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PODCAST

Civics 101

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.

government

All Episodes

00:37:38

How to file your taxes

Civics 101 ·

2024/04/09

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 computer software, just to comply with the law? 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 talk about everything that goes into filing taxes, how some people game the system, why it's

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00:35:50

Why do we pay income taxes, again?

Civics 101 ·

2024/04/09

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 we end up with the permanent income tax we have today, with all its complicated rules about everything from pre-tax income to deductions and credits? And what does it actually pay for? CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our

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00:44:45

Promises, Promises: What Biden and Trump are saying...

Civics 101 ·

2024/04/02

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 House. The economy. Healthcare. Gun violence. Policing. Education. And...firing lots of people. In this edition of Civics 101, find out what the two presumptive nominees for President of the United States are telling voters they will do if elected. CLICK

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00:40:07

How did Lochner v New York end up on the naughty list?

Civics 101 ·

2024/03/26

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 does this decision, and the era that followed, say about politics and the Supreme Court?Our guides to this case and what came after are Rebecca Brown, Rader Family Trustee Chair in Law at USC Gould School of Law and Matthew Lindsay, Associate Professor of Law at

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00:20:14

How Can The Government Ban TikTok?

Civics 101 ·

2024/03/18

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 that? What does this kind of business restriction look like? We talked to Steven Balla of George Washington University to get the low down on regulations and bans in the United States. TLDR: This episode goes beyond the current legislation, but it's updated

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00:24:20

Can the Supreme Court save us from ourselves?

Civics 101 ·

2024/03/12

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 of Rights: A User's Guide, walks us through four times in US History that the Supreme Court was not the be-all-end-all decision maker.Here are some links to shows we reference in the episode:Dred Scott v SandfordBrown vs. Board of Education of TopekaCLICK

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00:18:25

Amending the Constitution

Civics 101 ·

2024/03/05

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 Professor of Political Science at Howard University, is our guide.Want more Civics 101? Sign up for our newsletter and enjoy the pure delight of an extra dose of (genuinely fun) civics musing twice a month.CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast,

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00:55:43

What's Going On With Civics Education?

Civics 101 ·

2024/02/27

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 social studies and civic education are Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, and Adam Laats, Historian and Professor of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership at Binghamton University. We also hear from Louise

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00:31:11

Extra Credit: How to Argue Against Disinformation;...

Civics 101 ·

2024/02/20

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 legitimate discussion with someone who has the facts wrong? And what's going on with all of these different trials involving former President Donald Trump?Click here to read Nick's essay on responding to someone who's wrong. Click here to subscribe to our

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00:28:19

What Are Presidential Pardons?

Civics 101 ·

2024/02/13

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? What would it mean for a president to pardon themselves? Brian Kalt, constitutional law professor at Michigan State University, helps answer these questions.

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00:47:29

How Should We Govern the Algorithm?

Civics 101 ·

2024/02/06

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. Cheaper, faster, more efficient and potentially more accurate -- but should we be doing it? How should we be using it? And what about our privacy and our rights?Aziz Huq, Frank and Bernice J. Greenberg Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School,

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00:22:09

What is Federalist 10?

Civics 101 ·

2024/01/30

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 as the most important. So what's it about?Taking us through the ideas of faction, republicanism, and Madison's inability to predict Facebook are Jeffrey Rosen, President of the National Constitution Center, Alison LaCroix, Professor of Law at the University of

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00:23:09

Election 2024: What Is Happening?

Civics 101 ·

2024/01/23

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 listening for more helpful info!Primaries and CaucusesConventionsStranglehold: Make Room (for context on New Hampshire and its hold on the first in the nation Primary)By the way, it isn't too late to snag a Civics 101 baseball hat! Donate now and show the world you

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00:22:12

How much do government employees get paid?

Civics 101 ·

2024/01/16

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 make money once they leave office? How much can you get from speaking at events? And how do lobbyists affect not only policy, but their career trajectory? Our guest is Anna Massoglia from Open Secrets, the "nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S

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00:57:00

Rumors and Lies, the American Version

Civics 101 ·

2024/01/09

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 Institute, Peter Adams of the News Literacy Project, John Maxwell Hamilton (professor and author of Manipulating the Masses: Woodrow Wilson and the Birth of American Propaganda and Jennifer Mercieca, professor and author of Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical

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00:19:49

Expulsion from Congress

Civics 101 ·

2024/01/02

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 chambers, the process, the Ethics Committee, censure, and how Congress fills an empty seat after somebody is expelled.

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00:40:56

Can we fix school lunch?

Civics 101 ·

2023/12/26

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, Jessica Terrell of the Left Overs podcast and Crystal FitzSimons of the Food Research and Action Center try to answer that.

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00:33:08

The Politics of School Lunch

Civics 101 ·

2023/12/19

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 kids accessing lunch? What does it cost, and who has to pay? Jessica Terrell, journalist and host of Left Over podcast and Crystal FitzSimons, Director of School and Out-of-School Time Programs at the Food Research and Action Center are our guides to the first

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00:23:25

Does Santa Break The Law?

Civics 101 ·

2023/12/12

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 trespassing, breaking and entering, voyeurism, stalking, surveillance, burglary, tax evasion, bad labor practices, emotional distress, and (in one instance) involuntary manslaughter.Taking us through this complex web of charges is Colin Miller, professor at

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00:24:22

What is a Federal Holiday?

Civics 101 ·

2023/12/05

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 the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire.

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332 results

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