Podcasts about On Point

Health Secretary RFK Jr. doesn't think so. That's why the Trump Administration is investing millions of federal dollars to reduce Lyme disease by 25 percent by 2035. But how? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Supreme Court will issue its decision on President Trump's effort to overturn birthright citizenship within days. Historian Heather Cox Richardson with the real story of birthright citizenship. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

John Quincy Adams was a one term president. He then entered Congress where he presented so many anti-slavery petitions that Southern Congressmen wanted him out. What that says about how Congress can work. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the impossibility of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller's vision for the U.S. as a nation without immigrants. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

New Mexico's Democratic governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has a robust list of progressive achievements – including making her state the first in the U.S. to offer free universal childcare. The outgoing governor shares what her party can learn about how she got it done. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Centers for Disease Control has lost as much as a third of its staff under the Trump administration. How the Ebola outbreak in Africa exposes a weakened CDC. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Centers for Disease Control has lost as much as a third of its staff under the Trump administration. How the Ebola outbreak in Africa exposes a weakened CDC. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

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 attractions. What she learned about how America honors its history. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

President Trump heaped praise on China's President Xi after their recent summit. While the Chinese leader's rhetoric was much more restrained. A review of the U.S.-China summit from China's perspective. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Pope Leo XIV has published his first major document. The encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” focuses on AI and what the pope calls the “distorting effects of technological power.” *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Declaration of Independence is the founders' vision of America's values – equality, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. How that vision still lives on today. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on the perils and promise of AI as outlined in the papal encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” and a forthcoming law review paper, “AI and Existential Risk.” *** 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

Donald Trump plans to use a $1.776 billion fund to compensate anyone he chooses, including people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Some Congressional Republicans are furious. Other critics call it the worst act of presidential corruption in history. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Google has a new AI search bar. Instead of links, it gives you AI-synthesized answers. Some say it could be the end of the internet as we know it. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

For 20 years, journalist Katie Herzog tried to stop drinking. But nothing seemed to work. Until she stumbled upon a lesser-known path to sobriety. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty memorializes the courage and sacrifice of the Black men and women who served in the U.S. military in World War II. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

You've heard of 'mom brain.' But how do men's brains change when they become fathers? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Rachel Entrekin just won one of the hardest ultramarathon races in the world. She ran 253 miles across Arizona, breaking the previous course record by more than two hours. But she's no outlier. At ultra-distances, more and more women are taking the crown. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Europe and Asia are facing fuel shortages. The U.S. is in a fuel deficit. Some experts say the Iran War has caused the largest energy security threat in history. And it's about to get worse. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

