The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

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

After surviving the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, David Hogg turned his grief into action, co-founding March For Our Lives, one of the largest youth movements in our country's history. Last year, Hogg co-founded Leaders We Deserve, a grassroots organization dedicated to electing young people at the local and state level. Through his work, David campaigned across the country and raised over $11 million dollars for candidates nationwide. He was elected as a Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2025. David is a passionate, resolute young man with a clear mission: to change the Democratic Party from within. And he doesn't care if he pisses off the establishment in the process. He joins me for a pull-no-punches chat about his controversial plan to primary "less effective" democrats in safe blue districts. 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

Congresswoman Jahana Hayes represents Connecticut's 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She serves on the Education and Workforce Committee and the Agriculture Committee, where she is Ranking Member of the Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee. Her legislative priorities include education, healthcare, labor, agriculture, and veterans issues. A former history teacher and the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, Congresswoman Hayes was the first African-American woman to represent Connecticut in Congress, elected in 2018. And she has successfully had 11 bills signed into law and advocates for equitable access to opportunity for all. Rep. Hayes discusses Trump's tariffs, trade wars, attacks on colleges and universities, spending cuts and what's at stake for public education, public broadcasting, farmers, SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security 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

Representative Ro Khanna is a leading progressive voice in the House, representing California's 17th Congressional District, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and is serving his fifth term. He serves as vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, on the House Armed Services Committee as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems (CITI), is a member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, and on the Oversight and Accountability committee, where he previously chaired the Environmental Subcommittee. Rep. Khanna and I get into the impact of Trump's tariffs and trade wars; our broken healthcare system; DOGE's devastating federal spending cuts; the threats to our national security from SecDef Pete Hegseth and SignalGate; the Kilmar Abrego Garcia 'disappearance' case; the administration's overall attacks on the rule of law, due process, and democracy itself; and the congressman's town hall road show, where he's hitting red districts across the country to help win over disaffected Americans on both sides of the aisle in advance of the critical 2026 midterm elections. 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

Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State and is running in the 2026 election to be the state's next governor. She has become one of the nation's most prominent leaders in ensuring elections are secure and accessible. Her work overseeing Michigan's 2020 and 2022 general elections earned her national recognition, including the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the Presidential Citizens Medal. She also implemented new voting rights for all eligible Michiganders prior to the 2020 election, including the right to vote absentee, and oversaw more than 250 audits after the election, all of which affirmed its integrity and accuracy. At 36 she was appointed dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, becoming the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100, accredited law school, and continues to serve as vice chair of the advisory board for the Levin Center at Wayne Law, which she founded with former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. She is the author of the book “State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process”, and is a frequent tv news commentator. Her new book, "The Purposeful Warrior: Standing Up for What's Right When the Stakes Are High”, is on sale May 6th. Jocelyn's back in THE BACK ROOM discussing the new book, which details her inspiring journey navigating through incredible challenges and triumphs. We also discuss her campaign for governor, Trump 2.0, and the fight to preserve the rule of law and Democracy itself. 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

After Googling “how to run for office” in the wake of the 2016 election, Mallory McMorrow took on an incumbent Republican State Senator and won, moving the seat 20 percentage points. When a right-wing state senator baselessly called her a “groomer”, she took to the floor in a now viral speech and declared "we will not let hate win.” NY Magazine called the speech “remarkable.” James Carville said it was “enormously effective.” The Atlantic wrote that it was “stunning.” After her viral speech, Mallory helped flip control of the Michigan Senate for the first time in 40 years, becoming the first woman Senate Majority Whip in state history. She has worked to strengthen unions and raise wages, eliminate the retirement tax on seniors, expand civil rights, repeal the state's 1931 abortion ban, tackle gun violence, expand affordable housing, and feed kids in schools. She recently released her first book, HATE WON'T WIN Mallory is a major Democratic rising star, and she's in THE BACK ROOM sharing insights into her new book, her campaign for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, and how Americans can take action to fight tyranny, hatred, bigotry and achieve real change in Washington. Don't miss this truly inspiring chat. 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

Amy McGrath is a political and national security analyst, a former fighter pilot and U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, founder of Democratic Majority Action PAC, Democratic nominee for the U.S. House and Senate from Kentucky and the author of "Honor Bound: An American Story of Dreams and Service." She, along with co-host Denver Riggleman, recently launched the brand new podcast, “Truth in the Barrel,” about politics and national security. Join us for this insightful convo about Trump 2.0, the Pentagon's Hegsistential crisis, SignalGate, and the mounting threats to National Security. 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

Jessica Tarlov joined FOX News Channel as a contributor in 2017 and serves as a rotating co-host of The Five. She also offers political analysis across FNC and FOX Business Network's programming. In May 2024,, she was named one of Variety's 2024 Women of Impact for her political commentary across FOX News Media. She also co-hosts the Raging Moderates podcast. Jessica's back with us sharing her awesome insights (and humor!) on a range of topics including Trump, the economy, tariffs, SignalGate, the assault on democracy and the challenging road ahead for democrats. 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 Adam Kinzinger served six terms in the US House of Representatives representing Illinois' 16th Congressional District. He served on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Foreign Affairs, and on the non-partisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol. Prior to Congress, he served in the Air Force in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and continued his service in the Air National Guard throughout his time in Congress, retiring in 2023 as a Lt. Col. He founded the Country First movement, and since leaving Congress, has become a Senior Political Commentator for CNN and a New York Times Best Selling Author of Renegade. Join us for this insightful chat about the Ukraine/Russia war, SecDef Pete Hegseth and SignalGate, Trump 2.0 and the assault on democracy, the castrated GOP Congress, RFK Jr. 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

He represents Colorado's 6th Congressional District and serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Armed Services Committee, on which he is the Ranking Democrat of the Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee. He's a former Army Ranger and Bronze Star recipient who enlisted in the National Guard and worked construction to help pay his way through college. Congressman Crow and I chat about Trump 2.0, Pete Hegseth and SignalGate, the economy, tariffs and trade Wars, the path forward for Democrats, and if the MAGA fever is starting to break. And, whether the Knicks and Nuggets will make it to the NBA Finals! 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

As a scientist, clean energy entrepreneur and CEO, and now a member of Congress representing Illinois' 6th Congressional district. Rep. Sean Casten has dedicated his life to fighting climate change. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the Joint Economic Committee. He also serves as Vice-Chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) and is a Co-Chair of the Sustainable Investment Caucus. Join us for this insightful chat about Trump 2.0 and the challenging road ahead for the Democratic Party as it fights to protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits, the environment, and more and win back the working class. 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

Mary Trump is an American psychologist and author. Her first book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man (2020), sold nearly one million copies on its first day of publication. She is the author of two other New York Times bestsellers, The Reckoning, and a memoir, Who Could Ever Love You. Mary holds a PhD in clinical psychology and, as an adjunct professor at Adelphi University, taught graduate courses in developmental psychology, psychopathology, and trauma. She also has a Master's degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She writes The Good in Us, a best-selling newsletter on Substack, is the founder of Mary Trump Media whose YouTube channel has over 370,000 subscribers, and is well-known as the niece and outspoken critic of former president Donald Trump. Don't miss this incredibly insightful conversation about the current political landscape and the challenging road ahead for American 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

Congressman John Larson represents Connecticut's First District. Now in his thirteenth term, he sits on the influential House Ways and Means Committee—including the Subcommittee on Trade and the Social Security Subcommittee, where he serves as the Ranking Member. Join us for this important conversation about the attack on Social Security by Trump, Musk and DOGE. 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

Jill Schlesinger is the Emmy and Gracie Award winning Business Analyst for CBS News. She appears on CBS radio and television stations nationwide covering the economy, markets, investing and anything else with a dollar sign. She is a weekly guest on NPR's “Here and Now” and writes the nationally syndicated column “Jill on Money”. She is the author of two books, The Great Money Reset and The Dumb Things Smart People Do With Their Money. Jill is also the host of the “Jill on Money” and the “MoneyWatch” podcasts and of the nationally syndicated radio show, “Jill on Money”. She is a frequent speaker on a variety of topics, including macroeconomic, market and demographic trends; workplace issues for women and LGBT employees in financial services; and how to create authentic branding. She serves on the board of the New York City Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Jill and I get into all of it...the economy, the tariffs and trade wars, stock market anxiety, the bond market meltdown, the threat of recession, and what investors should be doing defensively to minimize their downside. 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

Andrew Feinberg has been a journalist in the nation's capital for nearly two decades and is currently the White House correspondent for The Independent, covering the executive branch, Congress, campaigns and political investigations across the United States. He was the first journalist to report on the exact timing of the unprecedented first federal indictment of former president Donald Trump in June 2023. He also broke the story of the Trump White House social media monitoring operation that gave Mr Trump's aides advance warning of plans for violence on January 6, 2021. Andrew's work has also appeared in Politico Magazine, Newsweek, Washington Business Journal, The Hill, and Communications Daily. Join us for this insightful conversation about Donald Trump's tariff and trade war debacle, the motivations behind this disastrous economic policy, and where it all might be headed. We also discuss Trump 2.0, Elon Musk, DOGE, the spending cuts 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. Elie's back in The Back Room unpacking the latest with the myriad legal cases against 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

Kevin Macdonald is a Scottish born filmmaker who's worked across feature films, documentary and television over the last 25 years. His best known films include: ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER, (Oscar win for Best Documentary, 2000) TOUCHING THE VOID, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, LIFE IN A DAY, MARLEY, WHITNEY, THE MAURITANIAN, and his new film, ONE TO ONE: JOHN AND YOKO, which premiered at Venice and Telluride in 2024 and opens exclusively in IMAX on April 11. Kevin is also the co-author of Imagining Reality, a history of documentary film. A must for fans of The Beatles, John and Yoko, and documentary 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

David Enrich is the Business Investigations Editor at the New York Times and the bestselling author of “Dark Towers and Servants of the Damned”. The winner of numerous journalism awards, he previously was an editor and reporter at the Wall Street Journal. His first book, “The Spider Network: How a Math Genius and Gang of Scheming Bankers Pulled Off One of the Greatest Scams in History”, was short-listed for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year award. His new book is “Murder the Truth: Fear, the First Amendment, and a Secret Campaign to Protect the Powerful”. Join us for this critically important and timely chat about free speech, the media, the Supreme Court and the legendary New York Times v. Sullivan decision on public figures and defamation. 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

Victoria Nourse is the Whitworth Professor of Law at Georgetown. She teaches and writes about Congress and the separation of powers. She has worked in the White House for former Vice-President Biden as his chief counsel, and in the Congress, DOJ, and in private practice. Join us for this compelling chat about Trump 2.0, the role of Congress, and the assault on the rule of law and 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

Andrew Weissmann is the co-host of the popular podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump and is a frequent legal analyst for NBC/MSNBC. He serves on the board of Just Security and writes frequently for it, as well as The New York Times, The Atlantic, & The Washington Post. From 2017-2019 Andrew served as a lead prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller's Special Counsel's Office. His memoir about the Special Counsel investigation, Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation , was a New York Times bestseller. He is also a Professor of Practice at New York University and teaches courses in national security and criminal procedure. He also served as the General Counsel for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and from 2002-2005 he served as the Deputy and then the Director of the Enron Task Force where he supervised the prosecution of more than 30 individuals in connection with the company's collapse. And he was also a federal prosecutor for 15 years in the Eastern District of New York, where he served as the Chief of the Criminal Division and prosecuted numerous members of the Colombo, Gambino, and Genovese families, including the bosses of the Colombo and Genovese families. Join us for this super-insightful chat about the current status of the mounting lawsuits filed against 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

Liza Treyger is an actress, comedian, and podcaster. She's been named one of Variety's “Top Ten Comics to Watch,” Rolling Stone's “Ten Comics to Watch,” and Comedy Central's “Comics to Watch”, and her first ever hour-long comedy special entitled “Night Owl” just dropped on Netflix. She recently wrapped production on season two of Netflix's critically acclaimed comedy series “Survival of the Thickest”, and can next be seen in the independent feature “Damned If You Do”. She's also the co-host of the podcast, That's Messed Up: an SVU Podcast. Jojn me for this super-fun chat with this super-funny comedian! We discuss her Netflix Comedy Special, doing stand-up in the age of 'woke', her love of Soul Cycle and weed, 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

Michael Ian Black is an actor, writer, and comedian who began his career with the legendary sketch comedy troupe, The State. He then went on to co-create several television shows, including Viva Variety, Stella, and Michael & Michael Have Issues. His other tv credits include Ed, Another Period, The Jim Gaffigan Show, and the Wet Hot American Summer franchise. His film credits include This is 40, Sextuplets, The Baxter, and Linoleum. Michael's written several screenplays, including Wedding Daze, which he directed, and Run, Fat Boy, Run. He's also authored many books including My Custom Van (and 50 Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face), You're Not Doing It Right, and his most recent A Better Man: A (Mostly Serious) Letter to My Son. He is also the author of several award-winning books for children, including A Pig Parade Is A Terrible Idea, Chicken Cheeks, the I'm… series, and his satirical book, A Child's First Book of Trump. Additionally, he's hosted game shows including Trust Me I'm A Game Show Host, and Duck Quacks Don't Echo on NatGeo. He's co-created and hosted the How To Be Amazing, Topics, and Mike and Tom Eat Snacks podcasts and currently hosts the Obscure podcast. He's currently a team captain on CNN's Have I Got News For You. And he's a stand-up comedian who has released several albums and specials and regularly tours the US. Michael and I had an insightful, fun chat about his childhood, his early comedy inspirations and career, Trump 2.0, the CNN hit show "Have I Got News For You" and more. And don't miss our riveting discussion where we debate the pecking order of dinner theater, community theater, Medieval Times and  Renaissance Fair! 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