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Democrats made gains right across the United States in the midterm elections. It leaves Republicans facing a major defeat and Donald Trump facing two more years in the White House with less control. What drove the backlash, how much can Democrats now constrain his presidency, and what does the result mean for the race to succeed him in 2028? The Journal political columnist and University of Galway law lecturer Larry Donnelly joins us to examine the results. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Texas has delivered one of the biggest surprises of the US midterm elections. James Talarico is the first Democrat to win a Senate election in the state since 1988, while Gina Hinojosa defeated longtime Republican governor Greg Abbott. How did Democrats finally manage to turn Texas blue? And did Donald Trump's backing of Ken Paxton cost Republicans the Senate seat? Hannah McCarthy, who has been reporting from Texas for The Journal, joins us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent Revolut outages left customers struggling to access their money, raising questions for anyone thinking of making it their main bank. Digital banks offer better apps and lower fees, but what are the trade-offs when it comes to cash, customer service and getting help when something goes wrong? The Journal’s Valerie Flynn joins us to examine whether it makes sense to leave your traditional bank. Should you keep one on standby? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Americans vote in the midterm elections on 3 November, with every seat in the House of Representatives and about a third of the Senate up for grabs. Republicans currently control both chambers, but Democrats are mounting a big challenge to Donald Trump, with his approval ratings under pressure. What is driving the shift? Which races could decide control of Congress? And what would a Democratic victory actually mean for the final two years of Trump’s presidency? The Journal political columnist and University of Galway law lecturer Larry Donnelly joins us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers are expected to strike tomorrow in a dispute over pay. Schools will close, non-urgent hospital services will be cancelled, and courts, council offices and OPW sites will shut their doors. Union leaders rejected the government’s offer of last-minute talks at the Workplace Relations Commission this week, so the strike looks set to go ahead. So how did we get here, who’s likely to be impacted, and will the strike action have the desired outcome in relation to pay? Laura Byrne speaks to our reporter Sophie Finn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Budget 2027 has something for almost everyone: income tax changes, a welfare increase, a higher fuel allowance, a bigger renter’s credit, an expanded Help to Buy scheme and lower childcare costs. But how much of it will actually make a difference to people’s pockets? Dr Emma Howard, economist at TU Dublin, joins us to examine who gains most from the budget, whether the measures are reaching those under the greatest pressure, and why some of the government’s biggest interventions may do little to tackle the underlying problems in housing, energy and childcare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For almost 30 years, the violent confrontations that once defined the Drumcree marching dispute had disappeared from the streets of Portadown. But a procedural error by the Parades Commission and a series of court challenges have reopened the dispute, with protesters blocking a heavily restricted Orange Order parade from passing along the Garvaghy Road. So how did Drumcree become one of Northern Ireland’s most contentious flashpoints, why has the dispute returned now, and how might the current standoff end? The Journal's reporter Diarmuid Pepper joins us after spending several days reporting on the ground. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Women can develop serious mental health difficulties at any point in the year after giving birth. But new reporting from The Journal Investigates has found that five of Ireland’s six specialist perinatal mental health hubs have stopped accepting new referrals after six months postpartum, while women outside major cities can face major barriers to accessing care. So why are services tightening access as demand rises, what happens to women who fall through the gaps, and will promised reforms make a difference? The Journal Investigates reporter Conor O’Carroll joins us. This episode was created with support from the News Reporting Scheme. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Music and politics have always shared a stage, but the fallout from Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s United States tour has made clear how that can be an uneasy relationship. Zara Hedderman, music and arts journalist and author of the Bad Arts newsletter, joins us to examine who gets to decide what can be said on stage, and what happens when artists stand together and say no. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The far-right Alternative for Germany party won almost 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, more than doubling its support and delivering its strongest ever result in a German state election. The result has shaken Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU and brought the AfD closer than ever to taking power at state level. Who is voting for the party, why is it particularly strong in eastern Germany, and what could its rise mean for the country as a whole? Deutsche Welle political correspondent and AfD specialist Matthew Moore joins us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Journal is releasing a six-part series of The Explainer podcast through Irish, focusing on some of the biggest stories affecting the language and the Gaeltacht areas. In this final episode, journalist Laura Ní Aoidhne joins us to break down new cross-border surveys, exploring whether attitudes toward the Irish language are truly warming North and South and what role the language might play in a united Ireland. De réir taighde uile-Éireann a foilsíodh ag Foras na Gaeilge i mbliana, tá dearchtaí ag athrú i leith na Gaeilge ó thuaidh agus ó dheas, agus tá tuairimí ag éirí níos dearfaí i leith na teanga ná mar a bhí. Nochtaítear é sin freisin nuair a foilsíodh The Northern Ireland Life and Times survey i mí Mheitheamh. Chomh maith leis sin, de réir taighde a bhí coimisiúnaithe ag Conradh na Gaeilge, beidh an Ghaeilge mar chuid lárnach d’Éirinn nua aontaithe. Ach an bhfuil codarsnacht ann idir na tuairimí faoin nGaeilge ó thuaidh agus ó dheas? Cad atá ráite sna tuarascálacha ar fad a fhoilsíodh i mbliana? Agus an bhfuil muid níos cóngaraí d’Éirinn Aontaithe ná riamh? Tá Laura Ní Aoidhne, iriseoir le The Irish News agus aisteoir ar Ros na Rún, ar The Explainer chun iniúch a dhéanamh ar na ceisteanna agus na tuarascálacha seo ar fad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More than 14,000 hectares of Ireland’s coastline are covered by applications to commercially harvest seaweed, with four companies seeking to take almost 51,000 wet tonnes a year if their licences are approved. At the same time, the maritime regulator is investigating claims of potentially unauthorised harvesting in protected areas, while traditional harvesters and environmental campaigners are raising concerns about the industry’s rapid commercialisation. So who gets access to Ireland’s seaweed, how do historical harvesting rights fit into the licensing system, and can the regulator keep up? The Journal Investigates reporter Conor O’Carroll joins us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Journal is releasing a six-part series of The Explainer through Irish, focusing on some of the biggest stories affecting the language and the Gaeltacht areas. This week, commentator Cárthach Bán Breathnach joins us to explore the deep relationship between sport and the Irish language, and how Irish commentary found its place on our screens and airwaves. Ní haon breág é go bhfuil muintir na hÉireann gafa leis an spórt. Cloistear go minic go háirithe faoi TG4 agus an beart atá déanta acu gach cineál spóirt a chur chun cinn, ón rugbaí reigiúnach go hiománaíocht go sport na mban. Ach céard é an caidreamh atá ann idir an spórt agus an Ghaeilge, agus cén fáth go cloistear tráchtaireacht Gaeilge ar na haerthonnta go minic? Chun na ceisteanna seo a phlé, tá an tráchtaire Cárthach Bán Breathnach le The Journal faoin spórt agus an chaoi ina mbíonn an Ghaeilge fite fuaite leis an spórt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last autumn, RTÉ’s unscripted hit took the country by storm, drawing over 800,000 viewers, turning retired prison officers into household names, and proving that psychological deceit makes for irresistible television. Now, twenty-four new players are stepping into Slane Castle under the watchful eye of Siobhán McSweeney for season two of The Traitors Ireland. But what happens when a new cast arrives having studied every trick in the book? Assistant News Editor Lauren Boland joins us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This summer, The Journal is releasing a six-part series of The Explainer podcast through Irish, focusing on some of the biggest stories affecting the language and the Gaeltacht areas. This week, we look at the state of Irish language education in Ireland, including calls to reform the school curriculum to focus on spoken Irish, the lack of government plans for new all-Irish schools, and the rising number of students securing exemptions from the subject. Déantar gearáin go minic faoi chaighdeán an oideachais Ghaeilge in Éirinn. Iarrtar ar an rialtas an Ghaeilge mar ábhar a athrú as éadan sna scoileanna agus níos mó béime a chur ar an labhairt seachas próslitríocht, filíocht agus an gramadach le haidhm go mbeadh níos mó daoine níos cumasaí ó thaobh na labhartha de. Bíonn brúghrúpaí ag iarraidh go mbeadh tuilleadh gaelscoileanna agus gaelcholáistí tógtha thar timpeall na tíre, ach níl plean ag an rialtas aon scoil lán-Ghaeilge a thógáil laistigh de chúig bliana. Chomh maith leis sin, tugadh le fios i mbliana go bhfuil 60,000 dalta in Éirinn díolúine ón nGaeilge ar scoil, agus mura dtagann feabhas ar ráta na ndíolúintí, beidh 20% de dhaltaí in Éirinn díolúine ón nGaeilge faoi 2030. Labhair muid leis an Léachtóir Emeritus Pádraig Ó Duibhir ón ionad taighde SEALBHÚ in Ollscoil Bhaile Átha Cliath faoi stad an ghaeloideachas in Éirinn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.