
Meghan Markle faces major Met Gala snub rumors as questions grow about her Hollywood standing and fallout with elite power players like Anna Wintour. Is this a turning point for Meghan and Prince Harry’s cultural relevance? Plus, we break down The Devil Wears Prada 2 and whether it lives up to the original, along with the latest Kardashian headlines—from Kris Jenner re-listing the iconic family mansion to Kim Kardashian eyeing Princess Diana’s revenge dress. Then, Michele Tafoya joins to discuss her Minnesota Senate run, the $250M fraud scandal, crime, immigration, election integrity, and the growing debate over middle-class tax cuts. Lean: Get 20% off plus free rush shipping when you go to https://TAKELEAN.com and use code LINK. Cowboy Colostrum: Get 25% Off Cowboy Colostrum with code LINK at https://www.cowboycolostrum.com/LINK LightStim: Upgrade your skincare routine with the medical-grade technology dermatologists trust and save 10% by using code LINK at https...
Loading summary
Doug
Neighborhood.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.
Doug
Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?
Link
Oh, no.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
Doug
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
Anyways, get a'@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.
Link
Liberty. Liberty.
Doug
Liberty.
Link
Liberty.
Indeed Advertiser
Hiring isn't just filling a role. It's about finding people who can drive. Results Indeed. Sponsored Jobs helps you match with the right candidates faster. Target candidates by skills, certifications, or location. Join the 3.3 million employers worldwide that use Indeed to connect with quality talent that fits their needs. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com podcast terms and conditions apply. Hiring do it the Right Way with Indeed.
Link
Well, my friends, welcome back to Spot on with Link. Lauren. Happy Monday. I hope you're gonna have a great week. How is it already? May. Okay, 2026 is going by so fast, but it's also felt like 10,000 years. I was thinking over the weekend, us as human beings, we aren't meant to live through this. Many major headlines and breaking news stories. It seems like every single day, every hour, there's headline a new news story. You just can't keep up with it. And I know people's mental health, people are saying, listen, we're having anxiety. We can't check our phones, we can't check fox, we can't check cnn. We can't even go on social media because every minute there's something new to keep up with. And this isn't how we're supposed to be. We are not wired for this. But my hope is over the course of today's episode, we can give you a little bit of a respite, a reprieve, maybe pour yourself a drink, sit back, relax. Unless you're driving. If you're listening to us in the car, I don't recommend drinking and driving. But my hope is that over the course of this episode, you can just unwind a little bit from all of the hard news going on in the world. My hope is I can make things seem a little bit better and a little bit. Okay, we have some incredible topics to go to go over today. So Meghan Markle, she's allegedly been snubbed from the Met Gala. The Met Gala is tonight. You might be watching this as the Met Gala is going on. If you don't know what the Met Gala is, we will break it all down. We're going to discuss the end of King Charles trip here in the United States as well. I just got home. You guys know I was in Washington, D.C. for all of the festivities. It was basically my Super Bowl. Okay? It was my Super Bowl. Watching King Charles, Camilla, Melania Trump, Donald Trump, everybody together, that was my Super Bowl. So we have a lot of topics to get into. Kris Jenner. She also might be watching our show because she has slashed the price on her house. We spoke about her house last week. I've spoken about it on social media. She has finally cut the price because the house has been on the market almost 500 days. So we're going to break all of that down. I'm also going to give you my full review of the Devil Wears product, too. There will be spoilers. I went over the weekend, I got my popcorn, I watched the movie. And then to round out the show, we have a wonderful guest coming on named Michelle Tafoya. You might remember her from television. You might recognize her from television. I've been on Fox with her. We've been on panels together. I've done her podcast. She comes from the broadcasting world, the sports world. Now she is running for senate in Minnesota, a state we talk about a lot because of the fraud. We saw what Nick Shirley uncovered with all of these learning centers, you know, that barely had any children in them. And so I want to talk to Michelle Tafoya about why she's running for office, what she thinks she can do in Minnesota. But before we pay some bills really quickly, we're going to have a 60 second ad. I got to give honorable mention today to Cameron Young. So Cameron Young is my favorite golfer and in life now, I did not know who he was until like April 10th. Okay. I discovered who he was a few weeks ago. But listen, I am not a fair weather fan. I posted about this on social media yesterday. He won the Cadillac Championship of the PGA Tour at Doral. President Trump was there. So many members of his family were there. I am rooting for Cameron Young, not that I know that much about him. I know he's a family man. He loves God, he takes his family to church. He's got great facial hair. When I judge sports because I don't know what's going on half the time, I judge based on looks, okay? And look at the material. Look at the material. Right here. This is why I will always be the leader of the Cameron Young fan club. So shout out to him for winning. I think the prize was a couple of million dollars. Who knows? I could be wrong on that. Don't quote me, but we're giving him honorable mention. And I got some funny messages on my Instagram story when I posted about this. So many of you guys were like, I love how you're still following golf. We thought you'd be done with this after the Masters. We thought when he lost at the Masters, you'd be done. But listen, I am in it for the long haul with Cameron Young. So shout out to him and his family, but we're gonna pay some bills really quickly, so stick around. Everybody's talking about weight loss injections because the results are so dramatic. They work by lowering blood sugar and reducing appetite. But what if you're looking to lose weight but not interested in painful weekly injections? Especially when you hear about some of those intense side effects? Well, listen up, because that is exactly why doctors created