Americast

Americast

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  • Ranking

    14th

    on Government

  • Favorites

    1,709

    Followers

  • Typical duration

    31 min

    per episode

  • If it hooks

    69%

    finish an episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

Americast episodes

  • Is Zohran Mamdani the Democrats' new secret weapon?

    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 city.
    We also speak to author (Moneyball, The Big Short) and financial journalist Michael Lewis about his new book ‘Who is Government’, about the inner workings of federal agencies in the US, about why the Democrats need to reinvent their party - and reimagine their next frontrunner.

    HOSTS:

    • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
    • Sarah Smith, North America Editor
    • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent

    GET IN TOUCH:

    • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
    • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
    • Or use #Americast

    This episode was made by Purvee Pattni, Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

    If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

    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.

    US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155

    Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including The Global Story, and of course Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

    The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd

    Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
    Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm

    36 min
  • Has a Pentagon leak shattered Trump’s claims on Iran?

    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 Netherlands, where he compared the strikes to the American bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Second World War.

    Sarah and Anthony assess the president’s options if the strikes were not as successful as he claims.

    HOSTS:

    * Sarah Smith, North America Editor
    * Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent

    GET IN TOUCH:

    * Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
    * Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
    * Or use #Americast

    This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

    If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

    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.

    US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155

    Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Radical, Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

    Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl

    Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm
    Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6

    26 min
  • Americanswers… Has Trump triggered all out war in the Middle East?

    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 Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, that she was wrong about Iran’s nuclear capabilities?

    HOSTS:

    • Matt Chorley, 5 Live Presenter
    • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
    • Sarah Smith, North America editor
    • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
    • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Correspondent

    GET IN TOUCH:

    • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
    • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
    • Or use #Americast

    This episode was made by Rufus Gray with Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

    If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

    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.

    US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155

    Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including The Global Story, Radical, and of course Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

    The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd
    Radical with Amol Rajan: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0gg4k6r
    Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
    Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm

    28 min
  • ​​Newscast: The US Bombs Iranian Nuclear Sites

    ​​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 BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.
    ​​
    ​​You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere
    ​​
    ​​New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1
    ​​
    ​​Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Chris Flynn with Rufus Gray. The technical producer was Jonny Hall. The weekend series producer is Chris Flynn. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

    30 min
  • Why Trump’s Iran decision is splitting the Republican party

    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 supporters against military involvement, and does it fit with the ‘America First’ agenda?
    Sarah, Justin and Anthony discuss how the legacy of America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan loom over the current situation with Iran, and whether Donald Trump even needs the support of his party to join the Israel-Iran conflict.

    And Justin speaks to Elliott Abrams, who served as Special Representative for Iran from 2020 to 2021, during Donald Trump’s first term. He was also an Assistant Secretary of State in the Reagan Administration. In 1992, Abrams was pardoned after he was convicted of misleading Congress about out the Iran-Contra affair, which involved the secret sale of arms to Iran.

    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 voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
    * Or use #Americast

    This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles and Julia Webster. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

    If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

    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.

    US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155

    Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Radical, Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

    Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl

    Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm
    Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r

    34 min
  • Is Donald Trump about to put the US at war with Iran?

    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 enrichment site at Fordo that is deep underground.

    Donald Trump has already called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” following Israel’s strikes but Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US military involvement will be met with “irreparable harm”.

    Does the president have support from the American public and what might happen next?

    HOSTS:

    * Sarah Smith, North America Editor
    * Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent

    GET IN TOUCH:

    * Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
    * Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
    * Or use #Americast

    This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles. The technical producer was James Piper. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

    If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

    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.

    US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155

    Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

    Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl

    Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm

    32 min
  • Americanswers… On 5 Live! Can Donald Trump stop the war between Israel and Iran?

    “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 summit.

    Plus, Trump’s birthday military parade, the funding behind it, and why some attendees were left less than impressed. And does an usual spike in pizza orders reveal some of the Pentagon’s secrets?

    HOSTS:

    • Matt Chorley, 5 Live Presenter
    • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
    • Sarah Smith, North America editor

    GET IN TOUCH:

    • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
    • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
    • Or use #Americast

    This episode was made by Rufus Gray with Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was Michael Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

    If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

    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.

    US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
    Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including The Global Story, The Today Podcast, and of course Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.
    The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd
    Radical with Amol Rajan: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0gg4k6r
    Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
    Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm

    35 min
  • Why has RFK Jr sacked an entire US vaccine safety committee?

    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? We look at why the Trump administration has lost in its efforts to deport Mahmoud Khalil and Kilmar Abrego Garcia, two high profile cases and what this means for the US president’s deportation policy. Plus, how American colleges will be able to pay student athletes millions of dollars.

    HOSTS:

    • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
    • Sarah Smith, North America Editor
    • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
    • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent

    GET IN TOUCH:

    • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
    • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
    • Or use #Americast

    This episode was made by Purvee Pattni, Alix Pickles, Tom Gillett and Gabriel May. The technical producer was Johnny Hall. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

    If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

    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.

    US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155

    Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including The Global Story, and of course Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

    The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd

    Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
    Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm

    25 min
  • Did Donald Trump deliberately provoke the LA protests?

    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 of Trump’s original plans for government?

    And, Miles was the subject of a Trump administration Executive Memo in April which accused him of illegally publishing classified information; disclosing “sensitive information obtained through unauthorized methods” and that his “conduct could properly be characterized as treasonous and as possibly violating the Espionage Act.” He speaks about the impact it has had on him and his career.

    HOSTS:

    * Sarah Smith, North America Editor
    * Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent

    GUEST:

    * Miles Taylor, former chief of staff at the Department for Homeland Security

    GET IN TOUCH:

    * Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
    * Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
    * Or use #Americast

    This episode was made by Miranda Slade, Alix Pickles and Tom Gillett. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

    If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

    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.

    US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155

    Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

    Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl

    Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm

    33 min
  • Americanswers... on 5 Live! Why has Donald Trump sent the National Guard to protests in LA?

    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 with LA mayor Karen Bass, believed local police could handle the protests.
    Justin and Anthony join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions which range from how and why the National Guard was deployed, to whether this is a fight the President has been spoiling for, given his pledge to deport record numbers of immigrants?

    HOSTS:

    • Matt Chorley, 5 Live Presenter
    • 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 voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
    • Or use #Americast

    This episode was made by Purvee Pattni, Alix Pickles, Tom Gillett and Adriana Urbano. The technical producer was James Piper. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

    If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

    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.

    US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155

    Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

    Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl

    Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm

    26 min

About Americast

From the publisher's feed

Insight and analysis on what's happening inside Donald Trump's White House. Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC.

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