On Point | Podcast

The dating scene can be a frustrating place to be right now. From dating app burnout to the struggle to meet IRL, single folks are fed up. Why modern dating feels so broken and what can be done to fix it.

Transcribed - Published: 21 August 2025

AI is everywhere, and increasingly, people are turning to it for therapy. What’s at stake when we lose that human to human-therapist connection?

Transcribed - Published: 20 August 2025

Florida citrus production has dropped more than 90% in the past two decades -- a blow for the state's economy and cultural identity. What's driving the decline of Florida's orange groves, and what can be done about it?

Transcribed - Published: 19 August 2025

Alexis Okeowo says Alabama, where she grew up, shows the best and worst of the American experiment. In her new book, "Blessings and Disasters," she wrestles with the state’s complicated past.

Transcribed - Published: 18 August 2025

The world’s largest music streaming service now lets users to monetize music in which they don’t play or sing a single note. How is AI shaping how we make and profit from music?

Transcribed - Published: 15 August 2025

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on how the Trump administration has transformed which reporters get to be in the White House briefing room and travel with the president.

Transcribed - Published: 15 August 2025

A dozen states are banning people from buying sodas and some sugary snacks using federal food assistance. The effort is part of the “Make America Healthy Again” campaign led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Will the restrictions convince people on SNAP to eat less junk food?

Transcribed - Published: 14 August 2025

The U.S. Congress cut federal funding for public media, shuttering the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. What does that mean for the future of local news across the country?

Transcribed - Published: 13 August 2025

The Trump Administration ordered universities to turn over data to prove they're not considering race in admissions. But education expert Richard Kahlenberg argues that for college admissions to look at merit fairly, they need to look at class.

Transcribed - Published: 12 August 2025

A recent study shows that people using AI to write for them experience some negative cognitive effects. Why? Because there's something special about what writing does in your brain.

Transcribed - Published: 11 August 2025

The U.S. House will consider whether grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park should be taken off the endangered species list. How delisting would impact grizzly bears and the people living near them.

Transcribed - Published: 8 August 2025

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on a wild idea from the '90s that could offer young Americans greater financial security, and how it would benefit Democrats to publicly embrace bold ideas like it.

Transcribed - Published: 8 August 2025

After months of wrangling, the U.S. and the EU have reached a trade agreement. The EU made big compromises, like a 15% tariff on most EU exports. How will the deal affect Americans?

Transcribed - Published: 7 August 2025

Summers are getting hotter every year. When it comes to adapting to a hotter planet, in the United States, it's cities that are taking the lead. In Atlanta, they've passed a nation-leading "cool roof ordinance."

Transcribed - Published: 6 August 2025

The retired conservative federal judge says a war against the judiciary in America has been waged by "a tyrannical wannabe king."

Transcribed - Published: 5 August 2025

Food security levels in the Gaza Strip have reached their most dire levels since the conflict between Hamas and Israel began. Humanitarian experts say immediate action is needed to save hundreds of thousands of people from starvation.

Transcribed - Published: 4 August 2025

Could sunlight help treat disease? A growing number of studies find potential benefits of UV light therapy for conditions like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and Crohn’s disease.

Transcribed - Published: 1 August 2025

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on how Donald Trump projects strength through his lack of inhibition and self-constraint.

Transcribed - Published: 1 August 2025

A majority of registered voters think the Democrats are out of touch with Americans' everyday concerns according to recent polling. Social inequality scholar Joan Williams discusses her book "Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class – And How to Win Them Back."

Transcribed - Published: 31 July 2025

Financial Times reporter Patrick McGee argues in his new book 'Apple in China' that China wouldn’t be the China it is today without Apple.

Transcribed - Published: 30 July 2025

Last month, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired an influential committee of vaccine advisers to the CDC. What that decision could mean for vaccines and America’s public health.

Transcribed - Published: 29 July 2025

One hundred years ago, teacher John Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution in a Tennessee public school. His trial became a national sensation. Today, we’re still fighting over what should be taught in public schools.

Transcribed - Published: 28 July 2025

AI researcher Ethan Mollick says most public conversation focuses too much on potential AI catastrophes and not enough on making the technology work for people. Mollick says if we don’t change that, none of us will be prepared for the near future where “everything will change all at once.”

Transcribed - Published: 25 July 2025

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a model of government inefficiency and the prospects for FEMA reform.

Transcribed - Published: 25 July 2025

Mortality rates, mental health conditions, obesity and chronic disease rates are all up significantly in American children. Why are kids in the U.S. so unhealthy?

Transcribed - Published: 24 July 2025

Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown knows more about the Jeffrey Epstein case than just about anyone. What does she think might be in the files the Trump administration hasn't released?

Transcribed - Published: 23 July 2025

The Trump administration is attacking American academic institutions on multiple fronts, including cutting grant funding and targeting foreign exchange programs. That gives other countries a chance to surpass the U.S. in scientific discovery.

Transcribed - Published: 22 July 2025

It can cost a fan up to $5,000 a year to follow major sports, between merchandise and game tickets and TV streaming access. Is the pursuit of profit harming sports fans?

Transcribed - Published: 21 July 2025

Our planet’s rich nature sounds are disappearing, drowned out by human-made noise. Sound recordist Matt Mikkelsen travels the world, listening to and working to preserve our vanishing soundscapes.

Transcribed - Published: 18 July 2025

What's it like standing on the slopes of an active, erupting volcano? Volcanologist Tamsin Mather takes us on her journey to some of the world's biggest volcanoes.

Transcribed - Published: 17 July 2025

Menstruation is a definitive experience of a woman's life, and an indicator of her health. So why has period blood or menstrual fluid been largely under-researched?

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2025

Smell can trigger memories and influence emotions. New research is giving us insight into how that happens, including why some people can "smell" music and why losing the sense of smell can alert us to what might make us sick.

Transcribed - Published: 15 July 2025

Sharks are full of secrets, despite being some of the oldest creatures on the planet. Marine biologist Jasmin Graham has spent a decade studying them — and trying to bring more women of color like her into the field. 

Transcribed - Published: 14 July 2025

If Congress passes the GENIUS Act, banks will be allowed to issue their own cryptocurrency, as long as it’s tied to a stable asset like the dollar. But some economists warn it could have very unstable outcomes.

Transcribed - Published: 11 July 2025

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the rapid expansion of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency under the Trump administration.

Transcribed - Published: 11 July 2025

Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. He's a self-declared Democratic Socialist with a populist's platform. That's made some Democrats across the country nervous. Is populism the party's path forward?

Transcribed - Published: 10 July 2025

For people with disabilities, artificial intelligence tools are helping them see, hear, experience, and move through the world in profound new ways.

Transcribed - Published: 9 July 2025

More than 40% of hired farm laborers in the U.S. are immigrants without legal status. President Trump campaigned on a plan for mass deportation. But even he admits -- the country can't survive without many of the undocumented workers he promised to remove.

Transcribed - Published: 8 July 2025

When President Trump approved the merger between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel he demanded a so-called “golden share.” It gives the White House a say in key business decisions. So, what happens when the White House controls a private industry?

Transcribed - Published: 7 July 2025

Why are some problems best solved by 'trusting our gut?' And how has intuition helped some people make crucial decisions? The role of intuition in perception and action.

Transcribed - Published: 3 July 2025

“Super agers” are people who live well into their 80s without developing chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes or cardiovascular issues. What can we learn from them to promote healthier, longer lives?

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2025

Since its creation 14 years ago the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has used its powers to return billions of dollars to defrauded consumers. Now the Trump administration wants to close it. What the CFPB has meant for consumer protection in the U.S.

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2025

A cult-like group referred to as the Zizians is linked to a string of violent deaths across the U.S. It has its roots in Silicon Valley – and a movement called Rationalism. Who are these groups and what do they believe?

Transcribed - Published: 30 June 2025

In a conversation recorded at the WBUR Festival, Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks frankly about the threats he sees to public health under the Trump administration and the “severe intimidation” of scientists at the NIH.

Transcribed - Published: 29 June 2025

A personal message from Meghna Chakrabarti about why The Jackpod is taking a short break.

Transcribed - Published: 28 June 2025

You’ve heard of 'mom brain.' But how do men’s brains change when they become fathers?

Transcribed - Published: 27 June 2025

The Trump Administration wants more Americans to have babies. It's proposing a $5,000 "baby bonus," among other policies. Would this fix the nation's historically low birth rate?

Transcribed - Published: 26 June 2025

Sam Altman has been called the face of Artificial Intelligence. To many, he remains an enigma. Wall Street Journal reporter Keach Hagey has the inside story on the rise of Sam Altman and his impact on our future.

Transcribed - Published: 25 June 2025

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got what he wanted this weekend after the U.S. bombed Iran. But Netanyahu says its goals in Iran have not yet been fully achieved. So, what are Israel’s goals in Iran? And what role does the U.S. still play?

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2025

The late William F. Buckley, Jr. is one of the most important figures of the American right. How did the erudite and dapper Yale man pave the way for President Donald Trump?

Transcribed - Published: 23 June 2025