a weight loss supplement called Lean. And the results are remarkable. The studied ingredients in Lean have been shown to lower your blood sugar, burn fat by converting it into energy, and curb your appetite and cravings so you're not as hungry. But listen, lean is not for the casual dieter with only a few pounds to lose. The doctors at Brick House Nutrition created Lean for frustrated dieters with 10 or more pounds to lose. Let's get you started with 20% off and free rush shipping so you can add Lean to your healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit takelean.com and enter link for your discount. That's promo code link@takelean.com so tonight is the Met Gala, hosted by Anna Wintour and Vogue. This is a night. It's the first Monday in May where ridiculous celebrities traipse up and down a red carpet and clownery outfits and we get to sit back on our couches and. And our sweatpants and our pajamas and judge. Okay, I have no qualms about that. I'm not gonna lie and say I'm not watching. I'm not just gonna hate on the Met Gala to hate on it. I know it's become cool and in Vogue. Pun intended. To just hate on everything. That's not gonna be me, okay? I am gonna be watching what people are wearing, what they're saying, what they're doing. Because even though the outfits are ridiculous, we could use a little bit of escapism in our lives, right? The news is so heavy. We could all use a Few hours to just sit back and. And laugh and gawk. And so there are some folks still protesting the Met Gala. It'll be interesting to see what ends up happening tonight. I told you guys a few weeks ago, I don't see the point in protesting the Met Gala at all. Because the Met Gala has never pretended to be anything other than what it is, which is this elite group of celebrities getting together in ridiculous outfits. Right? We're not invited to the Met Gala. Working class Americans are invited to the Met Gala. It's never been that way for decades and decades and decades. But that's what I love about it. Okay? I want to watch these people go up and down the car carpet at the Met Gala, smizing and doing their faces and feeling real important. It's very. Let them eat cake. But sometimes we need to eat cake. So I will be watching the Met Gala. Someone who has allegedly been snubbed from the Met Gala, according to almost every single news site online, is none other than Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Scamlot. So she can scam her way to the top, but she can't scam her way into the Met Gala. And I think the reason for this is that Anna Wintour loves the royal family. Anna Wintour, obviously, she's British. She runs Vogue. She comes from the uk. Her father was in, I believe, printing and publishing in the UK as well. That's her whole entire life. So Anna Wintour loves King Charles, Queen Camilla. Why would she want the knockoff duchess who has basically shanked her family and trashed them on reality shows, interviews with Oprah, they've done books about them. Why would she want Meghan Markle then coming to the Met Gala, right? If she loves the royals. And we know this because a few days ago, after they left Washington, D.C. king Charles and Queen Camilla, they went to New York and they did some events with Anna Wintour. They did events with Anna Wintour. They did events with Sarah Jessica Parker. And I imagine Meghan Markle was watching this, fuming. Okay? I think Meghan Markle might have even posted another video of her kids as this was going on. Because like clockwork, anytime the royals are getting good press and something's going well for them, Meghan Markle pulls up a video of the kids from the archive. She's. She's got some video of those kids from behind. You always see Archie and Lily Bet, kind of walking, walking with their backs to us, like something out of a horror film at the compound. Children at the corn. So anyway, Meghan Markle she will probably not be at the Met Gala. I would bet money on that. So if she is, it'll be very, very, very shocking. But in a wintour has such respect and reverence for the monarchy, from. For the crown, for the real royalty. I don't think we'll be seeing Meghan Markle, but imagine Meghan Markle at the Mal Met Gala. That would be her Super Bowl. It's everything she wants. It's flashing cameras, lights, press, paparazzi, Paparazzi. Attention wealthy people. You know, she loves to mingle. She loves to schmooze. But Meghan Markle, she is not a fashion icon. Meghan Markle, half the clothes she wears, they don't fit. They're wrinkled. She got all that money from Netflix. She can't afford a steamer. She can't afford a steamer. She'd probably show up in those big, baggy pants she loves. Meghan Markle loves those big, baggy pants where if she kicks her leg, she's going to fly off. She can lift off the ground with those legs. So Meghan Markle will be wishing her well. If she's not at the Met Gala, I'm telling you guys, she's going to be at home like the rest of us, watching and judging and fuming and seething. Now, speaking of fashion, I went over the weekend and I watched the Devil Wears Prada, too, okay? Because Hollywood has no original ideas anymore. They're just recycling movies from 20 years ago. I was thinking over the weekend, how many times have they rebooted Sex in the City? Right? They did Sex of the City, the movie. They did another movie, then they did the TV show, and just like that, that got canceled. I mean, Carrie Bradshaw is going to be 95, limping around new York City looking for love. I'm still looking for love in all the wrong places. That's going to be Sarah Jessica Parker. So I went over the weekend. We saw the Devil Wears Prada, too. I never go to the movies, but it was nice to get my popcorn. I got my Dr. Pepper because they had Dr. Pepper. I sat back. Our theater had these recliners. I reclined, and I nestled in. I did take some notes during the film. And so I want to walk through some of the things that I gleaned from watching the film. And the first thing I will tell you is I was really not impressed. Okay? I did not love the Devil Wears Prada, too. I thought it was cute. I thought it was kitschy. I understood the plot. Spoiler alert. The plot is basically about the publishing industry in general right now in journalism, where there's this fight between new media, social media, and a lot of these legacy media organizations, right? Are people reading magazines anymore? Are they picking up a newspaper anymore? A reason Vogue in real life barely does any magazines. They're not doing a monthly magazine anymore, only when it's something they feel is crucial or important, because people can just look at something on the Internet, right? I don't have to go to a newsstand and buy a magazine anymore. And so the movie is tackling some of those themes. It's tackling big tech and a lot of equity coming into that space and into the publishing world. And what happens when you merge tech and publishing altogether. But one thing I was missing from the movie was glamour. Where the hell was the glamour? There were some decent outfits. I did feel that. But it also felt like a huge product placement. There were so many product placements, in my opinion. It was like Dior and then this and then this. And I love Dior and I love all this fashion. But the movie just wasn't giving me the glamour that the first one was. It felt like part of it was written by AI, in my opinion. You know, there wasn't a lot of character development. There were characters they introduced that never interacted with each other, not once. Literally, the characters never had any interaction. You know, Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep. She has this new assistant in the film, this sort of bigger gay guy. He's her assistant in the film. He never interacts with her. We never see any interaction. There's no character development. He's just thrown in because they're like, oh, we need to check a box. Right? We need to check a box. She's got this beautiful assistant who I believe is Indian. So they've got this Indian woman. They've got a big gay guy. Then they've got this. It's like, okay, we need to check boxes. And we know from what Anne Hathaway said on the red carpet, she basically said, listen, she wanted a different, you know, diverse group of body. She wanted a more diverse group of bodies to be in this film. I think the truth is Anne Hathaway did not want to stand next to anybody else who was skinny or pretty. I think it happened. He was like, if you are super skinny, you can't stand next to me in this film. So we're gonna have to get a bunch of extras, okay, who haven't gotten their Ozempic yet. We're gonna have to get extras who look like normal human beings. Because I don't want to stand next to supermodels. So I think that was probably Anne Hathaway's calculation. I also felt like Anne Hathaway's love interest in the movie was basic. He wasn't hot. It wasn't a fantasy. When I go to see the Devil Wears Prada too, I want the fantasy, right? It's not real life. I don't want to feel like this could happen to me. Like the guy in the film, I feel like I could pull that guy. You know what I'm saying? You girls at home, you could get this guy to go out with you. When I'm watching this blockbuster Hollywood fashion film, I want drop dead gorgeous, okay? Even if it's unbelievable. That's what I want. That's what I want. But it just seemed like Anne Hathaway's boyfriend in the film. It just wasn't giving me what I needed. It wasn't giving me the glamour. It wasn't giving me the va va voom. And then the film, we have a picture we'll put up. It just had a dim light to it, right? The movie felt dim, dull, a little bit gray. And we actually have it here. You can sort of see the original film, how bright and vibrant it was. And a lot of movies now, they're just kind of gray. And I even felt like watching in the theater. Can they turn the brightness up? Can they turn the saturation up? I just want to see the color and the textures and it just wasn't there. And so there wasn't a ton of character development. It was basically the same plot as the first film. She's got to save her job and she's got to evolve with the times. I've also never been a big Meryl Streep person. I have to be honest with you guys. I've just never been obsessed with Meryl Streep. I was even talking to my mom yesterday. I'm like, were you ever into Meryl Streep? No, not really. She's talented, she's great. She's been around forever in Hollywood, But I've just never been a huge Meryl Streep person. So the Devil Wears Prada. I give it maybe three out of five stars. Two and a half out of five stars. There wasn't a moment where I got super bored in the film, which is usually a test because I get bored with two hour films. But if you want to go get your popcorn, nestle in, lay back and watch. Don't feel guilty. About it. I just didn't think it was amazing. You know, they threw in a Lady Gaga cameo halfway through the film because they knew they're going to lose the audience. I wasn't really impressed by that. The scene was weak. The scene was weird. It also felt like it was written by Chat GPT. So the movie wasn't giving me what I needed. I'm sure some of you are going to hate on me for this. You guys probably love the movie. Many of you loved it. But if you're gonna do a reboot, I am expecting big glamour fashion. I want to escape into that world. And it seemed like a lot of the outfits are things we could wear. I'm like, we have that in our closet. We could wear that. I mean, she's running around New York City in a pair of baggy jeans and beat up cowboy boots. I'm like, okay, we've all done that. So I don't know what they were thinking. But the movie's doing very well at the box office. People are going, they're watching, they're buying their tickets. So shout out to Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Anne Hathaway. But it'll be interesting to see what happens next weekend, right? Are people going to continue going to watch? Are they going to do a third Devil Wears Prada? Are they going to do devil wears Prada? 3. Okay. Is Amand Miranda Friesley gonna be, you know, on a walker at this point? I don't know. I don't know. But we gotta pay some bills really quickly and then we'll be right back this spring. If you want real results, better gut health, glowing skin, stronger hair and steady energy, start with Colostrum. When your gut is balanced, everything else improves. Today's sponsor, Cowboy Colostrum offers premium bovine colostrum sourced entirely from American grass fed cows and made in the usa. Unlike many brands that uses true first day whole colostrum packed with bioactives like immunoglobulins and growth factors. Don't worry, only surplus colostrum is collected after calves are fully nourished. Cowboy Colostrum is unprocessed, full fat and protein rich for maximum nutrient density. Supporting your gut can boost immunity, reduce bloating and improve skin, hair, nails and energy levels. Results you can actually feel. It's also easy to enjoy with natural flavors like chocolate, Madagascar vanilla, matcha and strawberry made from real ingredients. Just add a scoop to your coffee or smoothie and feel the difference all day long. For a limited time, our listeners get up to 25% off their entire order. Just head to cowboycolostrum.com link and use code link at checkout. That's 25% off when you use code link@cowbiecolostrum.com link. Well, the devil works hard, but Kris Jenner works hard, harder. And we told you guys last week and on social media, Kris Jenner has been trying to sell the Kardashian family home for almost 500 days. It's on the market for $13.5 million. But it looks like a house of horrors. And that's horrors, like horror films. I'm not saying house of horrors. It's a house of horrors and a house of horrors with the Kardashians living in there. But I think it would take a lot, a lot of cleansing and clearing and sage to get all the toxicity out of the Kardashian family home. But it's still on the market. However, Kris Jenner, maybe she's watching us and listening to us in some of my viral videos. She has decided to slash the price on her house by about $500,000. So we have it here in the notes. She has cut the price here on her home down to 13 million. But that is still a lot, right? If the house has been on the market for almost 500 days. And it looks like this. Look at that black tile, you guys. Look at that black tile. Tile. I know they like black men. They apparently also like black bathrooms. So, I mean, you can't even see anything in that bathroom. How am I supposed to get ready? How am I gonna get ready for the day? Everything is black. You know, it's probably like, you need to go in there with a black light and see what's happening. So Kris Jenner, she's still trying to sell her home. She's hanging in there. She's living on a prayer like Bon Jovi, really trying to get anybody to buy. I mean, this is the bathroom that looks like a dungeon, that has the deadbolt on the door and the black toilet. I mean, horrible. We'll just keep rolling these pictures, you guys, and try not to gag. It also shows you money can't buy you class, and it can't buy you taste. And I always feel this way. I feel like some of the richest people I know, okay, the richest, most famous people I know, you go to their homes and it's like, oh, my God, you live like this. You live like this. And they're, like, drinking out of solo cups. So, no, the outside is decent. I will say the outside is nice. But look at this bathroom, how busy it is. You'd have to really be in entertainment or want, want this sort of art deco, black gothic thing that Kris Jenner has going on. So we'll be keeping track. I never thought we would be tracking Kris Jenner's home, but she's trying to sell it. Something else she's also trying to sell allegedly, are peptides. So she was on a podcast recently with her daughter Khloe Kardashian, and Kris Jenner said part of the reason she feels so good about herself right now is that she's doing peptides and vitamins and she's going to sleep at 9 o'. Clock. Take a look at this clip.
Kris Jenner
Listen, I feel really good about myself right now. And I think that the peptides. No, the peptides, the supplements, the way I take care of myself and the sleep I try to get and I specifically say to myself, okay, this is how many hours I want to get tonight because this is what I have to do tomorrow. Sleep is the only thing that's going to really repair your body, recover your body, your cell turnover, all of that. Sleep is the cell turnover. Sleep is a non negotiable no. It's really important.
Link
And Kris Jenner is out here saying that she's doing peptides and vitamins. I don't even really know what a peptide is, but kumbaya, I hope it works for you. She's out here saying that's why she feels so good about herself. Kris Jenner has a personal chef trainer. She just spent allegedly a hundred thousand dollars on a facelift with Dr. Steven Levine. It was all over the news. Right? She caught to it. She got to it. So you're trying to tell us now that you went to bed at 9 o', clock, you took some peptides and you woke up with your face being snatched to high heaven. Being snatched to high heaven. Okay? You can take all the vitamins you want. I understand taking a little bit of vitamin D, maybe taking some fish oil. I understand taking vitamins. I'm not antivitamin, but let's be honest, okay? The Kardashians have plastic surgeons on speed dial. Fillers, Botox, lasers, treatments we probably haven't even heard of before. They've got people coming to their house in the middle of the night, probably doing all types of, you know, voodoo to keep them aging in reverse. Right? You know what I'm saying? Anyway, I won't go there. But anyway, they're doing all this type of voodoo and so Kris Jenner will be Monitoring this. But I just find it funny that she really is out here saying part of the reason she feels so good about herself these days is that she's doing peptides and vitamins. Ma', am, it might have been the $100,000 facelift. Now, before we end talking about the Kardashians. The Kardashians, Okay. I don't know what's going on with Iran. I don't know what's happening in geopolitics, but I can tell you about Kim Kardashian. So Kim Kardashian, she went viral over the weekend. It ended up being a joke. I hope it was a joke. She went viral because she allegedly was going to rent Princess Diana's revenge dress. And we all know the iconic black revenge dress that Princess Diana wore. It's famous. I mean, the fact that it has a name and we all know it. Okay? That's important. But there was this viral post that she was going to pay in rent Princess Diana's dress to wear to the Met Gala. So there was this viral post that she was going to rent Princess Diana's revenge dress and wear it to the Met Gala. And I have to say, just because you can doesn't mean you should. Just because you have the money doesn't mean you have to do something, okay? There's such thing as respect, respecting history. And we all know Kim Kardashian, a few years ago, she rented Marilyn Monroe's dress to wear to the Met Gala. She rented Marilyn Monroe's dress, and from the sources I spoke to and the pictures I saw, that thing came torn up. It came back torn up. Kim Kardashian's ass, okay? Trying to get Kim Kardashian's ass into Princess Diana's dress. It's like an episode of Survivor that's actually the new season of Fear Factor. Can you get Kim Kardashian's derriere into Princess Diana's dress? Princess Diana was skinny, honey. Okay? Princess Diana was skinny. She would probably have a kale salad, a couple of almonds, and call it a day. She came from an era back in the day where the girls were skinny on the world stage. Okay, so you have Kim Kardashian with this big old ass that I don't think was God given. I don't think it was God given. It might have come from a surgical center in West Hollywood, nonetheless, in Beverly Hills. But Kim Kardashian, she has this big ass. How many. How many