Unlocked: How Government Works

About Unlocked: How Government Works

From Nancy Gibbs and the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, Unlocked is a new series to help journalists and those taking on the task of explaining the news today better understand how the U.S. Government actually works, what it does, and the people, policies, and programs that drive it. In collaboration with The Journalist's Resource, "Unlocked" is also a series of print explainers on related topics. Visit ShorensteinCenter.org/Unlocked to learn more. Intro music by https://pixabay.com/users/nikitakondrashev-42823964/

Publisher

Nancy Gibbs

Category

government · news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Apr 2025

Latest episode

5 Nov 2025

Latest episodes

2 of 11 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   5 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Unlocked: Who controls the National Guard?

   Former Governor Deval Patrick discusses the National Guard's command structure, deployment protocols, and funding mechanisms with host Nancy Gibbs, highlighting the coordination between state and federal entities in this interview.

2. 

   15 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Unlocked: What is the role of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)?

   Former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler informs Nancy Gibbs about the Federal Communications Commission's historical regulation of American media and the importance of understanding its legal limits, in this interview.

3. 

   8 Oct 2025

   Unlocked: How do class action lawsuits work?

   Harvard Law Professor William Rubenstein explains class action lawsuits to host Nancy Gibbs, exploring their function in shaping US law and policy in this interview.

4. 

   3 Sept 2025

   Unlocked: How Are Vaccines Approved and Recommended in the United States?

   Shorenstein Center Director Nancy Gibbs interviews Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center, about the rigorous US process for vaccine approval and recommendation, ensuring public safety.

5. 

   23 Jul 2025

   Unlocked: What are the legal limitations of US immigration enforcement?

   Juliette Kayyem, former Assistant Secretary at Homeland Security, examines the legal limitations of US immigration enforcement, clarifying the rights of both citizens and non-citizens in an interview with Nancy Gibbs.

6. 

   15 Jul 2025

   Unlocked: Who Enforces America’s Immigration Laws?

   Host Nancy Gibbs interviews Austin Kocher, Syracuse University professor, about the complex landscape of U.S. immigration enforcement, including the roles of ICE, CBP, and Homeland Security, while emphasizing accurate data and immigrant narratives.

7. 

   10 Jul 2025

   Unlocked: Understanding the Federal Debt

   Nancy Gibbs interviews Karen Dynan about the federal debt, exploring who the U.S. owes money to and the implications of rising debt for governments and everyday Americans.

8. 

   9 Jul 2025

   Unlocked: Who is collecting America’s climate data—and why does it matter?

   Professor Justin Mankin explains to Nancy Gibbs the critical role of government-collected climate data, highlighting the risks of privatization and its potential impact on public access to vital information in this interview.

9. 

   17 Jun 2025

   What is the role of US Inspectors General? With Michael Missal

   Former Inspector General Michael Missal explains to host Nancy Gibbs the crucial role of Inspectors General in preventing waste and fraud within federal agencies, emphasizing their independence and the threats they face in this interview.

10. 

    10 Apr 2025

    What Makes Government Inefficient? With Mina Hsiang

    Mina Hsiang served as the Administrator of the United States Digital Service from 2021 until January 2025. She joined Nancy Gibbs to talk about what the USDS did to build both government services and efficiency, as well as a broader conversation about the role of government in society, the hurdles to making government more efficienet, and some of the nuts and bolts that most people only see from the inside, like how hiring works in the federal government, and what it took to make data systems talk to one another and why that was important for people like military veterans.

11. 

    8 Apr 2025

    Introducing Unlocked

    Welcome to Unlocked, an explanatory podcast to help people reporting on the news decipher how the U.S. government works, and what exactly is going on today. Hosted by Nancy Gibbs, from the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

Inside a recent episode

Unlocked: Who controls the National Guard?

Published 5 Nov 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So you were trained as an attorney. You served in the Justice Department in the Civil Rights Division. And what are the legal or constitutional constraints over how either a governor or particularly a president can deploy the National Guard? Well, the ultimate constraint is the Constitution and embedded in that, the separation of powers. The National Guard is effectively a local militia, a state militia that is available at the direction of the governor for certain kinds, not all kinds, but certain kinds of uses. Not just because you feel like having a military parade or something like that, but because again, these are folks who have temporary assignments that are about military or public safety significance and need, not just the free -floating interest in enhancing local law enforcement. […]

Who has been a guest on Unlocked: How Government Works

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Deval Patrick
• Tom Wheeler
• William Rubenstein
• Dr Paul Offit
• Juliette Kayyem

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 31 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

30

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

81

Contact Unlocked: How Government Works

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Unlocked: How Government Works