US Congress receives classified briefing on war with Iran

Summary

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Global News Podcast – US Congress Receives Classified Briefing on War with Iran

Date: March 4, 2026
Host: Janak Jalil (BBC World Service)
Main Theme:
The episode centers on the escalating US-Israel war with Iran, the fallout in the Middle East, global impacts, and the ramifications of the Trump administration’s decisions. Special focus is given to a classified Congressional briefing on the war’s rationale, international political dynamics, the conflict's effect on global markets and energy, and a feature on scientific research into pregnancy’s impact on women's brains.

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1. The War in Iran: Congressional Scrutiny and Political Uncertainty

a. Mounting Pressure on the Trump Administration

• The Trump administration, after days of conflicting explanations, faces questions from Congress over the decision to go to war with Iran ([01:38]–[03:24]).
• Congress received a classified briefing from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer expresses deep concern over shifting justifications.

Notable Quotes

• Chuck Schumer: "His administration can't explain the reasons we did it." ([03:24])
• Jeremy Bowen, International Editor:

  "If the case for war were strong, it would be consistent. Instead, the rationales change by the hour... When the justification keeps shifting, a strategy is missing. There is no strategy." ([03:29])

b. Congressional Reactions & War Powers

• Senate Republican John Thune supports Trump’s authority to act militarily, but controversy continues over the War Powers Act ([04:01]).
• Some in Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, push for a vote to limit Trump’s powers, though it’s considered unlikely to pass ([06:47]).
• There is bipartisan concern about mounting American casualties and the lack of adequate civilian evacuation ([07:36]).

Notable Quotes

• John Thune:

  "I think the president has the authority that he needs... by ensuring that he's protecting Americans and American bases and installations in that region as well as those of our allies." ([04:01])

• David Willis, North America Correspondent:

  "There is concern... that Republicans could face pushback at the polls if it goes on indefinitely." ([05:47])

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2. The War’s Evolving Fronts and Regional Fallout

a. Escalation in Iran, Israel, and Across the Region

• Nearly 2,000 targets have been hit in Iran by US military; Israeli and American forces continue bombardment, while Iran responds with missile and drone barrages across the Gulf ([02:32], [08:51]).
• Civilian and military casualties mounting: over 780 killed in Iran since Saturday, including six US service personnel ([08:16]).
• US military build-up is largest in a generation – over 50,000 troops and significant air and naval assets deployed ([08:51]).

Notable Quotes

• Admiral Brad Cooper, US Forces Commander:

  "We have severely degraded Iran's air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers and drones." ([09:11])

• Jeremy Bowen:

  "Iran's air defenses were mostly destroyed last year by Israel. Buildings are in ruins and hundreds are dead, civilians as well as leaders. But the regime is still there..." ([09:45])

b. Spread to Lebanon and Beyond

• Hezbollah retaliates against Israel; Israel launches airstrikes in Beirut and mobilizes ground troops toward Lebanon’s border ([12:00]).
• Civilians in Lebanon and Iran express fear and uncertainty:
  • Tehran resident:

    "Sleeping in fear and waking up in stress. So situation is a little bit awful." ([10:56])

c. Gulf Complications and Global Energy

• Iran threatens all shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, choking global oil and gas transport ([13:32]).
• President Trump pledges US Navy escorts and insurance for shipping, but markets remain jittery ([13:32],[15:18]).

Global Markets Impact

• South Korean stock market temporarily suspended; all major Asian indices plummet ([14:17]).
• Asian countries, reliant on Middle Eastern energy, face significant economic pressure.

Notable Quotes

• Nick Marsh, Business Reporter:

  "The Kospi index in Seoul... is down around 8.5% now... The Hang Seng is down about 2.8%. The Nikkei in Tokyo is down over 4%... all linked, of course, to the escalating crisis in the Middle East and the price of oil and gas." ([14:17]) "Saying that there will be US Naval escort and actually seeing it happen are two very different things." ([15:30])

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3. International Responses and Diplomacy

a. Europe’s Divide and US Frustrations

• French President Emmanuel Macron denounces the US-Israeli strikes as outside international law but blames Iran for provocation ([17:48]).
• Macron deploys France’s aircraft carrier for regional defense.
• Trump criticizes the UK and Spain for restricting US base access; diplomatic strain grows ([18:29],[19:04]).
  • British PM Starmer only allows “defensive” uses of UK bases.
  • Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez refuses access—Trump threatens trade reprisal.

Notable Quotes

• Trump (as reported by Jeremy Bowen):

  "We are very surprised. This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with." ([19:09])

• Danny Eberhard, Global Correspondent:

  "Europe... depends on the US for so many other things, including European security." ([20:41])

b. Kurdish Dynamics in Northern Iraq

• US coalition troops and Kurdish factions under fire from Iranian missile and drone attacks in Erbil ([21:21]).
• Trump reportedly seeks Kurdish fighters’ support for incursions into Iran; Kurds wary due to history of US betrayal ([22:11]).

Notable Quotes

• Ola Guerin, Senior International Correspondent:

  “President Trump would like these Iranian Kurdish forces... to go inside [Iran] and fight on home soil... The US history with the Kurds is a long time involvement of using the Kurds and betraying them... people here won’t forget.” ([22:25])

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4. SCIENCE FOCUS – How Pregnancy Changes the Brain

a. New Discoveries from Spain

• The Bee Mother Project, world’s largest pregnancy brain scan study, finds women’s brains show significant but “dynamic” structural shifts during pregnancy ([02:19], [24:48]).
• Grey matter reduces by about 5% during pregnancy, likely reflecting neurological pruning to increase efficiency ([25:23]).
• Extent of brain changes correlates with mothers reporting stronger bonds with their babies ([26:05]).

Notable Quotes

• Professor Susana Carmona:

  “Women’s brain change profoundly during pregnancy, but those changes are dynamic… sometimes less is better... like a tree pruning branches to grow stronger.” ([02:19], [24:48], [25:45], [27:05])
  “We are not saying that you need to be pregnant to be a good mother... Parenthood does not only depend on the biological changes of your brain, it depends on many, many factors.” ([26:32])

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5. Human Interest: Sinkhole Reveals Ancient Wine Cellar

• In Manchester, a golf course sinkhole exposes a wine cellar sealed for over a century ([28:14]).
• Discovery prompts debate over whether to make it a feature of the course.

Notable Quote

• Steve Hopkins, Deputy Head Greenkeeper:

  “As we dug deeper, the chasm underneath just opened up… this wine cellar... buried for, we think, 100 years.” ([28:43]) "Some members said it should be opened up as a feature... It's just up to the club now what they want to do with it." ([29:20])

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6. Noteworthy Segments & Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |:----------------------------------------------- | ---------- | | Main story headlines & war context | 01:38–02:32| | Congressional and political debate | 03:24–07:36| | Iran war strategy & military updates | 08:16–11:24| | Middle East regional escalation | 11:24–13:32| | Stock market & global energy turmoil | 13:32–16:18| | Diplomatic impacts (Europe/UK/Spain/France) | 17:48–21:02| | Kurdish militias and US strategy in Iraq | 21:02–23:03| | Pregnancy brain research feature | 23:57–27:48| | Wine cellar discovery (Manchester golf course) | 28:14–29:31|

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7. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "When the justification keeps shifting, a strategy is missing." — Jeremy Bowen ([03:29])
• "Sleeping in fear and waking up in stress. So situation is a little bit awful." — Tehran resident ([10:56])
• "We usually use the metaphor of a tree in which you have a lot of branches and you start pruning some of the branches so the tree can grow up through the main one, the more important ones." — Prof. Susana Carmona ([25:45])

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8. Episode Tone and Style

Factual and urgent, reflecting the severity of the unfolding conflict and its global consequences, as well as BBC’s commitment to objective reporting. The scientific segment offers a more contemplative, human tone, while the wine cellar discovery injects a lighter note.

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End of Summary

Transcript

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[Janak Jalil]

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janak Jalil and in the early hours of Wednesday 4th March, these are our main stories. The Trump administration tries to justify the war in Iran to Congress. After days of conflicting explanations. It comes as the US military says it struck nearly 2,000 targets in in Iran, stock markets plunge, with trading in South Korea briefly suspended over concerns about the conflict. President Trump attempts to curb surging oil and gas prices by saying the US Navy will escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary, which Iran has blocked.

[Professor Susana Carmona]

Also in this podcast, women's brain change profoundly during pregnancy. Those changes are dynamic. What we have done is to have a lot of subjects so we can compute and have statistics and numbers about this change.

[Janak Jalil]

A study in Spain finds that women's brains go through profound structural changes during pregnancy. As the Israeli and US Bombardment of Iran continues and Iranian retaliatory missile and drone barrages across the Gulf intensify. The the Trump administration is facing mounting calls to explain why it started this war now, what its goal is, and how long this conflict could last. Ahead of a vote this week in Congress on a war powers resolution aimed at limiting the president's actions, lawmakers received a classified briefing from the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, said he was deeply concerned by the conflicting explanations for the war being put forward by Mr. Trump and his officials.

[Nick Marsh]

His administration can't explain the reasons we did it.

[Jeremy Bowen]

I left the intelligence briefing more concerned than reassured. If the case for war were strong, it would be consistent. Instead, the rationales change by the hour. Regime change, nuclear weapons, missiles, defense, preemptive. Which is it? When the justification keeps shifting, a strategy is missing. There is no strategy.

[Janak Jalil]

But the Senate's top Republican, John Thune, said Mr. Trump had the right to take military action against Iran.

[US Politician (e.g., John Thune)]

I think the president has the authority that he needs to conduct the activities, the operations that are currently underway there. And as you know, there's a lot of controversy around questions around the War Powers Act. But I think the president is acting in the best interest of the nation and our national security interests by ensuring that he's protecting Americans and American bases and installations in that region as well as those of our allies.

[Janak Jalil]

A day after Mr. Rubio said the US attacked Iran because it knew that Israel was about to claims he's now rode back on, Donald Trump denied that Israel had forced his hand. The president admitted that he had been surprised by the strength of the Iranian response, prompting more criticism that the Trump administration failed to plan properly so it could warn or evacuate citizens in the region in time. Hundreds of people have been killed, including six American service personnel. I got more details about Mr. Rubio's briefing of Congress from our North America correspondent David Willis.

[US Politician (e.g., John Thune)]

It's a closed door briefing, but we know that Marco Rubio is likely to have faced a number of questions from lawmakers, chief among them, why now? Initially, of course, it was said that the United States attacked Iran when it did after learning that Israel was about to mount a strike of its own. In other words, to preempt Iran's anticipated retaliation. Well, those remarks led to suggestions that the United States had effectively been pulled into a conflict by one of its allies. And that prompted questions to President Trump, who asserted otherwise, saying that it was his opinion as he put it that Iran was about to stage a strike on the US and that that was what had dictated the timing. And then we saw climb down, really, from Mr. Rubio attempting to row back those original comments saying that President Trump had indeed acted on the timing that gave the United States the greatest chance of success. So as well as that, I think we can expect a lot of questions about the strategy and the likely duration of this conflict that Marco Rubio will have been facing. President Trump, of course, has said it could take four to five weeks, but there is concern even amongst members of his own party that Republicans could face pushback at the polls if it goes on indefinitely.

[Janak Jalil]

Yes. With the midterm elections coming up at the end of the year, is Congress likely to back a vote on curbing Donald Trump's war powers in Iran?

[US Politician (e.g., John Thune)]

Unlikely. I think, given that ultimately it would be up to President Trump himself to approve and sign off on any such measures. But Democrats and some Republicans, in fact, believe nonetheless that it's essential for Congress to weigh in on such an important matter, given that there are American lives at risk here. And indeed, the US Military has released the names of the first service members who died in in this conflict. They range in age from 20 to 42, and they were members of an Army Reserve unit based in Iowa that was setting up a makeshift operations center in Kuwait. Now, President Trump has said that further such casualties are likely in this conflict.

[Janak Jalil]

And briefly, the Trump administration also coming under fire for not preparing properly to evacuate citizens or to warn them in time in the Gulf region.

[US Politician (e.g., John Thune)]

That's right. And they're very much playing catch up in that regard with the announcement that since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, more than 9,000Americans have been returned home from the Middle east. And they have set up a means of communication for those who are still stuck there, a means of registering with the State Department. And they are offering chartered flights and the possibility of military aircraft being deployed as well to help evacuate Americans from the region.

[Janak Jalil]

David Willis in Washington. Well, most of the deaths have been in Iran, with the Red Crescent saying more than 780 people have been killed there since Saturday. Israel once again carried out a wave of attacks on Tehran overnight. Some residents say they fear the Iranian capital is being turned into another Gaza. The IDF said it was targeting launch sites and defense systems. President Trump told reporters at the White House that everything had been knocked out in Iran. The command of U.S. forces in the Middle East, Admiral Brad Cooper, gave more details.

[Nick Marsh]

More than 50,000 troops, 200 fighters, two aircraft carriers and bombers from the United States are participating in this operation and more capability is on the way. These forces bring a massive amount of firepower representing the largest buildup by the US in the Middle east in a generation. Now we're less than 100 hours into this operation and we've already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions. We have severely degraded Iran's air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers and drones.

[Janak Jalil]

But Iranian missiles and drones have continued to hit Israel and Gulf nations with U.S. diplomatic missions among the targets. Israel is sending ground troops into Lebanon as it continues to exchange fire with the Iranian backed group Hezbollah. Our international editor Jeremy Bowen reports.

[Jeremy Bowen]

More attacks hit Tehran. Iran's air defenses were mostly destroyed last year by Israel. Buildings are in ruins and hundreds are dead, civilians as well as leaders. But the regime is still there and there's been much less talk of replacing it from the Americans in the last 24 hours. And they're also saying very little about what happens in Iran after they declare that it's not no longer a threat and stop bombing. The current message seems to be that the day after is a matter for the Iranians, not the Americans. Whatever the consequences, some Iranians are leaving small numbers at this crossing into Turkey. But the war is a gamble. The US and Israel say it will open the way to peace and stability. If instead it provokes disorder and bloodshed, there will be a new refugee crisis in the Middle east and beyond.

[Janak Jalil]

I'm coming from Tehran and there is a lot of chaos in the city. A lot of missiles and attacks from US and Israel.

[Professor Susana Carmona]

I'm not into the politics, but I

[Janak Jalil]

know it's a lot of. It brings just a lot of sadness to people. We hear something, some pollutions outside of the city but not inside of the city. Sleeping in fear and waking up in stress. So situation is a little bit awful.

[Jeremy Bowen]

Iran continues to attack its Arab neighbors. This one hit a car park next to the US Consulate in Dubai. The Iranians cannot match the firepower that they're facing. So they're trying to disrupt American and Israeli plans by spreading the war.

[Nick Marsh]

When the United States attacks us, whether by fighter jets or the ships it deploys, they have access to our territory to strike with all kinds of missiles and aircraft. We cannot reach their territory, but we can reach their bases. I think those bases are legitimate targets.

[Jeremy Bowen]

Lebanon is becoming an increasingly intense theater of this war. Iran's ally Hezbollah hit back at Israel. Israel has launched a series of air attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Hezbollah. Israel is threatening, not for the first time, to finish Hezbollah once and for all. Lebanon and its long suffering citizens have been dragged into another war that most people in their battered country do not want. Further south, close to the border with Israel, Tyre is under heavy fire. Israel has already told civilians in dozens of villages in southern Lebanon to get out of their homes, a sign that they have plans for a big military push in Israel. The prime Minister and the military top brass visited troops at an air base filmed by the Israeli military who blurred their faces. And Mr. Netanyahu issued another warning.

[Nick Marsh]

Our pilots are over the skies of Iran and Tehran as well as over the skies of Lebanon. Hezbollah made a very grave mistake when it attacked us.

[Jeremy Bowen]

The IDF has mobilized reservists and is moving forces up to the border in four days. The war has spread to Gulf Arab countries and now to Lebanon. War moves fast in the Middle east because it's the world's most turbulent region and now even more dangerous.

