Do you believe in the power of an informed citizenry? Click this link to support Civics 101 today. When you hear 'the draft' you might think about the Vietnam War... but the history of compulsory military service goes all the way back to before the Constitution was written. In this episode, we start from the beginning: How did conscription change over the years? When was the first national draft law? Who was most likely to be drafted? And the big one: Will the draft ever come back? Answering tho...
Jun 26, 2018•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Show your support for Civics 101. Click here to donate: https://goo.gl/6VNE6E Today a listener opens up a rabbit hole, and we immediately jump down it. We're learning about the Federal Register, a dense, cryptic document published every single day that records all the activities of the Executive Branch. It's a lot. Joining us is Oliver Potts, the director of the Federal Register, along with Kevin Kosar of the R Street Institute and Nick Bellos of the Regulatory Review. Want our new "Civics is my...
Jun 19, 2018•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hey folks! We're raising money to support this podcast. Please click this link and donate today! https://goo.gl/6VNE6E Remember the Human Genome Project? The massively complicated international undertaking that aimed to map the entirety of human DNA? It was funded and coordinated in large part by the NIH, or National Institutes of Health . The NIH is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and is the nation's foremost government funded medical research agency. So how does it ...
Jun 12, 2018•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Norm Stamper was a past-Chief of Seattle's Police Department and an officer with the San Diego PD. He joins us to talk about the history of modern policing, the role of police today, and how to make sense of controversial police killings. Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug? CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOURS! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more! To see Civics 101 in boo...
Jun 05, 2018•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Drinking water in the United States is, according to the EPA, among the world's "most reliable and safest supplies." Its delivery involves a complex infrastructure of pipes, treatment facilities, aqueducts, dams, and reservoirs, and it operates on a local, state, and federal level. How did we get here? How is the U.S. public water system legislated? And, how is "potable" actually pronounced? We spoke with James Salzman , author of Drinking Water: A History . He is also a professor of environment...
May 29, 2018•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast On today's episode: What exactly is the Freedom of Information Act, better known as FOIA? Can anybody use it to get their hands on... any public documents? What kind of government secrets have come to light as a result of FOIA? We talk shop with Jason Leopold , a senior investigative reporter for Buzzfeed News. Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug? CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOURS! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter...
May 22, 2018•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Space is big - like, insanely, incomprehensibly big - so it's understandable that NASA can seem divorced from the world of cabinet secretaries, White House press briefings, and presidential tweets. Amy Shira Teitel is the host of the YouTube channel Vintage Space and author of Breaking the Chains of Gravity: The Story of Spaceflight Before NASA. In this episode, she explains how despite its lofty aims, NASA is a lot more political than you might think. Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug?...
May 15, 2018•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mara Liasson , National Political Correspondent for NPR, has reported on White House press briefings for 3 administrations. She tells us about the role of the Press Secretary, and how the job has changed from president to president. Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug? CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOURS! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more! To see Civics 101 in book form...
May 11, 2018•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast ICE, or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement , is one of the nation's youngest law enforcement agencies. It's also become one of the most controversial. But what does ICE actually do? Dara Lind , a senior reporter for Vox , walks us through how ICE got its start, some of its responsibilities today, and what we can expect from the agency moving forward. Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug? CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOURS! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, don...
May 08, 2018•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Miranda Summers Lowe, Military Curator at the Smithsonian and active National Guard soldier, tells us the history of the Guard, the process for calling them out, and what sets them apart from other branches of the USAF. Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug? CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOURS! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more! To see Civics 101 in book form, check out A...
May 01, 2018•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast On today's episode: what happens when the incumbent president leaves office and the president-elect enters? How is information shared? What laws or guidelines govern the transition of power? We talked with Max Stier, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service , on the written and unwritten rules of presidential transitions. We also explore our own transition, as hosting duties for Civics 101 transition from Virginia Prescott to Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice. Want our new "Civics...
Apr 24, 2018•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, our second IRL puts it up the flagpole and sees if anyone salutes it. Hannah goes into the history of the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance and how they've changed since their inception. Then Nick talks about four times behavior towards the flag and the pledge were the subject of Supreme Court decisions. Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug? CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOURS! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter...
Mar 06, 2018•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the first in a series called Civics 101 IRL; special episodes where we explore the historic moments connected to our regular podcast topics. Today we're digging into four incredibly important Supreme Court cases - four cases that have shaped how we interpret the meaning of free speech in public schools. Is political protest allowed in class? Is lewd speech covered by the First Amendment? Can school administrators determine what students can and can't say in the school newspaper? Listen i...
Nov 24, 2017•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands are all U.S. territories, but what does that mean? Is there political representation? What is the status of its citizens with regard to the Constitution and U.S. law? And what does the lack of full statehood status allow, or limit? Author Doug Mack leads today's lesson. Click here for a live-captioned, downloadable transcript. Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug? CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOURS...
Jul 25, 2017•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
