Americast

Should voters be required to prove they are US citizens and show photo ID before being allowed to cast their ballots?
Donald Trump is pushing for these changes and more in the SAVE (Save America Act) telling Republican lawmakers he’s “not going to sign anything until this is approved."
In this episode, Justin and Anthony look at the politics of the SAVE act. Would it make voting harder and who would benefit? Also, we explain how the bill is linked with huge delays at US airports, and why Democrats are accused of blocking homeland security funding.
Plus, the Democrats have won a special election in Florida that includes Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach after first-time candidate Emily Gregory defeated Trump-backed Republican Jon Maples in a race for the open Florida District 87 state House seat. Just how worried should Republicans be ahead of the midterm elections?
HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• 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
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This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles. 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
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

Donald Trump has told reporters there have been talks between the US and Iran in which the two sides had “major points of agreement” and both wanted “to make a deal”. The US president says his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner talked to Iran on Sunday and that discussions would continue on Monday.
However, the Fars news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, denied any such talks took place, saying there were neither direct nor indirect communications with the US. Iran’s foreign ministry reportedly said that Trump’s statements were “part of efforts to reduce energy prices and buy time to implement his military plans”, with state media saying they showed the US president was “backing down”.
Trump said the US is talking to a “top person” within the Iranian regime to try to end the war, but this person was not the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
In this episode, Justin, Sumi and Marianna answer your questions with Matt Chorley on 5 Live and discuss what might be going on with the conflicting statements behind the scenes. This comes after a Trump ultimatum issued on Saturday evening - for Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz by Monday midnight, or have its power plants bombed.
The team also answer questions on who’s influencing Trump, what is public opinion in the US and where this war puts Vice President JD Vance.
HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• Sumi Somaskanda, North America Correspondent
• 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 [email protected]
• Or use #Americast
This episode was made by Purvee Pattni and Alix Pickles. The technical producer was James Piper. 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 BBC Sounds - Top Comment - Available Episodes

Away from the war in Iran, the Pentagon is engaged in another battle, with Anthropic and its AI chatbot Claude. After awarding the company a contract potentially worth $200 million last year to integrate their artificial intelligence into the Department of Defence’s classified systems, that relationship has ended with a lawsuit and a threat which puts the future of Anthropic in jeopardy.
Anthropic says it cannot acquiesce to the government’s demand that it breaches its own ‘red lines’ in how its technology is used. The company insists it cannot be used for mass surveillance of US citizens nor in lethal weapons that are operated without human oversight. It has filed lawsuits against the Pentagon.
Justin and Marianna speak to Dean Ball, Trump’s former AI adviser who helped devise much of the Trump administration’s AI policy, about Anthropic’s position and why he thinks the Pentagon have gone too far. They also discuss the controversy around domestic surveillance and how policy makers still do not fully understand how AI technology actually works.
Presenter: Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter and Marianna Spring, social media investigations senior correspondent
Producer: Purvee Pattni, Ben Carter and Alix Pickles
Sound engineer: Michael Regaard
Editor: Sam Bonham
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
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

Donald Trump’s fight with US media has entered a new chapter since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran. The president has taken issue with Wall Street Journal reporting on an Iranian attack against US tankers in Saudi Arabia, while going as far to accuse the “Fake News Media” of working with Iran to circulate AI-generated videos of the USS Abraham Lincoln in flames.
Until now the president has largely used the courts in his fight with the press, but he’s now considering revoking broadcast licences with the help of the Federal Communications Commission run by close ally Brendan Carr. It remains to be seen whether the administration would be prepared to follow through on its threats to broadcasters, but could it have a chilling effect on journalists covering the war, some of whom have already been banned from the Pentagon by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth?
And, top counterterrorism official Joe Kent has resigned from the Trump administration over the war with Iran, urging the president to “reverse course”. Who is Joe Kent, and what’s the real story behind his resignation?
HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• 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
This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles. The technical producer was James Piper. 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

How serious is the growing split within Trump’s MAGA base, as prominent Republican commentators and influencers criticise why the US started a war with Iran, and how long it might go on for. Also, might Trump voters turn on the president who told them ‘no more wars’ and ‘America First’?
Justin, Sarah and Marianna join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions. They also look at pressure from Trump for other countries to help police the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran is currently blocking to the United States and ‘its enemies’. The US president has said it would be “very bad for the future of Nato" if allies don't help, given its importance with world energy supplies. How much planning did the US put into a plan to protect the Strait of Hormuz? And can Trump convince NATO members to get involved now?
Plus, what did Hollywood say about Trump at last night’s Oscars - and does it even matter?
HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• Sarah Smith, North America Editor
• Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent
• Matt Chorley, 5 Live 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 [email protected]
• Or use #Americast
This episode was made by Rufus Gray, Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. 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
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/p0jml8nh