• 39 minutes 40 seconds
    Did the Treasury just make it easier to launder money?

    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

    10 September 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 43 minutes 33 seconds
    Who's to blame when AI goes rogue?

    An OpenAI cybersecurity test took an unexpected turn when hundreds of its AI agents got around safeguards and hacked into another tech company. Should OpenAI have done more to prevent the attack?

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    9 September 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 37 minutes 25 seconds
    How should e-bikes be regulated?

    You don’t need a license to ride a bike in the U.S. But e-bikes are a different story. Some states classify them as bicycles, others as vehicles. And in some places, you even need insurance to ride one. How to regulate e-bikes, for personal and public safety.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    8 September 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 40 minutes 25 seconds
    The teachers pushing back on screens in schools

    It's not just phones anymore. More teachers and even entire U.S. school districts are cutting back the time students spend on laptops and other screens. How do students really learn -- and do screens help or hurt?

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    7 September 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 35 minutes 47 seconds
    The Jackpod: Promises, promises …

    On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the chasm between what politicians say when they are running for office and what they can do in office, and why he thinks 2026 is the year of the demagogue.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    7 September 2026, 10:00 am
  • 37 minutes 58 seconds
    Why have so many of us seen ghosts?

    One in 5 Americans say they've seen a ghost. But what if it was really our brain that had tricked us into thinking we saw something we didn't?

    In the "Science of the Supernatural" psychology professor Melissa Maffeo argues how a paranormal experience could be our brains just misinterpreting the external world.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    4 September 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 35 minutes 24 seconds
    Why is toxic wastewater bubbling up from underneath this Ohio city?

    Highly toxic wastewater from America’s fracking boom is buried in deep underground wells. But in some places that toxic waste is bubbling upwards -- threatening local drinking water. How Marietta, Ohio is trying to fight fracking waste.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    3 September 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 40 minutes 13 seconds
    Behind the public backlash against Flock cameras

    Flock cameras are used by thousands of police forces across the country to track vehicles. But a growing popular backlash has led to cities canceling their Flock contracts. What that says about the tension between public safety and privacy in America.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    2 September 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 39 minutes 59 seconds
    What we have lost now that we found the blue dot

    Since Google Maps launched in 2005, the little blue dot has come to symbolize a transformation in how we navigate through the world -- wholly reliant on GPS. But what do we lose when we no longer get lost?

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    1 September 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 42 minutes 25 seconds
    Who’s really working class in America?

    When politicians talk about America’s working class, they often mean blue collar workers without college degrees. But as more workers feel financially squeezed, should we expand that definition?

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    31 August 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 34 minutes 53 seconds
    The Jackpod: America’s government teacher

    Sharon McMahon has built a huge online audience with her explanations of how America’s system of government works. She tells Jack and Dorey why her non-partisan approach to political understanding can rebuild trust.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    31 August 2026, 10:00 am
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