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Civics 101

NHPR

Civics 101

A weekly Government, History and Society podcast featuring Nick Capodice and Hannah McCarthy
 7 people rated this podcast
Civics 101

NHPR

Civics 101

Episodes
Civics 101

NHPR

Civics 101

A weekly Government, History and Society podcast featuring Nick Capodice and Hannah McCarthy
 7 people rated this podcast
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Episodes of Civics 101

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Today we're talking RNC and DNC. The committees, not the conventions. What do they do? Who decides who chairs them? And what does it mean to a national committee when someone can post a message on social media that has more impact than thousand
Most Americans need help to file our tax return each year - about 90% of people use technology like Turbo Tax, or hire a human tax preparer.  Why does it feel like it takes degree in accounting, or the money to pay someone with a degree, or com
We revisit our explainers on why our tax system is the way it is, and how to comply with it, just in time for tax day.   We haven't always had a federal income tax, and in the beginning, it only applied to the very richest Americans. So how did
Forget the rhetoric and hysterical political ads! Host Hannah McCarthy did the research, and she runs down all of the *actual* campaign promises being made by President Joe Biden and Donald Trump as they both make a second run for the White Hou
Lochner v New York, a 1905 Supreme Court case about working hours and contracts, is considered anti-canon. Right up there with Dred Scott, Plessy and Korematsu. The question is, how did it get there? Why do people think it's so bad? And what do
TikTok - an app with around 170 Million American users - is under intense scrutiny by the U.S. government, including a bill passed by the House of Representatives which issues a threat: "sell or be banned." But how and why can the government do
When the Supreme Court says something is or isn't constitutional, what does that really mean? What are the effects, or lack thereof, of their decisions? And what do we do if we don't agree with what they say?Today Linda Monk, author of The Bill
The process is pretty straightforward. Plenty of people want to make some change. And yet? We've only done it 27 times. So what does it take to amend the U.S. Constitution and why does it barely ever happen?Robinson Woodward Burns, Associate Pr
Listen to our full, two-part series from 2023 on the history of civics education, and the current legal and ideological debates around social studies happening in across the country today.  Walking us through the past, present, and future of so
When the cats are away...well...you know. In this special episode, Executive Producer Rebecca Lavoie and Senior Producer Christina Phillips follow up on some recent discussions sparked by our newsletter Extra Credit. How do you have a legitimat
The president has the power to release someone from prison, restore their voting rights, or stop a federal criminal investigation with little more than the wave of a hand. How did the president get this power, and are there any limitations? Wha
Machine learning is being used in police precincts, schools, courts and elsewhere across the country to help us make decisions. Using data about us, algorithms can do almost instantly what it would take human beings both time and money to do.  
Federalist 10 was one of the Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 essays that were published in New York to encourage ratification of the newly drafted Constitution. This essay is taught in classrooms across the country and often referred to a
Primaries, caucuses, conventions, court cases -- oh, it's a lot. Hannah and Nick have the most important dates and some crucial context for your calendar this election year. Buckle up, 2024 is already underway.Check out our recommended listenin
Government salaries vary an awful lot; from $100 a year to $11.5 million. So who makes what? Today we divide the issue of taxpayer-funded salaries in two. How much officials make, and then how much they really make. Why do so many politicians m
In this double feature of two of our favorite episodes we cover misinformation, disinformation and propaganda -- three tricky truth-benders that come at you from every angle in American life. Our guides include Samantha Lai of the Brookings Ins
Expulsion from Congress is extremely rare. Nevertheless, NY Congressman George Santos was expelled on December 1, 2023. So how did that happen?Today on Civics 101 we are guided by Carlos Algara, who lays out the history of expulsion in both cha
Between the corporate interests, the politics, the infrastructure and the shaming, what can the grown ups in the room actually do to make the school cafeteria a safer, healthier place where kids want to be? Ross Wilson of the Shah Foundation, J
Federal and state dollars pay for so much of what goes into the American public school education of our kids, but it isn't so straight forward when it comes to keeping them fed on school grounds. What movements and laws lead to American school
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 tresp
How does something go from an annual tradition to a mandated day off? Who decides to make a holiday official?  Our guides to the holiday season are Jeff Bensch, author of History of American Holidays, and JerriAnne Boggis, Executive Director of
 Term limits for legislators, both in Congress and at the state level, are extremely popular among voters, and have been, since their heyday in the 1990s. And while we don't currently have term limits on members of Congress, they do exist in 16
America's first congress debated it in the 1790s, and it's been debated about ever since. Who should step into the president's shoes if the offices of President and Vice President are simultaneously vacant? Today we talk about the many differen
The Supreme Court chooses what it wants to offer opinions on, and those opinions redefine the way law works in this nation, trickling down to your world works for you. So what did they pick this time around? This is our watchlist for the most s
In light of the recent kerfuffle regarding the many elections for a new Speaker of the House, we decided it was time to break down the powers and history of the second-most powerful job in DC. Dan Cassino of Farleigh Dickinson University tells
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