The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Russell Moore is Editor in Chief of Christianity Today and is the author of several books, including Losing Our Religion: An Alter Call for Evangelical America. An ordained Baptist minister, Moore served previously as President of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and, before that, as the chief academic officer and dean of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also taught theology and ethics. He also hosts the weekly podcast The Russell Moore Show and is a senior commentator of Christianity Today's weekly news and analysis podcast, The Bulletin. Russell shares his insightful and thought-provoking views on the Charlie Kirk assassination and aftermath, the Epstein scandal, and Christianity in America today. So what would Jesus say? Russell addresses that and so much more. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Tom Nichols is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a contributor to the Atlantic Daily newsletter. He's back in THE BACK ROOM for a discussion about the concerns involving Russian drones over Poland, the reaction from NATO, and Trump's response (or lack thereof). We also discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling on ICE raids in LA involving racial profiling, and America in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination. As always, Tom offers truly insightful and thought-provoking analysis. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Elie Honig is CNN's Senior Legal Analyst. He previously worked for 14 years as a federal and state prosecutor. He is also the national bestselling author of two books, “Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor's Code and Corrupted the Justice Department” and “Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away With It”. He writes a weekly column for New York magazine and for Cafe.com, and he hosts two podcasts for Vox Media. He teaches at Rutgers University and is special counsel to New Jersey law firm Lowenstein Sandler. His new book, When You Come at the King: Inside DOJ's Pursuit of the President, From Nixon to Trump, will be published September 16th. Elie joins me for a discussion of his new book as well as the latest Supreme Court and lower court rulings Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Aziz Huq is the Frank and Bernice J. Professor at the University of Chicago Law School and associate professor of sociology. His books include How to Save a Constitutional Democracy, The Collapse of Constitutional Remedies, and The Rule of Law: A Very Short Introduction. His scholarship is published in leading law, social science, political science, and criminology journals. He also writes for Politico, the London Review of Books, and many other general interest publications. Before teaching, Aziz represented civil liberties claimants with the Brennan Center for Justice, and worked for the International Crisis Group in Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. He was also a law clerk for Appeals Court Judge Robert D. Sack and the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. His latest opinion piece in Politico is titled, Will the Supreme Court Stand Up to Trump if He Sends Troops to Chicago…The military isn't supposed to act as a national police force. Aziz joins me for an insightful conversation about the latest Supreme Court rulings over immigration and Trump's termination of FTC Commissioner. We also discuss the recent lower court rulings on National Guard deployment in LA, Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act regarding deportations, the cuts to Harvard's research funding, and the legality of his tariff policies. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

James Sweeney is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker. He wrote, directed, produced, and co-stars in his new film TWINLESS, and which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, winning the US Dramatic Audience Award and a Special Jury Award for Acting for Dylan O'Brien. Roadside Attractions will release the movie this summer. James was recently named one of Variety's 10 Directors to Watch. His debut feature, STRAIGHT UP , a screwball romantic comedy, won the Grand Jury Prize at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and was nominated for Best First Screenplay at the 2021 Independent Spirit Awards. Dylan O'Brien not only stars in TWINLESS, he also Executive Produced the film. He recently wrapped production on SEND HELP from director Sam Raimi, and which will be released in January. His other recent credits include the feature films PONYBOI, SATURDAY NIGHT, NOT OKAY, THE OUTFIT, and LOVE AND MONSTERS. and guest appearances on the television shows Fantasmas, The Other Two and Curb Your Enthusiasm. James and Dylan join me in THE BACK ROOM to discuss their terrific new film! Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Ofirah Yheskel is the External Affairs Director and senior spokesperson at the Democratic Governors Association. Prior to joining the DGA in 2023, she served as the Democratic National Committee's Deputy Communications Director. She has worked across presidential and statewide races, acting as a spokesperson for the 2020 DNC War Room, as Director of Media Relations for the successful 2020 Democratic National Convention, and as Deputy Communications director for Beto O'Rourke's presidential campaign. Prior to that, she was a Senior Advisor to Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and the Wisconsin Press Secretary for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Ofirah joins me for an important conversation about her organization and the critical role governors are playing in the fight against Trump's autocratic overreach. We also discuss the extremely consequential gubernatorial elections coming up this November in New Jersey and Virginia. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Michael Strassner is an actor, writer, and director. His credits include Young Rock, A Spy Movie, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation and more. He also wrote, directed, and starred in the award winning short film BIG BOY. He stars in the new film THE BALTIMORONS, which he co-wrote with Jay Duplass, and which opens in theaters tomorrow, September 5th. Join us for this fun chat as Michael takes us back to his childhood, shares his early acting and filmmaker inspirations, and discusses his terrific new film and his collaboration with the Duplass Brothers. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Ophira Eisenberg is a standup comedian, writer, and host of the award-winning comedy podcast Parenting Is a Joke. She also regularly hosts and tours with the Peabody Awarding winning radio show and podcast, The Moth Radio Hour, and podcast. She also hosted NPR's Ask Me Another for 9 years where she interviewed and played silly games with hundreds of celebrities including Sir Patrick Stewart, Rosie Perez, Yo-Yo Ma, Roxanne Gay, Nick Kroll, Chelsea Handler, and others. She's appeared multiple times on CBS's The Late Late Show, Sherri! with Sherri Sheppard, Comedy Central, HBO, The New York Festival, and is regular on The Moth Radio Hour. Her stories are included in three of The Moth's best-selling collections. Her memoir, Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy was optioned for a TV series, and her recent comedy special Plant Based Jokes is streaming on YouTube. She is a regular at The Comedy Cellar and other New York clubs, and her solo show Leaving A Mark: A Comedy About Scars made it's Off-Broadway review to rave reviews and won the Women in the Arts & Media Award for Solo Show Scripts. She will be recording her new 1-hour comedy special at The Comedy Cellar in NY on Sunday Nov 9th, 2025 Such a fun chat with the very funny Ophira! We talk life, love, family, stand up, storytelling, growing up in Canada, living in NYC and, as two highly inquisitive Jews, we explore some of the burning questions about Brooklyn's Hatzalah ambulance service! Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Robin Peguero is running for Congress in Florida's 27th District. He's a writer, lawyer, professor and former federal prosecutor and political aide. He also served as the investigative counsel on the Select Committee Investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. And he is the author of two fiction novels, With Prejudice, a legal thriller, and One in the Chamber, a political murder mystery. Robin joins me for a conversation about his campaign to flip Florida's 2th Congressional District seat. We also chat about Donald Trump's assault on democracy and the rule of law. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Jess Michaels is a 3x Founder, TEDx speaker, Advocate, and 1991 Jeffrey Epstein survivor who has lived with PTSD for 30+ years. She is the founder and CEO of 3Joannes Inc and the #withyoutoo Social Safety App, which guides users to "know what to do when someone says #metoo". Jess's story is both harrowing and inspiring, which she shares in riveting detail. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart is a co-host of the morning edition of The Weekend on MSNBC. From 2020 until 2025 he was anchor of The Saturday Show and The Sunday Show on MSNBC. He is also an analyst on The PBS News Hour. He is a former Associate Editor at the Washington Post, where he was an opinion writer for nearly two decades.He was also deputy editorial page editor of the New York Daily News and served on its editorial board. His editorial campaign in 1999 to save the Apollo Theater earned the board the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. His new memoir, “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from A Black Man's Search for Home,”, is a NY Times bestseller. Jonathan discusses his terrific new book about his life and career, and shares why after nearly two decades he left The Washington Post this Summer. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Tara Setmayer and Michelle Kinney are co-founders of the bipartisan superpac The Seneca Project, Tara's a former GOP Communications Director on Capitol Hill and most recently served as a Senior Advisor for The Lincoln Project. She's a political writer and commentator who's appeared on MSNBC and other news outlets, The View, and Real Time with Bill Maher. Her writing has been featured on CNN.com, Bloomberg, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast, and NBC.com. In November 2020 she left the Republican Party after Donald Trump refused to concede the election to Joe Biden. Michelle Kinney previously she served as the Creative Director at The Lincoln Project. She's also a photojournalist, previously served as Vice President of WestSide Democrats in NYC, and was publicly elected to the New York County Democratic Committee. Michelle and Tara share their thoughts on Trump first 200 +days; the awesome Newsom trolling; Texas redistricting, mail-in voting, the attack on the 19th Amendment, and the overall assault on our voting process; the "liberal media's" role in shaping the narrative; and the need for Democrats to stay positive, engaged, strong and to fight fire with fire. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Nicole Foy is ProPublica's Ancil Payne Fellow, reporting on immigration and labor. Before joining ProPublica, she was an enterprise and investigative reporter across the West, focusing on immigrants, Latino communities, farmworkers and inequality. She previously worked for CalMatters, the Austin American-Statesman, the Idaho Statesman, the Idaho Press and the Orange County Register. Nicole and I discuss Trump's draconian immigration policies and whether or not there's some light at the end of the tunnel. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Mikie Sherrill has represented New Jersey's 11th Congressional district since 2019 and serves on the House Armed Services Committee. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994, she spent almost 10 years on active duty in the Navy as a Sea King Helicopter pilot, leading missions throughout Europe and the Middle East, and as a Russian policy officer aiding in the implementation of our nuclear treaty obligations. She's a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey and is now running for governor. The Congresswoman and I discus her campaign for governor, and her thoughts on Trump's exploitation of the military and his weaponizing of the Justice Department Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Gretchen Carlson is an internationally recognized advocate for women's rights, whose bold actions against Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes helped pave the way for the global #MeToo movement. A former CBS News and Fox News journalist, author, TED talk alum, and champion for workplace equality, she was named one of Time Magazine's “100 Most Influential People in the World”. Gretchen is the co-founder of the non-profit Lift Our Voices which works to end silencing mechanisms in the workplace that keep toxic issues secret. She is also a frequent contributor to CNN and MSNBC, a Fast Company contributor and the author of the New York Times bestsellers “Be Fierce” and “Getting Real.” Her story of harassment and retaliation at Fox News has garnered international attention, including the Showtime mini-series “The Loudest Voice” and movie “Bombshell.” Her signature achievement is the passage of the “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act” in March 2022, one of the biggest labor law changes in the last 100 years. Gretchen shares her terrific insights into a range of subjects including Trump 2.0, the Epstein scandal, #MeToo, and more. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Matt Wolf is a filmmaker whose award-winning documentaries have played widely in festivals and have been distributed internationally in theaters and on television. His latest is the two-part film Pee-wee as Himself, about the artist and performer Paul Reubens, and which can be seen on HBO Max. Matt's features include Wild Combination, Teenage, Recorder and Spaceship Earth. He produced the Emmy-nominated film TheS troll about the history of New York's Meatpacking District from the perspective of transgender sex workers. The film won numerous awards, including a Special Jury Prize at Sundance and a Peabody. He's made a number of short films about artists and queer history, including Bayard & Me, It's Me, Hilary, I Remember, The Face of AIDS, and Another Hayride. In addition to filmmaking, Matt is also a writer. His artist book Input compiles hundreds of images from an enormous television archive, and, he publishes on Substack. Matt shares a riveting behind-the-scenes look into the making of his new documentary and the challenges of working with Paul Reubens. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Leah Litman is a professor of law at the University of Michigan and a former Supreme Court clerk. In addition to co-hosting Strict Scrutiny, she writes frequently about the Court for media outlets including The Washington Post, Slate, and The Atlantic, among others, and has appeared as a commentator on NPR and MSNBC, in addition to other venues. She has received the Ruth Bader Ginsburg award for her “scholarly excellence” from the American Constitution Society and published in top law reviews. Her new book is LAWLESS: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes. Leah brings her terrific insights and legal expertise back into The Back Room to discuss the Epstein scandal, the escalating weaponizing of the Department of Justice, Texas redistricting, Emil Bove, the Supreme Court and more. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Susan B. Glasser is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where she writes a weekly column on life in Washington. She's served as the top editor of several Washington publications, including Politico, where she founded the award-winning Politico Magazine, and Foreign Policy, which won three National Magazine Awards, among other honors, during her tenure as editor in chief. Before that, she worked for a decade at the Washington Post, where she was the editor of Outlook and national news. She also oversaw coverage of the impeachment of Bill Clinton, served as a reporter covering the intersection of money and politics, spent four years as the Post's Moscow co-bureau chief, and covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She edited Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, early in her career. Her books include “Kremlin Rising,” “The Man Who Ran Washington,” and, most recently, “The Divider,” a best-selling history of Donald Trump in the White House, which she co-wrote with her husband, Peter Baker. Susan's back in The Back Room discussing the Israel/Hamas war, Trump and Netanyahu, and the mounting Epstein scandal. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Miles Taylor is a national security expert who works in Washington, DC as editor of the recently launched newsletter TREASON on Substack and as spokesperson for www.EndPresidentialRevenge.org. Taylor previously served as chief of staff at the US Department of Homeland Security, where he published a bombshell “Anonymous” essay in The New York Times, blowing the whistle on presidential misconduct. He later published the #1 national bestseller A Warning, revealed himself to be the author, and launched a campaign of ex-officials to oppose Donald Trump's reelection. He's worked as an advisor in the George W. Bush administration, on Capitol Hill, as a CNN contributor, and is the cofounder of a DC-based charter school and multiple democracy-reform groups. Taylor is also the author of The New York Times best-selling book Blowback and the host of the iHeartRadio podcast “The Whistleblowers.” Miles became the target of Trump in an April executive order. He joins me for a frank discussion of what these past few months have been like for him and his family, how he's fighting against it, and the overall importance of whistleblowing in holding politicians and government officials accountable. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

For three decades, Bill Kristol has been a leading participant in American political debates and a widely respected analyst of American political developments. He served in senior positions in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations and as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University. He is the founding director of Defending Democracy Together, an organization dedicated to defending America's liberal democratic norms, principles, and institutions, focusing on issues ranging from American foreign policy to the future of the Republican Party and the meaning of American conservatism. Bill is editor-at-large of The Bulwark, frequently appears on all the major television talk shows, and also is the host of the highly regarded video series and podcast, Conversations with Bill Kristol. Bill and I get into the state of the Republican Party and its fealty to Trump; Democrats and the midterms; Mamdani and the NYC mayoral race; and more. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

David Litt is the New York Times bestselling author of Thanks, Obama; Democracy in One Book or Less; and his latest, It's Only Drowning: A True Story of Learning to Surf and the Search for Common Ground. He's a former senior speechwriter for Barack Obama, described as “the comic muse for the president” for his work on the White House Correspondents' Dinner monologues. He's also written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Cosmopolitan, and more. Along with writing speeches and jokes for political figures, athletes, Fortune 500 CEOs, and philanthropists, David was the head writer/producer at Funny Or Die, DC, and has written and sold comedy pilots for Comedy Central, ABC, and NBC. David and I discuss his new book and why he embarked on this incredible journey. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Since 2015 Jonathan A. Greenblatt has served as the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, more commonly knows as the ADL…and is its sixth National Director. He leads all aspects of the world's leading anti-hate organization…whose mission since its founding in 1913 is to fight the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all. In 2022, Jonathan released It Could Happen Here, a book that sounds an alarm, warning that hate and systemic violence is gathering momentum in the United States – and that violence on a more catastrophic scale could be just around the corner. Jonathan and I have an insightful, frank conversation about the alarming rise of antisemitism and hate crimes, Israel and Gaza, the impact of Trump's rhetoric, Mamdani and progressive populism, and more. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy This episode was produced by Andy Ostroy and Jennifer Hammoud Design by Cricket Lengyel

Neera Tanden is the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress and the CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Before leading American Progress, Tanden was the Domestic Policy Advisor to President Joe Biden and director of the Domestic Policy Council, overseeing some of the administration's signature achievements, including its efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs and expand health insurance coverage. Previously, she was Senior Advisor and Staff Secretary in the White House. And has also served as senior adviser for health reform at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, policy director for Hillary Clinton's first presidential campaign, legislative director in then-Sen. Clinton's (D-NY) office, and a senior policy adviser to the first lady in President Bill Clinton's White House. Neera shares her keen insights on Trump 2.0, EpsteinGate and the MAGA meltdown, Texas redistricting, Zohran Mamdani, and the critical work of the Center For American Progress. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Rich Logis is a former MAGA activist, volunteer and pundit. He founded his nonprofit, Leaving MAGA, in 2024, as a new community for those who leave the MAGA movement; who have doubts about their support for Trump; and for friends and family of those in MAGA. On his Leaving MAGA website, media appearances and in person, Rich has shared the compelling story of his odyssey, and what led him to leave MAGA in August of 2022. He has most recently contributed to the MeidasTouch Network. Don't miss this utterly fascinating and insightful chat as Rich shares in riveting detail what drew him into MAGA, what it's like being on the inside, and why and how he left the movement. He also helps us understand what motivates MAGA, why they're so loyal to Donald Trump, why the Epstein conspiracy is so important to them, and how he's helping others through his Leaving MAGA non-profit. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Retired Federal Judge Nancy Gertner is a graduate of Barnard College and Yale Law School, where she was an editor on The Yale Law Journal, also receiving her M.A. in Political Science at Yale University. She was appointed to the United States District Court (D. Mass.) in 1994 by President Clinton and prior to 1994, Judge Gertner was a civil rights and criminal defense lawyer in Massachusetts. She retired from the federal bench in 2011 to join the faculty at Harvard Law School. Judge Gertner is the Managing Director of the MGH Center for Law Brain and Behavior. She was named one of “The Most Influential Lawyers of the Past 25 Years” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Judge Gertner has received numerous awards, including the American Bar Association's Thurgood Marshall Award. Additionally, Judge Gertner was a Commissioner on President Biden's Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, and has written and spoken widely on various legal issues, appearing as a keynote speaker, panelist or lecturer concerning civil rights, civil liberties, employment, criminal justice and procedural issues throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. Her opinion column appears regularly in the Boston Globe and WBUR's Cognoscenti and occasionally the New York Times and the Washington Post. She also is a commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and WGBH's “Jim Braude and Margery Eagan” show. Join us for this insightful, informative conversation about Donald Trump's march towards autocracy; the consequential role of the Supreme Court; the Emil Bove confirmation hearing; the Epstein case; the threats against Fed Chair Jerome Powell; and the Harvard University lawsuit. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Rep. Angie Craig is the Congresswoman for Minnesota's Second Congressional District and is running for the state's junior Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Tina Smith. In 2018, she flipped a district held by a Republican that a Democrat had only held twice since the 40s…committing herself to taking on the Trump administration's policies that are hurting working folks in our country. In the Senate, her focus will be on lowering costs, keeping communities safe and fixing a broken Washington. If elected to the Senate, Angie would make history as the first gay U.S. Senator from Minnesota and first lesbian mother elected to the Senate. The Congresswoman and I chat about her Senate campaign, Trump 2.0, Congressional Republican, and EpsteinGate. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Michael Cohen is the former personal attorney for Donald Trump and served for years as an executive in the Trump Organization. He is host of the YoiuTube channel The Michael Cohen Show, host of the Mea Culpa With Michael Cohen podcast and co-host of Political Beatdown with Michael Cohen and Ben Meiselas podcast. He's also a 2x NYT best-selling author. His latest book is “Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized the US Department of Justice Against His Critics. You can also find him on Substack @TheRealMichaelCohen, where he writes the newsletter Truth and Consequences. It's always a blast when Michael's in The Back Room. And this time's no different, as we unpack the MAGA Meltdown over EpsteinGate and the "coup" he says is taking place over it within Trump's inner circle. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

S.E. Cupp is a nationally syndicated columnist, author, podcaster and TV commentator. She hosts Off the Cupp, a podcast which focuses on mental health, and which features interviews with celebrities and newsmakers. She is a columnist at the New York Daily News and has also been published in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Washington Post and many other publications. She is currently a political commentator at CNN. She regularly interviews authors for CSPAN's BookTV, and is a regular guest on The View, Real Time w/Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Watch What Happens Live and others. S.E. has also consulted on Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom and AppleTV's The Morning Show, and has made cameos on House of Cards and SNL. As an author SE has written two books, Losing Our Religion: The Liberal Media's Attack on Christianity, and co-authored Why You're Wrong About the RIght. She is on the Advisory Board of Cornell University's Institute of Politics and Global Affairs and INARA.org, and is a No Kid Hungry ambassador. Just us for this insightful, fun live chat and Q&A at Rhinebeck, NY's Upstate Films. We discuss it all...politics, pop culture, podcasting, producing and caffeine! Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

David Frum is a staff writer at the Atlantic and host of “The David Frum show” podcast. He is the author of ten books, most recently TRUMPOCALYPSE: Restoring American Democracy. David has been active in Republican politics since the first Reagan campaign of 1980. From 2014 through 2017 he served as chairman of the board of trustees of the leading UK center-right think tank, Policy Exchange. In 2001-2002, he served as speechwriter and special assistant to President George W. Bush. This conversation has such deep personal meaning to me, as David and i talked not just about politics, but also about loss and grief and his emotional journey these past seventeen months as he and his family mourn the devastating loss of his daughter Miranda, 32. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Celina Stewart is the Chief Executive Officer of the League of Women Voters of the United States. Prior to joining the League, she was acting Chief Operating Officer and Director of Philanthropy at an electoral reform nonprofit; served as a litigation consultant to several Am 100 law firms handling complex merger and acquisition transactions; legislative aide at the Michigan legislature handling the public interest portfolio for the House Tax Chair; and as Legal Counsel to the Minority Leader Stacey Abrams at the Georgia House of Representatives. She has served on the Boards of the Bar Association of DC; the Women's Bar Association of DC; the NAACP ; and was an American Bar Foundation Law Practice Fellow. Join us as Celina describes the League's critical efforts in educating and engaging voters while defending and protecting our civil, voting and reproductive rights in the era of Donald Trump. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Joe Walsh is a former Republican Congressman from Illinois elected to Congress in the TEA Party wave of 2010. Following his service in Congress, Walsh became one of the most popular conservative talk radio hosts in the country, syndicated in major markets throughout the U.S. In August of 2019 Joe became a candidate for President of the United States, waging a Republican primary challenge against Donald Trump. Joe is the author of F*CK SILENCE: Calling Trump Out for the Cultish, Moronic, Authoritarian Con Man He Is released in February of 2020. Joe is currently the Director of The Social Contract and the host of a podcast called, “The Social Contract With Joe Walsh,” where Joe has weekly conversations with other well-known people to model how to have respectful conversations with those you disagree with. Joe comes from the MAGA base and also spends a lot of time engaging, respectfully, with that base. Joe can be seen regularly on CNN, MSNBC and News Nation and has been written up in major publications like the NYT, Washington Post, The Daily Beast, The Guardian, Raw Story and Newsweek Joe's super smart, funny and brutally honest. And, he's now a democrat! Join us for this engaging, pull-no-punches chat about Trump's march towards autocracy, the Musk breakup, the Big Ugly-Ass Bill, Mamdani and the NYC mayoral race, the '26 midterms, and why he joined his new party. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Alex Gibney is an award-winning filmmaker who's been called “the most important documentarian of our time” by Esquire Magazine. His work has been the recipient of an Academy Award, multiple Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, several Peabody Awards, DuPont-Columbia Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, Writers Guild Awards, and more. His films include TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM, GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY & THE PRISON OF BELIEF, and many others. His most recent work includes IN RESTLESS DREAMS: THE MUSIC OF PAUL SIMON, THE BIBI FILES, WISE GUYS: DAVID CHASE & THE SOPRANOS, and THE DARK MONEY GAME. Alex is currently in production on the documentaries MUSK and the tentatively titled KNIFE, which is inspired by Salman Rushdie's memoir “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder”. He is the recipient of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the News & Documentary Emmys. Join us for this truly engaging conversation about Alex's childhood, his early inspirations, and his illustrious 45-year filmmaking career. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Adam Arkin is an award-winning actor, director, and producer whose distinguished career has spanned over four decades. As a director and executive producer, Adam's most recent work is featured in season two of the award-winning Peacock series “Poker Face,” which premiered last month and stars Natasha Lyonne. He also recently directed six episodes of Netflix's “The Night Agent.” Adam has also executive produced and directed “Sugar”, “Cruel Intentions,” “Rebel”, and “Get Shorty”. His other directing credits include “Northern Exposure”, “The Offer”, “Succession," “Fargo,” “Billions,” “Justified,” "Sons of Anarchy,” “Grey's Anatomy,” “The Americans" (which he also produced), “Sneaky Pete,” and “Masters of Sex.” He won an Emmy for directing the Showtime film “My Louisiana Sky." As an actor, his film, tv and theater credits include the Coen Brothers' Oscar-nominated "A Serious Man”, “Pig”, ”Chicago Hope" (all 141 episodes), ”Life”, "Law and Order," "The Act," "Modern Family," "The West Wing," "Boston Legal," “Monk”, "Brooklyn Boy," "Guys and Dolls," and "I Hate Hamlet.” His work has garnered a plethora of acting and directing award nominations and wins including the Tony's, Primetime Emmys, Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America, and the Daytime Emmys. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Two weeks after graduating from USC, Tracy Walder began her career as a Staff Operations Officer in the Central Intelligence Agency's Counterterrorism Center before, during and after September 11th 2001, and as Special Agent at the FBI. During her time at the CIA, she lived in and travelled to countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe as well as served in war zones such as Afghanistan. After the CIA, Tracy became a Special Agent at the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, Santa Ana Resident Agency. Following her time at the CIA and FBI, she received her master's in teaching at Chapman University and began teaching history and a course created for young women on national security and global policy at high schools in California and Texas. She now works as an adjunct instructor of Criminal Justice at Texas Christian University, is the national security contributor for News Nation and appeared on the Discovery Channel's Lost Monster Files, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel. She is currently the star of the number one documentary on Netflix American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden. Tracy shares her incredible story of going from sorority sister to CIA and FBI agent, and details her work in law enforcement, counter-terrorism and national security. We discuss her key role in the new Netflix doc, the rampant sexual harassment she experienced at the Bureau, and whether America is safe from domestic and foreign terrorists under the Trump administration. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

George Conway is an attorney, political activist, legal and political commentator, and a founder of The Lincoln Project. He is a host of The Bulwark's podcast George Conway Explains It All (to Sarah Longwell), and he is a contributing writer to The Atlantic. He previously worked as a litigator for three decades at the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City. Few people are smarter, funnier and more outspoken than George! And he's back with us to share his wit and wisdom on Iran and its impact on MAGA; Trump's sociopathy and his assault on democracy; which Cabinet member will be fired first; the Musk breakup; Gavin Newsom and immigration, ICE and the National Guard case; tariffs and trade wars; the failed birthday parade; and the No Kings protests. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Leah Litman is a professor of law at the University of Michigan and a former Supreme Court clerk. In addition to co-hosting Strict Scrutiny, she writes frequently about the Court for media outlets including The Washington Post, Slate, and The Atlantic, among others, and has appeared as a commentator on NPR and MSNBC, in addition to other venues. She has received the Ruth Bader Ginsburg award for her “scholarly excellence” from the American Constitution Society and published in top law reviews. Her new book is LAWLESS: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes. Leah and I discuss Trump's legal cases, his humiliating birthday parade, the No Kings protests, her scorching new book on the Supreme Court, the key SCOTUS rulings to come by month's end, and, she reveals her favorite musical artists, including her #1, Taylor Swift! Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History at New York University. She writes about fascism, authoritarianism, and propaganda. She is the recipient of Guggenheim and other fellowships; an advisor to Protect Democracy; an MSNBC opinion columnist and television commentator; and publishes Lucid, a newsletter on threats to democracy. Her latest book, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, looks at how illiberal leaders use propaganda, corruption, violence, and machismo - and how they can be defeated. What's happening in Los Angeles with Trump's use of the National Guard and the Marines? What's his end goal? Are we headed towards autocracy? How effective are the No Kings protests and the resistance movement? And how can her book serve as a guide for navigating through this existential crisis? Ruth answers these questions and more. Don't miss this incredibly insightful conversation. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Co-founder and Board Member of The Lincoln Project, Rick Wilson is a renowned political strategist, infamous award-winning ad-maker and podcast host, writer, speaker, and political commentator on MSNBC, CNN, ABC News, NPR, Real Time with Bill Maher, and various American and international news national outlets. A 30-year veteran of national Republican politics, Rick got his start in the 1988 Presidential campaign of George Herbert Walker Bush and has produced groundbreaking and award-winning political advertising, strategic counsel to winning political candidates, SuperPACS, state parties, the national campaign committees, and corporate, association, and government clients across the nation and around the world. Rick has authored two New York Times bestsellers – Everything Trump Touches Dies and Running Against The Devil – A Plot To Save America from Trump And Democrats From Themselves – and often writes for The Washington Post, Politico, Rolling Stone, The Hill, The Bulwark, and the London Spectator. Rick brings back his inimitable wit and wisdom for a chat about Trump's incendiary autocratic actions in Los Angeles and his epic break-up with Elon Musk. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Jon Michaels is a UCLA professor of law specializing in constitutional and national security law. His award-winning scholarship has appeared in the Yale Law Journal, University of Chicago Law Review, and Harvard Law Review, and he has written popular essays for the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Affairs, and Guardian. A Yale Law graduate and Supreme Court clerk, Michaels is a member of the American Law Institute and serves on the advisory board of UCLA's Safeguarding Democracy Project. His latest book, co-written with David Noll, is VIGILANTE NATION: How State-Sponsored Terror Threatens our Democracy Is what Donald Trump's doing in LA with the National Guard and the Marines legal? Constitutional? And what happens next? Who ultimately will win this consequential national showdown between Gov. Gavin Newsom and Trump. Jon answers these questions and more. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Jake Tapper wrote the bestselling nonfiction book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, which was turned into a critically acclaimed film in 2020, and two New York Times bestselling novels, The Hellfire Club and The Devil May Dance. He is an Emmy Award-winning TV journalist as lead DC anchor and chief Washington correspondent for CNN. His new book, which he co-wrote with journalist Alex Thompson, ORIGINAL SIN: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. ORIGINAL SIN is currently #1 on the NY Times bestsellers list and is the hottest, most talked about book in the country...and Jake's in THE BACK ROOM discussing it. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Congressman Jamie Raskin represents Maryland's 8th Congressional District. He is the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. he was the lead impeachment manager in Donald Trump's second impeachment trial and served on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Prior to his time in Congress, he was a three-term State Senator in Maryland, and was also a professor of constitutional law at American University's Washington College of Law for more than 25 years. He has authored several books, including the Washington Post best-seller Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court versus the American People, the highly-acclaimed We the Students: Supreme Court Cases For and About America's Students, and the New York Times #1 best-seller Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth and the Trials of American Democracy. The congressman and I discuss the Trump/Musk break-up, the House's Big Ugly Bill, the rise in antisemitic rhetoric and hate crimes, and his awesome "BiPAWtisan" Bark Act, which helps animal shelters receive donations for dog and cat food, leashes, blankets and other items. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Brian Crano & David Joseph Craig are a married writer/director duo: David began his career as a writer and performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City and has worked with director Joel Edgerton for over a decade producing and acting in features Boy Erased and The Gift. Brian's directorial debut, A Bag Of Hammers, starred Jason Ritter and Rebecca Hall and premiered at SXSW. His feature film Permission, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and starred Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens and featured David who also appeared in Brian's short Dog Food (SXSW). His short films Official Selection and Rubberheart have screened at dozens of festivals worldwide. Their new film I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU, which stars Nick Kroll, Andrew Rannells, and Amanda Seyfried, and opens in theaters tomorrow, June 6th. Join us for this fun chat as David and Brian discuss their childhoods, early filmmaker inspirations, work/life relationship, and their terrific, hilarious new dark comedy! Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Alec MacGillis worked for six newspapers, including The Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post, before transitioning to magazines in 2011, at The New Republic before eventually joining ProPublica in 2015. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic and The New York Times Magazine, among others. He won the 2016 Robin Toner Prize for Excellence in Political reporting, the 2017 Polk Award for National Reporting and the 2017 Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award. He is the author of “The Cynic: The Political Education of Mitch McConnell” and “Fulfillment: America in the Shadow of Amazon.” Alec joins me for a conversation about his recent ProPublica essay on the government's assault on data: “Trump's War on Measurement Means Losing Data on Drug Use, Maternal Mortality, Climate Change and More” Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Elie Honig is an attorney and CNN senior legal analyst and the bestselling author of Hatchet Man and last year's Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away With It. He's a former assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. He also hosts podcasts, writes for CAFE, Vox Media and writes a weekly column for New York Magazine. Eli's back in THE BACK ROOM discussing the latest legal cases and court decisions relating to Trump's tariffs, deportations, Harvard, Cuomo, P. Diddy and, yes, Bruce Springsteen! Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Deja Foxx was raised by a single mom in Tucson, Arizona. As a free lunch kid in public schools, her family relied on SNAP benefits, Section 8 housing, and Medicaid to make ends meet. Having experienced homelessness because of her mother's struggles with substance abuse, she balanced high school classes with long nights working at a gas station. Deja found her first fight advocating for better sex education in Tucson schools where she organized a campaign of student storytellers, delivering a win for tens of thousands of students who until then had been learning a curriculum last updated in the 1980s. She later went viral for confronting then-Senator Jeff Flake after he voted to strip her and millions of other women of their access to essential birth control funding. Teen Vogue selected her as a member of their 21 Under 21 class of 2018, and Forbes named her to the 30 under 30 list in 2024. She also received Planned Parenthood's Catalyst for Change Award, a United Nations Global Impact Award, the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award, Gloria Steinem's Woman of Vision Award, and a Global Citizen Prize all before turning 25. After graduating from Columbia University as the first in her family to receive a college degree, Deja moved back to Tucson to continue the fight for women, youth, and underserved communities in the heart of Southern Arizona. On April 2, 2025 Deja announced her candidacy to become the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress, running in the open seat in Arizona's 7th Congressional District. And she's with me in THE BACK ROOM discussing her campaign. Got somethin' to say? ! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Deborah Archer is a tenured professor and Associate Dean at New York University School of Law. She is also the president of the ACLU and a nationally recognized expert on civil liberties, civil rights, and racial justice. She is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Law Institute, and an award-winning teacher and legal scholar. Before full-time teaching, she worked as an attorney with the ACLU and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., where she litigated voting rights, employment discrimination, and school desegregation. She previously served as chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, the nation's oldest and largest police oversight agency. Deborah is the author of the new book Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality. Deborah and I discuss her new book and how the ACLU is addressing unconstitutional actions of Trump 2.0. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Rep. Jake Auchincloss is serving his third term representing Massachusetts 4th Congressional District. In addition to his work on the House Committee on Energy & Commerce, his areas of focus include healthcare, clean energy, gun violence, and building a strong middle class. He's a former Marine who commanded infantry in Afghanistan and special operations in Panama. Following his military service, he continued his service as a three-term city councilor in Newton. While working at City Hall on nights and weekends, Jake built a career in business, running product development at both a Fortune 100 insurance company and a cybersecurity startup. He has degrees in Economics and Finance from Harvard University and MIT Sloan. Rep. Auchincloss has one of the strongest and most unique voices in Congress right now. Join us for this insightful discussion on Trump 2.0's blatant corruption, the budget bill, healthcare and RFK Jr., Harvard, the economy and tariffs, GOP fealty to Trump, the Democrats' challenges, SignalGate, DOJ weaponization and the attacks on democracy, and the murder of the Israeli Embassy staffers. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Chely Wright is country-music artist, author and LGBTQ+ activist. Named "Top New Female Vocalist" by The Academy of Country Music, she rose to fame as a commercial country singer in the '90s, and has since released 9 studio albums and charted more than 17 singles on the Billboard charts, including "Shut Up and Drive," "Single White Female," and "The Bumper of My S.U.V." She made history by being the first country music star to publicly come out as gay, which she wrote about in her 2010 memoir Like Me. The documentary film about her coming out process, "Wish Me Away" was nominated for an Emmy Award. Subsequently, her life's has changed to include advocacy and corporate engagement around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and she's just been appointed Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at $10-billion global facilities management company ISS. She is also Vice-Chair of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network Board of Directors, which is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. She was also recognized as a 2023 Crain's New York Business Notable LGBTQ Leader. Her latest book is 2022's My Moment: 106 Women on Fighting for Themselves. Join us for this important, insightful chat. And, you'll also hear about the super-groovy real-estate/lesbian-themed country song we're gonna write together. Gonna be a #1 hit! Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Steven Levitsky is David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies and Professor of Government and Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard. His research focuses on democratization and authoritarianism, political parties, and weak and informal institutions, with a focus on Latin America. He is co-author of How Democracies Die, which was a New York Times Best-Seller and was published in 30 languages, and Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point. He has written or edited 11 other books, including Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America: Argentine Peronism in Comparative Perspective, Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War, and Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism. He is currently working on a book on democratic resilience across the world. I asked Steven if our democracy is dying. Don't miss this insightful conversation where he answers this critical question and so much more. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Dr. Fiona Hill CMG is a senior fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution and Chancellor of Durham University. She served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian affairs on the U.S. National Security Council from 2017 to 2019, as well as national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the U.S. National Intelligence Council from 2006 to 2009. Dr. Hill has researched and published extensively on issues related to Russia, the Caucasus, regional conflicts, and strategic issues, as well as the link between deindustrialization and political populism. She is the author of the bestselling memoir "There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century" and co-author of "Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin." In December 2023, she was recognized by the United Kingdom as a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for services to international relations and in July 2024, she was appointed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be an external reviewer for a Strategic Defense Review for the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom. Join us for this compelling conversation as Dr. Hill shares her keen insights into Trump 2.0's erratic, dangerous foreign policy on matters including Russia, Putin, and Ukraine and the president's autocratic threats to democracy. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Alexander Vindman is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel and was the director for European Affairs on the National Security Council. Before that, he served as the Political-Military Affairs Officer for Russia for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as an attaché at the US Embassies in Moscow and Kyiv. While on the Joint Staff, he authored the National Military Strategy for Russia. He earned an MA from Harvard University, where he served as a Hauser Leader, and an MA and PhD from Johns Hopkins, where he is a senior fellow. Dr. Vindman leads the national security think tank Institute for Informed American Leadership, is the president of the non-profit Here Right Matters Foundation, an executive board member for the Renew Democracy Initiative, a senior fellow at the Kettering Foundation, and a senior advisor to VoteVets. And he's the author of the Why It Matters Substack and the New York Times bestselling books Here, Right Matters and The Folly of Realism. My chats with Alex are always quite insightful and compelling given his distinguished career in both the military and the government and the vast experience he's amassed over the last three decades. Join us as he discusses his new book and shares his thoughts on Trump 2.0 foreign policy, Ukraine/Russia, SignalGate, Iran negotiations, the tension with Israel/Netanyahu, Tulsi Gabbard's NIC firings, the Qatar plane fiasco, the SCOTUS hearing on Birthright Citizenship and jurisdiction, and the threats to habeas corpus and due process. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel