Behind the Story

Construction is underway for the staging of a UFC fight on the front lawn of the White House to mark President Trump's 80th birthday in June. Numerous other events and projects are also in the pipeline to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence in July.
Niall Stanage, Associate Editor with The Hill joins Fran and Sharon to discuss the plans and where the money is coming from to pay for the celebrations.

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Peter Murrell, estranged husband of former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon pled guilty this week to embezzlling £400k from the Scottish National Party. Over a 12 years period, Mr Murrell spent money from the party on luxury items. Ms Sturgeon, has denied all knowledge of his behaviour. Veteran reporter Brian Taylor joins Fiona and Paul to discuss the case and the fallout to it.
Later, Fiona and Paul tease out the latest suggestion from President Trump that countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey should sign the Abrahams Accords as part of the US-Iran peace deal. Fiona explains why this is problematic!

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A woman has been arrested as part of the investigation into the disappearance and murder of Kyran Durnin. Crime correspondent Paul Reynolds joins Fran with the latest.
Later, Liz Carolan of The Briefing.ie and Dr Eoghan Cunningham of UCD discuss new research into chatbots in the recent Dublin Central and Galway West by elections and examine how political messaging on social media is changing.

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Fourteen Irish citizens are en route back to Ireland following their deportation by Israel. They were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla along with hundreds of other activists. The government and EU leaders have expressed dismay at the actions of the Israeli authorites. So, has the political mood changed as a result?
Later, Fran and Eamon are joined by former Olympic swimmer Nick O'Hare to discuss the inaugural Enhanced Games dubbed the 'steroid olympics' that take place in Las Vegas this weekend. Controversy surrounds the event, as drugs, normally banned in sport, are allowed at these games.

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The scale of possible job losses announced by Meta today, came as a surprise to many, up to 350 people could be made redundant in the coming months. Brian O'Donovan joins Fran and Paul to outline the situation and later, Tara McIndoe-Calder of the ESRI discusses AI and it's impact on future work.
Fran and Paul also discuss the latest appearance by RTÉ management at the media committee.

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