• Safety in Dublin as a restaurant owner shares his crime ordeal.
• "Shed-sits" are suggested as an option to aid Ireland's ever-worsening housing crisis.
• Has America just thrown Europe under the bus on defence?
• Plus, after 11 gloomy days, the sun finally makes an appearance.

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Richard, Gavan and Zara analyse Fianna Fail's previous promises on housing projections and discuss new proposals to remove rent caps.

Are all parties being held to the same account? Senator Martin Conway has resigned from Fine Gael after faling to disclose being arrested for public intoxication last month.

And the League of Ireland will now be fully televised, but will this drive up engagement amongst Irish football fans?

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richard, Gavan and Zara reflect on the aftermath of Storm Éowyn and discuss the consequences it may have for the newly-formed government.

Only 3 of the 15 ministers in the new cabinet are women; the group looks at what this means for future female representation in politics.

And DeepSeek has dominated the AI market; will this hurt Trump's plan for America to rule the AI industry?

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This week on The Group Chat, Richard Chambers, Gavan Reilly, and Zara King examine the turbulent starts for new governments in Ireland and the U.S.

In Dublin, the Dáil adjourned without even hearing nominations for a new Taoiseach, leaving Ireland in political limbo. Across the Atlantic, Donald Trump’s America First 2.0 agenda has already ignited major controversy.

What’s next for these administrations? Get the full breakdown now on Spotify and Virgin Media Play! 🎙️

#TheGroupChatPodcast #IrishPolitics #USPolitics #GovernmentFormation

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Richard, Gavan and Zara are back in studio to discuss the next government and what its make-up means for Independents and you.

Unprecedented fires have ravaged parts of the city of L.A., but will it recover before the 2028 Olympics?

And tech billionaires will be taking centre-stage at Donald Trump's inauguration; what does it mean for the future of social media?

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Richard, Gavan and Zara are beginning the New Year with a cold snap that has gripped the nation and discuss if the Met Éireann weather warning system needs an update.

Government formation talks are back in action but will a deal be made soon and what role will the Healy-Rae brothers have?

And are billionaires bending to Donald Trump? Elon Musk has been starting rows with Keir Starmer while Mark Zuckerberg removes fact-checking from Meta products.

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Richard, Gavan and Zara are back to chat about Israel's decision to close its embassy in Ireland, and what it means for future government policy.

The next Dáil has met for the first time and elected Verona Murphy as Ceann Comhairle - the group analyses her track record, Seán Ó Fearghaíl’s re-election attempt, and whether you should care about who chairs Dáil proceedings.

And Storm Darragh has caused significant damage to Holyhead Port. How will this affect your shopping - and the hundreds of thousands trying to get home for Christmas?

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Gavan and Zara speak with independent TD Michael Healy-Rae for how he plans to enter the next government and if a ministerial position is in the cards.

What is going on with Eoin Hayes? Gavan explains the controversy surrounding the Social Democrats member and what his path to the Dáil looks like.

And Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria has fallen: Zara reflects on the reactions from Syrians living in Ireland.

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