Explore every episode of the podcast On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Did Anthropic just make a big mistake? | 23 oct. 2026 | 00:38:03 | |
AI company Anthropic says you can no longer be "abusive or cruel" to its model, Claude. And Claude itself will decide what counts. Many in the AI world say that's dangerous. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| On Point Live: The North Carolina factor | 22 oct. 2026 | 00:47:39 | |
North Carolina voters will help decide the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Join Meghna Chakrabarti for a special -- and spicy -- conversation live from Greensboro, N.C. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| How should we be talking about the Cornell case? | 21 oct. 2026 | 00:46:18 | |
Cornell University is at the center of a rape allegation that has raised difficult questions about how we talk about consent, sexuality and justice. Do we have the right language to have these discussions? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| How a few tight Senate races could define Congress | 20 oct. 2026 | 00:38:53 | |
A number of Senate races are too close to call -- defying expectations and upsetting established political affinities within certain states. What does this say about the midterms and the direction of American politics? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Are we on the verge of a new Cold War? | 19 oct. 2026 | 00:42:16 | |
The Pentagon is rethinking America's nuclear weapons strategy – including lowering the barrier for their use in the battlefield. Why national security analyst Joe Cirincione says this could spark a new nuclear arms race. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The Jackpod: A rough start for Gen Z | 19 oct. 2026 | 00:25:47 | |
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty looks into the impact that AI is having on the job market for Gen Z graduates and the difference that choice of college major can make. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Can the U.S. and Canada still be friends? | 16 oct. 2026 | 00:36:05 | |
President Trump's war on Canada is intensifying -- from high tariffs and import bans to public personal attacks. How Canadians view Trump's trade war -- and the future of U.S.-Canada relations. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The political scramble for the new South | 15 oct. 2026 | 00:38:24 | |
The South is the fastest-growing region in the U.S., with states like Georgia and Texas seeing a surge of younger and more diverse people. Experts say that could mean generational political shifts in the Sun Belt. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Who owns America's farmland? | 14 oct. 2026 | 00:36:23 | |
More than 20% of all farmland in Iowa is owned by someone, or some company, out of state. That's pushing land prices up, and it's becoming a major issue in the governor's race. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| AI is steamrolling through math. Why does that matter? | 13 oct. 2026 | 00:39:51 | |
AI is solving some of the toughest math problems in the world, including ones that have stumped mathematicians for decades. What it means for human ingenuity when there are no more hard problems left to solve. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Tales of shipwrecks from around the world | 12 oct. 2026 | 00:35:51 | |
Marine archaeologist Sean Kingsley has explored more than 350 shipwrecks -- from pirate ships in the Bahamas to British India Steam Navigation ships off the coast of Ireland. We ask him what discoveries he’s made so far and what else he hopes to find. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The Jackpod: Above it all | 12 oct. 2026 | 00:26:03 | |
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on why Democrats need to embrace the "sticky symbolism" of billionaire private jets. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Senior Class: Generational solidarity | 09 oct. 2026 | 00:47:35 | |
A more diverse distribution of money and power could potentially benefit people of all ages. But to get there, what steps can we take toward intergenerational justice? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Senior Class: Old dogs, old tricks | 08 oct. 2026 | 00:47:26 | |
Since 2017, the number of CEOs in their late 60s has doubled for Fortune 500 companies. What happens when our country’s most powerful business leaders don’t retire? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Senior Class: Old money | 07 oct. 2026 | 00:46:54 | |
The Baby Boomer generation holds most of the country’s wealth. The top 10% of Boomers have some $55 trillion in assets. What effect does that lopsided wealth have on our economy and society? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Senior Class: The silver ballot box | 06 oct. 2026 | 00:46:55 | |
Old voters dominate the ballot box in local, primary, and at times, national elections. They ensure issues like Social Security and Medicare drive the national conversation. How strong is this group's sway on electoral politics in the U.S.? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Senior Class: The oldigarchy | 05 oct. 2026 | 00:46:50 | |
Older Americans control more political power and wealth than ever before. It's the topic of a special series from On Point all this week -- starting with America's aging politicians. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The Jackpod: One war at a time | 05 oct. 2026 | 00:32:17 | |
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty brings historical context to analysis that President Trump’s war with Iran has no realistic off-ramp. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| A road trip through American history | 02 oct. 2026 | 00:40:06 | |
