Americast

How social media changed America

The Americast team delve into how conspiracy theories evolve online and how misinformation is affecting US politics, with the help of our Undercover Voters and Barack Obama’s former deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes.US Special Correspondent Katty Kay is back from her trip on Route 66 meeting voters ahead of the midterms. President Joe Biden and Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis have put their political clashes on hold to show a united front over Hurricane Ian. The pair shook hands on the president’s visit to see the devastation left by the storm.This episode is made by Phil Marzouk and Alix Pickles. The studio director is Emma Crowe. The assistant editor is Louisa Lewis. The senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. Email Americast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, to +44 330 1239480

Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC.
 
Each week we provide audiences with the best analysis from across the BBC, with on-the-ground observations and big picture insights about the stories which are defining America right now.
 
The podcast is hosted by trusted BBC journalists including the BBC’s North America editor, Sarah Smith, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Justin Webb, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring, and BBC North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher.
 
As well as political analysis, we also specialise in social media. Each week Marianna Spring brings listeners the latest updates from the BBC’s Undercover Voters, our award-winning investigation into the content that is recommended to US voters on social media.
 
The team is also joined by special guests each week, like CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour, Emmy Award-winning TV host, Rachel Maddow, and Succession actress, J Smith-Cameron.
 
Podcasts are published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As well as being a podcast, we are also available every Friday night on BBC Radio 4 and every weekend on the BBC News Channel.
 
Every Monday we answer your questions on Americanswers, with some help from special guests, including Miles Taylor, who was chief of staff at the Department for Homeland Security during the Trump presidency before becoming a whistleblower.
 
Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with us on email at Americast@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
 
By the way, 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.
 
See ya’ll later...