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Civil Discourse Podcast

Companion to the podcast

In The News: Presidential Records Act (Aired 1/24/2023)

Aughie and Nia start the new season with a discussion of recent Presidential records issues. Both President Trump and President Biden have been entangled with the National Archives in potential violations of the Presidential Records Act of 1978. 

In the News: The Debt Ceiling (Aired 1/24/2023)

Nia and Aughie discuss the debt ceiling and the current issues being faced in Congress with raising the debt ceiling. Aughie also discusses historical approaches to the U.S. debt.

In the News: SCOTUS Dobbs Leak report (Aired 1/31/2023)

Aughie and Nia catch up on the results of the SCOTUS investigation of the leak of the Dobbs opinion draft in 2022. The Marshall of the Court released a 20 page report this week detailing the investigation and results.

In the News: Presidential Records 2 (Aired 2/7/2023)

Nia and Aughie discuss the continuing issue of Presidential and Vice-Presidential classified documents being found in inappropriate locations. They further discuss the need for regulations to be simplified and the classification scheme to be applied more carefully.

Government Numbers (Aired 2/7/2023)

Aughie and Nia start the regular season of episodes with a discussion of how the government used to assign Social Security Numbers and currently assigns Employer Identification Numbers. They also talk about the legislative and social history of these important nine-digit numbers.

Zip Codes (Aired 2/14/2023)

Nia and Aughie explore the history and assignment of zip codes by the U.S. federal government. They also discuss the largely failed implementation of the "extra four digits".

In the News: Objects in the Sky (Aired 2/21/2023)

Aughie and Nia briefly touch on the objects in American or Canadian airspace that have been brought down by the U.S. military.

In the News: Slow SCOTUS (Aired 2/21/2023)

Nia and Aughie explore the reasons why the U.S. Supreme Court has released only two opinions since October when their session began.

Getting a Drug Through the FDA: The Application Process (Aired 2/21/2023)

In this first of a three part series, Aughie walks Nia through the application process for obtaining permission to produce a new drug or medical device.

Getting a Drug Through the FDA: Generics (Aired 2/28/2023)

The second in a three part series, Nia and Aughie explore how generics come to market.

In The News: Russia, START, and War (Aired 2/28/2023)

Professor Judy Twigg joins Aughie and Nia for a short discussion of Russia's suspension of the START Treaty. They also briefly touch on the prosecution of Russia's war with Ukraine.

 

Getting a Drug Through the FDA: Controversies (Aired 3/7/2023)

In the final part of this series, Aughie and Nia touch on the controversies surrounding the process of bringing a drug or medical device to market.

School Nutrition and Military Readiness (Aired 3/14/2021)

Nia and Aughie discuss the new government nutritional guidelines, mostly in terms of other reports concerning military readiness and ongoing American health issues.

The Federalist Papers: Introduction (Aired 3/21/2023)

Who were the authors of the Federalist Papers? What were they written in response to? Why are they important? Aughie and Nia answer these questions in a new intermittent series of episodes.

Local Zoning Ordinances (Aired 3/28/2023)

Aughie and Nia explore how the use of zoning laws at the local level can change the use of property in a city, sometimes to suppress "undesirable" activities.

SCOTUS Hears Social Media Cases (Aired 4/4/2023)

Nia and Aughie discuss the cases heard before the U.S. Supreme Court in February 2023 regarding the responsibility of Google and Twitter for the content published on their platforms.

FOIA and Personnel Records (Aired 4/11/28)

Aughie and Nia cover the Freedom of Information Act and the exemptions the government may rely on to prevent the release of information.

Federalist Paper 10 (Aired 4/18/2023)

Aughie and Nia discuss arguments made in Federalist 10 and AntiFederalist 10 regarding the factions and parties that might destroy the rights of the people, especially those holding the minority opinion. 

The Respect for Marriage Act (Aired 4/25/2023)

Nia and Aughie discuss the recently enacted PL 117-228, the Respect for Marriage Act. It repeals The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and guarantees that same sex marriages performed in a state where they are legal must be recognized in all other states.

Music Catalogs and Copyright Law (aired 5/2/2023)

Scholarly communications librarian Hillary Miller joins Aughie and Nia to discuss the copyright ownership of musical products by writers, singers, and potentially hedge funds.

Jack Daniels, Bad Spaniels, and the SCOTUS (Aired 5/9/2023)

Scholarly communications librarian Hillary Miller joins Nia and Aughie to debate the issues in the recent case before the Supreme Court, Jack Daniel's Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products LLC.