dresses is she going to ruin? How many dresses is this monster going to ruin. Is she going to keep renting famous women who have passed away and who are dead? She's going to keep renting their dresses and then trying to squeeze her big booty in there. This is why she had to create skims. This is why Kim Kardashian had to create a shapewear company so she could go to the Met Gala in Princess Diana's dress. But if she does show up in Princess Diana's dress, I will go off. I will go off. I don't see it happening. I hope the post was a parody and it was a joke, but it had everybody talking online over the weekend. I mean, we were just laughing our asses off, pun intended. But we got to pay some bills really quickly and then we'll be right back with our special guest. Have you gotten caught up in the red light mask craze but you just don't see results? It's because those masks don't work because, well, they can't work. Compared to what doctors use, most of those masks are helplessly underpowered. The red light therapy that's actually proven to work is from Light Stem. It's made in the USA and has sold over 60,000 devices to dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons and estheticians. Guessing your red light mask brand can't say that. Best part is this. You can actually have a light stim at home. Now I have the light stim ellipsa and love it. I get the same anti aging technology my doctor uses, but right at home I could see and feel the difference almost immediately. It's FDA proven to reduce wrinkles on the entire face. Medical grade means it works. It stimulates natural collagen and elastin production. It's totally affordable and saves a fortune and doctor visits. If you want the same medical grade technology at home that doctors use to treat wrinkles and slow aging, go to Light STEM spelled out light S T I M.com use my code link to save 10%. Again, that's code linkightstem.com not sure if
Udemy Advertiser
you have the experience to start your dream job. Good news. These days it's the skills that count. Udemy can help you get those in demand. Skills. Want to be an AI mastermind? Learn with us. Game developer. We've got you covered. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner. We can help you prep. You'll learn from real world experts who love what they do so that you can love what you do. Go to udemy.com for the skills to get you started and get set for your dream job.
Link
Well, I couldn't be more excited for this next guest. We're going to welcome Michelle to Foya. I've been on FOX with her. We've been on panels together. You probably probably recognize her from your television screens. But now she is running for Senate and Minnesota. Michelle, how are you doing this Monday morning? Thanks for being here.
Doug
It's so good to see you, Link. I'm doing great. It's a beautiful day here in Minnesota. These are the days we live for. These are the days we wait all winter for.
Link
You guys have some bad winters. So I don't want to waste any time. I want to ask you first and foremost a very general human question. Okay. You come from the world of media. What the hell made you want to get into the race and politics? Because politics is a blood sport. What really compelled you to say, I'm going to run? I think I can make positive change?
Doug
You know, I've been thinking about this since 9 11, quite frankly, I love this country so much and I see how fragile it is. And it was fragile on 911 for one reason. And we're seeing even more fragility now for ideological reasons. You know, I've been asked by Minnesotans to run for governor here. I've been asked by Minnesotans to run for Senate. And finally the timing was just right. My kids are at a place in their lives where they can handle it. And you know, as far as it being a blood sport, I know that. And I guess I'm crazy enough to be not afraid of that and being willing to take it on behalf of other people because there are a lot of people who constantly ask the question, why don't we have great, you know, good candidates with common sense? I think I'm one of those. And so I've decided to step forward.
Link
No, I love that you come from the media space. It's what I love about Spencer Pratt in California because I think people who understand the populace, who understand online, who understand the real issues, sometimes these folks who've been in office for so long, I feel like they're so out of touch with what actual working class Americans want because they've been in public office, because they've been insulated. I mean, give me your thoughts on Tim Walls and what do you think of his leadership in Minnesota? What would you do as senator to sort of combat him?
Doug
Oh, where do we begin? I'm first of all, I'm very grateful he stepped out of the race. He's not running for governor again. But as far as I'm concerned, I wish he would be impeached. And I know that in St. Paul, which is our capital, they are trying to get him and the Attorney General Keith Ellison impeached over all of the fraud that Minnesota has become so famous for. And now Tim Walls is trying to take credit for the feds coming in and issuing subpoenas and searching these, you know, leering centers that have become so famous. Like, you know, it's, it's, it's abysmal what has happened here. It's, it's shameful. It's embarrassing to a lot of Minnesotans. I am, I have said for many years that Tim Walls is a wolf in sheep's clothing. And by that I mean he comes across as aw, shucks. I've been a teacher and a football coach. He's also been to China a gazillion times, has taken students there. Seems to love that sort of communist way of life and has certainly pushed a lot of it into our, into our laws here in Minnesota. So can't get rid of him soon enough. Link?
Link
No, I'm happy as well. The reason I brought up Tim Wallace is I'm glad he's not going to be there much longer either. But the Tim Walls ideology and some of these Tim Walls fans are still going to be around. And I feel like that's something that has to be really combated in Minnesota because for a lot of people, when you think of Minnesota right now on the national stage, and I love Minnesota, there are people watching in Minnesota. But Tim Wallace unfortunately became one of the faces of Minnesota. Right? He became the face for a long time because he was Kamala's VP on the ticket and was catapulted to the national stage. So you think of Tim Walls and then you think of Nick Shirley and the fraud. And I think fraud is one of the biggest themes you can run on. We have so many notes about your thoughts on fraud. What would you do as senator to really combat, combat this waste of tax dollars in Minnesota?
