Americast

In a Fox News interview released on Tuesday, Donald Trump says he has an ‘obligation’ to sue the BBC for the way it edited a section of a speech he made on January 6th 2021 - the day of the US Capitol riots - as part of a Panorama documentary. The Chair of the BBC, Samir Shah said “the BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement”.

The BBC has been given a Friday deadline by Trump to respond or face possible legal action...

President Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for $1 billion over how the editing of his speech in a Panorama documentary, calling it "false and defamatory". The BBC chair Samir Shah has apologised for an "error of judgement" over the edit, and said the BBC was considering how to respond to Trump.

Matt Chorley, Justin, Anthony and Marianna discuss what Trump actually said in his January 6th speech, Trump’s long battle with th...

For the first time since the presidential election there is renewed optimism among Democrats after a big election night on Tuesday. Alongside Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York and the governor races in New Jersey and West Virginia, the party also won important - albeit less glamorous - races in Pennsylvania and Georgia.

In this episode, Justin, Anthony and Sarah unpack how and where the Democrats won, and what it means for the party ...

Election night is back in the US and this time around there’s a lot more for the Democrats to cheer about after the party’s rising star, Zohran Mamdani, won the New York City mayoral election and will become the first Muslim mayor of the biggest city in America.

The 34-year-old led his party to victory on the back of pledges to tax millionaires to pay for expanded social programmes and said that New York could be the “light” in a mo...

Sarah, Anthony and Marianna join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions. The team look at a week of elections in New York, Virginia and New Jersey, how recent developments with the royal family could impact the release of the Epstein files in the US, and whether the president is serious about testing nuclear weapons for the first time since the 90s.

Plus, Democrat frontrunner Zohran Mamdani appears to be the favourite f...

Donald Trump’s decision to demolish the East Wing of the White House in favour of a new and much larger ballroom has sparked controversy - and conspiracy theories - across the U.S. The president has wanted to build the ballroom since his first term in office, but he told reporters over the summer that the plans would not "interfere” with any other parts of the White House.

The president says the project will be funded by private do...

President Donald Trump is topping off his whirlwind trip around Asia with a long-anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. After months of an escalating trade war, Trump says a “good deal” is close to being agreed. It also includes negotiations on TikTok's US operations.

Anthony joins Sarah and Justin from South Korea, where he’s been hot on the president’s heels throughout his trip, to discuss how the meet...

It’s just over a year since the 2024 presidential election but attention is already turning to 2028 with both candidates from last year’s race expressing a desire to run again. Kamala Harris told the BBC over the weekend that she “wasn’t done” with public service, while Donald Trump said on Monday morning that he’d “love” to stand again for a third term. We answer your questions on whether Donald Trump plans to override the constit...

Voting starts on Saturday for one of America’s biggest and most prominent political positions. How did Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, emerge as the frontrunner to be the next mayor of New York, despite being virtually unknown at the start of his campaign?

Sarah, Justin and Anthony look in more detail at his policies, and in particular the centrepiece of his campaign around the cost of living. Mamdani says he will make New...

Why is Donald Trump intent on targeting Venezuela, and what’s really behind the continued targeting of boats in the Carribean Sea? The U.S. military began attacking vessels in early September, and have maintained - without evidence - that the people killed in these military strikes were ‘terrorists’ and drug smugglers for cartels and criminal gangs.

In this episode, Sarah and Anthony look at why the Trump administration has focuse...

Millions of Americans took to the streets over the weekend to take part in ‘No Kings’ protests against Donald Trump’s policies and his expansion of presidential authority. Major U.S cities like Chicago, Miami, New York and Washington D.C saw people turn out in much greater numbers than the first ‘No Kings’ protests back in June. We look at Donald Trump’s initial response to the protests and your questions on how he may look to resp...

A major row has erupted between the US defense department and the journalists that cover its work after a memo was issued last month requiring journalists to accept a new set of reporting restrictions or face being barred from America’s military headquarters.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new policy would require journalists to sign an agreement stating they will only publish information “explicitly authorised” by the defense dep...

Since losing to Donald Trump in last year’s presidential election, Democrats across the U.S have been working behind the scenes to change the party’s image and its policies. In places like New York, Zohran Mamdani has led a progressive campaign that’s caught global attention. Does the rest of the party need to follow suit?

In today’s episode, Sarah and Justin look at other races taking place in November, including the race for gover...

The U.S. president has hailed a “historic dawn of a new Middle East” on the day the last 20 living hostages were returned by Hamas to Israel, and almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were also released. It was an integral part of the peace agreement brokered by the United States, and Donald Trump was welcomed with cheers as he addressed the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, the first such address by a US president since ...

There is a new deal on the table for universities in America. After months of fighting with the Trump administration over funding cuts, free speech and allegations of elitism and racism, the new deal is being offered to a select group of universities who are now weighing up how to respond.

Anthony and Justin unpack the proposal from the White House, which promises “substantial and meaningful federal grants” in return for signing u...

There was an extraordinary moment at the White House on Wednesday when, in front of reporters, secretary of state Marco Rubio handed Donald Trump a note that read the words “very close”, followed by a whisper where he told the president that Israel and Hamas were on the brink of reaching a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Although there are many details of the plan still being worked on, this could potentially be a pivotal moment. Posting...

Donald Trump’s mission to target Democrat-led cities has expanded to Illinois after the Texan National Guard arrived on Tuesday at an army base near Chicago. Troops were sent with the blessing of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, prompting a furious response from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who called for an end to the president’s “authoritarian march”. Sarah, Anthony and Marianna unpack what’s really going on in and around Chicago, h...

In today’s episode, we look at some of the stories “under the radar”, away from the main news headlines in the United States. Why is the Trump administration blowing up boats which it says are carrying drugs from Venezuela to the United States? Donald Trump has described the latest strike which killed four people, as “an act of kindness” saving the lives of thousands of Americans. Sarah, Justin and Marianna unpack what we d...

The US federal government has shut down for the first time since 2018, and with it the suspension of all non-essential services and the threat of mass firings among federal workers.

The shutdown comes after Congress failed to reach an agreement on future spending plans, leading to an angry blame game in the media over who is really responsible. For Democrats, the shutdown presents an opportunity to fight back against Donald Trump’s...