Today, Angela Rayner has reignited Labour leader speculation with a speech in Westminster.

The former deputy prime minister told a room at a Westminster pub that Labour is “running out of time”.

Adam and Chris discuss this, and mixed messages coming out of the White House about the effectiveness of Operation Epic Fury with Chief North America Correspondent Gary O’Donoghue.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was James Piper. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, President Zelensky has been in London to agree a new defence partnership with the UK, with Downing Street hoping to unite “Ukrainian expertise and the UK's industrial base" to manufacture drones. But while Starmer and Zelensky were meeting one side of the Atlantic, President Trump was changing his mind on whether he needs Nato support in the Strait of Hormuz again.

During a meeting with the Irish Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, President Trump hit out at Starmer again.

Adam and Chris discuss Zelensky’s visit and President Trump’s change of heart.

Plus, economics editor Faisal Islam joins Adam, fresh from looking at quantum computers with Rachel Reeves, to discuss the Chancellor’s annual Mais Lecture which covered AI, closer ties with Europe, and possible plans to devolve tax revenue spending.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Anna Harris with Shiler Mahmoudi and Harry Craig. The social producers were Jem Westgate and Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was James Piper. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, President Trump has reiterated his requests for support from Nato allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz - days after saying we don’t need” UK aircraft carriers in the Middle East.

For now, the PM and other European allies are holding off - with Sir Keir Starmer saying the UK doesn’t want to get drawn into the wider US-Israeli war with Iran.

James and Chris are joined by Panorama film maker Jane Corbin to discuss the ongoing disagreement between the two sides of the Atlantic.

Plus, The Economist’s defence editor Shashank Joshi joins James to explain why Trump has requested European support in the Gulf, and whether it would actually make a difference.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

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New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters was James Cook. It was made by Anna Harris with Shiler Mahmoudi and Harry Craig. The social producer was Gabriel Purcell Davis. The technical producers were Philip Bull and Rohan Madison. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, President Trump has called on the UK and other allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the world's busiest oil shipping channel.

Laura, Paddy and Henry unpick what Ed Miliband said in response to pressure from the President and analyse what the current closure of the strait means for the cost of living.

Meanwhile, the US president says he wants to make a deal to the end war in Iran, but 'the terms are not good enough yet'.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell It was made by Chris Gray. The social producer was Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, Laura catches up with Steve Rosenberg in Moscow and Frank Gardner in Saudi Arabia to get their take on the global impact the war in Iran is having beyond the Middle East.

President Trump says the US military has bombed a small island off the coast of Iran which is home to one of the country’s most important oil terminals. Frank Gardner, the BBC’s security correspondent, explains how both the US and Iran are trying to secure their oil interests in the region.

Plus Steve Rosenberg joins Laura from Moscow to talk about the US decision to loosen sanctions on Russian oil as the world deals with rising prices. But, what will this mean for Russia’s own war in Ukraine?

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Laura Kuenssberg. It was made by Anna Harris with Laura Cain. The social producer was Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Ricardo McCarthy. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, James, Alex and Chris are joined by Jeremy Bowen to discuss the latest in the war in Iran.

They reflect on what lessons could be learnt from the two Gulf Wars, the pressure building on the world economy and if President Trump is “close” to a victory?

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter were James Cook and Alex Forsyth . It was made by Jack Maclaren with Jem Westgate. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, the new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, gave his first statement pledging to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

This was delivered not by Khamenei himself, but by a newsreader on Iranian state TV speaking over a photo of him, sparking further speculation as to his health and whereabouts.

Alex and James are joined by Jane Corbin, Panorama film maker, and Baran Abbasi, reporter and presenter for BBC Persian, to discuss what to make of the new Supreme Leader’s statement.

Plus, diplomatic correspondent, James Landale, joins Alex and James from Kyiv to analyse what the US-Israeli war with Iran means for the war in Ukraine and how President Zelensky and President Putin have responded.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were James Cook and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Anna Harris with Shiler Mahmoudi and Harry Craig. The social producers were Joe Wilkinson and Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

The government releases documents about appointing Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador.

Today, President Trump has told reporters Iran war will be over “very soon”, but not this week.

Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says this will be the “most intense” day of US strikes on Iran so far. So how close is the war to ending?

Alex and James are joined by Caitríona Perry, Chief Anchor of BBC News in Washington, to try to decode what Trump might mean.

Meanwhile, Trump has also threatened Iran with "death, fire, and fury" if it continues to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around a fifth of global oil supplies.

Michelle Wiese Bockmann, senior maritime intelligence analyst at Windward, joins Alex and James to explain why the Strait is so vital.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was James Cook and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Harry Craig. The social producer was Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, the Iran war has pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

James and Alex are joined by Dharshini David, deputy economics editor, and Katya Adler, Europe editor and Brexitcast veteran, to discuss what the war means for the global economy and how the surging oil price might lead to higher inflation.

Katya’s new series ‘Europe on the Edge’ is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

Meanwhile, in Iran Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the previous supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has been named as his successor.

Siavash Ardalan, senior reporter for BBC World and BBC Persian, joins James and Alex for a profile of the man now in charge of the Islamic Republic.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Alex Forsyth and James Cook. It was made by Anna Harris with Shiler Mahmoudi, Jem Westgate and Harry Craig. The social producer was Grace Braddock. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The assistant editor was Jack Maclaren. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, we look at the extent to which the lessons learned from the Iraq war has shaped the UK's response to the war in Iran.

Keir Starmer has taken a position somewhere between full support of Donald Trump’s actions, and direct criticism of them.

In a post on Truth Social, the US president criticised the UK for being less than 100% supportive, saying ‘we will remember’ and "We don't need people that join Wars after we've already won!"

On Friday, former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair told a private event that the UK should have backed the strikes from the beginning.

But is Keir Starmer’s decision making being guided by some of the failures of the 2003 Iraq war, which Blair led the UK into?

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC.

The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Chloe Scannapieco. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Phil Bull. The weekend series producer is Chris Flynn. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.