We answer your questions on Americanswers. Donald Trump suggested this week that the Supreme Court ruling on birth right citizenship is a victory for democracy. Anthony, Justin and Sarah discuss what the ruling means and how it might be interpreted across different states in America. They also discuss the impact of Supreme Court rulings on Trump’s power as President. Also, as a Republican Senator breaks rank to criticise the Big Beautiful Bill, what will be the impact on proposed Medicaid cuts a...
Jun 30, 2025•39 min
Why has a mayoral race in New York sparked conversations across America about the future of the Democratic party, and the state of politics in the United States? Zohran Mamdani, who looks set to be confirmed as the Democrat’s new candidate for the Mayor of New York has already been labelled a ‘disruptor’ a ‘visionary’ and a ‘communist lunatic’ by Donald Trump. Sarah, Justin and Marianna look at who he is, his politics, and what impact his victory might have beyond New York, America’s largest cit...
Jun 27, 2025•36 min
Donald Trump has aimed his fury at the media after a Pentagon report was leaked to the press claiming that the US strikes on Iran only set back the country’s nuclear programme by a few months. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says the FBI is investigating how the report ended up in the media, while Donald Trump aimed his fury at outlets like The New York Times and CNN for reporting the story. Despite the report, Donald Trump has been boasting of the mission’s success while at a NATO summit in the ...
Jun 25, 2025•25 min
What has Donald Trump started in the Middle East after US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend? He also seemingly changed his position on regime change in the country, posting on Truth Social that it may be needed to ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN’. The Americast team - along with Matt Chorley from 5 Live - discuss the potential fallout of the the strikes within America, whether Congress has any say in what Donald Trump does next, and what happened after the president told his own Dire...
Jun 23, 2025•28 min
Today we look at the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. Donald Trump told Tehran to "make peace" or face "far greater" attacks in future. Iran has warned of “everlasting consequences”. Security analyst Gordon Corera goes through what we know about the strikes and what could happen next. Gary O’Donoghue, chief North America correspondent, explains Trump’s thinking and the reaction in the US You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask ...
Jun 22, 2025•30 min
As the world waits for Donald Trump’s decison on whether to join Israel in striking Iran’s nuclear sites, he is quickly losing support from his own party. Donald Trump has generally enjoyed party unity since returning to office in January but now faces an open revolt over the possibility of US strikes against Iran. Some of Trump’s biggest supporters, including the Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, have publicly come out against the prospect of war with Iran. Why are some of his MAGA supporte...
Jun 19, 2025•34 min
Donald Trump is considering how far the United States should go in joining Israel’s attacks on Iran. Sarah and Anthony - who were both at the G7 summit in Canada on Monday, with Anthony travelling on Air Force One with Trump - discuss whether the U.S. is on the brink of another Middle East war. The president held an emergency Situation Room meeting at the White House in which his national security team discussed how far the U.S. should be involved. One of the big targets would be the uranium enr...
Jun 18, 2025•32 min
“I’m not going to start a war, I’m going to stop all wars.” Donald Trump’s campaign promise from 2024, which he has repeated many times. But following Israel’s attack on Iran there is debate over how involved Donald Trump has been in green lighting Israel’s attack, and how far US support will go. Sarah and Justin - along with Matt Chorley from 5 Live - also discuss the relationship between Trump and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the reactions of world leaders at the G7 summi...
Jun 16, 2025•34 min
By popular demand the Americast team turn their focus on stories that have flown under the radar during the blanket coverage of the disorder in LA this week. Why has the US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior sacked all the members of a committee which makes recommendations on immunisations, and why is there some concern over his new picks? What does the election of two Democratic nominees for Governor in New Jersey and Virginia tell us about the future direction of the Democratic party? W...
Jun 13, 2025•24 min
Sarah and Anthony are joined by Miles Taylor to discuss events in LA and to ask whether the President is deliberately stoking protest for political ends. Miles was the Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security during Donald Trump’s first term but has since become a vocal critic. He talks about President Trump’s ambition to enact similar policies during his first stint in the White House; plans that were ultimately thwarted. With the President now unbound are we seeing the execution o...
