The Tara Palmeri Show

Axios White House reporter Alex Isenstadt joins Tara to break down the chaos in the Texas Senate race — and what it reveals about Trump's grip on the Republican Party. Trump refused to endorse John Cornyn before the deadline, Ken Paxton is staying in the race, and Democrats smell blood in a state they haven't won statewide in three decades. They dig into why Trump is holding his endorsement hostage over the Save America Act, what the race could cost Republicans ($200M+), and how intraparty fights from Texas to Kentucky to Georgia are testing Trump's political power heading into the midterms. Plus: how the war in Iran and rising gas prices are reshaping the 2026 landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mehdi Hasan, journalist and political analyst at Zeteo, shares eye-opening polling on American views of the Iran war and the Epstein files. He breaks down why many suspect a distraction, why the country is split on whose interests the war serves, and concerns about press failures, allies’ reluctance, and a deadly school bombing.

Tara sits down with Imran Ahmed, founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, for a live panel at South by Southwest on who owns the truth in an algorithmic world. They discuss how algorithms have become outrage machines, why independent journalism is both empowered and threatened by platforms, and how bad actors — from neo-Nazis to algorithm candidates — have weaponized social media. Imran reveals how Mark Zuckerberg dialed down Facebook's negativity algorithm on January 6th and turned it back up the next day, why TikTok serves self-harm content to 13-year-old girls within minutes, and why he believes we may be witnessing the slow erosion of democracy itself. Plus: Tara shares her journey from Jersey girl to White House correspondent to independent media entrepreneur, and what it's really like to be beholden to the algorithm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bestselling author and royal biographer Andrew Lownie joins Tara to break down the latest in the Prince Andrew scandal — from his arrest and police questioning to the cover-up that protected him for decades. Andrew explains what King Charles knew, why the monarchy is now in crisis, and how the Epstein case is becoming a national security scandal in Britain. Plus: the destroyed FBI files on Lord Mountbatten, the Mandelson connection, and what could happen next. Andrew Lownie is the author of "Entitled," the bestselling unauthorized biography of Prince Andrew - get it here! https://tinyurl.com/3e64n286 (not an affiliate link) Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don’t directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tara and congressional correspondent Juliegrace Brufke report live from the Republican Congressional Retreat at Trump's Doral golf course in Florida. They break down what House Republicans are really saying behind closed doors — from midterm dread and leadership jockeying to Trump's rambling speech, the war in Iran, rising gas prices, and why no one in the White House press corps is asking about Epstein. Plus: the Democrats' messaging problem and whether Hakeem Jeffries is up to the job. Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don’t directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Iranian-American entrepreneur and activist Moj Mahdara joins Tara to discuss the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new Supreme Leader — what it means for the Iranian people, the diaspora, and U.S. foreign policy. Moj shares her personal story of trying to reach family in Iran via Starlink, makes the case for regime change over prolonged military conflict, and explains why millions of Iranians are placing their hopes in the Trump administration. A raw, emotional, and deeply informed conversation. Moj Mahdara is the former CEO of Beautycon and a founding member of the Iranian Diaspora Collective, a global advocacy group formed after the death of Mahsa Amini. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of The Tara Palmieri Show, we dig into the massive trove of digital evidence seized from Jeffrey Epstein’s properties — and what the public still hasn’t seen. Internal Federal Bureau of Investigation emails suggest authorities expected 20 to 40 terabytes of data, with devices capable of storing up to 50 terabytes. Yet so far, only about 300 gigabytes have been publicly released. So where’s the rest? I’m joined by Melissa Du and Luke Igel, the creators of J-Mail — an independent search engine built to organize millions of Epstein-related documents. We discuss why they built it, what it reveals, and the bigger question looming over this case: Are we seeing real transparency — or just a curated slice? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wall Street titan Robert Wolf — former Chairman & CEO of UBS Americas and top economic adviser to President Obama — joins Tara Palmeri to unpack a brutal jobs report that came in at -92,000 (economists expected gains), surging oil prices driven by Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and why he thinks America is heading into what he calls a "jobsession." From the K-shaped economy squeezing the middle class to stagflation risks, AI-driven layoffs, and what the Fed should do next, Wolf draws on his experience inside the room during the Lehman crisis and the Obama-era oil shocks to explain what's really happening — and what powerful people are thinking behind closed doors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is Texas finally in play? Tara Palmeri sits down with Democratic strategist Alex Hoffman to break down the hottest Senate race in America. They dig into how James Talarico — a 30-something pastor and state rep who ran on faith, unity, and Texas values — beat Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary despite her national profile and Kamala Harris endorsement. Plus: the Republican civil war between Ken Paxton and John Cornyn, why Trump's endorsement could decide the runoff, how the Colbert censorship incident supercharged Talarico's fundraising, and whether this is finally the "perfect storm" Democrats have been waiting for — or just another Texas white whale. They also talk voter suppression, donor strategy, and what the Texas turnout signals for the 2026 midterms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Antoine Verglas helped launch Melania Trump’s modeling career, creating some of her most iconic images for outlets like British GQ and Sports Illustrated — and his name appears hundreds of times in the Department of Justice files related to Jeffrey Epstein. V Spehar of Under the Desk News and Tara examine emails, photo shoots, visa assistance, financial mentorship for Verglas’s son, and a professional relationship that allegedly continued years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. The story raises broader questions about power, access, and the modeling world Epstein repeatedly exploited — where introductions opened doors, and influence moved quietly behind the scenes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices