On Point

We discuss the connection between rising violence now, and America's history of anti-Asian discrimination. Kelly Yang, Doris Chang and Sung Yeon Choimorrow join Meghna Chakrabarti.

In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan said: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'” Four decades later, President Biden says: "Help is on the way." Is Reaganomics dead? One of President Reagan's top economic advisors tells us, "Yes, and good riddance." Bruce Bartlett, Jack Beatty and Lee Drutman join Meghna Chakrabarti.

The western U.S. is no stranger to drought. But this isn't any dry spell. More than 70% of the West is exceptionally parched. Could it be a permanent change? Brad Udall and Colby Pellegrino join Meghna Chakrabarti.

There's a surge of migrant children crossing the southern border. When it comes to immigration, a long-term challenge besets a new administration. We discuss what the Biden administration is doing to address the crisis at the border. Jacob Soboroff, Theresa Cardinal Brown, Melissa Adamson and Kurt VerBeek join Meghna Chakrabarti.

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens are shaking up the art world. So much so that one piece of crypto art recently auctioned for more than $69 million. We explore what non-fungible tokens are, and why they’re disrupting the future of digital art. Terry Nguyen, Matt Kane and Blake Gopnik join Meghna Chakrabarti.

Is homeownership now a luxury? We talk to Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman, and our favorite money ladies, Rana Foroohar and Michelle Singletary, about how the pandemic economy is impacting the American housing market. Glenn Kelman, Rana Foroohar and Michelle Singletary join Meghna Chakrabarti.

The Biden administration's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. We talk about the lesser-known aspects of the plan, from farming to health care. Lisa DesJardins, Lloyd Wright and Jonathan Cohn join Meghna Chakrabarti.

March 11th marks the one year anniversary of the WHO declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic. And in our regular hour, we talked with MIT professor Sherry Turkle about how society has changed over a year of COVID. In this special podcast exclusive, we continue the conversation about what we've learned about humanity and empathy over the course of the pandemic.

March 11, 2020 marks the day the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. A year later, what has humanity learned about itself? We discuss humanity, empathy and the pandemic year. Sherry Turkle and Michael Yassa join Meghna Chakrabarti.

On today's program, we discussed the filibuster in the U.S. Senate. There's a sense that the filibuster has been part of the procedures of the Senate since time immemorial. So we wanted to ask a historian whether or not that's true. In this radio diary, Dan Holt, associate historian in the Senate Historical Office, walks us through U.S. Senate and filibuster history.

The fight over the filibuster. Does the filibuster bring better solutions to the country’s biggest problems, or no solutions at all? Adam Jentleson, Rich Arenberg and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.

Vaccine passports. They give those vaccinated against COVID-19 access to places the unvaccinated can't get into -- gyms, bars, schools. It's a tool for public health in a pandemic, and a tool to curb civil liberties. Can the two be balanced? Nita Farahany and Ruth Faden join Meghna Chakrabarti.

The Biden administration says racial justice is a top priority. But what does equity mean when it comes to government policy? We explore the overlap -- and tensions -- between equity and equality in America. Robert Patterson and Mike Gonzalez join Meghna Chakrabarti.

President Joe Biden once said Saudi Arabia would pay for the brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But now as president, Biden is taking a softer approach. Is it time to reassess the U.S.-Saudi relationship? If so, is the Biden administration willing to do it? Robin Wright, Bernard Haykel and Dr. Khalid Aljabri join Meghna Chakrabarti.

For years, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has said the company didn’t need unions. But between pandemic safety concerns and a president said to be the most pro-union since FDR, could an Amazon warehouse in Alabama be the tipping point for unions in America? Steven Greenhouse, Karen Weise and Michael Foster join Meghna Chakrabarti.

What happens when people can't post cash bail? They're stuck in jail. For months. In some cases, years, before they ever get to trial. Recently, Illinois became the first state to eliminate cash bail. What kind of system should states have instead? Christine Scott-Hayward and Sharone Mitchell join Meghna Chakrabarti.

17-year-old Allure and her mother live in Newark, New Jersey. They're just one of the millions of American families whose lives could be transformed if a child poverty proposal passes in Washington. "How can all this stress be on one person?" Allure says. "She makes it happen though. I don't know how, but she makes it happen."

There's a potentially historic push to reduce child poverty in this country, with bipartisan agreement that something could be done. But will politics get in the way of a real solution? Jamila Michener and Angela Rachidi join Meghna Chakrabarti.

Nursing homes in crisis. Is it time to rethink how they work? We talk about alternative models for nursing homes and how to build a better long-term care system in the U.S. Katie Smith Sloan, Jack Beatty and Howard Gleckman join Meghna Chakrabarti.

October 2020. Investigators say more than a dozen men spent months training to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. It was, legal experts agree, an act of domestic terrorism. So was the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 this year. After decades fighting an international war on terrorism, the U.S. turns its attention home. What will a battle against domestic terrorism look like? Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Elizabeth Neumann join Meghna Chakrabarti.