How do landmark Supreme Court decisions affect our lives? What does the 2nd Amendment really say? Why does the Senate have so much power? Civics 101 is the podcast about how our democracy works…or is supposed to work, anyway.
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Once upon a time, American British colonists were separated from power, decision-making, culture and information by thousands of miles and many weeks. As Helena Yoo-Roth puts it, time flowed evenly outward from the homeland. This is the story of waiting, longing and realizing that time might just be on our side as we approached the American Revolutionary War. Helena Yoo-Roth is the author of the forthcoming American Timelines: Imperial Communications, Colonial Time-Consciousness, and the Coming ...
This is the first episode in a series we are doing with iCivics, who invited us to their National Forum for Civic Learning Week. Today we share the many conversations we had with civics and social studies teachers from across the country, and we explore the results from a nationwide survey on what they're going through right now. And, finally, what could be done to help them? To learn more about iCivics and their myriad resources for teachers and students, visit them at https://ed.icivics.org. T...
For Americans today, it's a treasure. Scripture. The thing that made us. It wasn't always that way, though. This is the story of the Declaration of Independence before it was enshrined in our collective national consciousness. Back when it was a news headline and we had no control what others thought of it. Our guest is Emily Sneff, author of When the Declaration of Independence was News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
We would like to encourage you to check out Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel. Hosted by veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler, this is a rich and immersive travel podcast and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
What is the process when a person wishes to represent themselves in court? How common is it? Is it true that a person who represents themselves "has a fool for a client?" Today in our "Ask a Judge" series, attorney and magistrate Amy Lin Meyerson and "small town lawyer" Ray Williams give tips for those who have no choice but to address the court on their own behalf. Here is the American Bar Association's virtual legal advice clinic (staffed by human legal minds, not AI!): https://abafreelegalans...
You've been hearing about it in the news, but what exactly is the Strait of Hormuz? And as for those blockades...how do they work? DONATE TO THE PODCAST HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We haven't always had a federal income tax, and in the beginning, it only applied to the very richest Americans. So how did we end up with the permanent income tax we have today, with all its complicated rules about everything from pre-tax income to deductions and credits? And what does it actually pay for? DONATE TO THE SHOW! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sometimes, news happens in the real world, and suddenly a political or civics topic becomes very top of mind for members of the public. And when that happens, we at Civics 101 often say, hey…we have an episode about that. DONATE TO THE SHOW! One of those conversations happened this week, after a tweet from President Trump related to the war in Iran had some conservative, traditionally pro-Trump voices evoking a specific part of the Constitution - the 25th Amendment. Back in 2022, we made an epis...
Today we bring you a story from our sister podcast Outside/In , produced and reported by Marina Henke. DONATE TO THE PODCAST! In 2009, the state of Maine ordered farmer Dan Brown to stop selling his raw milk. It kicked off a five-year legal battle that stoked the flames of Maine’s dairy wars. But, after Farmer Brown lost his case and hung up his milking hat, things quieted down. Twenty years later, raw milk has surged back into the zeitgeist. Influencers are saying it tastes like ice cream, RFK ...
In this country, the states run elections. Congress is empowered to step in; the president is not. So what does it mean for the president to call on a political party to "take over." Is that allowed? What would that mean? And why is this happening now? DONATE TO THE PODCAST! We talk with Sarah Cooper from the Carter Center to understand who is in charge and whether anyone else can take charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Four years ago we made an episode about how the president has very limited powers when it comes to lowering the price of gas. Turns out, we hadn't considered every possibility. Today, we talk about how a president can make gasoline more expensive, by waging conflict in the middle east. Our guest is Robert Rapier, chemical engineer, investment writer, and energy sector expert. He came back on the show to tell us about the logistics of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, and whether there are any w...
Today we take a field trip to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where Nick explains why he's like this via an obsession with 1776 , the movie based on the musical based on the true events that launched a nation. Our nation. Also, Nick and Hannah get real using Dido as inspiration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why do religious leaders step out from behind the pulpit and take to the streets? What does it mean to practice what you preach? As faith groups across the nation stand alongside protestors and assert their beliefs, we talk to four religious leaders about how and why they take action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As hosts of a civics podcast, we are not allowed to advocate for policy. But you can. Here are three things you can do to get your elected officials to listen when you're mad about something. By way of example, Nick reveals his pettiest, most apolitical gripe; and methods he would hypothetically use to address it. We talk lobbying, contacting your electeds, and getting (possibly famous) people together to advocate for change. This episode features Emily Gallagher, serving District 50 in the New ...
We've used the word "detention" many times when we've talked about immigration laws and ICE. But what does that word actually mean? A listener wanted to know, so we got the answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
About a week ago, host Hannah McCarthy stumbled on an article by an historian named Dr. Aaron Fountain Jr. What she read kind of blew her mind, so she decided to give him a call. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The rules about who could and could not come and live in the United States have changed many times over the last 250 years, but exactly when restrictions were first put on immigration might surprise you. Today, walking us through the myriad qualitative and quantitative systems surrounding immigration policy is Muzaffar Chishti , Senior Fellow and Director of the Migration Policy Institute. Here are some links to our episodes on: The Chinese Exclusion Act , ICE , and Becoming a US Citizen . Learn...
We examine what the current presidential administration tells us about Immigration and Customs Enforcement and what the numbers, courts and history of the agency have to say. For more information on the data referenced in this episode, you can check out this Politico fact check of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's statements about ICE , this CATO Institute analysis , this CBS report , and this TRAC report and this Deportation Data Project release . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...
Introducing “Safe to Drink:” A New Hampshire town finds out its water has been contaminated by a chemical. The most basic question — whether the water is safe to drink — doesn’t have a clear answer. Nobody seems to know much about this so-called forever chemical, which is weird because… this has all happened before. From the Document team at New Hampshire Public Radio, "Safe to Drink" is a four-part series about the water contamination story that keeps repeating in town after town — and about th...
In 1985, high school teacher Christa McAuliffe was selected to become the first private citizen to travel to space. After the Challenger explosion that killed her and 6 other astronauts, NASA scrapped its Teacher in Space Project; it was still too risky to send private citizens to space. 40 years later, things are looking very different. Today, celebrities and billionaires are buying trips on commercial rockets. Private companies are designing new, private space stations. How is safety being reg...
After its inception in 1823, the Monroe Doctrine was largely ignored. But after a while, different administrations saw the value in maintaining control over the western hemisphere. And notably, it is having a renaissance in the Trump presidency. So what IS the Monroe Doctrine? How has it been interpreted in various presidencies? And, most importantly, is it legal under international law? Civics 101 regular Dan Cassino takes us from Monroe to Maduro. Click here to listen to our episode on the his...
On this episode, we’re talking about the history and evolution of United States’ refugee and asylum policy. We have been a country of exclusion for about as long as we’ve projected the image of a democratic refuge. We talk about what it actually takes to secure refugee or asylum status in the U.S. and how that gargantuan task has been made so much more difficult, if not impossible for some, under the second Trump Administration. This episode features Dr. Georgie Pisano. Learn more about your ad ...
This episode delves into the US military's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and its broader implications. It explores Venezuela's history as a petrostate, Hugo Chavez's rise and impact, and Maduro's controversial presidency. The discussion also covers the legality of US intervention, the historical context of the Monroe Doctrine, and the shifting focus on oil in the current US administration's policy toward Venezuela.
This week Nick appears on The Middle, with Jeremy Hobson. The topic is civility in politics, and they're joined by former New Hampshire State Legislator Doug Teschner and Citizens Count Executive Director Anna Brown. This episode was recorded live at the Bank of NH Stage in Concord, NH and features audience questions and comments. Write to us at civics101@nhpr.org to tell us what you think: is there a political middle? CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podca...
Today we answer this question from a listener, "Is Santa a criminal?" We get to the bottom of the myriad actions of the jolly old elf, and whether he could reasonably be tried for civil and criminal violations, including but not limited to trespassing, breaking and entering, voyeurism, stalking, surveillance, burglary, tax evasion, bad labor practices, emotional distress, and (in one instance) involuntary manslaughter. Taking us through this complex web of charges is Colin Miller , professor at ...
Why does it take, in practice, 60 votes for a bill to pass in the Senate? Why doesn't it seem like anyone is up there talking for days anymore? And why do we even have it in the first place? Today is all about the filibuster; from its benign origins to its use and misuse, the arguments for and against it, and what it would take to eliminate it entirely. Our guest is Molly Reynolds from the Brookings Institution. To learn about the tumultuous back and forth between the federal and state governmen...
The lottery generates over $70 billion in revenue each year. Today on Civics 101 we explore how we got here; from failed lotteries in the Revolutionary War to the Golden Octopus to the Numbers Game to a Mega Millions ticket from your neighborhood shop. Where does all of that money GO? And why are states so dependent on them in the first place? Taking us on this madcap journey are two experts on the lottery in the US; Kevin Flynn (author of American Sweepstakes ) and Matthew Vaz (author of Runnin...
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, once upon a time called food stamps, helps nearly 42 million Americans every month. While the 2025 government shutdown showed us what happens when SNAP dries up, we have yet to see the effects of major new legislative changes to the program. So what, exactly, is SNAP? How does it work? Who gets it? Why do we have it to begin with, and what does it look like now? Our guide is Sara Bleich , Professor of Public Health Policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan Sc...
Today we talk about the myriad procedures involved in getting the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed in record time. How do discharge petitions work? What did HR 581 do exactly? How did it get through the Senate so quickly? And while we're at it, why did it take a record seven weeks to swear in a new representative? Here is the discharge petition signed by 218 members of Congress. Here is the full text of HR 581, passed by the House on 11/17. And finally, here is HR 4405 , related to HR 185 ,...
Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein spent nearly a decade making a twelve-hour documentary on the American Revolution . This is what they learned from the thousands of stories and events that resulted in the United States of America. It's a story of world-changing ideas, contradictory figures, myths that do us no good and what it means to be in pursuit of a more perfect union. You can watch Ken Burns The American Revolution on PBS, PBS.org and the free PBS app. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all ...
