The Jackpod: Democracy by lottery

The U.S. has been spending up to $2 billion every day on the war with Iran. But that’s just military expenditure. What’s the real, long-term economic toll? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty has been reading “Politics without Politicians” by political theorist Hélène Landemore, in which she makes the case that randomly selected citizens can make for better government than elected politicians. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Shame is a powerful feeling that can keep behavior in check. So what happens when political leaders feel no shame at all? *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

An electric vehicle battery that charges almost as fast as it takes to fill a tank of gas. And it might soon be available almost everywhere except the United States. How China's superfast-charging electric vehicles are leaving American EV’s in the dust. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

An electric vehicle battery that charges almost as fast as it takes to fill a tank of gas. And it might soon be available almost everywhere except the United States. How China's superfast-charging electric vehicles are leaving American EV’s in the dust. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

So far, more than a million people have been forcibly displaced by Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says eradicating Hezbollah is critical for Israeli security. But critics argue Israeli occupation will only reenergize the Iran-backed militia. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Military service members are filing a flood of complaints about religious justifications for the U.S. war in Iran. How Christian extremism came to influence the Trump administration and offer moral underpinnings for the new war in the Middle East. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Shia fundamentalism has come to define Iran’s place in the Middle East and the world. And that wasn’t an accident. How Iranian leaders use Shia Islam to exert their power. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on how the U.S. Congress serves the financial interests of itself through insider trading. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

NASA astronaut Christina Koch is making history as the first woman to travel around the moon as a crew member on the Artemis II mission. It’s not the first time Koch has made history. In 2020 she told Meghna what it was like to spend a record-breaking 11 months in space. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint