Americast
Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC. Each week we provide audiences with the best analysis from across the BBC, with on-the-ground observations and big picture insights about the stories which are defining America right now. The podcast is hosted by trusted BBC journalists including the BBC’s North America editor, Sarah Smith, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Justin Webb, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring, and BBC North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher. As well as political analysis, we also specialise in social media. Each week Marianna Spring brings listeners the latest updates from the BBC’s Undercover Voters, our award-winning investigation into the content that is recommended to US voters on social media. The team is also joined by special guests each week, like CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour, Emmy Award-winning TV host, Rachel Maddow, and Succession actress, J Smith-Cameron. Podcasts are published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As well as being a podcast, we are also available every Friday on the World Service. Oh, and by the way, you can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say ‘”Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers. Every Monday we answer your questions on Americanswers, with some help from special guests, including Miles Taylor, who was chief of staff at the Department for Homeland Security during the Trump presidency before becoming a whistleblower. Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with us on email at Americast@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
Episodes
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...
In another extraordinary week in U.S politics, the US government has shut down for the first time in almost seven years after members of Congress failed to agree a last-ditch funding deal. Donald Trump has said federal workers could start losing their jobs in the coming days, but what are the other consequences of the shutdown for American citizens? And how long will the shutdown last?
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has hosted Israeli prim...
It started with a Truth Social post from the president, calling for a handful of his critics to be prosecuted, one of those targeted was the former FBI director James Comey. Less than a week later, he has been indicted and charged with perjury over testimony he gave to Congress five years ago about the FBI's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Prosecutors allege he lied about whether he authorised the leak of ...
Monday’s White House announcement made headlines worldwide when Donald Trump - flanked by his health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior - said taking Tylenol, also known as paracetamol, during pregnancy was linked to a "very increased risk" of autism in children. Medical experts have strongly pushed back on the claims, saying there is not strong enough scientific evidence to show a link, with some calling the president's comments d...
Donald Trump’s appearance at the United Nations was a clear - and at times stark - outline of his global vision, often involving sharp attacks against his opponents.
His speech - the longest by any US president in history - took aim at countries who have recently recognised a Palestinian state, including a number of European countries. It was Europe itself where the president reserved some of his strongest criticism, arguing it was...
Justin and Anthony unpack the memorial service held yesterday in Glendale, Arizona for the conservative activist, Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead earlier this month.
Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, was given a standing ovation for forgiving the man who shot her husband, delivering an emotional and deeply religious speech where she called for people to “choose Christ” and take up her husband’s mission. In this episode, the Amer...
Donald Trump has finished his state visit to the UK and it ended with a joint press conference with the British PM Keir Starmer. What did the two leaders say about Gaza and Ukraine, why was Epstein not really mentioned, and what does it tell us about the relationship between the two countries? Sarah - who was in the room with Trump and Starmer at Chequers - also reveals what Susie Wiles, the US president’s chief of staff, told her...
As King Charles welcomes Donald Trump to Windsor, England for the US president’s second state visit to the UK, what should we be expecting from the trip? Sarah joins Justin and Marianna from Windsor to unpack how divisions over Gaza, Ukraine and tariffs might be dealt with, and what would constitute a successful trip for both countries. The team also discuss potential flash points for both the UK PM Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, ...
What do we know, and not know, about Tyler Robinson - the 22 year old man who has become the main suspect in the shooting of the conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk? After a 33 hour manhunt, investigators say Robinson’s father recognised him from images released to the public, and persuaded his son to hand himself in. Sarah, Marianna and Justin unpack the various theories around Robinson’s possible motive, how the cas...
Charlie Kirk, the right-wing influencer and trusted ally of Donald Trump has been shot dead while speaking with students at a university in Utah.
Kirk was one of the most prominent conservative activists and media personalities in the United States, and a trusted ally of Donald Trump. Many credit his influence - particularly with young people - as a key reason behind Trump’s victory in last year’s election.
The president, visibly ang...
On Tuesday Decarlos Brown Jr was arrested and charged with first-degree murder over the unprovoked attack on Iryna Zarutska on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, last month.
A video of Zarutska's killing has been circulated - and shared widely - on social media, including by key MAGA figures like Stephen Miller and Elon Musk. It has prompted a widespread debate over crime in American cities, a topic that Donald Trump has cited f...
"I love the smell of deportations in the morning..." It was those words, posted alongside a mock-up of Donald Trump dressed as Lieutenant Kilgore from ‘Apocalypse Now’, that has worried Chicago Democrats, who the president has threatened with the deployment of the National Guard.
Sarah, Anthony, and Marianna join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to discuss what Trump is planning for Chicago, and how the Democrats should be responding. Plus,...
For the first time in over six years, victims of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came together in DC this week, claiming the US government has not published everything it knows. The survivors said they’re now compiling their own list of Epstein’s associates, calling on Trump and Congress to make public the information it has.
Also this week, the House of Representatives Oversight Committee published 33,295 pages relating to Epst...
For some time Donald Trump has been taking shots at the Federal Reserve. It's America's central bank and the institution that decides on interest rates and regulates the nation's financial system.
In the main it operates independently of the White House and it's therefore no stranger to conflict when it comes to presidents and their economic agenda. Up until now, no president has ever actively tried to reshape its governance in the ...
Over the weekend rumours were swirling on social media that the president was dead.
Marianna and Sumi join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to look at how the unfounded claims were sparked.
And the US Centre for Disease Control Chief, Dr Susan Monarez was fired last week. The White House said it was because she was “not aligned with the president's agenda". The decision prompted other leading figures at the agency to resign over frustrations...
Sharing AI-generated images of himself riding a horse, waving a giant flag, inserting his face on Mount Rushmore...sound familiar?
If you're California Governor Gavin Newsom, that's entirely the point as he embarks on a new strategy to combat Donald Trump online, by imitating him.
It’s all part of a “dark woke” strategy which sees Newsom playing Trump at his own game on social media. Is the approach an online blueprint for the wider ...
The Jeffrey Epstein scandal continues to cause problems for the Trump administration, and in today’s listener Q&A, the team delve into whether newly released interviews between Ghislaine Maxwell and Trump’s Deputy Attorney could provide a reprieve for Donald Trump. Or will it just help her chances of receiving a pardon or commutation from the president?
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who was mistakenly deported to a notorious priso...
One of the biggest stories of last year’s presidential election was Donald Trump’s success with Latino voters which led him to win crucial swing states in the battle for the White House.
While the Democrats still won the popular vote nationwide, there was no question that Trump’s messaging on the economy appealed to voters worried about the cost of living.
Eight months on from that victory, are Latinos still with Trump? Recent pollin...
Fresh off the back of Monday’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S could offer Ukraine some form of security guarantee in the event of a peace deal with Russia. While the details of any security guarantee are yet to be confirmed, it has prompted fear and uncertainty within parts of the president’s MAGA base, who view the prospect of a security guarantee as a precursor to a messy U.S entanglement...
Straight off the back of the Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump hosted Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House as he pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine.
The last time they met in the Oval Office, it ended in an argument in front of the world's media. It was a friendlier encounter this time, with Zelensky handing a letter to Donald Trump from his wife to the First Lady, Melania Trump.
It was soon followed by a meeting...
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