Is the U.S. president now above the law?

In one of its most pivotal decisions of the year, the top US court has ruled that American presidents can have absolute immunity for ‘official’ acts. But what does that mean exactly? How far could the leader of the free world push the definition of a presidential duty? Sarah and Anthony have been combing through the opinion, and call in constitutional law expert Alison LaCroix to help them understand all the details - from the practical to the farcical. Does the ruling impact Donald Trump’s other legal cases? Could Joe Biden order Trump’s assassination and claim immunity?Elsewhere in the world of politics, some Democrats have started to publicly call for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race. Plus, Sarah sat down with former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, on plans to contest the 2024 presidential election if the Democrats win. GUESTS: Alison LaCroix, Constitutional law expert and professor Steve Bannon, former strategist for Donald Trump HOSTS: Sarah Smith, North America Editor 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 Americast@bbc.co.uk * Or use #Americast US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s new BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155 This episode was made by Purvee Pattni, Catherine Fusillo, Claire Betzer, and Rufus Gray. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC. Join us for the latest insights and analysis on what's happening inside Donald Trump's White House. Listen on BBC Sounds. 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 YouTube Channel and also BBC News TV 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. That programme is broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live too. 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...