Donald Trump is back in the White House. The 45th and now 47th president of the United States is wasting no time putting his plans into action. We look at his speech, and what those actions are. Justin, Sarah, Marianna and Anthony are together in Washington as all the news breaks. This episode was made by Chris Flynn with Catherine Fusillo and Claire Betzer. The technical producer was Ricardo McCarthy. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. If you want to be ...
Jan 21, 2025•42 min
At a raucous rally in Washington DC, Donald Trump has promised "historic speed and strength" as he prepares for his inauguration on Monday. Thousands of his supporters are brazing freezing temperatures to watch him be sworn in to office as he told his supporters to expect a blitz of executive orders on day one of his presidency. The Americast team are in Washington DC to assess what is meant by an executive order and how much he might be able to achieve at the beginning of his second term as pre...
Jan 20, 2025•29 min
Joe Biden has given his final address setting out the list of achievements that he would like to define his four years in the White House. Sarah and Anthony unpack at the 46th president’s domestic successes and failures. They’re joined by his former senior advisor, and friend, Anita Dunn. She tells us what the president is really like behind closed doors, how he’ll be remembered, and whether he was just too old for the job. This episode was made by George Dabby, with Rufus Gray, Claire Betzer an...
Jan 18, 2025•49 min
President Biden’s final week in the Oval Office coincided with an historic ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Both he and President-Elect Donald Trump were quick to claim credit for the deal, with Biden beginning his farewell address by highlighting his administration’s part in the negotiations. What does the deal say about Joe Biden’s role in the war between Israel and Hamas, did he make America stronger globally, and how did his presidency influence the war in Ukraine? Sarah and Ant...
Jan 16, 2025•41 min
TikTok’s future in the US lies in the hands of the Supreme Court, as the justices consider whether the app should be banned over alleged national security concerns. Despite support from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, the looming ban is unpopular among many everyday Americans - and incoming president Donald Trump. Sarah, Marianna and Anthony unpick the politics behind the ban and the players who may step in to prevent TikTok shutting its US operation. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North Americ...
Jan 15, 2025•33 min
Three wildfires are still burning in the Los Angeles area and the death toll has risen to 24 as the LA mayor says 'urgent preparations' being made for strong winds. With nearly 100,000 people under evacuation orders and thousands of properties damaged or destroyed, does the US need to rethink the way it builds its homes? And, President Donald Trump was sentenced on Friday to an "unconditional discharge" in his hush-money criminal trial, meaning he will face no prison time, probation or fine. He ...
Jan 13, 2025•34 min
Social media giant Meta says it will abandon independent fact-checking practices on Facebook and Instagram. Is the new policy an attempt to improve relations with Donald Trump before he takes office later this month? And what does the switch-up mean for the spread of misinformation on Meta’s platforms? Meanwhile, Los Angeles is grappling with the most destructive fires in the city’s history - and the response has already transformed into a political lightning rod. Also, Justin and Sarah are join...
Jan 10, 2025•37 min
It was a press conference intended to showcase investment from a Dubai-based firm in new US data centres, but its focus quickly switched to what the incoming president might do when it comes to America’s closest neighbours. Fielding questions from reporters, Donald Trump refused to rule out the use of military force to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal. While he appeared to rule out the possibility when it came to Canada, Trump did say he would use “economic force” to annex Canada and descr...
Jan 08, 2025•35 min
On Monday the Senate certified the results of the 2024 election, the first time it has done so since the January 6 riots in Washington DC four years ago. President Biden vowed there would be no repeat of the violence on that day, so what is security looking like on Capitol Hill? And, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation as Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party. His popularity has plummeted among voters, with polls suggesting his party are on course for a ...
Jan 06, 2025•26 min
New Orleans is mourning the loss of at least 14 people after a pick-up truck drove into a crowd of people in the city’s French Quarter in the early hours of New Year’s Day. Justin, Anthony and Marianna explain what we know so far and how both Joe Biden and the incoming president, Donald Trump, have responded to the attack. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Correspondent • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent GET IN TOUCH: • Joi...
Jan 02, 2025•30 min
On a fateful Thursday evening in November 2023 - to mark a year to go until the election - Justin, Sarah, Marianna and Anthony made predictions for our very own Americast time capsule. Not to be opened until after Americans had gone to the polls in 2024. Who accurately predicted which presidential candidate would drop out of the race, and who said one of the candidates would undergo a health scare? Which issues did we think would dominate the election and why? In this episode we open the time ca...
Dec 31, 2024•29 min
Former US President Jimmy Carter has died aged 100. The 39th U.S. President and Nobel prize winner lived longer than any president in history. He celebrated his 100th birthday in October 2024. How did a peanut farmer from the Deep South and Georgia Governor become president? Justin speaks to Jonathan Alter, author of His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life. From brokering peace in the Middle East, to famously promising the American people he would never lie, Carter served as president from 1977 to 1...
Dec 29, 2024•36 min
Over the course of 2024, X has changed from what Elon Musk once described as a “digital town square,” to a platform that seems to reward users with more extreme political views. Marianna focuses on individual X users who have shot to prominence, and are emblematic of the changes and their consequences. What makes some X users particularly successful, why does it matter, and what are the implications for other platforms? We also look at Elon Musk’s role, and what his game plan could be in 2025 wi...
Dec 27, 2024•23 min
The team go through your questions for the last time this year. How bid would the Watergate scandal be if it happened now? Should Supreme Court justices be elected? And are the British presenters developing American accents… We’ll get into all this and more on a very festive episode of Americast. HOSTS: * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter * Marianna Spring, Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent * Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent GET IN TOUCH: * Join our online community: https:/...
Dec 23, 2024•32 min
The US could face a government shutdown at midnight on Saturday, and Elon Musk is pushing for it. President-elect Donald Trump followed his calls to reject a bill that would have kept the government funded through March. Without it, some public services could be put of hold… So what’s it all about and how serious would it be? Justin, Anthony and Marianna explain. Plus, Walker Watch returns! HOSTS: - Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter - Marianna Spring, Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent -...
Dec 19, 2024•26 min
Donald Trump has achieved a legal victory after ABC News announced that it was paying Trump $15 million and legal fees to settle a defamation lawsuit related to remarks made in March by morning news presenter George Stephanopoulos. Following the settlement Trump said he intends to pursue further lawsuits against “dishonest” media, including the Des Moines Register newspaper for "brazen election interference" over a poll published days before the 2024 presidential election. Could ABC’s decision t...
Dec 18, 2024•26 min
It’s been over a month since Democrats lost the election, and questions linger over the future of the party. One prominent member who has stayed quiet in recent weeks is vice president Kamala Harris. Is she plotting to run again in 2028? Or does she have her eyes on the California governor’s mansion? And, mystery continues to swirl after nearly a month of drone sightings over New Jersey and other states. Officials have not provided any definitive answers to what they are, only saying that they a...
Dec 16, 2024•27 min
Luigi Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania on Monday after a days-long, multi-state manhunt following the suspected murder of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, Brian Thompson. It’s led to a debate about the health system in America and also prompted anonymous donors to chip in thousands of dollars towards Mangione's defence through online fundraisers. Sarah, Anthony and Marianna assess the reaction to the case, and why the case is dividing the public. This episode was made by Chris Flynn with Catherine F...
Dec 13, 2024•32 min
As Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria fell over the weekend, president-elect Donald Trump posted on Truth Social “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT.” But how will American interests in the Middle East develop under a second Trump term? And will it get in the way of the ‘America First’ agenda that helped take him to the White House? The team assess how Trump might respond when he takes office in January, after Justin spoke with John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the UN and former National Security Advisor u...
Dec 11, 2024•28 min
Donald Trump has sat down with NBC's Meet the Press in his first broadcast network interview since winning November's election. The president-elect revealed a number of policy positions that the world can expect when he returns to office. Will one of them be an end to automatic citizenship for people born in the US? And, it’s now five days since UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down in a seemingly targeted attack in New York City. The brazen nature of his killing has shocked the US...
Dec 09, 2024•34 min
Key figures in Donald Trump’s transition team have suggested changing which journalists have access to the White House press briefing room, and who is allowed to put questions to Trump’s new administration. The influence of ‘new media’ platforms - streamers and podcasters - helped win the election for Trump, so could content-creators such as Joe Rogan be included? Also, how will Trump deal with the media in his second term? And how will the media deal with him this time? Sarah and Marianna are j...
Dec 06, 2024•28 min
It’s been one month since Kamala Harris lost the US presidential election and soul-searching within the Democratic Party has already begun as the party prepares for opposition. It’s not yet clear how Democrats intend to approach the next four years with Trump in office. Will they work with or against him? And how do they shape a new pitch to American voters? The fallout continues from Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter. Gavin Newsom is the most senior Democrat to publicly criticise t...
Dec 04, 2024•33 min
In one of his final acts before leaving the White House, Joe Biden has taken the decision to pardon his son, Hunter, who was set to face sentencing this month on federal felony gun and tax convictions. In doing so he becomes the first president to issue a pardon for his son, which forgives any convictions for federal crimes. The president argued that despite his belief in the justice system, politics had “infected” this process and led to his son being treated differently. Donald Trump has calle...
Dec 02, 2024•31 min
This week the last federal criminal case against Donald Trump was dropped. It's a dramatic end to a year in which began with Trump facing nearly 100 criminal charges connected to the two federal cases and others. It was unprecedented legal territory for a former president, becoming the first to face a criminal trial and later conviction, in a case tied to a payment made to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. With just under two months until he's back in office, is he likely to use the Justice Dep...
Nov 29, 2024•35 min
Donald Trump has given the world an insight into what the economic vision for his second term might be, and it can be summarised in what he calls the “most beautiful word": tariffs. The president-elect says he will introduce 25% tariffs on goods coming from Canada and Mexico on day one of his presidency, and add an extra 10% on goods coming from China. Mexico and China have baulked at Trump's proposals, but are they a disguised bargaining chip on drugs and border policy? Justin, Marianna and Ant...
Nov 27, 2024•32 min
Social media platform Bluesky has passed the 20 million user mark and its growing popularity has some listeners wondering if it will lead people towards their existing beliefs and away from political debate. Could its rise further polarise an already divided electorate? And it's just under two months until Donald Trump is inaugurated as president for a second time. We answer your questions on whether his supporters will descend upon Washington DC and whether Elon Musk is likely to foot the bill....
Nov 25, 2024•26 min
RFK is seen as a controversial choice for Health Secretary, not least because he’s a vaccine sceptic who has also rallied against big pharmaceutical companies, but also because of his attitude to big pharma and medical research. Justin, Marianna and Sarah look in more detail at RFK’s record on public health, what his stance on vaccines means for Americans, and whether he’ll realistically be able to take on America’s big food companies. Also, will he definitely be confirmed - as Health Secretary ...
Nov 22, 2024•31 min
As Donald Trump’s list of appointments becomes longer and more controversial, there’s one area that seems set for drastic change: defence. The announcements come alongside Joe Biden’s decision to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles to fire into Russia, just months before Trump becomes commander in chief. We speak to Robert Wilkie, the man in charge of preparing Trump’s defence policy. He tells us what’s happening behind the scenes, how Trump could negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, and ...
Nov 20, 2024•28 min
Over the weekend, President Biden authorised Ukraine to use long-range missiles supplied by the US to strike Russia. Is this his last-ditch effort to help before Trump takes over? Also, Trump’s cabinet picks continue to draw criticism. The Americast team discuss how the president-elect is making his decisions, and whether he’s actually interested in governing once his team is in place. And what do Americans mean by the middle class? HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Marianna Spring, Soci...
Nov 18, 2024•28 min
The involvement of Donald Trump’s close-knit family defined his first term in the White House. Eight years later, his circle of advisers appears to have expanded, welcoming a cadre of media personalities and influencers. Who’s in Trump’s orbit now? Which of his family members are raising their profiles, and who is taking a step out of the spotlight? Sarah and Marianna examine who has the president-elect’s ear with Trump biographer Marc Fisher. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America Editor • Mariann...
Nov 15, 2024•34 min
