On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

Omer Bartov, Holocaust and genocide historian and Dean's Professor at Brown University, reflects on his Israeli upbringing and shifting views on Zionism. He discusses wartime service, links between the Holocaust and the Nakba, claims that recent Israeli policies risk ethnic cleansing or worse, troubling dehumanizing rhetoric, and why he believes strong international pressure is urgent.

Adam Ginsburg, an astrochemist and University of Florida astronomer, and Steve Longmore, a Liverpool John Moores astrophysicist who leads the ALMA Galactic Center survey. They unpack ALMA’s huge, color-coded Milky Way mosaic. They describe swirling molecular filaments, how specific molecules act like fingerprints, mysterious ultra-broad-line objects, and what the center’s conditions reveal about star formation and galaxy centers.

Emily Amick, Democratic influencer and former counsel to Senator Schumer who runs the Substack 'Emily in your phone', examines how conservatives built powerful media ecosystems. She talks about long-term influencer investments, subtle online persuasion and lifestyle messaging, plus how Democrats could pair policy experts with creators to better translate ideas into culture.

Jack Beatty, a longtime commentator who links history, literature, and politics, breaks down Democratic fundraising and party strategy. He digs into DNC allocations, debates around withholding an autopsy, and controversial spending at ActBlue. Listeners hear candid takes on candidate communication, legal questions, and the potential political fallout.

David Epstein, author and journalist who studies science and human performance, talks about how limits can boost creativity. He explores Dr. Seuss’s 50-word challenge, rapid simplification with a live Lego experiment, and how ultra-tight budgets at NASA and in product design spur invention. He also covers deadlines, subtraction audits, and narrowing projects to finish more.

Jason Stanley, scholarly critic of propaganda and author, and Gal Beckerman, reporter on dissent and political imagery, explore why leaders plaster their likeness everywhere. They discuss Trump's pervasive branding, the psychological power of portraits, historical parallels, and how ubiquity can normalize singular leadership. Short, sharp takes on monuments, memory, and the politics of visual authority.

Ben Felder, investigative reporter who mapped pesticide use and cancer patterns in Midwestern farming counties. Carrie Gillum, investigative journalist and author who has long reported on Monsanto and glyphosate. They trace Roundup's rise, how glyphosate reshaped no-till farming and rural economies, and the science, industry tactics, and high-stakes legal fight over warnings and liability.

Alex Hutchinson, sports science writer and author of Endure, explains advances in shoes, fueling, and lab studies. Robert Johnson, co-founder of Let’s Run and former college distance coach, breaks down race tactics and testing protocols. They discuss super-shoe tech, hydrogel fueling, the London race’s decisive miles, and what made sub-two possible.

Sarah Isgur, senior editor at SCOTUSblog and author of Last Branch Standing, offers a fresh lens on the Supreme Court. She profiles justices by tolerance for change, from order-loving institutionalists to solo-minded risk-takers. Conversations cover how those styles shape precedent, key rulings, court dynamics, and why Congress’s paralysis pushes issues into judicial hands.

Jack Beatty, longtime analyst who ties history and literature to politics, explores ritualized self-abasement from Stalinist show trials to modern confirmation hearings. He draws parallels between coerced confessions and today's dodged answers. Conversation spans judicial loyalty, potential Supreme Court shifts, threats to institutional integrity, and how democratic norms erode under pressure.