Doug
The first thing I would do is sign on to a piece of legislation that Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah have already co sponsored and I would become a co sponsor. And it's called the Deporting Fraudsters Act. And it says, Link, that if you're here as a guest of our country and you defraud Americans, you will be deported with no pathway to come back, period. It also says if you're an American and you defraud Americans, it's no longer just this white collar crime that gets a slap on the Wrist. There are mandatory prison minimums that go along with that. And thirdly, it says Congress has the opportunity to hold back money from states that don't have guardrails in place, don't have ways to claw back fraud, don't have the, the rules and regulations in place to prevent the fraud in the first place. So if you want money for this program, for quality leering centers, you've got to prove that they're not fraudulent and that if they become fraudulent, you're going to do something very serious about it. Otherwise, you're not going to get that funding from the feds. But so much of this money link was yours, too. It's our money. It's federal taxpayer money that got funneled to Minnesota for these programs and went straight into the hands of criminals. And it's disgusting and there's no place for it. And I will do everything in my power to stop it.
Link
No, thank you, Michelle, because I've been saying for the longest time, this whole fraud situation, fraud, waste, abuse, this is a bipartisan issue, right? I don't care if you're red, blue, independent, libertarian. If you are wasting hundreds of millions, billions of our tax dollars when the country is already in debt, then, yeah, I'm going to be upset about it. And I think if you come to this country, if you're not living here illegally, if you're not living here legally and you're scamming us as well, you've got to be deported. It doesn't make us heartless, it doesn't make us jerks, because we want to live in a country with laws. Michelle, tell me, tell me what we're, what we're dealing with.
Doug
Exactly. I mean, we want to be, we need to restore law and order and integrity to our government. And when you see this happening, that government handouts are going straight to the hands of criminals. And then you hear this guy who testified in St. Paul at our capital saying, you know, people were hearing about these opportunities in their refugee camps in Kenya, and you think to yourself, okay, so Minnesota is known for a place that you can go and easily just bilk the public. That's embarrassing. That's got to stop. And so, yeah, I think, I think in a lot of cases, we had politicians here in Minnesota who are afraid to point it out because it looked, it looked unsympathetic, it looked unempathetic. It looked mean. No, it's the fact people are stealing. There's nothing. The only mean thing about that is the people who are being stolen from. And so Minnesotans, I'm sure in other places, too, we're still driving over potholes. We still see our education scores going down. We see these fraudulent centers, and that's where our money's going. Of course we're pissed off.
Link
No, I'm pissed off, too. And I don't even live in Minnesota, just watching all of Nick Shirley's reporting and everything. So I love the idea of US Senators signing on to legislation because I've been a firm believer all my life. You use a couple of people as examples. You deport a couple of people, the rest are going to stop doing it. You know, people are going to say, oh, crap, we don't want to get deported. We don't want the penalties. So let's tone it down. Let's stop frauding and scamming. I still think we need to find out where all this money went.
Doug
Yeah.
Link
And I've said for the longest time as well, Tim Walls, there's no way, in my opinion, all of this was happening under Tim Walls nose and he just was oblivious and had no clue. Right. If this were happening in Texas with Greg Abbott, where I'm from, I'd be judging him as well. There's no way this is happening in your state and you aren't seeing the budgets and going, whoa, whoa, whoa, where's the funnel?
Doug
He has said publicly the buck stops with me, and yet he now wants to appear the hero for finding it. He's the arsonist trying to claim that he's putting out the fire and it doesn't work and it doesn't fly. And you know, what link about him, had he not been elevated to the nominee for vice president, he probably wouldn't have gotten the vetting, the national media vetting that he got. Because here in Minnesota, unfortunately, we have a very biased press and they never uncovered any of these things.
Link
Well, what's interesting is I almost question, you know, Kamala Harris's vetting was probably so thorough. I imagine the DNC and the Democrats have operatives who combed through everything. You had to have known there was some shady stuff going on with Tim Walls in Minnesota. But I guess the fraud was something they could overlook in order to get him onto the ticket or. It's almost like the Democrat Party. The basis and the foundation of their party is fraud. Right. Let's bring as many illegal voters in. Let's just spend the money on these programs. We'll funnel it back through. I mean, Gavin Newsom's had programs in California, hundreds of millions of dollars to help homeless people Alcoholics, drug addicts, and we find out, you know, a smattering of people maybe got help. It's, it's kind of insane. Michelle.
Doug
It is. And here's, here's one of the overarching parts of this whole problem link is that we have so many programs that we have convinced America that we, it is our responsibility to have all of these safety measures and we do, we do need to have safety measures for the most vulnerable. But they have gotten so big and so bloated that the government officials have said, ah, no one will notice a hundred million. Think about that. No one will notice a Hundred million or 250 million to feeding our future, which is probably more expensive than that, which was a program during COVID that was supposed to feed kids who needed feeding. They didn't get fed, There were no kids getting fed. And instead that money went through our airport and God knows where. So this kind of stuff, these programs have gotten so big and so bloated and so omnipresent that it's, it seems to me that politicians find it very easy to hide the fraud in and amongst it all.
Link
Well, it's interesting. Feeding our future is more like feeding our pockets of money. Right?
Doug
Feeding our fraudsters.
Link
Yeah. So switching topics really quickly because I want to get to everything while we have you. So we pulled up that you want to cut taxes for the middle class as well. You're into tax cuts. You don't want people to have to spend way, way, way more on taxes, especially if it's not being appropriated properly. Tell me about these tax cuts and why they're important to you.
Doug
Well, they're. Listen, people are leaving Minnesota in droves because the business taxes are so high, because the property taxes are so high. And I know that property taxes here in Minnesota are not necessarily controlled by the federal government, obviously, but you can say to, through the federal government, look, if you're making it unlivable for people in Minnesota, unaffordable for them to stay in their homes. You know, there's got to be some way that the federal government can say we're no longer going to finance. Fill in the blank. I mean it is ridiculous here. And I've talked to so many people, Link, particularly in the, in the business community and also like fifth generation Minnesotans who don't want to leave. They love it here, but they can no longer afford these tax hikes. And when you find out that your taxes are being misspent the way that they are, you're even more furious in terms of the Business climate here. We've seen businesses refuse to expand right here in the state, even though they're headquartered here. They're now expanding to South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, because it's too damn expensive and there's too much regulation here in Minnesota, making it unaffordable and untenable to even expand in their own state. I talked to a CEO of a massive sporting goods store chain, and it was a kind of heartbreaking because he said to me, you know, when I started, I had like 300 employees, and now I've got 15,000. But they keep vilifying me for being a, quote, unquote, big business. Why would I stay there? Why would I stay in a place that's sort of just giving me every reason to leave? Because I. I don't feel wanted there. I don't feel appreciated. Even though I built something that supports thousands of Minnesota jobs and thousands of Minnesota families. This is the message that is being sent by our government here in Minnesota. And we cannot afford to backtrack on some of these taxes that have been cut by the big beautiful bill and other, other mechanisms in D.C. so I want to help preserve that by getting into the Senate.
Link
No, I'm the same way. Because we see this in so many blue states. Like you said, they're fleeing in droves. They're coming to Texas, Florida, Wyoming, where they have no state income tax and where they can actually run their businesses freely. I feel like all of this regulation, all of this taxation, it's just crippling the people who are the actual employers and who can help their communities and actually local businesses as well. So I'm super excited to see what you do with that in the Senate. The last thing I want to get to is obviously something you're very passionate about, and this is the fairness of women's sports. Right? So this is something we've seen the liberals in Minnesota really, really, really fight. Whether it's Tim Wall, Ilhan, Omar, you name it, everybody under the sun, they seem to think that men need to be in women's sports. And I scratch my head all the time. I'm going, it's 2026. How are we still having this conversation? Right? Are we living in the upside down? Michelle, so what are some things you would do as senator to really safeguard this? Because I know how passionate you are about sports in general.
Doug
Title 9 needs to be preserved. I'm old enough to Remember when Title 9 passed link and my dad came to me and he said, you're going to have opportunities. Your mom and your aunties never had. And I thought, that's amazing. Not only is it amazing that I'm getting these opportunities, it's amazing that they never did. I mean, it seems so basic to me that girls should have the right to play sports. And now to suggest that because someone identifies as a girl that they should have carte blanche, an open pathway to compete against girls is absurd. It is the upside down world. We've seen it permeate sports. I'm so glad to see the International Olympic Committee decide because all it takes link is a cheek swab. All of these people are going to say, oh, these invasive procedures to find out whether you're male or female. It's not invasive. It's less invasive than all those Covid tests we used to have to take just to cover the NFL that year. I mean, with that thing being shoved up your nose, I mean, that was invasive. So this is not invasive. It's common sense. Every parent wants their daughter to be safe. And I. It's astonishing to me that we're having this conversation. I've said this a million times. We will see in the history books 50 to 100 years from now this era of American politics and culture looked at by our grandchildren going, what? What was going on? And why didn't the adults step up and fix it? So I'm going to be one of those adults who will stand firmly for girls sports. And if you're a boy that can't make it on the boys team, I'm sorry, that doesn't give you the right to take a spot from a girl who can make it on the girls team.
Link
Well, it's interesting, as I always imagine, what if my grandfather were still alive, right? He was so off color, politically incorrect. If he popped into 2026 and he saw that we were arguing over boys being in girls sports, he would just think it was satire. It was a comedy skit. I mean, it's absolutely insane. And I feel like in the history books, kids, someday, if we still have books, they'll be looking back and going, what the heck was going on? So speaking of books and education, I was gonna let you go, but one thing I talk about a lot on this podcast that I'm really passionate about is education. That's why I cover all of the events the first lady does when it comes to education. AI getting kids up into the school system, kids who maybe have been left behind. And so what are you going to do to reform the education system? Because I don't even need to read the stats but the levels aren't great. The math and reading levels aren't good. And it's not just Minnesota. I'm not here to pile on Minnesota. But, Michelle, what can we do? What's going on?
Doug
Well, there's a lot we can do. I mean, again, it comes down to funding. If your public schools are going to be only beholden to the teachers union, who basically, the teachers unions want Marxism taught. They want kids to be trained activists, and that's it here in Minnesota, as an example, again, Tim Walls shoved through this ethnic studies program. That sounds benign. That sounds good. That sounds open. You should read the curriculum that is required for this ethnic studies. It does nothing but drive wedges between people. It's based on that. You're either oppressed or you're the oppressor, that you're one of two. You can't. There's nothing else. This is so damaging. This is so divisive. And we've been seeing this for years now, and it continues and it is. It has really permeated academia in a way that is so unhealthy for humans, for kids and for the culture and for our productivity in the future. I want kids to be empowered. I don't care what zip code they come from. They need to be empowered to learn, to have economic literacy, to be able to read the contracts that they want to sign and create for themselves, not rely on a government that is turned into religion. For some people, we, we were this country was born linked to protect our natural rights, not to make people depend on a central government.
