What should we expect from his second term when it comes to the environment?

We talk SOT and DOT with Pete Buttigieg... the SOT.

How do we mourn our presidents? We break down the history and mystery of presidential funerals.

In our latest edition of Holiday Trivia, a rundown of some of the quirky food, drinks, and celebratory ephemera at... more

What they are, who pays them, and how they might affect our lives.

What happens when the people have no power?

Former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius talks about the powers - and limits - of the role in the wake of... more

It happened once and never again.

The people who advise (or don't advise) the president, and how they get the job.

What Trump promises to do when he's "dictator" for a day.

What happens when you have to turn over the largest institution in the world?

You voted for president. So what happens to your ballot next? We talk about ALL of it.

Emilia's Thing: A story about a former Capitol Police officer who's life has been shaped by the events of January... more

How do we measure up to the rest of the world when it comes to taking care of the sick?

The Smithsonian's bone library and the conflict between ethics and science

We are told corruption is a force of nature. It is not.

Whenever there's a big strike in the news, someone inevitably invokes the phrase "Taft-Hartely Act" when talking about whether or... more

A special episode recorded in front of a live audience!

The relatively recent philosophy of channeling the people who wrote our founding documents.

How we turned one of our country’s biggest rivers into a machine - and what happens when that machine starts... more

Hannah and Nick face off on It's Been a Minute from NPR

Why focus on George Washington? Because the candidate was picked before they wrote the job description.

Let's just say it took a lot of fighting.

A breakdown of some common campaign jargon, along with some quasi-related trivia for your listening pleasure.

The courts don't have to listen to the experts anymore.

Games can teach us about civics in completely new ways.

Why they do it and what happens to them.

How we fill the shoes of the Commander in Chief. In certain circumstances.

How is a particular city chosen to be the site of the Olympic Games? You probably guessed it...politics.

What are the systems and processes when a presumptive nominee is replaced at the last minute?

You may have been surprised (or maybe not) when judge Aileen Cannon abruptly dismissed the classified documents case against former... more

Introducing the newest series from NHPR’s award-winning Document team: “The Youth Development Center.”

Historian Doris Kearns Good talks about the 1960s, her own life as a historian, and her late husband Dick Goodwin,... more

The Supreme Court decided it wouldn't decide.

What is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or the CPB? What is public media? How does it all work? Why... more

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 for former President Donald Trump in a sweeping decision regarding presidential immunity. But what does... more

The biggest museum, research, and education complex in the world. So how does it work?

What does it say, what does it mean, what did it mean when it was written, and does it even... more

The history of Don't Tread on Me, An Appeal to Heaven, and the Inverted flag.

The American worker gets organized.

Why do we own a zoo? We do, by the way. It's the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC.

How do you get the truth from consummate storytellers?

From putting a marble in a jar to pulling a lever to filling in an oval, what is the history... more

When you trade a cow for a teapot and can't make change.

Your local government is the one you have to pay really close attention to. Especially when part of their job... more

Hannah tells Nick what it's like to have real access to the Supreme Court. And then the pair pays a... more

The Civics 101 team's D.C. field trip takes them all kinds of places, including inside the highest court in the... more

The team is in Washington D.C. making episodes...and we're learning some wild stuff.

There's a landmark SCOTUS decision from two centuries ago that could end up influencing Donald Trump's current Supreme Court case.... more

The Republican and Democratic National Committees used to be "the chair and his/her briefcase." But what do they do now?

Deductions, credits, W2s, audits. It's complicated out there, so we break it down.

Paying income taxes is a civic responsibility... but it hasn't always been. Where did it start, and where is it... more

Forget the rhetoric and hysterical political ads! Host Hannah McCarthy did the research, and she runs down all of the... more

Everybody agrees it's bad, nobody agrees on why.

TikTok - an app with around 170 Million American users - is under intense scrutiny by the U.S. government, including... more

What really happens when the Supreme Court decides something? What are the limits on their powers? And what can we... more

The process for changing the Supreme Law of the Land.

Have we ever agreed upon a narrative for our nation that we can teach American students?

How do you have a legitimate discussion with someone who has the facts wrong? And what's going on with all... more

Can presidents pardon themselves?

How are algorithms deciding our fate and what is the country doing about it?

It's lauded as the most significant of the Federalist Papers, those 85 essays which defended our Constitution and encouraged it's... more

Everything you gotta know this year.

How much do we pay our government employees? Who gets the most? And, more importantly, what kind of money do... more

The truth is out there.

Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has become the sixth person to be expelled from the House in US history. How... more

The problems with school meals range from unappetizing food to shaming children. Are we doing anything about it?

How we decided to feed kids in America's schools.

One our favorite subjects in recent memory: is Santa's method of present delivery... legal?

What makes a holiday a federal holiday?

Voters love the idea of term limits for Congress, so why don't we have them? And would they deliver on... more

If the President and Vice President are both unable to hold office, who comes next?

A brief summary of what's on the Supreme Court docket.

It's sometimes referred to as the second-most powerful job in Washington DC. Learn about the powers and history of the... more

The Satanic Temple brings 1st Amendment questions to town.

Author and historian Heather Cox Richardson on her new book, Democracy Awakening.

What is the federal government's role in predicting the weather?

The words "separation of church and state" might not be in our constitution, but the idea certainly is.

We hear from friends, and one very special social media account, about American Girl then and now.

How do shutdowns happen? Why do they happen? How are they prevented, and who do they affect?

Hannah, Rebecca, and Christina duke it out in three rounds of (sort of) civics trivia.

This episode of Civics 101 is the second chapter of a story about American Girl dolls, and what this beloved... more

For so many of us, American Girl dolls were more than just toys. They’re how we learned about the past.... more

Our government has hundreds of millions of secrets.

What are RICO charges? Why do we have them? And how does a RICO case differ from a more run-of-the... more

What are the origin stories of our two parties? How have they evolved? And what is "realignment" anyways?

When curricula, parents, legislators, students, and teachers collide.

What happens when race is, and then suddenly isn't, a factor in college admissions?

The only two people executed for violating the Espionage Act during peacetime.

What are presidential records? And to whom do they belong?

Shutting down the Independent State Legislator theory.

Who decides what gets taught in a classroom? Is it the teachers? The parents? The state? When did it all... more

You probably associate the so-called "War on Drugs" with the Reagans. Or maybe, more correctly, with the Nixon administration. But... more

Today we learn about the Supreme Court decisions that we don't hear much about; the "shadow docket."

Justices are talking more than ever - but what are they saying?

Today we define three of the most used -isms in the media, and explore why we have -isms in the... more

Citizenship, equal protection, due process and... debt?

Supreme Court justices are supposed to keep themselves removed from political bias or influence. But who makes sure they're actually... more

What's the deal with the debt ceiling, anyway?

Being fair and balanced on TV and the radio wasn't just a good idea, it was the law.