New York City, 1984: a subway car rattles beneath Manhattan, four teenagers joke and sway on the poles, and a quiet, bespectacled white man takes a seat directly across from them. What happens next becomes one of the most explosive and racially charged criminal cases in modern American history.

Bernhard Goetz’s shooting of four Black teenagers - an act he claimed was self‑defence - ignited a national firestorm about crime, fear, vigilantism, and the deep racial fault lines shaping American life.

But behind the headlines lies a far more complicated story: a city in crisis, a media machine eager for a narrative, a justice system bending under political pressure, and a man whose own confession revealed far more than the public was ever told.

We will discuss the real events on that subway car, the distorted coverage that followed, and the long shadow the case cast over policing, gun culture, and racial justice in the United States.

In this episode, we're asking… what did Bernie Goetz Do?

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Special Guest:

Heather Thompson, a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, professor at the University of Michigan, and one of the leading scholars of mass incarceration, policing, and social movements in the United States.

Her latest book, Fear and Fury: The 80s, the Getz Shootings and the Rebirth of America, offers the definitive re‑examination of the case, drawing on extensive archival research, interviews, and newly uncovered evidence to reveal how the Goetz shooting reshaped American attitudes toward crime, race, and justice.

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Highlights:

03:21 - The chain of events

11:23 - Bernie's early life

18:22 - The pro-Goetz narrative

25:22 - Media and racism

33:27 - American history is episodic

41:14 - The cost of injustice

47:08 - A hinge moment in US justice

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For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠

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America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

This week, A Brief History of the Oscars - when and why the Academy Awards started, how they evolved, why they matter, and a few fun facts to finish.

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Join the community: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠⁠ - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

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It's been a pivotal week in US politics, beginning with the death of Alexander Butterfield, the Nixon aide whose quiet revelation of Oval Office recordings changed American history.

There's also the meteoric rise of Texas Democrat James Talarico, whose record‑breaking primary turnout and cross‑party appeal have sparked talk of flipping Texas blue and even future presidential ambitions.

And Donald Trump’s escalating war in Iran, the spiraling oil crisis, and the geopolitical fallout of a conflict the administration appears unable to control.

Joining the show today is Andrew Moran, the Head of Criminology, Sociology, Politics and International Relations at London Met University

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Stories Mentioned:

• The death of Alexander Butterfield (01:24)
• The rise of James Talarico (05:32)
• The legacy of Donald Trump (15:00)
• The downfall of Keir Starmer (40:47)
• The Girl Scouts' munchies cure (43:25)

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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://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

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American cinema has always been a mirror, reflecting the nation’s ambitions, anxieties, and appetite for spectacle. In today's episode, we trace the evolution of movie‑going from the travelling roadshows of Gone with the Wind to the streaming‑dominated landscape of today, where Netflix is king.

We unpack how Hollywood scaled up, how the blockbuster was born, why the multiplex became a cultural institution, and what ultimately destabilised the movie star system.

So in this episode, I’m asking… who killed the movie star?

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Special Guest:

• Van Connor, a film critic, writer, and broadcaster. He is the host of acclaimed movie podcast OffScreen and a regular on TV and radio, but if long film analysis isn’t quite your thing, check out Fifteen Second Cinema on his social channels.

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Highlights:

02:25 - Gone with the Wind and the Roadshow Era

11:18 - The Netflix of the 1950s

18:53 - Counterculture

22:36 - Lucas, Spielberg and the Hollywood Blockbuster

32:34 - Cocaine

43:31 - Generation PG-13

53:44 - SFX vs Movie Stars

58:55 - The Netflix Era

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For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠

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America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

This week, How Does the US Government Work? I’m gonna explain the three branches. The different levels of government and how they all interrelate.

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Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠⁠ - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

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This week, we're discussing the rapidly escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, including:

• Trump’s “large‑scale combat operation” and the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei
• Iran’s retaliation across the Middle East
• The failed Democratic attempt to restrict Trump’s war powers
• The absence of a clear US strategy, exit plan, or defined objectives
• The risk of regional destabilisation and global economic fallout
• Whether this could spiral into a wider conflict

Joining the show today is Stefan Grobe, a former American history professor, now political editor and host at Euronews.

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Stories Mentioned:

• The Clintons testify on Epstein: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/26/hillary-bill-clinton-testify-about-jeffrey-epstein-files-will-it-be-filmed/88883149007/
• Georgia Man Convicted for Second Degree Murder: https://apnews.com/article/georgia-school-shooting-trial-colin-gray-e9afe6e8289f474aa474242ee4bdca67
• The War in Iran: https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/timeline-us-israeli-strikes-on-iran-as-war-breaks-out-in-middle-east/ar-AA1XgxMq?ocid=BingNewsSerp

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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://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/americathestoryoftheusa

Get in touch: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we journey into the life and legacy of one of the most influential and controversial figures of the Black Power era. From the streets of Oakland to the halls of academia, he co-founded the Black Panther Party and became a symbol of resistance, community empowerment, and revolutionary thought.

We’re going to explore his early influences, the rise and philosophy of the Panthers, his confrontations with law enforcement, his intellectual contributions, his decline and tragic death, and the enduring impact of his vision on both American political thought and today’s movements for racial justice.

So in this episode, I’m asking… who is Huey P. Newton?

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Special Guest:

• Joe Street, an Associate Professor of American History at Northumbria University. He specializes in twentieth-century American and African American history, with a particular focus on the intersections of race, politics, and popular culture in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the author of Black Revolutionaries: A History of the Black Panther Party, which was shortlisted for the 2025 British Association for American Studies book prize

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Highlights:

03:52 - Early life and the angry black man

10:53 - Faith, family and the Black Panthers

20:40 - Panthers in the community

28:08 - Systemic inequality

42:35 - Huey's later tragic years

47:52 - Newton's legacy

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For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠

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Contact us: [email protected]

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America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

This week, Every American National Holiday - how they started, when they are, and what you should know before you go!

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Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠⁠ - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

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This week, we are joined by historian Tim Galsworthy for a packed episode covering one of the most chaotic stretches in US politics this year.

We break down the Supreme Court’s landmark decision striking down Donald Trump’s global tariffs, the president’s furious response, and the emergency powers he’s now invoking to push through a 10% global tariff anyway. What does this mean for everyday Americans, and why are tariffs suddenly one of the most unpopular policies in the country?

We also examine the latest security incident at Mar‑a‑Lago, where a 21‑year‑old armed man was shot and killed after entering the perimeter. With multiple attempts on Trump’s life in recent years, Tim explores why political violence is becoming disturbingly normalized in the US, and why assassination attempts rarely achieve what their perpetrators imagine.

Across the Atlantic, the UK is reeling from the arrests of Prince Andrew and Lord Peter Mandelson on suspicion of misconduct in public office. With both cases linked to the fallout from the Epstein files, Liam and Tim discuss whether this mounting pressure could finally force US lawmakers to act, and why Trump’s own base is fracturing over his refusal to release the full documents.

Finally, we speak with Corbin Trent, former Communications Director for AOC and senior figure on Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign, about authenticity in political messaging, the rise of left‑wing candidates like Zohran Mamdani, and whether the Democratic Party’s future is more socialist than its leadership wants to admit.

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Stories Mentioned:

• America’s Undoing: https://www.americasundoing.com/
• Supreme Court says no: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tariffs-trump-0485fcda30a7310501123e4931dba3f9
• Trump’s 15% executive order: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tariffs-trump-0485fcda30a7310501123e4931dba3f9
• Section 122: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r1e327z46o
• Andrew arrested: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/19/uk/andrew-mountbatten-windsor-arrest-what-we-know-intl
• Another Trump assassination attempt: https://news.sky.com/story/armed-man-shot-and-killed-after-entering-perimeter-of-mar-a-lago-13510785

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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://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/americathestoryoftheusa

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In this powerful episode of America: A History, Liam sits down with acclaimed historian Robyn Spencer‑Antoine to unpack the real story of the Black Panther Party - far beyond the leather jackets, headlines, and Hollywood mythology.

Drawing on decades of scholarship, Spencer‑Antoine traces the Panthers’ origins in Oakland’s local civil rights struggles, the socioeconomic inequalities that shaped Black life in the Bay Area, and the global revolutionary ideas that influenced the movement.

As she explains, the Panthers emerged from “this confluence of political consciousness, this sense of possibility, and a desire for a different future, a remaking of America.

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Special Guest:

• Robyn Spencer-Antoine, an acclaimed historian and Associate Professor at the CUNY Graduate Center. She specializes in African American social protest after World War II, urban and working-class radicalism, and gender. She is also the author of The Revolution Has Come: Black Power, Gender, and the Black Panther Party in Oakland, a landmark study that re-centers women’s roles and organizational evolution within the Party,.

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Highlights:

02:17 - The origins of the Black Panthers

08:42 - A uniquely Western movement

11:23 - Huey Newton

15:04 - Provocative versus passive activism

21:23 - The 10 point program

26:39 - The political leanings of the Black Panther party

34:43 - Stigma and stereotypes

42:48 - What happened to the Black Panthers?

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For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠

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Contact us: [email protected]

Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠

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America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

This week, The Top 10 Tourist Attractions in the USA, in reverse order, based on annual visitor numbers, and correct at the time of writing in December 2025.

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Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠⁠ - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠

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