Why does the U.S. have an Electoral College? How do congressional investigations work? What does the minority whip actually do? Civics 101 is the podcast refresher course on the basics of how our democracy works.
16 Min
May 29, 2018
If you want to get your hands on government documents, there's a law for that.
15 Min
May 22, 2018
Highways, bridges, culverts, and more... Who pays for infrastructure, and who benefits?
High School students and classes apply to host and co-produce a full Civics 101 episode
It protects against searches and seizures... but only those that are unreasonable.
The history of the American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. Also, four Supreme Court cases about the flag and free speech.
The Constitution doesn't explicitly guarantee the right to vote. So, who gets to vote and how did it get that way?
The source of due process, equal protection, and citizenship, all in one place.
A look into the history and effects of the first of the reconstruction amendments
A closer look at the internal watchdogs that oversee various government agencies.
A principle called Duverger's law explains why two major political parties dominate American politics.
Earthquakes, hurricanes and nuclear war... how well is FEMA prepared to handle out nation's disasters?
Learn about the past, present, and future of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
A look into the background of one of the nation's oldest and most formative institutions
From Tinker to Frederick : Four Supreme Court cases on free speech in public schools.
What does it mean to be a sovereign nation operating within the continental United States?
One of the most divisive issues in American politics: the right to keep and bear arms.
Beyond the suits, sunglasses and ear pieces, what does the Secret Service really do?
We investigate one of the President's most important roles: as head of our armed forces.
A broader look at the often referenced First Amendment of the Constitution - and a deeper dive into what it means to have freedom of speech.
'Treason' is a word that gets used a lot in political circles - but what does it actually mean?
The formal and informal rules that govern who is allowed, and not allowed, to run for the President of the United States of America.
What is a U,S. territory? What is the status of its citizens with regard to the Constitution and U.S. law?
“Obstruction of Justice” has been a term swirling around in the headlines lately, but what does the charge actually mean? And how do you prove it?
Where we discover what a lobbyist actually does all day - besides hand over checks.
A primer on what happens if a president dies, resigns, or is no longer able to carry out his duties.
Presidential job approval. It seems we get a weekly report from news organizations on how citizen’s think the President is doing, so we're digging into how it gets calculated and how much that number really matters with Dan Cassino, Associate Professor...
With more than 500 members of Congress, parties have to coordinate members and keep them on the same page. Enter: party whips. But what do they actually do? Several of you asked us to find out. We asked Larry Evans, the Newton Family Professor of Gover...
In this episode we untangle two terms that are closely related, but not the same: Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances. The framers envisioned a government structure that would consist of three separate branches, each with their own power, in o...
War, what is it good for? For a country that’s spent a significant amount of its history engaged in conflict, the United States has only officially declared war 11 times – most recently in WWII. So what about all the other conflicts we’ve entered into ...
We've received a LOT of questions about how the budget process works and honestly, we had a lot of our own! It should come as no surprise that the budget process of the United States government is complex and difficult to explain in less than 15 minute...
Even if you slept through most of your Government classes in High School, there's a good chance you have a vague recollection of how a bill becomes a law thanks to Schoolhouse Rock! The series designed to teach kids about grammar, science, math, civics...
The National Debt and The Deficit: two terms that are often used interchangeably, but take on different meanings when it comes to the government. Louise Sheiner is a Policy Director for The Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings...
We do our best to answer your questions about how American democracy works, but many of you have also told us you like to get the insider's view from people who work, or have worked in government. We asked Sarada Peri, former senior presidential speech...
