Highlights From Newstalk Breakfast

The Government has said it still has grave concerns about the Mercosur trade deal ahead of a crucial EU vote on Friday.   Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon will attend an EU farm ministers meeting in Brussels today, where bilateral meetings will be held on the issue. We discuss this further with Cynthia Ní Mhurchú Ireland South MEP for Fianna Fáil.

Driving test instructors have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action following a row with the Road Safety Authority over insurance indemnity. Fórsa has accused the RSA of failing to ensure that testers are fully and unconditionally covered by the State Claims Agency while carrying out their duties. We heard from Brenda Bolger Owner Bolger School of Motoring. 

The UK and France have agreed to deploy forces to Ukraine and build facilities to produce weapons and military equipment for the country in the event of a peace deal between Kyiv and Russia. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made this announcement following yesterday’s Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris. To discuss this further is  Defence Expert at the University of Bath and former NATO analyst, Patrick Bury.   

Should GAA teams split children up based on skill? Ciara and Shane discussed this morning.

There’s probably not a day that goes by where you don’t hear or say the phrase “I don’t have enough time”.  But according to Dr Dale Whelehan, Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin, School of Psychology, our assumptions about time are all wrong, and we need to take back control.

January 6th marks Nollaig na mBan, traditionally when women could have a day of rest after Christmas.  While the holiday might not be observed regularly across the country, people are still looking for opportunities to celebrate the women in their lives.  Muraed Hughes is one of the organisers of the Nollaig na mBan Festival in Dublin Northern Inner City.

Several SMA infant formula and follow-on formula products have been recalled due to the possible presence of the toxin cereulide.  We got the details and advice for parents from Dr Michelle Minihan Director of Audit, Incidents and Investigations at the Food Safety Authority Ireland.

There were reports of gunfire in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, overnight, with videos circulating on social media.  It comes after toppled President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism following his capture by US authorities. His arrest has faced strong criticism from both America's friends and foes at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Speaking to Shane this morning with more on this was Former Chief of Staff to Nicolas Maduro, Temir Porras Ponceleon.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has called on the government to consider strengthening the powers of councils to deal with vacant and unoccupied buildings. This follows an ongoing stand-off between the local authority and Dunnes Stores over four empty retail units in Dun Laoghaire. All to discuss with Tom Philips Managing Director of Tom Phillips and Associates and Adjunct Associate Professor of Town Planning, UCD.   

More than half of adults in Ireland are using fitness tracking apps.  That’s according to new research from Pure Telecom. But are these really a good idea for your personal health?  We asked Personal Trainer John Belton.

There were reports of gunfire in the capital of Venezuela overnight, with videos circulating on social media. It comes after Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism following his capture by US authorities. We get the latest with David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief for The Guardian.

Met Éireann issued two new Status Yellow warnings. One for low temperature & ice and another for snow and ice as temperatures could fall between -1C and -3C with sharp frost, icy stretches and the possibility of black ice.  We get the latest on the weather with Alan O’Reilly, of Carlow Weather.

‘Employers should work with staff but they cannot solve traffic jams.’ So writes Damien McCarthy, CEO of HR Consultancy Firm HR Buddy who explained why to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

2026 is starting as 2025 did, with Elon Musk and his companies in the headlines. Grok, the built-in AI chatbot on X, has flooded the platform with sexualised images of women and girls. We discuss this further with  Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly.All with thanks to Renault

The Government’s new digital ID plan for social media users has been labelled as “intrusive”, “illegal” and an “expensive national embarrassment” waiting to happen. One of its critics is TJ McIntyre, Associate professor at the school of law UCD, Solicitor and Chair of Digital Rights Ireland.

China has told the US to free Nicolas Maduro, hours before he is expected to appear in court in New York. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has suggested Colombia could be a target for the US, calling its president a "sick man" who won't be in power for long. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Sean Bell Former Fighter Pilot, Military Analyst and Co-Host of the Red Matrix Podcast   Luis Diaz, Venezuelan man living in Ireland.

Just one in three of us think that hard work alone determines success in Ireland today. That’s according to a new Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks opinion poll. So, is it true that hard work doesn’t equate to success?  All to discuss with success? We discuss this further with Jill O'Mahony Sociology Lecturer at South East Technological University Waterford. 

Ireland’s towns and cities are cleaner overall in 2025, with lower litter levels driving a nationwide improvement, according to the latest Irish Business Against Litter survey. However, Dublin’s north inner city remains the most littered area in Ireland. We hear the details of the survey findings with Conor Horgan, Spokesperson for Irish Business Against Litter.

Delcy Rodriguez, interim leader of Venezuela, has invited the US Government to “collaborate” with her and said she is seeking "respectful relations" with Washington. This comes after US forces ousted President Nicolas Maduro, who is due to appear in a Manhattan court on drug charges later today.  We get the latest on this with David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief, The Guardian. 

Met Eireann have warned of a "treacherous start" to this morning with frost, ice and freezing fog patches that will carry into tomorrow. For more on this, Shane was joined by Ailis Hankinson, Forecaster with Met Eireann.