Americast

Republican Mark Robinson’s campaign for governor in North Carolina has been put in doubt after CNN published a report claiming he posted racist and explicit messages on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago. Does the scandal present a risk to Donald Trump of losing the crucial state in November? Plus, we answer your questions on the electoral college voting system. And, with...

Why Do You Hate Me? USA x The Coming Storm x Americast. A special episode on how social media, and conspiracy theories, are directly impacting the U.S. election in a new way. Who are the Americans sharing their theories online, and what is the real world impact on the election and those people affected by it? Marianna shares insights with Justin from her reporting in the United States for her new...

America through the looking glass - enter a world where nothing is as it seems. As America heads into a presidential election, Gabriel Gatehouse dives back into the labyrinthine rabbit warren of American conspiracy culture. Whilst liberals across the world worry about a possible return of Donald Trump, millions of Americans are convinced that their democracy has already been highjacked - by a sini...

After a second assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, Americast hears from a former Secret Service agent on what goes into protecting a secret service agent, particularly on a golf course. Sarah, Justin and Marianna are joined by Bill Gage, who helped protect President George W. Bush and President Obama. They discuss what went wrong, what secret service agents hide in their golf b...

The FBI has confirmed it is treating the incident involving a would-be attacker on Sunday as "an attempted assassination" against Donald Trump. We answer your questions on the fallout from another dramatic event in the campaign. Is political violence becoming normalised in the US? And, a controversial right-wing conspiracy theorist was spotted on board Trump's plane for the presidential debate in...

Former President Donald Trump was rushed to safety on Sunday after what the FBI called an apparent assassination attempt at Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach. The incident comes almost exactly two months after a shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which left Trump wounded. Anthony and Sarah - reporting from Florida - answer key questions around what we know so far, who the susp...

The self-proclaimed ‘Childless Cat Lady’ Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris… but what difference is it likely to make, in terms of persuading the undecideds, and getting new voters registered? We also look back at the history behind celebrity endorsements from Frank Sinatra’s backing of JFK to Bruce Springsteen and Ronald Reagan, what motivates a star to back a politician? When does an endors...

And why is "THEY'RE THE EATING DOGS" trending on X? Kamala Harris and Donald Trump meet for the first time on a debate stage in Philadelphia, sparring over key issues and exchanging deep personal attacks. The momentous meeting was marked by question dodging, finger pointing… and pet-eating! The Americast Team analyses the night from the heart of the action. Who will go viral after tonight? Did Tru...

We answer your questions about the upcoming presidential debate. Including: - Their strategies - How they're preparing (and who's role playing Donald Trump for during Democrat rehearsals) - What the rules are HOSTS: * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter * Sumi Somaskanda, BBC Chief Presenter GET IN TOUCH: * Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB * Send us a message or voice note via W...

Americast is profiling the four candidates in the race to become the next President and Vice President of the United States. How did JD Vance, whose memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” about growing up in Ohio amidst alcoholism and drug addiction, become Trump’s VP pick for the White House? Once a fierce critic of Trump, publicly declaring himself a “never Trumper”, Anthony looks into what JD Vance stands fo...

This week is all about predictions, polling and risk taking - what do current polls tell us about who might win the 2024 presidential race? We get a behind the scenes look at how statisticians make their predictions, and how accurate they are. Our guest Nate Silver developed a forecasting system which correctly predicted the outcome of the presidential election in 49 out of 50 states in 2008, and...

Following her first interview since entering the presidential race, where does Vice-President Kamala Harris stand on the issues that matter to Americans? And, is campaigning a family affair? We take a look at whether a single person could run for the White House, or whether a candidate could lose the race because of a media-shy partner. HOSTS: * Sarah Smith, BBC North America Editor * Marianna Spr...

Inside Trump’s White House LONG After one of the greatest political surprises in American political history, Donald Trump’s 2016 victory gave way to a controversial and consequential presidency. We look back on the four years that were defined by staff fallouts, COVID, and an attempted insurrection. Anthony is joined by two journalists who were in the room with Trump while he was changing American...

Americast discovers how Donald Trump's business success came from creating a franchise out of his most valuable commodity: himself. Americast is profiling all the major candidates in the U.S. election - Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Tim Walz and JD Vance - look out for our special profile eps over the next few Sundays! HOST: * Sarah Smith, North America Editor GUESTS: * Marc Fisher, senior editor a...

In 2020 Joe Biden won this key swing state by fewer than 81,000 votes. In 2024, the path to the White House may be impossible for the Democrats unless they win over the people of Pennsylvania. And the Republican know it. Vance and Trump are both visiting this week. In this episode of Americast we investigate what makes Pennsylvania so important, and what makes its voters tick. Sarah and Sumi are j...

US prosecutors have issued revised charges against Donald Trump for the former president's alleged attempts to interfere in the 2020 election after losing the contest. How do they differ from the charges he’s already facing? RFK Jr has officially dropped out of the race for the White House after a campaign which at one point saw him polling in double digits. How will his withdrawal affect the race...

Few people had heard of Governor Tim Walz when he was selected by Kamala Harris to become the Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States. The former teacher was chosen ahead of fierce competition, including an astronaut, and the governor of a key swing state - but why? Americast finds out how “Coach Walz” made his way onto the ticket. Americast is profiling the four candidates in t...

Kamala Harris closed the DNC with a speech that she hopes will sway voters to the Democrats. The day began with speculation over whether she might be joined on stage by Taylor Swift or Beyoncé. In the end, Harris took to the stage alone and focused on her upbringing and a pitch to America’s middle class. The team assemble on the final night of the convention to analyse whether she did enough to wi...

Sarah, Justin and Anthony are at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Tim Walz and Bill Clinton have been sharing a stage with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, and Stevie Wonder. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB •...

Sarah, Justin and Anthony are at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Barack and Michelle Obama have been speaking. The gang unpack the speeches, which also included endorsements of Kamala Harris, innuendos, and classic Obama themes. Plus, a rousing musical appearance from rapper Lil Jon. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Anthony Zurcher,...

The Democratic National Convention is officially underway. The president began his long goodbye from American politics with an address to the nation in which he sought to remind Americans of his achievements in office., at times angry and visibly emotional. And before that there was a speech from former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who used her time at the podium to say that it's time f...

A collab with our friends at BBC Radio 5 Live. HOSTS: • Marianna Spring, Disinformation & Social Media Correspondent • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent • Tony Livesey, 5 Live presenter 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 • Email Americast@bbc.co.u...

It’s the second part of our Kamala Harris profile, as Americast takes a closer look at all the major candidates in the U.S. election. In this episode, Justin goes back to why Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris as his VP, and discusses what she stood for, and achieved during her time in the White House. Why did she lose confidence in 2021? Which issue redefined her, and which Democrats hope will be int...

How much do we know about the four candidates in the race to become the next President and Vice President of the United States? What are their backgrounds, and what do they stand for? Americast kicks off its first profile series with Vice President Kamala Harris part 1. Justin explores her early rise in the state of California as a prosecutor and senator, to her journey towards becoming VP. What’s...

There is new and significant polling from the swing states which is energising the Democratic campaign. But beyond the headline numbers, what do the polls tell us about how long Kamala Harris’s boost in popularity might last? This week Justin and Sarah look at what voters in swing states think about both candidates, and how they decide to who to vote for. Ruth Igielnik, Polling Editor for the New...