Jun 11, 2025•32 min
Donald Trump has defended his decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles despite criticism from Democrats and California officials. The US president says LA would have been "completely obliterated" otherwise and hits out at Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom, who says he's suing the Trump administration. Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to the city to stop protests against immigration raids being carried out across Los Angeles, triggering a political row. Newsom, along...
Jun 09, 2025•25 min
How did one of the most powerful alliances in American politics blow up? The falling out between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has been playing out very publicly on social media, with back and forth insults and threats. Sarah Smith, Marianna Spring, Justin Webb and Anthony Zurcher unpack how the row intensified with Trump threatening to revoke Musk’s government contracts and Musk claiming without evidence that Trump appeared in the unreleased Epstein files. Musk also suggested that Trump should be ...
Jun 06, 2025•29 min
The US president Donald Trump has imposed a full travel ban on 12 countries mainly in Africa and the Middle East, following through on a promise made in 2024 on the campaign trail. But why has the president chosen to implement the ban now, and how likely is it to survive a legal challenge? The ban includes Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia and Libya. But there’s also confusion as to why Egypt remains off the list despite the president citing the recent attack Colorado's Jewish community, which was alle...
Jun 06, 2025•30 min
Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is causing a rift with Elon Musk after the Tesla founder labelled it a "disgusting abomination". If passed, it would add trillions of dollars onto America’s deficit over the next decade. After the bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives it now faces an even tougher passage in the Senate after senior figures like Rand Paul and Ron Johnson called for spending cuts to go further. Justin Webb and Anthony Zurcher assess why Elon Musk has such a problem ...
Jun 04, 2025•25 min
Donald Trump founded Truth Social in 2022 after he was banned from major social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. But is the president the sole user of his account, and are there any “tells” for when someone else has posted on his account? We also answer your questions about whether funding cuts in the latest instalment of Donald Trump’s war with Harvard could lead to a brain drain in the US. And, what next for DOGE after Elon Musk officially left the White House on Friday? Justin, Sara...
Jun 02, 2025•32 min
It’s been a chaotic day in the United States. This morning, we heard the news that a court in the US has blocked Donald Trump’s tariffs. Later this evening, we found out that Trump's tariff plan was temporarily reinstated while a court considers a White House appeal. In between that, we recorded an episode, exploring what all this could mean for the global trade war, Trump’s relationship with the courts, and what seems to be the final moments of Elon Musk’s and Trump’s courtship - as the tech mo...
May 29, 2025•27 min
Elon Musk says he’s 'disappointed' by Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful' tax bill, marking a break from the US president who he helped to win re-election in 2024. Today Matt Chorley is joined by the full Americast ensemble to discuss whether the Trump-Musk bromance is now over. They also explore how middle class Americans view Trump’s ongoing row with Harvard, and assess the most popular presidential dogs. HOSTS: * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter * Sarah Smith, North America editor * Anthony Zurcher...
May 28, 2025•29 min
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa went to the White House in hope of a ‘reset’ with the USA on trade and asylum laws. What he got was a choreographed presentation from Donald Trump with allegations of a white genocide taking place in South Africa, with stark parallels to the infamous Zelensky meeting in the Oval Office. Justin, Anthony, and Sarah convene to check the fact on Trump’s assertions, and discuss why the confrontation might really be a message to his MAGA supporters. Plus, Justi...
May 22, 2025•38 min
Donald Trump's ‘one big beautiful bill’ looks set to be his defining piece of legislation for his second term, if he can get it through Congress. It’s an enormous bill which covers everything from the future of Medicaid, the taxes Americans pay, to border spending and national defence. But not all Republicans are on board and the president may face a fight to pass the bill by his Memorial Day deadline. Justin, Sarah and Anthony unpack how the bill could change peoples’ lives in America, and whet...
May 21, 2025•28 min
Anthony, Marianna and Justin discuss Joe Biden’s announcement that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. They also talk about the political reaction, including US Vice President JD Vance who says Biden and his staff should have been more transparent about the former president’s health whilst in office. They also analyse some MAGA rumours over whether Joe Biden hid his cancer diagnosis, and what this means for the Democratic hopefuls of the future. Plus, the team unpack the backlash to the ...
