Humans have been obsessed with fitness for centuries. But how did this fascination start? In the new book “When Fitness Went Global” historian Conor Heffernan examines the rise of physical culture worldwide.
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In the 1980s, artists like John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen sang swelling anthems about working people, family farms and factory towns. But heartland rock is also deeply political -- and often misunderstood.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is asking Congress for a record amount of money, $1.5 trillion, as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran continues. What do those taxpayer dollars pay for?
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Companies rushed to replace workers with AI. Now, some of these same companies are hiring back human workers. What happened?
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Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut says the “current version of capitalism isn’t working” for Americans. What’s his plan for his party — and our country?
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White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wants to shut down immigration because he believes many immigrants refuse to "assimilate." But what does assimilation mean to immigrants themselves?
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When his mother fell for an online romance scam, Carlos Barragán flew to Nigeria to track down the con artist. What he uncovered was so much bigger.
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President Donald Trump is escalating his efforts to reshape how American elections are run within the law and on the ground. How will his pressure campaign impact voters ahead of the 2026 midterms?
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The U.S. has become an increasingly erratic superpower. Now, the world’s middle powers are rising. What's next for places like India and Canada in a shifting global order?
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Approximately 20% of all food waste in America is linked to confusion over date labels. Now, California is banning most food expiration labeling. So, what do expiration dates really tell us?
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Mathematician Eugenia Cheng wants us to rethink our relationship to math -- and equality. We hear how different paths lead to identical outcomes in math, and how that can help us all in real life.
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For generations, Ellis Island has been America’s great symbol of immigration. But another gateway has shaped the nation just as profoundly: El Paso, Texas. We trace one hundred years of migration, violence and memory along the U.S.–Mexico border.
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Donald Trump says “communism is the greatest threat" facing the U.S. And democratic socialists have won a string of elections across the country. What are the differences between communism and socialism — and why are Americans talking about them now?
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We all have our blind spots, but with AI and the spread of misinformation, we are more vulnerable to them than ever. Can we learn from a master illusionist on how to avoid falling trap to them?
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Sports fans and casual viewers can become obsessed with a good underdog story. But what draws us towards the longshot winners and unlikely success stories?
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The Jackpod is taking a short break but we will be back with new episodes as soon as possible. Join the On Point Club for access to other exclusive content.
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Wildfires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres across the U.S. this summer. Now, firefighters are turning to new technology to help battle blazes, from AI cameras to vegetation-munching robots.
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We sit down with On Point's "money ladies" for tips and tricks on how to manage your finances in difficult times.
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Pancreatic cancer has long been considered a death sentence. But a revolutionary new treatment has been shown to double survival times.
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The U.S. produces billions of pounds of commercial beef every year. But it’s getting more and more expensive for Americans to get beef on the table – and for ranchers to raise the cattle it comes from.
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Roughly one in eight Americans say they are taking a GLP-1 drug -- and not just for weight loss. Studies show it can help heart disease, sleep apnea, addiction and even brain health. We speak with one of the lead scientists who discovered this gut hormone on how these drugs actually work in our bodies.
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An accent doesn’t just tell someone where you are from – but who you are – your cultural background, race, age and class. How the way we talk tells people more than we think.
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For people with disabilities, artificial intelligence tools are helping them see, hear, experience, and move through the world in profound new ways.
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The U.S. Supreme Court left some of its biggest decisions for last this session. Justices delivered a series of major opinions with consequences that will impact nearly every corner of the country.
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The U.S. is celebrating its 250th birthday this summer. But native people are often left out of America's founding narrative. Does uncovering that history change how we think of the country?
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A road trip is the iconic American vacation -- with a richer and more complicated history than it may seem. What the American road trip reveals about who we are.
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On Point news analyst Jack Beatty has been listening to what Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy has been saying in town hall style interviews as he promotes his book, “Crisis of the Common Good.”
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From vaudeville to era-defining sitcoms, Black comedy has brought us some of our biggest stars and iconic characters. In the book "Black Out Loud," journalist Geoff Bennett explores how Black comedy has influenced how America sees itself.
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For a democracy to be by the people and for the people, what do the people need to know? The Freedom of Information Act is central to answering that question. What FOIA has uncovered in its 60 years, and what it's up against now.
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The U.S. is one of the largest sugar producers in the world. And for more than 200 years, the sugar industry has gotten special protections from the government. Why?
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WASHINGTON, JUL 31, 2026 - Ukrop's Homestyle Foods, a Richmond, Va., establishment, is recalling approximately 22,880 pounds of baked spaghetti and chicken cobbler products that may be contaminated with foreign...
WASHINGTON, JUL 30, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for Curry Chicken Salad due to concerns that...
WASHINGTON, Jul 29, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for a Steak, Cilantro, Lime Burrito product due...
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..." NSF is vital because we support basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future. This type of support:
With an annual budget of $8.5 billion (FY 2021), we are the funding source for approximately 27 percent of the total federal budget for basic research conducted at U.S. colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing.
We fulfill our mission chiefly by issuing limited-term grants -- currently about 12,000 new awards per year, with an average duration of three years -- to fund specific research proposals that have been judged the most promising by a rigorous and objective merit-review system. Most of these awards go to individuals or small groups of investigators. Others provide funding for research centers, instruments and facilities that allow scientists, engineers and students to work at the outermost frontiers of knowledge.
NSF's goals -- discovery, learning, research infrastructure and stewardship -- provide an integrated strategy to advance the frontiers of knowledge, cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce and expand the scientific literacy of all citizens, build the nation's research capability through investments in advanced instrumentation and facilities, and support excellence in science and engineering research and education through a capable and responsive organization. We like to say that NSF is "where discoveries begin."
Many of the discoveries and technological advances have been truly revolutionary. In the past few decades, NSF-funded researchers have won some 236 Nobel Prizes as well as other honors too numerous to list. These pioneers have included the scientists or teams that discovered many of the fundamental particles of matter, analyzed the cosmic microwaves left over from the earliest epoch of the universe, developed carbon-14 dating of ancient artifacts, decoded the genetics of viruses, and created an entirely new state of matter called a Bose-Einstein condensate.
NSF also funds equipment that is needed by scientists and engineers but is often too expensive for any one group or researcher to afford. Examples of such major research equipment include giant optical and radio telescopes, Antarctic research sites, high-end computer facilities and ultra-high-speed connections, ships for ocean research, sensitive detectors of very subtle physical phenomena and gravitational wave observatories.
Another essential element in NSF's mission is support for science and engineering education, from pre-K through graduate school and beyond. The research we fund is thoroughly integrated with education to help ensure that there will always be plenty of skilled people available to work in new and emerging scientific, engineering and technological fields, and plenty of capable teachers to educate the next generation.
No single factor is more important to the intellectual and economic progress of society, and to the enhanced well-being of its citizens, than the continuous acquisition of new knowledge. NSF is proud to be a major part of that process
Officially coming into existence on July 1, 1870, the Department of Justice was empowered to handle all criminal prosecutions and civil suits in which the United States had an interest. To assist the Attorney General, the 1870 Act also created the Office of the Solicitor General, who represents the interests of the United States before the U.S. Supreme Court.
On a single night in 2020, roughly 580,000 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States. Homeless Assistance:
If you are at risk of being homeless or in need of transitional housing, HUD partners may be able to work with you on a long-term plan and connect you with resources for success. Search for a Continuum of Care resource provider to get started.
Other Assistance:
Paying my rent (rental assistance) —
Applying for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) —
Talking to a housing counselor —
Reporting housing discrimination —
Finding Coronavirus resources
U.S. President Joe Biden's official portrait, 2021
Joe Biden at age 10 (1953)
Joe Biden at the White House in 1987
Joe Biden and Barack Obama, July 2012
