On Point (podcast)

On Point

By WBUR. Discovered by Player FM and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Player FM, and audio streamed directly from their servers.

Go behind the headlines: From the economy and healthcare to politics and the environment – and so much more – On Point talks with newsmakers and real people about the issues that matter most. On Point is produced by WBUR for NPR.

814 episodes available. A new episode about every 15 hours averaging 50 mins duration .

On Point

The Evolution Of Prom51:08

3h ago51:08

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51:08

We're going to the prom. The corsages endure, but a lot has changed. Shall we dance?

On Point

Week In The News: North Korea Summit Cancelled, FBI Briefing, Gun Safety In Texas50:34

1h ago50:34

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50:34

North Korea summit canceled. The GOP-only FBI briefing. Gun safety summit in Texas. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

On Point

Filmmaking In The Trump Era50:27

1d ago50:27

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50:27

Making movies for the Trump audience. Filmmaker Dallas Sonnier calls it populist entertainment. He joins us.

On Point

Tackling The Gender Imbalance In News Media50:35

1d ago50:35

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50:35

In the way American news business covers the world, why are the expert voices overwhelmingly male?

On Point

Retracing An Expedition Through The Great Wild North Of Alaska50:19

2d ago50:19

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50:19

An 1899 expedition to Alaska found wild beauty and coming environmental calamity. What about now? Best-selling author Mark Adams retraced the trek to find out.

On Point

U.S. Birth Rate Drops To Lowest In Decades51:00

2d ago51:00

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51:00

The U.S. birth rate dips to a 30-year low. Shifting attitudes about motherhood is just one of the reasons why. We'll look at what's behind the drop.

On Point

How The Top 9.9 Percent Is Leaving The Rest In The Dust51:09

3d ago51:09

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51:09

Forget the top one-percenters, it's the top 9.9 percenters who are holding everyone else down. Hear the case.

On Point

Behind Trump's Demand For A DOJ Investigation50:34

3d ago50:34

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50:34

President Trump demands the Justice Department find out if the FBI spied on his campaign. We'll look at the evidence.

On Point

The Biggest 'What-If' Moments In Sports History50:42

4d ago50:42

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50:42

What if Billie Jean King had lost to Bobby Riggs? We'll imagine that and other what-if moments in sports with Mike Pesca and a roster of all-star writers.

On Point

Trump's Push For Prison Reform50:32

4d ago50:32

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50:32

President Trump pushes for prison reform at a White House summit. Congress takes it up, too. We'll unpack.

On Point

Getting Ready For The Royal Wedding49:18

7d ago49:18

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49:18

As Meghan Markle gets ready to marry the most eligible bachelor in the world, beyond the fairy tale, there's a real life conversation to be had about racism and the culture of celebrity.

On Point

Week In News: Gaza Violence, North Korea Talks, Trump's Michael Cohen Payment49:47

7d ago49:47

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49:47

Gaza violence. North Korea talks, maybe? Trump discloses payment to Michael Cohen. The roundtable takes it all up.

On Point

Diving Deep Into Coal Country With 'Embedded'49:19

8d ago49:19

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49:19

A year after President Trump said coal is back, NPR's Kelly McEvers goes deep inside coal country for the podcast "Embedded."

On Point

Abortion Politics Across The Atlantic: Ireland's Vote, America's Ongoing Debate49:18

8d ago49:18

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49:18

Abortion politics in Ireland. Ahead of the vote that could bring changes to the country's abortion laws, we'll hear the debate and look at battles closer to home.

On Point

Exploring The World Of Psychedelics With Michael Pollan50:08

9d ago50:08

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50:08

Writer Michael Pollan turns his attention to psychedelic mushrooms and the new science of psychedelics. He joins us.

On Point

One Year Of Mueller48:36

9d ago48:36

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48:36

The Mueller investigation hits the one-year mark. We'll discuss what we know and what's to come.

On Point

The 'Last Cowboys' Of The New American West48:52

10d ago48:52

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48:52

Behind the most successful rodeo family in history is a story of grit, family, and faith. Meet "The Last Cowboys."

On Point

Students, Parents And Suicide: What's The Role Of The University?49:39

10d ago49:39

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49:39

When a college student is in crisis, does the school have a legal and moral obligation to tell the parents?

On Point

The Fallows Take Us On A Journey Through America49:35

11d ago49:35

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49:35

A 100-thousand mile journey across America in a single prop plane. Writers James and Deborah Fallows found a country busy remaking itself. They join us.

On Point

The Week Ahead In World Affairs49:34

11d ago49:34

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49:34

Top reporters open their notebooks and look ahead to the week in Washington and around the globe.

On Point

The Complexities Behind Domestic Violence51:09

14d ago51:09

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51:09

Why do women go back to men who hit them? One woman tells her story in the week New York's Attorney General is forced to resign.

On Point

The Week In The News: Iran Deal, Haspel's CIA Hearing, Halting At The Border50:36

14d ago50:36

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50:36

Trump scraps nuclear deal. High stakes CIA hearing. Jeff Sessions calls for Zero tolerance at the border. The news roundtable dives in.

On Point

Former Ambassador Michael McFaul On Russia, The U.S. & The World50:20

15d ago50:20

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50:20

An American in Russia. Former Ambassador Michael McFaul tells his story about living there, and shares his take on world affairs, now.

On Point

There's A Job For You: As Labor Market Grows, Where Is It Heading?50:40

15d ago50:40

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50:40

If current trends continue, there will be more than one job opening for every unemployed person in the U.S. We'll look behind the numbers.

On Point

Calorie Counts And Chain Restaurant Menus50:27

18d ago50:27

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50:27

Calorie counts are now required by law on menus of all restaurants with 20 or more locations. Will that help trim America's expanding waistlines and lead to healthier eating?

On Point

Trump Withdraws From The Iran Nuclear Deal50:27

16d ago50:27

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50:27

Reaction from Washington and around the world to President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

On Point

The Eruption In Hawaii And The Science Of Volcanoes50:10

17d ago50:10

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50:10

We'll talk Hawaii's Kilauea eruption and volcanology.

On Point

Nicholas Kristof On What The Media Is Missing While It's Covering Trump50:27

19d ago50:27

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50:27

With Trump getting all the headlines, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof says other important issues at home and abroad are ignored. He joins us.

On Point

Boy Scouts Change Name, Welcome Girls To Program50:27

20d ago50:27

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50:27

What's in a name? Plenty, for the Boy Scouts of America. They're changing theirs and welcoming girls.

On Point

The Week Ahead In Washington50:15

20d ago50:15

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50:15

Top political reporters open their notebooks and look ahead to the week in Washington.

On Point

Week In The News: Trump-Stormy Saga Continues, Cambridge Analytica Tanks, Mueller's Got Questions49:20

23d ago49:20

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49:20

Another twist in the Stormy Daniels' payment saga. Mueller's questions for Trump. Cambridge Analytica to file for bankruptcy. The roundtable digs in.

On Point

Hail To The Hippies: Celebrating 50 Years Of 'Hair'50:28

22d ago50:28

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50:28

Fifty years of long, beautiful "Hair." We'll look at the musical that changed Broadway.

On Point

Tick-Borne Diseases Are On The Rise48:58

24d ago48:58

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48:58

Amid warming weather, a new report from the CDC warns of a surge in tick-borne diseases. We'll talk about what you can do to prevent them.

On Point

A DNA Database Helped Find A Suspected Serial Killer. How Is Your Privacy Affected?48:53

22d ago48:53

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48:53

More than a million Americans are sharing their DNA with ancestry websites. That helped the cops find the Golden State Killer. Good police work but troubling implications for privacy.

On Point

How Did Housing Become So Expensive?49:00

25d ago49:00

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49:00

From San Francisco, to Seattle, to San Antonio — we're looking at the crisis of affordability in the country's hottest housing markets.

On Point

What This Week's Talks Could Mean For U.S.-China Trade Relations49:12

23d ago49:12

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49:12

Top American trade officials are set to negotiate in Beijing. How will China take Trump's tough trade demands?

On Point

Your New Prescription: Empathy49:27

24d ago49:27

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49:27

Compassion may be the cure. A doctor shares his guide to healing through empathy and listening.

On Point

The Impossibility Of The Presidency49:08

26d ago49:08

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49:08

How the presidency became impossible—we'll talk to John Dickerson of CBS News about why he thinks the job is simply too much for anyone.

On Point

America's Oil Frontier49:27

25d ago49:27

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49:27

Deep inside the boom-and-bust world of America's oil frontier in North Dakota. We take a look at "American Outpost: Dreamers, Mavericks, and the Making of an Oil Frontier."

On Point

The Right To Asylum In The U.S.49:32

27d ago49:32

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49:32

A caravan of Central American migrants, requesting asylum in the U.S. The Trump administration says fraudulent claims will be prosecuted.

On Point

'Incels': The Movement Behind The Toronto Attack50:38

30d ago50:38

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50:38

The suspect in the Toronto van attack embraced a misogynist ideology. We'll look at so-called "incels."

On Point

Week In The News: Pledge To End Korean War, Cosby Found Guilty, VA Nominee Withdraws50:23

28d ago50:23

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50:23

North and South Korea say they will work toward peace. Bill Cosby found guilty on three counts. VA nominee "regretfully" withdraws. Our weekly news roundtable dives in.

On Point

'Us Vs. Them': Inside Globalism50:17

29d ago50:17

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50:17

He was a booster for globalism. Now Ian Bremmer says it's failed — and he sees trouble ahead. We speak with the author about his new book.

On Point

The Deeper Challenges Facing The VA50:19

1M ago50:19

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50:19

Fixing the Department of Veterans Affairs won't be easy for whoever ends up running it.

On Point

When Algorithms Replace Tastemakers50:57

1M ago50:57

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50:57

How does machine learning influence what we watch, wear and listen to?

On Point

Fentanyl's Growing Reach50:06

1M ago50:06

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50:06

Fentanyl has destroyed lives in the opioid addiction crisis. Now it's ravaging new victims who aren't using heroin.

On Point

'God Save Texas': Contradictions Of The Lone Star State50:41

1M ago50:41

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50:41

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright turns a keen eye to his home state of Texas. The new book is "God Save Texas."

On Point

Overhauling Digital Privacy In The EU50:50

1M ago50:50

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50:50

The European Union is getting ready to enact sweeping new digital privacy laws. Facebook says it's going comply. Is what's good for Europe good for the U.S.?

On Point

How Clean Is Our Air?50:38

1M ago50:38

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50:38

Two big reports on air pollution. One looks at the wold and the other zeroes in on California. We'll look at the big takeaways, and more.

On Point

Unpacking The DNC Lawsuit50:16

1M ago50:16

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50:16

The Democratic Party sues Russia, the Trump campaign, and WikiLeaks, alleging a conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. We'll take a look at what's inside the lawsuit.

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