Civics 101

You voted for president. So what happens to your ballot next? This episode covers EVERYTHING that happens to ensure your vote is verified, all the way up to the official counting of electoral votes in Congress. Our guests are journalist Jessica Huseman and Notre Dame law professor Derek Muller. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to 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.

A story about a former Capitol Police officer who's life has been shaped by the events of January 6th. Emilia's Thing was produced by the Document team at NHPR. Click here for more. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to 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.

The United States spends more than any other country on healthcare. And, unfortunately, that's just about the only place we come in first. Today we learn about the creation and maintenance of our unique public/private system with Sue Tolleson-Rinehart, Professor Emeritus at UNC, and Amélie Quesnel-Vallée, Canada Research Chair in Policies and Health Inequalities at McGill University. They break down how our system measures up to other wealthy nations; in cost to its citizens, efficacy, taxation, reproductive rights, and so much more. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to 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.

The Smithsonian is the world's largest research institution, but much of it is out of public sight. And one particular kind of collection is part of a growing debate over where ethical lines and scientific discovery should be drawn. This week, we present the first part of a special series from our colleagues at Outside/In. You can listen to the rest of the series here, or get Outside/In wherever listen to podcasts. You can support our journalism by making a donation to our show! Thanks so much. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

Corruption in politics is a trope that's been around ever since we had politics. And it can feel inevitable. Regardless of anticorruption legislation and executive orders, it seems like it will never go away. David Sirota, editor in chief of The Lever and host of the podcast Master Plan, argues the opposite. Today on Civics 101 we learn about what corruption is, how it influences (or doesn't influence) policy, and what needs to be done to eradicate it from our political system. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

Whenever there's a big strike in the news, someone inevitably invokes the phrase "Taft-Hartely Act" when talking about whether or not the president should intervene. But what is Taft-Hartley? How did it come about? And what can it actually do? Nick chats with Erik Loomis, a professor at the University of Rhode Island and expert on all things labor-related. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

Why don't people "civically engage?" Because they're too busy! Politicians are busy! Or maybe...they don't care? In this special episode of Civics 101 recorded in front of a live audience, we hear from experts who break down what it means to participate in our democracy, how to break down barriers to participation, and how to be who you already are and make a VERY big difference. This episode was recorded at NHPR's Civics 101 Summit at Southern New Hampshire University. Learn more about that event right here. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

What does it mean if a SCOTUS justice is a self-proclaimed "originalist?" When was the word first used in that context? And what are we missing about the framers when we look only upon the recent interpretation of their words in the court? Today our guide is Mackenzie Joy Brennan; lawyer, media commentator, and author of the upcoming book The Original ‘Original Intent,’ Recovering the Lost Constitution of the Founders. Click here for more of Mackenzie's research on originalism, including Terry Brennan's essay in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Click here for our episode on the Second Amendment. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

SEE CIVICS 101 LIVE AT NHPR's CIVICS 101 SUMMIT ON SATURDAY, SEPT. 28th. CLICK HERE FOR INFO AND TICKETS! THE EVENT IS FREE FOR EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS! For more than two hundred years Americans have tried to tame the Mississippi River. And, for that entire time, the river has fought back. This week we present an episode of our sister podcast Outside/In. Journalist and author Boyce Upholt has spent dozens of nights camping along the Lower Mississippi and knows the river for what it is: both a water-moving machine and a supremely wild place. His recent book, “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River” tells the story of how engineers have made the Mississippi into one of the most engineered waterways in the world, and in turn have transformed it into a bit of a cyborg — half mechanical, half natural. In this episode, host Nate Hegyi and Upholt take us from the flood ravaged town of Greenville, Mississippi, to the small office of a group of army engineers, in a tale of faulty science, big egos and a river that will ultimately do what it wants. Featuring Boyce Upholt CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

