Newstalk Breakfast

People need to put down their phones and stop filming tragic road accidents in order to share them online. That’s the call from the Irish Road Victims’ Association. Their vice-President Leo Lieghio, who lost his own daughter in a road accident in 2005 joined us on Newstalk Breakfast.

The EU has agreed to a 15 per cent tariff with the US after months of tense talks and the risk of 30 per cent tariffs from Friday. Neale Richmond, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade joined Jonathan Healy on the show.  

As we approach the end of July, back to school costs loom large for parents across the country.  But what can parents do to pare down those expensive bills? To explain was Sinead Ryan, Presenter of The Home Show and Consumer Columnist with the Irish Independent.  

Tech giant Amazon has scrapped plans to build a big industrial plant in Dublin because it could not secure an electricity supply for the €300 million project. That’s according to a report in The Irish Times this morning. We discuss this further with Muireann Lynch Energy Economist and Senior Research Office with ERSI.

France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said. This move will make it the first G7 nation to do so, drawing the ire of officials from Israel and The United States. This coming as talks for a ceasefire in Gaza were dealt a new blow on Thursday after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams.  We heard from Sean Bell, Former Fighter Pilot, Military Analyst and Co-Host of the Red Matrix Podcast and also Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson of the UN Secretary General a little earlier.

Amazon scraps Dublin plant and hundreds of jobs over failure to secure power supply. Shane and Jonathan discussed this breaking news.  

From Amble packing the 3 arena, to Kingfishr selling out a headline US tour - Irish trad and folk music is having a serious revival at home and abroad.   But what’s behind the resurgence of interest in Gaelic culture and how can we all get involved?    Newstalk’s Sarah madden reports: 

Thousands of Donegal and Kerry fans will be descending upon Dublin this Sunday for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final and those in their cars will be paying a toll on the motorway. Should toll fees be scrapped? We asked Michael Healy Rae, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Independent TD for Kerry.  

Ghislaine Maxwell met a top justice department official yesterday as pressure grows on the Trump administration to release files linked to the disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking network. We get the latest on this with David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief with The Guardian. 

Weight tax for SUVs now on the table for Budget 2026 as strategy papers offer a glimpse at potential measures. While the tax strategy group marks inconsistencies  inconsistency in greenhouse gas taxes. All to discuss with Charlie Weston, Personal Finances Editor with the Independent.