Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Nick O'Wileback, a couple of our listeners visited the station and one of them, Barbara,

when she stopped by our desks, she brought up something called the Posse Commatottis Act

and asked us to do an episode on it. Do you remember this?

I do remember and we put it on the long list of things we were going to do at Civics 101.

But then, of course, the pandemic changed everything, including our schedule.

Plans were shifted, things were delayed, and then earlier this month, we got an email from Barbara.

And it just said, is now a good time to talk about Posse Commatottis?

We're going to begin with breaking news tonight out of Minneapolis, where the National Guard

is being mobilized after a violent protest erupted overnight over the death of George Floyd.

The use of force against peaceful protesters in Lafayette,

square by federal law enforcement, backed by the U.S. military's National Guard,

sparked a nationwide debate about the role of the military in civil society.

President Trump is threatening to deploy heavily armed soldiers to restore peace.

If local authorities don't act.

I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.

And the answer, Barbara, is yes. And thanks.

I'm Hannah McCarthy.

I'm Nick Kepady-CHA.

And today on Civics 101, we're tackling this seemingly obscure Latin term.

And why it is particularly relevant these days.

Let's get that Latin out of the way, please.

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