Americast
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Americast
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...
Recent Episodes
532 episodes
Americanswers… On 5 Live! Can Donald Trump be talked down over Greenland?
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 Gree...
Introducing The Global Story... what's really behind Trump's foreign policy?
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 sa...
The Jan 6th Capitol riots five years on… Why America is still divided
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 withi...
Can Denmark convince Trump not to “conquer” Greenland?
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...
Americanswers...On 5 Live! What do Americans really think of Donald Trump?
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 Venez...
Can the US really rebuild Venezuela’s oil industry?
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,...
The fatal Minneapolis ICE shooting
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 s...
How far will Trump go to seize Greenland?
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 la...
Americanswers... On 5 Live! Could Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro be found not guilty in a US court?
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 N...
Trump’s Venezuela takeover... everything you need to know
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 po...
How did a YouTuber stop federal funding to Minnesota?
The Trump administration has frozen child care payments for the state of Minnesota after the conservative YouTuber, Nick Shirley, alleged that several...
What will be the biggest US stories of 2026?
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...
Americanswers! What’s happening in Trump’s battle with universities?
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 froz...
Were our 2025 predictions right?
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 Mari...
Americanswers! What did we learn from the latest Epstein files?
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 fil...
Can Trump convince voters on the US economy?
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 t...
Has Trump’s chief of staff revealed White House secrets?
Susie Wiles is widely credited as being the mastermind behind Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign last year. The White House Chief of Staf...
The Americast Awards 2025… on 5 Live!
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...
How far will Trump go in his “war” with Venezuela?
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 c...
Does Trump have a plan to reform healthcare in America?
Donald Trump has lambasted European countries as “decaying” and “weak”, singling out the UK, France and Germany for their immigration policies, whilst...
Has Trump just made the US/Europe breakup official?
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...
Is Trump giving the FIFA World Cup a MAGA makeover?
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...
Did Donald Trump fall asleep at a cabinet meeting?
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...
Americanswers… On 5 Live! Why has the US been accused of war crimes off the Venezuelan coast?
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 c...
The Donald Trump v Zohran Mamdani Show
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...
Has Trump's retribution campaign been derailed (for now)?
The Trump administration is planning its next move after a major setback this week. Criminal cases against Trump’s two longtime political foes - form...
Americanswers… on 5 Live! What’s really going on with Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine?
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 o...
Marjorie Taylor Greene v Donald Trump
The Georgia Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is being celebrated by Democrats for being one of the few Republicans to stand up to Donal...
Will Trump delay releasing the Epstein Files?
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...
Americanswers… on 5 Live! Has Donald Trump changed his mind on the Epstein Files?
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...
Are cracks showing inside Trump’s MAGA movement?
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 w...
Trump vs the BBC…what happens next?
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 ma...
Americanswers on 5 Live! Why is Donald Trump threatening to sue the BBC for $1 billion?
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 an...
The Democrats are back…will it last?
For the first time since the presidential election there is renewed optimism among Democrats after a big election night on Tuesday. Alongside Zohran M...
Zohran Mamdani wins New York mayoral race
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 Mamdan...
Americanswers…on 5 Live! Could Andrew answer Epstein questions before Congress?
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...
Is Donald Trump building a ballroom or a bunker at the White House?
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 conspir...
Are the U.S and China about to end their trade war?
President Donald Trump is topping off his whirlwind trip around Asia with a long-anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. Af...
Americanswers…on 5 Live! Will Kamala Harris (and Donald Trump) run for president again?
It’s just over a year since the 2024 presidential election but attention is already turning to 2028 with both candidates from last year’s race express...
Inside Mamdani’s campaign to be mayor of New York City
Voting starts on Saturday for one of America’s biggest and most prominent political positions. How did Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, emerge...