Americast
BBC News
Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC. Each week we provide audiences with the best analysis from across the BBC, with on-the-ground observations and big picture insights about the stories which are defining America right now. The podcast is hosted by trusted BBC journalists including the BBC’s North America editor, Sarah Smith, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Justin Webb, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring, and BBC North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher. As well as political analysis, we also specialise in social media. Each week Marianna Spring brings listeners the latest updates from the BBC’s Undercover Voters, our award-winning investigation into the content that is recommended to US voters on social media. The team is also joined by special guests each week, like CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour, Emmy Award-winning TV host, Rachel Maddow, and Succession actress, J Smith-Cameron. Podcasts are published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As well as being a podcast, we are also available every Friday night on BBC Radio 4 and every weekend on the BBC News Channel. Every Monday we answer your questions on Americanswers, with some help from special guests, including Miles Taylor, who was chief of staff at the Department for Homeland Security during the Trump presidency before becoming a whistleblower. Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with us on email at [email protected] or WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. By the way, 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. See ya’ll later...
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Top 10 Americast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Americast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Americast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Americast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Putin Says Vote For Joe!
Americast
02/15/24 • 40 min
Love is in the air...or is it? Vladimir Putin expressed his preference for the next American president on Valentine’s Day - but critics suspect there might be more to his endorsement than meets the eye. His comments come in the wake of Donald Trump’s disparaging declaration against NATO and that Russia should “do whatever the hell they want” to countries that don't pay up.
And after our emergency episode on Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents, we respond to your questions about how, if at all, President Biden could be removed from office.
HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent • 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 • Email [email protected] • Or use #Americast
Find out more about our award-winning “undercover voters” here: bbc.in/3lFddSF.
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s new BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
This episode was made by George Dabby with Rufus Gray, Catherine Fusillo, and Claire Betzer. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The series producer is George Dabby. The senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
2 Listeners
Let Bidens Be Bidens
Americast
06/21/23 • 37 min
Hunter Biden will plead guilty to tax and gun offences to avoid prison. The Americast team looks at whether the sins of his son could knock Joe Biden’s re-election hopes.
Talking of being in trouble with the law, has Donald Trump implicated himself in a recent interview with Fox News?
And it’s a tale of two Anthonys, as our very own host travels with the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on a historic trip to China and then the UK, and reports back on how he was received by President Xi.
HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent • Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent
GET IN TOUCH: • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 • Email [email protected] • Or use #Americast
Find out more about our award-winning “undercover voters” here: bbc.in/3lFddSF.
This episode was made by Daniel Wittenberg, with Alix Pickles, Rufus Gray and Natasha Fernandes. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans and the sound designer was David Crackles. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
1 Listener
Mar-a-Legal Trouble
Americast
08/31/22 • 44 min
Donald Trump, some top secret documents and the FBI.
Welcome to episode one of the new-look Americast!
Classified documents stored at former President's Florida home were likely concealed as part of an effort to obstruct an FBI investigation, says the US Department of Justice officials. Justin, Sarah and the Zurch chat to former FBI special agent Asha Rangappa, about how attempts to retrieve the documents went down and what could happen next.
And Marianna introduces our undercover voters...
Americast is made by Phil Marzouk and Alix Pickles. The studio director is Emma Crowe. The assistant editor is Sam Bonham. The senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
1 Listener
America and the Queen
Americast
09/14/22 • 44 min
How is the US reacting?
From Truman to Biden, the Queen met thirteen of the fourteen US presidents who held office during her reign and left a lasting impression on the United States. Justin, Sarah and Marianna look at the reaction to her death and catch up with the BBC’s Chelsea Bailey in Washington DC, who has been speaking to some of the Queen’s biggest fans.
And after a five-year legal fight, an Ohio college will pay nearly $37 million to a local bakery that sued the school for libel following a 2016 shoplifting incident involving three Black students. Criminal defence lawyer Professor Jonathan Turley takes us through the case and wider implications of the ruling.
Americast is made by Phil Marzouk and Alix Pickles. The studio director is Emma Crowe. The assistant editor is Sam Bonham. The senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
Email [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, to +44 330 1239480.
1 Listener
02/09/24 • 31 min
A bombshell report from Special Counsel Robert Hur has raised serious questions about President Joe Biden's memory, which the White House has been quick to rebuff.
The report criticised the president for retaining classified information but rejected prosecution, arguing that Biden would likely present himself at trial as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory".
Americast dissects the details of this breaking story with Sarah Baxter, Director of the Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting and a former US correspondent.
And as Tucker Carlson becomes the first Western journalist to sit down one-on-one with Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine, Justin and Anthony give their instant reaction to the interview as it drops.
HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent
GUEST: • Sarah Baxter, Director of Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting in New York
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 [email protected] • Or use #Americast
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s new BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
This episode was made by George Dabby, Rufus Gray, Catherine Fusillo, and Claire Betzer. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The series producer is George Dabby. The senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
1 Listener
03/06/24 • 28 min
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 • Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent • 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 • Email [email protected] • Or use #Americast
Find out more about our award-winning “undercover voters” here: bbc.in/3lFddSF.
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s new BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
This episode was made by George Dabby with Rufus Gray, Catherine Fusillo and Claire Betzer. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The series producer is George Dabby. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
1 Listener
America looks set for Trump v Biden
Americast
01/24/24 • 44 min
Donald wins... and then lashes out at Nikki Haley.
The Americast team pore over the New Hampshire results after an evening in which Donald Trump looks to have the Republican nomination all but sewn up. Nikki Haley says she's a fighter and that the race "is far from over" but is there really a route back from here?
Earlier in the evening, Sarah caught up with former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who told us why he thought Trump’s various indictments have helped him in the polls so far.
And, Ron DeSantis officially suspended his campaign before the New Hampshire primary. What next for him? We answer your questions about the Florida governor.
HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent • Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent
GUEST: • Sean Spicer, Former White House Press Secretary under Donald Trump
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 [email protected] • Or use #Americast. Find out more about our award-winning “undercover voters” here: bbc.in/3lFddSF.
This episode was made by George Dabby with Catherine Fusillo, Madeleine Drury and Claire Betzer. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The series producer is George Dabby. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
1 Listener
Fentanyl: War on Drugs 2.0?
Americast
03/14/24 • 29 min
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 cities and the hope that exists for solutions to the crisis.
If you, or someone you know, have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this podcast, please visit BBC Action Line to find information on organisations that can help. You can find it here: www.bbc.co.uk/actionline
HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent • Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent
GUESTS: • Ben Westhoff, author of Fentanyl, Inc.
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 [email protected] • Or use #Americast
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s new BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
This episode was made by Chris Flynn with Rufus Gray, Catherine Fusillo, Claire Betzer and Natasha Mayo. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The series producer is George Dabby. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
1 Listener
Summit Going On
Americast
06/09/21 • 43 min
As Joe Biden touches down in the UK for his first foreign trip, the G7 summit of world leaders in Carbis Bay, Jon speaks exclusively to the president’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, about how the US will protect the Good Friday agreement and its interests around the world, as well as its rivalry with China and Russia.
Back in Washington DC, we hear how one Democratic senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin, is causing a political impasse that’s paralysing his own party.
Studio Director: Nick Jones Producers: Caitlin Hanrahan, Daniel Wittenberg and Natalie Ktena Editor: Dino Sofos
1 Listener
Trump's heir apparent?
Americast
09/21/22 • 42 min
There is growing political tension in America over immigration.
States such as Florida, Texas and Arizona have sent thousands of migrants to cities like New York, Washington DC and the wealthy Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard. Sarah, Justin and Marianna look at how the row is playing out amongst voters and on social media.
Americast also profiles Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis who has been a key figure in the controversial tactic.
This episode is made by Phil Marzouk and Alix Pickles. The studio director is Emma Crowe. The assistant editor is Louisa Lewis.
The senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. Email [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, to +44 330 1239480
1 Listener
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FAQ
How many episodes does Americast have?
Americast currently has 355 episodes available.
What topics does Americast cover?
The podcast is about News, Podcasts, Politics and Government.
What is the most popular episode on Americast?
The episode title 'Putin Says Vote For Joe!' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Americast?
The average episode length on Americast is 35 minutes.
How often are episodes of Americast released?
Episodes of Americast are typically released every 3 days, 7 hours.
When was the first episode of Americast?
The first episode of Americast was released on Jan 29, 2020.
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