May 19, 2025•37 min
The fallout from Joe Biden’s failed presidential campaign continues with a new book that accuses senior White House figures of covering up the former president’s “physical deterioration”. The author, Jake Tapper - who co-authors the book with Alex Thompson of Axios - claims Biden did not recognise George Clooney at a fundraiser last June hosted by the Hollywood star and that at one stage of the campaign, aides discussed putting him in a wheelchair. A spokesperson for Joe Biden said "evidence of ...
May 18, 2025•24 min
Testifying in front of Congress is often a bruising process for lawmakers, and Wednesday’s hearing was no exception for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who faced questions on cuts to his department, his stance on vaccines and a measles outbreak in the United States. But with Donald Trump’s second term in full swing, just how far has the former presidential candidate got in his quest to ‘Make America Healthy Again?’ Justin and Marianna chat with Sheryl Gay Stolberg who covers health policy...
May 16, 2025•25 min
It’s Donald Trump’s first major trip in his second term as president and he’s chosen to visit the Gulf in a four-day whirlwind tour. He began in Saudi Arabia for a friendly meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Among other issues he agreed to lift sanctions on Syria and struck a number of trade deals, marking a big shift in relations between the two nations since Joe Biden’s presidency. But the trip threatens to be overshadowed by the fallout from Qatar’s gift of a free luxury jum...
May 14, 2025•27 min
On the first day of Diddy’s trial, jurors have watched a video showing him assaulting his former long-time partner, the singer Cassie. The prosecution’s first witness, a former hotel security guard, says he was called on the night the CCTV video was filmed to help a "woman in distress", where he found Cassie sitting in the corner covering her face. Both the prosecution and defence gave their opening statements. The prosecution say Combs' behaviour was "coercive and criminal" and that he "had the...
May 13, 2025•21 min
Donald Trump says the US has achieved a “total reset” in relations with China after both countries agreed to reduce tariffs on each other's goods for 90 days. Today Matt Chorley is joined by the full Americast ensemble to discuss whether this really marks the end of the trade war between the two nations. The team also assess the world’s reaction to the newly elected ‘woke’ pope across social media, and whether his stance on deportation will result in a head-to-head with Trump. And why might Qata...
May 12, 2025•35 min
As more details of the trade deal between the UK and United States emerge, we get a view from the Novel prize winning economist and author, Professor Joseph Stiglitz. He explains to Justin why the deal is a mistake for the UK, why China has a better strategy against President Trump’s tariffs, and how the UK’s deal adversely affects the rest of the world. Professor Stiglitz is a former Chief Economist at the World Bank, a former chair of the U.S. President’s Economic Council, and his most recent ...
May 09, 2025•22 min
At a press conference inside the Oval Office on Thursday, Donald Trump - with the British PM Keir Starmer on the phone - announced changes to tariffs which included steel, aluminium and car exports. In return, the UK government made concessions on imports of ethanol and American beef, with Keir Starmer calling it a ‘fantastic, historic day’. Justin and Anthony unpack the politics behind the deal, asking who is the real winner? With accusations that the UK has caved in too easily to American dema...
May 08, 2025•31 min
In his first interview since leaving the White House, Joe Biden accused the Trump administration of "modern-day appeasement" in pressuring Ukraine to give up territory to Russia. He also spoke about his ill-fated presidential campaign last year that saw him eventually drop out the race against Donald Trump, saying it "wouldn't have mattered" if he had dropped out of the race earlier. The White House said that Joe Biden was a "complete disgrace" in response to the interview. It's unusual for form...
May 07, 2025•32 min
Mark Carney, Canada’s new prime minister, made a high-stakes visit to the White House on Tuesday in his first meeting with Donald Trump since winning the election in Canada. How will their relationship affect the future of Canada with Trump still hoping to turn the country into the ’51st state’? And, Donald Trump has pledged to reopen the notorious Alcatraz prison. It was originally shut down in 1963 and has since operated as a successful tourist site in San Francisco. Is the president serious a...
May 07, 2025•28 min
As Donald Trump surpasses 100 days in office for the second time, new polls suggest he might not be quite as popular as he claims. Justin, Sarah, and Anthony get together to discuss why the president could be losing support with some Americans and, crucially, whether he cares. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America Editor • Justin Webb, Radio 4 Presenter • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB • Send us a message or voi...
May 02, 2025•32 min
