How the government visits every American home, and how and why we pay for it.

To kick off Civic Learning Week, we see how students are (and aren't) being civically prepared.

Meet your president's Cabinet!

Meet your president's Cabinet.

Ariel Lawhon discusses the real-life early American midwife at the center of her novel The Frozen River.

What would happen if the press couldn't tell the truth?

The White House counsel, the Department of Justice, and the unprecedented appointments and moves being made by the Trump administration

You keep using that word...

When a president makes law all by themselves. With some help.

Cities and towns all over the country add fluoride to their water supply. That wasn't always the case, and the... more

A slew of executive orders and promises kept.

Not many people have ever heard of Wong Kim Ark and the landmark Supreme Court decision that decided both his... more

Dismantling the Department of Ed? It's been tried before.

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.

We spoke with Ryan Willard from The Ten News for tips on talking with younger kids about the news.

The laws, policies and legal cases that worked for and against Reconstruction.

The true history of America's first Civil Rights era.

Why America doesn't learn about our first Civil Rights Era.

Today we explain all the legalities surrounding the Dominion v Fox News lawsuit. We break down defamation, slander, libel, discovery,... more

How free IS the land of the free? We talk with the co-author of the Human Freedom Index, Ian Vasquez,... more

Can the government really ban a whole business? What does that mean and how does it happen?

Today we go through the definitions and processes involved in the recent indictment of Donald Trump. We explain grand juries,... more

Do the reasons some people want to avoid jury duty have merit? Why is jury duty so important? And what... more

Who writes most bills in Congress? What are they really about? And how do special interest groups factor into all... more

Our income tax system was modeled on the idea of everyone paying their "fair share." But in practice?

For decades, one state has had the privilege of going first in the presidential primary process. Now, that state is... more

Our friends from Outside/In bring the story of property rights in air and space.

Millions lost their homes, giant institutions collapsed and a global recession began. This is the story of what the American... more

Most Americans need help to file our tax return each year - about 90% of people use technology like Turbo... more

What does the U.S. Space Force do, and why was the nation's newest military branch created?

How the federal government used policy to segregate housing.

Housing policy, space and political power in Atlanta, Georgia.

The last of our series on famous federal court trials, US v Cassius Clay was a polarizing case about conscientious... more

The ugly and inspiring story of what it took for all of America to honor a singular Black life.

An excerpt from a live conversation with Huma Abedin, top aide and advisor to Hillary Clinton.

The Cold War hysteria over communism was known as the Red Scare. But what was the Lavender Scare? We dig... more

There may be only 12 federal holidays, but we come up with hundreds of reasons to celebrate.

In an uncharacteristic wash of holiday cheer, today we investigate how the actions of Santa could be interpreted in a... more

What happens when a president is no longer able to do the job?

What does the Constitution say about who is allowed to be president?

What is propaganda? How is it different from persuasion? And how has the US government used it, from the revolution... more

A cushy lifetime parting gift.

What's the deal with all those reporters in the White House? And what's the job of White House Press Secretary... more

There's a complaint we get pretty often around here, that our tagline contains the word "democracy," but the United States... more

The three myths that tell us how things are going to be for each and every American.

Four myths that we handpicked for our origin story.

Nick and Hannah face up against their greatest fear: whether they've learned anything hosting this show.

A conversation about civic life and stereotypes as Asian American in the U.S. from our friends at Future Hindsight.

An excerpt from a live conversation with NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg.

What does "taking the Fifth" mean? If you've been suspected of a crime, how and when do you use your... more

Why do elected and appointed officials take oaths? What do they mean? And what happens if somebody breaks that oath?

The story of how eight protesters (yup, eight) ended up in federal court on conspiracy charges and proceeded to turn... more

Just think about the kinds of powers the President has: they command the armed forces, have access to the nuclear... more

How do lies get spread before an election in order to influence it?

And what does it mean to control one, the other, or both?

Since its passage after World War I, thousands of people have been investigated for violating the Espionage Act, including Julian... more

The five whats and whys of the midterm election.

Today we're opening our new series on famous trials in the Federal Courts. In this case, United States v Burr,... more

The federal government has always had debt. How much is too much, and how do politicians exploit it?

Voting in America isn't always straightforward. So, here's some of what you need to know.

We're supposed to vote because our government is "by the people" (we vote officials into office) and "for the people"... more