Former US President Donald Trump’s trial in New York is in its second week, where he’s accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He’s pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels. Americast is launching a new mini series to break down what’s happening in the courtroom over the six-week criminal trial. Sarah and Anthony are joined by the BBC’s US reporter, Kayla Epstein - who’s been in court every day - to hear what happened when an unexpected witness took the stand, what Trump said abou ..read more

Response to student protests across the US have escalated to violence this week, with students clashing, and arrests now exceeding 1,000. We hear from students and BBC colleagues from across the States. And the Americast team speaks to Niall Ferguson, historian and senior fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, about how universities are responding to protests. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Marianna Spring, Disinformation & Social Media Correspondent GUEST: • Niall Ferguson, historian and senior fellow at the Hoover Institute a ..read more

Following the start of Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, we answer your questions on how Joe Biden could handle his main challenger’s legal woes. And, Democrats are worried about the threat posed by Robert F Kennedy's Jr's run for office. But could Kennedy's campaign also be a threat to Donald Trump? We assess his chances and take look at another less conventional third-party candidate. HOST: • Sarah Smith, North America editor GUEST: • Miles Taylor, former chief of staff at Department for Homeland Security GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB • Sen ..read more

Former US President Donald Trump’s trial in New York began this week, where he’s accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He’s pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels. Americast is launching a new mini series to break down what’s happening in the courtroom over the six-week criminal trial. Sarah and Anthony are joined by the BBC’s US reporter, Kayla Epstein - who’s been in court every day - to take a look at the key players, reveal the main takeaways from this week and discuss wha ..read more

Hundreds of students have been arrested across the United States as they protest against Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Sarah is at Columbia University in New York City, one of many colleges where students are protesting, but where some Jewish students say they feel threatened by the actions of demonstrators. And Marianna takes a look at how social media, and TikTok in particular, are shaping how a new generation of voters are engaging with politics through the lens of the war in the Middle East. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Marianna Spring ..read more

In the latest edition of Americanswers, we get down to basics at the start of Donald Trump’s first criminal trial. Who are the jurors selected to decide Trump’s fate? Who protects them? And how are they being targeted online? Today’s opening statements mark the first criminal trial against a president in US history, as Trump stands accused of trying to cover up hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before he won the 2016 election. HOSTS: • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent • Anthony Zurch ..read more

The president has urged Benjamin Netenyahu to “take the win” after thwarting an attack from Iran. The question now is how Israel responds, and if Joe Biden has any influence over it. Christiane Amanpour, the British/Iranian chief international anchor for CNN, joins Americast to assess what could happen next. In Congress there’s a vote on a pivotal deal that would provide billions of dollars for Ukraine and Israel, and introduce more sanctions for Iran. It could change the course of the conflicts but it could also cost Speaker Mike Johnson his job. We’re asking whether he can survive yet anothe ..read more

Donald Trump is no stranger to Megyn Kelly. The pair had a very public fallout in 2015 after the former Fox anchor questioned his temperament in a Republican Party debate. These days the pair are back on speaking terms, with Trump often choosing to do longer interviews with one of America’s most recognisable broadcasters. And on the day he became the first ever president to face a criminal trial, Megyn Kelly joins us to give her thoughts on how much the trial could affect the outcome of November’s election, the Democrat’s strategy to beat him, and whether we might see a televised debate betwee ..read more

In a heavily-trailed announcement on Monday, Donald Trump released a video on his Truth Social platform to announce his position on abortion. Having been considered one of the most anti-abortion presidents in history, he has now said it is a matter for states to decide and later confirmed he would not sign a federal abortion ban. His stance has led to a backlash from senior Republicans, including his former vice president, Mike Pence. Could the backlash extend to the ballot box in November? HOSTS: • Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter ..read more

Orenthal James Simpson, known to the world as OJ, lived many lives. First as one of the greatest ever running backs in the history of the NFL, then as a Hollywood movie star. His fame skyrocketed, however, when he was arrested as a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. The ensuing ‘trial of the century’ gripped and divided the nation. As the news broke, the team interrupted their normal recording to relive the shocking events of his life, trial, and acquittal. Anthony, who was then living in LA, recalls the backdrop of racial tension that underpinned the ..read more