On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

Epizody

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  A road trip through American history 02.10.2026 40min

  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
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  Ex-Republican Sarah Longwell says she knows how to defeat Trumpism 01.10.2026 45min

  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
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  Inside the life of a 'degenerate' sports gambler 30.09.2026 41min

  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
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  How the 'super' El Niño could reshape global weather 29.09.2026 39min

  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
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  The forgotten history of Britain's slave trade 28.09.2026 42min

  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
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  The Jackpod: Ten seconds to midnight 28.09.2026 42min

  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
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  The bored and the beautiful: How the smartphone killed boredom 25.09.2026 38min

  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
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  What we can actually do to save the planet 24.09.2026 39min

  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
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  Is the meaning of family changing? 23.09.2026 40min

  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
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  Is your driver's license on the dark web? 22.09.2026 38min

  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 21.09.2026 40min

  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
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  The Jackpod: What hath the godly wrought 21.09.2026 33min

  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
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  The secret lives of snow leopards 18.09.2026 38min

  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
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  What's at stake in the race for AI dominance 17.09.2026 38min

  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
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  Free range parenting vs. the zero-risk state 16.09.2026 39min

  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
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  Trump's war on mail-in ballots 15.09.2026 36min

  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
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  'A climate of fear' at the Pentagon 14.09.2026 37min

  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
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  The Jackpod: Nobody knows dumb has a B 14.09.2026 40min

  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
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  How 9/11 shaped America 11.09.2026 47min

  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
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  Did the Treasury just make it easier to launder money? 10.09.2026 39min

  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