The Tara Palmeri Show

Tara Palmeri sits down with Robert Wolf, former chairman and CEO of UBS and informal economic advisor to President Obama during the 2008 financial crisis, to break down the economic and political chaos gripping the country. They open with Trump's Operation Project Freedom — the failed attempt to guide ships through the mined Strait of Hormuz that Iran immediately threatened to shoot down — and Robert explains why the real story is the 900 million barrels of lost oil supply, the worst energy shock since Carter in the 1970s. Diesel is at an all-time high, gas is heading past $5, Africa is months from famine over fertilizer shortages, and Trump's disapproval just hit 62% — the highest of both terms combined. Robert unpacks the K-shaped economy, why savings rates are at a three-year low, the AI economy that's propping up GDP through CapEx while threatening middle-tier jobs, why he publicly backed Kevin Warsh for Fed chair on Fox, and his fear that stagflation is next. Then they turn to politics: the DNC autopsy report that donors paid for but nobody's seen, why Robert hasn't given a cent to Democrats in 2025 for the first time in 20 years, how Senate flip chances jumped from 10–15% to 40%, the California governor's race becoming a "s**t show," and why the Democratic Party needs a real economic message instead of just being anti-Trump 24/7.

0:45 – Operation Project Freedom: Trump's guided missile destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz
1:43 – Robert: "They're going to guide, not escort — what ships will go through mines on their own?"
4:34 – Trump as marketer-in-chief: "He could declare victory and pivot to a deal"
6:58 – Tara: Africa is months from famine — they need fertilizer to plant crops
9:18 – Trump's 62% disapproval — highest of both terms combined
12:58 – Generic Democrat still only marginally more popular than generic Republican at -21 favorability
15:12 – In this inflationary environment, the Fed probably won't lower rates
16:58 – Tara: Who's paying for the Strait of Hormuz gamble? All of us
17:51 – Gerrymandering and redistricting mean maps are locked — maybe no blue wave
22:38 – The populist wing — Bernie, AOC — has a better message right now
26:47 – Senate flip chances went from 10–15% to 40% — Alaska, Texas, Maine all in play
27:22 – Is that because of weak Republican candidates? "It's both"
30:57 – Trump backing Hilton was a negative
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Tara Palmeri sits down with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the former Detroit health director and Michigan Senate candidate running against the Democratic establishment without a dollar of corporate money. Abdul breaks down the crowded Michigan Senate primary — Mallory McMorrow's resurfaced tweets disparaging the state she wants to represent, Haley Stevens' Schumer backing, and why his poll numbers keep climbing despite no PAC support. They go deep on his relationship with Hasan Piker and whether campaigning with a controversial creator costs or gains votes, his willingness to sit down with Trump ("He's a narcissistic a***ole... he's also the president"), the $100 million AIPAC super PAC targeting him, why he thinks Democrats lost in 2024, and what Medicare for All actually looks like in a gridlocked Senate. Plus a rapid-fire round that includes his thoughts on Hamas vs. the IDF, his hatred of Ohio, and why Bernie Sanders is "the OG."

0:00 – Intro: Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan Senate candidate running without corporate money

1:33 – Schumer backed Stevens, now says he's "fine with either" of Abdul's opponents

4:37 – Running without PAC money: "When people understand you're fighting for them, they support you"

6:26 – "Trump is not the disease — he's the worst symptom. The disease is the system"

7:44 – Tara: This sounds like left-wing populism — same playbook as Trump

9:43 – What he's done: free glasses for kids, taking on polluters, eliminating $700M in medical debt

14:15 – Tara: Voters are throwing away purity tests to vote for outsiders

16:52 – Tara: If you could grill RFK Jr., what would you ask?

18:28 – Hasan Piker: are you worried campaigning with him could cost you votes?

28:17 – Tara: Would you sit down with Trump?

30:17 – Michigan vs. Ohio: "Ohio exists to hold up Michigan"

32:47 – Biggest mistake Democrats made in 2024?

33:01 – If you lose, what will it be because of?

33:12 – If you win, what changes on day one?
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Tara Palmeri joins Piers Morgan to discuss the elephant in the room during King Charles's state visit to Washington: his brother Prince Andrew's unresolved Epstein allegations. While Charles gave an impassioned speech to Congress about democratic values and humanitarian roots, he never mentioned the word "Epstein" — and no one in the room pressed him on it. Tara breaks down the elite normalization she witnessed all weekend, from the state dinner to the garden party to the White House Correspondents Dinner, and why she chose to attend Virginia Giuffre's memorial instead. They also discuss why the UK is actually investigating Epstein-linked figures while the US has prosecuted zero public officials, why 40 terabytes of FBI video remain hidden, and Lauren Boebert's sharp rebuke that the King's "do's and don'ts" list for Congress sounded more like rules his own family should follow with victims.

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Tara Palmeri sits down with attorney and journalist Katie Phang, who just filed the first lawsuit against Todd Blanch and the DOJ for violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Katie explains why the law was written without enforcement teeth — Republicans intentionally blocked private causes of action — and why she sued as a journalist: if she can't access the files, she can't report on them or pull on threads. They also break down Todd Blanch's audition for attorney general, the Comey seashells indictment as a distraction, and the Jay Clayton–Leon Black conflict of interest at the heart of the Epstein cover-up. Tara shares what happened when she confronted Blanch at the French ambassador's residence during White House Correspondents Weekend — he denied everything, his wife said she "ruined a beautiful night," and his taxpayer-funded security detail threatened to remove her for trespassing on French soil.

0:46 – The Transparency Act was intentionally written without enforcement teeth

4:43 – Standing as a journalist: videos, photos, FBI interviews — "I can't do my job"

6:15 – The Comey indictment: seashells spelling 8647

9:32 – The timing: WHCD shooting, the ballroom lawsuit, and Comey as distraction

10:20 – Lindsey Graham wants taxpayers to fund Trump's $400 million ballroom

12:20 – The Republican power trifecta vs. the "Epstein elite" who benefit from inaction

13:08 – Trump's approval going down — but Democrats aren't gaining either

16:14 – CNN poll: double haters now favor Democrats by 31 points ahead of midterms

21:34 – Tara confronts Todd Blanche at the French ambassador's residence

24:33 – Tara asks Blanche about the Clayton–Black conflict — "You don't know what you're talking about"

26:41 – Actual vs. perceived conflicts — prosecutors are held to a higher standard

32:01 – Tara: "He's not a dumb guy — he knows exactly what he's saying"

34:25 – Katie: "I'm not suing for money — I want a court injunction and a special master"

35:07 – How soon before a judge? They want to move fast — "delay only helps them"

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Tara Palmeri joins Jim Acosta to unpack Trump's extraordinary 60 Minutes moment — when he volunteered "I am not a rapist, I am not a pedophile" without being asked — and why it echoes Bill Clinton's infamous Monica Lewinsky denial. They break down the ongoing Epstein files cover-up: only 1% of the FBI's 40 terabytes have been released, Todd Blanch is acting as both Trump's former defense attorney and acting AG overseeing the files, and Katie Fang just filed a lawsuit accusing the administration of violating the Epstein Transparency Act. They also discuss the Michael Tracy incident at the Virginia Giuffre memorial and the Substack party, where Tracy harassed Julie K. Brown and was removed by security — and why someone would make a hobby out of targeting Epstein survivors and the reporters who broke the story.

1:00 – Playing the clip: Norah O'Donnell reads the WHCD shooter's manifesto to Trump
1:43 – Trump's response: "I'm not a pedophile... you should be ashamed of yourself"
2:37 – Tara: "She didn't ask him that — he volunteered it, like Clinton and Lewinsky"
4:16 – Tara: The Epstein files have raised more questions — 2.5 million still with the FBI
5:57 – We've seen 1% of the files — 300GB out of 40 terabytes, mostly video
6:16 – The WHCD shooting and Michael Tracy at the Virginia Giuffre memorial
7:16 – Tara: Tracy followed me around Capitol Hill, shoved cameras in survivors' faces
8:03 – "He told survivors they weren't real victims because they were over 18"
11:32 – Survivors were distressed he showed up at Virginia's memorial
12:59 – Tara: Virginia carried so much pain — her suicide is a testament to what survivors endure
14:43 – Jim: Trump said "I'm not a pedophile" on 60 Minutes — we still don't have the files
15:19 – Tara: "That line will go down in history — it will be played forever"
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