Newstalk Weekend

Here to answer all your pet-related questions is Pete the Vet.

Former US President Donald Trump entered a plea of not guilty on Thursday to charges related to conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. The indictment has accused him of engaging in an effort to disenfranchise American voters through false claims of election fraud, with the alleged plot being tied to the January 6th, 2021 Capitol riot. This raises questions about the potential consequences for Trump and how it might impact his potential bid for a second term in the presidency. Notably, Trump's current approval rating stands at 43%, the same as Biden's according to the latest New York Times poll. Larry Donnelly, Law Lecturer at the University of Galway and Columnist with The Journal stops by to give us his take on what impact a trial will have on Trump’s political future.

Joining Stefanie Preissner to run through some of the top stories from the Saturday papers is Kevin Doyle, Group Head of News at Mediahuis and Anna Daly, presenter.

With the summer’s blockbusters already out, Barbie and Oppenheimer, what films can we look forward to in the second half of 2023? Olivia Fahy, movie reviewer and editor of Geek Ireland has a list of what’s to come!

Gerry Murphy from Met Éireann gives us a weather update ahead of the bank holiday. Stefanie Preissner fills in for Anton this week.

More than 80% of Irish holidaymakers are determined to explore abroad this year, even in the face of higher costs. So where are we heading to and how can we not break the bank getting there? Joan Scales, travel journalist and broadcaster joins Stefanie to lend her some advice!

On this week's Ask the Expert, motoring journalist Geraldine Herbert is in the studio to answer all your car-related questions.

Are we too cautious with comedy? Are we too reluctant to break the rules? Comedian Jim Elliott stops by to chat with Jarlath about navigating comedy with today's audiences.

In an exclusive Newstalk poll carried out by Amárach, we discovered that there is still a clear divide between men’s and women’s sport in Ireland. Jarlath Regan is joined by two sporting legends: Broadcaster Anna Geary who was captain of the 2014 Cork All-Ireland winning Camogie team and Sonia O’Sullivan, Olympic Silver medalist.

Wayne Stanley, Executive Director of the Simon Community speaks to Jarlath Regan about the latest homelessness figures, continuing to break record figures.

With Jarlath Regan filling in for Anton, he takes a look at What's Going On in the papers with Gerard Howlin- public affairs consultant and former senior government adviser, and Amanda Brunker, writer of the upcoming Show “Curiosity”

Jarlath Regan fills in for Anton this weekend, and is joined by Cameron Hill from Off the Ball to discuss the All-Ireland Final this weekend.

For a man who once said he would never reach old age, next Wednesday will mark Mick Jagger’s 80th birthday. The great rebel is now a Knight and is about to marry for the third time. Dave Fanning and Fiachna O’Braonáin join Luke O'Neill to discuss the staying power of one of rock music's most enduring icons.

Joining Luke O'Neill for this week's episode of Ask the Expert is RTÉ Super Garden judge and Woodie’s DIY & Garden Expert, Brian Burke.

This week a US tourist suffered a serious assault near Talbot Street in Dublin, and a man in his 30s was also the victim of a serious assault on Dominic Street in Galway. These attacks have sparked further concerns about the level of anti-social behaviour and violence on our streets, and particularly danger in the inner city of the capital. Joining Luke O'Neill to discuss this is Fionnán Sheahan, Ireland Editor of The Independent, whose offices are on Talbot Street in Dublin & Katherine Lynch, comedian, who is based in Dublin city centre.

Joining Luke O'Neill to run through some of the top stories from the Saturday papers is Philip Ryan, Political Editor of the Irish Independent & writer and broadcaster, Barbara Scully.

This weekend sees more sporting excitement with the All-Ireland hurling final on Sunday and of course, looking ahead to Ireland's game against Canada on Wednesday in the FIFA Women's World Cup, Luke O'Neill is joined by Cameron Hill from Off The Ball to preview the action.

This is one of the biggest weekends in the world of cinema, with both Oppenheimer and Barbie taking to the big screen. But while millions will enjoy those movies, actors are on strike – with one of the key concerns revolving around artificial intelligence. So how much of a threat is AI to the arts? Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly, joins Luke O'Neill to discuss.

A recent breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research has ignited hope and optimism within the medical community. 'Donanemab' has emerged as a potential game-changer and is being hailed as a "turning point in the fight against Alzheimer's.” But how will this potentially impact other cognitive conditions? Joining Luke O'Neill to discuss this is Professor Marina Lynch, Fellow Emeritus in Physiology at Trinity College Dublin.

A forensic accountant was appointed this week to look into RTÉ’s finances. It comes as RTÉ’s Director General told the Public Accounts Committee that the non-disclosure of payments has created “one of the most shameful and damaging episodes in the organisation's history”. Joining Tommy Bowe to discuss what RTÉ’s future funding model might look like is Garrett Harte, Strategic Communications at Harte Media PR and former Newstalk Editor-in-Chief.

A number of celebrities in recent days have been open about their mental health difficulties and the toll that online toxicity can take. From Ryan Tubridy saying it’s hard to leave the house these days; Huw Edwards’s wife outlining that he has what she’s called ‘serious mental health issues’ including ‘severe depression’,' to footballer Dele Alli revealing he turns to sleeping pills, the fragility of mental health can’t be underestimated. Joining Tommy Bowe to discuss this is Brent Pope, presenter and mental health advocate; Keith Walsh, writer and broadcaster; and Dr Stephanie Regan, Clinical Psychotherapist.

Joining Tommy Bowe for this week's installment of Ask The Expert is Sonia McEntee, Principal Solicitor at Sonia McEntee Solicitors and chair of the Law Society PR Committee.

There is a feast of sport to look forward to over the course of the weekend and beyond with Wimbledon coming to a close, the All-Ireland Men’s Senior Football Semi-Finals, the Tailteann Cup Final, and not to mention the beginning of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup kicking off on Wednesday. To preview all of this Tommy Bowe is joined by former Irish tennis pro, Conor Niland; Off The Ball’s Aisling O’Reilly; and Former Republic of Ireland international, Karen Duggan.

Joining Tommy Bowe to run through some of the top stories from the Saturday papers is Claire Brock, news presenter with Virgin Media Television & Fergus Finlay, columnist with the Irish Examiner.

Twenty years after Mickey-Joe Harte performed 'We’ve Got The World' at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003, his iconic hit has now received a modern update - ‘As Gaeilge’! Tommy Bowe is joined by Mickey-Joe Harte to talk about the process of making it as well as Cathal Minogue who performed the song as part of a challenge from his friends and colleagues on the Dermot and Dave show on Today FM.

Twitter is now worth only $15 billion. That’s nearly a third of the $44 billion that Elon Musk paid for the platform back in 2022. Declining in popularity among its users, at what point did things go really wrong for Twitter? And now with the arrival of rival social media app Threads, masterminded by his cage-fighting nemesis Mark Zuckerberg, could this be the final straw? Anton is joined by Matt Navarra, Social Media Consultant and Industry Analyst.

Joining Anton to answer all your veterinary questions is Pete the Vet!

RTÉ has long been regarded as a trusted source of news, information, and entertainment for the Irish people. However, recent revelations regarding non-disclosure of payments have raised questions about transparency and accountability within the organisation. What does it mean for RTÉ to be a public service broadcaster in these times? How can it maintain the public's trust and fulfil its duty to provide accurate and impartial information? Anton is joined by Lord David Puttnam, former member of the House of Lords; from 2006 to 2012, he was Deputy Chairman of Channel 4 Television and more recently, chaired an enquiry on the future of Public Service Broadcasting in the UK.

Not sure which country to visit next? Well maybe the Global Peace Index could help you make that decision. They have just released a list of the most dangerous and safest countries in the world, and joining Anton to delve into that list is Joan Scales, travel journalist and broadcaster.

Joining Anton to go through the top stories hitting the headlines is Hugh O’Connell, Deputy Political Editor of the Irish Independent, and Stefanie Preissner, Writer and Broadcaster.

The new RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst met with union representatives and committed to meeting with RTÉ staff and their unions again in the coming weeks. One of those at the meeting was Seamus Dooley, Irish Secretary of the National Union of Journalists and he joins Anton to share his thoughts.

On the back of his latest single, Mick Flannery joins Anton to talk music. Mick is an Irish folk singer who, after winning the International Songwriting Competition in Nashville, toured the world and his latest single is called ‘Goodtime Charlie’.

Joining Anton for this week's installment of Ask the Expert is GP, Dr. Eleanor Galvin.

Today will see the annual 'Rally for Life' march in Dublin which is organised by a number of pro-life organisations. It comes at a time when the five-year review of existing legislation has been published, and, just this week, Minister of Health, Stephen Donnelly, promised that there will be ‘safe zones’ around facilities offering abortion services. Joining Anton to give her perspective is Niamh Ui Bhriain from the Rally for Life Committee.

If you’re into sport, this weekend is really the start of your summer. Wimbledon is less than 48 hours away, but all eyes are on Croke Park this weekend with all four quarter-finals in the All-Ireland Football Championships. Joining Anton to preview all the action is Off The Ball’s, Cathal Mullaney.

As we come to the end of a very eventful week with RTÉ executives in front of the Media and PAC Committees - with another committee meeting to take place next Wednesday - the RTÉ pay crisis looks set to continue to dominate the headlines. Joining Anton to discuss the latest revelations and the future of RTÉ is Independent Senator, Rónán Mullen & Cearbhall Ó Síocháin, RTÉ Trade Union Group Secretary and Member of the Irish Executive Council, NUJ, and RTÉ staff member.

With the imminent release of the new Barbie movie, there is no better time to ask - what were your favourite childhood toys? Joining Anton to delve into all the nostalgia is TV presenter and podcaster, James Kavanagh and Irish Examiner columnist, Jennifer Sheahan.

Joining Anton to go through the top stories hitting the headlines is John Lee, Executive Editor with DMG Media Ireland & Lauren Boland, reporter with TheJournal.ie.

Anton was joined in studio by entrepreneur and equality advocate, Sonya Lennon. Together they discuss Sonya's start in television, the challenges of predicting fashion trends, and the importance of starting your pension earlier rather than later.

We heard the tragic news this week of the debris field found during the search for the missing tourist submersible 'Titan'. But how did we first become interested in learning about deep sea tourism and when did our fascination with exploring underwater wrecks begin? Joining Anton to discuss is Mensun Bound, maritime archaeologist and author of ‘The Ship Beneath the Ice: The Discovery of Shackleton's Endurance’.

Joining Anton for this week's installment of Ask the Expert is Professor Anne-Marie Tobin, consultant dermatologist.

This week, Ireland’s media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán set out its plans to enhance online safety, including highlighting that for the first time, online service providers will be legally obliged to take steps to make the internet safer for their users. Joining Anton to discuss this is Ireland's first Online Safety Commissioner, Niamh Hodnett. She was among those speaking at the inaugural Media, Internet, and Data Protection Bar Association Conference yesterday on The Regulation of Online Harm.

In stunning developments overnight, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, and his fighters crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia, entering the city of Rostov-on-Don claiming that his fighters controlled the city's military sites. Hours later, Vladimir Putin, stated that the Wagner chief "betrayed" Russia out of "personal ambition". To discuss, Anton is joined by Gabriel Gavin, Politico reporter covering Russia and the former Soviet Union

Joining Anton to go through the top stories hitting the headlines is Philip Ryan, Political Editor with the Irish Independent & Barbara Scully, writer, and broadcaster.

On this day in 2016, the world woke up to the news that Britain had voted to leave the EU. Seven years on, how do British people feel about Brexit? Has it been what they thought it would be or is there regret? Newstalk's chief reporter, Barry Whyte, joins Anton following a week spent researching those questions in the UK.

It is of course Pride weekend which always seems to be one of the most joyful times of the year. Joining Anton to look ahead to the weekend that's in it is TV presenter and drag performer, Paul Ryder.

Joining Anton to answer listener questions regarding their diet is Sarah Keogh, founder of Eatwell.

It is Father’s Day tomorrow! Surely no other days of celebration in the calendar fill us all with more anxiety than these “hallmark” days – they're easy to forget, there seems to be more and more of them year on year, and let’s face it, they’re just a ploy to get us to buy more stuff. But how did it all start? Brian Lloyd from Entertainment.ie joins Anton to discuss.

Award-winning chef, John Torode has spent the last 18 years on our screens and his next adventure will see him tour, taste, and cook his way through Ireland. He joins Anton to talk about his time making 'John Torode’s Ireland' which will air on RTÉ Two on Friday 30th June at 8.30pm.

The funeral of Christy Dignam is taking place this morning following his death on Tuesday. Our reporter Matthew Joyce joins Anton from Finglas to discuss the impact he and his music had on the local community and further afield.