The Good Morning Portugal! podcast with Carl Munson

On Tuesday 6th October 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news follows the return of the wine club with a feature on Portugal’s sparkling wines (espumante), and notes that Parliament’s proposal to restrict social media for minors is likely to be voted on this month: parental consent for ages 13–16 and a ban on accounts for under-13s.  Other headlines include Lisbon and Cascais being named...

On Republic Day, Monday 5th October 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that defending champions Portugal beat Norway 2-1 to keep a perfect Group A record and secure a UEFA Nations League quarter-final place, again without Cristiano Ronaldo. Other headlines include Lula leading Bolsonaro among Brazilian voters in Portugal after the first round (48% to 44% of about 134,000 regis...

On Friday 2nd October 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in the Nations League without Cristiano Ronaldo, securing a third consecutive win as manager José Jesus praised squad unity and José Mourinho dismissed rumours of involvement in the saga. The other lead is widespread labour disruption: public-administration staff, EasyJet cabin crew and tra...

Carl interviews Anthony Day, a technology podcaster turned founder of Raw Sintra Biltong, who joins from a soundproofed windmill in Sintra.  Anthony shares his background growing up in England, being introduced to biltong through London’s South African community, and launching his own biltong company after struggling to find the soft, lean style he likes in Portugal.  He explains biltong’s South A...

On Thursday 1st October 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news leads with a wave of strikes: public-sector workers, airport staff and police unions launching nationwide strikes and protests throughout October, starting tomorrow, with some people extending the Monday public holiday into a long weekend.  Other headlines include economic uncertainty for Lisbon’s vulnerable bottle collectors...

The winners - https://www.portugalresident.com/portugal-new-7-wonders-2026-winners/ Portugal’s New Seven Wonders Announced: Winners, Public Vote, and Highlights... The clip covers the newly announced “Seven Wonders of Portugal,” revealed after a national final held in Sintra on Saturday, September 12th, with results broadcast on TVI.  It explains that hundreds of entries were narrowed to 21 finali...

This clip covers Portugal’s national giant vegetable competition, where Algarve grower José Rui Santos from Albufeira won first prize with a record 905kg pumpkin, also taking the melon category, and earning €1000; other top finishers included António Almeida (861kg) and Virgílio Ribeiro (729.5kg).  It also highlights results in other categories, including Claudia Fernandes winning the watermelon c...

With midterm elections approaching, the Carl and Veronica discuss how polarised politics has made many people avoid political talk, even though learning comes from listening to different views.  They highlight the Ground News app for comparing many sources, political leanings, factuality, and “blind spots,” and reflect on how journalism has shifted from striving for objectivity and strict ethics t...

On Wednesday 30th September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news notes that it is an interesting day in Portuguese history and leads with the deepening housing crisis: mortgage payments face their steepest rise in three years after October rate revisions, while national rents have jumped 10.2% year-on-year. Other headlines include nationwide flu and COVID vaccination campaigns launching...

‘Playing with fire’ budget, brilliant (not) bookshop & innovation paradox; weather & currency (<3mins) On Tuesday 29th September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports tensions in the government after the first state-budget negotiations, plus the expansion of the green rail pass to major urban networks. Other headlines include Vilamoura Marina being named Superyacht Mar...

On Monday 28th September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news highlights tonight’s talk with author Tim Richardson at Indie ("Not a Bookshop") in Cascais, plus the Portuguese book market reaching a three-year high.  Other headlines include the 17th Sagres Birdwatching Festival (2–5 October), 14 passengers treated for smoke inhalation after a Delta flight to Boston made an emergency land...

On Friday 25th September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news previews afpop Expo returning to Portimão Arena in October, with CEO Daisy Sampson joining as guest.  Other headlines include Lisbon launching a sterile-mosquito trial to curb disease-carrying insects, AIMA immigration agency staff announcing a nationwide 24-hour strike on 6th October, the government again urging people to cu...

On Thursday 24th September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports Portugal’s electric-vehicle market surging with Tesla leading the growth, while diesel has hit a record €2.21 per litre.  Other headlines include the Maritime Police seizing 2,000 litres of fuel and a vehicle in Cacilhas, the Public Prosecutor searching Judiciary Police premises, employment figures masking structura...

Starlink link - https://starlink.com/gb?referral=RC-DF-10309716-18550-92 😉 This clip discusses a major telecoms disruption in Portugal that was reported as mainly affecting MEO, with the operator stating it was caused by a “mass attack” that congested and degraded international connectivity while insisting no customer data was accessed or compromised.  At the 18:30 peak, DownDetector logged about...

This morning show episode questions recent AI headlines urging a slowdown, arguing AI firms are unlikely to pause and may be managing PR, calming public perception, or creating excuses for missed targets and losses, while doubting effective regulation without extreme control.  Carl asserts AI itself is a benign tool and the real danger is human “wicked intent,” citing Tolstoy’s “The wicked grow bo...

The episode introduces a new “Portuguese humor” module in a language-learning “special ops” approach, encouraging learners to ask Portuguese people for a joke (“Conta-me uma anedota”), admit confusion (“Não percebi”), and use humour to build cultural fluency beyond vocabulary.  It highlights why jokes are hard in a second language (wordplay, timing, cultural context), shares suggested comedians (H...

On Wednesday 23rd September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news warns of a Friday truck protest against fuel prices that will affect the A1, A41 and A42.  Other headlines include Spain’s tougher stance on data centres possibly pushing investment into Portugal, a tribute to singer-songwriter Jorge Palma after his death at 76, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro forecasting a surplus and grow...

On Tuesday 22nd September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that a health unit in Barcelos is prescribing exercise and therapy instead of medication for some patients with depression.  Other headlines include the government urging energy conservation amid fuel concerns, the opening of the €40 million Lusíadas Beloura hospital in Sintra, the death of musician Jorge Palma at 76...

On Monday 21st September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports record-high drug seizures amid surging cocaine trafficking, plus a heatwave with yellow warnings extended to 16 districts and temperatures climbing into the mid-30s.  Other headlines include a 170 km Algarve charity cycle ride, António Costa and other leaders calling for UN reform, the Socialist Party doubling down on...

This conversation discusses why Americans have become the top applicants for Portugal’s Golden Visa, linking the trend to long-term “hedging” with an EU option and the end of Portugal’s NHR regime, which has led some to face double taxation.  Veronica - the original 'American in Portugal' - and Carl note the residency tax threshold of spending more than half the year in Portugal, and that U.S. cit...

On Friday 18th September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news highlights a Global Wellness Institute report on the shift towards functional longevity rather than just looking good after 50.  Other headlines include an ADN petition calling for stricter nationality-law reforms and an ancestry-based model, Portugal launching an AI training initiative for 100,000 workers, a genet rescued fr...

On Thursday 17th September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that US citizens now top Portugal’s Golden Visa programme amid rising interest, while Interior Minister Luís Neves is considering disclosing offenders’ nationalities as political tensions mount.  Other headlines include teachers abandoning Algarve posts because of housing costs, police unions negotiating with the go...

On Wednesday 16th September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that Environment Minister is addressing problems with the Volta system, while Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas and a growing petition want it cancelled or at least reviewed.  Other headlines include the Raízes Viva Festival arriving in Santarém later this month to highlight regenerative agriculture and food culture, the...

Meet Zé Povinho: Portugal’s Everyman, the Manguito, and the New “Zé Bot” (Ask Him Anything!) The host introduces Zé Povinho, Portugal’s famous fictional everyman created by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro in 1875, known for saying what everyone thinks but no one says, his anti-hero status, his signature manguito gesture, and the phrase “Queres fiado, toma!”, noting a new permanent exhibition marking 150 y...

On Tuesday 15th September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news leads with an Algarve farmer setting a new Portuguese pumpkin record at 905 kg (and also holding the melon record).  Other headlines include a global report warning of democratic decline and an erosion of freedom of expression in Portugal, the Constitutional Court failing to maintain its blacklist of public officials, heavy...