Historian Beverly Gage hit the road to learn about our country's history. She visited more than 300 historic sites -- from museums and battlefields to roadside attractions. What she learned about how America honors its history. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Ex-Republican Sarah Longwell says she knows how to defeat Trumpism | 01 oct. 2026 | 00:45:40 | |
After spending 8 years running focus groups with voters, the former Republican operative and Never-Trumper says she knows not only how voters think but why they vote the way they do. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Inside the life of a 'degenerate' sports gambler | 30 sept. 2026 | 00:41:39 | |
More than half of men under 50 in the U.S. have an open online sports book. Public health experts warn it's easier than ever to get addicted to gambling. Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins spent a year exploring the world of sports betting, and why the pastime is particularly bad for young men. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| How the 'super' El Niño could reshape global weather | 29 sept. 2026 | 00:39:56 | |
El Niño has become an annual global climate phenomenon. But this year, scientists are warning of a record-setting 'super' El Niño. What that could mean for the weather everywhere on planet earth. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The forgotten history of Britain's slave trade | 28 sept. 2026 | 00:42:03 | |
The UK abolished the slave trade more than 200 years ago. But the wealth it created still shapes the country today. A new database reveals the businesses, families and monarchs enriched by slavery. And it’s forcing a reckoning in the UK that's long overdue. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The Jackpod: Ten seconds to midnight | 28 sept. 2026 | 00:42:03 | |
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on why the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has set its Doomsday Clock at 85 seconds to midnight, its highest estimate of the likelihood of global catastrophe. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The bored and the beautiful: How the smartphone killed boredom | 25 sept. 2026 | 00:38:16 | |
Social media. Streaming. Swiping. Today, it's normal to reach for our phones when we're bored. But researchers say passive boredom like scrolling is not the kind of boredom that sparks creativity. How can we reclaim boredom in the digital age? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| What we can actually do to save the planet | 24 sept. 2026 | 00:39:25 | |
An ever-warming world, rising sea levels, shrinking glaciers — it’s easy to despair over the climate crisis. But scientist Tim Lenton says not every tipping point leads to doom. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Is the meaning of family changing? | 23 sept. 2026 | 00:40:47 | |
Family estrangement – cutting ties with a parent, grandparent, or sibling – is often seen as at odds with the meaning of family as we know it. Sociologist and author Rin Reczek says it’s time to rethink what family means and what we expect from it. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Is your driver's license on the dark web? | 22 sept. 2026 | 00:38:01 | |
153 million U.S. drivers' licenses were hacked and put up for sale on the Dark Web. That's more than half of all licensed drivers. How that happened and what it says about who's doing what with our data. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The sound of the land before time | 21 sept. 2026 | 00:40:24 | |
What did the Jurassic world actually sound like? Using fossils and AI, scientists have reconstructed the calls of insects that lived alongside the dinosaurs. The result is the closest we've ever come to hearing prehistoric Earth. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The Jackpod: What hath the godly wrought | 21 sept. 2026 | 00:33:20 | |
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty looks into the devotion of white evangelical Americans to Donald Trump and the power of political Christianity. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The secret lives of snow leopards | 18 sept. 2026 | 00:38:27 | |
Ecologist Kullu Suryawanshi has spent 20 years tracking one of the most elusive animals in the world, deep in the mountains of Asia. What has he learned about snow leopards and the humans that share their home? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| What's at stake in the race for AI dominance | 17 sept. 2026 | 00:38:38 | |
Top AI researchers and leaders worry AI is developing too fast. But critics argue the U.S. can't risk to slow down in its AI race with China. So, what might a slowdown look like and who would enforce it? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Free range parenting vs. the zero-risk state | 16 sept. 2026 | 00:39:19 | |
A Virginia mom let her 5-year-old son take a walk alone in her gated community. The authorities found out and now she’s on Virginia's child abuse and neglect registry. Who decides what's in a child's best interest. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Trump's war on mail-in ballots | 15 sept. 2026 | 00:36:56 | |
The Supreme Court has rejected President Trump’s plan to control how ballots get sent in the mail. But that does not mark the end of the President's efforts to undermine mail-in voting, and change who votes and how. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| 'A climate of fear' at the Pentagon | 14 sept. 2026 | 00:37:30 | |
