Americast

The Americast News Feed

Scrolling through the biggest stories in America right now. With Fox News forced to defend its editorial standards, Donald Trump attacking “pudding fingers” Ron DeSantis and a conservative beer boycott spilling over, the Americast team take a few of this week’s most talked about topics and explain the context behind the clickbait.What’s been happening? Why does it matter? And why are we seeing so much of it all on social media?We also talk about the spate of shootings of people for tragically turning up in the wrong place and the effect of “stand your ground” laws on how gun owners view self-defence.HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• Sarah Smith, North America editor
• Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent
• Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondentGET IN TOUCH:
• Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
• Email Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #AmericastFind out more about our award winning "undercover voters" here: bbc.in/3lFddSF.This episode was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Alix Pickles, Ivana Davidovic and Isobel Gough. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

The authoritative twice-weekly US news and politics podcast from BBC News, Americast investigates the social and cultural issues that define America today.Is Joe Biden too old to win another go in the White House? What does Donald Trump’s latest criminal charge mean for the Republican campaign? And why have issues such as LGBT rights, global warming and the war effort in Ukraine become so divisive across the US political spectrum? From foreign policy to pop culture, Americast keeps you up to date and in the know about the stories that matter with on-the-ground insights from right across the US.Americast is hosted by trusted journalists including the BBC’s North America editor Sarah Smith, North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher, presenter Justin Webb, and disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring. Joined by special guests each week such as former chief medical adviser to the president, Dr Anthony Fauci, former FBI director James Comey, CNN anchor and author Jake Tapper, Succession actress J Smith-Cameron, and Suruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire from podcast RedHanded, they look at America through an international lens, trying to make sense of the increasingly polarised political debate.Each week on Americast, Marianna Spring also brings listeners the latest update on BBC Undercover Voters, the award-winning investigation into the content that is recommended to US voters on social media. Marianna has created undercover voters – multiple social media accounts belonging to different characters who sit across the US political divide. By tracking the content that is pushed at each of them, this investigation will cover a turbulent time for US politics with speculation over a Trump bid for the presidency and Biden facing domestic and international challenges.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 #AmericastFind out more about our award-winning "undercover voters" here: bbc.in/3lFddSF.