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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Sep 29, 2026 · 28:10
Our final "Back to School" episode is a nod to how we started in the first place. Our show was created to be "Schoolhouse Rock for adults," and no mention of Schoolhouse Rock is…
Sep 22, 2026 · 27:56
A tug of war, a balancing act, two dancers dragging each other across the floor. This is the perpetual ebb and flow of power between the states and the federal government. How…
Sep 15, 2026 · 29:40
Americans often take issue with our two-party system. So what other options are out there? Today, with the help of political scientists Guillermo Rosas and Robin Best, we explore…
Sep 8, 2026 · 47:58
In which we take an historical look at the interplay between marriage and democracy, and Hannah and Nick reveal a Civics 101 secret years in the making. INCOGNI DEAL: They can't…
Sep 1, 2026 · 31:16
Not really. But we send one of our own out in style by asking (and answering) some very tough questions. Including one you might recognize. INCOGNI DEAL: They can't harm you, if…
Aug 25, 2026 · 37:59
Article II, which lays out the powers, duties, and limits on presidential powers, is one of the most debated and reinterpreted parts of the Constitution. So what does it say?…
Aug 19, 2026 · 36:03
The Supreme Court wrapped it's 2025-2026 term and headed off on summer recess, so we're running through the biggest decisions from the bench. What did the court have to say about…
Aug 11, 2026 · 33:30
With the midterms coming up, these words are being uttered more and more each day. So what does it really mean when we call someone a socialist, communist, or fascist? Where did…
Aug 5, 2026 · 48:38
Maybe you’ve read the Constitution a ton of times. Maybe you’ve never read it. Maybe you even have one somewhere in your home! But, even for us civics lovers, there are times we…
Jul 28, 2026 · 43:18
Conspiracy theories are not new in the United States, but over the years they have taken on a life and power of their own. How did conspiracy theories become so entrenched in the…
Jul 21, 2026 · 32:19
What did Jefferson mean when he wrote about a "wall of separation" between the church and the state? How have we interpreted the pair of clauses in the 1st Amendment regarding…
Jul 14, 2026 · 55:14
Pulitzer-prize winning historian and author Jill Lepore has spent her career uncovering the stories we often do not tell, particularly about American history and democracy. In…
Jul 7, 2026 · 23:38
This is part two of our story about the original story of America we don't talk about...and how it ties to where we are today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
Jul 3, 2026 · 30:30
This episode is being recorded just a couple of days before the 4th of July, and as so many are calling it, America's 250th birthday. And we here at Civics 101 have spent a lot…
Jun 30, 2026 · 28:09
Today in our continued exploration of why the US is the way it is, we get to Article I. Why did the framers design Congress the way they did? Why did the small states come out so…
Jun 23, 2026 · 28:42
In recent years, flag restriction rules, policies and laws have been cropping up across the country. Whether the government is telling you what you can fly or what you cannot,…
Jun 16, 2026 · 46:51
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…
Jun 9, 2026 · 28:00
Today we complete our trio of episodes in collaboration with iCivics, where we explore why people of myriad groups are having a tough time, civics-wise. In this episode, we tell…
Jun 2, 2026 · 28:17
Whether you fly it, wear it or want nothing to do with it, the American flag says a lot in and about the United States. Red, white and blue is far from exclusive to our nation…
May 26, 2026 · 27:48
Today we share our second installment on why things are tough in the civics world. Specifically, we talk about how students are doing in civics classrooms and on national…
May 19, 2026 · 43:41
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,…
May 12, 2026 · 28:30
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…
May 5, 2026 · 32:11
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…
Apr 28, 2026 · 24:50
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…
Apr 21, 2026 · 23:50
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…
Apr 14, 2026 · 39:32
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,…
Apr 9, 2026 · 29:16
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…
Apr 7, 2026 · 36:56
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…
Mar 31, 2026 · 34:28
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…
Mar 24, 2026 · 22:06
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.…
Mar 17, 2026 · 30:11
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…
Mar 11, 2026 · 30:34
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…
Mar 3, 2026 · 48:21
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…
Feb 24, 2026 · 35:55
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…
Feb 17, 2026 · 38:03
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.…
Feb 10, 2026 · 31:28
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…
Feb 3, 2026 · 38:23
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…
Jan 30, 2026 · 33:47
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…
Jan 27, 2026 · 32:39
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…
Jan 20, 2026 · 27:36
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…
Jan 13, 2026 · 42:24
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…
Jan 6, 2026 · 21:43
Sometimes, we just have to make a "101" episode of Civics 101. That is the case this week, in the wake of the arrest of Venezuela's sitting president by the United States. So,…
Dec 30, 2025 · 56:44
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…
Dec 23, 2025 · 26:41
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…
Dec 16, 2025 · 31:06
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…
Dec 9, 2025 · 35:13
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…
Dec 2, 2025 · 38:00
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…
Nov 25, 2025 · 27:07
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…
Nov 18, 2025 · 46:47
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…
Nov 11, 2025 · 27:55
In sixty years, we have gone from 2 billionaires in the United States to just under 2,000. How on earth did that happen? Today, Timothy Noah from the New Republic takes us all…
Nov 3, 2025 · 31:19
Off-year elections -- as in, not a presidential or a midterm -- have fairly dismal voter turnout. Yet they matter a great deal. Most of our lives are lived at the local, not the…
Oct 28, 2025 · 31:14
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has published a Mandate for Leadership since 1981, making policy recommendations to the federal government. The latest edition…
Oct 21, 2025 · 36:39
This episode is a crossover with our sister NHPR podcast, Outside/In. What do pastries have to do with environmental justice? Cat butts with the climate crisis? And what US…
Oct 16, 2025 · 27:37
In this episode, we give a brief explanation of what's behind the current government shutdown. The, we explain all the ins and outs of government shutdowns. Have they always been…
Oct 14, 2025 · 56:55
Today we’re bringing you an episode of What Could Go Right from our friends at The Progress Network. Each Wednesday on What Could Go Right, hosts Zachary Karabell and Emma…
Oct 7, 2025 · 24:31
Did you know cartoonists were on Nixon's enemies list? Or that LBJ prevented a cartoonist from getting a medal when he made a cartoon against the Vietnam War? Today we talk about…
Sep 30, 2025 · 31:49
Click here to listen to part one of our airing of the grievances if you haven't yet! Today we tackle charges 13-27 against the King, as well as comparisons that have been made…
Sep 23, 2025 · 35:22
The American public has long been on the lookout for unsteadiness in the leader of the free world. It's important to us (or, historically, has been) that the president seems,…
Sep 16, 2025 · 28:07
"He" has done bad things. Twenty seven of them. And these things were so bad that the colonists used them to demonstrate that they had no choice but to become an independent…
Sep 9, 2025 · 44:52
Congress appropriates funds, the executive branch ensures those funds are spent and spent wisely. That is how it works. It is not, however, how it is working right now. The Trump…
Sep 2, 2025 · 54:45
It's another edition of Civics 101 Trivia! This time, it's also the swan song for one of our own. Senior Producer Christina Phillips, our mastermind of minutiae and all things…
Aug 26, 2025 · 31:59
In 2015, the Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land. However, for the first time in over five years, Kim Davis (an opponent of same-sex marriage) petitioned for…
Aug 26, 2025 · 35:43
This is the decision that said the fundamental right to marry is protected under the 14th Amendment. How did it come about? What was the status of marriage before June of 2015?…
Aug 19, 2025 · 29:35
Our Constitution provides for its own changes -- the framers knew that, while they worked hard, the law of the land was neither perfect nor should it be entirely immutable. So…
Aug 15, 2025 · 35:01
On Monday, August 11th, Trump announced a takeover of Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan police. He also deployed National Guard troops and federal agents to the streets, all in the…
Aug 12, 2025 · 35:46
It’s a weird time to be an environmental scientist. The proposed cuts to federal science funding in the United States are profound, and if they come to pass, it’s not clear what…
Aug 5, 2025 · 59:57
When Mr. Smith Goes to Washington came out in 1939, it infuriated politicians, the press, and fascist nations. At the same time, it delighted audiences and informed them on the…
Jul 29, 2025 · 27:39
"The shadow docket," refers to orders from the Supreme Court that are (often) unsigned, inscrutable, and handed down in the middle of the night. Professor Stephen Vladeck takes…
Jul 22, 2025 · 40:09
Is there a way President Trump (or any president) can serve a third (or fourth) term in office? Maybe there is. Most people assume the 22nd Amendment limits a president to two…
Jul 15, 2025 · 40:53
As subjects of the British king, the very idea of criticizing monarchy -- or King George III himself -- was a dangerous one. So how did we become a country where "no kings" is a…
Jul 14, 2025 · 31:49
Today on Civics 101, we answer listener questions about tariffs. And then, we look at how they've affected one American Industry. It's not a game, but these companies do make…
Jul 11, 2025 · 54:45
The team delves into some of the many civics lessons the public got while watching Karen Read’s retrial, which ended with her acquittal on all major charges in June. Topics…
Jul 4, 2025 · 54:45
Is there a civics lesson in the 1996 film Independence Day? We think so. Join the Civics 101 team for a conversation about the film, its politics, and what it says about the…
Jun 30, 2025 · 29:53
The Senate Parliamentarian is many things. A nonpartisan referee, an appointed official, and at some times one of the most powerful people in our government. This week, Senate…
Jun 24, 2025 · 30:20
We know why we feel the way we do about certain political issues, don't we? Don't we?? It turns out that politicians, political strategists, and the media are working every day…
Jun 17, 2025 · 54:45
The Civics 101 team delves into the 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate, a political satire and thriller that is more than relevant in today’s political climate. Note: this…
Jun 10, 2025 · 35:20
Now that we have explored what the Alien Enemies Act is, we dive in to how it's being used to shape deportation policy under President Donald Trump. Note: We recommend listening…
Jun 3, 2025 · 22:13
The Alien Enemies Act is a war power granted to the president that has only been used four times in US history since its creation in 1798. It allows the president to order the…
May 27, 2025 · 25:22
In March, President Trump signed an executive order that promises to preserve and protect the integrity of American elections. The data shows the integrity of our election system…
May 20, 2025 · 30:04
The SAVE Act passed the House in April, 2025. As it awaits consideration in Congress, we spoke with Jason Carter from the Carter Center. Yes, like that Carter. Jason is asking…
May 13, 2025 · 30:43
Checks and balances are at the absolute core of our governmental workings. The framers designed a system that was directly opposed to one person or one group of people having all…
May 6, 2025 · 52:35
Public media funding makes up less than 0.001% of the federal budget, and calls to defund it have existed essentially since the creation of the CBP in 1967. However, the history…
Apr 29, 2025 · 31:35
Generations of Americans were not taught how to live in a democracy. That, ultimately, is what civic education is about. So what happens when we lose that knowledge? Where are we…
Apr 22, 2025 · 34:04
What is the rule of law? It's certainly not the same as the rule of men. This episode was recorded live at the John J. Moakley Courthouse in Boston. It features the voices of…
Apr 15, 2025 · 37:30
Today we were going to explore how "big tech" has woven itself into the fabric of the Trump administration. But after a conversation with Allison Stanger, professor at Middlebury…
Apr 10, 2025 · 35:44
Most Americans can look down at their phone and see a prediction of the future. How is that even possible? Well, we'll tell you. Today it's all about the weather; from early…
Apr 8, 2025 · 31:56
Today we explore the nebulous world of political consultants. These are the people who run political campaigns. They use a mixture of science and gut-feeling to determine what a…
Apr 1, 2025 · 44:55
Pranks are a staple of April Fools' Day - even when it comes to politics and the press. On this special edition of Civics 101, Senior Producer Christina Phillips tests our April…
Mar 25, 2025 · 59:34
Taxes on wages make up the bulk of federal revenue every year. Where does that money go, and who decides how much you should pay? The process is extremely complicated - and…
Mar 18, 2025 · 25:35
It’s the government on your doorstep — the only Executive Branch agency that visits every home in the country on a regular basis. So how does the USPS do it? And what happens…
Mar 11, 2025 · 31:06
Two years ago today, we attended Civic Learning Week and produced an episode on the state of civics education in the US. We heard some good things and some frustrating things.…
Mar 4, 2025 · 26:42
Meet your president's Cabinet! Who was appointed, by what margin, and a look at the backgrounds of the people filling these critical roles. In other words, who is running our…
Mar 4, 2025 · 29:51
Meet your president's Cabinet. Who was appointed, by what margin, and a look at the backgrounds of the people filling these critical roles. In other words, who is running our…
Feb 27, 2025 · 42:52
Ariel Lawhon discusses the real-life early American midwife at the center of her novel The Frozen River. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the…
Feb 25, 2025 · 26:16
When it comes to the protection of a free and fair press, there is one landmark Supreme Court case that sits at the top, and it is New York Times Company v Sullivan (1964). This…
Feb 18, 2025 · 54:45
Have you ever wondered with the White House counsel does? Who it is? Whether that person is the president’s personal lawyer…or something else? And what about the Justice…
Feb 11, 2025 · 52:43
It's a term thrown around quite a bit lately, but what does it actually mean? This is an episode about the basics of the Law of the Land, the three branches of government and…
Feb 4, 2025 · 27:42
Every president (with the exception of William Henry Harrison) has issued executive orders. Most recently, Donald Trump issued several on his first day in office. Some have been…
Jan 29, 2025 · 33:37
Ever since fluoridation became widespread in the 1950s, cavities in kids have fallen drastically. The effort is considered one of the ten greatest public health achievements of…
Jan 28, 2025 · 29:38
During his campaign, now-President Trump promised a lot of action (much of it to happen on day one). So what did he actually do once he regained the office? A LOT. This is the…
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