U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his "Bidenomics" economic agenda and his Investing in America agenda at an Amtrak facility in New Castle County, Delaware, on November 6, 2023.(Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The Jackpod: The bystander

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty discusses Republican pollster Whit Ayres' observation that Joe Biden is “a bystander watching events spin out of control.”

32:06Feb 9, 2024

Roads remain icy following a day of snow on January 17, 2024 in Bartlett, New Hampshire. Republican presidential candidates are criss crossing the state of New Hampshire in freezing weather as the state prepares to host the 2024 Presidential Primary. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

What we lose if snow disappears

Snowpack is getting less reliable in American winters. And in many places, that's not just an environmental problem, but an emotional one, too.

47:19Feb 9, 2024

This photo taken on January 5, 2024 shows people posing next to a newly renovated statue of a pair of parents and three children in Hankou Park next to Yangtze River in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province. China's population decline accelerated in 2023, official data showed on january 17, 2024, extending a downward streak after more than six decades of growth as the country battles a looming demographic crisis. (Photo by AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

China's big push for a baby boom

The Chinese government is urging women to have more babies -- after decades of a one-child policy. But officials face major pushback from Chinese women themselves.

47:29Feb 8, 2024

A woman walks past anti-US graffiti outside the building formerly hosting the embassy of the United States in Tehran -- today known as the "Den of Spies" museum -- on January 30, 2024, amid tensions between Iran and the US over the regional repercussions of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Can a regional war be avoided with Iran?

Over the weekend, the U.S. launched retaliatory strikes against Iranian proxies further raising tensions in the Middle East. How will Iran respond?

47:00Feb 7, 2024

The legacy of 'Ingenuity,' NASA's helicopter on Mars

Last month, the Ingenuity ended its mission as the first aircraft to make an extraterrestrial flight. After nearly three years on Mars, what did it teach us?

47:00Feb 6, 2024

A view of the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday morning January 4, 2024 in Washington, DC. Former President Donald Trump has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to keep his name on the primary ballot in Colorado. Earlier in December, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that former President Donald Trump is ineligible to run for the White House and appear on the state's ballot, citing the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause in the 14th amendment. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Should Trump be constitutionally barred from the presidency?

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing an appeal of a Colorado court ruling this week that could keep former President Trump off the ballot. It could profoundly shape the 2024...

47:06Feb 5, 2024

(CARLOS BARRIA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Jackpod: The meddler’s trap

From the annexation of the Philippines in 1898, to looming confrontation with Iran today, On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on U.S. leadership, vested military interests, and unintended military entanglements.

28:14Feb 2, 2024

A view of a water pipe in the post treatment section with includes adding minerals and disinfection with chlorine into the water at the Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, which opened on December 14, 2015 in Carlsbad, Photo taken in Carlsbad Desalination Plant in Carlsbad, CA on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

How communities worldwide are working to solve the water crisis

From desalination plants in Australia, wastewater recycling plants in Orange County, CA to net zero water buildings in NYC, in his latest book author and engineer David Sedlak looks not...

47:10Feb 2, 2024

How to fix chronic absenteeism in America's schools

About a third of students are on track to miss at least 10% of school days this year. Why are students missing school, and how can we bring them back?

47:24Feb 1, 2024

An aerial view of the area as migrants walking along razor wire after crossing the Rio Grande into the United States on January 28, 2024 in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The standoff at the U.S.-Mexico border

The federal government has jurisdiction over immigration matters. In Eagle Pass, the state of Texas has taken over. But what Texas is doing is illegal and could lead to a...

47:18Jan 31, 2024

Corporate image of hands typing on a laptop keyboard in an outdoor environment, perhaps a balcony, a garden or a rooftop terrace.

What experiences are young people missing in remote work?

Many of us learned how to do our jobs and connect with colleagues at our first workplace. But after the pandemic normalized remote work, how are young people today getting...

47:02Jan 30, 2024

Florida, Miami, Walgreens, pharmacy shelves. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Florida looks to Canada for cheaper prescription drugs

Earlier this month, Florida became the first state to get FDA approval to import cheaper drugs from Canada. But will it work?

47:10Jan 29, 2024

383356 17: The execution bed sits empty on Death Row April 25, 1997 at Texas Death Row in Huntsville, Texas. About 450 prisoners are on the Row. Texas has the most executions in the US each year. The inmates are executed by lethal injection. (Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Liaison)

Controversy and contradiction: The death penalty in America

In this episode from January 2023, we heard about the botched execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith and how states have been wrestling with how to carry out the ultimate penalty.

49:10Jan 27, 2024

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump hands off a signed hat during a campaign stop in Londonderry, N.H., Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (Matt Rourke/AP)

The Jackpod: Not the odds, but the stakes

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty has been reading The Authoritarian Handbook: 2025, a new report by the bipartisan group Protect Democracy, outlining the promises, powers and plans of Donald...

33:42Jan 26, 2024

Man standing near oversized ruler against blue background. (Getty)

Why are Americans getting shorter?

Average height in the U.S. has been in decline since about 1980. What’s causing that, and why does it matter?

47:18Jan 26, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C), Justice Minister Yariv Levin (2-L) , Foreign Minister Eli Cohen (L) and cabinet secretary Yossi Fuchs (2-R) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, on February 19, 2023. (ABIR SULTAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Inside Israel's divided war cabinet

Family members of hostages held by Hamas are furious. They’ve stormed the Israeli parliament, calling for a deal to get the remaining hostages released. But Israel’s war cabinet is split...

47:25Jan 25, 2024

'The great dechurching': Why so many Americans are leaving their churches

About 40 million Americans have stopped attending a place of worship in the past 25 years. What’s driving it, and what does it tell us about the importance of faith...

46:58Jan 24, 2024

In an aerial view, an evaporation pond is pinkish-red due to high salinity levels leaves a crust of salt on the north section of the Great Salt Lake on August 02, 2021 near Corinne, Utah. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The Great Salt Lake is drying up. Can it be saved?

Utah’s Great Salt Lake is the largest salt lake in the Western Hemisphere. Since the 1980s, the lake has shrunk by two-thirds, and is projected to disappear entirely in the...

47:25Jan 23, 2024

TOPSHOT - Former US President and 2024 Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Ted Hendricks Stadium at Henry Milander Park in Hialeah, Florida, on November 8, 2023. (RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)

What Republican party elites don’t understand about Trump voters

Polls show Donald Trump dominating the race for the Republican presidential nomination. How does he do it -- and can anyone catch him?

47:26Jan 22, 2024

President Truman responds with a warm smile as he is greeted by an estimated 30,000 persons in Cleveland's Public Square, Oct. 9. (Bettmann / Contributor via Getty Images)

The Jackpod: A little touch of Harry in the night

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty discusses the moral character of President Harry Truman, and whether character matters today for presidents or presidential candidates.

28:21Jan 20, 2024