It’s now one of the largest anti-gun violence groups in the nation.
The nation’s first gun insurance mandate took effect this year in San Jose, California. Gunowners in the city are required to have liability insurance, or they'll be fined a minimum of $250. But can insurance actually curb gun violence?
Fast fashion retailers like Shein sell t-shirts for less than $5 apiece. This business model, along with social media, fuels an erosion in the quality of clothing at every level. What price are we really paying for super-affordable fashion?
The population of planet Earth reached 8 billion people late last year. By the year 2100, we're headed for 2 billion more.
What does that mean for us and our planet?
Elizabeth Hadly is a professor of biology at Stanford University, and director of the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in California's Santa Cruz Mountains.
For four decades, she's been an eyewitness to dramatic changes in the plant and animal kingdoms caused by human beings.
In the early 1800s, the human population hit 1 billion. As of late last year, human population 8 billion. And by the end of the century, it’s expected to top ten billion. What does that mean for humanity and the environment?
ChatGPT is one of the most sophisticated AI chat bots ever released. With just a few prompts, it can write almost anything.
Daniel Herman, a high school English teacher in Berkeley, California, has some ideas about how ChatGPT might find its way into his classroom.
ChatGPT is one of the most sophisticated AI chatbots ever released. A high school teacher says it writes better than some students. But what happens when we can't tell the difference between computer and human-generated writing?
After a series of botched executions, Alabama could soon begin executing death row inmates using lethal gas. And it's not alone. Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri, California, Wyoming and Arizona have legalized execution by lethal gas. We hear why.
First person: The Indigenous peoples of the Americas have been using psychedelics for thousands of years. Colonization and extermination ripped away their right to use psychedelics for generations.
Aging might be reversible. Harvard researcher and biotech founder Dr. David Sinclair theorizes in his New York Times best-selling book, “Lifespan,” that aging doesn’t have to be inevitable.
Americans spend almost $100 billion a year on state lotteries. Why do so many states receive just a fraction of that money?
The Money Ladies are back. Michelle Singletary and Rana Foroohar will be our guides for what to watch for in your personal finance and national economy this year.
Rebroadcast: Trees are on the move. Because of climate change, the world’s forests are heading north. What does this mean for us and our survival? Ben Rawlence joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Rebroadcast: For antitrust reformers, the size and power of companies like Google and Facebook represent more than a threat to consumer welfare. It’s the final episode in our series “More than money." Matt Stoller, Jack Beatty and Carl Shapiro join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Rebroadcast: From Robert Bork's "consumer harm" to Lina Khan's "democratic harm," we discuss the ideas that drive the government's approach to antitrust regulation. Daniel Crane, Barry Lynn and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The nineteenth century saw the rise of great monopolies. Americans pushed back. What changed?
We discuss lessons learned from antitrust action in the Gilded Age with Jack Beatty and Charles Postel.
Rebroadcast: Microsoft wanted to acquire Activision-Blizzard for almost $70 billion. Is the mega-merger a new kind of monopoly?
Rebroadcast: Our series "More than money" is an exploration of the hidden power of monopolies in the U.S.
Part I looks at how corporate monopolies dominate the beef industry.
"It's failed consumers on one end of the supply chain, and it's failed the American family farmer and rancher on the other." Bill Bullard, Claire Kelloway and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Many of us turn to music to feel better. But music can also help us physically heal. Studies show music can affect our blood pressure and our heart rate – and even help us manage pain.
For the first time in American history, Congress has referred a former president for criminal prosecution. Will the Justice Department bring charges against Donald Trump?
Americans are spending more time alone and less time with friends, according to a Census Bureau survey. We hear what's behind the drop in time spent with friends, and why it’s important to reverse the trend.
Before she was a teenager, Achut Deng escaped civil war in South Sudan and life in a Kenyan refugee camp. Until recently, she carried that secret history with her.
The 2022 World Cup wraps up this weekend in Qatar when Argentina plays France in the final.
Nico Cantor is a soccer broadcaster, primarily for CBS Sports. He’s doing Spanish language commentary for Fútbol de Primera at this World Cup.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene will be a potent force in the Republican Controlled House. What will she do with her influence? Robert Draper and Tia Mitchell join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In the third installment of our podcast-only series Remarkable Science, we talk with journalist, author and National Geographic fellow Dan Buettner.
He's spent more than a decade analyzing 'Blue Zones' — five places where people live the longest, healthiest lives.
There is a new bankruptcy tactic being used to shield executives from accountability. Non-debtor releases give corporate leaders -- like the Sackler family and Harvey Weinstein -- immunity from lawsuits for life. Mike Spector and Clifford White III join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt says America is in trouble.
He sees it on college campuses and through social media.
Haidt joins Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss democracy, social media and how to fix America's 'ailing' institutions.
A California entrepreneur says he's building affordable homes in South Central LA at half the usual cost. How? By saying no to public funding.
When referring to Christians, politicians and the media are often focusing on one group -- politicized evangelicals. But, in truth, they are a small slice of the broad spectrum of American Christianity.
Former FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover. He hated the American left. Demonized and investigated his critics. But what did the rest of America think about him?
In 2017, the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS razed the city to the ground. Approximately 10,000 civilians died. Their families have spent the past five years trying to bring their city back.
Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano is erupting for the first time in nearly four decades. A new generation of researchers equipped with new technology are observing the primal forces that continue to shape the planet
Across China, remarkable public demonstrations against the country’s zero COVID policy. Could this mark the surfacing of deeper discontent in Chinese society?
Huge numbers of kids are struggling to read. Why? Because literacy curriculum used in thousands of classrooms doesn’t work.
Studies show a majority of Americans believe other Americans mostly look out for themselves. With trust on the decline, can it be rebuilt?
Trust is essential for survival, for relationships, for a civilized society. But trust needs an ally. We hear why building trust needs a good dose of healthy skepticism, too. Sanford “Sandy” Goldberg, Jack Beatty and Julia Jordan-Zachery join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Brazilians have low levels of institutional trust. They also have low levels of trust in each other. Why? Chayenne Polimédio and Rafael Ioris join Meghna Chakrabarti.
What happens in our brains when we trust someone? Neuroscientists explain how our brains process trust, and why it's worth the risk. Jamil Zaki and Oriel FeldmanHall join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Rebroadcast: Jane Goodall formed incredible bonds with chimpanzees in the wild. But were those bonds similar to what we humans experience as trust?
From February to May 2020, almost 12 million American women lost their jobs compared to 9 million men, according to Pew Research. But new analysis finds that gender was not the main driver behind those pandemic job losses for women.
Zac Zaki and Tom Schueman join us to talk about the friendship they forged in Afghanistan, and what it took to get Zaki out of Kabul.
Journalist Putsata Reang has reported on many wars. Her own life is defined by the war her family escaped. “What did I owe my mother for giving me life?" The question gripped Reang when she decided to tell her mother that she's gay.
Congress has tried for years to reign in this ticketing monopoly. Will Taylor Swift Fans make all the difference?
Last year at this time, retailers had high demand, but stock was in short supply. This year, that’s turned on its head. So, what does that mean for consumers?
Rebroadcast: An 'invisible epidemic' is causing suffering in millions of women. It affects memory, concentration, balance. We discuss traumatic brain injuries in survivors of domestic violence. Eve Valera and Rachel Ramirez join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A new word was coined to describe the economy in the fall of 2020: She-cession. Neat, but maybe too convenient.
In a country that’s increasingly polarized – many voters in the midterms said it doesn’t have to be that way. We hear what ticket splitting tells us about what American voters are looking for.
In a country that’s increasingly polarized – many voters in the midterms said it doesn’t have to be that way. We hear what ticket splitting tells us about what American voters are looking for.
Elon Musk borrowed billions to buy Twitter. Now he has to figure out how to pay all that back. But there’s just one problem. Nilay Patel and Sen. Ed Markey join Anthony Brooks.
Elon Musk borrowed billions to buy Twitter. Now he has to figure out how to pay all that back. But there’s just one problem. Nilay Patel and Sen. Ed Markey join Anthony Brooks.
In a world where we emphasize productivity and even celebrate busyness, is constant fatigue inevitable? Or – can we learn and practice meaningful rest? Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
In a world where we emphasize productivity and even celebrate busyness, is constant fatigue inevitable? Or – can we learn and practice meaningful rest? Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Are cultural and economic forces changing boyhood, manhood and fatherhood? Richard Reeves says yes, and that many men and boys are struggling.
Are cultural and economic forces changing boyhood, manhood and fatherhood? Richard Reeves says yes, and that many men and boys are struggling.
Children’s hospitals across the U.S. are being overwhelmed by the respiratory infection RSV. Can it be contained, and how? Dr. Meghan Bernier and Saad Omer join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Children’s hospitals across the U.S. are being overwhelmed by the respiratory infection RSV. Can it be contained, and how? Dr. Meghan Bernier and Saad Omer join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The biggest test of U.S. democracy since Jan. 6, 2021. What do the midterm election results tell us about Americans' belief in democracy and the direction of the nation? Heather Cox Richardson, Stephen Henderson, Tom Bonier, Lisa Desjardins and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The biggest test of U.S. democracy since Jan. 6, 2021. What do the midterm election results tell us about Americans' belief in democracy and the direction of the nation? Heather Cox Richardson, Stephen Henderson, Tom Bonier, Lisa Desjardins and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
After a year of catastrophic weather events, nations have gathered for the COP27 climate conference. The picture is grim, but some climate scientists say they’re encouraged by progress the world has made. David Wallace-Wells joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
After a year of catastrophic weather events, nations have gathered for the COP27 climate conference. The picture is grim, but some climate scientists say they’re encouraged by progress the world has made. David Wallace-Wells joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Important ballot measures are at play in the midterms. In some states, voters are being asked to consider limiting their own right to put citizen-sponsored initiatives on future ballots. Neil Volz, Chris Melody Fields Figueredo and Josh Visnaw join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Important ballot measures are at play in the midterms. In some states, voters are being asked to consider limiting their own right to put citizen-sponsored initiatives on future ballots. Neil Volz, Chris Melody Fields Figueredo and Josh Visnaw join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Our recent show asked the question: Is customer service bad on purpose? Here, some listeners share their stories.
The Biden Administration wants to make higher ed more affordable. Why aren't colleges and universities doing more themselves to make getting a degree less expensive? Eric Kelderman and Mitch Daniels join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Biden Administration wants to make higher ed more affordable. Why aren't colleges and universities doing more themselves to make getting a degree less expensive? Eric Kelderman and Mitch Daniels join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Press one. Press two. Try to find a human, but you can’t. Welcome to the nightmare that is customer service. Jeannie Walters and Jared Spool join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Press one. Press two. Try to find a human, but you can’t. Welcome to the nightmare that is customer service. Jeannie Walters and Jared Spool join Meghna Chakrabarti.
An open-air drug market is thriving San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. We explore what's behind it.
The Supreme Court set a precedent for affirmative action more than 40 years ago. Now that precedent hangs in the balance as the court considers it again.
The midterms are right around the corner, and both parties are talking all about the economy. What message will win with voters? Natasha Korecki, Jon Ralston, Bente Birkeland and Chad Livengood join Anthony Brooks.
Britain is on Prime Minister number three, in just the past two months. What's going on with Britain's conservative party, and with the nation they've been elected to lead? Emily Maitlis and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
For years, legal activists fought to free their client ... an elephant. Earlier this year, the state's highest court rejected that argument. But the question's now out there: If corporations can have some personhood rights, why not animals, too? David Scheel and Richard Cupp join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Puerto Rico is recovering from Hurricane Fiona which hit last month. It’s also still recovering from Hurricane Maria, which hit more than 5 years ago. So, what’s holding back Puerto Rico’s recovery? Adi Martinez-Roman and Deepak Lamba-Nieves join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Timothy Snyder says Russian President Vladimir Putin is vulnerable at home, as Russian men leave to avoid being sent to fight in Ukraine.
Dmitry Grigoriev is Russian man living in Georgia to avoid mobilization. He shares his story.
Russia invaded Ukraine eight months ago, seemingly unprepared for the fight Ukraine would put up. Scholar Timothy Snyder answers the question: How will the war in Ukraine end?
More than a million Black Americans fought for the United States in World War II. They fought for a double victory: over fascism and over racism. But their fight would continue long after the war ended. Matthew Delmont joins Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
The U.S. dollar is soaring against other currencies, adding to fears of a global financial meltdown. When that happened in 1985, governments took action. Could that happen today?
Kenneth Rogoff and Jean-Claude Trichet join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Corporations facing massive litigation are using a new legal strategy to avoid liability. It’s known as the Texas two-step. Step one: create a subsidiary and transfer a few assets and all the lawsuits. Step two: The subsidiary files for bankruptcy. Rob Rasmussen, Mike Spector and Leigh O'Dell join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Chess is an ancient game of grand masters, now being upended in the digital domain. To add to the upheaval, grand master Hans Niemann has been accused of cheating in more than 100 games. Danny Rensch, Levy Rozman and Anna Cramling join Meghna Chakrabarti.
If the U.S. is to be less reliant on global supply chains, businesses and consumers are going to have to change expectations. Rana Foroohar joins us to discuss what it'll really take to rebuild the economy at "home." Rana Foroohar and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Political analysts call the Hispanic vote a ‘sleeping giant.’ Most still vote Democratic, but the GOP is gaining ground. We'll listen to Hispanic voters from across the country. Rick Sanchez, Veronica Lopez, Iris Ramos-Jones and Doni Curkendall join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In our most recent Voter roundtable we spoke with young Americans about the direction they want to see their country move in, and whether they plan to vote this election season. Here are some voicemails we got on the topic.
In the likely final hearing of the January 6th House Committee, the members laid out their key findings – detail after detail. Eric Cortellessa, Elaine Kamarck, Sarah Longwell and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Who is least likely to vote in the midterms next month? Young Americans. But are politicians any more likely to listen to young Americans if they don't turn up at the ballot box? Fana Haile-Selassie, Tinisee Buckman and Troy Simpson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Key parts of our economy and defense rely on imports from China. President Biden wants to end that dependence. On the flipside, President Xi has been trying to untangle China’s economy from ours for years. How’s that working out? Hung Tran and Elaine Dezenski join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A California entrepreneur says he's building affordable homes in South Central LA at half the usual cost. How? By saying no to public funding. Martin Muoto and Mike Loftin join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Chile is a democracy that fell into dictatorship for nearly two decades. What were the warning signs? Robert Funk, Peter Siavelis and Heraldo Muñoz join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In its last term the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, limited the authority of the EPA and expanded gun rights. In its new term, the court faces decisions on voting rights, affirmative action, gay rights. Amy Howe, Carolyn Shapiro and Erwin Chemerinsky join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
With a collection of 145 portraits, an artist sets out to illustrate and elevate America’s Black pioneers.
Long COVID is generally defined as having symptoms that persist for more than four weeks. Hanna Tripp has lived with COVID symptoms since March 2020, just as the pandemic began. Hear her story in today's 'First person' diary.
Long COVID is generally defined as having symptoms that persist for more than four weeks. Hanna Tripp has lived with COVID symptoms since March 2020, just as the pandemic began. Hear her story in today's 'First person' diary.
Thousands of Americans suffer from long COVID, and doctors still don’t understand it. But researchers who’ve spent decades studying Chronic Fatigue Syndrome say they have some answers. Dr. David Putrino and Dr. Lucinda Bateman join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Thousands of Americans suffer from long COVID, and doctors still don’t understand it. But researchers who’ve spent decades studying Chronic Fatigue Syndrome say they have some answers. Dr. David Putrino and Dr. Lucinda Bateman join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Republicans have a chance to take back the U.S. House and Senate in November’s Midterm Elections. We sit down with conservative voters across the nation to hear what’s on their minds.
Women across Iran have taken to the streets after the death of a young woman in police custody. Their government says it will ‘mercilessly confront’ them: dozens have been killed. Neither side is backing down: what’s next for the women of Iran?
Women across Iran have taken to the streets after the death of a young woman in police custody. Their government says it will ‘mercilessly confront’ them: dozens have been killed. Neither side is backing down: what’s next for the women of Iran?
In Texas, large social media platforms may soon lose the right to moderate their own content. We discuss NetChoice v. Paxton – and how a Texas law could impact First Amendment rights and content moderation online.
In Texas, large social media platforms may soon lose the right to moderate their own content. We discuss NetChoice v. Paxton – and how a Texas law could impact First Amendment rights and content moderation online.
In Mexico, more than a dozen journalists have been murdered a year, every year, for two decades. In 2012, Regina Martinez was one of them. One reporter wanted to know why. Katherine Corcoran joins Kimberly Atkins-Stohr.
In Mexico, more than a dozen journalists have been murdered a year, every year, for two decades. In 2012, Regina Martinez was one of them. One reporter wanted to know why. Katherine Corcoran joins Kimberly Atkins-Stohr.
Only one city in the U.S. has supervised drug injection sites to combat overdose deaths. We discuss a life-saving solution that’s seemingly too controversial. Peter Davidson and Ronda Goldfein join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Only one city in the U.S. has supervised drug injection sites to combat overdose deaths. We discuss a life-saving solution that’s seemingly too controversial. Peter Davidson and Ronda Goldfein join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Millions of climate refugees are expected to move north from the South and West in years to come. The mayor of Buffalo, New York says they’ll be welcome. Maria Agosto, Matt Hauer and Beth Gibbons join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Millions of climate refugees are expected to move north from the South and West in years to come. The mayor of Buffalo, New York says they’ll be welcome. Maria Agosto, Matt Hauer and Beth Gibbons join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Every day, U.S. border patrol drops off hundreds of Venezuelan refugees in downtown El Paso. From then on, they’re the city’s responsibility. But why? Uriel Garcia, Molly O'Toole and Niurka Meléndez join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Every day, U.S. border patrol drops off hundreds of Venezuelan refugees in downtown El Paso. From then on, they’re the city’s responsibility. But why? Uriel Garcia, Molly O'Toole and Niurka Meléndez join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Post-World War II, there was something seen as even worse than being a communist in U.S. politics: being gay. We discuss how lives and careers were lost through decades of bipartisan homophobia. James Kirchick joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
With Russia’s military setbacks in Ukraine, there’s been increasingly open criticism of President Putin and his war. We examine Putin's pressure points. Nikolas Gvosdev and Olga Ivshina join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
With Russia’s military setbacks in Ukraine, there’s been increasingly open criticism of President Putin and his war. We examine Putin's pressure points. Nikolas Gvosdev and Olga Ivshina join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Law journalist Dahlia Lithwick profiles female lawyers and judges who challenged the Trump administration in her new book, 'Lady Justice.'
Law journalist Dahlia Lithwick profiles female lawyers and judges who challenged the Trump administration in her new book, 'Lady Justice.'
Many Silicon Valley companies want their software engineers to live for their jobs. And they offer them everything from meals to dry cleaning to spiritual coaches. But is the office really the place to find a life’s worth of fulfillment? Carolyn Chen and Lauren Padron join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Many Silicon Valley companies want their software engineers to live for their jobs. And they offer them everything from meals to dry cleaning to spiritual coaches. But is the office really the place to find a life’s worth of fulfillment? Carolyn Chen and Lauren Padron join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Jane Goodall formed incredible bonds with chimpanzees in the wild. But were those bonds similar to what we humans experience as trust? It's the first episode of our series "Essential trust."
Jane Goodall formed incredible bonds with chimpanzees in the wild. But were those bonds similar to what we humans experience as trust? It's the first episode of our series "Essential trust."
In an On Point special series "Essential trust," we'll explore how trust is created, from the neural networks of an individual human brain, to institutions and societies at large.
Jackson, Mississippi hasn't had safe drinking water for weeks. The city's mayor says the problem's decades in the making. That makes Jackson a lesson for the entire country. Donna Ladd, Aaron Packman and Catherine Coleman-Flowers join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Jackson, Mississippi hasn't had safe drinking water for weeks. The city's mayor says the problem's decades in the making. That makes Jackson a lesson for the entire country. Donna Ladd, Aaron Packman and Catherine Coleman-Flowers join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Our series of podcast-only episodes called Remarkable Science features conversations with scientists about their work, recorded in front of a virtual audience at WBUR’s CitySpace venue in Boston.
Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University, and Dr. Albert Ko, professor of public health and epidemiology and medicine at Yale, explore how we should all go about living in a time of outbreaks, pandemics and other infectious threats.
Our series of podcast-only episodes called Remarkable Science features conversations with scientists about their work, recorded in front of a virtual audience at WBUR’s CitySpace venue in Boston.
Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University, and Dr. Albert Ko, professor of public health and epidemiology and medicine at Yale, explore how we should all go about living in a time of outbreaks, pandemics and other infectious threats.
President Biden's $37 billion anti-crime plan includes funding to hire 100,000 more police. What's actually in the plan? Richard Rosenfeld and Elie Mystal join Meghna Chakrabarti.
President Biden's $37 billion anti-crime plan includes funding to hire 100,000 more police. What's actually in the plan? Richard Rosenfeld and Elie Mystal join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Russia has cut off energy supplies to Europe. It's causing a crisis. How long can Europe hold on? Suriya Jayanti and Tim McPhie join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Russia has cut off energy supplies to Europe. It's causing a crisis. How long can Europe hold on? Suriya Jayanti and Tim McPhie join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The midterms are coming, and your TV's already been flooded with campaign ads. But do the ads even work? Do they sway voters at all? Christopher Warshaw and Dan Bayens join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The midterms are coming, and your TV's already been flooded with campaign ads. But do the ads even work? Do they sway voters at all? Christopher Warshaw and Dan Bayens join Meghna Chakrabarti.
This year, Congress actually came up with a solution to help the U.S. Postal Service. A bipartisan bill passed that's the biggest financial reform of the Post office in 20 years. What's been fixed? Jacob Bogage and Paul Steidler join Meghna Chakrabarti.
This year, Congress actually came up with a solution to help the U.S. Postal Service. A bipartisan bill passed that's the biggest financial reform of the Post office in 20 years. What's been fixed? Jacob Bogage and Paul Steidler join Meghna Chakrabarti.
One decade and 6,000 pages of documents later, the Bin Laden papers have upended our understanding of al-Qaida. Nelly Lahoud joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
One decade and 6,000 pages of documents later, the Bin Laden papers have upended our understanding of al-Qaida. Nelly Lahoud joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Some school libraries have been forced to remove controversial books. The threat now is on public libraries, where some communities have recently taken another step -- they've voted to defund their local libraries. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Patrick Sweeney and George M. Johnson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Some school libraries have been forced to remove controversial books. The threat now is on public libraries, where some communities have recently taken another step -- they've voted to defund their local libraries. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Patrick Sweeney and George M. Johnson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The COVID-19 pandemic completely upended children’s lives as they knew it. What did they lose? We talk to a longtime education reporter about how the pandemic changed her view of public education. Anya Kamenetz joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
The COVID-19 pandemic completely upended children’s lives as they knew it. What did they lose? We talk to a longtime education reporter about how the pandemic changed her view of public education. Anya Kamenetz joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
In Douglas Rushkoff’s latest book: “Survival of the Richest," we hear how the tech elite are planning to escape the destruction they had a hand in creating.
The life of a digital influencer. Primp. Place product. Post. And cha-ching! But… that’s not all. “There is such an incredible amount of labor, much of that remains concealed behind the scenes." Brooke Erin Duffy and Ayana Lage join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Phones. TVs. Computers, everywhere inside. But outside, how can we help kids see the forest beyond the screens? Steven Rinella joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Phones. TVs. Computers, everywhere inside. But outside, how can we help kids see the forest beyond the screens? Steven Rinella joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
For decades, scholar Randall Kennedy has been writing about race, culture and the law. “We are certainly much further from the racial promised land than I had thought that we were," he says. Randall Kennedy joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
For decades, scholar Randall Kennedy has been writing about race, culture and the law. “We are certainly much further from the racial promised land than I had thought that we were," he says. Randall Kennedy joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Mass grief. Mass outrage. Seemingly everywhere. But can we also learn to share in each other’s joy?
Eve Ekman, Shelly Gable and Amelie, an On Point listener, join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Steven Salaita was a rising star in the field of American Indian studies.
In the fall of 2012, he applied for a job at the University of Illinois. Then, he lost everything.
“I had taken to Twitter and other forms of social media to condemn Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Palestine," Salaita remembers.
"And suddenly, I got an email out of the blue informing me that the job offer had been pulled."
Academic freedom on American campuses. Keith Whittington joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Whales migrate along routes thousands of miles long - oceanic superhighways - that also happen to be corridors of human disruption. We discuss the fight to protect whale superhighways. Kerri Seger and Michael J. Moore join Meghna Chakrabarti.
This year there have been significant legislative efforts to curb gun violence in the U.S. ... including passage of the first federal gun reform bill in three decades. Will it work? Josh Horwitz and Matthew Platkin join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
On the most recent episode of On Point, we talked about Serena Williams' retirement. Or, as she calls it, 'an evolution away from tennis.'
Williams's decision brings to light the challenges for professional athletes who retire after being successful in sports their whole lives. We talked to former NFL wide receiver Markus Wheaton. He played in the league for six seasons.
Serena Williams recently announced her plans to put her tennis career behind her. So, what’s ahead for her?
President Zelenskyy is warning that Vladimir Putin could Ukraine's independence day with “something particularly cruel.” What lies ahead for Ukraine?
Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy knows what it’s like to fly with presidents. We hear about his life in American politics.
Donald Trump's supporters are unleashing a torrent of criticism of the FBI after agents raided Mar-a-Lago. What impact is it having?
Author Salman Rushdie remains in critical condition after a brutal knife attack last week. We'll look at the long history of the price people pay to defend free speech. Jacob Mchangama joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
In 2013, Meghna Chakrabarti spoke with Salman Rushdie, on the tail end of his book tour for Joseph Anton.
Today, in this podcast special, we're resurfacing the 2013 Radio Boston interview with Rushdie.
Why are wages what they are? We talk about the myths that help set wages in the modern economy. Jake Rosenfeld and Larry Mishel join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Why are wages what they are? We talk about the myths that help set wages in the modern economy. Jake Rosenfeld and Larry Mishel join Meghna Chakrabarti.
We're going to look closely at swing state Ohio, and what the midterms Senate race there says about the appeal of Trumpism nationwide.
A new study finds that the standard recommendation of two-and-a-half hours a week of exercise may not be enough. You might need twice as much exercise to live a long, healthy life. NiCole Keith and Dr. Eddie Phillips join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A new study finds that the standard recommendation of two-and-a-half hours a week of exercise may not be enough. You might need twice as much exercise to live a long, healthy life. NiCole Keith and Dr. Eddie Phillips join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley had written a letter of resignation. In it, he accused former President Donald Trump of betraying the country. But Milley never sent the letter. That's according to a stunning report in the New Yorker magazine.
The nation's meatpacking companies skirted COVID safety regulations. And they did it with the White House's help, according to a little known Congressional report. So how’d they get away with it?
- The last Taiwan Straights crisis. China's was badly outmatched by the U.S. So what's the Chinese military capable of now?
The federal government is spending big to usher in an electric vehicle future.
What ideas can make sure the money is well spent?
From the deck of the Starship Enterprise, to the storied parquet of the NBA -- Nichelle Nichols and Bill Russell changed how the world saw Black Americans. We'll remember the legacies of these two pioneers.
In a truly open society, all ideas can flourish -- even those that tear down democracies. New technologies help those ideas spread. So, are fragile democracies the norm? Zac Gershberg, Sean Illing and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Youth suicide has been on the rise across the United States. And for young people between the ages of 5 and 12, the suicide rate for Black children is nearly double that of white children. Tami Charles and Kevin Simon join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Youth suicide has been on the rise across the United States. And for young people between the ages of 5 and 12, the suicide rate for Black children is nearly double that of white children. Tami Charles and Kevin Simon join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The typical teen body clock and the typical school start time are out of synch. California is pushing back the start of the high school day. Other districts already have. Did it work? Lisa L. Lewis joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
First person: Jose Luis Alvarez, co-founder of Forests for Monarchs, and Martha Askins, a retired lawyer, discuss the beauty of the monarch butterfly and conservation efforts to save them.
You’ve seen the pharma ads saying depression may be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. But for years, doctors have known that's not entirely true. A big new study confirms that, and it’s come as a shock to patients.
A new bill proposes critical updates to the Electoral Count Act of 1887, but is it enough to prevent another Jan. 6th? Matthew Seligman, Derek Muller and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A new bill proposes critical updates to the Electoral Count Act of 1887, but is it enough to prevent another Jan. 6th? Matthew Seligman, Derek Muller and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Franklin Leonard is founder of The Black List, a company and production studio that searches for the best screenplays that aren't getting attention from Hollywood execs.
In a pod exclusive, Leonard joins Meghna Chakrabarti for a special live event at KPCC's Public Radio Palooza series in Pasadena, California.
Monkeypox is spreading across the country, with numbers rising. COVID was supposed to be a wake up call for American public health. So how did this happen? Aaron Gettinger and Dr. Ali Khan join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Monkeypox is spreading across the country, with numbers rising. COVID was supposed to be a wake up call for American public health. So how did this happen? Aaron Gettinger and Dr. Ali Khan join Meghna Chakrabarti.
There were more than 560 homicides in Philadelphia last year. Now, some elected officials are calling for the return of a controversial policing tactic: stop-and-frisk. Sammy Caiola, Shira Scheindlin and Councilman Isaiah Thomas join Meghna Chakrabarti.
There were more than 560 homicides in Philadelphia last year. Now, some elected officials are calling for the return of a controversial policing tactic: stop-and-frisk. Sammy Caiola, Shira Scheindlin and Councilman Isaiah Thomas join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Amanda Ripley is a journalist, and even she, like millions of Americans, decided to turn off the news. So what needs to change? Ripley has an answer, and it begins with giving people hope.
Joe Segal, Amanda Ripley and David Bornstein join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The James Webb Space Telescope has sent back its first images. We'll discuss the deepest glimpse into the story of the universe human kind has ever had.
Catherine Espaillat and Steve Finkelstein join Meghna Chakrabarti.
As its series of hearings wraps up, what has the January 6 committee revealed about Donald Trump and the attack on the Capitol?
Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rosalind Helderman and Jack Beatty join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
During the 2020 Presidential campaign, Joe Biden called himself a “transition candidate.” But transition to bring America where?
Mike Lux, Jonathan Lemire and Jack Beatty join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
In several countries, elected politicians are making deals with violent militias. Is America next?
Rachel Kleinfeld and Bill Kristol join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
In decisions involving state funding for religious schools and prayer on a high school football field the conservative majority on the Supreme Court says it is defending religious liberty. But for some, that seems more like an attack.
Linda Greenhouse and Michael McConnell join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Omicron BA.5 is the new dominant COVID strain in the U.S. New mutations. A new set of questions.
Dr. Ashish Jha, Professor Marlene Wolfe and Dr. Amesh Adalja join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
The banality of evil. Hannah Arendt's famous observation during the trial of Adolf Eichmann, the ‘architect of the Holocaust.’ There's new evidence that Eichmann's evil was anything but banal. Yariv Mozer and Bettina Stangneth join Meghna Chakrabarti.
“America never would have gotten into this mess if it weren’t for me and my friends.”
That's how Tim Miller begins his new book "Why We Did It."
Tim Miller and Sarah Isgur join Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss how “normal” Republican staffers paved the road to Trump.
Decades before QAnon, far-right conspiracists were already pushing a conservative political agenda. We discuss the history of far-right populism – from the John Birch Society to Trumpism. Edward Miller and Jack Beatty join Anthony Brooks.
Some Republicans say state legislatures should have the power to override federal elections. The Supreme Court is taking up a case that could make that the law of the land. We hear why some say that would imperil our democracy. Bertrall Ross, Dan Vicuña and Dallas Woodhouse join Anthony Brooks.
Analysts studying recent mass shootings say there's a previously unrecognized pattern. It begins in the darkest corners of the internet.
We discuss the online training ground for mass shooters. Alex Newhouse and Emmi Conley join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The crypto market is in meltdown, with $2 trillion lost so far. Could it pave the way to new regulations? Hester Peirce and Molly White join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A pandemic program that worked, but was eliminated anyway. We hear what's behind the end of the universal free school meals program. Lisa Davis, Teresa Brown and Krista Ruffini join Meghna Chakrabarti.
On Point senior editor speaks with Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about the actions the federal government could take to improve the airline industry.
A pilot shortage exacerbated by pandemic staff cuts and a mandatory retirement age has led to thousands of flight delays and cancellations. After a $50-plus billion bailout during the pandemic, why does airline service seem even worse?
William J. McGee joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Supreme Court upended 40 years of deference to agencies like the EPA. They've ruled that the EPA can't aggressively regulate carbon emissions. But the ruling could curb the reach of almost every regulatory agency in the country.
Christine Todd Whitman, Lisa Graves, Paul DeCamp and Christopher Wright join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Rebroadcast: Historian Jon Grinspan says Americans in the past fought to fix democracy. But what does that mean for Americans today?
"Many of our problems have, if not identical moments in the past, parallels and similar tendencies in our democracy across time.” Jon Grinspan and Jack Beatty joined Meghna Chakrabarti.
Who's to blame for America's polarized politics? The government? The media? Special interests? Tom Nichols says the problem is 'all of us.'
Tom Nichols and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
As January 6th rioters closed in on the Capitol, the Trump White House did nothing. Cassidy Hutchinson, former senior aide to then White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows went to Meadows' office and found him scrolling on his phone. Chris Whipple, Alan Rozenshtein and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Unlike when Roe was first decided in the 1970s, women needing abortions now are more likely to be women of color who are already mothers. How will losing access to abortions alter their lives? Kwajelyn Jackson, Fatima Goss Graves and Janai Nelson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
What if you could taste the world’s electrical fields? Hear vibrations in a leaf? Or see magnetic currents guiding you home? Science writer Ed Yong helps us perceive the world the way animals do – through eyes, ears, antennae and more.
