This week, the United States reported its highest number of measles cases in 33 years. Across Europe, outbreaks are spreading in countries like France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. Now, Irish health officials are urging caution for holidaymakers heading to affected regions.

Meanwhile, a major new report in The Lancet reveals that Ireland has the second-lowest rate of childhood vaccination in Western Europe — raising urgent questions about how vulnerable we really are to a domestic outbreak.

On Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty is joined by immunologist Professor Luke O’Neill, host of the Show Me the Science podcast, to discuss:

Why measles is surging again worldwide

How vaccine hesitancy — and misinformation — could be fuelling the rise

The controversial influence of US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

And how social media is shaping public opinion on childhood vaccines

🎧 Listen to Luke’s podcast – and every episode of Newstalk Daily – on the GoLoud app or at newstalk.com.

📩 Got questions or feedback? Email us at newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

Twenty years ago today, 52 people were killed and more than 700 injured in the deadliest terrorist attack on British soil since the Second World War. On July 7th, 2005, four young British men—Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain, and Germaine Lindsay—detonated homemade explosives, carried in backpacks, in coordinated suicide bombings on the London Underground and a double-decker bus.

On today’s Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty asks:

• What drove these young men to commit such horrifying acts?

• What happens inside the mind of a suicide bomber?

• And how did the 7/7 attacks reshape London, and Britain as a whole?

Ciara is joined by:

• Adam Wishart, documentary filmmaker and co-author of Three Weeks in July, a new book investigating the London bombings.

• Dr Paul Gill, Professor of Security and Crime Science at University College London, who studies the psychology and pathways of radicalisation.

Three Weeks in July by Adam Wishart and James Nally is published by Mudlark.

👉 Join the conversation: email us at newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

Oasis will take to the stage tonight at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to begin an mammoth, 41-night stadium tour, estimated to earn Liam and Noel Gallagher a cool £50 million each. The Mancunian brothers last performed together in 2009, but have patched-up their differences for the Oasis Live ’25 tour, which will visit Ireland for two, sold-out dates at Croke Park in August.

In this episode of Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty and her guests return to the Britpop era, recalling the band’s massive run of hits in the mid-1990s, the rivalry with Blur, the endless rows between the Gallagher siblings, and the reasons why their music reached a global audience. They also consider whether or not this reunion tour is a shameless money-grabbing effort, designed to pay-off divorce debts or bulk-up their retirement funds!

Ciara’s guests are Simon Maher, founder of 8Radio.com, and Oasis uber-fan Shauna O’Reilly from the Today FM Breakfast Show.

You can email the podcast at any time on newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

Politicians are fighting over the future of the GPO on Dublin’s O’Connell Street, now that An Post has moved its headquarters to a new site. But while TDs bicker over whether or not a revitalised GPO should contain commercial units and cafes, they all agree that a major museum or cultural space is essential to the iconic building’s future.

Here at Newstalk Daily, we wondered: might the GPO make a suitable home for the proposed Irish women’s museum? An expert committee set up to examine the idea is expected to send its report to Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan shortly. However not everyone agrees that Ireland needs such an institution, so today Ciara Doherty speaks to two women with differing views on a national women’s museum.

Ciara’s guests are Dr Georgina Laragy, assistant professor in Public History and Cultural Heritage at Trinity College Dublin, and Finn McRedmond, columnist with the Irish Times and New Statesman.

Email the podcast at any time on newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

Michael D. Higgins has been President of Ireland for almost 14 years. As his second term draws to a close, the hunt is on for a new head of state. With July now upon us, it’s remarkable how few would-be candidates are offering themselves ahead of the election (which must take place by November). For a while, it seemed like the Presidency was the best-paid Irish job nobody wanted.

Now, several names from Fianna Fáil have emerged in connection with a tilt at the Park. Fine Gael says it WILL run a candidate for an election the party has never managed to win. And a number of prominent names from the charity sector and media seem at least open to conversations about a run for the Presidency. Ciara Doherty and Seán Defoe get together to take a look at the early runners and riders in the race for the Áras.

Presented by Ciara Doherty with guest Seán Defoe, group political correspondent with Bauer Media Audio Ireland.

You can contact the podcast by email to newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

A recent report from Women’s Aid found that, in 2024, all categories of violence against women rose considerably. Research shows that one of the drivers of this increased violence is the easy availability of hard-core pornography, especially via smart phones, which is changing perceptions of women and sex.

Dr Richard Hogan is a family psychotherapist, author of ‘Parenting the Screenager’ and a long-time campaigner against early sexualisation of children. He claims that “to be sex-positive is to be porn-critical.” He talks to Ciara Doherty about why explicit material has become more widespread in society, the links between pornography and violence, and what parents can do to protect their children.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast you can contact the Women’s Aid 24-hour national freephone helpline on 1800 341 900 or womensaid.ie. The National Male Advice Line is 1800 816 588.

Get in touch with the Newstalk Daily team by email on newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.

Jury deliberations in the federal trial of hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs are set to begin in New York. The Harlem-born rapper and founder of Bad Boy Records is charged with racketeering conspiracy and two counts each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution – charges he denies.

Combs’ alleged victims include his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who testified for the prosecution during the lengthy trial, alongside dozens of others, including former employees who gave graphic evidence about what happened at the infamous ‘freak-off’ parties. The musician chose not to testify in his defence. Now, after more than six weeks of gripping testimony, it’s finally over to the jury.

Anastasia Tsioulcas is culture correspondent with NPR. She tells Ciara Doherty about the case against Combs, discusses some big moments from witnesses’ testimony, and describes the massive public and media interest in the trial.

Contact the podcast by email to newstalkdaily@newstalk.com.