Few in Washington took Donald Trump seriously when he first floated the idea of the US acquiring Greenland during his first term as president. Even last year when JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr (the US president’s eldest son) made whistle stop visits to the semi-autonomous island, most observers viewed the trips as an example of the administration’s efforts to troll the international community. But less than a week since Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro was seized, Donald Trump and the senior p...
Jan 07, 2026•26 min
Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro proclaimed "I am still president" and pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges as he appeared in court in New York for the first time. In this episode, we answer your questions, which include looking at the evidence against Maduro, and whether it’s possible a court could find him not guilty. We also answer your questions on who is really running Venezuela now? President Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio seem to have differing answers to that ...
Jan 05, 2026•30 min
How did the US capture the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and how exactly will the US “run the country” until there is a “proper transition of power”? In this episode, Anthony and Justin unpack an extraordinary weekend, with more details on exactly how the US military were able to storm Maduro’s home, and what kind of intelligence the CIA had. They also look at what could happen next in Venezuela. Donald Trump says his Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will he...
Jan 04, 2026•32 min
The Trump administration has frozen child care payments for the state of Minnesota after the conservative YouTuber, Nick Shirley, alleged that several centres run by Somali immigrants were taking public money without providing care. The video has received significant attention from figures like JD Vance and Elon Musk since being uploaded, prompting the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to declare the agency would target "blatant fraud that seems to be rampant in Minnesota". Despite t...
Jan 02, 2026•29 min
The Americast team look ahead to what the big U.S. stories of 2026 are likely to be, and how they might play out, answering many listener questions as they go along. Justin, Sarah, Anthony and Marianna put their 2026 predictions into the ‘Americast time capsule’ which will be sealed and re-opened at the end of next year. Listen to what they predict ahead of November’s midterm elections, who Trump is likely to fall out with next, and what’s next for big U.S. social media companies… HOSTS: • Justi...
Dec 31, 2025•28 min
Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has started a series of high-stakes battles with America’s elite universities. Back in April, he froze $2 billion in federal grants from Harvard University and accused the college of antisemitism, "radical left" ideologies and racial bias. A US federal court has since overturned the funding cuts while other Ivy League universities have struck deals with the White House instead of going to court. In October, Justin and Anthony sat down with Inez St...
Dec 29, 2025•29 min
What did the Americast team get right when they made their predictions for what the big news stories of 2025 might be? Justin, Anthony, Sarah and Marianna look back at a tumultuous year for Donald Trump in his second term, which include deportation raids, Elon Musk’s role, the war in Gaza, the US shutdown and more. It’s time to open up the Americast time capsule of predictions and find out what we got right and what we got wrong… HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North Ameri...
Dec 24, 2025•35 min
The US justice department was forced by law to release documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein at the end of last week, but by Saturday, at least 13 files were removed, leading to accusations of the department violating its obligations. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche later said the decision was taken to protect victims' privacy, but how much is the ongoing controversy around the Epstein files affecting public trust? Tensions between the US and Venezuela continue to escalate after it emerged ...
Dec 22, 2025•35 min
There was a lot of speculation ahead of Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Wednesday night and what the president would say to Americans during television primetime. Ultimately the president gave a full-throated defence of his administration’s achievements this year, with a particular focus on efforts to address the cost of living in the US, which has become synonymous with a debate over affordability. The timing of the president’s speech comes after polling suggests the Republican Party is...
Dec 19, 2025•25 min
Susie Wiles is widely credited as being the mastermind behind Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign last year. The White House Chief of Staff, referred to by the president as the “most powerful woman in the world”, is the gatekeeper to the Oval Office and a crucial figure in delivering Trump’s national agenda. She also rarely speaks to the media, making her an elusive figure in the president’s top team despite her significant influence. But in a series of interviews for Vanity Fair, sh...
Dec 17, 2025•30 min
It’s time for the 2025 Americast Awards… There’s no doubt that it’s been a tumultuous year in US politics. From a dramatic disagreement between President Trump and Ukraine’s President Zelensky in the Oval Office, the deployment of the National Guard to cities across America, self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani becoming the Mayor of New York, to Trump announcing his plan to turn Gaza into the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’. Justin, Sarah and Marianna pitch the moments which they thin...
Dec 15, 2025•35 min
What’s going on between the United States and Venezuela? The Trump administration has been defending its seizure of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast. In a dramatic video shared by the US Attorney General, armed camouflaged soldiers are shown swinging down ropes from low flying helicopters, and running along the vessel’s decks. The US claims the tanker is used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran in an "illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations"....
Dec 11, 2025•37 min
Donald Trump has lambasted European countries as “decaying” and “weak”, singling out the UK, France and Germany for their immigration policies, whilst praising the Hungarian leader Viktor Orban for allowing “nobody in his country”. In an interview for Politico, Trump expanded on his administration’s new U.S. security strategy, which warned that Europe faces “civilisational erasure” unless it changes its migration policies. In today’s episode, Sarah and Anthony unpack Trump’s views, and analyse h...
Dec 10, 2025•31 min
Has the Trump administration just said the quiet part out loud? After months of speculation about what the U.S. really thinks about Europe, the Trump administration has published an excoriating 33-page National Security Strategy. It warns Europe faces "civilisational erasure" over migration and EU integration policies, and questions whether certain nations can remain reliable allies. Sarah, Anthony and Justin analyse its significance and what it means for Europe. Also, Anthony was with Trump in ...
Dec 08, 2025•34 min
As the United States gets ready to host the Fifa World Cup 2026, Americast looks at what’s behind the close relationship between Donald Trump and the president of football’s world governing body, Gianna Infantino. Sarah and Anthony go back to 2018, in Trump’s first term, when America won its bid to host the 2026 World Cup. We look at how the relationship between Infantino and Trump has developed since then, and examine claims that the Fifa World Cup is being over politicised by both men. The US ...
Dec 05, 2025•29 min
In Trump’s last cabinet meeting of the year, we hear the US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth - under pressure over possible war crimes in the Carribean Sea - give his fullest explanation yet over what he knew, and when. Citing the “fog of war” in a chaotic situation, Hegseth said he “did not personally see survivors” after a deadly strike on an alleged drug boat in the Carribean, amid concerns that US forces may have violated laws governing armed conflict. Sarah, Anthony and Justin unpack Hegseth’...
Dec 03, 2025•35 min
Donald Trump has warned that US efforts to halt Venezuelan drug trafficking "by land" would begin "very soon". But what’s actually happening off the coast of Venezuela, and why is Trump calling for Venezuela’s airspace to be closed? And, the president said he would "permanently pause migration" to the US from all "third-world countries" after an attack on National Guard members last week. Could this heighten immigration tensions in the US? Plus, as we return from Thanksgiving break - the busiest...
Dec 01, 2025•31 min
In this episode, Sarah and Anthony unpack one of the most surprising political moments of the year - when New York’s incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani met Donald Trump in the Oval Office. After weeks of insulting each other during the mayoral campaign, Republicans and Democrats are still reacting to what turned out to be a very amicable and friendly meeting. Trump has promised to help Mamdani make New York City a success, and “great again”, but what does this actually mean, and will the US president...
Nov 28, 2025•33 min
The Trump administration is planning its next move after a major setback this week. Criminal cases against Trump’s two longtime political foes - former FBI director James Comey and New York attorney general Letitia James - were dismissed by a US federal judge. Judge Cameron Currie said that prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, who was handpicked by Trump to bring the charges against two of his political adversaries, was never eligible to assume the post. Both Comey and James have maintained their innoce...
Nov 26, 2025•28 min
Donald Trump has posted on social media that ‘something good just may be happening’ when it comes to negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, after overnight talks in Geneva. European leaders criticised a 28-point US peace plan when it emerged last week, saying it was too favourable to Russia. A new plan has been promised, but President Zelensky has played down Trump’s hopes of progress. Sarah, Anthony and Marianna join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions. We look at who’s actually ...
Nov 24, 2025•31 min
The Georgia Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is being celebrated by Democrats for being one of the few Republicans to stand up to Donald Trump in recent weeks. From the Epstein Files to the cost of living, Greene has been vocal in her criticism of the current administration. It’s notable because MTG has been one of Trump’s most loyal allies and a powerful leader of the MAGA movement, and also because her interventions have been influential. Sarah, Anthony and Marianna look back at...
Nov 21, 2025•36 min
Donald Trump says he will sign a bill to release the Epstein Files after it passed nearly unanimously through both houses of Congress. It’s a notable shift in position from the president, who’s come under increasing pressure from Republicans and Democrats to release all files held by the Justice Department on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Will Trump be able to turn this into a victory, and will he be able to repair the rift that’s been growing among sections of his MAGA base? Justi...
Nov 19, 2025•31 min
On Sunday night Donald Trump told Republicans in the House of Representatives to vote in favour of releasing files relating to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “because we have nothing to hide”. It’s a striking change in position from the president who has so far resisted pressure from Democrats and Republicans in his own party who have been demanding that all files relating to Epstein be released into the public domain. One of the Republicans calling for their release is the cons...
Nov 17, 2025•25 min
Fifty year mortgages, recent aid for Argentina, high food prices, a focus on foreign affairs, and Trump telling Fox News that the U.S. needs foreign workers because it doesn’t have enough “talented people”… Americast looks at why some Republicans within the MAGA movement are questioning Trump’s commitment to his campaign promise of “America first”. Justin, Anthony and Marianna look at how and where Trump is under pressure from within the Republican party, and how serious these ‘cracks’ are withi...
Nov 14, 2025•34 min
In a Fox News interview released on Tuesday, Donald Trump says he has an ‘obligation’ to sue the BBC for the way it edited a section of a speech he made on January 6th 2021 - the day of the US Capitol riots - as part of a Panorama documentary. The Chair of the BBC, Samir Shah said “the BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement”. The BBC has been given a Friday deadline by Trump to respond or face possible legal action, with the US president threatening to sue the corporation for a ...
Nov 12, 2025•29 min
President Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for $1 billion over how the editing of his speech in a Panorama documentary, calling it "false and defamatory". The BBC chair Samir Shah has apologised for an "error of judgement" over the edit, and said the BBC was considering how to respond to Trump. Matt Chorley, Justin, Anthony and Marianna discuss what Trump actually said in his January 6th speech, Trump’s long battle with the mainstream media, and what this could mean for the BBC. We als...
Nov 10, 2025•33 min
For the first time since the presidential election there is renewed optimism among Democrats after a big election night on Tuesday. Alongside Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York and the governor races in New Jersey and West Virginia, the party also won important - albeit less glamorous - races in Pennsylvania and Georgia. In this episode, Justin, Anthony and Sarah unpack how and where the Democrats won, and what it means for the party and next year’s midterm elections. For Republicans, the inquest ...
Nov 06, 2025•46 min
Election night is back in the US and this time around there’s a lot more for the Democrats to cheer about after the party’s rising star, Zohran Mamdani, won the New York City mayoral election and will become the first Muslim mayor of the biggest city in America. The 34-year-old led his party to victory on the back of pledges to tax millionaires to pay for expanded social programmes and said that New York could be the “light” in a moment of “political darkness”. President Donald Trump has respond...
Nov 05, 2025•30 min
Sarah, Anthony and Marianna join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions. The team look at a week of elections in New York, Virginia and New Jersey, how recent developments with the royal family could impact the release of the Epstein files in the US, and whether the president is serious about testing nuclear weapons for the first time since the 90s. Plus, Democrat frontrunner Zohran Mamdani appears to be the favourite for this week’s NYC mayoral elections. But just how radical are Mamda...
Nov 03, 2025•34 min
Donald Trump’s decision to demolish the East Wing of the White House in favour of a new and much larger ballroom has sparked controversy - and conspiracy theories - across the U.S. The president has wanted to build the ballroom since his first term in office, but he told reporters over the summer that the plans would not "interfere” with any other parts of the White House. The president says the project will be funded by private donations, backed by some of America’s largest tech companies, spar...
Oct 31, 2025•32 min
