How does asylum work? And what has changed?
On this episode, we’re talking about the history and evolution of United States’ refugee and asylum policy. We have been a country of exclusion for ab...
What's happening with Venezuela?
Sometimes, we just have to make a "101" episode of Civics 101. That is the case this week, in the wake of the arrest of Venezuela's sitting president ...
Restoring Civility in our Politics (on The Middle)
This week Nick appears on The Middle, with Jeremy Hobson. The topic is civility in politics, and they're joined by former New Hampshire State Legislat...
Probable Claus: Is Santa a Criminal?
Today we answer this question from a listener, "Is Santa a criminal?" We get to the bottom of the myriad actions of the jolly old elf, and whether he ...
What is the filibuster?
Why does it take, in practice, 60 votes for a bill to pass in the Senate? Why doesn't it seem like anyone is up there talking for days anymore? And wh...
The Lottery: How it happened, and what it pays for
The lottery generates over $70 billion in revenue each year. Today on Civics 101 we explore how we got here; from failed lotteries in the Revolutionar...
What is SNAP?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, once upon a time called food stamps, helps nearly 42 million Americans every month. While the 2025 gove...
How did the Epstein Files Transparency Act happen?
Today we talk about the myriad procedures involved in getting the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed in record time. How do discharge petitions wor...
What can we learn from the American Revolution?
Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein spent nearly a decade making a twelve-hour documentary on the American Revolution. This is what they learned from the tho...
Billionaires
In sixty years, we have gone from 2 billionaires in the United States to just under 2,000. How on earth did that happen? Today, Timothy Noah from the ...