In The News

Last Wednesday, a 14 year-old American student walked through the doors of his highschool in Georgia and opened fire. Terrified students and teachers ran for shelter as Colt Gray took aim, killing four people and injuring many others. The teenager, who was apprehended at the scene, used a lightweight semi-automatic rifle, a type of gun that’s become associated with school shootings.  Two days later, his father Colin Gray was arrested and charged with manslaughter and second-degree murder. This is not the first time that parents of a school shooter have been charged. Instead of addressing laws on gun ownership, US prosecutors are increasingly going after the parents of mass shooters – but will it make a difference? Guest: Emma Long, Associate Professor of American history and politics at University of East Anglia.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

Sinn Féin has published its plan to solve the housing crisis.Party spokesman on housing Eoin Ó Broin says A Home of Your Own, is “comprehensive, detailed and fully costed”.The headline figure is that 300,000 homes will be built in five years; a mix of social, affordable and private homes. The plan costs €39 billion.The document is nearly 110 pages long so In the News asked Irish Times economics analyst Cliff Taylor to go through it and explain the details.He also answers the key questions – is it visionary and could it work?Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.

Hundreds of primary, secondary and special schools run by religious congregations have been named for the first time as having complaints of child sexual abuse. The scoping inquiry was set up in the wake of revelations in 2022 of historical cases at Spiritan-run schools. Its author has recommended a full Commission of Investigation be set up to provide accountability for survivors. The report recommended every school in Ireland should be covered by the inquiry's terms of reference. Irish Times contributor, Patsy McGarry, was the paper's Religious Affairs Correspondent for 25 years. He explains the latest developments, what will happen next and questions whether religious orders will pay redress to survivors, when so many have refused to compensate other victims.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Aideen Finnegan.

If you don't have young children in your life, you may be completely unaware of one of the world's biggest game platforms. Roblox is a digital playground where children can create block-like avatars, pay to accessorise them, use them to take part in role-playing games and talk to others. Therein lies the inherent danger. While it's mostly harmless fun, several terrifying cases of grooming, abuse, blackmail and even kidnapping have been highlighted in the US. This week an Irish report found most primary school children who'd had upsetting experiences online had experienced them on YouTube or Roblox. Irish Times journalist Conor Capplis argues the platform is social media by stealth, and should be regulated as such to keep users safe.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.

On Saturday morning, Irish Times consumer expert Conor Pope logged on to Ticketmaster, ready to take his own advice about navigating the sales platform to buy tickets for one of the Oasis gigs in Dublin next summer.He found himself behind 138,692 people in the queue and hours later, when he was finally offered tickets, they were nearly four times what he had expected to pay.Tickets had been advertised at €86.50 but they were no where to be seen and soon social media filled up with stories of people paying nearly €1,000 for two “in demand” standing tickets on the pitch in Croke Park.Oasis fans in Ireland and the UK were quick to vent their frustration at the pricey tickets and the lack of transparency in the sales process.But who is to blame – Ticketmaster, MCD, the promoters, or Oasis? And can the competition watchdog do anything?Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

Last week, an Australian man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for what has been described as one of “the worst sextortion cases” in history.   Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed sexually blackmailed victims online in more than 20 countries across the world, including Ireland. Rebecca Trigger from ABC news attended the 29 year old's trial earlier this year and details the global scale of his crimes and the devastating impact on his young victims. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  

A key element of the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan kicked in on Monday and Olivia Kelly, Irish Times Dublin editor tells In the News that she was out on the streets early to see how it is working.Under the plan, private motorists can no longer drive the length of the quays – both north and south – instead they must turn off at O’Connell Street and take a detour before returning to the quays.The idea is to stop motorists using the city centre as a drive through, with the knock-on effect of reducing car traffic in the city centre.That should free up space for public vehicles – particularly buses – and we hear from a Dublin Bus driver on how it is working.And what about compliance – how can motorists be convinced to obey the new rules?Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.

An Irish chef living in the US has been killed after being shot outside his own business in Kansas City.Shaun Brady, originally from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, was the co-owner of Brady’s KC, a popular restaurant in the Brookside area of Kansas City, Missouri.Brady was a popular and well-known figure in Kansas City's large and vibrant Irish community. His friend and Kansas City resident Pat O'Neill talks to Bernice Harrison about how the violent loss of Shaun has shocked the community.

US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy jnr has dropped out of the race in America's key swing states, but vows to remain as an alternative choice for voters in red and blue states. Washington Correspondent for The Irish Times, Keith Duggan, analyses whether getting out of Trump's way in places like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania will help the former president get re-elected. Or whether RFK's would-be voters will opt for the Democrats' new nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris where she currently has a tight lead. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan.