What is the current state of the race as voters in the United States go into election day? When can we expect a result? Which swing states will declare first, and what should we be reading into early results? Justin, Marianna, Sarah and Anthony are all in the U.S. with their insight and analysis, plus what they’ll each be looking out for on election night itself. Plus, election night snacks - what is Sarah scared to try? HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America Editor...
Nov 05, 2024•40 min
The 2024 presidential election is nearly here and as America gets ready to head to voting booths up and down the country, the team offer their advice on timings, key states to watch out for, and when you can head to bed. And Justin, Marianna and Sarah submit their choices for Americast's election day bingo card... This episode has been updated since it was originally uploaded. HOSTS: * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter * Sarah Smith, North America Editor * Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigatio...
Nov 04, 2024•31 min
The gang talk through two surprises in 24 hours in the election race. New polling suggests that Kamala Harris will win in Iowa - a state Trump won by nearly 10 points in the last two elections. But polling is only an indication… they discuss what we can conclude from the result. Plus, Harris appeared on popular late night comedy show Saturday Night Live. Could it help her in the battle for the undecided voter? Talking of undecideds.. Marianna has been investigating how they’re being targeted by ...
Nov 03, 2024•35 min
Marianna and Justin are street side in the Pop-Up Podcast Studio answering your questions. HOSTS: * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter * Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Correspondent GET IN TOUCH: * Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB * Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 * Email Americast@bbc.co.uk * Or use #Americast This episode was made by Purvee Pattni in Pennsylvania. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. If you want to be notified...
Nov 02, 2024•27 min
Welcome to another day on the road with the Americast pop-up studio! Justin and Marianna are trick-or-treating in Philadelphia, a crucial area in the key state of Pennsylvania. They're speaking to voters on their doorsteps about how they’re feeling ahead of 5 November, which is now just five days away… They discuss whether people are concerned about the fallout after election day, their trust in the election process, and why some voters are pinning their hopes on a second Trump term. HOSTS: * Ju...
Nov 01, 2024•21 min
The row over who said who is garbage refuses to go away, and it's starting to stink. It started as a controversial joke at a Trump rally, but the word has now become a problem for the Democrats too. Sarah and Anthony go through the story from the start and discuss whether it’s another ‘basket of deplorables’ moment. HOSTS: - Sarah Smith, North America Editor - Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent GET IN TOUCH: - Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB - Send us a message...
Oct 31, 2024•21 min
The 2024 presidential election could hinge on the state of Pennsylvania, with polls currently indicating that the crucial swing state is locked in a dead heat. On the next stage of our pop-up podcast studio, Justin and Marianna travel to Philadelphia to speak to three first-time Democratic voters who are planning to vote for Kamala Harris. Sitting down in a family home, we chat to them about their reaction to Joe Biden’s intervention in the campaign, whether they’d consider voting for a third-pa...
Oct 31, 2024•34 min
Kamala Harris attracted a huge crowd in DC for one of her final speeches of campaign. But the event’s been overshadowed - at least in part - by a gaffe from Joe Biden that’s caused another row about garbage. Sarah’s there for the speech. And, Marianna’s been speaking to users on X who share content that includes election misinformation, AI-generated images and unfounded conspiracy theories, who say they are being paid "thousands of dollars" by the social media site. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4...
Oct 30, 2024•36 min
With just one week to go until the U.S. presidential election, Americast roleplays as campaign managers for the Trump and Harris teams. Justin, Sarah and Marianna look at how they should be handling the last days of their campaigns, who should they be targeting, where should they go, and what their key messages should be in the last stretch before polling day. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Correspondent • Sarah Smith, North America Editor ...
Oct 29, 2024•27 min
The Trump team has distanced itself from Hinchcliffe’s remarks which he made at the Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday. That hasn’t stopped one of the world’s top Latin celebrities, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, from endorsing Kamala Harris as president. Is this an opportunity for Kamala Harris to gain momentum with the 36 million Hispanic voters eligible to vote this year? We hear from a caller who wants to know why there’s been less discussion lately of Donald Trump’s various criminal case...
Oct 28, 2024•36 min
With just over a week to go until election day, Donald Trump has done a three hour sit down interview with America’s biggest podcast host, Joe Rogan. It’s a direct appeal to men, particularly young, undecided male voters, and those who aren’t interested in traditional politics. Justin and Sarah discuss how significant this might be for Trump, and also, whether Kamala Harris is losing some momentum. We also hear from traditional Democrat voters Zoe and Herbert in Atlanta - the owners of a hair sa...
Oct 27, 2024•35 min
In a phone call following the 2020 election, Donald Trump pressured Georgia’s Secretary of State to "find 11,780 votes" – a move which along with other alleged efforts to overturn the result led to criminal charges against Trump and some of his allies. Sarah’s there, and she’s been hearing about legal cases over who can and can’t vote, as well as from Trump supporters who already have doubts about the reliability of the result. She, Anthony, and Marianna discuss whether we could see si...
Oct 25, 2024•26 min
Our pop-up podcast studio is on the move! Sarah has gone to Georgia, and the weather isn’t the only thing that’s heating up. Kamala Harris has openly described Donald Trump as a “fascist” at a town hall, and Sarah is outside one of his rallies to find out why his supporters are sticking by him. She’s joined by Anthony to talk about what life is like for a BBC correspondent reporting from political rallies when tensions are this high. And we return to our own 'Electoral College', in which Anthony...
Oct 24, 2024•29 min
Anthony joins fresh off a trip with Kamala Harris, spending time on Air Force Two with Kamala Harris and other journalists as two tours three states. Sarah, Justin and Anthony reminisce on times spent with other nominees. Sarah’s been speaking to voters in Dearborn, Michigan, where the largest population of Arab and Muslim Americans in the US live. Could it be a deciding factor in the state? And why are some Democratic organisers now backing Trump? HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah...
Oct 23, 2024•34 min
With election day just two weeks away, Americast looks at the different campaign approaches being taken by both candidates. What are Donald Trump’s and Kamala Harris’s different strategies, and whose is the most effective? As Harris campaigns with Republican Liz Cheney across three swing states, we also hear from Anthony Zurcher who spent the day travelling with the vice president on Air Force Two. We also get Justin and Sarah’s take on how much you can trust the polls, and ask the big question:...
Oct 22, 2024•30 min
Americanswers is back on 5 Live to answer your questions as America is just over two weeks away from electing its next president. With so much attention being paid to swing states and how they might vote this year, are we ignoring other states which could be up for grabs? The team discuss which other states could offer up a surprise for either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. One of the swing states in focus is Pennsylvania, where Donald Trump offered up fries to customers in a McDonald's branch o...
Oct 21, 2024•31 min
The Global News Podcast, Global Story and Americast join forces to answer your questions about the US presidential election. We look at what the result could mean for the Middle East, Ukraine and climate change. HOSTS: * Sumi Somaskanda, BBC Chief Presenter * Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent * Oliver Conway, Presenter of the Global News Podcast and The Newsroom GET IN TOUCH: * Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB * Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +...
Oct 19, 2024•27 min
Many voters will be picking the candidate that aligns with their views on abortion access this year, and in some states, the issue is literally on the ballot. One of them is Arizona, where people are voting on the law around access, and Sarah's been speaking to voters about the debate. We discuss why it’s the debate that Democrats hope this election comes down to, and what Trump's changing view on it is. CHOSTS: * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter * Sarah Smith, North America Editor * Marianna Spri...
Oct 18, 2024•32 min
Barack Obama is back on the campaign trail for Democrats, and over the weekend criticised some voters for finding "excuses" to not vote a woman for president. The former president has taken some flak for his remarks, but polling indicates there is a widening gap between how men and women intend to vote in this election. Sarah, Justin and Marianna unpack the reasons for this shift and why Donald Trump has been appearing on a large number of alternative media outlets aimed at young men. With rumou...
Oct 16, 2024•32 min
With Matt Chorley in the US this week, the Americast team joined presenter Leila Nathoo for another round of Americanswers on 5 Live. With less than 25 days until the election and tensions escalating in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world, how much does foreign policy resonate with undecided voters? With the events of January 6 2021 still fresh in voters' minds, how likely is the prospect of violence this time around in the aftermath of the presidential election? And, the team offer t...
