Civil Discourse

Nia and Aughie discuss the recent Supreme Court hearings involving two cases from the Students for Fair Admissions versus Harvard (one case) and SFFA versus UNC (second case). The universities in these cases, heard together, argued that race may be considered in admissions to increase diversity of the student body. The SFFA argued that preference granted to one race for admissions by necessity bri...

Aughie and Nia move on to the next department in the series, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, later the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). From Head Start to Medicare, HHS touches American lives from cradle to grave. Aughie covers the sprawling nature of the department, and then Nia and Aughie spend a fair bit of the episode discussing controversies and politics surroun...

Nia and Aughie discuss government intervention, Supreme Court rulings, and hate speech. in light of recent anti-semitic comments made by Ye West.

Aughie and Nia discuss the Department of Labor as the next in the series. The Bureau of Labor was initially part of the Department of Interior, then its own Bureau but not part of the Cabinet, and then part of the Department of Commerce  and Labor, and then in 1913 it becomes its own Department with a Cabinet Secretary as the head. From this convoluted start to the present, the Department of Labor...

Nia and Aughie tackle the next department, the Department of Commerce. Originally formed as the Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903, It later separated into two departments.. Aughie covers the vast part of the organization of the Department as well as focusing on the power-grabbing of various Secretaries of Commerce.  

Aughie explains rank choice voting.

 Aughie and Nia move on to the next in the series, the Department of Agriculture. At its founding in 1862, the Department of Agriculture was referred to as "The People's Department" by President Abraham Lincoln. From food stamps to farm subsidies, Aughie also covers controversies and leadership of the Department of Agriculture through the years. 

Nia and Aughie continue to discuss the Cabinet Departments, in this case the Department of the Interior. The Department of the Interior, founded in 1849, arose from the need to manage most of the lands, territories, and natural resources of the United States. The Department of the Interior manages 500 million acres of surface land, approximately 20% of all land in the United States. Aughie also to...

Aughie and Nia explore the position of Postmaster General from 1753 to modern times in this episode of the Cabinet departments. Aughie explains how the Postmaster General went from running a large patronage system to running a large corporation that funds its own retirement system separately from the rest of the federal government under the reorganization into the United States Postal Service in 1...

Aughie and Nia move on to the next department in the series, the Department of Justice. They discuss the various Attorneys General, the structure of the Department of Justice, and interesting tidbits about the history, political intrigues, and the people who have served within the DoJ.

 Nia and Aughie conclude with part B of two episodes regarding the 3rd of the Department Series, the Department of War/Defense. Aughie sees listeners through World War i and into the renaming to Department of Defense. The Pentagon, famous Secretaries of Defense, and controversies surrounding DoD are also explored. 

Aughie and Nia introduce part A of two episodes regarding the 3rd of the Department Series, the Department of War/Defense. Historians often place the early seeds of the department in the Revolutionary War. Aughie takes listeners through the history of the Department of War from 1789 to WWI.

Nia and Aughie continue the Department series with part 2, the Department of the Treasury.  They explore the Secretaries of the Treasury and their various roles and responsibilities throughout the years. The modern Department of the Treasury investigates counterfeiting schemes, mints money, and controls the Internal Revenue Service.

Aughie and Nia start a new series discussing the cabinet level departments of the United States Government. The first episode starts with the first department created, the Department of Foreign Affairs. Two months later, it is renamed the Department of State, and Thomas Jefferson is named the Secretary of State. Aughie goes on to name notable Secretaries of State and changes to the department over...

The first of the three part season ender is an overview of the general statistics of the 21 – 22 term (vote rates, number of opinions written, etc.)

The final episode of the three part finale of Season 10 explores the upcoming docket of the U.S. Supreme Court for the Oct 2022 through June 2023 term.

The second episode of the three part season ending series focuses on a few important rulings from the 21 – 22 term.

Aughie and Nia discuss the educational backgrounds of the Justices, as well as their career backgrounds, political affiliations, and administrative experience. There are also several tangents taken.

Aughie and Nia discuss the educational backgrounds of the Justices, as well as their career backgrounds, political affiliations, and administrative experience. There are also several tangents taken.

Nia and Aughie discuss the tombstone epithets and gravesites of Supreme Court Justices.

In the first part, Aughie covers rational basis, intermediate scrutiny, strict scrutiny, void for vagueness, overbreadth, the Miller test, and the clear and present danger test.

In the second part, the Lemon test, the trimester framework, the undue burden standard and the Chevron test are covered, along with a discussion of intent.

 Nia and Aughie discuss the religious makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court, historically and currently. 

Aughie and Nia discuss the interpersonal relationships of Justices of the US Supreme Court. From friendships to enemies, some of the more interesting relationships are revealed.

Nia and Aughie discuss the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally-owned electric utility corporation. The TVA also focused on economic development of the middle Appalachia region.