Advertise on podcast: On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

The brain is the organ that makes us who we are. It’s our conduit between reality and thought. But somehow, we’ve only scratched the surface in understanding how the brain actually works. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The head of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel recently said he thinks vaccines for polio and measles should be optional. A fact-check of the Trump administration’s latest moves against mass vaccination. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on Americans whose recent violent encounters with immigration agents have changed them and their families. Several of them spoke at a recent forum organized by congressional Democrats. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

How can a lawyerly society and an engineering society learn from each other? And what’s at stake if they fail? Author Dan Wang set out to answer those questions about the U.S. and China. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Trump Administration has now published its National Security Strategy and its National Defense Strategy. They present an ideological shift in U.S. foreign policy that deprioritizes defending Europe and dilutes focus on China. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

From your online browsing habits to traffic cameras on your commute, data about you is everywhere. And with AI, companies can gather, store and share detailed information about you faster than ever. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Shame is a powerful feeling that can keep behavior in check. So what happens when political leaders feel no shame at all? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the role that restrictive zoning laws have played in the shortage of affordable housing in the U.S. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti planned to “inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.” But that’s not what eyewitnesses say and videos show. How can Americans trust an agency that disputes what we see with our own eyes?   *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

In the 2025 budget bill, Congress created the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program to help struggling hospitals, doctors, and patients in rural America. But rural hospitals are expected to lose three times that through Medicaid cuts in that same budget bill. So, what will it take to keep rural healthcare afloat? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

In Minneapolis, grassroots groups have sprung into action against ICE. They’re protesting, running workshops on constitutional rights, and delivering groceries to people afraid of leaving their homes. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents has doubled over the past year -- driven by a massive recruitments campaign. Who the new recruits are and how they’re being trained. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Frank Gehry’s legacy can be seen around the world in the curvaceous and dramatic buildings he designed. How Frank Gehry put awe in American architecture and what we lose without him. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the division between the normative state and the prerogative state and the role that could be playing in the U.S. today. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

A former right-wing influencer and tradwife tells all in her new memoir, "This is Not Real Life." From meeting with terrorists, neo-Nazis, political crime rings, to arrests, psychotic breaks and addiction, Lauren Southern shares how the life she thought she wanted ended up almost killing her. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint