LAST UPDATE | 25 Oct 2022

GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.

Ireland’s unofficial congressman

1. In our lead story this morning, Rónán Duffy sits down with Brendan Boyle, representative for Pennsylvania’s 2nd District and the only member of US Congress with an Irish-born parent.

Boyle is not in danger of losing his seat in the upcoming midterm elections, but the pollsters are saying his Democratic party is looking odds-on to lose control of the House overall.

Polling released last week by the New York Times showed that Republican-friendly issues like the economy, inflation, crime and immigration are increasingly being seen as the “most important problem” facing the country.

Rishi Sunak

2. Former UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak will be appointed the next British Prime Minister today, after winning the Tory leadership contest without a vote.

Sunak’s rivals for No 10, Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt, both pulled out of the race, paving the way for Sunak to become the first Hindu prime minister, the first of Asian heritage, and the youngest for more than 200 years at the age of 42.

The handover of power will see Liz Truss, who quit last week after only six weeks in the top job, hold her final Cabinet meeting before formally tendering her resignation at Buckingham Palace.

Nightclub opening hours

3. Irish nightclubs will have the option to remain open until 6am, under new proposals that will go before Cabinet today.

While venues will be prohibited from serving alcohol after 5am, dancing will continue until closing time, “subject to strict conditions”.

Some current licensing laws date back to the 19th century, while two thirds of the laws predate the foundation of the State 100 years ago.

Ukrainians in Ireland

4. A growing number of Ukrainians are fleeing the country due to widespread electricity cuts amid renewed attacks on key infrastructure by Russia, an Irish charity has said.

Goal has also warned that the coming harsh weather set will “only make conditions worse” for those stuck in the country as it faces its first winter under attack from Russia.

The government has warned of “significant capacity challenges” for Ukrainian refugees seeking shelter from the war, after it emerged that over 40 refugees had to sleep at Dublin Airport over the weekend.

Harvey Weinstein

6. A Los Angeles court has heard that Harvey Weinstein used his power and influence in Hollywood to rape women, leaving them terrified for their careers if they stood up to him.

The movie mogul exploited both his physical size and his position as “king” of the film industry to attack his victims in hotel rooms, the prosecution said, as a two-month trial began to hear evidence.

School shooting

7. At least three people have been killed and seven injured following a school shooting in the US city of St Louis in Missouri.

The former student broke into Central Visual and Performing Arts High School on Monday morning, warning, “You are all going to die!”

He was killed by police in a shootout at the scene.

Car prices

8. Car prices have increased by 67% since the start of the pandemic with a new study showing inflation rates of 21% year-on-year.

The new report, carried out by the DoneDeal Car Price Index, said the quarterly inflation rate for used cars was 7.4% in the first three months of this year.

James Corden

9. Actor and comedian James Corden has said it was “never my intention” to upset staff at a New York restaurant but acknowledged he had been “ungracious” during an incident that saw him banned from the venue.

He was briefly barred from Balthazar in Manhattan last week after its owner Keith McNally claimed he had been “extremely nasty” to his staff on two separate occasions.