The Jackpod: Outside the beltway
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on emerging angst and growing protests over the Trump administration, far from the centers of political power in Washington D.C.
Mar 20, 2025•41 min
On Point | Podcast
Hosted by Meghna Chakrabarti, On Point is a unique, curiosity-driven combination of original reporting, newsmaker interviews, first-person stories, and in-depth analysis, making the world more intelligible and humane. When the world is more complicated than ever, we aim to make sense of it together. On Point is produced by WBUR.
Episodes
Rethinking how dyslexia is diagnosed
Rebroadcast: Dyslexia affects one in every 5 Americans. But only 2 million are diagnosed and receive the help they need. Why?
Mar 20, 2025•43 min
What a polarized U.S. might learn from other countries in 'Another World is Possible'
Journalist Natasha Hakimi Zapata's book “Another World is Possible” explores what the U.S. could learn about ways to tackle issues such as inequality, health care and homelessness from innovative solutions deployed abroad.
Mar 20, 2025•47 min
What big changes inside the Pentagon could mean for U.S. national security
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to reshape the Pentagon. How the Trump administration is making sweeping changes to the U.S. armed services, just two months into its term.
Mar 19, 2025•47 min
A daughter, a father and a family's struggle with 'American Bulk'
In the U.S., shopping is almost a religion. For Emily Mester’s family, Costco was their Sunday ritual. In her new book, 'American Bulk,' Mester tells the story of how her family struggled with the desire to own everything they possibly could.
Mar 18, 2025•47 min
What the detention of Mahmoud Khalil reveals about free speech in the Trump era
The Trump White House is using Department of Homeland Security intelligence to identify pro-Palestinian college protesters. Courts have ruled that campus protests are protected by the First Amendment. But as the Trump administration seeks to punish speech it does not like, whose first amendment rights are next?
Mar 17, 2025•47 min
America's new Gilded Age
President Donald Trump declared America is entering a “Golden Age” on Inauguration Day. But as inequality grows, some historians say that the country is in a new Gilded Age.
Mar 14, 2025•47 min
The Jackpod: Strategic empathy
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty looks at the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine from Russian president Vladimir Putin’s perspective, as a ‘preventive war.’
Mar 14, 2025•39 min
What happened when AI went after welfare fraud
Artificial Intelligence algorithms are being used to decide who gets welfare benefits, and how much. Some experts say it’s leading to “devastating” cuts in benefits for those most in need.
Mar 13, 2025•47 min
The wonder of Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park
Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park was first designated a national monument a century ago. Even with climate change, Glacier Bay has a surprising story to tell about nature’s resilience.
Mar 12, 2025•47 min
Trump's 2017 tax cuts: Who's better off, who's not?
The House has passed a budget resolution, and a plan to extend President Trump's 2017 tax cuts. What’s known about the impact of those cuts on American taxpayers and the economy?
Mar 11, 2025•43 min
Federal judge Frederic Block on second chances -- and 'who deserves it'
In 1997, Walter Johnson was given five life sentences for robbery and drug offences. Decades later, he was released by the same judge who originally sentenced him. A conversation with that judge about the power of second chances.
Mar 10, 2025•48 min
Is NASCAR a monopoly?
Basketball legend Michael Jordan’s automotive racing team 23XI is suing NASCAR, alleging the organization is an illegal monopoly. The case could make waves across the entire sport.
Mar 07, 2025•46 min
The Jackpod: Where the roads lead
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the numerous ways Donald Trump has sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin since re-entering the White House.
Mar 07, 2025•41 min
Is Kash Patel a modern-day J. Edgar Hoover?
FBI Director Kash Patel wants to go after President Trump's enemies. That reminds some historians of J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI's notorious first director. But some say Patel wants to weaponize the FBI so completely, even Hoover would disapprove.
Mar 06, 2025•47 min
Is education technology actually helping students learn?
From laptops to learning software, schools invest billions of dollars each year on education technology. But what do we really know about how effective that tech is in the classroom?
Mar 06, 2025•47 min
How the bond market could check Trump's power
Bond traders are worried about President Donald Trump’s proposed tax cuts – and the ever-growing national debt. Could the bond market be a check on Trump’s agenda?
Mar 04, 2025•47 min
A meltdown in the White House over Ukraine
An Oval Office meeting devolved into a televised shouting match Friday. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War III” and being ungrateful for U.S. aid. What this unprecedented moment means for the Ukraine war and the world.
Mar 03, 2025•47 min
Weight loss drugs may become harder to get. What does that mean for patients?
When the FDA declared an Ozempic and Wegovy shortage, business boomed for pharmacies making cheaper, off-brand versions of the weight loss drugs. Now, the FDA is clamping down.
Feb 28, 2025•47 min
Lauren Ober was a juror on a Jan. 6 case. Then, she learned her new neighbors supported Jan. 6 insurrectionists.
A conversation with journalist Lauren Ober about her experience on that jury, her podcast 'We Live Here Now,' and what Trump's pardons mean.
Feb 27, 2025•47 min
'A clear attempt to intimidate the press'
Some of President Trump’s lawsuits against media outlets have resulted in big settlements. Critics say that could have a chilling effect on journalists and embolden Trump to sue more.
Feb 26, 2025•46 min
The GOP's plan for the future of Medicaid
The House Republicans’ budget plan calls for billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid. Some 72 million Americans rely on the program for their health care. What's next for Medicaid?
Feb 25, 2025•47 min
Where peace talks stand in Ukraine, 3 years into war
President Trump is promising to end the now three-year long war in Ukraine. But with Ukraine and Europe sidelined in current negotiations – how far off really is peace?
Feb 24, 2025•46 min
Tumult inside Trump's DOJ: What it means for rule of law in the U.S.
Trump’s Justice Department ordered criminal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams to be dropped. Multiple federal prosecutors resigned in protest. What do these controversies mean for the future of American law?
Feb 21, 2025•47 min
The Jackpod: Off the mat
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on how the Democrats could take a leaf from the British parliamentary system to break out of their opinion poll slump.
Feb 20, 2025•38 min
Inside the effort to dismantle the Department of Education
The Trump administration has cut Education Department spending by hundreds of millions of dollars over the past few weeks. What does that mean for the department's future?
Feb 20, 2025•47 min
The truth about testosterone therapy
Prescriptions for testosterone have tripled in recent years, as some social media fitness influencers claim the hormone is a miracle cure for men. But who really benefits from testosterone therapy? And what are the risks?
Feb 19, 2025•47 min
What it's like to live in fear of being deported
President Trump is promising to remove millions of people who are in the U.S. without legal status. That promise is creating fear among migrants, even those here legally. We head to immigrant communities in Wisconsin to talk about the effects of looming mass deportations.
Feb 18, 2025•47 min
The consequences of declining vaccination rates
Childhood vaccination rates are declining. Doctors worry that could lead to a resurgence of diseases such as measles, polio and whooping cough.
Feb 17, 2025•47 min
The Jackpod: The child is father of the man
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty looks back at Elon Musk's traumatic childhood as a lens through which to understand the world view of the planet’s richest man.
Feb 14, 2025•41 min
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