Episodes
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from making big changes to vaccines for children in the United States. It’s a blow to Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy - RFK Jr - a longtime vaccine sceptic who was given free rein by Donald Trump to “go wild with health”.Since taking office a year ago, Kennedy has sought to slash the number of recommended shots for children from 17 to 11. The American Academy of Paediatrics and other large medical groups have sued, saying Kennedy's changes violate federal law and are based on ideology instead of science. In this episode,...
Should voters be required to prove they are US citizens and show photo ID before being allowed to cast their ballots?Donald Trump is pushing for these changes and more in the SAVE (Save America Act) telling Republican lawmakers he’s “not going to sign anything until this is approved."In this episode, Justin and Anthony look at the politics of the SAVE act. Would it make voting harder and who would benefit? Also, we explain how the bill is linked with huge delays at US airports, and why Democrats are accused of blocking homeland security funding. Plus, the Democrats have won a special elec...
Donald Trump has told reporters there have been talks between the US and Iran in which the two sides had “major points of agreement” and both wanted “to make a deal”. The US president says his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner talked to Iran on Sunday and that discussions would continue on Monday.
However, the Fars news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, denied any such talks took place, saying there were neither direct nor indirect communications with the US. Iran’s foreign ministry reportedly said that Trump’s statements were “pa...
Away from the war in Iran, the Pentagon is engaged in another battle, with Anthropic and its AI chatbot Claude. After awarding the company a contract potentially worth $200 million last year to integrate their artificial intelligence into the Department of Defence’s classified systems, that relationship has ended with a lawsuit and a threat which puts the future of Anthropic in jeopardy. Anthropic says it cannot acquiesce to the government’s demand that it breaches its own ‘red lines’ in how its technology is used. The company insists it cannot be used for mass surveillance of US citizens ...
Donald Trump’s fight with US media has entered a new chapter since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran. The president has taken issue with Wall Street Journal reporting on an Iranian attack against US tankers in Saudi Arabia, while going as far to accuse the “Fake News Media” of working with Iran to circulate AI-generated videos of the USS Abraham Lincoln in flames. Until now the president has largely used the courts in his fight with the press, but he’s now considering revoking broadcast licences with the help of the Federal Communications Commission run by close ally Brendan Carr. It...
How serious is the growing split within Trump’s MAGA base, as prominent Republican commentators and influencers criticise why the US started a war with Iran, and how long it might go on for. Also, might Trump voters turn on the president who told them ‘no more wars’ and ‘America First’? Justin, Sarah and Marianna join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions. They also look at pressure from Trump for other countries to help police the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran is currently blocking to the United States and ‘its enemies’. The US president has said it would be “very bad for the f...
President Trump has renewed his threat of a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, saying the island is in deep trouble and that the Cuban government is desperate to make a deal. In this episode, Justin and Anthony look at how seriously we should we be taking these threats, and look into the talks taking place between the US and Cuba. Pressure on Cuba has been building since the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, a long-time ally of Cuba’s government. The Trump administration has effectively cut off oil supplies into Cuba by stopping shipments of Venezuelan oil, and threateni...
Does Donald Trump actually have a plan for the war in Iran? Eleven days on from the start of the conflict - with rising oil prices, and worries over oil supplies - the president’s narrative has shifted, branding the war “very complete”, while also signalling that ”we're going to go further.” Can he persuade Americans to back him? However, the decision to withdraw from Iran is not as straightforward as it may seem. Anthony and Sarah discuss what factors might be keeping the US forces in the region? How far will they back Israel? And what might be necessary to keep key shipping lanes moving,...
The US-Israel war with Iran has continued into a second week, with America’s allies still scrambling to respond. Oil prices are dominating the headlines with the cost of a barrel exceeding $100 for the first time since 2022.In this episode, Justin, Marianna and Anthony join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions about the war, including whether Europe still needs to cooperate with the White House, and whether Trump’s war is motivated by oil.Meanwhile, the White House is uploading social media videos of the war in Iran interspersed with online memes, TV shows and video games. Is it ...
Saturday marks one week of the US-Israel war on Iran. In that time, we have heard shifting stories and opposing justifications from the Trump administration on why military action was taken. BBC North America editor Sarah Smith and BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher discuss the changing narratives, and look at the many questions that remain unanswered. This includes, examining what does success look like for America and whether Trump needs Congress to carry on funding the war in the longer term? Sarah and Anthony speak to Robert Malley, one of the architects of the Iran nuclear...
In this episode, Justin and Anthony look at other news stories happening in the United States, away from the US-Israel war with Iran. Anthony is in Dallas, Texas, for the first big primary elections of this year’s midterms, where Democrats have now chosen rising star James Talarico to be their candidate. It’s been over thirty years since a Democrat in Texas has won a US senate seat, so what does Talarico’s victory tell us about how Democrats might push back against Trump and Republicans more widely in 2026?We also listen to newly released video of the Clintons testifying about links to the ...
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Defence Secretary has defended the US/Israeli war with Iran, refuting concerns from the “fake news” media that the conflict would lead to an “endless war” and making clear there would be “no stupid rules of engagement” or “politically-correct wars”.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump, making his first public comments from the White House, told his audience the US has the “capability to go far longer”, whilst also projecting a four-five week mission. In this episode, Justin and Anthony join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your many questions about the war - including is there a...
In the biggest political gamble of his presidency so far, Donald Trump has defended his decision for the United States to bomb Iran - alongside Israel - as a “noble” mission to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and says military operations are “ahead of schedule”. The US president announced the start of the war on Saturday via an 8 minute video on his social media platform, Truth Social, from his Mar a Lago home in Florida. In this episode Sarah and Justin unpack Trump’s announcement, his justification and aims for the war, and look back at US political involvement in the Middle E...
The midterm elections are underway in the Republican stronghold of Texas. Early voting has begun in the primaries and Democrats are hopeful they could win a Texas senate seat for the first time in over 30 years. The election will have national consequences - Texas is one of America’s political power centres and Republicans from here have dominated the national agenda from immigration, to the courts, to reshaping electoral districts. Taking back Texas could help Democrats take back the House, the Senate, and check Trump’s executive power in a way they have so far been unable to do in his sec...
The Americast team assembles for a late evening/early morning special as President Trump delivers the longest State of the Union address ever. On the agenda was a full-throated defence of the administration’s record, hailing a "turnaround for the ages,” whilst playing down the Supreme Court's ruling against his signature tariff policy (with the judges themselves in the crowd).Despite the speech lasting nearly two hours, there was little to suggest a change of course from Trump’s favourite taking points. He focused on the economy, immigration, the Democrats…. And the US men’s olympic hockey...
Fresh questions are emerging about the Jeffrey Epstein case, after the release of new material and renewed scrutiny over why more Americans have not faced charges linked to him. Sarah, Marianna and Anthony join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions including who, if anyone, could still be held accountable in the US.And with tensions rising between Iran and the US, Trump says he is considering military options while insisting diplomacy remains on the table. Steve Witkoff told Fox News on Saturday that Trump was "curious" about Iran's position after he had warned of a limited milita...
Donald Trump has called the Supreme Court’s ruling blocking many of his sweeping tariffs ‘deeply disappointing’ and has announced a new 10 per cent tariff on global imports.Justin, Sarah and Anthony jumped into action following the President’s press conference to unpack the day’s drama: starting with the US Supreme Court decision to block global tariffs and ending with the President’s withering attack on some of the justices for their decision. The president spoke a few hours after the US Supreme court struck down the legal justification for a large portion of Trump's sweeping global tariff...
Who are the people shaping MAGA ideology in the US? Tucker Carlson’s story tells a larger one about just how much conservative media has changed in the United States, and the direction of conservatism itself. Jason Zengerle, New Yorker staff writer and author of ‘Hated by All the Right People’, joins us to map Tucker Carlson’s trajectory from centre-right talk show host to one of the most prominent figures in the MAGA movement, with the ear of the president and a knack for gauging the mood of the base. Anthony and Justin discuss Carlson and the future of the conservative movement, as well a...
President Trump described his Board of Peace as “the most consequential international organisation ever.” The Board, which Donald Trump heads in perpetuity, is having its inaugural meeting in Washington, DC, on Thursday February 19. Sarah and Anthony convene to tell you everything you know ahead of the meeting: lay out exactly what the Board is, what it does, who its members are, and crucially: what Donald Trump wants to get out of it.Plus, a handful of prominent Democrats appeared at the Munich Security Conference at the weekend with the message that Donald Trump would only be around for a...
In fiery congressional hearings last week, US Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the justice department's handling of the Epstein files. Several of Epstein's victims watched heated exchanges as Bondi faced a range of questions, including whether the files were sufficiently redacted, Trump’s role, Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison treatment and whether the Attorney General had met with victims. Justin, Marianna, Sarah and Anthony also discuss the difficulties for survivors of Epstein’s abuse in obtaining successful prosecutions and self identifying perpetrators. Plus, why have Bill and Hillary Cl...
Will Donald Trump be legally allowed to proceed with key elements of his second term agenda - such as imposing global trade tariffs, ending birthright citizenship and the right to sack heads of independent agencies? As the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the legality of major policies from the Trump administration, we look at whether the court will stand up to Donald Trump, or further expand the power of the US presidency? Justin and Anthony are joined by Kate Shaw, former Supreme Court clerk, and Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School. We look at how SCOT...
The paper that contributed to the resignation of President Nixon over Watergate and the Vietnam war is now having to rethink its future. The Washington Post’s owner - Amazon boss Jeff Bezos - has announced mass layoffs at the newspaper, which will fundamentally change how it covers the news. When Bezos bought the paper in 2013, he reassured staff about a “new golden era for the Washington Post”, and later adopted a new slogan for the Washington Post “Democracy Dies in Darkness”. Justin and Anthony discuss why the cuts have happened and what the wider impact may be on US media. With Bezo...
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance was a love letter to Latin culture, paying homage to his birthplace Puerto Rico and making history as the first Super Bowl performance performed entirely in Spanish. He was joined onstage by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin for what is regularly the most-watched event on US TV. But Donald Trump wasn’t a fan. In a Truth Social post after the show he called it "absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!". But what did US viewers think? Plus, the White House has taken down a racist Truth Social video aimed at Barack and Michelle Obama, depicting them as apes. Tru...
This week Donald Trump has doubled down on why he thinks power should be taken away from individual states when it comes to running elections. Instead, he says federal government should be running elections - contrary to the U.S. constitution - claiming there is too much corruption from “crooked” blue Democrat states.
In this episode, Justin and Anthony unpack what the president is proposing, and look at other ways Republicans could disrupt this year’s midterms. Also, is there a way Trump may be able to effectively cancel or stop the midterms from happening at all?Plus, what are the Dem...
In one of the biggest US headlines to emerge from the latest Epstein files, former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, have agreed to testify in the congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Sarah, Anthony, and Marianna explain why they are testifying, having previously dismissed legal summons issued to them, saying they had already submitted sworn statements covering the "limited information" they had on Epstein. Bill Clinton denies knowledge of Epstein‘s crimes during his association with him.We also look at whether this represents a...
The Department of Justice has said that their review process into files related to Jeffrey Epstein is over, after a new tranche was released on Friday. Donald Trump says the lack of evidence in this batch absolves him of any guilt, while survivors and Democrats say there are still unanswered questions and unseen documents. Justin, Sarah, Marianna and Anthony discuss where this leaves the president and his MAGA base. Also, what does it mean for Epstein's victims, particularly as many victims’ names have been published by the US DoJ for the first time without permission. We also answer you...
Can Republicans win the midterm elections and keep control of both houses of Congress? It’s the biggest political event of the year, and this week Donald Trump kicked off the Republican’s campaign in Iowa, telling voters the odds are against him, but Republicans “need to win”. The president’s chief of staff says this is just the start, and Trump will be campaigning for the midterms as if it were a presidential race because he’s good at driving voter turnout.
In this episode, Sarah and Anthony discuss why the midterm elections matter, what the stakes are, and Republican chances of winning...
What does Donald Trump actually mean when he says his administration plans to “de-escalate a little” in Minneapolis? On Tuesday Democratic Rep Ihan Omar was attacked at a local event in the city and protests are continuing following Saturday’s shooting of US citizen Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents. Video evidence contradicts claims by Trump administration officials immediately after Pretti’s killing that he was a “domestic terrorist”, planning a “massacre” and “brandishing” a weapon.
In this episode, Sarah, Anthony and Marianna discuss the president’s controversial response to th...
After a second fatal shooting in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs federal agents, pressure is growing on the Trump administration to hold a full inquiry into what happened. On Saturday, 37 year old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was fatally shot during an altercation with federal immigration agents. In this episode, the Americast team unpack widely circulated video footage which directly contradicts the Trump administration’s version of events. How big a moment is this for Donald Trump’s second term, and how will it impact on the president’s promise to enact the widest deportatio...
Donald Trump came into power with a promise to carry out the “largest mass deportation programme in history”. One year on, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids in US cities are one of biggest political issues dividing America right now, with questions over how ICE agents are behaving and who they are targeting.
In this episode, Anthony, Marianna and Justin look at whether ICE agents are going beyond their remit, and is public opinion starting to turn against the president?
We focus on Minneapolis after the killing of 37 year old Renee Nicole Good two weeks ago, who was shot dea...