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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Is Donald Trump going to cancel the midterm elections? (00:31:31)
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 el...
Why are Bill and Hillary Clinton testifying over Epstein? (00:30:08)
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 con...
Americanswers… On 5 Live! Do the new Epstein files "absolve" Trump? (00:31:52)
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 ...
Can Trump really save the midterms for the Republicans? (00:34:41)
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 ...
Will Trump “de-escalate” Minneapolis tensions after Alex Pretti killing? (00:33:30)
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 p...
Americanswers… On 5 Live! Another US citizen shot dead by ICE. What happens next? (00:40:42)
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...
Are ICE immigration agents acting outside the law? (00:30:21)
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 bigg...
Have Trump and Europe reached a deal on Greenland? (00:29:31)
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 for...
Americanswers… On 5 Live! Can Donald Trump be talked down over Greenland? (00:32:50)
As we mark one year of Donald Trump back as president of the United States, we answer your questions with Matt Chorley on 5 Live. We start with Greenland, and ask whether the president can be talked...
Introducing The Global Story... what's really behind Trump's foreign policy? (00:30:44)
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...
The Jan 6th Capitol riots five years on… Why America is still divided (00:25:47)
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 Hou...
Can Denmark convince Trump not to “conquer” Greenland? (00:32:01)
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?...
Americanswers... On 5 Live! What do Americans really think of Donald Trump? (00:33:07)
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 strik...
Can the US really rebuild Venezuela’s oil industry? (00:26:28)
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 i...
The fatal Minneapolis ICE shooting (00:29:05)
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 appro...
How far will Trump go to seize Greenland? (00:26:20)
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 ...
Americanswers... On 5 Live! Could Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro be found not guilty in a US court? (00:29:55)
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 ...
Trump’s Venezuela takeover... everything you need to know (00:31:49)
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 a...
How did a YouTuber stop federal funding to Minnesota? (00:29:02)
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 publ...
What will be the biggest US stories of 2026? (00:28:09)
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 Mariann...
Americanswers! What’s happening in Trump’s battle with universities? (00:28:46)
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 Univer...
Were our 2025 predictions right? (00:35:04)
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 Tru...
Americanswers! What did we learn from the latest Epstein files? (00:35:00)
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 dep...
Can Trump convince voters on the US economy? (00:24:56)
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...
Has Trump’s chief of staff revealed White House secrets? (00:30:00)
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 power...