Week 6 - Thursday
Midlands Today with Will Faulkner
Thursday, 12 February 2026 - 1 hour 56 minutes
AI on the march – and who pays the price? — Caricature artist Niall O’Loughlin warns that viral AI trends could threaten real livelihoods, while public bodies are told to brace for laptop shortages and rising costs as AI “gigafactories” disrupt global supply chains.
Drugs strategy, school food and mental health failures — Minister Jennifer Murnane O’Connor unveils a draft National Drugs Strategy built on a health-led approach; Ali’s Kitchen questions the quality of State-provided school lunches; and Jacinta Graham speaks out about her son’s five years in uninterrupted psychiatric seclusion.
Flood fears, online abuse and cultural loss — Councillor Aisling Moran says Laois residents are living in constant anxiety over river maintenance and worsening floods; Sinn Féin TD Sorca Clarke condemns AI “nudification” tools as digital abuse; and tributes pour in following the death of actor James Van Der Beek.