Today, we bring you a special bonus - a SMACKDOWN episode of NPR's It's Been a Minute featuring our own hosts Nick and Hannah! IBAM host Brittany Luse has been taking this smackdown on the road to cities all across the country. Hear the other debates on the It's Been a Minute podcast. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

Today we discuss what a president is, what a president does, and what a president "should be." To quote Professor Amar, it can be hard to find someone to fill those shoes because they were designed for Washington's feet. Our guests are Akhil Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, and Andy Lipka, president of EverScholar. Akhil and Andy co-host Amarica's Constitution, a podcast that explores the constitutional issues of our day. It is a perfect companion show to Civics 101, and one we endorse wholeheartedly. Here is where you can listen to our episode on the Executive Branch, here is a link to our episode on the Presidential Veto, and here is where you can learn about the President and the Price of Gas. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

For most of our nation's history, the voting age was 21. So how'd we get it down to 18? In one sense, it was the fastest ratified amendment in history. In another, it took three decades. Our guide to the hard-won fight for youth enfranchisement is Jennifer Frost, author of "Let Us Vote!" Youth Voting Rights and the 26th Amendment. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

Why do very different political candidates say the same things over and over? Things like "middle class," "coastal elites" and "middle America?" What do those things even mean? That's what this episode is all about. Also...some civics and history trivia that's VERY much on-topic. Sort of. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

The Chevron Doctrine, or Chevron Deference, was an established judicial principle. When the law was ambiguous, the courts would let the agency experts interpret it. After a Supreme Court case called Loper Bright v Raimondo, that is no longer the case. So what does that mean? What exactly has gone away? What happens next? Our guides to the wonkiest of the wonk are Robin Kundis Craig and Mustafa Santiago Ali. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

Nick and Hannah both love board games. There I said it. So what are they doing in a Civics 101 episode? Well, from Student Council and Model UN to CIA intelligence acquisition scenarios, there is a fine line between games and simulation. We learn more about things when we pretend to do them. Today we talk to three designers about their civic-centric games; Tory Brown of Fort Circle Games discusses Votes for Women, Cole Wehrle of Wehrlegig Games breaks down John Company, and Non-Breaking Space explains Cross Bronx Expressway, an upcoming game from GMT. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

Choosing to blow the whistle on the U.S. government is a big deal. It's a huge risk and, despite legal protections, can result in major negative repercussions. So why do people do it? What happens to them when they do? What protections do they have, and do those protections work? Our guides to the process are Kathleen McClella, Deputy Director at WHISPeR, Danielle Brian, Executive Director and President of the Project on Government Oversight and Chris Appy, Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

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 different Presidential Acts of Succession that we've had in the US, as well as designated survivors, the "football," and the recurring question of the constitutionality of such acts. Click here to listen to our episode on the Executive Branch, should you want to learn the mnemonic "See That Dog Jump In A Circle, Leave Her House To Entertain Educated Veteran's Homes." CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

The Olympics are a global event. They take years of planning, negotiation and convincing -- not to mention billions of dollars -- to stage. This is how the games are used by the United States and others around the world. This is what it takes to host, what the games do for a nation and what it means when you refuse to attend. Welcome to the Olympics. Our guests for this episode are Jules Boykoff, professor of government and politics at Pacific University and author of several books on the politics of the Olympics, and Nancy Qian, Professor of Managerial Economics & Decision Sciences at Northwestern University. Want more Olympics coverage from NHPR? Check out our sister podcast Outside/In's episode "Hot Olympic Summer: Is Paris Greenwashing the Games?". CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

You have questions about the future of the democratic ticket, and Civics 101's favorite explainer, Dan Cassino, has the answers. What happens to Biden's fundraising money? What will the delegates at the DNC do? Will there be any legal challenges? And finally, what does it mean for a party when they nominate a candidate different than the one that won the primary? CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

You may have been surprised (or maybe not) when judge Aileen Cannon abruptly dismissed the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump. We dig into how and why that happened. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!