Americast

We’ve been speaking to perhaps the most prominent anti DEI MAGA activist, Christopher Rufo. He’s widely credited for convincing Donald Trump to dismantle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programmes within the government, and led the campaign which saw Harvard President Claudine Gay resign from her post in 2024.
He's a controversial figure who has who has spearheaded the right-wing movement against what he describes as "gender ideology" and "woke" institutional policies. He’s also concerned about the future direction of the movement he helped to create and worries about splits within MAGA that have seen influencers like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens split with Donald Trump.
In today’s podcast, Justin and Rufo sit down to discuss how successful he thinks the second Trump administration has been, and why Richard Nixon is enjoying a revival among Gen Z Republicans.
HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
GUEST:
• Christopher Rufo, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute
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 and Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. 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

Republicans hope they can win a number of crucial races in Arizona that could determine which party controls Congress in this year’s midterm elections. Arizona Republicans chose to nominate a number of Trump-backed candidates for November’s elections, putting the power of the president’s endorsement to the test in the crucial swing state.
At the top of the ticket is the race for the governor’s office where Republicans are optimistic their candidate, Andy Biggs, can beat incumbent Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs. Biggs supported Trump’s failed attempt to block certification of his 2020 election loss, and there are concerns among some Republicans that his record may put off independent voters in the state.
And, New York mayor Zohran Mamdani has called on the federal government to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes. Mamdani said in a social media video that Netanyahu is “not welcome” in New York with the Israeli prime minister expected to travel to the city for the UN General Assembly in New York. Donald Trump said in response that Netanyahu would not be arrested while in the U.S. Is this exactly the sort of political fight the president wants right now?
HOSTS:
• Sarah Smith, North America Editor
• 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 Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast
This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles. 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
Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r
The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd
Top Comment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001mssm

The FIFA 2026 World Cup was not without controversy, but with the event now concluded, was it a success for the US and Donald Trump? The president has faced scrutiny over perceived interference in the tournament, but what has the legacy of the World Cup been for the US?
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​​Meanwhile, the US and Iran have continued to exchange attacks over the weekend, with the Pentagon announcing on Sunday that a third member of the American military had died in attacks in Jordan and Iraq. Secretary of state Marco Rubio has said the US remains open to negotiations, but is America getting dragged into a so-called ‘forever war’?
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​​And, Justin, Sarah and Marianna answer your questions about plans to sell early access to the president‘s posts on Truth Social.
HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• Sarah Smith, North America Editor
• Marianna Spring, 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 George Dabby, Alix Pickles and Shiler Mahmoudi. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. 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

Join Americast for insights and analysis on what's happening inside Trump's White House.

In the space of one week, two men have been fatally shot by ICE agents in two different states. With limited footage of the incidents and suggestions that neither men were the initial targets of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, protesters are calling for investigations into their deaths.
The deaths of Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine - a 26-year-old Colombian national authorised to work in the US - and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston - a Mexican national who worked in the country as a builder for three decades - have sparked protests and calls for ICE to change how they operate.
Donald Trump has also weighed in, defending ICE agents on Truth Social, saying they are ‘doing a GREAT job’ and shouldn’t change how they apprehend suspects driving vehicles. But will these incidents have any impact on the administration's immigration policies, particularly with midterm elections in November?
In this episode, Justin, Sarah and Anthony also discuss how the incidents in Maine and Houston are resurfacing questions about the progress of investigations into the shootings of US citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents earlier this year.
HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• Sarah Smith, North America Editor
• 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 Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast
This episode was made by Purvee Pattni, Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was Jonny Hall. 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