On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

How a few tight Senate races could define Congress

A number of Senate races are too close to call -- defying expectations and upsetting established political affinities within certain states. What does this say about the

Oct 20
38 min

Are we on the verge of a new Cold War?

The Pentagon is rethinking America's nuclear weapons strategy – including lowering the barrier for their use in the battlefield. Why national security analyst Joe Cirinci

Oct 19
42 min

The Jackpod: A rough start for Gen Z

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty looks into the impact that AI is having on the job market for Gen Z graduates and the difference that choice of college major can make.

Oct 19
25 min

Can the U.S. and Canada still be friends?

President Trump's war on Canada is intensifying -- from high tariffs and import bans to public personal attacks. How Canadians view Trump's trade war -- and the future of

Oct 16
36 min

The political scramble for the new South

The South is the fastest-growing region in the U.S., with states like Georgia and Texas seeing a surge of younger and more diverse people. Experts say that could mean gen

Oct 15
38 min

Who owns America's farmland?

More than 20% of all farmland in Iowa is owned by someone, or some company, out of state. That's pushing land prices up, and it's becoming a major issue in the governor's

Oct 14
36 min

AI is steamrolling through math. Why does that matter?

AI is solving some of the toughest math problems in the world, including ones that have stumped mathematicians for decades. What it means for human ingenuity when there a

Oct 13
39 min

Tales of shipwrecks from around the world

Marine archaeologist Sean Kingsley has explored more than 350 shipwrecks -- from pirate ships in the Bahamas to British India Steam Navigation ships off the coast of Irel

Oct 12
35 min

The Jackpod: Above it all

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on why Democrats need to embrace the "sticky symbolism" of billionaire private jets. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point b

Oct 12
26 min

Senior Class: Generational solidarity

A more diverse distribution of money and power could potentially benefit people of all ages. But to get there, what steps can we take toward intergenerational justice? *

Oct 9
47 min

Senior Class: Generational solidarity

A more diverse distribution of money and power could potentially benefit people of all ages. But to get there, what steps can we take toward intergenerational justice? *

Oct 9
47 min

Senior Class: Old dogs, old tricks

Since 2017, the number of CEOs in their late 60s has doubled for Fortune 500 companies. What happens when our country’s most powerful business leaders don’t retire? ***

Oct 8
47 min

Senior Class: Old money

The Baby Boomer generation holds most of the country’s wealth. The top 10% of Boomers have some $55 trillion in assets. What effect does that lopsided wealth have on our

Oct 7
46 min

Senior Class: The silver ballot box

Old voters dominate the ballot box in local, primary, and at times, national elections. They ensure issues like Social Security and Medicare drive the national conversati

Oct 6
46 min

Senior Class: The oldigarchy

Older Americans control more political power and wealth than ever before. It's the topic of a special series from On Point all this week -- starting with America's aging

Oct 5
46 min

Senior Class: The oldigarchy

Older Americans control more political power and wealth than ever before. It's the topic of a special series from On Point all this week -- starting with America's aging

Oct 5
46 min

The Jackpod: One war at a time

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty brings historical context to analysis that President Trump’s war with Iran has no realistic off-ramp. *** Thank you for listening. Help

Oct 5
32 min

A road trip through American history

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 attraction

Oct 2
40 min

Ex-Republican Sarah Longwell says she knows how to defeat Trumpism

After spending 8 years running focus groups with voters, the former Republican operative and Never-Trumper says she knows not only how voters think but why they vote the

Oct 1
45 min

Ex-Republican Sarah Longwell says she knows how to defeat Trumpism

After spending 8 years running focus groups with voters, the former Republican operative and Never-Trumper says she knows not only how voters think but why they vote the

Oct 1
45 min

Chart trend

Position in the News chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#90#178JulAugSepOct

#43

all-time peak

days in the top 50 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 20, 2026).

#84 ▲ 3 News US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

Updated again - Jack Beatty is national treasure and he and Meghna have great chemistry. I could listen to him opine about any topic. Kudos to the team for the superlative Jackpod. Updating my review after the new format: I’m a native Bostonian and have been a loyal listener for two decades. Unfortunately, I think the recent rethink of On Point is not working. The audio diaries duplicate content within the episode and I’m already tired of the format and delete them unlistened. I also am now skipping whole episodes. The new narrative style, pre-recorded content, and lame music is not working. Bring back the Friday News Roundup! Getting more of Jack Beatty is a pleasure, as is Meghna’s great interviewing, but overall I’m disappointed with the new On Point. We don’t need another This American Life. I know budgets are tight due to the pandemic, but it doesn’t make sense to screw up something that works. Kudos to Meghna and the On Point team for their thoughtful, nuanced, intellectually-rigorous coverage of news and culture. I’m more than a bit confused by the sharply negative reviews here saying that On Point and NPR in general is partisan; if anything, I find that public radio has tried too hard to present both sides of the story since the 2016 election, sometimes to the point of having a conspiracy-theorist crackpot face off with a professor or scientist or other expert. That said, I find Meghna to be eminently balanced in her interviewing.

Skukesgohome · Sep 2024

Great insights, reasonable and balanced coverage. If these things strike a chord with you this podcast is for you. The Jackpod alone is worth the subscription! Tune in and tune up your Yankee Doodle noodle

Chesterossa · Aug 2024

In the middle of listening to the Jackpod with Howard on as a guest and I had to stop in the middle to write this. I could not agree more with what Howard says about wages. Media always talks about wage growth in the recent years, and I TOTALLY disagree. My wage has not moved in 5 years. In 5 years, my “raise” has averaged at 2.8% (with surpassing expectations performance), which cannot touch inflation. So, I am now making less today than I was 5 years ago. Everybody says that when there are fewer workers, companies will be forced to increase wages. Well, they do, but only for middle managers and up, which skews the average and median. Meanwhile, production requirements go up, stress goes up, threats of layoffs, quiet firing, and 100 people doing the work 150 used to do with no compensation. Media almost always uses the example of minimum wage to measure low wage work, but there is a HUGE swath of the workforce that is stuck in the $50k - $60k range and can’t move up because all the raises and bonuses are going to those making over $200k. Also, the $50k - $60k folks are salary, so increased productivity comes at the cost of unpaid overtime. Howard notes that companies will not feel compelled to increase wages unless they are forced by regulation. I have been shouting that from the rooftops for years to deaf ears. And today Howard spoke for me on public radio. Thank you, Howard, thank you Jack, and thank you Mehgna.

Diplomat5 · Jun 2024

Meghna Chakrabarti is a true journalist. She addresses an array of topics in depth and with an open mind. She asks questions from a place of curiosity and inquiry. This used to be the standard in journalism. I wish more journalists followed this approach.

mark_it_zero · May 2024

I used to listen to On Point every day and genuinely miss it. Every now and again I check back to see if the quality of the show has gone back up to what it used to be in the Tom Ashbrook days. Unfortunately, I am continuously disappointed by its lack of moderate reporting- it feels like much of the show has become very partisan with a strong progressive basis under Megna- you always know what her opinions are / whose side she is on. The decline of On Point and NPR over the past several years was pretty well summed up by Uri Berliner recently. I’m still a supporter and hope it can return to what it used to be and have a stronger viewpoint diversity.

Mir13617 · Apr 2024

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