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Let's make sense of the world – together. From the economy and health care to politics and the environment – and so much more – On Point host Meghna Chakrabarti speaks with newsmakers and everyday people about the issues that matter most. On Point is produced by WBUR.

  • This attorney's ideas could change how you buy and sell your home
    The National Association of Realtors agreed to pay a $418 million settlement and change the way members charge commission. A federal jury ruled last year that the NAR conspired to inflate housing market costs. What could that mean for the way homes are bought and sold in the U.S.?
  • 'Battle for your brain': What the rise of brain-computer interface technology means for you
    Rebroadcast: The future is closer than it appears. Sensors that can read your brain waves – and sell your data – are hitting the market, and experts say it’s time to establish rules of the road.
  • Reproductive health under a second Trump term
    Trump's allies are hoping another Trump victory will limit access to abortions, contraceptives, IVF, even recreational sex. But they aren't just hoping, they have detailed plans on how to do it.
  • Inside the 'no social media' movement
    Should kids be allowed on social media? A growing number of families are saying "no" to social media at all.
  • The Jackpod: What leopard?
    On Point news analyst Jack Beatty watches a Donald Trump campaign rally with a famous Franz Kafka quote about the normalization of the abnormal in mind.
  • The Jackpod is delayed
    Due to technical difficulties, the Jackpod will be posted later than usual. Check back later for this week's episode.
  • Should the U.S. ban TikTok?
    The House passed a bill that could force the sale of TikTok, or ban the app altogether. But is targeting a single social media platform the best way to protect Americans from espionage and covert influence campaigns?
  • How disinformation 'sabotages America'
    Former U.S. attorney Barbara McQuade says disinformation is seeping into every aspect of our political and social lives. How can we stop it?
  • Finance companies have a new customer: The wrongfully convicted
    Exonerees are turning to the private sector to provide them with urgently needed cash. But with interest rates so high, it could end up being a new form of confinement.
  • Could ranked-choice voting take the poison out of politics?
    Alaska and Maine use ranked choice voting in elections. Four other states could soon join them. We learn why more states are considering ranked-choice voting.
  • The hidden value of herbariums
    Duke University recently announced plans to close and re-home its century-old herbarium. But with climate change and a looming biodiversity crisis, scientists say these preserved collections of old plants are more important than ever.
  • On Point presents 'Beyond All Repair,' a new podcast from WBUR
    Host Amory Sivertson first met Shane Correia in 2017 while interviewing him about his experience with homelessness for WBUR’s Endless Thread. But there is another dark chapter in Shane's life: his older sister being accused of murdering her mother-in-law in 2002, when he was 13 years old. Now Shane wants to know, did his sister commit this brutal crime?
  • The Jackpod: The Xanadu Effect
    On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on how presidents lose touch with reality.
  • The goal: Can the U.S. actually meet its ambitious climate targets?
    Given the environmental, political, and human costs of accelerating mineral mining, can the United States reach its clean energy goals? It's the final episode of our special series "Elements of energy."
  • The promise of nickel: Power and prosperity in Indonesia
    To electrify our economy, the world needs more nickel. And Indonesia has it. Can nickel pave the road to prosperity? In part four of “Elements of energy," hear how the rush for metals is shaking up global geopolitics.
  • The human cost of cobalt: Modern slavery in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
    Most of the world’s cobalt is extracted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But to get it, hundreds of thousands of Congolese people labor with no other means to survive. On episode three of On Point’s special series -- cobalt and the human cost of mining.
  • The copper tradeoff: Protecting today's lands versus preserving tomorrow's climate
    Copper is key to our green energy future, but copper extraction is deeply harmful to the environment now. Episode two of On Point’s special series “Elements of energy” explores how to resolve that contradiction.
  • The lithium boom: What's holding back a lithium rush in the U.S.?
    The U.S. sits on some of the largest lithium reserves in the world. It’s a key element for clean energy. The start of On Point’s weeklong exploration “Elements of energy” takes us inside America’s push for a lithium boom.
  • The Jackpod: Still
    On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on President Biden’s State of the Union address and the politics of memory, versus the politics of hope.
  • 'Blood Money': Inside the global business of selling plasma
    Rebroadcast: Millions of Americans sell their blood plasma every year. It’s part of a global, multibillion dollar business. But what is plasma really used for?