Episodes of Civics 101

Here are some episodes of Civics 101 I’ve produced, including interviews, scripting, and sound mixing, and sound design.

Taking The Fifth: When What You Say Could Be Used Against You

Oct 4, 2022

What does "taking the Fifth" mean? If you've been suspected of a crime, how and when do you use your rights under the Fifth Amendment's self-incrimination clause?

The Fifth Amendment's self-incrimination clause says that no person "shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself." Basically, it means that the government, or law enforcement, can't force you to talk to implicate yourself in a crime. However, what that looks like in practice... is a little more messy. When do you have a right to remain silent? When do you become a suspect? What does compulsion look like? Can your silence be used against you?

Edited by Nick Capodice.

Host v Host: A Battle of Wits

Oct 25, 2022

Senior Producer Christina Phillips puts Nick and Hannah to the test in this trivia face off! Play along as our co-hosts prove their mettle (and also don't) and learn a little something while you're at it. Featuring Nick as Christopher Walken... with apologies to Mr. Walken.

Written by me. Audio mixing, production, and sound design by Hannah McCarthy.

Precedent and the Supreme Court (Part 1)

June 7, 2022*

When the Supreme Court decides how the law, and the Constitution, should be interpreted, that interpretation becomes a precedent. Once that judicial precedent has been set, it's understood that the interpretation and its reasoning should be applied to similar cases in the future. So why might the Supreme Court reconsider its own precedent? And what happens when a precedent is modified, or overruled?

Edited by Hannah McCarthy.

*This is part of a two-part series that came out shortly after the draft SCOTUS opinion in Dobbs v Jackson that suggested the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v Wade was leaked. Part 1 looked at how Supreme Court precedent typically works.

Precedent and the Leaked Draft SCOTUS Opinion (Part 2)

June 10, 2022*

Is the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion a roadmap for how this court could overturn landmark cases in the future?

Edited by Hannah McCarthy.

*This is part of a two-part series that came out shortly after the draft SCOTUS opinion in Dobbs v Jackson that suggested the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v Wade was leaked. Part 2 examined how the leaked draft opinion, of which much of the key components survived in the final opinion, turns the typically understood practice of precedent on its head.

What is NATO?

April 19, 2022

In the years after World War II, twelve countries in North America and Europe got together to form an alliance. This alliance, known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, would build up the collective military and security strength of every country involved - so an attack on one country would mean an attack on them all. How does a security alliance between dozens of countries with different governments, interests, and military power, even work? What role does NATO play in international war and peace today?

Edited by Nick Capodice.

Why You Should Care About The Federal Reserve

March 8, 2022

Look up a definition of the Federal Reserve, and you'll see things like "central bank," "monetary policy," and "regulation and stabilization of the financial system." But what does it mean to have a national bank, and how does this government agency impact your ability to have a job, earn and borrow money, and afford things like groceries, rent, and pet food?

Cohosted by Nick Capodice and myself. Edited by Nick Capodice.

A Civics 101 Trivia Special: Holidays at the White House

December 28, 2021

Holidays are a big deal at the White House, and they’re full of all the regular trappings of a family celebration. There are traditions, festivities, complicated social dynamics, and then a healthy helping of global politics. 

On this edition Civics 101, we put our hosts’ White House holiday knowledge to the test. Who will be the victor of the first ever Holiday Civics Trivia Challenge? Plus...we find out, what are the the worse holiday songs ever?

Written by me. Audio production and sound design by Rebecca Lavoie.

After 9/11: Department of Homeland Security

November 2, 2021

The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, made one thing very obvious: our country’s national security strategy was flawed. What followed was one of the biggest reorganizations of our federal government in history: the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in November, 2002.

What about 9/11, the attacks, and their aftermath, made it possible for the government to transform, in just over a year? And how has that transformation changed how our government makes decisions about threats to our country, and responds to them?

Coproduced and edited by Nick Capodice. Baby’s first episode.