Record-high gas prices. Interest rate hikes. A tight jobs market. Inflation at a 40-year high. We discuss the confusing state of the American economy.
The January 6th select committee is continuing to pick apart the events and forces that led up to the attack on the Capitol. After weeks two of hearings, what have we learned about Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election? Andrea Bernstein, Ilya Marritz and Jack Beatty join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
50 years ago, Title IX outlawed sex-based discrimination at federally funded schools. But in collegiate level sports, you’d be pushed to know it. Donna Lopiano and Lori Bullock join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
COVID reinfections were considered rare in 2020, but emerging variants have now made them increasingly likely. We discuss what we now know about COVID-19. Akiko Iwasaki and Dr. H. Cody Meissner join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
U.S. aid is helping Ukraine in its ongoing battle with Russian invaders. But ongoing conflict comes with a risk. As war drags on ... is it time to talk compromise? Anne Applebaum, Steven Simon and Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Despite their differences of opinion, the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court have always regarded mutual trust as a pillar of their establishment.
But the leak of a draft ruling has rocked that. So is the court forever changed? Dahlia Lithwick, Amy Howe and Carolyn Shapiro join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Will artificial intelligence replace doctors? It's the final episode in our series “Smarter health." Dr. Sumeet Chugh and Stacy Hurt join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Summer 2020. The worldwide COVID death toll had hit half a million. And the Greek government had a decision to make.
How could the nation open up to tourists while also keeping COVID under control in Greece?
In this podcast extra, On Point senior editor Dorey Scheimer talks with professor Hamsa Bastani. Bastani helped develop 'Eva,' an AI algorithm that helped Greece curb COVID.
The Western megadrought. This year, it's brought early, record-breaking wildfires to New Mexico. The drought is forcing permanent ecosystem changes. Can there be longterm solutions? Mayor Louie Trujillo and John D’Antonio join Meghna Chakrabarti.
For decades, the NRA has said that America's astronomical rate of gun violence is "the price we pay for freedom." We'll look at that creed, and how it may be the most powerful force in the American debate about guns. Frank Smyth and Pat McCrory join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Congress's January 6th select committee is broadcasting its hearings directly to Americans.
But with partisan gaps widening, and fewer people saying Trump is responsible for the attack on Congress, can the hearings break through with the American people?
Lisa Desjardins, Steven Levitsky and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Phones. TVs. Computers, everywhere inside. But outside, how can we help kids see the forest beyond the screens? Steven Rinella joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Health care is heavily regulated. But can the FDA effectively regulate AI in health care? It's episode three of our series “Smarter health."
Elisabeth Rosenthal, Finale Doshi-Velez and Yiannos Tolias join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives enforces gun laws already on the books. How can enforcement happen when the very agency charged with doing so are handicapped by Congress? Champe Barton and David Chipman joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Many Silicon Valley companies want their software engineers to live for their jobs. And they offer them everything from meals to dry cleaning to spiritual coaches. But is the office really the place to find a life’s worth of fulfilment? Carolyn Chen and Lauren Padron join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Mass grief. Mass outrage. Seemingly everywhere. But can we also learn to share in each other’s joy?
Eve Ekman, Shelly Gable and Amelie, an On Point listener, join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Admiral James Stavridis knows what it takes to make decisions in battle. Stavridis says the things needed to make good decisions in war are not that different from what's needed to make good decisions in everyday life. He'll tell us about it.
Post-World War II, there was something seen as even worse than being a communist in U.S. politics: being gay. We discuss how lives and careers were lost through decades of bipartisan homophobia. James Kirchick joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Texas used to have some of the strictest gun laws in America. But since they were relaxed, there have several mass shootings across the state. We talk to Texans about the laws they've stripped away. Rep. Joe Moody and Michael Cargill join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion on abortion shows the Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade on the basis that abortion is “not deeply rooted in the nation’s history and traditions.” We look at the fragility of unenumerated rights. Kenji Yoshino and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
REBROADCAST: Burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq. Vast piles of U.S. military waste set alight, pouring smoke into the air that U.S. soldiers would breathe. Why were they ignored for so long? Megan Stack, Le Roy Torres and Dan Brewer join Meghna Chakrabarti.
American health care is complex. Expensive. Hard to access. Could artificial intelligence change that?
It's the first episode in our series 'Smarter health.' Dr. Ziad Obermeyer joins us.
It’s estimated that more than 60,000 people live on the streets and in the parks of Los Angeles. Or put another way – 20% of all unhoused Americans – are in LA. Can the city find a way to house everyone who calls LA home? Heidi Marston and Rachel Estrada join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Following the mass shooting of 19 elementary school children in Uvalde, Texas yesterday, we ask what will it take for us to find the political will to prevent these kind of events from being a uniquely American experience. Lee Drutman, Daniel Webster and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Life with robots once seemed possible only in science fiction.
But today, scientific advances in artificial intelligence and robotics have ensured that robots are a part of our everyday lives.
On May 13, the Day of AI, we brought together a panel of experts to talk about the future of AI and robots.
This is the first installment of our series Remarkable Science -- featuring conversations with scientists about their discoveries, recorded in front of an audience at WBUR’s CitySpace venue.
Since the start of the war, we’ve listened to voices from Ukraine. As the war grinds on, how do Ukrainians see things? Ivan Gomza, Olga Buzunova and Mariana Budjeryn join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Great replacement theory -- the erroneous belief that there's an effort underway to 'replace native-born Americans with immigrants for electoral gains.' That fear has moved from the fringes to the mainstream. As many as one in three Americans say they believe it. Jeffery Robinson and Ricky Jones join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country in the world.
But Americans are not as healthy as people living in other rich nations. Could artificial intelligence change all that?
Starting Friday, May 27th, On Point presents a four-part series: 'Smarter health: Artificial intelligence and the future of American health care.'
Trees are on the move. Because of climate change, the world’s forests are heading north. What does this mean for us and our survival? Ben Rawlence joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
The a national baby formula shortage. The reason? Corporate monopolies, poor quality control and federal regulation. Matt Stoller joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
In an archive edition of On Point: As American conservatives meet for their conference in Budapest, we learn more about why they're gathering to hear Viktor Orban. Jack Beatty and Kim Scheppele join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Journalist Putsata Reang has reported on many wars. Her own life is defined by the war her family escaped.
“What did I owe my mother for giving me life?" The question gripped Reang when she decided to tell her mother that she's gay.
Putsata Reang joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Different religions in America have different answers to the question of when life begins. If the government adopts one definition of life when it comes to abortion access, is it restricting the free practice of all other beliefs? Elizabeth Reiner Platt and Rabba Sara Hurwitz join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Rebroadcast: If you consult three doctors and get three different opinions, that’s an example of what Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues call “noise.” How do you decide what to do when professionals don’t agree? We’ll cut through the noise and exploring human judgment. Daniel Kahneman and Olivier Sibony join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Youth suicide has been on the rise across the United States. And for young people between the ages of 5 and 12, the suicide rate for Black children is nearly double that of white children. Tami Charles and Kevin Simon join Meghna Chakrabarti.
For more than 40 years, millions of tons of Uranium ore were mined from Navajo lands to make nuclear weapons. Thousands of workers were exposed to deadly radiation.
Those workers are about to lose funding to cover their health costs. Phil Harrison and Amber Crotty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In Shanghai, the long near total lockdown has meant empty streets, food insecurity, and rising anger and dissent. So why is China still pursing its iron clad COVID-zero strategy? Don Weinland, Dr. Yangyang Cheng and Yanzhong Huang join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In the United States, Roe v. Wade is on the brink of being overturned. But across Latin America, abortion access is expanding. Why is the United States going in the opposite direction from much of the world on abortion rights? Michelle Oberman, Cora Fernandez Anderson and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
More than half the world's population experienced a headache disorder in the past year. Why? Dr. Amaal J. Starling and Dr. Peter Goadsby join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In a podcast extra, Meghna Chakrabarti reflects on a 2017 conversation with Sarah Weddington, the Texas attorney who successfully argued Roe v. Wade 44 years ago.
The U.S. is approaching a grim milestone – one million dead from COVID-19. Millions more Americans trying to figure out how to live life without the person they loved. We remember those we've lost to COVID. Micki McElya and Marisa Renee Lee join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Politics feels like a centrifugal force, pushing, tearing American democracy apart. So what glue can hold us together? Yascha Mounk and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Florida property insurance is a hot mess. One word: Litigation. In fact, more than 75% of all property insurance lawsuits in the United States originate in Florida. Mark Friedlander and Jeff Brandes join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Biden Administration has delayed the restart of student loan repayments. We discuss the federal government's role in causing and fixing the problem of high student loan debt. Josh Mitchell and Beth Akers join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Intensity. Drama. Speed. Americans are falling in love with Formula One racing. However, is the new motor sports fandom real, or driven by a Netflix algorithm? Drew Lawrence and Carlos Serra join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed the Nordic nations toward NATO. How will it change European security? Emma Ashford, Heli Hautala and Wess Mitchell join Meghna Chakrabarti.
NATO expansion in the '90s. U.S. Defense Secretary Les Aspin asked in 1993: "How do you deal with the question of membership?" Ultimately, the Clinton administration's answer to that question may have had more to do with domestic politics than international alliances. Mary Elise Sarotte and Charles Kupchan join Meghna Chakrabarti.
From Nazi Germany to Mussolini’s Italy, fascists worked to repress the rights of women by restricting education and abortion rights. Now, there are echoes of that past again. Anne Wingenter and Erica Chenoweth join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt says America is in trouble.
He sees it on college campuses and through social media.
Haidt joins Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss democracy, social media and how to fix America's 'ailing' institutions.
While you were tending to your quarantine sourdough starter, Chinese YouTube star Li Ziqi was growing mushrooms, making peach blossom crowns and listening to the sound of blooming roses.
Join Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson in their podcast 'Endless Thread' as they explore Li Ziqi, and why millions of isolated people worldwide have been drawn to the quiet intricacy and beauty of her videos.
Some states and local law enforcement agencies have taken it upon themselves to develop their own firearm hand-in laws that they can effectively enforce. That’s happened in California, Washington state, Colorado and Lafourche Parish, Louisiana.
On Point producer Paige Sutherland has more on what's happening in Louisiana and the gap in America's gun laws.
The House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection will soon make public what they’ve found. Congressional historian Ray Smock says the stakes are high.
Kimberly Atkins Stohr hosts a discussion on the next phase of the Jan. 6 investigation with Betsy Woodruff Swan, Raymond Smock and Jack Beatty.
Georgia, once solid red, is looking more purple than ever. We hear the inside story of Georgia’s shift left, and what it can teach Democrats nationwide. Greg Bluestein joins Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
A controversial immigration policy meant to keep COVID-19 out of the U.S. is set to end next month. But despite claims of the policy causing a humanitarian crisis, U.S. lawmakers claim lifting Title 42 will cause a different crisis here at home. Eleanor Acer, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Harold Koh and Monette Zard join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Last Tuesday, President Joe Biden declared genocide was taking place in Ukraine.
"I called it genocide because it’s become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be a Ukrainian," the president said.
But is Biden right? We discuss the politics of calling the Russian invasion of Ukraine a genocide and the investigations to prove it. Kate Cronin-Furman and Eugene Finkel join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Personal fitness for women used to be considered unladylike. That all changed with fitness pioneers like Lotte Berk and Judi Sheppard Missett. But look closer and there’s much more to the story than jazz shoes and leg warmers. Danielle Friedman and Jessica Rihal join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
When three friends went on a rum-fueled rampage one night deep in the Nevada desert, they never expected the trouble they would find themselves in a week later.
The men broke into a remote unit of Death Valley National Park known as Devil's Hole — a mysterious flooded cave that happens to be home to the one of the rarest fish on Earth, and one that's critically endangered too.
This episode, based on Paige Blankenbuehler's High Country News feature, is a bite-size crime story starring an obscure species of tiny fish, and some hedonistic humans who stepped a little too far over the line, and suffered some big consequences.
Last Seen host Nora Saks dives into the fraught relationship between humans and nature, and the long arm of the law intended to protect our most vulnerable species.
Water bottles. Shopping bags. Computers. Medical equipment. Food containers.
We're living in an invisible miasma of microplastics. What's it doing to human health? Erica Cirino and Heather Leslie join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Ambassador Bill Taylor has been the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine twice, most recently under President Trump. He joins Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss how the United States’ relationship with Ukraine is changing.
According to the White House, billionaires in America pay income tax at a rate that’s just half that of the average worker. President Biden is proposing taxing the unrealized gains of the richest Americans — assets the wealthy haven’t yet cashed out on. Steve Rosenthal joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Online attacks and harassments have become a fact of life for many women online. Can it be stopped? Nina Jankowicz joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
There's an unprecedent number of intercepted audio coming out of the Russia-Ukraine war. How is it changing what's happening in Ukraine?
John Scott-Railton and Andrei Soldatov join Meghna Chakrabarti.
WBUR, the home of On Point, makes a handful of podcasts you may not have heard before, and we want to change that.
So, we’re continuing with our weekend playlist of other podcasts made at WBUR.
Today: An episode from 'Endless Thread' — about a battle between astronomers over a somewhat unassuming rock.
An effort to get guns out of the hands of abusive boyfriends failed again in Congress. We discuss the story behind the two-decades old fight to close the so-called “boyfriend loophole."
Last year, Liz Shuler became the first ever woman elected president of the country's largest labor union. She joins us to talk about where the labor movement is headed.
Jennifer and Tyrone Harris had $230,000 of debt. But after four years, they paid down their debt entirely. How did they do it?
For 25 years, Michelle Singletary has dished out personal finance guidance at the Washington Post. Who did she turn to for advice?
America doesn't have enough teachers. The Biden administration is calling for states to spend and recruit more. Will that work? Linda Darling-Hammond joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
A Russia-Ukraine peace agreement. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants concrete security guarantees. Would Russia accept? Ret. Lt. Gen. Donald Kerrick, Max Seddon and Dr. Cindy Wittke join Meghna Chakrabarti.
WBUR, the home of On Point, makes a handful of podcasts you may not have heard before, and we want to change that.
Every Sunday for the next month, we’ll drop one of our favorite episodes of a WBUR podcast in this feed.
First up: An episode from the new season of 'Last Seen.' Amory Sivertson traces the enigmatic life of Jack Murphy, or "Murph the Surf," who pulled off the biggest jewel heist in New York City history.
The James Webb Space Telescope is NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency's most ambitious space observatory ever. A million miles away from Planet Earth, it is designed to look back to the beginnings of the universe.
In this 'First Person,' we hear from Robert Gonsalves, creator of the phase retrieval imaging technique now being used by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Peering deeper into the universe than we ever have before. We hear the remarkable story of the James Webb Space Telescope. Marcia J. Rieke and Nikole Lewis join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Influential voices on the American far-right, such as white nationalist Nick Fuentes, are genuflecting to Russia. How close, and how dangerous is the far-right's Russian relationship? Jason Blazakis, Natalia Antelava and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In January, South Korea had about 4,500 new COVID cases a day. By mid-March, that number ballooned to over 400,000. But at the same time, South Korea has one the lowest COVID death rates in the world. So, how are they doing that? Sangmi Cha and Jerome Kim join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Ethiopia’s government has turned the northern Tigray region into a virtual prison. Five million people. No way in. No way out. No food, no medicine, no electricity. How long can the world look the other way? Etana Dinka, Hayelom Mekonen and Ephraim Isaac join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Alexander Vindman and Lawrence Wilkerson have unique histories that have brought them to two different views on what the U.S. and Europe must do as Russia continues its attack on Ukraine. We hear from them both. Ret. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Ret. Col. Larry Wilkerson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Whales migrate along routes thousands of miles long - oceanic superhighways - that also happen to be corridors of human disruption. We discuss the fight to protect whale superhighways. Ari Friedlaender joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
A legislative proposal in Missouri would make it illegal for a woman to cross state lines to receive a legal abortion. Restricting a woman's freedom of movement. Is it the next step in states that continue to tighten abortion access? Tessa Weinberg, Dr. Colleen McNicholas and Mary Elizabeth Coleman join Meghna Chakrabarti.
For millions of Ukrainians who have not -- and cannot -- leave their cities, how are they enduring life in a warzone? Alevtina Kakhidze and Ivan Gomza join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Big rhetoric around three simple words. But what would a "no-fly zone" really mean in the skies over Ukraine? John Kornblum and Lt. Gen. David Deptula join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson would be the first former public defender on a bench full of former prosecutors and corporate lawyers. What difference would that make on the highest court in the land? Nancy Gertner and Benjamin Barton join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The U.S. and NATO have warned Beijing not to back its ally. What China chooses to do now will have worldwide implications for years to come. We talk about it. Tong Zhao, Dr. Yangyang Cheng and Oriana Skylar Mastro join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Dr. Celine Gounder is a senior fellow and editor-at-large for public health at Kaiser Health News. She shares where the U.S. struggles in talking about the pandemic, and what we can do to fix it.
COVID, two years later. We discuss building trust and lessons for leaders who will face the next pandemic. Richard Tofel and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Sanctions are squeezing Russia’s economy, but not its wealthiest. We look at how the global financial system enables oligarchy, and how to fix it. Louise Shelley and Oliver Bullough join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has defended his country, deftly used the media, and galvanized the world. We hear a profile in leadership. Gina Scott Ligon and Max Hastings join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Russian President Vladimir Putin put his nuclear arsenal on high alert. What are the strategic, and political moves necessary to avoid the unthinkable? Matthew Bunn, Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer and Dr. Ira Helfand join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Cold War was defined by the fear of mutually assured destruction. Does Russia's invasion of Ukraine signal a new Cold War? Mary Elise Sarotte, Jack Beatty and William Braun join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq. Vast piles of U.S. military waste set alight, pouring smoke into the air that U.S. soldiers would breathe. Why were they ignored for so long? Megan Stack, Le Roy Torres and Dan Brewer join Meghna Chakrabarti.
More than one million Ukrainians have been forced to across the border. We hear more about the humanitarian and refugee crisis as Russian attacks in Ukraine intensify. Sarah Deardorff Miller, Natasja Bogacz, Kateryna Babkina and Oleksandr Mykhed join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The international community may not be sending soldiers. But does isolation from the global economy constitute a form of economic war against Russia?
Patricia Cohen, Josh Lipsky and Timothy Frye join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Bombing and encircling civilians in cities, indications that cluster bombs may have been dropped. Is Russia committing war crimes in Ukraine?
Jeffrey Edmonds, Richard Weir, Philippe Sands and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Apollinaria Oleinikova is 18-years-old. For most of her life, she was a carefree Muscovite. Now, she's publicly protesting, along with other Russians, in Moscow.
Russians join us to discuss the war being waged in their name. Nina Khrushcheva and Andrei Soldatov join Meghna Chakrabarti.
On today’s show, we discussed the ethics of autonomous vehicles and the recent incidents involving Tesla’s “full self-driving” beta software.
In a podcast special, we share what it's like behind the wheel when Tesla software is in action.
Self-driving technology has come a long way in recent years, but it remains far from perfect. And that's partially because of decisions made -- not by the cars -- but by programmers. Rebecca Heilweil and Matthew Johnson-Roberson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
President Biden's first State of the Union address covered everything from war in Ukraine, to COVID, to inflation.
In a podcast special, On Point news analyst Jack Beatty shares 5 key takeaways from Biden’s big speech.
In 1999, Putin ordered the airstrikes and bombing that razed the Chechen capital of Grozny. Could he do it again, in Ukraine? Andrew Harding, Michael Kofman and Paul Stronski join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In 2020, almost every single child on planet earth was out of school, due to COVID.
Lost school years. Lost learning around the world. What impact will it have, for generations? Robert Jenkins, Mary Goretti Nakabugo and Olavo Nogueira join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the greatest test of European resolve in a generation. Will it transform the EU? Tom Nichols, Nina Jankowicz, Naomi O’Leary and Olga Tokariuk join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Despite warnings from the West, Russian troops are advancing on Ukraine. If sanctions don’t work, what should the U.S. do next? Derek Chollet, Angela Stent, Terrell Jermaine Starr and Mariana Budjeryn join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Vitriol against public servants is increasing. What impact does that have on who stays in politics – and for the health of democracy? Marico Sayoc, Matt Ford and Meredith McGehee join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
The percentage of people who say they don’t have a single close friend has quadrupled in the past 30 years, according to the Survey Center on American Life. What's driving the American friendship gap? Jennifer Senior, Dr. Marisa Franco, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
The “suburbs” have become a hot constituency in recent years. But has the term enveloped the full range of their residents? R. L’Heureux Lewis-McCoy joins Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
President Biden is considering who he’ll nominate to the Supreme court. She’ll make history in more ways than one. So who does the president have in mind? Gloria Browne-Marshall and Renee Knake Jefferson join Kimberly Atkins-Stohr.
For antitrust reformers, the size and power of companies like Google and Facebook represent more than a threat to consumer welfare. It’s the final episode in our series “More than money." Matt Stoller, Jack Beatty and Carl Shapiro join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar is the chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights. She’s also on the Judiciary Committee.
Last month, the Judiciary Committee passed the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, an effort to target big tech companies for potential antitrust violations.
The bill proposes giving federal agencies the authority to issue civil penalties for anti-competitive activities in the tech sector.
In a pod exclusive, Sen. Klobuchar joins us to reflect on Senate action against monopolies in the digital age.
From Robert Bork's "consumer harm" to Lina Khan's "democratic harm," we discuss the ideas that drive the government's approach to antitrust regulation. Daniel Crane, Barry Lynn and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The nineteenth century saw the rise of great monopolies. Americans pushed back. What changed?
We discuss lessons learned from antitrust action in the Gilded Age with Jack Beatty and Charles Postel.
Microsoft wants to acquire Activision-Blizzard for almost $70 billion. Microsoft says it won't harm consumers. But is the mega-merger a new kind of monopoly? Dina Bass, Bill Kovacic and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Our series "More than Money: The Cost of Monopolies in America" is a week-long exploration of the hidden power of monopolies in the U.S.
Today's episode looks at how corporate monopolies dominate the beef industry.
"It's failed consumers on one end of the supply chain, and it's failed the American family farmer and rancher on the other." Bill Bullard, Claire Kelloway and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In just days, several states have suddenly reversed course on masks in school. But not everyone agrees. We talk about whether now's the right time to end school masking. Dr. Lucy McBride and Debra Furr-Holden join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Paycheck Protection Program was supposed to help workers stay afloat during the pandemic. But new analysis finds most PPP funding went to the richest 20% of Americans. David Autor and Lydia DePillis join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Three days before his interview for the New York Giants’ head coaching position, Brian Flores learned that the job was already promised to someone else. Flores is now suing the NFL. We talk about football, coaching, and race. N. Jeremi Duru joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Ukraine has a long, fraught history with Russia and the Soviet Union. How do Ukrainians see themselves now? Vitaly Chernetsky, Timothy Snyder and Sevgil Musayeva join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Electoral Count Act is at the center of Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Now, the Senate is considering reforming the 136-year-old law. Mark Joseph Stern, Judge Michael Luttig and Norman Eisen join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A simple word game has taken the internet by storm. But now that the New York Times owns the game, can the wonder of Wordle last? Jonathan Knight, Ian Bogost and Katy Pearce join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A third of all the nation's rooftop solar panels are in California.
Now, the California public utilities commission says it’s time to pull back the support.
We discuss the battle for California’s rooftop solar. Matt Freedman and Terry Tamminen join Meghna Chakrabarti.
20 years ago, President Bush ordered the creation of a secretive prison at Guantanamo Bay. Many were innocent. Many were tortured. Two presidents tried to close Gitmo -- and failed. And we’re still stuck with it. Michael Lehnert, Moazzam Begg and Carol Rosenberg join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A year ago, Israel was the first country to issue a strict vaccine passport. Now, some health officials say the Green Pass did not stop the omicron variant, and is no 'longer relevant.' We evaluate the effectiveness of vaccine passports. Miquel Oliu-Barton, Maya Peled-Raz, Dr. Jennifer Avegno and Seema Mohapatra join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan last year. Now, U.S. vets are coming together to help the Afghans who did so much for them.
Hear about Operation North Star, and the story of the soldiers working to save their Afghan colleagues, and friends. David Young and Missy Ryan join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring after more than two decades at the Supreme Court. Who might President Biden call to replace him? We discuss what Breyer’s replacement could mean for the court, and the weighty decisions that lie ahead. Jill Dash and David Savage join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
The way we often think about poverty in the United States is as an individual failing, social welfare professor Mark Robert Rank says. So, what would happen if the U.S. redefined poverty as being impoverished of support? Mark Robert Rank, Amy Glasmeier and Kai Sinclair join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The federal government removed the gray wolf from the endangered species list last year. Now, hundreds of gray wolves have been killed. We hear how tribes are leading efforts to stop the hunts. Tom Rodgers and Adrian Wydeven join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Seditious conspiracy. The Justice Department has levied the charge on 11 people associated with the January 6 Capitol attack. But what is seditious conspiracy, and why is the charge so rare? Ryan Reilly, Jenny Carroll and Rachel Carroll Rivas join Meghna Chakrabarti.
With the omicron wave, hospitals have been crushed by the surge in patients. But COVID is a symptom, not the cause of hospitals being overwhelmed. What needs to change? Dr. Vivian Lee joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
From infrastructure to child care, Democrats are pushing for issues with broad public support. So why do so many Americans believe our country is headed in the wrong direction? Jack Beatty, Mike Murphy and Anat Shenker-Osorio join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
There are potentially tens of millions of domestic violence survivors with undiagnosed brain injuries. Their stories are slowly coming to light. In a podcast extra, Paula Walters shares her journey to discovering her brain injury, and taking her power back.
The suffering caused by domestic violence is emotional, spiritual and physical. But there's one aspect of that suffering that is almost invisible: brain injury. In this First Person diary, survivor Freya Doe shares her story.
An 'invisible epidemic' is causing suffering in millions of women. It affects memory, concentration, balance. We discuss traumatic brain injuries in survivors of domestic violence. Eve Valera and Rachel Ramirez join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The White House promises schools 10 million COVID tests every month. But some medical experts say testing in schools may hurt more than help. CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Monica Gandhi join Meghna Chakrabarti to make sense of what's happening in America's schools.
Hard-right talk radio and podcasts have influence and reach. For their audiences, the Jan. 6 insurrection was just the beginning. We explore what far-right radio and podcasts are telling Americans about their own democracy. Tim Miller and Cynthia Miller-Idriss join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Atlanta has been the cradle of civil rights leadership in the past. But what about its future? We explore Atlanta's legacy, and future leadership in the pursuit of civil rights. Charles Black, Nsé Ufot and Maurice Hobson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Redistricting. The process of creating maps to determine who represents you at the state and federal level. Independent commissions were supposed to take the politics out of this process. We ask: how’s that going? Doug Spencer and Michael Li join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
In March 2020, an MIT scientist developed a cheap, rapid COVID test -- giving results in just 15 minutes. It could have been a game changer early in the pandemic, but it never made it to consumers. Why? Dr. Irene Bosch joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Elizabeth Holmes became a tech billionaire through fraud. Now, she faces years in prison. Will Silicon Valley’s ‘fake it till you make it’ culture face an overall reckoning? Dr. Bijan Salehizadeh, Micah Rosenbloom and Kara Swisher join Meghna Chakrabarti.
You've heard the headlines about record-breaking omicron cases. But are case number the wrong way to look at COVID? We learn how to make sense of the pandemic, now. Dr. Paul Checchia and Dr. Richard Lessells join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Are cities in the West prepared for a perpetual fire season? 2 Colorado residents share how Western wildfires in Superior, CO and Louisville, CO have shaped their lives.
Wildfires aren't just in the wilderness anymore. We discuss resilience, retrofit and the urgent need for new regulations as fires threaten Western American cities. Natasha Stavros and Erica Fischer join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer is pushing election reform – no matter what it takes. Some members of the GOP has other plans. What does that mean for American democracy? Rep. Katherine Clark, John Fortier and Sophia Lin Lakin join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
In December 2020, Representative Jamie Raskin lost his son. A few days later, he watched in horror as America almost lost its democracy. Rep. Raskin joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Senator Joe Manchin torpedoed the Biden administration's social spending plan, for now. But West Virginians want answers. We learn what West Virginians need, and what their senator is willing to support. Kelly Allen and Josh Sword join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Inflation, rate hikes, tax credits and more. Michelle Singletary and Rana Foroohar guide us through what's to come in the 2022 economy.
It's almost one year since the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
The DOJ is underway with what's now the largest criminal investigation in U.S. history.
What can the investigation tell us about what happened on Jan. 6? Roger Parloff and Heidi Beirich join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Colin Powell served America at its highest levels. Joint Chiefs Chairman. Secretary of State. A man both celebrated and tarnished by war. In a rebroadcast, we look back on his life and legacy with his former chief of staff.
Multi-level marketing distributors claim to sell life-changing products. They’re also selling something else -- misleading product claims and disinformation. Amanda Montell and Stephanie McNeal join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Rebroadcast: Investigative journalist Amanda Ripley wanted to understand the sources of human conflict. So she studied it for more than four years. She detected a strong pattern to the most intractable conflicts, big and small. She found it in divorces, gang violence and political polarization. From the personal to the tribal, we discuss high conflict, and how to pull free of it. Amanda Ripley, Curtis Toler and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In the U.S., individual rights are sacrosanct. Legal scholar Jamal Greene calls that "rightsism," and says it's pushing the country in the wrong direction. In a rebroadcast, we hear why he says it’s time to reduce the focus on individual rights. Jamal Greene and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Kathryn Paige Harden says most people have no clue what genetic science can already do. In her new book 'The Genetic Lottery,' she says a new moral framework is needed to prepare for what's to come. Kathryn Paige Harden and Carey Goldberg join Meghna Chakrabarti.
What determines your happiness? We talk about why science says, even with every problem in the world right now, you deserve to be happy. Laurie Santos and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Bob LaBonne Jr. is president and CEO of LaBonne's Market in Connecticut. He reflects on a COVID year, and what the pandemic has exposed about America's food supply chain. "It was nice to see the world recognize the food industry as essential workers. And our people stepped up, and they're still doing it months later," LaBonne says.
Pandemics do end. A century ago, the last great global pandemic finally petered out. How did the world know, or decide, when the 1918 pandemic was over? Howard Markel and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The next iteration of the internet could be a vast, three-dimensional digital frontier that looks a lot like real life. We discuss what’s real, what's not – and what happens when we can’t tell the difference. Cathy Hackl and Cecilia D’Anastasio join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Kellogg’s workers strike for months. A successful Union drive at one Starbucks. Approval rates for unions at a 60-year high. We discuss the sharp rise in union activity in 2021. Steven Greenhouse and Jeff Farmer join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Children's Online Privacy and Protection Rule hasn't been updated in 20 years. Meanwhile, the entire digital world has transformed and become fully integrated into children's lives, whether parents want it or not. Marc Groman join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Fiona Hill served as the National Security Council's top Russia expert in the Trump Administration. She was concerned about the U.S.'s posture then, and even more concerned now, given President Vladimir Putin's moves on Ukraine. Fiona Hill joins us to discuss why she thinks Putin has 'put Russia in a rather dangerous, unpredictable position.'
Katie Mack is an actor, writer and podcaster based in New York. She suffered from opioid addiction for 10 years.
In this First Person diary, she shares how it took going sober to find real love and community.
What empty well do opioids fill in someone suffering from addiction? We hear why opioid addiction can feel like love -- and what that means in a world of crumbling economic security and weakened social bonds. “The reason you get addicted is because something is missing for you. And oftentimes, what's missing is the ability to feel love.” Maia Szalavitz and Dr. Nora Volkow join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Just how far was President Trump – and his team – willing to go to overthrow the results of the 2020 election?
Newly released documents in a congressional investigation show that at some point, it was suggested that Trump declare a National Emergency to overturn the election. We get the latest on what congressional investigations are revealing about the insurrection. Quinta Jurecic and Brian Klaas join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Fetal viability was considered to be around 28 weeks when Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. How is medical technology changing the question of viability, and the abortion debate? Carol Sanger and Dr. Edward Bell join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Schools are facing a shortage of bus drivers. Custodians. Substitute teachers. Cafeteria workers. When the system is spread thin, who suffers most? Alena Zachery-Ross and Koby Levin join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The U.S. is cracking down on international spyware. The new twist? The spyware companies are headquartered in allied nations. "These tools are allegedly used in a way that raises a human rights issue for the U.S. government." John Scott-Railton and Steven Feldstein join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Historian Jon Grinspan says Americans in the past fought to fix democracy. But what does that mean for Americans today?
"Many of our problems have, if not identical moments in the past, parallels and similar tendencies in our democracy across time.” Jon Grinspan and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The life of a digital influencer. Primp. Place product. Post. And cha-ching! But… that’s not all. “There is such an incredible amount of labor, much of that remains concealed behind the scenes." Brooke Erin Duffy and Ayana Lage join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Comprehensive disease surveillance allowed South Africa to first identify the COVID Omicron variant. But they haven't had as much success with vaccination efforts. We take a close look at South Africa and the pandemic. Vicky Baillie and Salim Abdool Karim join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Vermont Senator Pat Leahy won't run again. Leahy's been in office since 1974. That's longer than more than 150 million Americans have been alive. Are U.S. elected officials getting too old? Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Melody Crowder-Meyer and Louise Aronson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
What's the biggest threat to American elections, and to people's trust in them? Conspiracy theories. Former Homeland Security cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs joins Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss why the greatest election security threat to the nation right now is domestic misinformation.
When linguist John McWhorter hears activists and academics condemn "whiteness" or talk about "centering" people of color, he doesn't hear effective anti-racism. "The issue is what do you do about it? And frankly, it’s not this." He joined Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss how to combat the harms of 'woke racism.'
The U.S. is locked in another "great powers" conflict, this time with China. That's what you'll often hear in Washington. But is a Cold War era analogy the right one for modern China? Melvyn Leffler, Jack Beatty and Yangyang Cheng join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Tiana Caldwell lives in Kansas City, Missouri. And when On Point first spoke with her in May 2020, Tiana had been furloughed from her job and had just received an eviction notice from her landlord. In this radio diary, she joins us with an update on her life. "I fought, I didn't just lay down. It makes you feel like you are not powerless," she says.
$800 billion in COVID relief funds still hasn't made it to the American people. In Pennsylvania, $2.5 billion of that aid is being moved to the state's “rainy day fund.” We track unspent pandemic relief funds. Marc Goldwein, Rep. Torren Ecker and Claudia Sahm join Meghna Chakrabarti.
1 in 5 American health care workers have left the profession since the pandemic hit.
The pandemic has pushed what was already a tough situation into crisis mode. And as psychiatrist Wendy Dean sees it, this is more than just burnout. What's driving the pandemic's health care exodus? Cassandra Alexander, Wendy Dean and Elaine Batchlor join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Journalist George Packer says our country is divided into four factions “pitting tribe against tribe.”
He’s reported on political divides around the world. Does he think America can be united once again? In this rebroadcast, George Packer and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
People. Don’t. Listen. “There’s so much in our society that is encouraging us not to listen," Kate Murphy says. What is good listening and can it make a difference? In this rebroadcast, Kate Murphy and John Wood, Jr. join Meghna Chakrabarti.
President Biden made a big claim when he signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. We check that claim, and the reality of how far the U.S. has to go for truly world class infrastructure. Nancy Qian and Kevin DeGood join Meghna Chakrabarti.
With the $1 trillion infrastructure act signed into law, state and local officials must now determine how most of that money will be spent. We talk with some of those with the power to make or break the infrastructure law.
Gov. Janet Mills, Mayor Acquanetta Warren and Derek Green join Meghna Chakrabarti.
There's $8 billion in the new Infrastructure act for preserving water systems in the West. We look at where the money will go and what difference it could make. Professor Richard White and Kyle Roerink join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Scott Dudley is the lead pastor at Bellevue Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, Washington. Dudley says he has a generally supportive congregation. But lately, he's faced some hostility.
A recent poll found that more than any other group, white evangelical protestants believe American culture and values are under threat. Why? Anthea Butler and Robert P. Jones join Meghna Chakrabarti.
President Joe Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill this week. Tucked into the plan includes the Biden administration's belief in the importance of nuclear power. Ernest Moniz, Allison Macfarlane and Rita Baranwal join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Michael Tubbs grew up in poverty. He became Stockton, California's first Black mayor when he was just 26 years old. Now, he's sharing the reality of his life beyond the headlines. Michael Tubbs joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
What are American school kids being taught about climate change? Journalist Katie Worth visited schools and analyzed dozens of textbooks, and she says a web of corporate and political influences is miseducating many school children about climate change.
Katie Worth, Kristen Del Real and Deb Morrison join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Vaccines are still the first, best way to end the pandemic. But can so-called therapeutics also help? The FDA says there are 11 treatments already authorized for emergency use. We learn about therapeutics, and the part they play in the fight against COVID. Dr. Preeti Malani, Dr. Nahid Bhadelia and Dr. George Yancopoulos join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Zillow went on an algorithmic home-buying spree. It didn't work. But what is algorithmic home-buying? We learn the impact AI home-buying is having on the housing market. Gregor Matvos and Jeff Meyers join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Something strange is happening to American officials around the world. Migraines, dizziness, even brain injury. And the incidents keep happening. So who, or what, is behind Havana Syndrome? Adam Entous and Frank Figliuzzi join Meghna Chakrabarti.
China vows to take back Taiwan, as Xi Jinping warns against American interference. But for the U.S., Taiwan is about a lot more than Taiwan itself. What is America's true interest in Taiwan? Oriana Skylar Mastro, Yun Sun and Steve Blank join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Democrats lost the governorship in Virginia. What did voters really care about? A long-time democratic analyst joins us with the lessons he's learned from Virginia, and why he's worried his party refuses to see the bigger picture. Ruy Teixeira and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Colleen Swan and the members of the indigenous Iñupiat community who live on Kivalina, climate change isn't a remote abstraction. It's an emergency that's threatening their lives now.
Climate change has a disproportionate impact on the Global South. So should the world's industrialized nations make reparations? We hear the case for climate reparations. David Wallace-Wells and Riton Quiah join Meghna Chakrabarti.
What is going on at the Port of Long Beach? Truckers, longshoremen and port managers tell us why the supply chain is breaking down. Matt Schrap and Mario Cordero join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Mayoral elections across the country this week. We take a look at who will next lead America's cities, and the impact those mayoral races may have on national politics. Anthony Brooks, Jon Collins, David Hyde, Rose Scott and Dave Debo join Meghna Chakrabarti.
About 180 countries have some sort of paid parental leave. We hear from moms around the world about how those nations made it work. Isra’a Hamdeh, Jody Heymann, Dr. Raisa Renner and Tilde Bang-Kristensen join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Supreme Court is about to hear its highest profile gun case since 2008. We take a look at the case, and why the court's decision could have an impact on state gun laws across the country. Jennifer Mascia and Darrell A.H. Miller join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Interest rates, inflation, employment. That's where the Fed formally flexes its power. That's also why Karen Petrou says it's an 'engine of inequality.' Could that change? Karen Petrou and Jeffrey Lacker join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Kids today face a unique combination of challenges, from the pandemic, to climate change and political unrest. On today's hour, two young people share why so many kids are looking to the future with everything from trepidation to impending doom.
From the pandemic to climate change, politics and social media, kids are pessimistic about their future. It's hurting them, and us all. We talk to people who say it's time to do something about it. Elissa Epel and Doug Abrams join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The race for Governor of Virginia may be the most important political contest of the year. We look at Virginia’s governor’s race and what it says about the political parties – and where the country’s heading. Mel Leonor and Bob Holsworth join Anthony Brooks.
Senate Republicans have used the filibuster to block major voting rights legislation twice this year. Meanwhile, at least 19 states have enacted 33 laws that make it harder to vote. What would it take to pass voting rights legislation? Jack Beatty, Tia Mitchell, Sen. Angus King and LaTosha Brown join Anthony Brooks.
Inflation is back.
The past year has seen more than a 5% jump in the Consumer Price Index. While the price of food, gas, cars, lumber are all up.
But what is inflation, and do economists really know how it works? Jack Beatty, Diane Swonk and Laura Tyson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Infection rates. Cases. Deaths. 14-day moving averages. Efficacy. We're wading through a world of COVID data. But the way that data's presented may do more harm than good. Nick Melvoin, Tracy Høeg and Jonathan Rothwell join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In a full, unedited version of our conversation "From unknown successes to personal disillusionment: What the public doesn't know about Colin Powell," Retired Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as Colin Powell's chief of staff for more than a decade, reflects on Powell's life and legacy.
Colin Powell served America at its highest levels. Joint Chiefs Chairman. Secretary of State. A man both celebrated and tarnished by war. We look back on his life and legacy with his former chief of staff. Ret. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
California will now allow multi-family units on land zoned for single-family housing. Will it make a difference? Victor Gordo, Ben Metcalf and Adam J. Fowler join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Texas's Rio Grande Valley is diverse and politically powerful.
Until recently, the nation's two political parties saw the voters of the Rio Grande as a monolith.
But that's been changing over the past two election cycles. We look at why Republicans and Democrats are working to woo voters along the Rio Grande. Cynthia Villarreal, Xavier Villarreal, Michael Rodriguez, Rogelio Nuñez and Perla Bazan join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Nike attracted the world's best. Alberto Salazar was a Nike-funded coach for almost 20 years. That ended in scandal. Is a reckoning for professional runners upon us? Matt Hart and Lindsay Crouse join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In Uganda, like many countries, malaria is endemic and deadly.
But that might soon change. After 40 years in development, the WHO has approved the first ever malaria vaccine.
Malaria has shaped human history. Could that story now be coming to a hopeful end? Dr. James Tibenderana and Dr. Ripley Ballou join Meghna Chakrabarti.
People. Don’t. Listen. “There’s so much in our society that is encouraging us not to listen," Kate Murphy says. What is good listening and can it make a difference? Kate Murphy and John Wood, Jr. join Meghna Chakrabarti.
School boards are a new nexus of America's culture wars. Some say the targeting of school boards is a political tactic used by right-wing organizations. We hear that deeper story. Peter Montgomery, Noah Weinrich and Laura Vozzella join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Supreme Court is supposed to rule by the law alone. But Randall Kennedy says that doesn't always happen.
“A very common misconception is that the Supreme Court is above politics."
If the Supreme Court is too ideological, what should be done about it? Randall Kennedy and David Cole join Meghna Chakrabarti.
What determines your happiness? We talk about why science says, even with every problem in the world right now, you deserve to be happy. Laurie Santos and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
New Zealand was aiming for 'COVID zero.' What does New Zealand's changing strategy tell us about what the pandemic's end should look like?
Dr. Celine Gounder, Joseph Allen and Dale Fisher join Meghna Chakrabarti.
For decades, scholar Randall Kennedy has been writing about race, culture and the law. “We are certainly much further from the racial promised land than I had thought that we were," he says. Randall Kennedy joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
A former Facebook employee says the social media giant knows it is tearing society apart. Will Facebook face its Big Tobacco moment? Sharon Eubanks, Kate Klonick and Phil Weiser join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The brain, behavior and authoritarianism. Understanding the social and neurological forces that drive people to turn their backs on democracy. Timothy Snyder and Lisa Feldman Barrett join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The price tag for the Democrats’ social spending bill may be shrinking – but the needs of Americans are not. We hear what stays in the bill, what goes and what it all means for Americans who need help. Jennifer Bendery and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Cars. Smartphones. Appliances. An international chip shortage is squeezing supply chains and inventory. How did this happen? And when will it end? Dr. Willy Shih joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Our series The Prime Effect explores the ways Amazon is changing how we live, work and shop.
In a bonus episode live from CitySpace, host Meghna Chakrabarti and senior editor Dorey Scheimer give you a behind-the-scenes breakdown of what they learned while producing the eight-part series.
Local police departments can’t put a corner at the end of every street. But Amazon already has—with Ring cameras. So what is Amazon really doing with all your data? We look at Amazon and surveillance. Ramesh Srinivasan and Jon Callas join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Maren Costa worked at Amazon for 15 years. That abruptly ended last spring when she spoke out about the company's climate impact. In the sixth episode of our series "The Prime Effect," we look at Amazon's labor force, and how, someday, it could be changing how you work. Karen Weise and David Glick join Meghna Chakrabarti.
That Amazon package at your door begins with power guzzling server farms. Distribution centers. Thousands of trucks. Commercial planes. And billions of cardboard boxes.
In the 5th episode of The Prime Effect, we explore Amazon’s environmental footprint. Anastasia O’Rourke and Tom Rivett-Carnac join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Our series "The Prime Effect" considers how Amazon shapes the way we shop, work and live. In the last episode, we ask, What industries will the company transform next? Joshua McNichols, Brad Stone, Nadina Rosier and Sara Fischer join Meghna Chakrabarti.
There’s new information on just how hard the Trump administration tried to overthrow the 2020 election. How healthy is the state of our democracy? Neil Buchanan, Suzanne Mettler, Anna Grzymala-Busse and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Multi-level marketing distributors claim to sell life-changing products. They’re also selling something else -- misleading product claims and disinformation. Amanda Montell and Stephanie McNeal join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Democrats in Washington are divided again. Will Democrats let party infighting destroy their own, and President Biden's, ambitious goals? Rep. Henry Cuellar, Lisa DesJardins, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Jack Beatty and Molly Ball join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Steven Salaita was a rising star in the field of American Indian studies.
In the fall of 2012, he applied for a job at the University of Illinois. Then, he lost everything.
“I had taken to Twitter and other forms of social media to condemn Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Palestine," Salaita remembers.
"And suddenly, I got an email out of the blue informing me that the job offer had been pulled."
Today, On Point: Academic freedom on American campuses. Keith Whittington joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
College enrollment may be an indicator of a growing economic and social crisis among American men. We hear from researchers who say American democracy depends on doing something about it. Christopher Goins, David Autor and Ronald Levant join Meghna Chakrabarti.
If you use Slack at work, Zoom for school or binge watch Netflix at home, guess what? You’re also using Amazon. Amazon Web Services currently controls 30% of the cloud computing market. The fourth installment in our series The Prime Effect goes inside AWS, one of the biggest parts of Amazon you may have never heard of. Tim Bray and Michael Cusumano join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Like everything with Amazon, its marketplace is big. Small businesses like Steve Chou’s Bumblebee Linens can soar. But is the marketplace also destroying main street brick and mortar stores? In the third episode of our Amazon series, a look at the peaks and pits of Amazon's marketplace for retail. James Thomson and Stacy Mitchell join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Who is Jeff Bezos? In the second part of our series Amazon: The Prime Effect, we learn about the man who built Amazon and the innovation he brings to everything. Brad Stone joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
It’s not just a retailer. So what is Amazon? Hear part one in our series on how Amazon is changing the way we shop, work and live. Brad Stone and Stacy Mitchell join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Our eight-part series The Prime Effect explores the myriad ways Amazon is changing the way we shop, work and live.
Coming up in the On Point podcast feed, you'll find Part I -- IV of The Prime Effect. We hope you enjoy.
Oregon students used to have to pass a basic skills test in order to graduate from high school. This summer, the state dropped the requirement. How do we know when a high school student is ready to graduate? Betsy Hammond and Michael Dembrow join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Americans jump through too many hoops, travel too far, and pay too much for their prescription drugs.
Can America's broken prescription drug system be fixed? Jonathan Cohn, Jack Beatty, Rep. Scott Peters and Rep. Jan Schakowsky join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Our series "The Prime Effect" considers how Amazon shapes the way we shop, work and live. In the last episode, we ask, What industries will the company transform next? Joshua McNichols, Brad Stone, Nadina Rosier and Sara Fischer join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb was former FDA commissioner under President Trump. Now, he says it’s time for a national conversation about public health as national security, and how we’re far too unprepared and vulnerable to ignore it. Scott Gottlieb joins Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
The U.S. defense budget is more than $700 billion dollars. How efficiently are those dollars being spent? Lindsay Koshgarian and Ret. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Kathryn Paige Harden says most people have no clue what genetic science can already do. In her new book 'The Genetic Lottery,' she says a new moral framework is needed to prepare for what's to come. Kathryn Paige Harden and Carey Goldberg join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Robert Hogue remembers the day he was in his office at the Pentagon, celebrating his first year as Marine Corps legal counsel. The date? September 11, 2001.
President Biden called COVID a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” as he announced his sweeping plan that would require more than 100 million American workers get vaccinated.
Government mandates and smart public health decisions. Do the two meet in Biden's new COVID plan? Nita Farahany and Lawrence Gostin join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A custody trial in Texas involving a Native American child and white foster parents caught journalist Rebecca Nagle’s eye. She discovered it was a part of something much, much bigger. Rebecca Nagle joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing a recall vote. The state's Latino voters could tip the scales. We unpack what Latino voters in California want from the state's recall election. Mindy Romero and Luis Sánchez join Meghna Chakrabarti.
People under the age of 25 make up more than 60% of the population of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's people are young. And most of those young people have grown up with expanded rights for women, a burgeoning media, new technology and opportunities previously unavailable when the Taliban ruled.
Now that the Taliban are back in power, what do young Afghans want for the future of their country?
The Afghanistan war is especially powerful for us at On Point. The program got its start 20 years ago, on September 17th, 2001. Jack Beatty, On Point's news analyst, has been with the show, every day, from the beginning.
He joins Meghna Chakrabarti to reflect on America's longest war.
Over the last 20 years, journalists and entrepreneurs like Saad Mohseni have built a free and independent press in Afghanistan.
Mohseni recently told the Journo podcast that the Taliban can’t shut that all down.
"I don’t want to overstate this, but I think media has become the beacon of hope for the country," Mohseni said.
Our series The Longest War concludes with a look at what the future holds for Afghanistan’s free press and, ultimately, its citizens.
In 2001, Barbara Lee was the only member of congress to vote against the Afghanistan war resolution. How did the past 20 years change her and her country?
Rep. Barbara Lee joins Meghna Chakrabarti in the third installment of our series 'The Longest War.'
U.S. soldiers may have left Afghanistan, but the war has not left them. In the second installment of our series 'The Longest War,' veterans share their stories. Bajun Mavalwalla, Baji Mavalwalla and Laura Jedeed join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Shabana Basij-Rasikh is the founder of the first and only boarding school for girls in Afghanistan.
In the first episode of our series 'The Longest War,' we hear her story, and the future of Afghan women. Shabana Basij-Rasikh and Fanoos Basir join Meghna Chakrabarti.
This week, we’re seeking to better understand the impact of 20 years of war in Afghanistan. In our series The Longest War, you’ll hear from Afghan women, U.S. veterans and others about how choices made in Washington and Kabul shaped their lives.
25-year-old Fanoos Basir is a civil engineer and former member of the Afghan women’s national soccer team. Currently, she's living in a refugee camp in France.
In this podcast exclusive, she shares the sights, sounds and experiences of life in a refugee camp.
Something is happening in the workplace. More than 4 million Americans quit their jobs in April.
So what’s going on? In this rebroadcast, we ask financial columnists Michelle Singletary and Rana Foroohar why so many Americans are saying 'I quit.'
Rana Foroohar, Michelle Singletary and Jennifer Kastelic join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Ever heard of the Supreme Court's shadow docket? It's a not-so-transparent rule that can short-circuit the normal appellate process. We hear where it's being used, and what it means for the future of the Supreme Court. Melissa Murray and Heather Cox Richardson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The diversion of water from refuges in the Klamath River basin, as well as climate change, is altering migratory patterns of bird species in the Pacific Flyway, from Alaska to Patagonia.
John Alexander is executive director of the Klamath Bird Observatory.
He joins us in this 'First Person' diary to explain how 'the arteries of the West, our wetland ecosystems, are failing.'
Along the Klamath River basin, drought is punishing everyone: from farmers to native tribes to fish. What can be done to ease this historic water crisis? Alex Schwartz, Dr. Alex Gonyaw, Scott Seus and Barry McCovey Jr. join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Who's to blame for America's polarized politics? The government? The media? Special interests? Tom Nichols says the problem is 'all of us.'
Tom Nichols and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Oakland, California decided to pull back from a major increase to the police budget. But is that what residents in Oakland's neighborhoods want? Loren Taylor and Keisha Henderson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
More than a decade. That's how long Sarah Chayes worked in Afghanistan. With the Taliban back in power, we talk with Chayes about how Afghanistan really changed, and how it changed her. Sarah Chayes joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Delta variant is raging. And what scientists think they know -- and what they think we should do -- keeps changing. We learn how to cope with COVID uncertainty. Dr. Nirav Shah and Dr. Preeti Malani join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Charmayne Hunter-Spencer was among the millions of Americans behind on their rent.
So she turned to emergency rental assistance programs for help. Charmayne says that when she applied for rental assistance with the county-based Houston-Harris Help, the application process went seamlessly. It hadn't.
In January, President Biden announced nearly $47 billion has been allocated for rental assistance. So why has only a fraction of that federal aid been distributed? Ann Oliva and Bobby Wilkinson join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Native Americans communities have been dealing with loss of water since a drought began 20 years ago. One of those communities is Many Farms, Arizona, where Roland Tso lives. Roland Tso is a grazing official on the Navajo reservation.
Historically, Many Farms has been an agricultural community, but drought is changing that:
"We've been conserving for so long. But at this point, this drought is just going to make it harder to survive out here."
The federal government has declared a water shortage on the Colorado River. How did we get here? We hear what the future holds for water in the West. John Fleck and John F. Ross join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Taliban leaders say they've changed. But there are widespread reports of violence and vengeance on the ground. Who really are the Taliban today? Laurel Miller, Anand Gopal, Ian Fritz and Jane Ferguson join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
In 2006, Fumiko Chino was in her late 20s. She was just beginning to find her way in life when everything came crashing down. Fumiko shares how an unlikely small furry companion ended up as a kind of savior.
During the pandemic many of us turned to pets for comfort. What is it about us that craves animal companionship? Elizabeth Berliner, Kim Roche and Alexandra Horowitz join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Khaled Hosseini is a world-renowned novelist and author of bestsellers "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns." He was born in Afghanistan but left the country as a young man.
In the latest First Person diary, Hosseini remembers the Afghanistan of his childhood and calls on help for those left behind.
President Joe Biden promised the nation last month a smooth withdrawal from Afghanistan. On Monday, he acknowledged the chaos that's come instead.
We discuss whether an orderly U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was ever possible. Ryan Crocker and Daniel Silverberg join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Psychiatry professor Elissa Epel joined On Point last year to talk about resilience in the face of social isolation caused by the COVID shutdowns. When we checked in with her recently, she told us about where she's been finding hope during the pandemic.
The U.S. Debt is enormous. And some day, it might come due. But has debt hawkishness led to political paralysis when it comes to solving the nation's toughest problems?
Maya MacGuineas, Christian Weller and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Ali Rasouly spent four years working with the United States Marines to help rebuild his country. In the latest First Person diary, he shares his thoughts on the collapse of the Afghan military.
20 years of war, conflict and attempts to rebuild in Afghanistan. All wiped away in what seems like just a few days and weeks as the Taliban take over Kabul. Or was it really that fast?
We take a look at years of critical decisions, corruption and political disconnects that paved the way for the Taliban’s return to power. Azmat Khan and Craig Whitlock join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Hubris. Denial. Power. Philosopher Martha Nussbaum sees all those things leading to Andrew Cuomo's resignation as governor of New York. But most of all, she sees the monumental power of pride.
In her new book "Citadels of Pride" Nussbaum examines how a culture of mountainous self-regard perpetuates sexual abuse. Nussbaum joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Mississippi is posting record numbers of new COVID cases, and doctors warn Mississippi’s hospital system is on the brink of collapse. We talk about the pandemic in Mississippi now, and what it’ll take to turn things around. Nick Judin, Dr. LouAnn Woodward, Alex Cobb and Wayne Rodolfich join Meghna Chakrabarti.
This week, the nation’s two largest teachers’ unions dropped their opposition to COVID vaccine mandates for their members.
Both had previously said that vaccines for teachers should only be by choice. But on Wednesday, the American Federation of Teachers reversed that stance.
We discuss what the Delta variant means for school this fall. Cecily Myart-Cruz, Randi Weingarten and Catherine Rampell join Meghna Chakrabarti.
When a congressman asked Alexander Vindman why he wasn’t afraid to blow the whistle on former President Trump, he said: "Because this is America. This is the country I’ve served and defended and here, right matters.”
Vindman joins Meghna Chakrabarti with a moral message for all Americans. His new book is "Here, Right Matters."
Local police departments can’t put a corner at the end of every street. But Amazon already has—with Ring cameras. So what is Amazon really doing with all your data? We look at Amazon and surveillance. Ramesh Srinivasan and Jon Callas join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Tucker Carlson goes to Budapest. The Fox News personality’s trip to Hungary highlights a high profile embrace of Victor Orban’s regime by influential U.S. conservatives. But Carlson isn’t the only one, and he’s not the first, either. We take a look at the links between American conservatism and Hungarian authoritarianism. Sarah Posner and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The latest climate report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change finds that global temperatures are rising faster. Are nations willing to heed the warning? William Moomaw, Alexis Papahelas and Beverly Law join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Just 12 accounts are behind 65% of all anti-vaccine disinformation on social media platforms. Most of them are still on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We take a look inside the so-called 'disinformation dozen.' John Gregory and Camille Francois join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The January 6th insurrection at the Capitol. Capitol and Metro police officers fought hand-to-hand for hours to protect lawmakers and American democracy. They're still living that day ... every day.
Sergeant Aquilino Gonell says there was even more at stake than most Americans realize.
Today, On Point: Sergeant Gonell shares his experience of January 6th, and how he sees his country and its leaders now.
When Gymnast Simone Biles cited mental health as the reason for withdrawing from almost all her Olympic events, Akilah Carter-Francique understood exactly what she meant. Akilah Carter-Francique joins Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss the unique burden on Black athletes.
Raquel Nelson and her children tried to cross the road one night. They were hit by a car. Three were injured, one killed. There was no safe pedestrian crosswalk. From vehicle design to street design, why pedestrian deaths are on the rise. Latanya Byrd, Angie Schmitt and Sue Bai join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The US is one of the most expensive places in the world to build new roads, tunnels, and bridges. Why? And what impact could it have on the infrastructure compromise working its way through Congress? Jerusalem Demsas and Zachary Liscow join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Ardine Williams is Amazon’s vice president of workforce development. In this podcast exclusive, she speaks with Meghna Chakrabarti about the company's labor force and culture.
Maren Costa worked at Amazon for 15 years. That abruptly ended last spring when she spoke out about the company's climate impact. We take a look at how Amazon treats its workforce. Karen Weise and David Glick join Meghna Chakrabarti.
On today's show, we spoke about that future, its challenges and implications. During the hour, we shared a part of the conversation we had with Gilman Louie, a member of the National Security Commission on AI.
In this special podcast exclusive, we bring you that conversation in its entirety.
The world’s superpowers are building new super-fast, super-lethal armies powered by artificial intelligence. AI warfare and its implications. Gen. John M. Murray, Patrick Turner and Heather Roff join Meghna Chakrabarti.
John Jones was just 7 years old when he was forced to attend the Alberni Residential School in Canada. Stories from survivors of Canada’s residential schools. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux and Regis Pecos join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Last summer, Portland erupted in protest. How has the city changed a year later? Sergio Olmos and Elliott Young join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Sean Fruit and his wife got their vaccinations, stopped wearing masks and drove to Vegas. They caught COVID. Breakthrough cases and what they mean for the ongoing pandemic. Travis Dagenais, Dr. Julie Morita, Jennifer Nuzzo and Jim Mangia join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Conserving America's most precious public lands. It's the founding duty of the National Park Service. But what does conservation mean with accelerating climate change? In this rebroadcast, Patty Glick, John Clayton and Abe Miller-Rushing join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A recent Gallup poll found that fewer than half of Americans belong to a house of worship. But while Americans might be losing their religion, they are not losing their religious fervor. What’s filling the God gap? In this rebroadcast, Shadi Hamid, Casper ter Kuile and Joseph Bottum join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A mathematician turns gender into a math problem. In this rebroadcast, we hear how math can help us rethink ingrained conceptions of gender. Eugenia Cheng joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
The western U.S. is no stranger to drought. But this isn't any dry spell. More than 70% of the West is exceptionally parched. Could it be a permanent change? In this rebroadcast, Brad Udall and Colby Pellegrino join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Ian Manuel was placed in solitary confinement for a crime he committed just after the seventh grade. For 18 years, he lived in a 7-by-10-foot room. For 18 years, he did not have a window. Now, he’s telling his story about his life and experience in solitary confinement. Ian Manuel and Tammie Gregg join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The joy of birds. It's a joy that comes if we take the time to listen. In the latest First Person diary, artist, writer and naturalist Julie Zickefoose shares some words of advice on the wonders of birding.
A disease killing songbirds across the U.S. has left experts puzzled.
Kimberly Atkins Stohr explores why so many North American songbirds are mysteriously dying. Jennifer Toussaint, Margaret Brittingham and Peter Marra join.
Protesters chanting ‘liberty!’ have taken to the streets across Cuba. Amid food shortages and a raging pandemic, Cubans are saying, ‘We’ve had enough.’ Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, Mónica Baró Sánchez and Richard Feinberg join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Reverend Joshua Lazard joined On Point last year to share how faith communities across America were worshiping together during the coronavirus outbreak. He spoke with Kimberly Atkins Stohr about what COVID has taught him about religion, America and community.
As the COVID-19 Delta variant spreads, vaccination rates have slowed. What’s behind the growing vaccination divide? Dr. William Schaffner and Jeff Huntsinger join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Imagine if your employer said your company was shortening the working week. A recent study out of Iceland found that working a 36-hour week improved employee happiness without compromising productivity. We rethink America's work week. Jack Kellam and Alex Pang join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
In 1964, Times v. Sullivan set the principle behind U.S. libel law. Now, two Supreme Court justices say in this social media era it’s time to revisit the ruling. Is it? RonNell Andersen Jones and David Logan join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
That Amazon package at your door begins with power guzzling server farms. Distribution centers. Thousands of trucks. Commercial planes. And billions of cardboard boxes.
In the 5th episode of The Prime Effect, we explore Amazon’s environmental footprint. Anastasia O’Rourke and Tom Rivett-Carnac join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Something is happening in the workplace. More than 4 million Americans quit their jobs in April.
So what’s going on? We ask financial columnists Michelle Singletary and Rana Foroohar why so many Americans are saying 'I quit.'
Rana Foroohar, Michelle Singletary and Jennifer Kastelic join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Census Bureau projects that in less than 40 years America could become a majority-minority country. That brings anticipation for some, fear from others. Richard Alba says both presumptions are wrong. We talk to him about why he says America is more complex than the myth of the majority-minority country. Richard Alba and Ian Haney Lopez join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Christine Sheil's mother suffered from dementia. To be closer to her mom, Christine volunteered to play music in her mother's assisted living facility. But it was Christine who also needed support. So she kept volunteering. We explore the science behind the mutual benefits of kindness. In this rebroadcast, Christine Sheil and Nancy Sin join Meghna Chakrabarti.
What do Americans have in common? Scholar Akhil Reed Amar says the one thing every single American shares is the United States Constitution. He shares why he wants Americans to better understand the words that made us. In this rebroadcast, Akhil Reed Amar joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Journalist George Packer says our country is divided into four factions “pitting tribe against tribe.”
He’s reported on political divides around the world. Does he think America can be united once again? George Packer and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Britney Spears has had no control over her finances or life choices for over a decade. Last week, she told a judge she’s had enough. We learn how conservatorships are supposed to work, and what goes wrong when they don't. Lisa MacCarley, Dr. Sam Sugar and Patricia Keane Martin join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Supreme Court rules the NCAA can’t bar education-related payments to college athletes. Is this the beginning of the end of amateurism in college sports? Dennis Dodd and Michael McCann join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The government's evictions moratorium has kept millions in their homes during the pandemic. It's been extended till the end of July. But what then? Emily Benfer and Molly Solomon join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Our special series Amazon: The Prime Effect takes a look at the ways Amazon is changing the way we shop, work and live.
Congressman David Cicilline is the chair of the House subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law. He also represents Rhode Island's 1st District.
In this pod exclusive, Rep. Cicilline speaks with Meghna Chakrabarti about how he views big tech companies like Amazon, and why he thinks Amazon is a monopoly.
If you use Slack at work, Zoom for school or binge watch Netflix at home, guess what? You’re also using Amazon. Amazon Web Services currently controls 30% of the cloud computing market. The fourth installment in our series The Prime Effect goes inside AWS, one of the biggest parts of Amazon you may have never heard of. Tim Bray and Michael Cusumano join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Over the past few weeks, we've been reconnecting with guests that we featured on the show across the pandemic.
Ken Gloss was with us last April. He's an antique book dealer and proprietor of the Brattle Book Shop in downtown Boston. The pandemic forced them to temporarily close the store, only the second time they've had to do so since 1825.
Ken's positive attitude and perseverance helped his store stay open. But it was not without its struggles.
The CDC now says if you’ve had a COVID vaccine, the choice is yours to wear a mask. Science writer Ed Yong says that’s bad public health PR. We'll hear why he thinks the message to the nation must be: saving other people’s lives is a shared responsibility. Ed Yong and Joseph Allen join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Disinformation. Social media trolling. Shutting down speech. What do these realities of modern life have in common? Jonathan Rauch says they're all signs of a society in the midst of an epistemic crisis. He's got a rallying cry to defend objective truth.
Political science scholars look at Viktor Orban's regime in Hungary as a textbook case of rapid democratic decline. Is America moving in a similar direction? We learn what Hungary can teach the U.S. about accelerating authoritarianism. Jack Beatty and Kim Scheppele join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 authorized the construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways that would connect our nation. But those highways also displaced and divided Black communities. Can the damage be undone? Deborah Archer joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Three months into the job, we take a close look at the DOJ under Attorney General Merrick Garland. From the ballot box to domestic terrorism: what is Garland’s vision of justice? Paula Reid and Frank Figliuzzi join Meghna Chakrabarti.
adrienne maree brown is a scholar and author of "Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good."
In this diary, she reflects on a year-plus of COVID, and finding joy in the midst of overwhelming world events.
Arizona’s Democratic senator Kyrsten Sinema says her ‘brand’ is bipartisanship. Sinema isn't an everyday senator. We talk with Arizonans about Sinema's life story, what she stands for, and what she's really trying to accomplish. Ron Hansen, Adam Jentleson and Kent Burbank join Meghna Chakrabarti.
President Biden took a spin in Ford's new all electric F-150. American automakers say it's not long before they'll completely stop making cars that run on gas. Is this the turning point towards an all-electric future? Darren Palmer and Jeremy J. Michalek join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In the U.S., individual rights are sacrosanct. Legal scholar Jamal Greene calls that "rightsism," and says it's pushing the country in the wrong direction. We hear why he says it’s time to reduce the focus on individual rights. Jamal Greene and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
President Biden wants to increase the capital gains tax. Former IRS commissioners Charles Rossotti and Fred Goldberg say the administration should go after tax cheats instead. They've got a plan to fix the tax gap, and we'll hear it. Charles Rossotti and Fred Goldberg join Meghna Chakrabarti.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon meet face-to-face for the first time in 10 years. Much has changed in the world -- and in Putin himself. Understanding Vladimir Putin's playbook in a Biden presidency. Ambassador Michael McFaul, Nina Khrushcheva, Andrew Weiss and Ambassador John Bolton join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The homicide rate in some large cities rose by 30% last year. The violence shows no signs of slowing down. We take a look at what's behind the sudden spike, and solutions that could reverse the trend. Patrick Sharkey and Eddie Bocanegra join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Conserving America's most precious public lands. It's the founding duty of the National Park Service. But what does conservation mean with accelerating climate change? Patty Glick, John Clayton and Abe Miller-Rushing join Meghna Chakrabarti.
"Our entire democracy is now at risk." Those are the unvarnished words of more than 100 scholars with expertise in the history of democratic breakdown around the world.
Now, they're warning the U.S. could transform into a political system that doesn't meet even "minimum conditions" for free and fair elections. We'll hear their warnings, and solutions. Susan Stokes, Jack Beatty, Anna Grzymala-Busse and Steven Levitsky join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Dr. Stanley Perlman is a professor of microbiology, immunology and pediatrics at the University of Iowa. He has been studying coronaviruses for 40 years. In this diary, he reflects on how COVID has affected him personally and professionally.
In the coming weeks, you'll hear more of these conversations with On Point guests and experts about what the pandemic has been like for them. Keep an eye on this feed for more.
Life is moving toward normal in the U.S. But the COVID pandemic is still surging internationally. We discuss what it will take to beat the global pandemic, everywhere in the world.
Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, Barkha Dutt, Shabir Madhi, Reyna Durón and Dr. Deborah Cohen join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In our series “Amazon: The Prime Effect,” we take a look at how the $1.6 trillion company is changing everything about how we live, work and shop.
Amazon’s size and influence over e-commerce has drawn criticism from advocates – for its contribution to the decline of local brick-and-mortar retailers. It’s also drawn scrutiny from regulators. But none of that has dampened Amazon’s ambitions.
Dharmesh Mehta is Amazon’s vice president of worldwide customer trust and partner support. In this web exclusive, we speak with him about the Amazon marketplace, third-party sellers and how customer data is used.
Like everything with Amazon, its marketplace is big. Small businesses like Steve Chou’s Bumblebee Linens can soar. But is the marketplace also destroying main street brick and mortar stores? In the third episode of our Amazon series, a look at the peaks and pits of Amazon's marketplace for retail. James Thomson and Stacy Mitchell join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Critics say a nationwide effort to restrict voting rights is underway. At issue: A push by one conservative organization to tighten election laws across the nation.
They plan to spend 24 million over the next two years in Michigan, Nevada, Texas, Pennsylvania and beyond. Ari Berman joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
With majorities in many state legislatures, Republicans are drawing electoral maps to give them a boost in the 2022 midterms and beyond. Can Democrats in Washington stop them? Michael Li, Jack Beatty, Carlos Trujillo and Brittni Kellom join Anthony Brooks.
ExxonMobil shareholders have elected two board members backed by activist investors. We discuss the new chapter in the battle to make energy companies face the threat of climate change -- and to change themselves. Andrew Logan, Charlie Penner, Aeisha Mastagni and Phil Verleger join Meghna Chakrabarti.
If you consult three doctors and get three different opinions, that’s an example of what Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues call “noise.” How do you decide what to do when professionals don’t agree? We’ll cut through the noise and exploring human judgment. Daniel Kahneman and Olivier Sibony join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Online school. Virtual playdates. Video games. What does it mean for children that more and more of their world is now mediated through a screen? After the pandemic, how will they transition back? Anya Kamenetz and Natasha Burgert joined Meghna Chakrabarti.
After over a year of working in a pandemic, employees have had enough. Can work culture adjust to employee burnout? Anne Helen Peterson, Charlie Warzel and Felicia Davis join Anthony Brooks.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wants ‘back to school’ to mean just that. But are parents and teachers on board? Anthony Brooks hosts a conversation on the push to get students back in classrooms. Sec. Miguel Cardona, Janelle Scott and Mike Waldrip join.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a Mississippi abortion case that could spell the end of Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, abortion restrictions are being signed into laws at an unprecedented rate. We look at the battle over abortion in 2021. Mary Ziegler and Joan Biskupic join Kimberly Atkins.
A year since the murder of George Floyd. A year of protests and people demanding change. But was it enough? We look at the intersection where Floyd was killed — George Floyd Square — and what it represents about the push for racial justice. Jeanelle Austin, Suzette Hackney and Andrea Jenkins join Kimberly Atkins.
Violent protests over racism in the 1960s had a ubiquitous label: riot. Historian Elizabeth Hinton prefers another word: rebellion. We hear the untold history one year after George Floyd's murder. Elizabeth Hinton and Jeff Kirkland join Kimberly Atkins.
Major League Baseball's embrace of the billion dollar American sports betting business. Will it sully the game? Or could it save it? David Purdum and Craig Calcaterra join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The economy is recovering from the pandemic. But what goes up, will some day come down. Financial columnist Michelle Singletary joins Meghna Chakrabarti for a conversation on how to best protect your finances before crisis strikes.
How do we find the truth about what happened on the day of the Capitol insurrection? CBS reporter Grace Segers reflects on what she remembers from Jan. 6.
Some members of Congress are now denying the severity of the January 6th attack on the Capitol. What dangers do those denials themselves pose to U.S. democracy? Scott MacFarlane and Barbara McQuade join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline revealed a troubling weakness -- most of the nation's critical infrastructure is owned by private sector companies, and most of that infrastructure is vulnerable to cyberattack. What will it take to keep pipelines and grids secure? Nicole Perlroth, Mark Montgomery and Kiersten Todt join Meghna Chakrabarti.
What do Americans have in common? Scholar Akhil Reed Amar says the one thing every single American shares is the United States Constitution. He shares why he wants Americans to better understand the words that made us. Akhil Reed Amar joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
The capital gains tax. The Biden administration wants to raise it. But why is capital taxed less than work to begin with? We hear the little-known biography of the capital gains tax. Julia Ott, Len Burman and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Who is Jeff Bezos? In the second part of our series Amazon: The Prime Effect, we learn about the man who built Amazon and the innovation he brings to everything. Brad Stone joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Also Featuring: Janet Slifka, director of research science in the Alexa AI division at Amazon.
Marginalizing Trump critics. Changing election law. Embracing lies. What does it mean to be a Republican in 2021? And what does that say about where the party is headed? Cas Mudde, Jack Beatty and Pippa Norris join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The FDA issues an emergency authorization for kids and the COVID vaccine. Does the rush to vaccinate children come with a different set of risks and benefits than with adults? Dr. Monica Gandhi, Dr. H. Cody Meissner and Dr. Nicola Klein join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Ian Manuel was placed in solitary confinement for a crime he committed just after the seventh grade. For 18 years, he lived in a 7-by-10-foot room. For 18 years, he did not have a window. Now, he’s telling his story about his life and experience in solitary confinement. Ian Manuel and Tammie Gregg join Meghna Chakrabarti.
It's been 17 years since we last heard the sound of the cicada. Any day now, trillions of them will emerge out of the ground in parts of the eastern and Midwestern United States. It's a wonder of nature that we get to witness once every 17 years.
Now, cicadas and Brood X have been an inspiration to researchers well beyond the world of entomology. Today, we've got three stories on the remarkable things humankind has learned from these insects.
After 17 years underground, periodical cicadas are emerging in 15 states. They sing. Mate. Then die. We hear the wonders of the period cicada. Jessica Ware joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
In the past, Dr. Anthony Fauci has said he'd like to see more than 75% of Americans get the vaccine. Now, Fauci and others public health experts like former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb are saying the U.S. might never reach that number. If that's the case, how should policymakers guide the return to normal? Rick Kriseman, Dr. Ali Khan and Joseph Allen join Meghna Chakrabarti.
For more than half a century, so-called qualified immunity has shielded police officers from lawsuits. Now, Congress and some state houses are considering changing that. We discuss how reforming qualified immunity could transform policing in America. Joanna Schwartz and Rep. Leslie Herod join Meghna Chakrabarti.
It’s long been presumed that people will move to places where there are jobs. But is that changing? In a post-pandemic world, will we see a shift to jobs moving to where people are? Rana Foroohar joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
The United States is at a new inflection point in the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health experts are beginning to say that the country may not reach so-called "vaccine-mediated herd immunity."
In this special podcast exclusive, Dr. Anthony Fauci joins Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss herd immunity, potential measures to help guide public health decisions and more.
There’s the age-old truism: Money can’t buy happiness. Yet we often believe that inordinate wealth would in fact be freeing. Mother Jones’ senior editor Michael Mechanic set out to understand the ultra-rich. And he says their wealth is harming them, too. We discuss the extreme wealth gap and how inordinate wealth harms us all. Michael Mechanic, Tracy Gary and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The internet is essential for modern life. Yet millions of Americans who live rural areas don't have access to it. Does the Biden administration's infrastructure plan have what will it take to get broadband to the hardest to reach places? Cathy Trimble, Dr. Nicol Turner Lee and Keith Gabbard join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Biden's first 100 days. Has President Biden reached his goals? What kind of president is Joe Biden? And how is the presidency shaping him? Jack Beatty, Amie Parnes and Shailagh Murray join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Was Mars once like Earth? Can you imagine the red planet once a verdant green? That might be stretching it a bit, but NASA scientists are on an ambitious hunt for evidence of ancient Martian microbes. What they discover could transform our understanding of life back here on Earth. Ken Farley and Dawn Sumner join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers in 34 states have introduced more than 80 anti-protest bills. The proposals include civil immunity for people who drive their cars into crowds of protesters, to expanding the definition of a riot. What does this push reflect about the state of our democracy? Elly Page, Rep. Juan Fernandez-Barquin and Susan Stokes join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In part one of our series The Prime Effect, we focused on Amazon's power as the largest retailer in the world. But of course, it's not just a retailer. Amazon is a massive technology company, and it's facing government scrutiny into whether the company's use of its size and power violate antitrust laws.
Now, this isn't the first time the government has asked such questions of a tech company. In fact, one of the most famous antitrust cases in U.S. history involves another tech company headquartered a mere 15 miles from Seattle: Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft.
We recently spoke with the litigator the government brought in back in the 1990s for the Microsoft case. That litigator's name is David Boies.
It’s not just a retailer. So what is Amazon? Hear part one in our series on how Amazon is changing the way we shop, work and live.
New installments air every 2 weeks.
When Russian Intelligence used a Texas company’s software update to launch a cyberattack against the U.S. last December, it showed just how vulnerable the U.S. is to cyberattacks. We discuss what the U.S. needs to do to protect our digital infrastructure. Sen. Angus King, Nicole Perlroth and Dmitri Alperovitch join Kimberly Atkins.
Climate change presents a grim future. We know what we’re up against, yet our impulse is to look away, to say we’ll worry about it later. The psychology of climate change and how to engage. Renee Lertzman and Rosimar Rios-Berrios join Kimberly Atkins.
A jury finds former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd. We discuss America’s reckoning with racism and policing after the Chauvin verdict. Nina Moini, Paige Fernandez, Vaughn Dickerson and Heather Taylor join Kimberly Atkins.
Ten million doses stuck on the shelf. We discuss what we’re learning from the vaccine rollout, and answer all the questions you have about COVID vaccines. Dr. Saad Omer, Rupali Limaye, Pam Chatman and Blake Farmer join Kimberly Atkins.
After Georgia passed restrictive voting laws, corporate leaders spoke out. We discuss this new wave of corporate activism and what comes next. Ronnie Chatterji, Ashley Spillane and Jack Beatty join Kimberly Atkins.
Nearly 30 years before the video of George Floyd's death sparked protests across the nation, there was another video. It captured a brutal police beating of a man named Rodney King.
In March 1991, a local resident filmed a group of Los Angeles police officers beating King with batons. The video went on Los Angeles television and then around the world. Four Los Angeles police officers were eventually tried and acquitted in 1992. Los Angeles erupted in riots.
The entire sequence of events, from the night of the beating, to the trial and then the riots, helped shape the nation's understanding of police violence. The events also shaped the life of Lora King, Rodney King's middle daughter.
Listener advisory: This hour contains explicit language. When quoting language used by police officers assaulting Rodney King in 1991, a guest uses a racial slur. The word is uttered by John Burris who represented Rodney King in his civil lawsuit against LAPD in 1994.
Almost 30 years ago, four Los Angeles police officers went on trial for brutally beating a man named Rodney King. Now in Minneapolis, a different trial, a similar defense. From LA in '92 to Minneapolis today, what has and hasn’t changed in America? John Burris and Vaughn Dickerson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Biden administration says it won't allow states to cancel annual standardized testing. Some parents and educators are pushing back. We take a look at what statewide assessments measure during a pandemic. Prudence Carter, Luvelle Brown and Laura Jimenez join Meghna Chakrabarti.
A recent Gallup poll found that fewer than half of Americans belong to a house of worship. But while Americans might be losing their religion, they are not losing their religious fervor. What’s filling the God gap? Shadi Hamid, Casper ter Kuile and Joseph Bottum join Meghna Chakrabarti.
What does China want its future to be? How does it see its own rise as a global power? We discuss what we need to understand about the story China tells about itself. Tong Zhao, Dr. Yangyang Cheng and Elizabeth Economy join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Investigative journalist Amanda Ripley wanted to understand the sources of human conflict. So she studied it for more than four years. She detected a strong pattern to the most intractable conflicts, big and small. She found it in divorces, gang violence and political polarization. From the personal to the tribal, we discuss high conflict, and how to pull free of it. Amanda Ripley, Curtis Toler and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Variants. They're all over the news. We push beyond the headlines and answer everything you want to know about COVID variants. Tara C. Smith, Angela Rasmussen and Mary Jo Ondrechen join Meghna Chakrabarti.
For decades, sperm counts in Western countries have been in sharp decline. Researcher Shanna Swan joins Meghna Chakrabarti to tell us why, and what needs to be done to stop what could soon be a fertility crisis.
Biden's $2 trillion plan to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. How does he say he'll get it done? By raising corporate taxes. We discuss corporations, taxation and American infrastructure. Pam Olson, Jason Furman and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Saving for a comfortable retirement -- beyond Social Security -- almost always works best when you start saving early, and then continue to save throughout your entire working life. But as you'll hear from this story, those two things do not always go together.
Lisa Granfield lives in Walpole, Maine. At age 58, she works part-time at an assisted living facility. In this radio diary, we hear how she navigates a broken retirement system.
A pair of economists from either side of the aisle have a plan to help the millions of low income Americans who can't save for retirement. We talk about it. Teresa Ghilarducci and Kevin Hassett join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin enters its second week. We talk about what’s unfolded thus far in the courtroom, and how Minneapolis and the Black community are responding. Tim Arango, Suzette Hackney, Gary Bailey and Rose Scott join Meghna Chakrabarti.
New studies show that even in the midst of a pandemic that disproportionately took older lives, people over 50 were generally mentally better off, more resilient -- possibly even happier. We hear why science says your best years could be yet to come. Dr. Laura Carstensen, Dr. Alexandre Kalache and Ashton Applewhite join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Scientists to this day can’t define what life is. For every definition, there’s an animal, a plant -- something that breaks the rules. So how does science answer that? Writer Carl Zimmer joins Meghna Chakrabarti to explore the borderlands of life.
Georgia's new election law isn't the only major voting change in the works. We look at efforts in Arizona to limit how people vote by mail. Jeremy Duda, Michelle Ugenti-Rita, Jack Beatty, Bertrall Ross and Randy Perez join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Scientists investigating the pandemic still can't pinpoint the exact origin of the coronavirus that caused it. The WHO is poised to report on its search — but some are skeptical about their conclusions.
We hear from Democratic and Republican representatives who want to change how the United States goes to war.
When unusual winter storms battered the South this year, the people of Jackson, Mississippi lost clean drinking water for almost a month. Jackson is just one of many American communities relying on a century-old water supply system. We discuss America’s fragile water infrastructure – and how to fix it.
At least 400 people have been charged for the Capitol insurrection. Former lead prosecutor Michael Sherwin says those charges could soon include sedition. Over two months later, what have we learned about the preparation behind the breach of the Capitol? Mary McCord and Ryan Reilly join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Rich and middle-income countries have received nearly all of the available COVID-19 vaccines so far. Now there’s a push for pharmaceutical companies to waive vaccine patents so poorer countries can make their own. The fight over intellectual property, and how to vaccinate the world. Madhavi Sunder, Rachel Silverman and Anne McDonald Pritchett join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the language of the Mashpee Wampanoag was wiped out more than a century ago. But in the mid-1990s, an effort began to revive and reinvigorate the language: the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project.
Melanie Roderick is a teacher with the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project. In this radio diary, she walks us through the history of the Wampanoag language.
President Biden's American Rescue Plan contains massive spending measures for Native American communities. What will it take to turn the dollars into actual transformation? Dante Desiderio, Dr. Mary Owen and Stephen Roe Lewis join Meghna Chakrabarti.
We discuss the connection between rising violence now, and America's history of anti-Asian discrimination. Kelly Yang, Doris Chang and Sung Yeon Choimorrow join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan said: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'”
Four decades later, President Biden says: "Help is on the way." Is Reaganomics dead? One of President Reagan's top economic advisors tells us, "Yes, and good riddance." Bruce Bartlett, Jack Beatty and Lee Drutman join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The western U.S. is no stranger to drought. But this isn't any dry spell. More than 70% of the West is exceptionally parched. Could it be a permanent change? Brad Udall and Colby Pellegrino join Meghna Chakrabarti.
There's a surge of migrant children crossing the southern border.
When it comes to immigration, a long-term challenge besets a new administration. We discuss what the Biden administration is doing to address the crisis at the border.
Jacob Soboroff, Theresa Cardinal Brown, Melissa Adamson and Kurt VerBeek join Meghna Chakrabarti.
NFTs, or non-fungible tokens are shaking up the art world. So much so that one piece of crypto art recently auctioned for more than $69 million. We explore what non-fungible tokens are, and why they’re disrupting the future of digital art. Terry Nguyen, Matt Kane and Blake Gopnik join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Is homeownership now a luxury? We talk to Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman, and our favorite money ladies, Rana Foroohar and Michelle Singletary, about how the pandemic economy is impacting the American housing market. Glenn Kelman, Rana Foroohar and Michelle Singletary join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Biden administration's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. We talk about the lesser-known aspects of the plan, from farming to health care. Lisa DesJardins, Lloyd Wright and Jonathan Cohn join Meghna Chakrabarti.
March 11th marks the one year anniversary of the WHO declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic.
And in our regular hour, we talked with MIT professor Sherry Turkle about how society has changed over a year of COVID.
In this special podcast exclusive, we continue the conversation about what we've learned about humanity and empathy over the course of the pandemic.
March 11, 2020 marks the day the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. A year later, what has humanity learned about itself? We discuss humanity, empathy and the pandemic year. Sherry Turkle and Michael Yassa join Meghna Chakrabarti.
On today's program, we discussed the filibuster in the U.S. Senate.
There's a sense that the filibuster has been part of the procedures of the Senate since time immemorial. So we wanted to ask a historian whether or not that's true.
In this radio diary, Dan Holt, associate historian in the Senate Historical Office, walks us through U.S. Senate and filibuster history.
The fight over the filibuster. Does the filibuster bring better solutions to the country’s biggest problems, or no solutions at all? Adam Jentleson, Rich Arenberg and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Vaccine passports. They give those vaccinated against COVID-19 access to places the unvaccinated can't get into -- gyms, bars, schools. It's a tool for public health in a pandemic, and a tool to curb civil liberties. Can the two be balanced? Nita Farahany and Ruth Faden join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Biden administration says racial justice is a top priority. But what does equity mean when it comes to government policy? We explore the overlap -- and tensions -- between equity and equality in America. Robert Patterson and Mike Gonzalez join Meghna Chakrabarti.
President Joe Biden once said Saudi Arabia would pay for the brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But now as president, Biden is taking a softer approach. Is it time to reassess the U.S.-Saudi relationship? If so, is the Biden administration willing to do it? Robin Wright, Bernard Haykel and Dr. Khalid Aljabri join Meghna Chakrabarti.
For years, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has said the company didn’t need unions.
But between pandemic safety concerns and a president said to be the most pro-union since FDR, could an Amazon warehouse in Alabama be the tipping point for unions in America? Steven Greenhouse, Karen Weise and Michael Foster join Meghna Chakrabarti.
What happens when people can't post cash bail? They're stuck in jail. For months. In some cases, years, before they ever get to trial. Recently, Illinois became the first state to eliminate cash bail. What kind of system should states have instead? Christine Scott-Hayward and Sharone Mitchell join Meghna Chakrabarti.
17-year-old Allure and her mother live in Newark, New Jersey. They're just one of the millions of American families whose lives could be transformed if a child poverty proposal passes in Washington.
"How can all this stress be on one person?" Allure says. "She makes it happen though. I don't know how, but she makes it happen."
There's a potentially historic push to reduce child poverty in this country, with bipartisan agreement that something could be done. But will politics get in the way of a real solution? Jamila Michener and Angela Rachidi join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Nursing homes in crisis. Is it time to rethink how they work? We talk about alternative models for nursing homes and how to build a better long-term care system in the U.S. Katie Smith Sloan, Jack Beatty and Howard Gleckman join Meghna Chakrabarti.
October 2020. Investigators say more than a dozen men spent months training to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. It was, legal experts agree, an act of domestic terrorism. So was the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 this year.
After decades fighting an international war on terrorism, the U.S. turns its attention home. What will a battle against domestic terrorism look like? Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Elizabeth Neumann join Meghna Chakrabarti.
To solve a puzzle, you never just look at one piece of it. So why do we try to tackle the most complex problems of modern life in such a piecemeal fashion? From pandemics to politics, we discuss whether shifting to so-called "systems thinking" unlock hidden solutions to the world's biggest problems. Zeynep Tufekci joins Meghna Chakrabarti.
Facebook hits delete on the news in Australia in response to regulation. Should the platform hold this level of power? And what could the standoff mean for journalism on social media worldwide? Elizabeth Renieris, Jeff Jarvis and Elizabeth Dwoskin join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Vaccine distribution, across the U.S. and the globe, is ramping up. But new variant cases are rising in the United States, waits for the vaccine are long, and most of us just want to know -- how will this pandemic end? Tara C. Smith, Angela Rasmussen and Ananya Banerjee join Kimberly Atkins.
Republican Mitch McConnell sends a warning to party rebels. Rioters attack the Capitol. Democrats win the Senate. We make sense of a historic week. Jack Beatty, Rose Scott and Heather Cox Richardson join Meghna Chakrabarti.
President-elect Joe Biden says ‘America first’ is history. But is the U.S. as world leader history, too? We discuss Biden's foreign policy team and America's place on the world stage. Peter Beinart, Shaun Breslin and Kimberly Atkins join Meghna Chakrabarti.
President-elect Joe Biden announced his health care team this week. We check out their credentials and ask if they’re up to the task of pushing back the pandemic and pushing forward health care in America. Elisabeth Rosenthal, Kathleen Sebelius and Dr. Rajesh Gandhi join Meghna Chakrabarti.
President-Elect Joe Biden has named his new economic team. What do they need to do to help Americans, and are they the team to accomplish it? Rana Foroohar, Michelle Singletary and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
President Trump has fired several top level members of his administration in the past couple of weeks. So what else can we expect from the president in his remaining days in office? Jack Beatty, Suzanne Spaulding and Kori Schake join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Much of the GOP in Washington is torn on whether to acknowledge Joe Biden as president-elect. What are the consequences for the country? Meghna Chakrabarti looks at a week of presidential transition and Republican intransigence with Timothy Naftali, Tim Alberta and Jack Beatty.
The race for the presidency presses on, as Trump doubles down on baseless claims about election fraud. We sort through this historic week, and look ahead at what’s to come. Ron Suskind, Jack Beatty and Beverly Gage join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Days before the end of voting — COVID infections are climbing. What are the campaigns focusing on, and what does that tell us about their vision for the future? Jack Beatty, Julie Rovner and Lisa Lerer join Meghna Chakrabarti.
This week, a split screen on the future of American democracy. From early voting to Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings, we make sense of the week's news. Jack Beatty, Stephen Henderson and Meg Kinnard join Meghna Chakrabarti.
We'll look at how the President's diagnosis — and his cavalier response — has tinged almost everything that happened this week. Paula Reid, Kimberly Atkins and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
America witnesses a presidential debate like no other. The Supreme Court nominee tours Capitol Hill. And thousands more jobs are lost due to the pandemic. We review the week’s news. Nancy Cordes, Jack Beatty and Karen Tumulty join Jane Clayson.
How Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death and the grand jury decision about Breonna Taylor’s killing shaped this week – and might shape years to come. Kimberly Atkins, John Harris and David Savage join Anthony Brooks.
Wildfires rage in the West, as Hurricane Sally slams the Gulf Coast. We take that up and more in our week in review. Anita Kumar, Sewell Chan and Lisa DesJardins join Jane Clayson.
The 2020 campaign heats up. The Senate takes up a pared down COVID-19 relief bill. And evidence that the president knew the threat of the coronavirus in February. All that and more in our week in review. Jack Beatty, Monica Alba and Kimberly Atkins join Anthony Brooks.
Congress tussles over a stimulus package with a deadline looming. A massive, deadly explosion in Beirut. It’s all in our week in review. Seung Min Kim, Margaret Talev and Kat Stafford join Anthony Brooks.
The U.S. COVID death toll rises above 150,000. Congress debates another round of stimulus funding. Congressman John Lewis is laid to rest. It’s all in our week in review. Julie Pace, Betsy Woodruff Swan and Hayes Brown join Jane Clayson.
It’s our weekly news roundup. The president orders Federal law enforcement to Chicago and changes his mind on mask-wearing, Washington orders China’s Houston consulate shut, and civil rights icon John Lewis' passing. Plus, the latest on the pandemic and the 2020 election. Luis Carrasco, Anie Karni, and Susan Page join Jane Clayson.
We review the week’s news with our panel of great journalists. Joe Biden lays out plans on climate and infrastructure. The president slams Biden, saying he wants to “abolish the suburbs and the American way of life.” Plus, the debate over how to best reopen schools, and the latest grim news on the coronavirus pandemic. Lisa DesJardins, Jane Coaston and Sewell Chan join Anthony Brooks.
We take stock of the week’s biggest stories. George Floyd laid to rest, the Georgia elections mess, the COVID economy and the latest headlines out of the White House. Maria Reeve, Greg Bluestein and Jane Coaston join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Across the country, continued protests are met by police and curfews, and President Trump advocates to bring in the military. Our weekly round table digs into the news. Jeff Pegues, Kimberly Atkins and Adam Serwer join Jane Clayson.
American COVID-19 deaths surpass 100,000. And protests erupt over the death of George Floyd. Our weekly roundtable digs into the week’s news. Kimberly Atkins, Eugene Scott and Anita Kumar join Jane Clayson.
States move to lift restrictions meant to stem the coronavirus, the Supreme Court teleconferences oral arguments and the House proposes another historic aid package. We discuss it all in our week in review. Julie Pace, Stephen Henderson and Julie Rovner join Meghna Chakrabarti.
More than 30 million Americans without work, more states starting to open up and health experts warning of another wave of infections. We discuss the week's top stories in our news roundtable. Errin Haines, Ben White and Sarah Kliff join Jane Clayson.
Some states are opening back up for business. Furloughs increase across the country. Pandemic aid from Congress. The president and his immigration executive order. It’s our Friday news roundtable. Weijia Jiang, Greg Bluestein and Charlotte Howard join Jane Clayson.
The battle of the president and the governors. When to reopen the economy. Tornadoes hit southern states. Our roundtable takes the week’s headlines and digs in. Margaret Talev, Steve Liesman and Julie Rovner join Meghna Chakrabarti.
More than 400,000 coronavirus cases in the U.S. 6.6 million more Americans filing for unemployment. We’ll have the latest on the continuing challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. Lenny Bernstein, Yamiche Alcindor and Gillian Tett join Jane Clayson.
The death toll from coronavirus continues to mount, as does the economic fallout. Our week in the news roundtable reflects on another unprecedented week. Jonathan Karl, Lisa Desjardins and Elisabeth Rosenthal join Jane Clayson.
Cases of coronavirus are skyrocketing across the U.S. We’ll talk about the public health crisis, and the politics and economics of the pandemic, in our week in review roundtable. Paula Reid, Jonathan Cohn, Betsy Shepherd and Susan Glasser join Jane Clayson.
Health care workers are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. We hear from nurses across the country about the challenges they’re facing. Paul Read, Mary Turner, Mary Jo Kelly and Elizabeth Bridges join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea seem to be getting it right when it comes to coronavirus. We’ll take a close look at what they’re doing, how they’re doing it and if those measures can be deployed in the United States. Dale Fisher, Claire Standley, Gabriel Leung and Andrea Crisanti join Meghna Chakrabarti.
It’s been more than 100 years since all of humanity has had to respond to a global pandemic on the scale of coronavirus. We take a deep look at the origins, responses and lessons of the flu pandemic of 1918. John Barry and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.
We'll have the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, including how hospitals are coping and what’s next from Washington. Donald McNeil, Dr. Leana Wen and Kimberly Atkins join Meghna Chakrabarti.
The Democratic race for president reconfigured. Tornadoes in Tennessee. The news roundtable is here. Emily Siner, Errin Haines and Julie Pace join Anthony Brooks.
A contentious debate and another primary state. The government response to coronavirus. Plus, President Trump's visit to India. The news roundtable is here. Jennifer Medina, Rep. Jim Clyburn and Seung Min Kim join David Folkenflik.
Local newspapers have steadily gone out of business throughout the digital age. We’ll dig into the fate of local journalism and what can be done to save it. John Thornton, Mary Ellen Klas and Mi-Ai Parrish join David Folkenflik.
On to Nevada and South Carolina for the Democrats. The heavy hand of Trump’s Justice Department. And a whole lot more in our week in review roundtable. Susan Glasser, Molly Ball and Gerald Seib join David Folkenflik.
A week drenched in history – Trump acquitted by the Senate – but not before Mitt Romney votes to convict and remove his fellow Republican. We'll also review confusion in the Iowa caucuses, the State of the Union and more. Jeanne Cummings, Marc Lacey and Wendy Benjaminson join David Folkenflik.
Impeachment. Trump’s Middle East peace plan. Coronavirus fears. All unfolding at a critical moment. Our week in review panel will tackle the week's big stories. Peter Baker, Julie Pace and Hayes Brown join David Folkenflik.
The impeachment trial is underway. Iowa looms for the Democrats. And Trump visits Davos. The news roundtable is here. Catherine Lucey, Karen Tumulty and Jack Beatty join Anthony Brooks.
Impeachment heads to the Senate. Democrats debate electability and gender. The U.S. and China strike a deal. The entire Russian government quits. The roundtable is here. Kimberly Atkins, Darlene Superville and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.
First, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., joins the show to discuss U.S.-Iran tensions. Then: More on Iran strikes and Trump’s response. Impeachment surprise: John Bolton says he’ll testify. Puerto Rico recovers from earthquakes. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle take a step back. Farnaz Fassihi, Weijia Jiang and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.
Gen. Qassem Soleimani killed. Protests at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Hate crime charges in New York. Rudy Giuliani to testify? The roundtable is here. Susan Page, David Ignatius and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.
Donald Trump becomes only the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. He rallies his loyalists in Michigan. The 2020 Democrats debate. The roundtable is here. Juana Summers, Katie Rogers and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.
House Democrats lay out Articles of Impeachment. Trump strikes deal on trade with those same House Democrats. And Warren takes on Buttigieg. The roundtable is here. Liz Landers, Annie Karni and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.
The impeachment spotlight shifts to the Judiciary Committee. Trump at a strained NATO summit. Kamala Harris drops out of the presidential race. The roundtable weighs in on the week that was. Seung Min Kim, Jack Beatty and Vivian Salama join David Folkenflik.
White House budget officials resigned in part over Ukraine aid concerns. Bloomberg enters the 2020 fray. Navy Secretary is pushed out. Janet Hook, Kimberly Atkins and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik for the news roundtable.
In sworn testimony, an ambassador points at Trump on the Ukraine quid pro quo and says, "We followed the president’s orders." And the 2020 Democrats debate. Karoun Demirjian, Major Garrett and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.
Jeff Sessions running for Senate. Top diplomat now recalls quid pro quo on Ukraine aid. Takeaway from state elections. Karen Tumulty, Jackie Kucinich and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.
House vote and next steps in the impeachment inquiry. ISIS leader killed. California fires. The Washington Nationals are World Series champions. Anna Palmer, Sam Stein and Jack Beatty join Kimberly Atkins.
A top U.S. diplomat ties Trump directly to a political quid pro quo in Ukraine. Trump dismisses Syria by saying, "Let someone else fight over this blood-stained sand." The roundtable is here. Janet Hook, Toluse Olorunnipa and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.
Trump’s gambit in Syria leads to fears of massacres of Kurds — and a backlash at home. Warren in the hot seat. Giuliani rejects a congressional subpoena. Anita Kumar, Laura Rozen and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.
Multiple whistleblowers come forward. The White House refuses to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry. Turkey invades Syria with Trump’s green light. Mara Liasson, Amna Nawaz and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.
President Trump’s inner circle under fire as the impeachment inquiry heats up. Sen. Bernie Sanders sidelined by a heart procedure. Facebook vs. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Susan Page, Kaitlan Collins and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.