Our final "Back to School" episode is a nod to how we started in the first place. Our show was created to be "Schoolhouse Rock for adults," and no mention of Schoolhouse Rock is complete without a sad little scrap of paper hoping to become a bill.
Today we're exploring how that bill, sitting there on Capitol Hill, becomes a law. This episode features the ... Show More
Sep 15
U.S. Versus: The Two Party System
Americans often take issue with our two-party system. So what other options are out there? Today, with the help of political scientists Guillermo Rosas and Robin Best, we explore the reason why we have (and may always have) such a system, and compare it to other democracies aroun ... Show More
29m 40s
Aug 2025
#429 — The New World Order
<p dir="ltr">Sam Harris speaks with Anne Applebaum about the erosion of democracy at home and abroad. They discuss the Sudanese civil war and the outside forces involved, America's retreat from global leadership, the impacts of USAID cuts, gerrymandering, the integrity of U.S. el ... Show More
26m 52s
Sep 2025
#433 — How Did We Get Here?
Sam Harris speaks with Dan Carlin about the decades-long buildup to our current political moment. They discuss the growing powers of the presidency, executive orders, different factions within the Republican Party, the fragmentation of our society, Libertarianism, the growing pro ... Show More
22m 6s
Oct 2020
The Electoral College
What is it, why do we have it, and why hasn't it changed? Born from a rushed, fraught, imperfect process, the origins and evolution of the Electoral College might surprise you and make you think differently about not only this upcoming presidential election, but our democracy as ... Show More
57m 7s
Mar 2021
If You Don't Know, Now You Know - Government Compilation
Trevor explores several aspects of government and politics in the U.S., including the history of the Senate filibuster, presidents who lied about their health and pioneering first ladies.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.co ... Show More
35m 25s
Jun 2022
140: Heather Cox Richardson
Jill and Victor are joined by historian and author Heather Cox Richardson for a deep dive into the roots of our current political divisions going back to the Civil War, and the modern prospects for political violence driven by racism, populism, and foreign actors. What will it ta ... Show More
1h 5m
Nov 2024
Political HOT Topics
Listener Comments, Project 2025, presidential immunity, and what can Biden do before inauguration? This week hosts Tiffany Cross, Angela Rye, and Andrew Gillum share some of the amazing comments we’ve gotten from you, our NLP fam, along with a replay of three of our best segme ... Show More
1h 14m
Feb 2022
BONUS | Happy Presidents’ Day! Or … not?
Students, teachers and historians reflect on what has changed — and should change — about the way we teach presidential history today. This special episode features presidential experts Barbara Perry and Julian Zelizer, “How the Word Is Passed” author Clint Smith, and the AP gove ... Show More
26m 11s