On Point | Podcast
1,497 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 days ago - ★★★★ - 3K ratingsLet'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 everyday people about the issues that matter most. On Point is produced by WBUR.
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Episodes
The Jackpod: The haunting relevance of D-Day
April 19, 2024 10:00 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBOn 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 data, the U.S. government and the 'new American surveillance state'
April 18, 2024 15:47 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBYour 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.
The ethical dilemma of involuntary mental health treatment
April 17, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBSeveral 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.
Battleground: How the outcome of the Ohio Senate race affects us all
April 16, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBThe 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.
How the 2024 U.S. presidential election could be stolen
April 15, 2024 16:01 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBThere 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.
How the 2024 U.S. presidential election could be stolen
April 15, 2024 16:01 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBThere 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.
The Jackpod: How it looks to a Republican
April 12, 2024 10:00 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBOn 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.
The high cost of the youth sports arms race
April 12, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBYouth 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.
Rebroadcast: The little-known virus behind a majority of nongenetic birth defects
April 11, 2024 15:31 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBOne 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.
Democrats consider changing course on Israel support
April 10, 2024 05:52 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBPresident 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.
China’s divided memory of the Cultural Revolution
April 09, 2024 04:58 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MB"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.
How to become a 'supercommunicator'
April 08, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBAs 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.
Whistleblowers, an executive shakeup, and the future of Boeing
April 05, 2024 15:43 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBLast 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.
The Jackpod: How to steal an election
April 05, 2024 10:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBOn 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.
What defines Latino identity in the U.S.?
April 04, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MB64 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.
'Pig-butchering': The online scam that's raked in $75 billion and counting
April 03, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBThe 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.
Sports betting is booming, but at what cost?
April 02, 2024 04:01 - 46 minutes - 43 MBSportsbooks 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.
Could holding parents criminally responsible curb the country’s gun violence epidemic?
April 01, 2024 16:19 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBJennifer 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.
From the archive and in the news: How to cut through the 'noise' that hinders human judgment
March 30, 2024 10:00 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBNobel 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.
From the archive and in the news: How to cut through the 'noise' that hinders human judgement
March 30, 2024 10:00 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBNobel 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 Judgement.' 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 Jackpod: Missing misery
March 29, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBOn 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.
Has the United States lost its 'can-do' attitude?
March 29, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBAuthor 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.
This attorney's ideas could change how you buy and sell your home
March 28, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBThe 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.
'Battle for your brain': What the rise of brain-computer interface technology means for you
March 27, 2024 12:38 - 46 minutes - 42.1 MBRebroadcast: 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.
Reproductive health under a second Trump term
March 26, 2024 04:15 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBTrump'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.
Inside the 'no social media' movement
March 25, 2024 04:30 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBShould 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.
The Jackpod: What leopard?
March 23, 2024 10:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBOn 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.
The Jackpod is delayed
March 22, 2024 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.67 MBDue 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.
Should the U.S. ban TikTok?
March 22, 2024 04:01 - 46 minutes - 43 MBThe 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.
How disinformation 'sabotages America'
March 21, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBFormer 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.
Finance companies have a new customer: The wrongfully convicted
March 20, 2024 04:01 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBExonerees 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.
Could ranked-choice voting take the poison out of politics?
March 19, 2024 05:10 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBAlaska 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.
The hidden value of herbariums
March 18, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBDuke 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.
On Point presents 'Beyond All Repair,' a new podcast from WBUR
March 16, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBListen: 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 sho...
The Jackpod: The Xanadu Effect
March 15, 2024 10:00 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBOn 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.
The goal: Can the U.S. actually meet its ambitious climate targets?
March 15, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBGiven 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.
The promise of nickel: Power and prosperity in Indonesia
March 14, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBTo 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.
The human cost of cobalt: Modern slavery in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
March 13, 2024 04:01 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBMost 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.
The copper tradeoff: Protecting today's lands versus preserving tomorrow's climate
March 12, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBCopper 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 lithium boom: What's holding back a lithium rush in the U.S.?
March 11, 2024 04:01 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBThe 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.
The Jackpod: Still
March 09, 2024 11:00 - 39 minutes - 35.8 MBOn 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.
'Blood Money': Inside the global business of selling plasma
March 08, 2024 19:11 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBRebroadcast: 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.
Lessons from Poland’s democratic resurgence
March 07, 2024 05:01 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBFor 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.
How the anti-tax movement went from fringe to mainstream
March 06, 2024 16:55 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBThe 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.
The dark legacy of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines
March 05, 2024 16:47 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBWhile 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 on America's global future
March 04, 2024 05:01 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBForeign 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.
'Food, we need to talk': Finding a better way to discuss our bodies and what we eat
March 01, 2024 16:25 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBRebroadcast: 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.
The Jackpod: Low information voters
March 01, 2024 11:00 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBOn 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.
U.S. military barracks are in shambles. Will the government take action?
February 29, 2024 05:01 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBA 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.
Your brain on menopause
February 28, 2024 17:53 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBHot 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.