Under new laws beginning today, under-13s in the UK must be barred from social media. How will it work and are there aspects of online identity verification that politicians might not have considered? 

Joining James to discuss the new laws is Lisa Kenevan, whose son Isaac died aged just 13 in a tragedy that she believes was caused by social media exposure. Now she and the parents of three other children who died in similar circumstances are suing TikTok.

And, Sir Keir Starmer is being urged to include speaking skills into the national curriculum. Himself never a man of few words, James asks what it’s like struggling with speaking, and what difference oracy lessons could make.

This episode was recorded on the 25th July. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

The BMA has said NHS bosses will be putting patients at risk from tomorrow's resident doctors' strike. Only non-urgent care will be cancelled - a move that will spread senior doctors too thinly according to the union. Considering their 22% pay rise across the last 2 years, do you support the doctor’s strikes this time round?

Also, new data shows a third of 20 to 34-year-old men in the UK still live at home, a number much higher than their female counterparts - why is this? Is this “failure to launch” even still considered a failure? And what’s it like as the parent and the young adult in this scenario?

And, James speaks with Sönke Iwersen, award-winning journalist at Germany’s top business newspaper, Handelsblatt, and one of the authors of “The Tesla Files”. Based on leaked Tesla documents, the book details disturbing alleged problems with the company and its car’s auto-pilot feature, and what drives Elon Musk.  

This episode was recorded on the 24th July. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Following two riots outside an asylum hotel in Epping last week, Sir Keir Starmer is demanding urgent action to avoid a repeat of last summer’s far-right violence. What should they do?

Also, have you ever experienced brain fog? According to a new study, the Covid-19 pandemic may have aged our brains prematurely. Do you think this has happened to you?

And, more than 100 NGOs warn that "mass starvation" is spreading across Gaza, accusing Israel of not allowing food into the strip. James speaks with Dr Joanne Perry, a doctor with Médecins Sans Frontières, based in Al Helou hospital in the north of Gaza, to find out more.

This episode was recorded on the 23rd July. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Israel has launched another offensive in Gaza, targeting the main hub for humanitarian efforts in the strip, Deir al-Balah, amid warnings of Palestinian starvation. This latest assault comes just after Israel killed at least 85 Palestinians waiting for aid on Sunday, in what has become almost daily slaughter.

Yesterday, a joint statement issued by the UK and 27 other nations condemned Israel for the "drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians". The tide in the global community has turned - but what have you learned from this conflict?

This episode was recorded on the 22nd July. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Water regulator Ofwat will be scrapped and replaced with a new watchdog to “prevent the abuses of the past”, including an estimated £85 billion being extracted from the UK water industry, with next to no investment. Simple question here - what has happened to our water and why?

Also, the Lionesses have decided to stop taking the knee to protest against racism before their Euro 2025 matches. This comes after England star Jess Carter received significant online racist abuse and a statement from teammate Lucy Bronze saying that taking the knee wasn’t working to tackle racism. What do you think of the Lionesses decision?

And, James speaks with James Ball, Editor at the New World, who’s been covering the Jeffrey Epstein case since 2014 and explains how it could break Donald Trump.

This episode was recorded on the 21st July. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

MP Diane Abbott has said it "is obvious this Labour leadership wants me out" after the party suspended her for a second time over comments she made about the racism experienced by black people in comparison to the Jewish and Traveller communities. What do you think of comments?

And, former Masterchef presenter John Torode has been sacked by the BBC for allegedly using the N-word twice. It’s been reported that he was repeating lyrics from rapper Kanye West’s hit Gold Digger, which contain the racial slur, at an after-work ­gathering six or seven years ago. Should he have been fired?

This episode was recorded on the 18th July. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Four MPs have been suspended by Labour for their rebellion against welfare cuts earlier this month. One of them, Rachel Maskell, described the cuts as "Dickensian” and belonging to a “different era and a different party". She’ll now sit as an independent and says that the suspension won’t silence her. What do you think about this moment of Starmer’s premiership and what makes a rebellion righteous, as opposed to dangerous?

And, today’s breaking news - the government has confirmed that the voting age will be lowered to 16 across the UK for the next general election. James sees this as a universally positive move for our democracy. Do you agree?

This episode was recorded on the 17th July. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

The previous government withheld news of their operation to relocate 24,000 Afghans to the UK in order to protect some of those that they’d put at risk of Taliban attack after a Ministry of Defence data leak. So, why did the government cover it up?

Also, the two men that cut down the Sycamore Gap Tree have both been jailed for four years and three months. Is this a fair punishment?

James is joined by Gabriel Shemirani, whose sister Paloma died from cancer last year at just 23 years old. They discuss Gabriel’s assertion that their mother pressured Paloma into refusing treatment based on conspiracy theories.

And, James speaks with historian and author Dr Eliza Filby about her book "Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad", which explores the divide between those who can rely on family wealth and those who can’t - and the damage this is doing to society. 

This episode was recorded on the 16th July. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Secondary school pupils in England are to be taught about "incel" culture, with a focus on positive role models for boys in efforts to tackle “manosphere” related misogyny. To help understand the importance of this, James asks what it’s like to grow up without a positive role model as a boy.

And, James is joined by Lewis Goodall for the breaking story on which he’s been working for 2 years, but was legally required to keep secret - until today. Using an unprecedented super-injunction, the UK government witheld knowledge of a catastrophic data breach that exposed thousands of Afghan people who had worked with UK forces during the Afghanistan War, putting them in danger of attack by the Taliban. Since then, the government has undertaken a secret relocation operation of thousands of those Afghan people to the UK. 

This episode was recorded on the 15th July. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting will meet representatives from the BMA this week, as he hopes to avert five days of strikes by resident doctors. Public support for the strikes has plummeted from 52% in the last round to 26%, according to new polling. Have you changed your mind on doctors strikes?

Also, last week’s sacking of former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace came after 45 of the 83 allegations against him were upheld, including one of unwanted touching and three of exposing himself. In a statement he defended himself, citing his recently diagnosed autism as a reason for the alleged behaviour. Could autism have played a role in his alleged sexual misconduct?

And, with MPs warning that a new mandatory duty to report child sex abuse could end up having "little or no consequence," James speaks with ​​Jonathan West, Director of Mandate Now, a pressure group that campaigns for more robust policy in the area.

This episode was recorded on the 14th July. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10 am on LBC.