Oct 14, 2024•31 min
James Carville, the influential Democrat strategist, and man behind Bill Clinton’s successful ’92 presidential campaign, is on Americast. His message, ‘It’s the economy, stupid!’ is credited with some of that success. He tells Justin what he thinks Kamala Harris’s message should be in 2024, and why he thinks her party’s campaign needs to be more aggressive. And he talks about being the subject of a new documentary, Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid. HOST * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter GE...
Oct 11, 2024•32 min
More than 3 million homes and businesses in Florida have been left without power after Hurricane Milton tore through the center of the state. The Americast team have partnered with Newscast to bring you a special episode on the storm that arrived less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the Gulf Coast. Sarah is in Miami to survey the scale of the damage, and Justin, Marianna and Adam are in the studio to discuss Hurricane Milton’s potential impact on the upcoming election and the di...
Oct 10, 2024•37 min
Americast is back on BBC Radio 5 Live! The whole team assembled to join Matt Chorley to answer your questions live on air. With almost four weeks until the election, Melania Trump has entered the campaign with the release of snippets from her upcoming memoir in which she forcefully defends abortion rights. Does this present a problem for her husband, as he tries to win over voters who are pro-choice? We unpack how Kamala Harris has changed the Democrat's social media strategy and how different i...
Oct 07, 2024•32 min
How important is the United States when it comes to resolving conflict in the Middle East, and how much power does the U.S. president really have in the region? With the election just weeks away, Justin and Sarah look at how the conflict might affect voters, and what it means for both Donald Trump’s and Kamala Harris’s presidential campaigns. CNN’s Chief International Anchor, Christiane Amanpour joins Justin and Sarah, sharing her insights and contacts from the region. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radi...
Oct 04, 2024•29 min
Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz have taken part in their first, and likely only, debate of the 2024 US election. There were heated moments discussing January 6th, one muted microphone, and lots of policy ground covered: foreign policy, immigration and abortion rights. Will Vance and Walz’s performances help or hurt Donald Trump or Kamala Harris? Sumi joins Marianna and Anthony who analyse who said what, and how much it matters to the presidential race. HOSTS: • Anthony Zurcher...
Oct 02, 2024•27 min
As expectation builds that an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon is imminent, we answer your questions on how the escalating conflict in the Middle East is likely to impact the upcoming US election. JD Vance says he has “learnt his lesson” when it comes to speaking on behalf of Donald Trump. Is he likely to play it safe in tomorrow’s debate with Tim Walz? And, the last presidential election had a turnout of 66.8%. What are Democrats and Republicans doing to win over the millions not taking part...
Sep 30, 2024•30 min
Meet Camille and ‘Wild Mother’. Both women love nature, animals, and the outdoors. Both women also believe the assassination attempts on Donald Trump were staged – but have very different political views. Why do people believe the things they do? And what role do social media sites – and their algorithms – play? In this series, BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring travels to the United States to investigate the social media backdrop to the 2024 presidential election ...
Sep 29, 2024•29 min
Latinos are the second-largest group of eligible voters in the US, making their influence in the presidential election potentially pivotal. Sarah is investigating their sway in Arizona - a state that could help decide the outcome of the race. Which party benefits the most from winning The Grand Canyon State? And is Donald Trump or Kamala Harris making more in-roads with Latino voters? Americast brings in Mike Madrid, a veteran Latino pollster and strategist. What are demographic trends telling u...
Sep 27, 2024•35 min
Republican Mark Robinson’s campaign for governor in North Carolina has been put in doubt after CNN published a report claiming he posted racist and explicit messages on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago. Does the scandal present a risk to Donald Trump of losing the crucial state in November? Plus, we answer your questions on the electoral college voting system. And, with October just around the corner, Anthony and Miles speculate on what could emerge as this election’s...
Sep 25, 2024•36 min
Why Do You Hate Me? USA x The Coming Storm x Americast. A special episode on how social media, and conspiracy theories, are directly impacting the U.S. election in a new way. Who are the Americans sharing their theories online, and what is the real world impact on the election and those people affected by it? Marianna shares insights with Justin from her reporting in the United States for her new BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds podcast Why Do You Hate Me USA, where she hears the views of two women fr...
Sep 23, 2024•33 min
