America: The Story of the USA

Liam Heffernan | A Mercury Podcast

This is your deep‑dive guide to how the United States became what it is today - politically, culturally, and socially. We unpack the pivotal moments, defining conflicts, influential leaders, and overlooked voices that shaped, and continue to shape, the nation’s identity. Designed for curious listeners, students, educators, and lifelong learners, this series blends accessible storytelling with historically grounded insight to help you understand not just what happened in America’s past, but why it still matters now. If you want a clear, compelling, and richly narrated journey through U.S. history, this is the podcast that brings the American story to life. Made in partnership with the British Association for American Studies. . JOIN THE COMMUNITY: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community GET THE NEWSLETTER: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/ BRANDS & ADVERTISING: liam@mercurypodcasts.com . America: A History is a part of the Mercury Podcast Network, hosted by your resident US expert Liam Heffernan, in partnership with The British Association for American Studies: baas.ac.uk

  1. 20h ago

    In the Making: Natalie Harp, Canada, and Trump's War on Visas

    JOIN TEAM SOTUS: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community . This week, Donald Trump tries to revoke 200,000 Visa applications, targeting those seeking asylum in the US, and his trade war with Canada heats up after Prime Minister Mark Carney imposes retaliatory tariffs. Plus, I speak with Marcia Chatelain about her new book, looking at the women behind the historic March on Washington 63 years ago. Buy it here: https://a.co/d/0fC6zeGF Joining me this week is a virtual audience of SOTUS listeners as we record the podcast live. To hear about our next live recording before anyone else, join the SOTUS community now: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community . 01:53 - Who is Natalie Harp? 05:49 - The Midterms Explained 09:59 - The Largest Visa Revocation in History 16:45 - The US-Canada Trade War 21:31 - Marcia Chatelain and Her New Book 43:28 - Join the Next SOTUS Live Recording . News Sources: Mass visa revocation: https://apnews.com/article/trump-rubio-visas-revoke-e9c14fdfd0ada439d2b9d8694e678a46?  Trade War with Canada: https://apnews.com/article/trump-canada-tariffs-senate-2026-campaign-c3d2461184a2b8656abd01376452e0d5  How Bright the Path Grows: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the March on Washington by Marcia Chatelain: https://a.co/d/0fC6zeGF  Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelain: https://a.co/d/00HXZIwX . America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/ Join the community: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community Get in touch: america@podcastsbyliam.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    In the Making: Natalie Harp, Canada, and Trump's War on Visas
  2. 3d ago

    What is the Supreme Court Term, and Why Does it Matter?

    The Supreme Court term is the annual rhythm of American constitutional life - nine justices, a docket of cases, and decisions that can reshape law, politics, and everyday life. This year’s term produced headline rulings and quieter doctrinal shifts: questions about presidential power, the reach of federal agencies, the rights of transgender people, and immigration enforcement. It also renewed debate about the Court’s “shadow docket” - emergency orders and summary decisions that shape policy without full briefing or oral argument. These developments matter not just in Washington: they reverberate across democracies, including here in the UK, where debates about judicial review, executive discretion, and rights are very much alive. So today we’ll explain what it is, unpack the big cases and themes, and ask what the Court’s choices mean for politics, law, and democracy, as I ask… what is the Supreme Court term, and why does it matter? . Special Guests: Emma Long, Associate Professor in American History and Politics at the University of East Anglia, and an expert on the Supreme Court. . Join our new 24/7 SOTUS community now: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community . Reading List: Supreme Court of the United States - Official Opinions and Orders: https://www.supremecourt.gov SCOTUSblog - Term coverage and case pages: https://www.scotusblog.com “Shadow Docket” explainer - Brennan Center for Justice: https://www.brennancenter.org . Highlights: 02:29 - How the Supreme Court Works 06:09 - The Chosen Ones 09:56 - The Biggest Cases of Last Term 13:57 - The Shadow Docket 23:14 - Exercising Authority Over the President 28:11 - Gaming the System 32:36 - Roll Over 40:59 - Setting an Example for Other Countries 47:26 - Impartiality in the Supreme Court . Contact us: america@podcastsbyliam.com Team SOTUS: ⁠⁠⁠https://sotus.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠community Brands & advertisers: liam@mercurypodcasts.com . Credits: Producer - Liam Heffernan Host - Liam Heffernan Editor - Liam Heffernan In Partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    What is the Supreme Court Term, and Why Does it Matter?
  3. Aug 20

    In the Making: Lindsay Clancy and America's Live Courtroom Obsession

    JOIN TEAM SOTUS: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community . This week, as Trump continues to put his name on or build a wall through everything he touches, the Lindsay Clancy has gripped the nation, so we take a closer look at live courtroom coverage in America, and the impact this can have on both the trial and the people involved. Joining me this week is Emma Long, Associate Professor in American History and Politics at the University of East Anglia. . 02:09 - The Trump, Not Trump, Sort Of Trump Kennedy Center 10:28 - Big Bend Border Wall 18:30 - Lindsay Clancy 44:58 - Florida Governor Race . News Sources: Kennedy Center votes to put Trump’s name back on the building: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/13/politics/kennedy-center-board-vote  Construction of border wall halted: https://apnews.com/article/trump-border-big-bend-national-park-immigration-c8439ceed11ff5e7f3ca95fa0003327b  Trump wants to end roadless rules in national forests: https://apnews.com/article/roadless-rule-forests-trump-e80a41e0231aa070313a3484261368f3  Lindsay Clancy 101: https://www.biography.com/crime/a71603379/who-is-lindsay-clancy-duxbury-murder-trial  Florida sets up Trump Backed-Donalds Against Former Republican Jolly in Gubernatorial Race: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/18/florida-primary-results-governor-senate . America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/ Join the community: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community Get in touch: america@podcastsbyliam.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    In the Making: Lindsay Clancy and America's Live Courtroom Obsession
  4. Aug 18

    How Did Four American Musicians Outwit the KGB?