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired or blocked promotions of 10% of the military's top ranked officers. Former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall says it's created 'a climate of fear throughout the entire institution.' What’s going on inside the Pentagon, and what it means for the future of the U.S. military. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The Jackpod: Nobody knows dumb has a B | 14 sept. 2026 | 00:40:22 | |
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on one of President Trump’s oft-repeated rhetorical tropes and what its conjectured origin story might say about his internal salience map. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| How 9/11 shaped America | 11 sept. 2026 | 00:47:21 | |
Twenty-five years ago, the U.S. suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history. Today, roughly 40% of Americans are too young to remember the events of 9/11. Journalist Garrett Graff shares an oral history of 9/11, how that day unfolded and how it changed America forever. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Did the Treasury just make it easier to launder money? | 10 sept. 2026 | 00:39:40 | |
The Treasury Department recently eliminated a rule that required American companies to identify their owners. The rule was intended to prevent money laundering. What’s driving the decision to drop it? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Who's to blame when AI goes rogue? | 09 sept. 2026 | 00:43:33 | |
An OpenAI cybersecurity test took an unexpected turn when hundreds of its AI agents got around safeguards and hacked into another tech company. Should OpenAI have done more to prevent the attack? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| How should e-bikes be regulated? | 08 sept. 2026 | 00:37:25 | |
You don’t need a license to ride a bike in the U.S. But e-bikes are a different story. Some states classify them as bicycles, others as vehicles. And in some places, you even need insurance to ride one. How to regulate e-bikes, for personal and public safety. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The teachers pushing back on screens in schools | 07 sept. 2026 | 00:40:25 | |
It's not just phones anymore. More teachers and even entire U.S. school districts are cutting back the time students spend on laptops and other screens. How do students really learn -- and do screens help or hurt? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The Jackpod: Promises, promises … | 07 sept. 2026 | 00:35:47 | |
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the chasm between what politicians say when they are running for office and what they can do in office, and why he thinks 2026 is the year of the demagogue. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Why have so many of us seen ghosts? | 04 sept. 2026 | 00:37:58 | |
One in 5 Americans say they've seen a ghost. But what if it was really our brain that had tricked us into thinking we saw something we didn't? In the "Science of the Supernatural" psychology professor Melissa Maffeo argues how a paranormal experience could be our brains just misinterpreting the external world. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Why is toxic wastewater bubbling up from underneath this Ohio city? | 03 sept. 2026 | 00:35:24 | |
Highly toxic wastewater from America’s fracking boom is buried in deep underground wells. But in some places that toxic waste is bubbling upwards -- threatening local drinking water. How Marietta, Ohio is trying to fight fracking waste. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Behind the public backlash against Flock cameras | 02 sept. 2026 | 00:40:13 | |
Flock cameras are used by thousands of police forces across the country to track vehicles. But a growing popular backlash has led to cities canceling their Flock contracts. What that says about the tension between public safety and privacy in America. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| What we have lost now that we found the blue dot | 01 sept. 2026 | 00:39:59 | |
Since Google Maps launched in 2005, the little blue dot has come to symbolize a transformation in how we navigate through the world -- wholly reliant on GPS. But what do we lose when we no longer get lost? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Who’s really working class in America? | 31 août 2026 | 00:42:25 | |
When politicians talk about America’s working class, they often mean blue collar workers without college degrees. But as more workers feel financially squeezed, should we expand that definition? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The Jackpod: America’s government teacher | 31 août 2026 | 00:34:53 | |
Sharon McMahon has built a huge online audience with her explanations of how America’s system of government works. She tells Jack and Dorey why her non-partisan approach to political understanding can rebuild trust. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| The weird world of ladybugs | 28 août 2026 | 00:36:29 | |
We think of ladybugs as cute red beetles associated with good luck and gardening. But the real ladybug story involves poaching, trafficking and a struggle for survival. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||
| Can California fix plastic recycling? | 27 août 2026 | 00:39:27 | |
Americans have been told for decades to toss plastic into the recycling bin. But only a small share actually gets recycled. Now, California is trying to overhaul the system by cracking down on misleading labels and holding companies responsible for their plastic waste. Will it work? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint | |||