Insight and analysis on what's happening inside Donald Trump's White House. 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 social media investigation 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 on BBC Radio 4 and every Saturday on the BBC World Service. Oh, and 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.
Every Monday we answer your questions on Americanswers, with some help from our friends, including BBC Radio 5 Live's Matt Chorley. Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with us on email at Americast@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
The Supreme Court stops Donald Trump changing voting rules... for now
The US president has lashed out at the US Supreme Court for blocking his plans to end the right for all Americans to vote by mail in elections. But will Donald Trump find
Sep 16 29 min
Americanswers… on 5 Live! Is Donald Trump the only regulation AI needs?
The president is pushing back against calls from tech bosses to slow down the development of artificial intelligence. After claiming “whoever wins AI, wins” can Trump con
Sep 14 31 min
Will Trump’s $5,000 offer convince US voters?
President Trump made the pledge at the Republicans' first ever midterm convention, promising every adult American a $5,000 payment if his party wins both chambers of Cong
Sep 11 34 min
Is 9/11 still shaping America?
The journalist Peter Bergen also talks to us about meeting Osama Bin Laden before 9/11, and what happened during that interview.
In this episode, Justin, Sumi and Maria
Sep 9 38 min
Americanswers… on 5 Live! Why is Lindsay Clancy’s mistrial dividing America?
And will Trump’s attempts to limit mail-in voting at the US Supreme Court succeed? The US president has made an urgent appeal, trying to change the rules over who can and
Sep 7 22 min
An insider's account of Trump's White House
The reporter Jonathan Swan gained unprecedented access to the inner workings of Donald Trump’s White House in the first year of his second administration. Who were the ma
Sep 4 35 min
Has Pete Hegseth lost control of the Pentagon?
Why is the US military losing its senior leaders? In the latest in a series of high-profile departures inside the Pentagon, America’s top civilian official Dan Driscoll h
Sep 2 30 min
Americanswers! Could Zohran Mamdani serve in a Democrat White House?
Americanswers is back for a bank holiday special and this week we're answering the questions you've always wanted to ask on American politics!
For example, Zohran Mamda
Aug 31 28 min
Are polls misleading Americans?
In several primary elections so far, polling has been wrong. So much so that a candidate in the Wisconsin Democratic primary dropped out because another candidate so high
Aug 28 31 min
Canada tests the limits of Trump’s power
The trade war between the US and Canada has escalated after Canadian prime minister Mark Carney walked away from negotiations to cut a new trade deal with the US and decl
Aug 26 35 min
Americanswers! Are the US and Canada in an all-out trade war?
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says "we cannot accept what they've offered, and we will not give what they've asked,” after trade negotiations with the US broke down
Aug 24 30 min
How will Trump’s former personal lawyer run the US justice department?
Attorney General Todd Blanche won’t pledge to act “independently” from the White House during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press. Trump’s former personal attorney sai
Aug 21 28 min
Who is Trump aide Natalie Harp… and why are Democrats targeting her?
Will Donald Trump be forever dogged by his war with Iran and could it come to define his legacy?
And, who is Donald Trump’s executive assistant Natalie Harp, and why are
Aug 19 29 min
Americanswers! Is Iran really trying to kill Trump, and why is he threatening to bomb Oman?
Why was Donald Trump smuggled off Air Force One following a NATO summit in Turkey at the end of last week, and how credible is the president’s claim that he is Iran’s “nu
Aug 17 27 min
Is AOC ready to run for president?
Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laying the groundwork for a run for president in 2028? And would the Democrats really pick her as a nominee?
This week AOC has been back maki
Aug 14 35 min
Has Trump lost ‘Make America Healthy Again’ voters?
Why does Donald Trump want to limit childhood vaccines, and does it risk alienating voters in key districts ahead of the midterm elections?
On Monday, Donald Trump signe
Aug 12 28 min
Americanswers... on 5 Live! Will Trump's new challenge to birthright citizenship work?
Donald Trump isn’t giving up on his plans to limit birthright citizenship in the US, despite the Supreme Court striking down his previous attempt. He says his administrat
Aug 10 40 min
Why the Democrats may never be the same again
Could Abdul El-Sayed’s left-wing victory in Michigan cause the Democrat party to split? Democrats are contemplating whether its left-wing candidates are capable of beatin
Aug 7 35 min
What the Reflecting Pool tells us about Trump’s presidency
Why has one of Washington DC’s most famous landmarks become symbolic of the Trump presidency?
The renovation and subsequent damage to the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln
Aug 5 24 min
Americanswers… on 5 Live! Can Trump save FIFA boss Gianni Infantino?
Will the US president intervene to help Gianni Infantino who is facing calls to step down as head of FIFA, football’s world governing body?
In this episode, Marianna, A
Aug 3 35 min
Chart trend
Position in the Politics chart (US), last 90 days.
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#52
all-time peak
451
days in the top 100 since Nov 2024
Chart positions
Where Americast ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 17, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
I fell into Americast because I’ve enjoyed Marianna Springs’ other podcasts, and I truth the BBC more than just about any news-source here in the US.
I’ll be honest, I’m a conservative, but one with a grave distrust of certain newer influences in the Republican Party. Suffice to say, I withdrew from GOP in 2016. Let the reader understand.
This is a nice, concise capping of events here in the US, by people who are largely not invested in this me side over the other. As a result, it’s very balanced and I feel like I’m being given information I can use to do my own research.
The Nameless Twin · Dec 2024
I so look forward to each episode of Americast. I love your perspective and humor. You help us Americans not to take ourselves so seriously while delivering accurate reporting. Please don't stop after the election!
gmaknu · Nov 2024
I appreciate America’s for it’s unbiased take on American elections. However Justin seems to be lagging behind current events sometimes. In the most recent episodes he made the claim that Kamala Harris hasn’t been doing interviews, which is not a fair criticism considering that she has been doing tons. She had an interview with Oprah, has one coming up 60 minutes, her interview on the All the Smoke Podcast was a massive hit, and she’s done scores of local news and radio interviews. All in all a good podcast, but Justin, please stop putting your foot in your mouth lol
The Raging ArchBishop of Nod · Oct 2024
Really enjoy listening to this podcast. The hosts are seasoned BBC journalists with a lot of knowledge of American politics. Each week they cover the top stories at the time. They often invite guests to discuss political events and tend to stay objective, pointing out the gaffes of either of the political parties. Overall, it’s just as entertaining to listen to them as it is informative.
Refd 3422 · Oct 2023
I’m an Englishman living in The USA and have enjoyed enough of the content in this podcast to give it a weekly listen. That was the case until recently when this and many other podcasters started to speed up their audio to a point where it’s nerve wracking. No, it’s not about the playback speed we can control in the podcast app because if I slow it down to .75 then it sounds too slow and laborious. Why have so many podcasters recently decided that their audiences want to listen to the audio at a million miles per hour? I don’t get it. The world’s bonkers enough. Podcasters, CALM DOWN!
Bertie Champers · Oct 2024
Too many journalists have fallen into the laziness of punditry, both in how they discuss politics and how they train the audience to think of themselves as pundits, calling balls and strikes, as if we’re all DC-insiders. This is not a normal election and one hopes you would feel ti was your duty to educate the public on the facts of an unprecedented indictment not merely look at it through the lens of a political horserace. Mr. Webb, in particular, shamefully seemed to be a voice for the Trump supporters when he criticized the rationale behind the indictment and called it divisive. Should the US not prosecute obvious crimes? Should lawlessness become the norm so that the political horserace can continue uninterrupted? Mr. Trump pressured multiple states to send fake electors to Congress, willfully destabilizing our very system of government. The story here is the rise of a lawless autocrat who’s a coin toss away from the presidency, and the potential destruction of American democracy. Your punditry is too cute by half and out of step with the gravity of this moment.
earthlingdave · Aug 2023
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Americast, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