    In 1985, four young American musicians travelled to Moscow with saxophones, sheet music, and a secret plan. They were members of the Klezmer Conservatory Band - talented, idealistic, and completely untrained in espionage. Yet under the watchful eye of the KGB, they embarked on a covert mission to smuggle information out of the Soviet Union and help Jewish Refuseniks escape oppression. Their hotel rooms were bugged, they were tailed by police, and every conversation carried risk. But through music, coded messages, and sheer nerve, they succeeded. Forty years later, one of the Klezmer musicians is telling their remarkable story. So today, we explore their mission, the danger they faced, the lives they changed, and why this story is being told now, as I’m asking… how Did Four American Musicians Outwit the KGB? . Special Guests: Merryl Goldberg, currently a Professor in the School of Arts at California State University San Marcos, but she was also the saxophonist and cipher-creator for the KCB quartet that entered the Soviet Union in 1985. Vince Houghton, co-author of Notes of Deception, Director of the National Security Agency's National Cryptologic Museum and the former Historian and Curator of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. . Join our new 24/7 SOTUS community now: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community . Reading List: Notes of Deception: How a Quartet of American Musicians Outwitted the KGB – The Untold Russian History of a Daring Cold War Mission by Merryl Goldberg and Vince Houghton: https://a.co/d/0gAn20cB . Highlights: 02:44 - Cuckoo Crazy 08:04 - In Too Deep 16:50 - Music as Code 24:45 - We Need You Here 30:02 - Meryl Versus KGB 35:15 - People Need to be Advocates 39:25 - What Happened to the Refuseniks? . Contact us: america@podcastsbyliam.com Team SOTUS: ⁠⁠⁠https://sotus.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠community Brands & advertisers: liam@mercurypodcasts.com . Credits: Producer - Liam Heffernan Host - Liam Heffernan Editor - Liam Heffernan In Partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    How Did Four American Musicians Outwit the KGB?
  5. Aug 13

    In the Making: Meta, TikTok, and Internet Safety

    JOIN TEAM SOTUS: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community . This week, as Meta are handed another fine, we take a closer look at what it means, and the wider issues around child safety on the internet... and why social media companies are actively trying to shut down legislation that could help. Plus, Trump's approval ratings continue to fall, the midterms heat up as more candidates are confirmed, and an art installation in Chicago reignites conversations about US monuments. Joining me this week is Corbin Trent, former comms guy for both AOC and Bernie Sanders, and now writer at America’s Undoing and the Founder of A Fight Worth Having. America's Undoing: https://www.americasundoing.com/ . 03:20 - Katie Hobbs 14:32 - Trump's Approval Rating 20:49 - Child Safety on the Internet 43:00 - Other Washingtons . News Sources: America’s Undoing: https://www.americasundoing.com/  Meta’s record child safety fine: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7lz3wr2rlo  Perez Hilton’s infamous livestream: https://thetab.com/2026/08/06/a-four-hour-911-call-and-hospital-updates-the-latest-details-we-know-about-perez-hilton  How TikTok Failed to Act on Perez Hilton: https://www.vanityfair.com/story/perez-hilton-tiktok-livestream-policy?srsltid=AfmBOopxRRQ7Gu9G3bJj-C25b1P3r5zN2oHRaAT_Ui3sipVOy3Pk20Is  Kids Online Safety Act: https://issueone.org/press/big-tech-companies-pump-more-than-51-million-into-lobbying-this-year-as-industry-seeks-to-thwart-passage-of-kids-online-safety-and-privacy-act/  Arizona Governor Race: https://apnews.com/article/katie-hobbs-john-giles-lieutenant-governor-arizona-3d7d3b6ed775c18025263d8d3c430f55  Chicago Monument Protest: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/11/style/chicago-washington-monument-amanda-williams  Trump’s approval rating hits new low: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/08/11/trump-approval-rating-hits-new-low-latest-poll/91260164007/ . America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/ Join the community: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community Get in touch: america@podcastsbyliam.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    In the Making: Meta, TikTok, and Internet Safety

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3.7
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

This is your deep‑dive guide to how the United States became what it is today - politically, culturally, and socially. We unpack the pivotal moments, defining conflicts, influential leaders, and overlooked voices that shaped, and continue to shape, the nation’s identity. Designed for curious listeners, students, educators, and lifelong learners, this series blends accessible storytelling with historically grounded insight to help you understand not just what happened in America’s past, but why it still matters now. If you want a clear, compelling, and richly narrated journey through U.S. history, this is the podcast that brings the American story to life. Made in partnership with the British Association for American Studies. . JOIN THE COMMUNITY: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community GET THE NEWSLETTER: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/ BRANDS & ADVERTISING: liam@mercurypodcasts.com . America: A History is a part of the Mercury Podcast Network, hosted by your resident US expert Liam Heffernan, in partnership with The British Association for American Studies: baas.ac.uk

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