On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

A road trip is the iconic American vacation -- with a richer and more complicated history than it may seem. What the American road trip reveals about who we are. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty has been listening to what Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy has been saying in town hall style interviews as he promotes his book, “Crisis of the Common Good.” *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

From vaudeville to era-defining sitcoms, Black comedy has brought us some of our biggest stars and iconic characters. In the book "Black Out Loud," journalist Geoff Bennett explores how Black comedy has influenced how America sees itself. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

For a democracy to be by the people and for the people, what do the people need to know? The Freedom of Information Act is central to answering that question. What FOIA has uncovered in its 60 years, and what it's up against now. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The U.S. is one of the largest sugar producers in the world. And for more than 200 years, the sugar industry has gotten special protections from the government. Why? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Spotify is set to launch a new tool that will enable subscribers to create cover versions and remixes of their favorite songs – using AI. What that could mean for musicians, their fans and the music on your playlist. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Curses, superstitions and pre-game rituals have been part of baseball for as long as the game has been around. What’s behind the magical traditions of America’s pastime. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on why he feels ambivalent about the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

President Trump promised regime change in Iran, no nuclear development and a restabilization of the region. Now that the U.S. and Iran have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, did we get any of that? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

In 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered what many consider the best abolitionist speech of all time. He asked, “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?” What makes it such a masterpiece — and what can we take from it today? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

As America’s 250th anniversary approaches – the birth of this nation will be celebrated by millions. But what does it mean to be truly patriotic in the U.S.? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The oyster is a huge part of coastal culture and economy in the U.S. But a historic sewage spill and climate change could put decades of restoration efforts at risk. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Meghna sits down with American historian and author of the popular Substack "Letters from an American." They discuss America's 250th birthday, their favorite parts of the Declaration of Independence and optimism about America's potential. Join the On Point Club to hear the full conversation! *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

A Google engineer and member of special forces have been arrested for placing illegal bets on prediction markets. And these are just examples of the insider trading that may shape more than the country’s finances. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the Trump administration’s war on the concept of climate change. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Eldest daughters have a reputation for being Type A and bossy. But they can also do emotional heavy lifting in families. What does science say about how birth order influences our personalities? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Health Secretary RFK Jr. doesn't think so. That's why the Trump Administration is investing millions of federal dollars to reduce Lyme disease by 25 percent by 2035. But how? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Supreme Court will issue its decision on President Trump’s effort to overturn birthright citizenship within days. Historian Heather Cox Richardson with the real story of birthright citizenship. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

John Quincy Adams was a one term president. He then entered Congress where he presented so many anti-slavery petitions that Southern Congressmen wanted him out. What that says about how Congress can work. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

New Mexico’s Democratic governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has a robust list of progressive achievements – including making her state the first in the U.S. to offer free universal childcare. The outgoing governor shares what her party can learn about how she got it done. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the impossibility of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller’s vision for the U.S. as a nation without immigrants. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Centers for Disease Control has lost as much as a third of its staff under the Trump administration. How the Ebola outbreak in Africa exposes a weakened CDC. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Historian Beverly Gage hit the road to learn about our country's history. She visited more than 300 historic sites -- from museums and battlefields to roadside attractions. What she learned about how America honors its history. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

President Trump heaped praise on China’s President Xi after their recent summit. While the Chinese leader’s rhetoric was much more restrained. A review of the U.S.-China summit from China's perspective. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Pope Leo XIV has published his first major document. The encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” focuses on AI and what the pope calls the “distorting effects of technological power.” *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Declaration of Independence is the founders' vision of America's values – equality, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. How that vision still lives on today. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the perils and promise of AI as outlined in the papal encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” and a forthcoming law review paper, “AI and Existential Risk.” *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

An electric vehicle battery that charges almost as fast as it takes to fill a tank of gas. And it might soon be available almost everywhere except the United States. How China's superfast-charging electric vehicles are leaving American EVs in the dust. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Donald Trump plans to use a $1.776 billion fund to compensate anyone he chooses, including people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Some Congressional Republicans are furious. Other critics call it the worst act of presidential corruption in history. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Google has a new AI search bar. Instead of links, it gives you AI-synthesized answers. Some say it could be the end of the internet as we know it. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

For 20 years, journalist Katie Herzog tried to stop drinking. But nothing seemed to work. Until she stumbled upon a lesser-known path to sobriety. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

You’ve heard of 'mom brain.' But how do men’s brains change when they become fathers? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty memorializes the courage and sacrifice of the Black men and women who served in the U.S. military in World War II. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Rachel Entrekin just won one of the hardest ultramarathon races in the world. She ran 253 miles across Arizona, breaking the previous course record by more than two hours. But she's no outlier. At ultra-distances, more and more women are taking the crown. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Europe and Asia are facing fuel shortages. The U.S. is in a fuel deficit. Some experts say the Iran War has caused the largest energy security threat in history. And it's about to get worse. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

A rural county at the edge of the Great Salt Lake. A multimillionaire celebrity businessman. A shadowy state agency. What Box Elder County, Utah’s fight over a 40,000-acre data center reveals about America’s AI future. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Conservative critics say America's elite colleges don't encourage political diversity and have biased admissions. A Yale University commission recently concluded that those critics may be right. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Trump administration has made dramatic changes to the U.S. Forest Service -- closing nearly every regional office and axing its research budget. Some say it's overdue reform. But critics say public lands won’t be protected. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on how the growth of inequality in the U.S. is creating a new political order willing to embrace raising tax rates. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

From WBUR, here's a new kind of story, one that's all about the big questions and decisions we face. The Midnight Rebellion is a pick-your-own-path podcast set 100 years in the future, where the stakes are nothing less than the planet itself. It's fiction rooted in real science, built for the kids in your life (ages 7 and up) — and the whole family. You're listening to Chapter 1 of The Midnight Rebellion. Each chapter ends with a choice. YOU decide what’s next. Choose wisely. And if you liked what you heard, listen to the rest and follow The Midnight Rebellion wherever you get your podcasts. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Spirit Airlines, known for cheap flights, suddenly closed earlier this month. Budget airlines seem to do fine in Europe. Why can’t they survive in the U.S.? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Since taking office, President Trump’s wealth has grown by at least $1.4 billion. There have been overseas real estate projects, a Trump phone that doesn’t exist and a Trump-branded cryptocurrency. Conflicts of interest or corruption? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Omer Bartov was born on an Israeli kibbutz, grew up committed to Zionist ideals, and is now professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University. But in his new book, Bartov argues that Zionism has changed and he can no longer support it. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Scientists have taken the largest ever image of the Milky Way. The image shows spectacular detail of our home in the universe, and offers scientists a color-coded guide to some of the most mysterious corners of our galaxy. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Republican Party has a highly sophisticated online and social media operation. Meanwhile Democrats focus on their traditional political talking points. Could the Dems take a page out of the GOP's messaging playbook? Democratic influencer Emily Amick sure thinks so. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty has questions about how money is being raised for the  Democratic National Committee and Democratic candidates and how that money is being spent. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

You’ve heard the phrase "think outside the box." But what if constraints and limitations actually make us happier and more creative? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Dictators and authoritarian leaders often plaster their faces across the country they control. Is this happening in the United States? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Supreme Court will soon rule on who gets to decide when a product needs a cancer warning – and who can sue if they’ve been exposed. At the center of the highly politicized debate is America’s most successful weedkiller, Roundup. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

History was made in this year’s London marathon when two runners broke the iconic two-hour barrier. Was it the shoes? The nutrition? The training? These specific elite athletes? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint