Highlights From Newstalk Breakfast

A 30% income tax band and an extra 15 quid on social welfare and pensions. That was just some of the recommendations from the Government as it published the Tax Strategy Group papers. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe spoke to Shane this morning.

There’s a sneery, widespread belief that only certain bodies are acceptable to be seen in workout gear. That was the view of Chrissie Russell in the Independent on Tuesday. Freelance journalist Andrea Smith spoke to Aideen this morning on the show.

Donald Trump has declined to answer questions under oath, as part of an investigation into his business dealings. Trump was before New York's attorney general yesterday who is investigating whether his organisation inflated the value of its assets. Harriet Alexander New York-based reporter joined Aideen on the show give us some background on this case.

Ireland needs a National Framework for Water Conservation to ensure Ireland has a reliable supply of water in the future. That’s the call from National Water Forum, the body that advises the government and Irish Water on issues in the area. The chair of the National Water Forum is Dr Matthew Crowe who spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Teaching unions have announced they will ballot members for industrial action unless the government comes up with an offer they deem acceptable as part of public sector pay talks. The ASTI and INTO have backed the move while the TUI is expected to approve the ballot today. Miriam Duggan President of the ASTI spoke to Shane on the show this morning.

Social enterprise Grow It Yourself plans to equip all primary schools in Ireland with their very own free vegetable growing garden. The initiative hope to give children the opportunity to understand exactly where their food comes from. Shane spoke to Nell Ward Development Director with Grow It Yourself with more onthis initiative.

Tensions are flaring in and out of government over a controversial liquefied natural gas plant that a US firm wants to build on the southern tip of the Shannon Estuary. Is the plant likely to boost our energy security, or would its construction do unrecoverable damage to our climate change targets? For more on this Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Niall Collins Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education and also William Hederman a spokesperson for Climate Camp Ireland.

Rental inflation has hit a 15-year high according to the latest daft.ie report Economist at Trinity College Dublin and author of the report, Ronan Lyons spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

With back-to-school costs putting a squeeze on parents across the country, are second-hand uniforms the way to go? To discuss Aideen spoke to Joy-Tendai Kangere is a mother of two, a lawyer, and an Independent.ie Columnist.

The HSE is inviting those over 60 or with underlying conditions to come forward for their second covid vaccine. Appointments will be available from next Monday the 15th of August. Dr. Colm Henry Chief Clinical Officer with the HSE spoke to Newstalk Breakfast with more on this.

The HSE is continuing to refer patients to the Tavistock clinic in the UK, which provides psychological assessment and support for children with gender identity issues. This comes despite a UK review finding the clinic was leaving young people "at considerable risk" while the NHS has also confirmed it will wind down services at the clinic. Doctors here at home have also raised concerns about the clinic one of those is Dr Paul Moran, a psychiatrist working with the National Gender services and Dr Moran spoke to Shane this morning on the show.

Temperatures in Ireland are set to hit up to 29 degrees in the coming days. Met Eireann has issued a status yellow high-temperature warning for Munster and Leinster which will come into place at midday on Thursday and will run until Sunday at 6am. Joanna Donnelly Meteorologist with Met Eireann spoke to Aideen this morning as a high temperature warning comes into place.

Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John has passed away at the age of 73. Hollywood Journalist Jeanne Wolf Hollywood Journalist spoke to Newstalk Breakfast on the passing of the inconic singer/actress.

The government and Sport Ireland have announced a number of new criteria that sports bodies must meet to qualify for state funding. National Governing Bodies will have to achieve a minimum of 40% female representation on their Boards while there will be increased rules around governance and Diversity and Inclusion. Minister of State for Sport Jack Chambers spoke to Aideen on the show this morning.

FBI agents have raided the Florida home of former US President Donald Trump overnight. The unprecedented action is believed to relate to the handling of official papers. Anthony Zurcher the BBC North American correspondent told us exactly what happened overnight.

The Ladies Gaelic Football Association has said it is developing a policy around transgender players after there was an objection to a transgender woman playing in a ladies’ shield final in Dublin last week. Sunday Independent reporter Mark Tighe has the story and spoke to Shane this morning and also Newstalk Breakfast heard from Daire Dempsey is the Education officer for the Transgender Equality Network Ireland.

A new White Paper prepared by the leading representative body Hydrogen Mobility Ireland (HMI), has today issued a number of recommendations on how the deployment of hydrogen across transport could propel Ireland’s transition to net-zero in both transport and the wider economy. Is this the solution we need? Joining Aideen to discuss further was Environmental Journalist and Commentator, John Gibbons.

Ukraine has accused Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant of turning the plant into a military base capable of launching attacks. It comes as both sides accused each other of attacks at the site which is Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant. James Waterhouse BBC’s Kyiv Correspondent spoke to Shane this morning with the latest from the situation in Ukraine.

We are in the final weeks of summer, with in many cases, hundreds of photographs captured of all events but what do you do with your images to ensure they don’t get lost on your phone and, maybe even get seen in physical form? Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly brings us some tips on keeping your photos safe.

The number of termination notices received by the Residential Tenancies Board in the first half of the year rose by 58%, compared with the latter half of 2021. According to RTB analysis - most landlords are exiting the markets because they want to sell their property. Eoin O Broin, SinnFein spokesperson for housing spoke to Aideen this morning with more on this.