Civics 101

By: NHPR
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  • Summary

  • 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.
    New Hampshire Public Radio
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Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences World
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Episodes
  • April Fools: Politicians, the press, and more

    April Fools: Politicians, the press, and more
    Apr 1 2025

    Pranks are a staple of April Fools' Day - even when it comes to politics and the press.

    On this special edition of Civics 101, Senior Producer Christina Phillips tests our April Fools knowledge with some surprising trivia, and a whole lot more!

    Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug? CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOURS!

    • 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!
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    41 mins
  • The Politics Behind Your Taxes

    The Politics Behind Your Taxes
    Mar 25 2025
    Taxes on wages make up the bulk of federal revenue every year. Where does that money go, and who decides how much you should pay?The process is extremely complicated - and deeply political - which is why it's important for everyday taxpayers to understand how the people they elected choose to spend the money voters give out of their paychecks every year. We talk with tax policy expert Beverly Moran, a Paulus fellow at Boston College Law School and professor emerita at Vanderbilt, about how budget reconciliation works: where Congress decides where it will cut taxes, and how it will make up for those cuts. We also talk about how those decisionsaffect the vast majority of taxpayers, who earn most of their wealth from salary or wages... and how it looks different for the wealthiest Americans. Find Beverly's research on the impact of the 2017 TCJA here. Listen to our episodes on the history of the income tax in the United States, and how the tax return process works. We used a number of sources in this episode. Here are some, in order of appearance: How much revenue has the US government collected this year? from the US Treasury Department. Reconciliation explainer from the Congressional Budget Office.Budget Reconciliation: Tracking the 2025 Trump Tax Cuts from the Tax Foundation. What are itemized deductions and who claims them? from the Tax Policy Center. How did the TCJA change taxes of families with children? from the Tax Policy Center. The 2017 Tax Law Was Skewed to the Rich, Expensive, and Failed to Deliver on Its Promises from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Lifting the SALT Cap: Estimated Budgetary Effects, 2024 and Beyond from Penn Wharton Budget Model at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. Differences between the traditional CPI and Chained CPI from the Congressional Budget Office. Republicans say Medicaid cuts won't happen. But does their budget work without them? from NPR. Republicans want to lower taxes. The hard part is choosing what to cut. from the New York Times. Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug? CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOURS!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!
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    55 mins
  • How does the Post Office work?

    How does the Post Office work?
    Mar 18 2025

    It’s the government on your doorstep — the only Executive Branch agency that visits every home in the country on a regular basis. So how does the USPS do it? And what happens when an agency this essential is in trouble? Our guests for this episode are Allison Marsh, history professor at the University of South Carolina and Kevin Kosar, a Vice President at R Street.

    Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug? CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOURS!

    • 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!
    Show more Show less
    22 mins

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

My Fav Podcast!!!

It is hard to wait every week for a new episode! Fun to listen to, and on my favorite subject - american democracy. I appreciate how you guys break it down, even people who aren't nerds like me will be interested. My favorite episode is probably the first treason trial in the U.S. it really seems to include alot of founding fathers in a weird way... hope there are more federal case episodes to come. I appreciate the effort you guys put into educating.

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Profile Image for Sonja Cassandra Perdue

Well done.

Good learning experience. Clear and concise.
I am definitely motivated to continue listening and learning.

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Profile Image for Joseph B.

Three Cheers!

Entertaining, energetic, and essential. Put this on your list of audible listens! Share it with your friends. Lack of Civics knowledge is starving the republic … here is food for life!!

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Profile Image for Todd C.

Was hoping for an even civics discussion but it devolved into a liberal leftist slant.

Wanted a legal and an academic discussion of civics. They can’t help themselves to slant with a leftist viewpoint.

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Profile Image for HGYIII

Marxism

If you are a Make America Great Again republican, leave this alone. From chapter one, they call us radicals because we put America ahead of the world. It's a disgusting left-wing podcast. There is NOTHING educational about partisanship.

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Profile Image for Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Leftist historians are trash.

Christopher Columbus is the reason that the United States exists. There would be no such thing as a “Latino” without Christopher Columbus. He was the first European explorer to establish a trade route here in at least 10,000 years. Nobody cares that he was an unsavory character. You are all lost.

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