Highlights from Newstalk Breakfast

Donald Trump secured a resounding victory in the first 2024 republican presidential contest in Iowa. We get an update from David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief of The Guardian.

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth Roderic O’Gorman gave his reaction to the scenes in Rackett hall yesterday in Tipperary where it seems families of asylum seekers had to run the gauntlet of protesters being restrained by Gardai your reaction to those scenes . 

Bigger heavier cars are a safety disaster for other drivers as well as cyclists and pedestrians.   So wrote Dr. Catherine Conlon in the Examiner yesterday.  We get reaction from Ger Herbert Motoring Expert.

Minimum public open space requirements and smaller gardens are among the new house building rules which have been issued to local authorities.    We get more details on this new building rules from Tom Philips, Managing Director of Tom Philips Associates.  

The Oireachtas Agriculture Committee is starting a new campaign in Brussels to highlight why Ireland should “hold” a nitrates derogation of 220kg of organic nitrogen.  For more on this Shane was joined on the show by  Denis Drennan, President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association and Steven Matthews Green Party Planning and Local Government Spokesman and Chair of the Oireachtas Housing...

One man was arrested after protesters clashed with Gardaí outside a Roscrea hotel as asylum-seekers were being brought inside. Allison O’Reilly, Journalist with The Irish Examiner who was at the scene last night spoke to Ciara this morning.

How would you like to save a few quid not only this January - but throughout 2024? Simple steps in your digital life could add up to hundreds of euro in savings.  Newstalk’s Tech Correspondent, Jess Kelly brings us the details.

Concerns were raised by the ESRI on Friday about the impact full employment is having on the Irish economy. But what does the long term future hold for us? And could we sustain an island of ten million people? We discussed with Danny McCoy CEO of IBEC. 

The rural US state of Iowa is holding the first nominating contest - known as the caucus, later tonight, to kickstart the race for November’s US Presidential election.     Johnathan caught up with Stephen Moore, Economist at The Heritage Foundation and Economic Adviser to the Trump 2020 Campaign.

Ireland´s richest two billionaires have more wealth than the bottom half of the population, while the richest 1% hold 35.4% of financial wealth in the country. So found a new report from Oxfam published this morning. Is a ‘wealth tax’ the solution? We debated this with People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy and Barry Ward Fine Gael Senator. 

All Things Considered Iowa Caucus  - how will this shape the US elections? Ciara and Jonathan discussed this morning.

Today is Blue Monday. It's apparently the most depressing day of the year. Henry McKean took to the streets, and asked how are you feeling this morning? 

There are increasing fears in the surge of young people abusing the drug Ketamine. It comes as new figures show that five deaths were recorded between 2018 and 2020. The drug has also been linked to a rise in admissions to Irish drug-treatment facilities.  Speaking to Ciara with more on this was Dr. Garrett McGovern, GP specialising in addiction medicine and Medical Director of Priority Medical Cl...

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will today join the great and the good of the world’s elite as he attends the World Economic Forum in Davos in Switzerland. Suzanne Lynch, Chief Brussels Correspondent for POLITICO gave us an update from Davos.

It’s set to be a very cold week this week, and Andrew Doran-Sherlock, Met Eireann Forecaster spoke to Ciara with details of what the week will bring weatherwise.

The Notting Hill Bookstore, synonymous with the film starring Hugh Grant & Julia Roberts has seen a doubling in the sale of books since the pandemic due to TikTok’s ‘booktok’ trend We head from Joan Lucey, Owner of Vibes and Scribes Bookshop in Cork City.

While January blues may be beginning to take hold for some, it’s important to remember there’s light at the end of the tunnel!   We’re three weeks out from the first bank holiday of the year, and to talk us through the best holiday deals is Travel Writer and Broadcaster Joan Scales.

British and US forces have launched an attack on Houthi targets in Yemen after the Iranian-backed group defied a warning to stop targeting ships in the Red Sea. Sean Bell, Former Fighter Pilot and Military Analyst spoke to Newstalk Breakfast with more on this.

Israel will present its defence today against accusations of genocide against Palestinian civilians put forward by South Africa to the International Court of Justice   Ciara spoke to Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland.

A symposium on the impact of leadership in schools has heard calls for a citizen’s assembly on the future of education  Paul Crone, Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputies spoke to Newstalk Breakfast to discuss.

Irish actor Andrew Scott has said that we should get "rid of the expression openly gay". Scott was in conversation with a number of other actors for The Hollywood Reporter’s actors roundtable.  We discuss with Brian Merriman, Founder of the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. 

Donald Trump complained to a New York judge that he "did nothing wrong" as a civil fraud trial that could hobble the former US president's business empire drew to a close yesterday. David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief of The Guardian gave an update to Ciara on the trial.

More investment needed but the economy is at full employment that's the call from the ESRI’s new report examining the National Development Plan. Alan Barrett, ESRI Director joined Shane on the show this morning to explain his findings of his analysis of the NDP? 

The last of Cork's old phone boxes to be replaced with sleek new kiosk-style digital payphones.  We get reaction with Hugh Wallace Director at Douglas Wallace Architects.

An Post will raise the price of a standard postage stamp again next month, the fourth such price hike rolled out in less than three years. Anna McHugh Head of Communications at An Post explained the increase.