Link
Absolutely. And I always say kids, unfortunately reap the consequences of partisan politics. But a sixth grader, seventh grader just going to school, they're not Republican or Democrat. They just deserve to have a good education. So we've got to find a way to figure it out. And I was talking to a bunch of school teachers recently, seventh grade, sixth grade, fifth grade, and I was asking, you know, what's going on in the classrooms? And they were from all different states. They just didn't have the resources they needed. This classroom sizes had ballooned because of illegal immigration. The kids are all using AI and the teachers don't have the training training to keep up with what the kids are doing. So any change you can bring to the school system, I am all in favor of because we're the United States
Doug
of my mother, Wilma Iris Conley Tafoya, who was a career educator who even back then was dealing with the California teachers unions that made her job miserable.
Link
We are the United States of America. Our math and reading levels have got to come up right if we're going to be a part of the race and the fight for dominance on the world stage. We, we got to get that up. But I'm so excited for you, Michelle Tafoya. I'm going to keep covering you and following you because I know you personally and when I know someone personally, I'm a little more invested in what's going on. And I also think Minnesota is going to be a microcosm and a template for other states moving forward because a lot of these other states have fraud, too, and we need to get to the bottom of it. So we wish you well. God bless you, Michelle, and have an amazing week. Thank you.
Doug
Great to see you. Thanks so much.
Link
Thank you for being here. See you soon.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.
Doug
Hey, everyone. Check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?
Link
Oh, no.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
Doug
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
Anyways, get a'@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.
Link
Liberty. Liberty.
Doug
Liberty.
Link
Liberty.
Host: Link Lauren (MK Media)
Guest: Michele Tafoya
This episode is a rapid-fire journey through pop culture, politics, and current events. Link Lauren provides his trademark snappy commentary and witty takes on topics ranging from the spectacle of the Met Gala and the latest Hollywood retreads, to Kardashian family shenanigans, and deep dives into state-level political controversy. The crescendo is a candid interview with Michele Tafoya, famed broadcaster and Senate candidate from Minnesota, who offers a passionate defense of common sense in government, anti-fraud policy, and the future of education and women’s sports.
[01:02]
[06:50]
[11:10]
[17:30]
Kris Jenner Slashes Price on Family Home:
Kris Jenner on Peptides & Beauty Routines:
Kim Kardashian and Princess Diana’s Revenge Dress:
[25:19]
Walz Critique:
“He comes across as aw, shucks. I’ve been a teacher and a football coach. He’s also been to China a gazillion times, has taken students there. Seems to love that sort of communist way of life and has certainly pushed a lot of it into our laws here in Minnesota.” ([27:38])
On Fraud:
Policy Solution:
Notable Quotes:
On the Met Gala
“It’s very 'let them eat cake.' But sometimes we need to eat cake.” — Link ([07:35])
On Meghan Markle
“She can scam her way to the top, but she can't scam her way into the Met Gala.” — Link ([08:30])
Kris Jenner’s House
“It looks like a house of horrors. And that’s horrors, like horror films. I’m not saying house of whores.” — Link ([17:32])
On Hollywood
“Hollywood has no original ideas anymore. They’re just recycling movies from 20 years ago.” — Link ([11:11])
On Kim Kardashian and Iconic Dresses
“This is why Kim Kardashian had to create a shapewear company so she could go to the Met Gala in Princess Diana's dress.” — Link ([21:24])
On Minnesota Fraud
“He’s the arsonist trying to claim that he’s putting out the fire.” — Michele Tafoya ([32:49])
On Women’s Sports
“To suggest that because someone identifies as a girl that they should have carte blanche... is absurd.” — Michele Tafoya ([38:17])
| Topic | Tone | Main Points | |-------|------|------------| | Met Gala | Snarky, playful | Celebrity excess, escapism, Meghan Markle’s snub framed as symbolic | | Devil Wears Prada 2 | Sarcastic, disappointed | Decline of print media, missing glamour, AI-scripted vibe | | Kris Jenner/Kardashians | Irreverent, gossipy | Failed real estate, dubious wellness routines, Kim K dress rumors | | Minnesota Politics & Fraud | Serious, pointed | Critique of Tim Walz, systemic fraud, bipartisan urgency for reform | | Women’s Sports | Passionate, direct | Title IX, girls’ rights, pushback against biological males in girls' leagues | | Education | Reformist, practical | Pushback against ideological bloat, focus on empowerment and core skills |
This episode is an energetic blend of celebrity snark, social commentary, and no-nonsense political insight. Link Lauren’s frank humor and clever observations offer laughs and sharp takes on the Met Gala, the wheel-spinning of Hollywood sequels, and the spectacle of Kardashian excess. The conversation with Michele Tafoya, meanwhile, is a rapid-fire, substantive exploration of serious policy issues—from state-level corruption to nationwide debates over tax policy, education, and fairness in sports.
With pointed quotes, plenty of humor, and a pace that never lags, this episode delivers both entertainment and food for thought—true to Link Lauren’s “Spot On” promise.