A rural county at the edge of the Great Salt Lake. A multimillionaire celebrity businessman. A shadowy state agency. What Box Elder County, Utah's fight over a 40,000-acre data center reveals about America's AI future. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Like the palm tree, the Everglades, Disney World, and the “Florida Man,” the orange is a classic symbol of the Sunshine State. But maybe not for much longer. Production has declined to catastrophic levels, a decrease of more than 95% in less than 25 years. It's a produce murder mystery—and Decoder Ring is tagging along with reporter Alex Sammon to crack the case. The suspects include insects, hurricanes, mortgage-backed securities, and the American habit of not reckoning with enormous, load-bearing flaws until it's way too late.In this episode, you'll hear from Alex, a feature writer at Slate, who visited Florida to check on the orange and write about its demise. You'll also hear from Gary Mormino, Florida lover, expert, and professor emeritus of Florida Studies at the University of South Florida.This episode was produced by Katie Shepherd and Evan Chung, Decoder Ring's supervising producer. It was edited by Josh Levin. Decoder Ring is also produced by Willa Paskin and Max Freedman. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen.Sources for This EpisodeHamilton, Alissa. Squeezed: What You Don't Know about Orange Juice, Yale University Press, 2010.Hussey, Scott D. “The Sunshine State's Golden Fruit: Florida And The Orange,1930-1960,” USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Apr. 2, 2010.McPhee, John. Oranges, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1967.Mormino, Gary. “The enduring but endangered symbol of Florida,” The Gainesville Sun, Apr. 3, 2016.Sammon, Alex. “Who Killed The Florida Orange?” Slate, Apr. 20, 2026.Walkey, Will and Amory Sivertson. “The fall of Florida citrus,” On Point, Aug. 19, 2025Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like the palm tree, the Everglades, Disney World, and the “Florida Man,” the orange is a classic symbol of the Sunshine State. But maybe not for much longer. Production has declined to catastrophic levels, a decrease of more than 95% in less than 25 years. It's a produce murder mystery—and Decoder Ring is tagging along with reporter Alex Sammon to crack the case. The suspects include insects, hurricanes, mortgage-backed securities, and the American habit of not reckoning with enormous, load-bearing flaws until it's way too late.In this episode, you'll hear from Alex, a feature writer at Slate, who visited Florida to check on the orange and write about its demise. You'll also hear from Gary Mormino, Florida lover, expert, and professor emeritus of Florida Studies at the University of South Florida.This episode was produced by Katie Shepherd and Evan Chung, Decoder Ring's supervising producer. It was edited by Josh Levin. Decoder Ring is also produced by Willa Paskin and Max Freedman. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen.Sources for This EpisodeHamilton, Alissa. Squeezed: What You Don't Know about Orange Juice, Yale University Press, 2010.Hussey, Scott D. “The Sunshine State's Golden Fruit: Florida And The Orange,1930-1960,” USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Apr. 2, 2010.McPhee, John. Oranges, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1967.Mormino, Gary. “The enduring but endangered symbol of Florida,” The Gainesville Sun, Apr. 3, 2016.Sammon, Alex. “Who Killed The Florida Orange?” Slate, Apr. 20, 2026.Walkey, Will and Amory Sivertson. “The fall of Florida citrus,” On Point, Aug. 19, 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like the palm tree, the Everglades, Disney World, and the “Florida Man,” the orange is a classic symbol of the Sunshine State. But maybe not for much longer. Production has declined to catastrophic levels, a decrease of more than 95% in less than 25 years. It's a produce murder mystery—and Decoder Ring is tagging along with reporter Alex Sammon to crack the case. The suspects include insects, hurricanes, mortgage-backed securities, and the American habit of not reckoning with enormous, load-bearing flaws until it's way too late.In this episode, you'll hear from Alex, a feature writer at Slate, who visited Florida to check on the orange and write about its demise. You'll also hear from Gary Mormino, Florida lover, expert, and professor emeritus of Florida Studies at the University of South Florida.This episode was produced by Katie Shepherd and Evan Chung, Decoder Ring's supervising producer. It was edited by Josh Levin. Decoder Ring is also produced by Willa Paskin and Max Freedman. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen.Sources for This EpisodeHamilton, Alissa. Squeezed: What You Don't Know about Orange Juice, Yale University Press, 2010.Hussey, Scott D. “The Sunshine State's Golden Fruit: Florida And The Orange,1930-1960,” USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Apr. 2, 2010.McPhee, John. Oranges, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1967.Mormino, Gary. “The enduring but endangered symbol of Florida,” The Gainesville Sun, Apr. 3, 2016.Sammon, Alex. “Who Killed The Florida Orange?” Slate, Apr. 20, 2026.Walkey, Will and Amory Sivertson. “The fall of Florida citrus,” On Point, Aug. 19, 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conservative critics say America's elite colleges don't encourage political diversity and have biased admissions. A Yale University commission recently concluded that those critics may be right. *** 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 growth of inequality in the U.S. is creating a new political order willing to embrace raising tax rates. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Trump administration has made dramatic changes to the U.S. Forest Service -- closing nearly every regional office and axing its research budget. Some say it's overdue reform. But critics say public lands won't be protected. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

