In The News

As US president Donald Trump threatens to wipe out Iran and attacks the pope, even some former allies are questioning whether he has grown increasingly unbalanced.

His social media post of an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus gave even more ammunition to his detractors.

All of this has meant that Trump’s political opponents have become louder in invoking the US constitution’s 25th amendment, a mechanism for ousting a medically unfit president.

With no clear end to the war in Iran and no plan from the White House for what should be next, the president’s frustration is palpable. Is his erratic behaviour a manifestation of that frustration or is there something else going on with the near 80-year-old?

Irish Times Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan explains.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For almost a week there were blockades and go-slows which severely disrupted the country’s road network and Dublin city centre was at a standstill for several days. By the weekend a third of the country’s service stations were out of petrol and diesel because fuel depots were under siege. Gardaí were out in force from the start; on the streets, beside fuel depots, on motorways – watching. So what changed on Thursday? Why did the policing response notch up several gears? Did gardaí expect the Defence Forces to join them on the streets and what did the army know Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan’s was about to call on it to act? While it was called a fuel protest – about rising prices – it became clear that anger at the Government motivated many who took to the streets. Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally assesses the policing response to the largest protest in the State.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For almost a week there were blockades and go-slows which severely disrupted the country’s road network and Dublin city centre was at a standstill for several days. By the weekend a third of the country’s service stations were out of petrol and diesel because fuel depots were under siege. Gardaí were out in force from the start; on the streets, beside fuel depots, on motorways – watching. So what changed on Thursday? Why did the policing response notch up several gears? Did gardaí expect the Defence Forces to join them on the streets and what did the army know Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan’s was about to call on it to act? While it was called a fuel protest – about rising prices – it became clear that anger at the Government motivated many who took to the streets. Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally assesses the policing response to the largest protest in the State.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There have been 45 deaths on Irish roads so far this year – that’s six more people than this time last year. Tragically, 2025 ended as the deadliest on Irish roads in more than a decade with 190 fatalities. Why?

What makes Ireland so different from our European neighbours who are successfully tackling this devastating problem?

Business economist Sinead O’Sullivan, skilled in collating and analysing data, was prompted by the high level of road deaths to explore the figures to see if she could see a pattern and, by assessing what happens in other countries, suggest five proven solutions.

Her findings led her to conclude that this is a public health crisis and needs to be treated as such.

On this podcast she explains what those five actions are and why a lack of accountability at official level is costing young lives by ignoring the clear pattern of preventable harm.

O’Sullivan runs a road safety accountability campaign at stoproaddeaths.ie.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John O’Brien’s scam was simple. Arriving in the US on a tourist visa in 2021, he set himself up as a building contractor in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. By the time the authorities caught up with the 28 year-old, he had conned more than 100 victims out of an estimated $2.5 million.

Many of the homeowners who handed him their life savings for promised building work were charmed by his Irish accent and friendly demeanour.

Sentencing him to four years and eight months in prison, the judge talked about “the extent and breadth of the harm” done to victims who opened their doors to O’Brien out of kindness and trust. He had pleaded guilty.

Many of his victims gave statements in court including Candace Gauvin, a retired school crossing guard, who emptied a life insurance account, eventually paying him more than $90,000 for shoddy work.

One of the more than a dozen people who provided character references for O’Brien included fellow Traveller Senator Eileen Flynn who advocated for his early release for the “benefit of his young family”.

Local reporter Susan Zalkind was in court in Rhode Island for O’Brien’s case and she explains how the scam worked, how it funded his lavish lifestyle and the impact on the victims.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.