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On Point
Weekdays at 10am
Hosted by Meghna Chakrabarti

On Point helps listeners understand how the world works, at a time the world is more complex than ever. Its unique, curiosity-driven combination of original reporting, first-person stories, sound design, and in depth live analysis creates an experience that strives to make the world more intelligible and humane.

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  • A student prepares to do steel work at Ironworkers Local 29 during an apprenticeship in Dayton, Ohio, on October 24, 2022. - In the face of the rising prices that are crushing this election campaign, Joe Biden is hammering home his message: the tens of billions of dollars voted on by the Democrats will revive American manufacturing and its "good-paying jobs." He is trying to reconnect with the white working class, which has been largely lost to a Democratic Party that has long supported free trade. But in Ohio, where Donald Trump came out on top in the last two presidential elections, inflation and a deep sense of disenfranchisement are hampering this strategy. (Photo by Megan JELINGER / AFP) (Photo by MEGAN JELINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
    The Jackpod: The company they keep
    On Point new analyst Jack Beatty argues that Democrats are losing touch with working class voters. What could they do to change that? 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.
  • LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 28: Packs of menthol cigarettes (BOTTOM) are displayed for sale in a smoke shop on April 28, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to ban both menthol-flavored cigarettes and flavored cigars in a move hailed by public health experts which could potentially lead to 1.3 million people quitting smoking. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
    Should the U.S. ban menthol cigarettes?
    More than 80% of Black smokers smoke menthol cigarettes. The FDA is now pushing to ban the products, saying it will prevent death and disease. 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.
  • How Dallas tackled violent crime
    The city of Dallas reduced its overall violent crime by 30% compared to this time last year. Its mayor and police chief credit the so-called “hot spot policing.” 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.
  • WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 17: Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer speaks during an event at the Library of Congress for the 2022 Supreme Court Fellows Program hosted by the Law Library of Congress on February 17, 2022 in Washington, DC. Justice Breyer, who announced he will be retiring on January 27, 2022, has served on the court since 1994. His retirement creates an opportunity for President Joe Biden, who has promised to nominate a Black woman for his first pick to the highest court in the country. (Photo by Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images)
    Justice Breyer's ear notch test for our constitution
    Textualism, which sees a legal system's original structure as immortal, is the dominating philosophy on the court today. But retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer argues pragmatism, which considers consequences of legal decisions, is the better mindset. 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.
  • Voters queue up to cast their ballot outside a polling station during the first phase of voting of India's general election, in Dugeli village some 33 Km (21 miles) from Dantewada town in Chhattisgarh state on April 19, 2024. As the world's biggest democracy began a six-week election on April 19, thousands of people in villages across Bastar district, one of the last strongholds of the Naxal rebels, cast their ballots. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP) / TO GO WITH 'India-vote-conflict-Maoist', FOCUS by Bhuvan Bagga (Photo by IDREES MOHAMMED/AFP via Getty Images)
    India’s high-stakes election
    Elections in the world’s largest democracy are underway. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s power is ascendant. But, like in other global democracies, so are concerns about religious nationalism and democratic decline. Ashutosh Varshney and Vivan Marwaha 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.
  • How to move from languishing to flourishing
    Languishing. That feeling of a lack of motivation or direction. Most people feel a sense of languishing at some point in their lives. So how do we move from languishing to flourishing? Sociologist Corey Keyes has spent his career trying to find the answer. 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.
  • 6th June 1984: US President Ronald Reagan delivers a speech commemorating the Fortieth Anniversary of D-Day, at the site of the Allied invasion, Pointe Du Hoc, Normandy, France. Flowers are laid at the base of the stone memorial by the sea shore. Government officials and World War II veterans sit in folding chairs, listening to the speech. (Photo by Ronald Reagan Library/Getty Images)
    The Jackpod: The haunting relevance of D-Day
    On Point news analyst Jack Beatty recalls a 1984 speech by President Reagan outlining the importance of allies and collective security. 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.
  • A roadmap to better health for women
    Physician Dr. Sharon Malone is on a mission to help women better manage their health in the American health care system. Her No. 1 tip from her book 'Grown Woman Talk' -- Be your best advocate. 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.
  • TOPSHOT - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify before a joint hearing of the US Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. Zuckerberg, making his first formal appearance at a Congressional hearing, seeks to allay widespread fears ignited by the leaking of private data on tens of millions of users to British firm Cambridge Analytica working on Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
    Your data, the U.S. government and the 'new American surveillance state'
    Your exact location, what apps you use, the last thing you bought online. Your data is for sale – and the U.S. government is buying it. Byron Tau joins Deborah Becker. 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.
  • An empty vaccine waiting room in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.
    The ethical dilemma of involuntary mental health treatment
    Several states have changed policy in recent years to make involuntary commitment easier for people with severe mental illnesses. But forced treatment still raises civil rights questions, with some saying it can harm patients. 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.
  • VANDALIA, OHIO - MARCH 16: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump greets Ohio Republican candidate for US Senate Bernie Moreno during a rally at the Dayton International Airport on March 16, 2024 in Vandalia, Ohio. The rally was hosted by the Buckeye Values PAC. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
    Battleground: How the outcome of the Ohio Senate race affects us all
    The 2024 Ohio senate contest could determine the balance of power in of the U.S. senate. What’s at stake in Ohio? Karen Kasler, Christopher Devine and Tim Ryan join Anthony Brooks. 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.
  • CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE - JANUARY 23: Voters cast their ballots in the New Hampshire presidential primary election at The Barn at Bull Meadow on January 23, 2024 in Concord, New Hampshire. With Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropping out of the race two days earlier, Republican presidential candidates former President Donald Trump and former UN Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley are battling it out in this first-in-the-nation primary. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
    How the 2024 U.S. presidential election could be stolen
    There are several perfectly legal ways to steal a U.S. presidential election, according to election law expert Lawrence Lessig. Lessig says the U.S.’s election and legal systems are vulnerable – and need immediate correction. 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.
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