Show overview
Civics 101 has been publishing since 2017, and across the 9 years since has built a catalogue of 361 episodes, alongside 5 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 200 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 26 min and 38 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. It is catalogued as a EN-language Government show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 days ago, with 21 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2024, with 63 episodes published. Published by NHPR.
From the publisher
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.
Latest Episodes
View all 361 episodesWhy Teachers Are Having a Tough Time
What did the world really think about the Declaration of Independence?
Ask a Judge: What is Pro Se?
What's the Strait of Hormuz? And how do blockades work?
How did federal income taxes get this way?
What is the 25th Amendment?
The Raw Milk Question
Can American elections be "nationalized"? What does that mean?
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 over." Is that allowed? What would that mean? And why is this happening now? We talk with Sarah Cooper from the Carter Center to understand who is in charge and whether anyone else can take charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why are we paying more for gas right now?
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. Today, we talk about how a president can make gasoline more expensive, by waging conflict in the middle east. Our guest is Robert Rapier, chemical engineer, investment writer, and energy sector expert. He came back on the show to tell us about the logistics of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, and whether there are any ways out of this. Click here for our other episode on the price of gas, and read Robert's article here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Someone oughta open up a window
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 based on the true events that launched a nation. Our nation. Also, Nick and Hannah get real using Dido as inspiration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Civic Role of Religious Leaders
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 protestors and assert their beliefs, we talk to four religious leaders about how and why they take action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Are you really mad? What can you do about that?
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 about something. By way of example, Nick reveals his pettiest, most apolitical gripe; and methods he would hypothetically use to address it. We talk lobbying, contacting your electeds, and getting (possibly famous) people together to advocate for change. This episode features Emily Gallagher, serving District 50 in the New York State Assembly, and Eric Schwartz, of the National Film Preservation Foundation. Here is Eric's piece on the National Film Preservation Act of 1988. Here is our episode on Who REALLY Writes Bills. Here is a video of Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie complaining about the soap opera effect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What does "detention" mean?
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 answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why did the FBI keep tabs on high school students?
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When did immigrants become "illegal?"
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 immigration might surprise you. Today, walking us through the myriad qualitative and quantitative systems surrounding immigration policy is Muzaffar Chishti, Senior Fellow and Director of the Migration Policy Institute. Here are some links to our episodes on: The Chinese Exclusion Act, ICE, and Becoming a US Citizen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What is ICE's job?
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 more information on the data referenced in this episode, you can check out this Politico fact check of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's statements about ICE, this CATO Institute analysis, this CBS report, and this TRAC report and this Deportation Data Project release. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Safe to Drink
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 have a clear answer. Nobody seems to know much about this so-called forever chemical, which is weird because… this has all happened before. From the Document team at New Hampshire Public Radio, "Safe to Drink" is a four-part series about the water contamination story that keeps repeating in town after town — and about the people who fought for answers through a maze of chemistry, regulations, and illnesses. Listen to all the episodes right here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What happens when it's not NASA bringing civilians to space?
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 astronauts, NASA scrapped its Teacher in Space Project; it was still too risky to send private citizens to space. 40 years later, things are looking very different. Today, celebrities and billionaires are buying trips on commercial rockets. Private companies are designing new, private space stations. How is safety being regulated for these private space companies? And what happens if – or when – something goes wrong? Featuring Kim Bleier, Ben Miller, Doug Ligor, Peggy Whitson, and Dana Tulodziecki. Produced by Daniel Ackerman. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What is the Monroe Doctrine?
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 hemisphere. And notably, it is having a renaissance in the Trump presidency. So what IS the Monroe Doctrine? How has it been interpreted in various presidencies? And, most importantly, is it legal under international law? Civics 101 regular Dan Cassino takes us from Monroe to Maduro. Click here to listen to our episode on the history of Venezuela leading up to America's invasion in 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How does asylum work? And what has changed?
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 projected the image of a democratic refuge. We talk about what it actually takes to secure refugee or asylum status in the U.S. and how that gargantuan task has been made so much more difficult, if not impossible for some, under the second Trump Administration. This episode features Dr. Georgie Pisano. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices