On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

Ecologist Kullu Suryawanshi has spent 20 years tracking one of the most elusive animals in the world, deep in the mountains of Asia. What has he learned about snow leopards and the humans that share their home? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Top AI researchers and leaders worry AI is developing too fast. But critics argue the U.S. can't risk to slow down in its AI race with China. So, what might a slowdown look like and who would enforce it? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

A Virginia mom let her 5-year-old son take a walk alone in her gated community. The authorities found out and now she’s on Virginia's child abuse and neglect registry. Who decides what's in a child's best interest. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Supreme Court has rejected President Trump’s plan to control how ballots get sent in the mail. But that does not mark the end of the President's efforts to undermine mail-in voting, and change who votes and how. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired or blocked promotions of 10% of the military's top ranked officers. Former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall says it's created 'a climate of fear throughout the entire institution.' What’s going on inside the Pentagon, and what it means for the future of the U.S. military. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on one of President Trump’s oft-repeated rhetorical tropes and what its conjectured origin story might say about his internal salience map. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Twenty-five years ago, the U.S. suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history. Today, roughly 40% of Americans are too young to remember the events of 9/11. Journalist Garrett Graff shares an oral history of 9/11, how that day unfolded and how it changed America forever. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Treasury Department recently eliminated a rule that required American companies to identify their owners. The rule was intended to prevent money laundering. What’s driving the decision to drop it? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

An OpenAI cybersecurity test took an unexpected turn when hundreds of its AI agents got around safeguards and hacked into another tech company. Should OpenAI have done more to prevent the attack? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

You don’t need a license to ride a bike in the U.S. But e-bikes are a different story. Some states classify them as bicycles, others as vehicles. And in some places, you even need insurance to ride one. How to regulate e-bikes, for personal and public safety. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

It's not just phones anymore. More teachers and even entire U.S. school districts are cutting back the time students spend on laptops and other screens. How do students really learn -- and do screens help or hurt? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the chasm between what politicians say when they are running for office and what they can do in office, and why he thinks 2026 is the year of the demagogue. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

One in 5 Americans say they've seen a ghost. But what if it was really our brain that had tricked us into thinking we saw something we didn't? In the "Science of the Supernatural" psychology professor Melissa Maffeo argues how a paranormal experience could be our brains just misinterpreting the external world. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Highly toxic wastewater from America’s fracking boom is buried in deep underground wells. But in some places that toxic waste is bubbling upwards -- threatening local drinking water. How Marietta, Ohio is trying to fight fracking waste. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Flock cameras are used by thousands of police forces across the country to track vehicles. But a growing popular backlash has led to cities canceling their Flock contracts. What that says about the tension between public safety and privacy in America. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Since Google Maps launched in 2005, the little blue dot has come to symbolize a transformation in how we navigate through the world -- wholly reliant on GPS. But what do we lose when we no longer get lost? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

When politicians talk about America’s working class, they often mean blue collar workers without college degrees. But as more workers feel financially squeezed, should we expand that definition? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Sharon McMahon has built a huge online audience with her explanations of how America’s system of government works. She tells Jack and Dorey why her non-partisan approach to political understanding can rebuild trust. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

We think of ladybugs as cute red beetles associated with good luck and gardening. But the real ladybug story involves poaching, trafficking and a struggle for survival. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Americans have been told for decades to toss plastic into the recycling bin. But only a small share actually gets recycled. Now, California is trying to overhaul the system by cracking down on misleading labels and holding companies responsible for their plastic waste. Will it work? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint