logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2022
44m 40s

A history of US political violence

BBC News
About this episode

President Biden says there is no place for "political violence in America". His warning follows an attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, last week. Within hours of that attack a series of unsubstantiated claims began circulating on social media contradicting official accounts of what had happened. Those misleading claims then went viral after being amplified by new Twitter chief Elon Musk.

The Americast team look at how the attack has led to the sharing of disinformation on social media and Justin and Sarah speak to author Josh Zeitz about the history of political violence in the US.

Donald Trump Jr. tweets about our 'undercover voters' and Marianna Spring, the BBC's Social Media and Disinformation correspondent responds. And Anthony returns from Virginia to look at Biden’s record ahead of the midterms. Americast is presented by North America editor Sarah Smith, Today presenter Justin Webb, North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher and Marianna Spring.

Find out more about our ‘undercover voters’ here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-62742687

Email Americast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, to +443301239480

This episode is made by Phil Marzouk and Alix Pickles. The studio director is Michael Regaard. The assistant editor is Louisa Lewis. The senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Up next
Nov 24
Americanswers… on 5 Live! What’s really going on with Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine?
<p>Donald Trump has posted on social media that ‘something good just may be happening’ when it comes to negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, after overnight talks in Geneva.</p><p>European leaders criticised a 28-point US peace plan when it emerged last week, saying it was t ... Show More
31m 21s
Nov 21
Marjorie Taylor Greene v Donald Trump
<p>The Georgia Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is being celebrated by Democrats for being one of the few Republicans to stand up to Donald Trump in recent weeks. From the Epstein Files to the cost of living, Greene has been vocal in her criticism of the current a ... Show More
36m 28s
Nov 19
Will Trump delay releasing the Epstein Files?
<p>Donald Trump says he will sign a bill to release the Epstein Files after it passed nearly unanimously through both houses of Congress. It’s a notable shift in position from the president, who’s come under increasing pressure from Republicans and Democrats to release all files ... Show More
31m 5s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2022
Americast: Trump v DeSantis
As the midterm results continue to come in, the Americast team are taking over the Newscast feed for one day only! The team are in Washington DC, taking a closer look at the rivalry between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump.Americast is presented by ... Show More
42m 9s
Jan 2023
America’s hard right
<p>A small group of Republican party zealots, backed by former president Donald Trump, have forced their way into a position of power in the US Congress. Gideon talks to Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the National Interest magazine in Washington and senior fellow at the Atlantic Coun ... Show More
23m 22s
Jun 2021
Spy affair — Laschet litmus — Former Irish President Mary Robinson
Claims that Denmark helped the U.S. spy on European leaders, demands for the EU to step up on defense and bellwether state elections in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt all feature in this episode. Mary Robinson is our special guest. POLITICO's Rym Momtaz and David M. Herszenhorn analyze ... Show More
32m 16s
Nov 2022
Piers Morgan on Ronaldo and the return of Trump
Donald Trump is running for president again... to the surprise of no one. Not even the legion advisors telling him now was a really really bad time to announce it. He's on a bit of a low - the midterm results were a stinging rejection of the candidates he backed - and the electio ... Show More
39m 46s
Jun 2020
President Trump: “We have to dominate the streets”
President Trump spoke at a "justice disparities" event in Dallas and didn’t  focus on police violence against African Americans. And, in an interview with Fox News, the President defended his “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” tweet. Anderson Cooper discusses the pres ... Show More
46m 23s
Sep 2022
Americast: Mar-a-Legal Trouble
Welcome to episode one of the new-look Americast (we thought you Newscasters might enjoy listening to Americast's first episode back)! Classified documents stored at former President's Florida home were likely concealed as part of an effort to obstruct an FBI investigation, says ... Show More
45m 4s
Sep 2019
L'impeachment lancé par Nancy Pelosi contre Donald Trump peut-il vraiment aboutir?
<p>Après des mois d'attente et d'hésitations, le camp démocrate passe à l'offensive contre Donald Trump. Le mardi 24 septembre, la présidente de la Chambre des représentants Nancy Pelosi a déclaré ouvrir une enquête initiant la procédure de destitution –impeachment– de Donald Tru ... Show More
10m 49s
Sep 2022
Après un été de succès, Joe Biden en force pour les prochaines élections
<p>Aux États-Unis, le premier lundi de septembre est un jour férié: c'est le <em>Labor Day</em>, la fête du travail. Le <em>Labor Day</em>, c'est aussi la rentrée politique américaine. L'occasion de faire le bilan des forces en présence à deux mois des élections de mi-mandat.<br/ ... Show More
13m 33s