Former US President Donald Trump’s trial in New York is in its second week, where he’s accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He’s pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels. Americast is launching a new mini series to break down what’s happening in the courtroom over the six-week criminal trial. Sarah and Anthony are joined by the BBC’s US reporter, Kayla Epstein - who’s been in...

Response to student protests across the US have escalated to violence this week, with students clashing, and arrests now exceeding 1,000. We hear from students and BBC colleagues from across the States. And the Americast team speaks to Niall Ferguson, historian and senior fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, about how universities are responding to protests. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Marianna Spring, Disinformation...

Following the start of Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, we answer your questions on how Joe Biden could handle his main challenger’s legal woes. And, Democrats are worried about the threat posed by Robert F Kennedy's Jr's run for office. But could Kennedy's campaign also be a threat to Donald Trump? We assess his chances and take look at another less conventional third-party candidate. HOST: • Sarah Smith, North America editor GUEST: • Miles Taylor, former chief of staff at...

Former US President Donald Trump’s trial in New York began this week, where he’s accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He’s pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels. Americast is launching a new mini series to break down what’s happening in the courtroom over the six-week criminal trial. Sarah and Anthony are joined by the BBC’s US reporter, Kayla Epstein - who’s been in court...

Hundreds of students have been arrested across the United States as they protest against Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Sarah is at Columbia University in New York City, one of many colleges where students are protesting, but where some Jewish students say they feel threatened by the actions of demonstrators. And Marianna takes a look at how social media, and TikTok in particular, are shaping how a new generation of voters are engaging with politics through the lens of the war in the...

In the latest edition of Americanswers, we get down to basics at the start of Donald Trump’s first criminal trial. Who are the jurors selected to decide Trump’s fate? Who protects them? And how are they being targeted online? Today’s opening statements mark the first criminal trial against a president in US history, as Trump stands accused of trying to cover up hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before he won the 2016 election. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Justin...

The president has urged Benjamin Netenyahu to “take the win” after thwarting an attack from Iran. The question now is how Israel responds, and if Joe Biden has any influence over it. Christiane Amanpour, the British/Iranian chief international anchor for CNN, joins Americast to assess what could happen next. In Congress there’s a vote on a pivotal deal that would provide billions of dollars for Ukraine and Israel, and introduce more sanctions for Iran. It could change the course of the...

Donald Trump is no stranger to Megyn Kelly. The pair had a very public fallout in 2015 after the former Fox anchor questioned his temperament in a Republican Party debate. These days the pair are back on speaking terms, with Trump often choosing to do longer interviews with one of America’s most recognisable broadcasters. And on the day he became the first ever president to face a criminal trial, Megyn Kelly joins us to give her thoughts on how much the trial could affect the outcome of...

In a heavily-trailed announcement on Monday, Donald Trump released a video on his Truth Social platform to announce his position on abortion. Having been considered one of the most anti-abortion presidents in history, he has now said it is a matter for states to decide and later confirmed he would not sign a federal abortion ban. His stance has led to a backlash from senior Republicans, including his former vice president, Mike Pence. Could the backlash extend to the ballot box in...

Orenthal James Simpson, known to the world as OJ, lived many lives. First as one of the greatest ever running backs in the history of the NFL, then as a Hollywood movie star. His fame skyrocketed, however, when he was arrested as a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. The ensuing ‘trial of the century’ gripped and divided the nation. As the news broke, the team interrupted their normal recording to relive the shocking events of his life, trial, and...

Americanswers is back! In the latest edition of Americanswers, Miles Taylor and Katie Hill join us once more to answer your questions. This week we look at some challenges from listeners about the evidence of social media’s polarising effect in the US, and whether we do enough to hear from Donald Trump’s supporters. We also look at the foreign policy record of the former president as we assess whether the US was safer under his watch. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Marianna...

Joe Biden and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Thursday for the first time since the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza this week. Netanyahu has called the incident an “unintended strike”, but the White House has said it’s ‘outraged’. Back home, US policy toward the Gaza war is causing problems for the president. A growing campaign of voters are using their ballot to protest Biden’s handling of the crisis. Jeremy Bowen joins us from Jerusalem to assess whether the US/Israel...

The Americast team have left the safety of the podcast studio for an old fashioned radio phone-in! 5 Live listeners were given the opportunity on Wednesday to quiz all of our hosts on the issues that matter going into the 2024 presidential election. Nothing was off the table as we discussed issues ranging from voter attitudes towards Trump and Biden, whether 2024 will be America’s first ‘AI election’, or how the candidates could approach a stacked foreign policy inbox. HOSTS: Sarah Smith,...

As the election comes closer into view, potential candidates are lining up to be on the ticket with Donald Trump in 2024. After former Veep Mike Pence rules himself out, Americast assembles to answer FAQs about who makes the shortlist and why. Plus, what makes a good VP anyway? And what do they actually do? Find out in the latest Americast. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent GET IN TOUCH: • Join our...

The city of Baltimore has woken up in shock this morning after a major bridge in the US city of Baltimore snapped and plunged into the Patapsco River. The city’s mayor has called the event an “unspeakable tragedy” and confirmed that construction workers were on the bridge when it collapsed. A state of emergency has been declared in Maryland while a huge search operation is under way for at least seven people. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter GUESTS: • Dr Stergios Aristoteles, Head...

Americast is now publishing two episodes a week! We’re joined once again by special guest hosts Miles Taylor, Trump staffer turned whistleblower, and Katie Hill, former Democratic Congresswoman. They sit down with Sarah and Marianna to go through some of the most commonly asked questions we get on Americast. This episode contains a reference to drug overdose which some listeners may find upsetting. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media...

In an interview that ranged from content moderation on X to its chairman’s use of ketamine, Don Lemon sat down for an hour-long interview with one of the world’s most prominent entrepreneurs. The interview was meant to be the first in a series in collaboration with the platform, but the company posted that “after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.” Justin and Marianna spoke with Don to get his thoughts on why the Tesla boss cut ties with...

Americast is now publishing two episodes a week! We’re joined once again by Special Guest Hosts Miles Taylor, Trump staffer turned whistleblower, and Katie Hill, former Democratic Congresswoman. They sit down with Sarah and Anthony to go through some of the most commonly asked questions we get on Americast. This episode contains a reference to suicide which some listeners may find upsetting. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent GUESTS: •...

Fentanyl is a pharmaceutical drug that can be prescribed by a doctor to treat severe pain. But like its predecessors, that drug has been illegally manufactured and sold by criminal gangs. The president has called the crisis an “American tragedy” but many angles to the epidemic lie elsewhere in China and Mexico. Ben Westhoff was the first journalist to enter a Chinese fentanyl lab posing as a buyer. He spoke with us about the origins of the epidemic, the scale of the problem for US towns and...

We answer the biggest questions in the race for the White House... Americast is now publishing two episodes a week! In the first Monday edition of Americast, we’re joined by Special Guest Hosts Miles Taylor, Trump staffer turned whistleblower, and Katie Hill, former Democratic Congresswoman. They sit down with Sarah and Justin to go through some of the most commonly asked questions we get on Americast. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America editor GUEST HOSTS:...

Under the close gaze of his critics - and millions of American voters - Joe Biden delivered arguably the most significant State of the Union address in recent times. The president chose to focus on his economic record, his plans to to fix America's immigration system and repeatedly took aim against Donald Trump. The Americast team chew over the president's speech with the help of Joe Biden's former speechwriter, Jeff Nussbaum, who told us what it's like to work with him and how you judge the...

Fifteen states voted on super Tuesday to decide who the nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties will be. Donald Trump didn’t quite get the clean sweep he hoped for, but will Nikki Haley’s Vermont win be enough to keep her in the race? The Americast team discuss the issues that mattered most to voters on Tuesday, namely immigration and the economy, and how the race has become a battle of the incumbents. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter...

This afternoon the Supreme Court overturned a Colorado ruling that declared Donald Trump ineligible to run for President in the state. Justin and Marianna have been in the US to look at how despite legal, financial and polling challenges, he's on course for an epic election rematch with Joe Biden in November. Marianna’s also uncovered evidence of Trump supporters using AI to attract votes from African Americans. You can watch Panorama, Trump: The Sequel? here:...

US Supreme Court justices are considering two cases from Florida and Texas which could fundamentally alter the future of online free speech. Meanwhile, in Alabama, the state’s top court ruling on IVF has cast doubt on the future of the treatment, as the debate over reproductive rights enters new territory. We unpack what’s going on, how the cases could affect the lives of Americans, and how they could influence the upcoming election. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Marianna...