Episodes

  • What is the Rule of Law?

    What is the Rule of Law?
    Apr 22 2025

    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 Justice Patricia Alverez and Justice Gustavo A. Gelpí.

    • 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 User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.
    • Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it!
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    31 mins
  • Efficiency v. Democracy

    Efficiency v. Democracy
    Apr 15 2025

    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 College, we decided to focus exclusively on Elon Musk and his relationship with Donald Trump.

    What is DOGE, the "Department of Governmental Efficiency?" And while we're at it, what is efficiency anyways? Has DOGE saved Americans any money? What information of ours are they trying to access? And is there any chance they've already succeeded?

    • 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 User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.
    • Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it!
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    33 mins
  • Why do we have the National Weather Service?

    Why do we have the National Weather Service?
    Apr 10 2025

    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 predictive methods and almanacs to the National Weather Service's modern-day practices of collecting, analyzing, and sharing a staggering amount of data. First we talked with Kris Harper, a professor of history and philosophy at the University of Copenhagen, and then with Felicia Bowser, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida.

    • 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 User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.
    • Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it!
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    32 mins
  • Who decides what politicians should say?

    Who decides what politicians should say?
    Apr 8 2025

    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 candidate should say and do, and in one particular instance, what they should NOT say and do.

    How do they do it? How effective are they? What actually moves the needle in a campaign? Talking to us today are two campaign experts; David Karpf from the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, and Rasheida Smith, political consultant at Dunton Consulting.

    • 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 User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.
    • Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it!
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    29 mins
  • April Fools: Politicians, the press, and more

    April Fools: Politicians, the press, and more
    Apr 1 2025

    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 Fools knowledge with some surprising trivia, and a whole lot more!

    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 User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.
    • Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it!
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    41 mins
  • The Politics Behind Your Taxes

    The Politics Behind Your Taxes
    Mar 25 2025
    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 deeply political - which is why it's important for everyday taxpayers to understand how the people they elected choose to spend the money voters give out of their paychecks every year. We talk with tax policy expert Beverly Moran, a Paulus fellow at Boston College Law School and professor emerita at Vanderbilt, about how budget reconciliation works: where Congress decides where it will cut taxes, and how it will make up for those cuts. We also talk about how those decisionsaffect the vast majority of taxpayers, who earn most of their wealth from salary or wages... and how it looks different for the wealthiest Americans. Find Beverly's research on the impact of the 2017 TCJA here. Listen to our episodes on the history of the income tax in the United States, and how the tax return process works. We used a number of sources in this episode. Here are some, in order of appearance: How much revenue has the US government collected this year? from the US Treasury Department. Reconciliation explainer from the Congressional Budget Office.Budget Reconciliation: Tracking the 2025 Trump Tax Cuts from the Tax Foundation. What are itemized deductions and who claims them? from the Tax Policy Center. How did the TCJA change taxes of families with children? from the Tax Policy Center. The 2017 Tax Law Was Skewed to the Rich, Expensive, and Failed to Deliver on Its Promises from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Lifting the SALT Cap: Estimated Budgetary Effects, 2024 and Beyond from Penn Wharton Budget Model at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. Differences between the traditional CPI and Chained CPI from the Congressional Budget Office. Republicans say Medicaid cuts won't happen. But does their budget work without them? from NPR. Republicans want to lower taxes. The hard part is choosing what to cut. from the New York Times. 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 User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it!
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    55 mins
  • How does the Post Office work?

    How does the Post Office work?
    Mar 18 2025

    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 when an agency this essential is in trouble? Our guests for this episode are Allison Marsh, history professor at the University of South Carolina and Kevin Kosar, a Vice President at R Street.

    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 User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.
    • Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it!
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    22 mins
  • The Kids are Alright: Civics Ed Update

    The Kids are Alright: Civics Ed Update
    Mar 11 2025

    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. Today we're getting an update on civics education with Emma Humphries from iCivics, hearing some student audio submissions from our friends at the Youth Media Challenge, and getting advice on how students can make change with Cheryl Cook-Kallio.

    Click here to livestream the National Forum for Civics Learning Week.

    Click here to listen to our episodes on civics education in the US.

    Click here to read the full State of Young People report published by America's Promise Alliance.

    And finally, click here to check out the work students are producing (and submit your own!) for KQED's Youth Media Challenge.

    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 User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.
    • Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it!
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    28 mins
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