Americast

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 can’t vote by mail before this November’s midterm elections, despite ballot papers being posted out in several states.
In this episode, Sarah, Sumi and Marianna are answering your questions with Matt Chorley from 5 Live. We look at why Lindsay Clancy’s mistrial has become over-run with conspiracy theories, and what is likely to happen next. Clancy has admitted killing her three children, in one of America’s biggest murder trials, widely covered on US television and social media platforms.
Plus, what credentials does Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner have when it comes to being a peace envoy, after his meetings with Presidents Zelensky and Putin this weekend?
And how seriously should we take Trump’s proposals for a new Space Force uniform, with many people comparing the designs to those worn by Nazi SS officers.
HOSTS:
• Sarah Smith, North America Editor
• Sumi Somaskanda, BBC Chief Presenter
• Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Senior 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 Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast
This episode was made by Alix Pickles and Nik Sindle. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.
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.
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.
Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
Top Comment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001mssm
Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r
The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd

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 main characters fighting for the president’s attention? How were decisions made in the Oval Office? And how was the decision taken to go to war with Iran?
On today’s episode, Sumi sits down with Jonathan to talk about the reporting he did alongside Maggie Haberman for their book ‘Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump’. The president says the book is “mostly made up” but that has not stopped inquiries inside the White House as to how Swan and Haberman were able to gain such close access to operations.
From the early days of Trump’s presidency inside Mar-a-Lago to his relationship with Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, we assess the key relationships within Trump’s top team and the differences between senior figures like JD Vance and Marco Rubio.
HOSTS:
* Sumi Somaskanda, BBC Chief Presenter
* Anthony Zurcher, BBC North America Correspondent
GUEST:
* Jonathan Swan, Co-author of “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of 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 Americast@bbc.co.uk
* Or use #Americast
This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.
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.
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.
Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
Top Comment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001mssm
Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r
The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd

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 has resigned as Army Secretary having been appointed 18 months ago by Donald Trump to help end the Ukraine war and modernise US forces.
In this episode, Anthony and Sumi discuss the significance of the resignation and the real reasons behind it. Driscoll’s departure comes after Pete Hegseth has fired or forced out senior officers across nearly every service, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Navy’s top admiral and the Army chief of staff.
But six months into the Iran war, the Pentagon is dealing with fewer senior leaders, few munitions and further questions about the way in which Hegseth is running operations.
Meanwhile, there are also concerns about morale. USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier with nearly 5,000 personnel aboard, is finally due to dock in Pattaya, Thailand, after a record 250 days at sea without a port stop. There’s been scrutiny of conditions on the carrier after members of Congress raised concerns about conditions on the ship and mental stress among the crew. It’s the largest number of US personnel to visit Pattaya since the fall of Saigon in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War.
HOSTS:
• Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
• Sumi Somaskanda, BBC Chief Presenter
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 Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast
This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was Michael Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.
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.
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.
Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
Top Comment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001mssm
Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r
The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd

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 Mamdani can't run for president of the United States as he was born in Uganda, but could he take up a cabinet position in a future Democrat administration? Is there a precedent for such a move, and would he even want it?
Another Americaster wants to know if we see any similarities between Donald Trump and former president Lyndon B. Johnson. LBJ grew up in Anthony's home state of Texas and, unlike Trump, rose to the presidency after positions in Congress and two years as vice president. Despite the obvious differences, both men were considered outsiders in American politics. Do they share anything else in common?
Plus, is money still as important as ever when running for president? The Democratic Party is being outspent by Republicans ahead of the midterm elections but that doesn't mean the candidates themselves are strapped for cash. Has social media changed the game when it comes to political campaigning?
HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
• Marianna Spring, Senior Social Media Investigations 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 Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast
This episode was made by Chris Flynn with Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.
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.
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.
Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r
Top Comment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001mssm
The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd

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 in the polls. The only problem - the ‘clear winner’ lost.
Whether polls mislead American voters has been an active question since 2016, when predictions were that Donald Trump would lose the presidential race.
But as voters look toward the midterms, we ask when they do and don’t help. Does the media oversell them? And do they play too big of a role in shaping political narratives?
Joining Anthony and Sumi to discuss is Stephen Hawkins, the Global Director of Research at More in Common.
HOSTS:
• Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
• Sumi Somaskanda, BBC Chief Presenter
GUEST:
• Stephen Hawkins, Global Director of Research, More in Common
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 Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast
This episode was made by Chris Flynn, Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.
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.
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.
Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
Top Comment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001mssm
Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r
The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd