Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Councils are putting a range of ideas on the table to raise revenue, as they push back against the idea of a cap on rates rises. Rates shot up by an average of 15% this year. Local Government New Zealand is proposing a range of options from civil defence levies to accommodation levies. Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams told Ryan Bridge some of the options, like congestion charging, won't work for their district. He says that's why a vast range of solutions is important. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost 70% of cops want to be armed, and I say who the hell are we to get in their way? The new Commissioner has come in, and he's been more gung ho on this idea of regular arming of our police force than any of his predecessors. The fact is they're on the front line, aren't they? Last year, there was a 9% increase in tactical operations interactions – that means basically the bad ones. That's up to more than 7000. The number of cops physically attacked doubled from 2022 to 2023. It's dangerous. We're not the ones going out on the streets, are we? We're tucked up in bed with moral superiority saying, no, we don't like the idea of you guys being armed. I prefer you pull the gang member over, please. Take your chances. It's a little bit sanctimonious from us, don't you think? If they feel it would make their situation safer, then I trust them to make that call. Of course, you'll always have mistakes, and chaos prior to the shooting clearly shouldn't have happened, and they say they're working further at training etcetera to make that all better. But we can't sit here tucked up on our beds at night, all judgey, when we're not the ones out there in the dead of the night facing more violence, guns, and crime. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukraine is claiming Russia's launched a missile with greater range into one of its cities. It's claiming an intercontinental ballistic missile has been used, but CNN reports two western officials have said it was another type of ballistic missile. Europe correspondent Vincent McAviney told Ryan Bridge the US is disputing the claim and Russia's saying nothing. He says it comes with escalation this week, with missiles being provided by the US given permission to fire into Russia. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Monday 22nd of November, the US Business Summit is on in Auckland today, and Donald Trump's second term as US president will be a big talking point with possible tariffs on the way. Fran O'Sullivan joins the show ahead of the summit. How do we fund local government and reduce its reliance on ratepayers? Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams speaks to Ryan about possible funding fixes. And should police be armed? With a new Commissioner starting next week, Ryan argues for the move. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.