On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti | Podcast

WBUR

Get ready for your aha moment: Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti pierces your news bubble to expose the whole story. Getting answers to the questions that need to be asked, examining our history and the human condition. No topic is too complicated or off the table. It’s all On Point.

  • 37 minutes 33 seconds
    What veterans want you to know about the war with Iran

    As the war in Iran enters its second month, the Trump Administration is sending U.S. marines to the region. Without a clear goal for the conflict, many veterans are speaking out, while others say it's necessary.

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

    1 April 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 37 minutes 29 seconds
    Could this finally be the year for Texas Democrats?

    It’s been more than thirty years since a Democrat won state-wide in Texas. But some think a voter backlash against President Trump’s policies could end that drought and that Democratic nominee for Senate James Talarico, could defeat either of his two Republican challengers, John Cornyn or Ken Paxton in the general election. Or are his chances just a blue mirage?

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

    31 March 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 37 minutes 57 seconds
    How to make AI work for us

    AI has become unavoidable. It prompts us when we write emails, handles our customer service issues, answers our internet queries. How AI is changing our lives and what we can do to ensure it's actually helping, not harming us.

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

    30 March 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 34 minutes 55 seconds
    The Jackpod: Naked to our enemy

    On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on how the Trump administration has eroded the ability of the U.S. to counter the threat of terrorism, even as that threat appears to be growing.

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

    30 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 42 minutes 55 seconds
    Introducing ‘Question Everything’: Why did ICE Lock Up this Pro-Trump Reporter? (Part One)

    The story of an idiosyncratic reporter trying to free himself from U.S. government detention from KCRW’s “Question Everything.” This is the first in a special two-part series about Mario Guevara. The second part is also out now.

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

    28 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 34 minutes 39 seconds
    Iran's complex revolutionary history

    Many in the West see Iran as a nation defined by a revolution. It’s also one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations that’s withstood centuries of struggle. How Iran’s history affects what’s happening today.

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

    27 March 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 36 minutes 11 seconds
    The might and magic of human muscles

    Our muscles power us -- from the tissue that pumps blood from our heart to the tiny fibers that give us goosebumps. How exactly do muscles work — and how can we best strengthen them?

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

    26 March 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 37 minutes 28 seconds
    Everything you need to know about the Strait of Hormuz

    About 20% of the world’s oil supply travels through the Strait of Hormuz. The Iran War threatens to cut it off. The history of the Strait of Hormuz, who controls it and how it became so critical to the global oil supply.

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

    25 March 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 35 minutes 59 seconds
    Inside the breakdown of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks

    Ali Vaez was involved with the 2015 negotiations that led to the Iran Nuclear Deal. He'll explain why, even as a new deal was tantalizingly close late last month, the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran.

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

    24 March 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 37 minutes 58 seconds
    Are we witnessing the death of expertise?

    Analyst Tom Nichols says the Trump administration is fundamentally incompetent. And he says there’s been a systematic erosion of expert trust for years — which is dangerous for American democracy.

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

    23 March 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 40 minutes 13 seconds
    The Jackpod: The ties that bind

    On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Russia and how it might explain the administration's agenda.

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

    23 March 2026, 10:00 am
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