[Janak Jalil]

Jeremy Bowen with no end in sight to the conflict, stock markets have fallen sharply, with trading in South Korea briefly suspended. Oil and gas prices have also continued to rise after Iran threatened to attack any ship that tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, effectively shutting the waterway through which a large proportion of the world's oil and gas is transported, much of it to Asia, in an effort to keep energy prices down. President Trump has said the US Navy will, if necessary, escort tankers through the strait. And he also said the US Would provide insurance to ships that currently can't get it because of the threat from Iran. Our business correspondent Nick Marsh told us more about the dramatic stock market falls.

[Nick Marsh]

Things were so bad in South Korea that the authorities had to actually halt trading for 20 minutes because it was down as much as 10%. The Kospi index in Seoul, I'm just looking now, it's down around 8.5% now. So it's still a really, a really big drop. There's a couple of reasons. Possibly because the market was a little bit inflated. Anyway, it was kind of surging due to all this AI investment a bit earlier. But also South Korea is a really big importer of Qatari gas, as are many Asian countries as well. I'm taking a look at what's happening in Hong Kong. The Hang Seng is down about 2.8%. The Nikkei in Tokyo is down over 4%. So really, really big losses. All linked, of course, to the escalating crisis in the Middle east and the price of oil and gas, which, let's not forget, basically underpinned the price of everything, not least here in Asia because it powers the huge manufacturing base in countries like China and Japan and South Korea and also here in Southeast Asia.

[Janak Jalil]

And Nick, we've been talking for the past couple of days about how the oil and gas prices are rising. Has Mr. Trump's offer of escorts and insurance to ships in the Gulf region made any difference?

[Nick Marsh]

Well, judging by what's happening in the markets here in Asia, no, it hasn't reassured investors at all because saying that there will be US Naval escort and actually seeing it happen are two very different things. It hasn't happened yet. His comments did seem to help scale back some losses on Wall street yesterday. The markets in the US Were really set for a huge tumble. He came out with these comments and then it started to sort of pare back those losses. But out here in Asia, the losses have continued. And let's not forget we're still talking about millions and millions of barrels of oil and gas which are stuck there in the Middle east can't pass through the Strait of Hormuz because it's too dangerous. And the longer this goes on, we're going to see more and more reaction across the world economy.

[Janak Jalil]

Nick Marsh still to come in this

[Steve Hopkins]

podcast, some members said it should be the feature on the course because it's obviously our history. It's just up to the club now what they want to do with it.

[Janak Jalil]

A sinkhole on a golf course reveals a long abandoned wine cellar.

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[Janak Jalil]

The French President Emmanuel Macron has said his country does not condone the US And Israeli military action against Iran, which he said took place outside international law. But in a televised address. He said Iran was mostly to blame for this war.

[US Politician (e.g., John Thune)]

The Islamic Republic of Iran bears primary responsibility for this situation. It was Iran that developed a dangerous nuclear program and unprecedented ballistic missile capabilities and armed and financed terrorist groups in neighboring countries. Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Shi' Ite militias in Iraq. Consistently stating its objective of destroying the

[Janak Jalil]

state of Israel, Mr. Macron said he was deploying France's sole aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, to the region to help defend French citizens and allies. Britain and Spain have been criticized by President Trump for not allowing the US free use of their military bases. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Trump said he was disappointed with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, for refusing to allow him to use the UK Base in Diego Garcia on the Chagos Islands for the initial strikes.

[Jeremy Bowen]

It's taken three, four days for us to work out where we can land there.

[US Politician (e.g., John Thune)]

It would have been much more convenient

[Jeremy Bowen]

landing there as opposed to flying many extra hours.

[US Politician (e.g., John Thune)]

So we are very surprised this is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with.

[Janak Jalil]

Our global affairs reporter Danny Eberhard told us why Mr. Trump had singled out Spain and the UK on the issue

[Steve Hopkins]

of the UK Prime Minister Starmer has been trying very carefully since the first days of Trump's second administration to tread a fine line with Donald Trump and he's cultivated quite a good relationship with him, but that is coming under severe strain over Iran. First of all, Keir Starmer said that the US Couldn't use UK Air bases and then changed his mind and said for certain, as he framed it, defensive operations. He's talking about attacking, for example, missile sites in Iran that could be used to attack UK Interests in that region and also other Gulf allies of Britain that it was allowed to do that. But that's annoyed Donald Trump all the same, hence that extremely derogatory comparison. He's no Winston Churchill, the famous wartime leader of Britain in the Second World War. So that will hurt, but Britain will hope to ride it out. Britain has made clear that it will operate according to Britain's best interest in this case and on the basis of international law. On the issue of Spain, Trump also very hard he was saying that he's going to cut off all trading links with Spain. He was very annoyed by Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, saying that the US could not use joint bases in Spanish territory in the south for attacks on Iran. Pedro Sanchez has been one of the most voluble speaking up against that US Israeli operation, saying it happened outside international law, whereas some European leaders have basically tried to evade that question. Rather, they're all worried about annoying Donald Trump. And Europe, of course, depends on the US for so many other things, including European security.

[Janak Jalil]

DANNY Eberhard, Northern Iraq hosts US Led coalition troops. They're based at Erbil Airport in an area which has come under attack from Iran. It's also home to Kurdish factions, some of whom are hostile to the Iranian government. From Erbil, here's our senior international correspondent, Ola Guerin.

[Ola Guerin]

We've been hearing quite a few distant thuds and explosions with Iranian missiles and drones in the air.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Air.

[Ola Guerin]

We've also had the air defense system at Erbil International Airport intercepting some of those missiles. But one target that was hit was the headquarters of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group. Now, it has been targeted repeatedly in recent days. Iran's IRGC says it has fired 30 drones at opposition groups here. Why are they such a focus for Iran? Well, they're also a focus for President Trump. We know that he has had a phone call with leaders of some of these groups. No comment yet from the White House about what was said. But it is widely believed here that President Trump would like these Iranian Kurdish forces who are based here to get involved in the war to cross the border and go inside and fight on home soil inside Iran. We don't know what he may have promised them. We don't know if he has reached a firm decision. We do know from sources here that it's something these groups want to do. They are beginning to prepare for this. But they would want to have American air cover paving the way with airstrikes taking out Iranian opposition. And they'd also want to be sure that the regime inside was on the brink of crumbling. And that is something that we're doing just not seeing yet. But in the coming days and weeks, this could be a way, if the Kurds become involved, for the Americans to have boots on the ground. The US History with the cards is a long time involvement of using the cards and betraying them. And that is something that people here won't forget.

[Janak Jalil]

Ola Guerin and you can get more on the US Israeli bombardment of Iran on our YouTube channel. Search for BBC News on YouTube and you'll find Global News Podcast. In the podcast section, there's a new story available every weekday. Many women feel that pregnancy and motherhood change them in some way, giving them new priorities and new skills. The BBC has been to visit the Bee Mother Project, the world's largest study scanning pregnant women's brains based in Spain. Scientists there say brains go through profound structural changes in Pregnancy. And while it's early days for this research, this transformation might make mums brains better equipped to deal with the demands of motherhood. Our health reporter Sumita Montesad has been speaking to some of the women who took part in the study.

[Professor Susana Carmona]

So for me it was about the whole journey of acceptance that I am simply not behaving the same way that I was used to before.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

This is Anna Mudrinich, who was eight months pregnant when I met her at a ballet class. She told me that life felt a little different for her now.

[Professor Susana Carmona]

I started noticing some mistakes, that I would just forget some things. But at the same time I also realized that I'm not getting stressed about insignificant things anymore. It's just kind of as if my brain kind of moved on to a different direction.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Pregnancy changes so many things, almost every part of the body. But little is known about how it changes the brain. To learn more, Spanish scientists have scanned the brains of 127 women before, during and after pregnancy. I travelled to Madrid to meet Professor Susana Carmona, one of the researchers leading the study.

[Professor Susana Carmona]

Women's brain change profoundly during pregnancy, but those changes are dynamic. What we have done is to have a lot of subjects so we can compute and have statistics and numbers about this change.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Susanna showed me the brain scans. So what I'm looking at here, you've got the grey matter outlined in red. She's highlighted areas of grey matter, a nerve rich layer that plays a crucial role in things like processing information, emotions and empathy.

[Professor Susana Carmona]

So we can calculate different things, such as for instance, cortical thickness, gray matter, volume or surface area.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

When her team put the average results together and compared them to scans of women who work pregnant, a striking pattern emerged. For women who weren't pregnant, their grey matter stayed pretty steady over time. But for women who were pregnant, their grey matter decreased by about 5% during pregnancy before gradually coming back up, though not fully six months after giving birth.

[Professor Susana Carmona]

I know it sounds like a bad thing, but it does not necessarily need to be a bad thing, as in the brain, as in life, sometimes less is better. We usually use the metaphor of a tree in which you have a lot of branches and you start pruning some of the branches so the tree can grow up through the main one, the more important ones.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

There's still a lot to be worked out at a more detailed cellular level. But Professor Carmona's theory, backed by years of animal research, is that these changes represent a restructuring of the brain's architecture as it adapts to the demands of motherhood and scientists found that the more the brains changed on the scans, the more likely the women were to report on questionnaires that they felt content and well bonded with their babies.

[Professor Susana Carmona]

What I would like to make clear is that we are not saying that you need to be pregnant to be a good mother. We don't need neuroscience to answer that question. Right. Parenthood does not only depend on the biological changes of your brain, it depends on many, many factors. The findings, to me are very, very interesting.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

For some mothers who've taken part in Susannah's work so far, these early clues are changing how they view motherhood. This is Tanya Esparza, one of the participants who I met in a park in Madrid.

[Professor Susana Carmona]

I think it is time that we start rethinking how we're treating mothers, especially new mothers, and what expectations we have on who they wear, who they are and where they're going. They're undergoing tremendous transformation and we need to approach them as someone who is coming outside of a cocoon, becoming something different, and just be very accepting that this is happening to them and enjoy and cherish who they're becoming.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Scientists hope as work in this field grows and more attention is paid to the transformation of the brain in pregnancy, there'll be a deeper understanding of both the good and sometimes challenging sides of this pivotal experience that millions go through each year.

[Janak Jalil]

That report was by Smita Mundusad. A golf club in the English city of Manchester has stumbled across an unexpected find. Underneath part of its course, an abandoned wine cellar. The brick chamber, thought to have been sealed up for more than 100 years, was discovered after a sinkhole opened up on the course, revealing dozens of old glass bottles. Tim Muffett reports.

[Steve Rosenberg]

It's thought golf has been played in the grounds of Davy Hulme hall since the 1840s. The 12th century manor house was demolished in 1888. A golf club established on the site in 1911. But of all the yarns that have been spun in the clubhouse, few surely will match that of the remarkable discovery below the 13th hole. The deputy head greenkeeper, Steve Hopkins, spotted a sinkhole during a morning inspection last week and decided to excavate the area with a small digger.

[Steve Hopkins]

As we dug deeper, the chasm underneath just opened up. We then noticed a slight brick structure, climbed into the hole that we dug with a torch and looked into this. Obviously, this wine cellar that has been buried for, we think, 100 years.

[Steve Rosenberg]

Plus, the cellar contained around 100 empty bottles of different shapes and sizes. Staff say one end of the cellar has a door that has been blocked, which could potentially lead to a bigger set of underground structures. The big topic of conversation on the fairways, what next for the abandoned wine cellar?

[Steve Hopkins]

There has been some members that said it should be opened up as a feature on the course because it's obviously our history. It's just up to the club now what they do want to do with it.

[Janak Jalil]

And that report was by Tim Muffett. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email [e-mail] and don't forget our sister podcast, the Global Story, which goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one big story. This edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Martin Baker and produced by Arian Cross Kochi and Wendy Urquhart. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Janat Jalil. Until next time, Goodbye.

[Steve Rosenberg]

I'm Steve Rosenberg, the BBC's Russia editor in Our man in Moscow. I'll show you what it's like being a news correspondent in Russia as the Russian authorities wage war on Ukraine and try to silence Dec.

[Janak Jalil]

The sound of war has reverberated around

[Nick Marsh]

Ukraine for three years.

[Steve Rosenberg]

Dramatic geopolitical upheaval alongside threats of intimidation and imprisonment. Our man in Moscow Watch with a subscription to BBC.com and the BBC app. Visit BBC.com docs to learn more.