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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.

Civics 101

Authoritarianism and autocracies take many forms. So how do you know it when you see it? Our guide to the erosion of choice, rights, truth and power is Anne Applebaum, author of several books including, most recently, Autocracy, Inc..

 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG!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!

What is authoritarianism?

President-elect Donald Trump has said, "the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff, and it’s my favorite word." So what are they? Why might the United States raise or lower a tariff on goods from another country? How has America used tariffs throughout our history? And how might Donald Trump's proposed tariffs affect the cost of goods in the US?

Taking us through tariffs is Dr. Shannon O'Neil, senior vice president and director of studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG!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!

How do tariffs work?

In our latest edition of Holiday Trivia, a rundown of some of the quirky food, drinks, and celebratory ephemera at the White House during the most wonderful time of the year. 

Have an opinion on the pronunciation of "praline?" Send us an email!

 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG!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!

Holiday Trivia: What's been on the White House Christmas menu?

How do we mourn our presidents and former presidents? Where did all those very public rituals come from? And how much input does a president have in their own post-death ceremonies?

We break down the history and mystery of presidential funerals with Lindsay Chervinsky and Matthew Costello. 

This episode of Civics 101 was produced by senior producer Christina Phillps and mixed by Rebecca Lavoie. It was hosted by Nick Capodice and Hannah McCarthy. Special thanks to Jacqui Fulton. 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG!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!

Presidential Funerals: How and Why We Mourn Our Leaders

Transportation and infrastructure are massive (literally) undertakings here in the United States. So what does it mean to oversee it all? What is the Secretary of Transportation actually in charge of and what's going on with our roads, bridges, airports, etc.?

We spoke with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to find out.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG!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!

Secretary of Transportation with Pete Buttigieg

What has Donald Trump claimed he would do when it comes to environmental policy in the U.S.? What happened during his last administration? And what are the limits on executive powers when it comes to treaties and global agreements?

Elizabeth Bomberg, Professor of Politics at the University of Edinburgh, tells us what we can expect when it comes to emissions regulations, drilling, climate research, the Paris Agreement, and so much more. 

 

 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG!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!

What are Trump's Climate Plans?

During his campaign, Donald Trump promised several times that he would dismantle the US Department of Education. So today we wanted to explore what such a dismantling would look like, as well as what the DoED does in the first place. 

Turns out, while the Department does an awful lot of things, there is much for which it is criticized that it does not do. Taking us through its creation, its history, and its powers is Adam Laats, professor of Education at Binghamton University. 

Link to our episodes on School Lunch here and here.

And here are some good resources for anyone who wants to know a little more about Jonestown. My 8th grade report is, sadly, unavailable.

https://www.npr.org/2017/04/11/523348069/nearly-40-years-later-jonestown-offers-a-lesson-in-demagoguery

https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/18/archives/jonestown-the-survivors-story-jonestown.html

 

 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG!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!

What is the Department of Education?

Most of us know about birthright citizenship, but not many people have ever heard of Wong Kim Ark and the landmark Supreme Court decision that decided both his fate and the fate of a U.S. immigration policy that endures to this day.

This is the case that solidified the Fourteenth Amendment as we understand it today. 

 

 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG!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!

Birthright Citizenship: The SCOTUS case that solidified the 14th Amendment

During his campaign, now-President Trump promised a lot of action (much of it to happen on day one). So what did he actually do once he regained the office? A LOT. This is the first week of Trump's executive orders.

For some context, check out our episodes on:

Wong Kim Ark and Birthright Citizenship

Dred Scott

The Fourteenth Amendment

An earlier version of this episode incorrectly identified several Presidential memoranda and proclamations as executive orders.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG!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!

Trump's Executive Orders

Ever since fluoridation became widespread in the 1950s, cavities in kids have fallen drastically. The effort is considered one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. But it’s also one of the most controversial.

Today, the story of what that's so, from our sister podcast, NHPR's Outside/In. 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG!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!

The Great Fluoride Debate

The SAVE Act passed the House in April, 2025. As it awaits consideration in Congress, we spoke with Jason Carter from the Carter Center. Yes, like that Carter. Jason is asking why Congress is working on a vanishingly rare problem: noncitizen voting. The SAVE Act, if it becomes law, will require additional proof of citizenship for all Americans seeking to register -- or reregister -- to vote. The goal? To stop all noncitizens from voting -- which rarely happens.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG!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!

Fixing a problem that doesn't exist

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