On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

Epizody

• China's take on the Trump summit 03.06.2026 39min

  President Trump heaped praise on China’s President Xi after their recent summit. While the Chinese leader’s rhetoric was much more restrained. A review of the U.S.-China summit from China's perspective. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• Why the pope wants to 'disarm' AI 02.06.2026 37min

  Pope Leo XIV has published his first major document. The encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” focuses on AI and what the pope calls the “distorting effects of technological power.” *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• The Declaration of Independence: 250 years later 01.06.2026 37min

  The Declaration of Independence is the founders' vision of America's values – equality, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. How that vision still lives on today. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• The Jackpod: Catastrophe-proofing AI 01.06.2026 44min

  On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the perils and promise of AI as outlined in the papal encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” and a forthcoming law review paper, “AI and Existential Risk.” *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• How China's superfast charging cars are leaving American EVs in the dust 29.05.2026 37min

  An electric vehicle battery that charges almost as fast as it takes to fill a tank of gas. And it might soon be available almost everywhere except the United States. How China's superfast-charging electric vehicles are leaving American EVs in the dust. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• Does Trump's 'anti-weaponization' fund go too far? 28.05.2026 39min

  Donald Trump plans to use a $1.776 billion fund to compensate anyone he chooses, including people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Some Congressional Republicans are furious. Other critics call it the worst act of presidential corruption in history. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• Is Google's new AI search killing the internet? 27.05.2026 39min

  Google has a new AI search bar. Instead of links, it gives you AI-synthesized answers. Some say it could be the end of the internet as we know it. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• How Katie Herzog drank her way to sobriety 26.05.2026 37min

  For 20 years, journalist Katie Herzog tried to stop drinking. But nothing seemed to work. Until she stumbled upon a lesser-known path to sobriety. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• The new science of 'dad brain' 25.05.2026 40min

  You’ve heard of 'mom brain.' But how do men’s brains change when they become fathers? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• The Jackpod: Bearing his pain silently 25.05.2026 40min

  On Point news analyst Jack Beatty memorializes the courage and sacrifice of the Black men and women who served in the U.S. military in World War II. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• How women are breaking records in ultramarathons 22.05.2026 39min

  Rachel Entrekin just won one of the hardest ultramarathon races in the world. She ran 253 miles across Arizona, breaking the previous course record by more than two hours. But she's no outlier. At ultra-distances, more and more women are taking the crown. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• Is an energy crisis coming for the global economy? 21.05.2026 38min

  Europe and Asia are facing fuel shortages. The U.S. is in a fuel deficit. Some experts say the Iran War has caused the largest energy security threat in history. And it's about to get worse. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• The small Utah county fighting a massive data center 20.05.2026 42min

  A rural county at the edge of the Great Salt Lake. A multimillionaire celebrity businessman. A shadowy state agency. What Box Elder County, Utah’s fight over a 40,000-acre data center reveals about America’s AI future. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• What Yale saw when it looked in the mirror 19.05.2026 40min

  Conservative critics say America's elite colleges don't encourage political diversity and have biased admissions. A Yale University commission recently concluded that those critics may be right. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• Is Trump taking a chainsaw to the Forest Service? 18.05.2026 38min

  The Trump administration has made dramatic changes to the U.S. Forest Service -- closing nearly every regional office and axing its research budget. Some say it's overdue reform. But critics say public lands won’t be protected. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• The Jackpod: The times they are a-changin’ 18.05.2026 44min

  On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on how the growth of inequality in the U.S. is creating a new political order willing to embrace raising tax rates. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• Introducing 'The Midnight Rebellion,' a new climate fiction podcast 16.05.2026 20min

  From WBUR, here's a new kind of story, one that's all about the big questions and decisions we face. The Midnight Rebellion is a pick-your-own-path podcast set 100 years in the future, where the stakes are nothing less than the planet itself. It's fiction rooted in real science, built for the kids in your life (ages 7 and up) — and the whole family. You're listening to Chapter 1 of The Midnight Rebellion. Each chapter ends with a choice. YOU decide what’s next. Choose wisely. And if you liked what you heard, listen to the rest and follow The Midnight Rebellion wherever you get your podcasts. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• Why American low-cost airlines fail 15.05.2026 38min

  Spirit Airlines, known for cheap flights, suddenly closed earlier this month. Budget airlines seem to do fine in Europe. Why can’t they survive in the U.S.? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• Inside Trump's self-dealing presidency 14.05.2026 38min

  Since taking office, President Trump’s wealth has grown by at least $1.4 billion. There have been overseas real estate projects, a Trump phone that doesn’t exist and a Trump-branded cryptocurrency. Conflicts of interest or corruption? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint
• A Holocaust scholar asks: 'Israel, what went wrong?' 13.05.2026 46min

  Omer Bartov was born on an Israeli kibbutz, grew up committed to Zionist ideals, and is now professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University. But in his new book, Bartov argues that Zionism has changed and he can no longer support it. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint