Our latest mini series is here and this time we're profiling some of the key players in Donald Trump's presidency, who are now running America. Over the next few weeks, new profiles will drop every Sunday. Elon Musk is one of the most influential people inside Trump's White House, as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is making huge and sweeping cuts to federal government. He's also the richest person in the world, and controls key companies in the United...
Feb 09, 2025•29 min
In the three weeks since Donald Trump returned to the White House, Elon Musk has taken a wrecking ball to the federal government in what he has called "a revolution of the people". That revolution has included offers to buyout millions of federal employees, accessing sensitive data of millions of Americans and sweeping efforts to shut down federal agencies like USAID. What, if anything, can get in Musk's way? And has there ever been so much power wielded in America by an unelected individual? HO...
Feb 07, 2025•33 min
In an extraordinary press conference alongside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump suggested the US could “own” the Gaza Strip and turn it into "the Riviera of the Middle East". His comments have sparked condemnation from countries across the Middle East and the Palestinian Authority says its people will not be resettled. The Americast team give their analysis and ask whether Trump’s words should be taken at face value. HOSTS: * Sarah Smith, North America Editor * Marianna Sp...
Feb 05, 2025•29 min
After announcing he would place tariffs on Canada and Mexico during his campaign, the president nearly followed through. After sending the world economy into a frenzy, Trump then postponed the trade war with his North American neighbours on hold after securing concessions from both of them over border security. But he still has China and the EU in his sights. Is the UK next on the list for the trade war? And how do tariffs work anyway? Sarah and Justin join Matt Chorley to try and make sense of ...
Feb 03, 2025•27 min
Our latest mini series is here and this time we're profiling some of the key players in Donald Trump's presidency, who are now running America. Over the next few weeks, new profiles will drop every Sunday. We start with Marco Rubio, the one-time presidential hopeful in 2016 who famously fell out with Trump when vying for the Republican nomination. The pair have since patched things up, but how did the man once coined as the Republican Party's equivalent to Barack Obama end up as America's top di...
Feb 02, 2025•30 min
With daily announcements, executive orders and press conferences from Trump’s presidency in its first fortnight, how should we be navigating the daily torrent of news? Americast examines the deliberate strategy by the White House (also used in Trump’s first presidency) to “flood the zone” with news. Justin, Anthony and Marianna discuss whether Democrats and the media should be properly scrutinising each news story, what to ignore, and whether the strategy is successfully working for President Tr...
Jan 31, 2025•33 min
An air collision involving a commercial jet and a military helicopter is believed to have killed 67 people in Washington DC. The recovery operation continues with the cause of the disaster still unknown. Anthony speaks to Sarah, who's been on the banks of the Potomac River where the rescue operation is taking place. 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...
Jan 30, 2025•20 min
Donald Trump's plans to reshape the federal government have gathered pace after almost all federal employees received an email on Tuesday offering the option to resign and receive pay for eight months. How many workers will take up the offer and what happens to those that don't? And, Karoline Leavitt has made history as the youngest White House press secretary at the age of 27. Sarah was at her first briefing in which she announced changes to how the briefing room will operate and sparred with r...
Jan 29, 2025•25 min
It’s been a week since President Trump took the oath of office for the second time, and his administration have wasted no time in issuing executive orders and setting the tone for the next four years. Sarah, Justin and Marianna join Matt Chorley on BBC Radio 5 Live once again to answer your questions on coins, Greenland, Columbia, and what the Democrats have been up to. And, our own Anthony Zurcher asked Trump a question over the weekend about his thoughts on Keir Starmer. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, ...
Jan 27, 2025•33 min
After he declared that "America's sovereignty is under attack” in an executive order, reports suggest that Donald Trump could send thousands of troops to install barriers at the US border with Mexico. Are barriers the answer to stop illegal crossings? President Trump has given his first broadcast interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News. In the interview he described the attacks on January 6 as “very minor incidents” and suggested Joe Biden should have pardoned himself before leaving office. But ...
Jan 23, 2025•31 min
On the first full day of his presidency, Donald Trump defended his decision to release high-profile prisoners jailed over the Capitol riots and to pardon nearly 1,600 people in connection with Jan 6th. Marianna, Sarah and Anthony are together in DC as they discuss who has been released, what the reaction has been, and how Trump is changing the narrative over who was responsible for the riots. Also, Trump’s former advisor Bryan Lanza joins the pod with an inside view on why the immigration raids ...
Jan 22, 2025•37 min
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
