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.

  • 34 minutes 39 seconds
    Have we taken therapy culture too far?

    A growing number of young people say their mental health diagnosis is an important part of their identity. But by medicalizing imperfection – could young people be losing what makes them uniquely human?

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

    23 December 2025, 9:00 pm
  • 34 minutes 22 seconds
    What's lost when churches close

    An estimated 15,000 churches in the U.S. are likely to close in the next few years. Churches are more than places of worship – they are community centers, shelters, food banks. What's the community impact with church closures on the rise?

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

    22 December 2025, 9:00 pm
  • 33 minutes 5 seconds
    Why giving can feel so good

    The holidays are all about giving, whether it's presents, donations or volunteer work. What's causing the warm glow you feel when you give someone a gift?

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

    19 December 2025, 9:00 pm
  • 44 minutes 25 seconds
    The Jackpod: It can happen here. It is happening.

    On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on Philip Roth’s 2004 novel "The Plot Against America," and its parallels with the U.S. today.

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

    19 December 2025, 11:00 am
  • 36 minutes 8 seconds
    Why seeing red can give you the blues

    Color can affect our mood, memory and relationship to people and places. How is color being used to design the world around us and shape our feelings?

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

    18 December 2025, 9:00 pm
  • 32 minutes 29 seconds
    What's driving the rise in grandparent childcare

    The number of grandparents helping with childcare is going up nationally. According to a 2023 Harris Poll, 42% of working parents rely on grandparents for childcare. What does it mean for the lives of those grandparents and the support they need?

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

    17 December 2025, 9:00 pm
  • 33 minutes 10 seconds
    Siddhartha Mukherjee on understanding cancer now

    In 2011, Siddhartha Mukherjee won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of cancer, “The Emperor of All Maladies.” Now, he’s back with an update on how our understanding of cancer has advanced -- and what lies ahead.

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

    16 December 2025, 9:00 pm
  • 33 minutes 56 seconds
    Can we even trust videos anymore?

    OpenAI’s Sora 2 app lets anyone with a smartphone create AI-generated deepfake videos, from phony footage of a corgi rock climbing to fake videos of kids carrying guns in school. Is it time to stop believing our eyes?

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

    15 December 2025, 9:00 pm
  • 57 minutes 30 seconds
    The Atlantic and 'The unfinished revolution'

    Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, joins Meghna at WBUR’s CitySpace to discuss The Atlantic's new project examining America at 250 and the most urgent, complex and challenging questions the country is facing.

    Then, Goldberg interviews Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss on topics ranging from the state of the Democratic party to the Trump administration's intentions in Venezuela.

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

    13 December 2025, 11:00 am
  • 34 minutes 30 seconds
    The once and future dictionary

    The quest to define and canonize new words in American English is as old as the country itself. In the new book "Unabridged: the thrill of (and threat to) the modern dictionary," author Stefan Fatsis explores how that quest has changed in the age of the internet.

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

    12 December 2025, 9:00 pm
  • 44 minutes 46 seconds
    The Jackpod: Over there

    On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the Trump administration’s new national security strategy and what it could mean for U.S. relations with longstanding European allies.

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

    12 December 2025, 11:00 am
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