Every morning, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know a little before 9am.

1.#GARTH: The Taoiseach is involved. Now, the US President is being sought. Yes, seriously.

2.#RESHUFFLE: Could today be the day that a cabinet reshuffle is announced? Maybe, but it will probably be tomorrow.

3.#ISRAEL: 20 more people were killed last night as Israel cranks up air strikes against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It brings to 70 the number of Palestinians killed since Tuesday.

4.#MOTHER AND BABY: A group representing survivors of mother-and-baby homes want an international judge to chair the investigation into the institutions.

5.#CAP: The EU Commission wants 15 member states to return €57 million in farm support payments. The European Court of Auditors says some farmers claimed money for ineligible animals.

6.#AU PAIRS: The Domestic Workers Convention has been ratified by Ireland, with au pairs saying that it will protect them, in particular.

7.#COSTLY: Dublin has climbed in a survey of the most costly cities for expat workers. The capital is now the 51st most expensive city on the planet for foreign workers,

8.#TEXAS: A man killed four of his children and two adults overnight in suburban Houston. The man critically injured his 15-year-old daughter, who raised the alarm.

9.#GAVIN GLYNN: Seriously ill Wicklow 4-year-old Gavin Glynn has undergone life-saving surgery in Texas. His family says that the surgery went better than expected, calling it “a miracle”.