Civics 101

NHPR
Civics 101
Latest episode

352 episodes

  • Civics 101

    Are you really mad? What can you do about that?

    2026/03/03 | 48 mins.
    As hosts of a civics podcast, we are not allowed to advocate for policy. But you can. Here are three things you can do to get your elected officials to listen when you're mad about something.

    By way of example, Nick reveals his pettiest, most apolitical gripe; and methods he would hypothetically use to address it. We talk lobbying, contacting your electeds, and getting (possibly famous) people together to advocate for change.

    This episode features Emily Gallagher, serving District 50 in the New York State Assembly, and Eric Schwartz, of the National Film Preservation Foundation.

    Here is Eric's piece on the National Film Preservation Act of 1988.

    Here is our episode on Who REALLY Writes Bills.

    Here is a video of Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie complaining about the soap opera effect.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • Civics 101

    What does "detention" mean?

    2026/02/24 | 35 mins.
    We've used the word "detention" many times when we've talked about immigration laws and ICE. But what does that word actually mean? A listener wanted to know, so we got the answer.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • Civics 101

    Why did the FBI keep tabs on high school students?

    2026/02/17 | 38 mins.
    About a week ago, host Hannah McCarthy stumbled on an article by an historian named Dr. Aaron Fountain Jr. What she read kind of blew her mind, so she decided to give him a call.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • Civics 101

    When did immigrants become "illegal?"

    2026/02/10 | 31 mins.
    The rules about who could and could not come and live in the United States have changed many times over the last 250 years, but exactly when restrictions were first put on immigration might surprise you.

    Today, walking us through the myriad qualitative and quantitative systems surrounding immigration policy is Muzaffar Chishti, Senior Fellow and Director of the Migration Policy Institute.

    Here are some links to our episodes on: The Chinese Exclusion Act, ICE, and Becoming a US Citizen.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • Civics 101

    What is ICE's job?

    2026/02/03 | 38 mins.
    We examine what the current presidential administration tells us about Immigration and Customs Enforcement and what the numbers, courts and history of the agency have to say.

    For more information on the data referenced in this episode, you can check out this Politico fact check of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's statements about ICE, this CATO Institute analysis, this CBS report, and this TRAC report and this Deportation Data Project release.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Government podcasts

About 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.
Podcast website

Listen to Civics 101, Strict Scrutiny and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features

Civics 101: Podcasts in Family

Social
v8.7.2 | © 2007-2026 radio.de GmbH
Generated: 3/3/2026 - 6:07:20 AM