Episode details

News,·18 May 2026,·27 mins

Americanswers... on 5 Live! Has Zohran Mamdani achieved a miracle in New York?

Americast

Available for over a year

NYC’s new mayor says his new budget will save the city billions without having to cut key services. In a social media post, Zohran Mamdani told New Yorkers his administration “uncovered a $12 billion budget deficit. Today, I’m proud to say we brought it down to zero. We didn’t close the gap on the backs of working people.”But beyond the headlines, how accurate is this, and what do New Yorkers say about it? In this episode, Justin, Anthony and Marianna answer your questions with Matt Chorley on 5 Live.They also talk about whether Trump’s social media posts now carry less weight, particularly when it comes to Iran, and a new move by Senate Democrats to take funding away from the president’s plans for a new ballroom. And, how the US president is further expanding the brand of Donald Trump, including with a Trump-branded gold phone. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Anthony Zurcher, 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 Americast@bbc.co.uk • Or use #Americast This episode was made by Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. 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: The Global Story: Top Comment: