James O'Brien Daily

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien at the end of a week where the temporary ceasefire in Iran seems increasingly out of reach. With the US and Iran willing to have talks and a possibility of relative stability in the Middle East on the horizon - why is Israel pressing ahead with attacks on southern Lebanon? Is there anything that could persuade Netanyahu to sign up for a ceasefire that includes Lebanon, and if not, what is his game plan? Ayala Panievsky, presidential fellow at City University gives her view. Melania Trump delivered a surprise statement from The White House about Jefferey Epstein - where she said she neither had a relationship with him nor was she his victim. She also called on congress to give his victims a hearing. Why has she made this statement seemingly out of the blue? Jon Sopel joins the conversation from Washington and Jaimi Shrive from Victim Focus explains the impact this could have on Epstein’s victims. This episode was recorded on Friday 10th April. Catch James O’Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien as the US-Iran ceasefire is called into question. Within 24 hours of the ceasefire agreement, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli strikes on Lebanon. Israel and the US say that Lebanon wasn’t covered by the ceasefire - Iran disagrees. So, which side do you believe? And why has this agreement crumbled so quickly? Alex Gandler, spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in London, and Lord Ricketts, UK National Security Advisor under David Cameron share their views.Mark Rutte has said that the world is now safer than before the Iran war. Do you feel safer now? And is NATO worth anything while Trump is in The White House? This episode was recorded on Thursday 9th April. Catch James O’Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien as yet more momentous events unfold in the Middle East. A two-week ceasefire has been agreed: the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, and the guns, bombs and rockets have fallen silent across Iran. So, who is the winner here? Did Donald Trump blink, or will he claim this as a victory? And does this change the US’s political standing on the world stage?As Keir Starmer heads to talks with Gulf leaders - we reflect on the UK government’s response to the war in Iran. Will this change the public perception of Starmer? Sir Sadiq Khan joins from a community centre in south London - where he is launching a new £30m scheme for youth clubs in the capital - and he responds to James Cleverly’s criticism of the PM’s handling of the war.This episode was recorded on Wednesday 8th April. Catch James O’Brien on LBC weekdays from 10am.

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien on the eve of the day that Donald Trump has threatened to destroy Iran’s power plants and bridges unless it reopens the Strait of Hormuz. With the president threatening moves that could be considered as war crimes against the Iranian civilian population, and given the president’s profane statements made over the Easter weekend: has Trump lost what’s left of his mind? And if that is the case, is there any route left for the US to get rid of him? The government has announced that they are capping interest rates on student loans at 6%. Is that enough for graduates or is this a sticking plaster for a bust system? And does this illuminate the approach that the government is planning on taking to tackle rising interest rates as a result of the war in Iran? The crew of the Artemis II shuttle have travelled further from earth than any humans before them, Dr Meganne Christian from the European Space Agency and Zoe Williams from The Guardian discuss whether or not there is any point to space exploration.

Time for your next Easter instalment of Mystery Hour, the game in which James invites his callers to ask and answer questions about absolutely anything. You are guaranteed to learn something new after listening to this (however please note James cannot guarantee the usefulness of any newly acquired knowledge).The James O'Brien Daily podcast is back from the 7th April. Have a very happy easter!

While indulging in your Easter eggs, why not also tuck into another instalment of Mystery Hour! It's the feature in which James' callers ask and answer questions about absolutely anything... the type of questions that Google doesn't even know the answer to (well, Google might know, but it's much more fun this way). Enjoy!The James O'Brien Daily podcast is back from the 7th April. Have a very happy Easter!

Trump has threatened to pull the US out of NATO over lack of support shown for his attack on Iran. Have we reached a point where we need to treat his words with some level of plausibility? And if so, what happens if he pulls the trigger and withdraws the US from the NATO alliance? Kanye West has announced three headline dates at Wireless Festival in London in July. Ed Davey has called on the government to ban him from coming to the country and performing at the festival. Should he be banned on account of his antisemitism? And how do we respond to his claims that bipolar disorder affects his behaviour? This episode was recorded on Thursday 2nd April. Catch James O’Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.