Newstalk Daily

Gen Z is having less sex than the generations before them... They’re approaching dating in a completely different way. And increasingly, they’re learning about intimacy not from real-life relationships — but from what they see online. 

 Arguments, disagreements and fundamental beliefs are being discussed online daily. The latest debate is about whether watching porn in a relationship is acceptable or not. 

 So, are these arguments arbitrary, or is an issue like porn just more prevalent for younger generations than it was before? 

Ciara is joined by Journalist Tessa Ndjonkou and Family Psychotherapist specialising in porn addiction, David Kavanagh 

Married At First Sight on Channel 4 has been pulled from streaming after allegations of rape and non-consensual sexual activity during filming. 

 Police are now urging anyone who may have been affected to come forward, as investigations continue. 

 Some of the claims are understood to have been raised while filming was ongoing and yet the programme still aired. 

 So, at this stage, in the twenty-first century – why does reality TV still have so many skeletons in the closet?

Ciara is joined by TV Critic and Broadcaster Scott Bryan and Professor of Film and Feminist Media Studies and Research Lead/Director for the Cambridge School of Creative Industries, Tanya Horeck

Gardaí are warning of a rise in door-to-door scams across Ireland, with bogus traders targeting homes offering cheap repairs and taking payment for unfinished work.

At the same time, online fraud is escalating, with over 200 scam websites identified last year impersonating trusted services like An Post and Revenue Commissioners.

So, how do we spot these bogus traders and what can we do to protect our more vulnerable loved ones when scamming seems to be everywhere?

Josh Crosbie reports on the growing problem, with Pat Lordan, former Detective Chief Superintendent at the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau Financial Intelligence Unit, discussing how these scams operate — and how to avoid them.

Voters in Dublin Central and Galway West head to the polls this week. By-elections have a long history of delivering tough verdicts on governments — and the signs suggest these contest could follow that trend.

In Dublin Central, Sinn Féin is leading and the Social Democrats are gaining ground, while Fianna Fáil faces a challenging fight. Add in high-profile independent candidates like Gerry “The Monk” Hutch, and the race becomes even more unpredictable.

But this campaign has also been overshadowed by a more unusual controversy — an investigation into suspicious betting patterns on the Polymarket platform, with over $1 million wagered and the majority of trades flagged as potentially irregular.

Ciara Doherty is joined by Newstalk’s Sean Defoe and political scientist Theresa Reidy to break down the latest polling, the key battlegrounds, and the controversy that has added a new layer of intrigue to this race.

More controversy in football — and VAR is once again at the heart of it.  

A last-minute Premier League goal ruled out after a lengthy video review, a decision that could prove decisive in a title race. Days later in Scotland, another major VAR intervention — a penalty call that swung the balance of the Scottish title. 

As debates rage over consistency, transparency, and the authority of match officials, one question has become impossible to ignore: are referees still deciding football matches — or has VAR taken over that role entirely? 

Ciara Doherty is joined by football writer Jonathan Wilson and Off The Ball’s David Wilson to unpack the biggest recent VAR flashpoints, the impact on title races in England and Scotland, and whether the technology has fundamentally changed how football is decided. 

The Murdaugh family once ruled South Carolina’s Lowcountry like a legal dynasty — generations of power, political influence, money, and fear. Then came the murders. 

Alex Murdaugh, the high-profile lawyer convicted of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul at the family’s sprawling hunting estate, is now heading for a possible retrial after his murder convictions were sensationally overturned. 

How did one of America’s most powerful Southern families collapse into allegations of fraud, addiction, corruption, and brutal double murder? And could the jury in the original trial have been improperly influenced? 

Ciara Doherty is joined by Mandy Matney — the journalist whose reporting turned the Murdaugh saga into a global true crime obsession. 

🎧 Listen to True Sunlight here: https://truesunlight.com/ 

Donald Trump is in Beijing for a summit dripping in spectacle, symbolism and global stakes. As China rolls out the military salutes and billboard diplomacy, is Xi Jinping flattering Trump — or strategically manipulating him? 

From Taiwan and trade wars to Iran and a shifting world order, we ask whether this meeting marks the beginning of a deeper global realignment. 

Ciara Doherty is joined by UCD’s Professor Scott Lucas and Dennis Staunton of the Irish Times. 

Maybe it’s something we only notice when the sun comes out, but it's always a hot button issue when we do see it. 

 Why can’t you have a drink in a park or on the street in Ireland? 

And it feeds into a bigger question, not just about alcohol, but about space, and who gets to use it.

Ciara is joined by Una Mullally, columnist with the Irish Times and Sunday Independent columnist, town planner and urban theorist, Conor Skehan

It's meant to be a celebration of music spectacle and European unity but as the Eurovision Song Contest marks its 70th anniversary this year, the atmosphere surrounding the competition is more complicated than ever.

What does the future hold for the Eurovision?

Ciara is joined by Johnny Fallon, Director at Carr communications and Eurovision analyst,  and Mara Hvistendahl, author of a recently published piece in the New York Times about how Israel has turned the Eurovision into a soft power tool.

This week marks 100 years since Fianna Fáil was founded by Éamon de Valera in May 1926.

It's a century in which the party helped to shape modern Ireland and dominated Irish politics. 

But at 100 years old, is Fianna Fáil now a remarkable survivor story, or a warning about how Irish politics struggles to change?

Ciara is joined by Irish Examiner Special Correspondent Mick Clifford and Fianna Fáil TD for Cork East, James O’Connor.