Americast

Ahead of his meeting with Vladimir Putin on Friday, Donald Trump has said that “in the first two minutes, I’ll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made”. Trump will be the first US president to have a face to face meeting with the Russian president since the war in Ukraine started. Alaska is a state which is already home to a historic deal between both countries - in 1867 the United States p...

What is really behind Donald Trump’s decision to send the National Guard into Washington DC, and what could it mean for other states in America? As troops arrive into DC, after Trump said the deployment was necessary to bring down crime and homelessness, Sarah and Justin talk about why the US president has made the announcement now. We also discuss crime rates, particularly as his opponents say th...

Washington D.C. has been "taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals”. That was Donald Trump’s claim at this morning’s press conference in Washington DC, where he invoked his presidential powers to deploy the National Guard, and do a federal takeover of the state’s police force. Justin and Anthony join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to discuss why the US president is singling out DC, and what...

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said on Monday: “There are no rules anymore, apparently,” as he stood alongside the Democrat lawmakers who fled Texas to prevent a vote which would redraw the state’s political map in favour of the Republican Party. It is a process known as ‘redistricting’, which normally occurs at the end of each decade when the census takes place. But in a move designed to give the...

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has cancelled 22 projects - worth $500m (£376m) in funding – for tackling infections such as Covid and flu. During the pandemic, mRNA vaccines were heralded as a medical marvel that saved lives, but RFK Jr says he wants to shift the money to "safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate". Justin and Marianna look at the broad...

Today, Newscast joined forces with Americast for an episode live from the Edinburgh fringe recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe in front of a live audience. They were joined by friend of the Newscast James Cook to discuss all things Trump. They chat about what it’s like being part of the President’s press pack, why Sydney Sweeney’s jeans are so controversial, plus what last week’s Truth Social posts a...

On this week’s Q&A, why is Donald Trump personally endorsing a jeans advert with Sydney Sweeney? The US president calls it a ‘fantastic’ ad - but the campaign has sparked claims of racism and a row over promoting eugenics? Justin and Marianna also talk about the convicted child sex offender, Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been moved to a new minimum-security facility in Texas. Why has this been sa...

Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch have had a tumultuous relationship over the decades, but increasingly tensions have threatened to boil over. Following Donald Trump’s claim that he’s ‘been treated very unfairly by The Wall Street Journal on everything’, it’s the president versus the press. Will this dispute end their relationship, or are they just going through a rough patch? Joining us on today’s...

President Trump has said he’s holding firm strong on his deadline this Friday for tariffs to go into effect on nations that do not come to new trade agreements with his administration. “THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE IS THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE – IT STANDS STRONG, AND WILL NOT BE EXTENDED,” he wrote on Truth Social. So what can we expect this Friday? Will the US president be true to his word? Sarah an...

It was a wide-ranging and lengthy press conference between Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Trump’s luxury golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland. But what new things did we learn? Could anything sour their relationship? And how clean is Trump’s golf game? Also, the questions keep flying in about the Epstein files. The President has again denied that he'd been told his name appeared...

Since returning to office Donald Trump has followed a familiar playbook when confronted with unfavourable stories in the press, often ending in a large lawsuit. That was exactly the case with the Wall Street Journal, subjected to a $10bn suit after they published a story about Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. But even after the lawsuit, the Journal has continued its reporting on the stor...

We’ve now witnessed six months of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House. In that time he's dominated the world's media and international headlines, but how much has he actually achieved so far? And what could he improve on? Today, Sarah and Justin are conducting a mid-year appraisal of the president with someone who knows him well - Marc Short, chief of staff to vice president Mike Pence d...

As Trump heads to the UK this week in an unprecedented second state visit, the Americast team discuss whether the historic ‘special relationship’ between the UK and USA is better than ever - and what to look out for ahead of the president’s trip to Scotland. The team also unpack why the Epstein files are continuing to divide Trump from his MAGA base, and whether or not Elon Musk’s much-anticipated...

There has been a significant change in how Donald Trump has been speaking about Vladimir Putin and today on Americast, we look at what that could mean for Ukraine and Trump’s relationship with the Russian president. Justin, Sarah and Anthony also discuss Melania Trump and what influence she may be having over his change in position. They also look at the likelihood of sanctions against Russia, and...

Donald Trump is trying to move on and dismiss the growing backlash within his own party over the refusal to release further information related to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This week, the leading Republican - and House Speaker - Mike Johnson has called for Trump to “put everything out there” and publish documents related to Epstein, otherwise known as the Epstein Files. There are a growing...

Adam Fleming from Newscast speaks to the BBC's Chief North America Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue about his exclusive interview with Donald Trump. It happened by phone call, waking Gary up in his apartment as he was asleep. Donald Trump told Gary that he is disappointed but not done with Vladimir Putin. The US president was pressed on whether he trusts the Russian leader, and replied: "I trust almo...

US President Donald Trump and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte have made a statement at the White House to [INSERT DETAILS HERE]. We answer your questions on precisely what this means for the Ukraine war. There were awkward scenes at the end of the FIFA Club World Cup yesterday when Donald Trump joined the Chelsea team on the winners podium yesterday when they lifted the trophy. The tournament is...

There were big promises of deals being struck around the world after Donald Trump announced his “reciprocal” tariffs back in April. But those promises - “90 deals in 90 days” - are yet to materialise and now the president has moved the deadline for those deals from July to August. The president said the plan was always to wait until August for tariffs to take effect, but not everyone’s convinced....

Donald Trump is under pressure from sections of his MAGA-supporting base after a Justice Department memo released on Monday said there was no 'client list' related to the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Conspiracy theories surrounding the Epstein Files argue that he held a client list in order to blackmail high-profile individuals. During the campaign, Donald Trump promised t...

Justin, Anthony and Marianna answer your questions on the devastating flash floods in Texas, which have killed tens of people, including children at a summer camp, and where search and rescue operations are ongoing. There are now questions around why people were not evacuated sooner, the inadequate warning systems in place, and if Donald Trump and Elon Musks’ cuts could have been part responsible?...

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to target illegal immigrants that were the ‘worst of the worst’ with strict deportation enforcements. Six months into his second term, the US president has ramped up his battle over so-called 'sanctuary cities' by taking legal action against Los Angeles, and other Democratic cities. Trump says the Democrats are harbouring “millions of illegal aliens” by...

In the latest instalment of Donald Trump's battle with the U.S. media, Paramount - the parent company of CBS News - has agreed to pay $16 million to Donald Trump's future presidential library. The company noted the settlement does not include a statement of apology or regret. Trump filed the lawsuit last October, alleging the network had deceptively edited an interview that aired on its 60 Minutes...

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...

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 wh...

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. Despit...