On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

Jack Beatty, a historian and commentator who links history, literature, and politics, explores how restrictive zoning shaped housing scarcity. He traces racist roots of zoning, explains how homeowners block new construction, and discusses the economic and inequality effects of limited housing supply. Short takes on reform prospects and why NIMBY feelings endure.

Daniel Altman, former CBP investigations chief, explains investigative standards and transparency. Stephanie (Sam) Martin, Boise State public affairs professor, links political lying to Hannah Arendt and civic trust. They discuss DHS statements clashing with bystander videos, patterns of official misstatements, how early framing shapes public debate, and risks when agencies block or spin evidence.

Keri Cochran-McLean, rural policy leader advocating coverage and payment fixes. Cindy Samuelson, Kansas hospital executive on finances and workforce. Zachary Levinson, health policy analyst on hospital costs. They unpack the $50B Rural Health Transformation Program, why rural hospitals keep losing money, how funds are allocated and limited, and the tough tradeoffs states face between long-term transformation and immediate survival.

Shannon Gibney, parent leader organizing sanctuary-school patrols and volunteer protection. Elizabeth Burgett, former ESL teacher running mutual-aid grocery and legal networks. Pastor Sergio Amescua, Spanish-speaking pastor mobilizing church relief after raids. They discuss neighborhood patrols, rapid-response chats, grocery deliveries, legal aid coordination, volunteer safety and community resistance to ICE tactics.

Cengiz Yar, ProPublica photographer who reported from Minneapolis. Nick Mirov, Atlantic staff writer covering immigration and ICE recruitment. Jason Hauser, former ICE chief of staff with operational experience. They discuss rapid ICE hiring, compressed 42-day training, lax vetting at expos, concerns about use-of-force and crowd-control practices, and how leadership and political priorities shape operations.

Sylvia Lavin, Princeton professor of architectural history and theory, joins to examine Frank Gehry’s impact. She discusses Gehry’s rise from Santa Monica experiments to Bilbao and Disney Hall. Conversation covers human-scale monumentalism, architects’ duty to neighborhoods, and how design, budgets, and civic intent shape what cities feel like.

Jack Beatty, a longtime analyst who links history, literature, and politics, explores Ernst Frankel's dual-state idea. He contrasts the everyday normative state with a prerogative state of arbitrary force. Short, sharp takes examine court uses, immigration enforcement parallels, rhetoric signaling exclusion, and how normal routines can veil repression.

Lauren Southern, former right-wing influencer and author of This Is Not Real Life, reflects on her rise in online politics and the unraveling that followed. She recounts radicalization through internet culture, viral stunts and confrontations, arrests and mental health crises. The conversation follows her decision to log off and rebuild a more grounded life.

John Bolton, former U.S. National Security Advisor, shares insights on Trump's detrimental fixation on Greenland and its impact on NATO. He argues Trump's erratic behavior undermines American credibility globally. Peter Goodman highlights the disbelief at the World Economic Forum regarding U.S. reliability and how market dynamics affect Trump's decisions. Ilya Somin discusses the implications of Trump's actions under the 25th Amendment, calling them illegal and a basis for impeachment. The conversation raises critical questions about presidential fitness and the rule of law.

Christopher Palmer, an Associate Professor of Finance at MIT Sloan, lends his expertise on credit markets as they discuss Trump's proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10%. Palmer outlines potential economic drawbacks, emphasizing how such caps could reduce credit access, particularly for risky borrowers. They explore the staggering $1.24 trillion in credit card debt and the mechanics behind interest rate determination. The conversation highlights the need for safer lending products and stronger social safety nets to address the underlying financial instability many Americans face.