Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC.
Each week we provide audiences with the best analysis from across the BBC, with on-the-ground observations and big picture insights about the stories which are defining America right now.
The podcast is hosted by trusted BBC journalists including the BBC’s North America editor, Sarah Smith, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Justin Webb, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring, and BBC North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher.
As well as political analysis, we also specialise in social media. Each week Marianna Spring brings listeners the latest updates from the BBC’s Undercover Voters, our award-winning investigation into the content that is recommended to US voters on social media.
The team is also joined by special guests each week, like CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour, Emmy Award-winning TV host, Rachel Maddow, and Succession actress, J Smith-Cameron.
Podcasts are published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As well as being a podcast, we are also available every Friday on the World Service. Oh, and by the way, you can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say ‘”Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers.
Every Monday we answer your questions on Americanswers, with some help from special guests, including Miles Taylor, who was chief of staff at the Department for Homeland Security during the Trump presidency before becoming a whistleblower. Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with us on email at Americast@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
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The US-Israel war with Iran has continued into a second week, with America’s allies still scrambling to respond. Oil prices are dominating the headlines with the cost of a barrel exceeding $100 for the first time since 2022. In this episode, Justin, Marianna and Anthony join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions about the war, including whether Europe still needs to cooperate with the White House, and whether Trump’s war is motivated by oil. Meanwhile, the White House is uploading soci...
Saturday marks one week of the US-Israel war on Iran. In that time, we have heard shifting stories and opposing justifications from the Trump administration on why military action was taken. BBC North America editor Sarah Smith and BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher discuss the changing narratives, and look at the many questions that remain unanswered. This includes, examining what does success look like for America and whether Trump needs Congress to carry on funding the war in the...
In this episode, Justin and Anthony look at other news stories happening in the United States, away from the US-Israel war with Iran. Anthony is in Dallas, Texas, for the first big primary elections of this year’s midterms, where Democrats have now chosen rising star James Talarico to be their candidate. It’s been over thirty years since a Democrat in Texas has won a US senate seat, so what does Talarico’s victory tell us about how Democrats might push back against Trump and Republicans more wid...
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Defence Secretary has defended the US/Israeli war with Iran, refuting concerns from the “fake news” media that the conflict would lead to an “endless war” and making clear there would be “no stupid rules of engagement” or “politically-correct wars”. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, making his first public comments from the White House, told his audience the US has the “capability to go far longer”, whilst also projecting a four-five week mission. In this episode, Justin and Anthony...
In the biggest political gamble of his presidency so far, Donald Trump has defended his decision for the United States to bomb Iran - alongside Israel - as a “noble” mission to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and says military operations are “ahead of schedule”. The US president announced the start of the war on Saturday via an 8 minute video on his social media platform, Truth Social, from his Mar a Lago home in Florida. In this episode Sarah and Justin unpack Trump’s announcement, h...
The midterm elections are underway in the Republican stronghold of Texas. Early voting has begun in the primaries and Democrats are hopeful they could win a Texas senate seat for the first time in over 30 years. The election will have national consequences - Texas is one of America’s political power centres and Republicans from here have dominated the national agenda from immigration, to the courts, to reshaping electoral districts. Taking back Texas could help Democrats take back the House, the...
The Americast team assembles for a late evening/early morning special as President Trump delivers the longest State of the Union address ever. On the agenda was a full-throated defence of the administration’s record, hailing a "turnaround for the ages,” whilst playing down the Supreme Court's ruling against his signature tariff policy (with the judges themselves in the crowd). Despite the speech lasting nearly two hours, there was little to suggest a change of course from Trump’s favourite takin...
Fresh questions are emerging about the Jeffrey Epstein case, after the release of new material and renewed scrutiny over why more Americans have not faced charges linked to him. Sarah, Marianna and Anthony join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions including who, if anyone, could still be held accountable in the US. And with tensions rising between Iran and the US, Trump says he is considering military options while insisting diplomacy remains on the table. Steve Witkoff told Fox News ...
Donald Trump has called the Supreme Court’s ruling blocking many of his sweeping tariffs ‘deeply disappointing’ and has announced a new 10 per cent tariff on global imports. Justin, Sarah and Anthony jumped into action following the President’s press conference to unpack the day’s drama: starting with the US Supreme Court decision to block global tariffs and ending with the President’s withering attack on some of the justices for their decision. The president spoke a few hours after the US Supre...
Who are the people shaping MAGA ideology in the US? Tucker Carlson’s story tells a larger one about just how much conservative media has changed in the United States, and the direction of conservatism itself. Jason Zengerle, New Yorker staff writer and author of ‘Hated by All the Right People’, joins us to map Tucker Carlson’s trajectory from centre-right talk show host to one of the most prominent figures in the MAGA movement, with the ear of the president and a knack for gauging the mood of th...
President Trump described his Board of Peace as “the most consequential international organisation ever.” The Board, which Donald Trump heads in perpetuity, is having its inaugural meeting in Washington, DC, on Thursday February 19. Sarah and Anthony convene to tell you everything you know ahead of the meeting: lay out exactly what the Board is, what it does, who its members are, and crucially: what Donald Trump wants to get out of it. Plus, a handful of prominent Democrats appeared at the Munic...
In fiery congressional hearings last week, US Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the justice department's handling of the Epstein files. Several of Epstein's victims watched heated exchanges as Bondi faced a range of questions, including whether the files were sufficiently redacted, Trump’s role, Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison treatment and whether the Attorney General had met with victims. Justin, Marianna, Sarah and Anthony also discuss the difficulties for survivors of Epstein’s abuse in obtaini...
Will Donald Trump be legally allowed to proceed with key elements of his second term agenda - such as imposing global trade tariffs, ending birthright citizenship and the right to sack heads of independent agencies? As the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the legality of major policies from the Trump administration, we look at whether the court will stand up to Donald Trump, or further expand the power of the US presidency? Justin and Anthony are joined by Kate Shaw, former Supreme Court clerk,...
The paper that contributed to the resignation of President Nixon over Watergate and the Vietnam war is now having to rethink its future. The Washington Post’s owner - Amazon boss Jeff Bezos - has announced mass layoffs at the newspaper, which will fundamentally change how it covers the news. When Bezos bought the paper in 2013, he reassured staff about a “new golden era for the Washington Post”, and later adopted a new slogan for the Washington Post “Democracy Dies in Darkness”. Justin and Antho...
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance was a love letter to Latin culture, paying homage to his birthplace Puerto Rico and making history as the first Super Bowl performance performed entirely in Spanish. He was joined onstage by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin for what is regularly the most-watched event on US TV. But Donald Trump wasn’t a fan. In a Truth Social post after the show he called it "absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!". But what did US viewers think? Plus, the White House has taken...
This week Donald Trump has doubled down on why he thinks power should be taken away from individual states when it comes to running elections. Instead, he says federal government should be running elections - contrary to the U.S. constitution - claiming there is too much corruption from “crooked” blue Democrat states. In this episode, Justin and Anthony unpack what the president is proposing, and look at other ways Republicans could disrupt this year’s midterms. Also, is there a way Trump may be...
In one of the biggest US headlines to emerge from the latest Epstein files, former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, have agreed to testify in the congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Sarah, Anthony, and Marianna explain why they are testifying, having previously dismissed legal summons issued to them, saying they had already submitted sworn statements covering the "limited information" they had on Epstein. Bill Clinton denies knowle...
The Department of Justice has said that their review process into files related to Jeffrey Epstein is over, after a new tranche was released on Friday. Donald Trump says the lack of evidence in this batch absolves him of any guilt, while survivors and Democrats say there are still unanswered questions and unseen documents. Justin, Sarah, Marianna and Anthony discuss where this leaves the president and his MAGA base. Also, what does it mean for Epstein's victims, particularly as many victims’ nam...
Can Republicans win the midterm elections and keep control of both houses of Congress? It’s the biggest political event of the year, and this week Donald Trump kicked off the Republican’s campaign in Iowa, telling voters the odds are against him, but Republicans “need to win”. The president’s chief of staff says this is just the start, and Trump will be campaigning for the midterms as if it were a presidential race because he’s good at driving voter turnout. In this episode, Sarah and Anthony di...
What does Donald Trump actually mean when he says his administration plans to “de-escalate a little” in Minneapolis? On Tuesday Democratic Rep Ihan Omar was attacked at a local event in the city and protests are continuing following Saturday’s shooting of US citizen Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents. Video evidence contradicts claims by Trump administration officials immediately after Pretti’s killing that he was a “domestic terrorist”, planning a “massacre” and “brandishing” a weapon. I...
After a second fatal shooting in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs federal agents, pressure is growing on the Trump administration to hold a full inquiry into what happened. On Saturday, 37 year old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was fatally shot during an altercation with federal immigration agents. In this episode, the Americast team unpack widely circulated video footage which directly contradicts the Trump administration’s version of events. How big a moment is this for Donald Trump’s...
Donald Trump came into power with a promise to carry out the “largest mass deportation programme in history”. One year on, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids in US cities are one of biggest political issues dividing America right now, with questions over how ICE agents are behaving and who they are targeting. In this episode, Anthony, Marianna and Justin look at whether ICE agents are going beyond their remit, and is public opinion starting to turn against the president? We focus on...
What exactly is Donald Trump’s plan for Greenland? Donald Trump began on Wednesday by telling world leaders in more detail why the United States needs to acquire Greenland. He ruled out the use of force and made fresh claims on why Greenland needs to be owned by the United States, deriding European leaders and NATO. But by the end of the day the president announced he no longer plans to impose tariffs on European countries opposing his ambitions for the US to acquire Greenland. In a social media...
Americast explores Donald Trump's first year back in office, focusing on his controversial push to acquire Greenland, the muted Republican response, and his unconventional letter to Norway about the Nobel Peace Prize. The discussion also covers pressing domestic issues like the Minnesota ICE raids and the state of the US economy, alongside RFK Jr.'s health reform and vaccine policies. Finally, the episode scrutinizes Trump's evolving foreign policy, particularly his calculated approach to Iran, and his broad reshaping of presidential powers.
How are Donald Trump’s ambitions in Venezuela and Greenland changing America’s place in the world? President Trump’s key adviser Stephen Miller has said that we are living in a world “that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power” - so where has that philosophy come from? All this week, we are teaming up with our sister podcasts to explore how power and influence around the world is shifting. We exploring who is in a sphere of influence and who is being contr...
Five years on from the Jan 6th Capitol riots in Washington DC, the narrative around what happened that day continues to shift and cause division within America. In Congress, a new Republican-led House panel the Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding January 6th 2021 held its first hearing this week. Republicans say it’s needed because the previous committee, led by Democrat Nancy Pelosi was a “sham from the start”, finding Trump responsible for inciting the riots....
There are two big stories on today’s episode. What happened when foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland met with Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House? We discuss their “frank” talks and “fundamental disagreements”. Plus, the world’s top central banker Jerome Powell has hit back at the US president in an unprecedented video statement on social media. It follows the Trump administration opening a criminal investigation against Jerome Powell, chair ...
Donald Trump won his second presidency on a promise to put “America First” and to “Make America Great Again”. But with his recent action against Venezuela, and ambitions to acquire Greenland and strike Iran - in the midst of a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis - how much support does Trump really have? Justin, Sarah and Marianna discuss whether Trump Is losing popularity with those who voted for him in 2024. The team also - along with Matt Chorley from 5 Live - look at the upcoming aftermath of ...
In the fallout of Nicolas Maduro’s dramatic capture from Venezuela to the US, Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire to obtain Venezuelan oil, which he says is integral for keeping prices low in America. He’s also pledged to have the US oil industry operating in Venezuela within 18 months and that there would be huge private-sector investments into the country. Reports suggest representatives from major US petroleum companies are due to meet the Trump administration this week. Not everyon...
Protests have broken out in Minneapolis after a US immigration agent shot dead a 37-year-old woman in the city. Videos posted on social media show the moment of the shooting, in which ICE agents approach a car in the middle of a residential street. As it attempts to drive off, one of the agents points his gun at the driver and at least two shots are heard. With the Trump administration characterising the incident as “domestic terrorism”, alleging Renee Good had “harassed” officers all day prior ...
