Last week, Donald and Melania Trump attended Barron Trump's high school graduation ceremony in West Palm Beach, Florida. Melania has been largely absent so far from the campaign trail. Is that likely to change in the coming months? Americasters have also been in touch about candidates who could run in the 2028 presidential election. Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez likely to be one of them? Plus, we answer your request for travel recommendations during the presidential election… HOSTS: * Sarah Smith,...
May 27, 2024•26 min
Former US President Donald Trump’s trial in New York is in its sixth week, where he’s accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He’s pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels. This week, there was a moment of chaos when Justice Merchan ordered the jury out of the courtroom to admonish defence witness Bob Costello for his conduct on the stand. Sarah and Anthony, alongside the BBC’s US r...
May 24, 2024•24 min
With both candidates gearing up for the first presidential debate and national party conventions, the Americast team takes a step back to look at where the race stands now. Justin Webb and Sarah Smith give their analysis on recent polling and ask whether the Biden camp should be worried, and how polls could influence the next six months. Also, the Trump campaign reposted a video this week which referenced a “unified reich.” Marianna Spring looks into where this video came from and why it matters...
May 23, 2024•28 min
The team regroup to make more predictions about possible candidates for the Democrats and Republicans in 2028. We also take stock of foreign influence operations ahead of the upcoming US election. What has the US learnt since the last election? Plus, Ivanka Trump played an influential role in her father’s first administration, but she’s since disappeared from the public eye. Could she reappear in Trump’s next White House? HOSTS: • Marianna Spring, Disinformation & Social Media Correspondent ...
May 20, 2024•35 min
Donald Trump’s former lawyer takes the stand. Former US President Donald Trump’s trial in New York is in its fourth week, where he’s accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He’s pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels. This week, the man at the centre of those allegations - Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and right hand man - took the stand. Anthony Zurcher, alongside the BBC’...
May 17, 2024•24 min
Donald Trump and Joe Biden have made plans for two televised election debates. But who benefits? And, crucially, who has more to lose? Justin Webb, Anthony Zurcher and Marianna Spring look into the drama behind the announcement, and the strategy of holding the first debate in just six weeks’ time. Also, should independent candidate RFK Jr - Robert F Kennedy - also be allowed to take part? And, speaking of presidential nominees, we speak to one! Jill Stein, the candidate for the Green Party, join...
May 16, 2024•38 min
Americanswers is back and this week we take a look at presidential term limits. Joe Biden once said he wanted to be viewed as a “bridge” to the next generation in 2020. But did he ever commit to one term in office? Meanwhile, Donald Trump once praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for getting rid of their two-term limits. The team assesses whether Trump would have the ability to follow suit. And, social media algorithms are powerful. How do you leave your own echo chamber in an election year? HOS...
May 13, 2024•30 min
The former U.S. President Donald Trump’s trial in New York is in its third week, where he’s accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He’s pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels. Sarah and Anthony are joined by the BBC’s US reporter, Kayla Epstein - who’s been in court every day - to hear what happened when Ms Daniels herself took the stand, and court artist Jane Rosenberg reveals h...
May 10, 2024•29 min
JFK’s nephew is taking on Biden and Trump as an independent. He’s a big outsider but his high polling numbers are worrying the main parties, who fear that his bi-partisan policies could steal votes. Sarah, Anthony and Marianna talk about who RFK Jr is, why he’s running, and if he lives up to his reputation as one of America’s most famous conspiracy theorists. And they get to the bottom of how he came to have a dead worm in his brain. HOSTS: • Marianna Spring, Disinformation & Social Media Co...
May 09, 2024•30 min
Americanswers is back and we take a deep dive into Joe Biden’s TikTok account and the type of content his campaign is prioritising to win over young voters. A vice presidential hopeful has revealed she killed her dog due to behavioural issues. Will the admission end her chances of being Donald Trump’s running mate? And, Kamala Harris has been given a new nickname by a daytime television host. Who is the White House hoping she can win over on the campaign trail? HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 pres...
May 06, 2024•22 min
Former US President Donald Trump’s trial in New York is in its second week, where he’s accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He’s pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels. Americast is launching a new mini series to break down what’s happening in the courtroom over the six-week criminal trial. Sarah and Anthony are joined by the BBC’s US reporter, Kayla Epstein - who’s been in cou...
May 03, 2024•26 min
Response to student protests across the US have escalated to violence this week, with students clashing, and arrests now exceeding 1,000. We hear from students and BBC colleagues from across the States. And the Americast team speaks to Niall Ferguson, historian and senior fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, about how universities are responding to protests. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Marianna Spring, Disinformation & Socia...
May 02, 2024•38 min
Following the start of Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, we answer your questions on how Joe Biden could handle his main challenger’s legal woes. And, Democrats are worried about the threat posed by Robert F Kennedy's Jr's run for office. But could Kennedy's campaign also be a threat to Donald Trump? We assess his chances and take look at another less conventional third-party candidate. HOST: • Sarah Smith, North America editor GUEST: • Miles Taylor, former chief of staff at Department ...
Apr 29, 2024•41 min
Former US President Donald Trump’s trial in New York began this week, where he’s accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He’s pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels. Americast is launching a new mini series to break down what’s happening in the courtroom over the six-week criminal trial. Sarah and Anthony are joined by the BBC’s US reporter, Kayla Epstein - who’s been in court eve...
Apr 26, 2024•30 min
Hundreds of students have been arrested across the United States as they protest against Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Sarah is at Columbia University in New York City, one of many colleges where students are protesting, but where some Jewish students say they feel threatened by the actions of demonstrators. And Marianna takes a look at how social media, and TikTok in particular, are shaping how a new generation of voters are engaging with politics through the lens of the war in the Middle...
Apr 25, 2024•33 min
In the latest edition of Americanswers, we get down to basics at the start of Donald Trump’s first criminal trial. Who are the jurors selected to decide Trump’s fate? Who protects them? And how are they being targeted online? Today’s opening statements mark the first criminal trial against a president in US history, as Trump stands accused of trying to cover up hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before he won the 2016 election. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Justin Webb...
Apr 22, 2024•32 min
The president has urged Benjamin Netenyahu to “take the win” after thwarting an attack from Iran. The question now is how Israel responds, and if Joe Biden has any influence over it. Christiane Amanpour, the British/Iranian chief international anchor for CNN, joins Americast to assess what could happen next. In Congress there’s a vote on a pivotal deal that would provide billions of dollars for Ukraine and Israel, and introduce more sanctions for Iran. It could change the course of the conflicts...
Apr 18, 2024•37 min
Donald Trump is no stranger to Megyn Kelly. The pair had a very public fallout in 2015 after the former Fox anchor questioned his temperament in a Republican Party debate. These days the pair are back on speaking terms, with Trump often choosing to do longer interviews with one of America’s most recognisable broadcasters. And on the day he became the first ever president to face a criminal trial, Megyn Kelly joins us to give her thoughts on how much the trial could affect the outcome of November...
Apr 15, 2024•41 min
In a heavily-trailed announcement on Monday, Donald Trump released a video on his Truth Social platform to announce his position on abortion. Having been considered one of the most anti-abortion presidents in history, he has now said it is a matter for states to decide and later confirmed he would not sign a federal abortion ban. His stance has led to a backlash from senior Republicans, including his former vice president, Mike Pence. Could the backlash extend to the ballot box in November? HOST...
Apr 12, 2024•35 min
Orenthal James Simpson, known to the world as OJ, lived many lives. First as one of the greatest ever running backs in the history of the NFL, then as a Hollywood movie star. His fame skyrocketed, however, when he was arrested as a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. The ensuing ‘trial of the century’ gripped and divided the nation. As the news broke, the team interrupted their normal recording to relive the shocking events of his life, trial, and acquit...
Apr 11, 2024•18 min
Americanswers is back! In the latest edition of Americanswers, Miles Taylor and Katie Hill join us once more to answer your questions. This week we look at some challenges from listeners about the evidence of social media’s polarising effect in the US, and whether we do enough to hear from Donald Trump’s supporters. We also look at the foreign policy record of the former president as we assess whether the US was safer under his watch. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Marianna Spring, di...
Apr 08, 2024•39 min
Joe Biden and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Thursday for the first time since the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza this week. Netanyahu has called the incident an “unintended strike”, but the White House has said it’s ‘outraged’. Back home, US policy toward the Gaza war is causing problems for the president. A growing campaign of voters are using their ballot to protest Biden’s handling of the crisis. Jeremy Bowen joins us from Jerusalem to assess whether the US/Israel relationship ...
Apr 04, 2024•35 min
The Americast team have left the safety of the podcast studio for an old fashioned radio phone-in! 5 Live listeners were given the opportunity on Wednesday to quiz all of our hosts on the issues that matter going into the 2024 presidential election. Nothing was off the table as we discussed issues ranging from voter attitudes towards Trump and Biden, whether 2024 will be America’s first ‘AI election’, or how the candidates could approach a stacked foreign policy inbox. HOSTS: Sarah Smith, North ...
Apr 01, 2024•38 min
As the election comes closer into view, potential candidates are lining up to be on the ticket with Donald Trump in 2024. After former Veep Mike Pence rules himself out, Americast assembles to answer FAQs about who makes the shortlist and why. Plus, what makes a good VP anyway? And what do they actually do? Find out in the latest Americast. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online co...
Mar 28, 2024•39 min
The city of Baltimore has woken up in shock this morning after a major bridge in the US city of Baltimore snapped and plunged into the Patapsco River. The city’s mayor has called the event an “unspeakable tragedy” and confirmed that construction workers were on the bridge when it collapsed. A state of emergency has been declared in Maryland while a huge search operation is under way for at least seven people. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter GUESTS: • Dr Stergios Aristoteles, Head of Stru...
Mar 26, 2024•25 min
Americast is now publishing two episodes a week! We’re joined once again by special guest hosts Miles Taylor, Trump staffer turned whistleblower, and Katie Hill, former Democratic Congresswoman. They sit down with Sarah and Marianna to go through some of the most commonly asked questions we get on Americast. This episode contains a reference to drug overdose which some listeners may find upsetting. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media corr...
Mar 25, 2024•22 min
In an interview that ranged from content moderation on X to its chairman’s use of ketamine, Don Lemon sat down for an hour-long interview with one of the world’s most prominent entrepreneurs. The interview was meant to be the first in a series in collaboration with the platform, but the company posted that “after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.” Justin and Marianna spoke with Don to get his thoughts on why the Tesla boss cut ties with hi...
Mar 21, 2024•36 min
Americast is now publishing two episodes a week! We’re joined once again by Special Guest Hosts Miles Taylor, Trump staffer turned whistleblower, and Katie Hill, former Democratic Congresswoman. They sit down with Sarah and Anthony to go through some of the most commonly asked questions we get on Americast. This episode contains a reference to suicide which some listeners may find upsetting. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent GUESTS: • Miles...
Mar 18, 2024•37 min
Fentanyl is a pharmaceutical drug that can be prescribed by a doctor to treat severe pain. But like its predecessors, that drug has been illegally manufactured and sold by criminal gangs. The president has called the crisis an “American tragedy” but many angles to the epidemic lie elsewhere in China and Mexico. Ben Westhoff was the first journalist to enter a Chinese fentanyl lab posing as a buyer. He spoke with us about the origins of the epidemic, the scale of the problem for US towns and citi...
Mar 14, 2024•30 min
We answer the biggest questions in the race for the White House... Americast is now publishing two episodes a week! In the first Monday edition of Americast, we’re joined by Special Guest Hosts Miles Taylor, Trump staffer turned whistleblower, and Katie Hill, former Democratic Congresswoman. They sit down with Sarah and Justin to go through some of the most commonly asked questions we get on Americast. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America editor GUEST HOSTS: • Mil...
Mar 11, 2024•34 min
