Episodes
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.
Published 04/05/24
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.
Published 04/05/24
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.
Published 04/04/24
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.
Published 04/03/24
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.
Published 04/02/24
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.
Published 04/01/24
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.
Published 03/30/24
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.
Published 03/29/24
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.
Published 03/29/24
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.
Published 03/28/24
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.
Published 03/27/24
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.
Published 03/26/24
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.
Published 03/25/24
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.
Published 03/23/24
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.
Published 03/22/24
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.
Published 03/22/24
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.
Published 03/21/24
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.
Published 03/20/24
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.
Published 03/19/24
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.
Published 03/18/24
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...
Published 03/16/24
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.
Published 03/15/24
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.
Published 03/15/24
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.
Published 03/14/24
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.
Published 03/13/24