From WBUR, here's a new kind of story, one that's all about the big questions and decisions we face. The Midnight Rebellion is a pick-your-own-path podcast set 100 years in the future, where the stakes are nothing less than the planet itself. It's fiction rooted in real science, built for the kids in your life (ages 7 and up) — and the whole family. You're listening to Chapter 1 of The Midnight Rebellion. Each chapter ends with a choice. YOU decide what's next. Choose wisely. And if you liked what you heard, listen to the rest and follow The Midnight Rebellion wherever you get your podcasts. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Spirit Airlines, known for cheap flights, suddenly closed earlier this month. Budget airlines seem to do fine in Europe. Why can't they survive in the U.S.? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Since taking office, President Trump's wealth has grown by at least $1.4 billion. There have been overseas real estate projects, a Trump phone that doesn't exist and a Trump-branded cryptocurrency. Conflicts of interest or corruption? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Omer Bartov was born on an Israeli kibbutz, grew up committed to Zionist ideals, and is now professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University. But in his new book, Bartov argues that Zionism has changed and he can no longer support it. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Scientists have taken the largest ever image of the Milky Way. The image shows spectacular detail of our home in the universe, and offers scientists a color-coded guide to some of the most mysterious corners of our galaxy. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty has questions about how money is being raised for the  Democratic National Committee and Democratic candidates and how that money is being spent. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Republican Party has a highly sophisticated online and social media operation. Meanwhile Democrats focus on their traditional political talking points. Could the Dems take a page out of the GOP's messaging playbook? Democratic influencer Emily Amick sure thinks so. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

You've heard the phrase "think outside the box." But what if constraints and limitations actually make us happier and more creative? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Dictators and authoritarian leaders often plaster their faces across the country they control. Is this happening in the United States? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

The Supreme Court will soon rule on who gets to decide when a product needs a cancer warning – and who can sue if they've been exposed. At the center of the highly politicized debate is America's most successful weedkiller, Roundup. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

History was made in this year's London marathon when two runners broke the iconic two-hour barrier. Was it the shoes? The nutrition? The training? These specific elite athletes? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on “the unedifying spectacle of self abasement” from the Moscow show trial of the 1930s, to present-day confirmation hearings for Trump nominees. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Political partisanship is one way to measure how the Supreme Court justices think about how their rulings affect the nation. SCOTUSblog editor Sarah Isgur says another, she believes more important way, has to do with their tolerance for change, with the justices ranging from order-loving institutionalists to true chaos agents. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

More than half of men under 50 in the U.S. have an open online sports book. Public health experts warn it's easier than ever to get addicted to gambling. Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins spent a year exploring the world of sports betting, and why the pastime is particularly bad for young men. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

President Trump is directing the Justice Department to treat beliefs like "anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, or anti-Christianity" akin to domestic terrorism. Can the president criminalize beliefs? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

In 1998, the FDA required folic acid be added to breads and pastas but not corn masa, a staple in Latino communities. Folic acid is known to prevent neural tube birth defects.  So, states like California and Alabama are now passing their own mandates. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

There's a new word floating around Silicon Valley and the AI world: 'tokenmaxxing.' It means consuming as many units of AI as possible and often racking up multibillion dollar bills. What's driving this behavior? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Senior editor Dorey Scheimer has a message about this week's Jackpod and a special ‘behind the scenes' episode of On Point. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Dean Ball was a top adviser on AI for the Trump White House. He authored its AI policy. But now he says the way the Trump administration is strong-arming tech companies is a foundational threat to the nation. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Why do American kids love chicken nuggets and applesauce, but hate broccoli and brussels sprouts? In her new book “Picky," Helen Veit explores how American children became the fussiest eaters in history. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

A handful of states from California, Pennsylvania to Maine have tried to adopt a more rehabilitative Scandinavian prison model. But such models have failed to be replicated at large scale. Why? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

A mysterious condition can push your blood alcohol level sky-high — even if you haven't had any drinks. What causes auto-brewery syndrome — and what are the legal and medical implications? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint