On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson had no prior political experience. She took over as the city faces an affordability crisis and a homelessness emergency. How's she doing roughly three months into the job? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Former attorney general Pam Bondi refused to appear at a congressional hearing about the Epstein Files. First Lady Melania Trump gave a press conference to deny that she knew about Epstein’s abuse. What we're learning about Epstein’s connections to powerful people. *** 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

The U.S. has been spending up to $2 billion every day on the war with Iran. But that’s just military expenditure. What’s the real, long-term economic toll? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty has been reading “Politics without Politicians” by political theorist Hélène Landemore, in which she makes the case that randomly selected citizens can make for better government than elected politicians. *** 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

An electric vehicle battery that charges almost as fast as it takes to fill a tank of gas. And it might soon be available almost everywhere except the United States. How China's superfast-charging electric vehicles are leaving American EVs in the dust. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

So far, more than a million people have been forcibly displaced by Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says eradicating Hezbollah is critical for Israeli security. But critics argue Israeli occupation will only reenergize the Iran-backed militia. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Military service members are filing a flood of complaints about religious justifications for the U.S. war in Iran. How Christian extremism came to influence the Trump administration and offer moral underpinnings for the new war in the Middle East. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Shia fundamentalism has come to define Iran’s place in the Middle East and the world. And that wasn’t an accident. How Iranian leaders use Shia Islam to exert their power. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on how the U.S. Congress serves the financial interests of itself through insider trading. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

NASA astronaut Christina Koch is making history as the first woman to travel around the moon as a crew member on the Artemis II mission. It’s not the first time Koch has made history. In 2020 she told Meghna what it was like to spend a record-breaking 11 months in space. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Since 1970, the North American bird population has declined by more than 25%. There are many factors driving this. And several things bird lovers can do to reverse the trend. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Mass deportations, smash and grab wars, attacks on domestic civil rights, the hijacking of the economy. Professor Nikhil Pal Singh asks: What if President Donald Trump’s ramping up of militarism at home and abroad is part of a bigger strategy? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

As the war in Iran enters its second month, the Trump Administration is sending U.S. marines to the region. Without a clear goal for the conflict, many veterans are speaking out, while others say it's necessary. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

It’s been more than thirty years since a Democrat won state-wide in Texas. But some think a voter backlash against President Trump’s policies could end that drought and that Democratic nominee for Senate James Talarico, could defeat either of his two Republican challengers, John Cornyn or Ken Paxton in the general election. Or are his chances just a blue mirage? *** Thank you for listening. Help p...

AI has become unavoidable. It prompts us when we write emails, handles our customer service issues, answers our internet queries. How AI is changing our lives and what we can do to ensure it's actually helping, not harming us. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on how the Trump administration has eroded the ability of the U.S. to counter the threat of terrorism, even as that threat appears to be growing. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The story of an idiosyncratic reporter trying to free himself from U.S. government detention from KCRW’s “Question Everything.” This is the first in a special two-part series about Mario Guevara. The second part is also out now. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Many in the West see Iran as a nation defined by a revolution. It’s also one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations that’s withstood centuries of struggle. How Iran’s history affects what’s happening today. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Our muscles power us -- from the tissue that pumps blood from our heart to the tiny fibers that give us goosebumps. How exactly do muscles work — and how can we best strengthen them? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

About 20% of the world’s oil supply travels through the Strait of Hormuz. The Iran War threatens to cut it off. The history of the Strait of Hormuz, who controls it and how it became so critical to the global oil supply. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Ali Vaez was involved with the 2015 negotiations that led to the Iran Nuclear Deal. He'll explain why, even as a new deal was tantalizingly close late last month, the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Analyst Tom Nichols says the Trump administration is fundamentally incompetent. And he says there’s been a systematic erosion of expert trust for years — which is dangerous for American democracy. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Russia and how it might explain the administration's agenda. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint