The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Tara Setmayer is co-founder of the bipartisan superpac The Seneca Project. She’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 MSNOW, CNN and other news outlets, The View, and Real Time with Bill Maher. Her writing has been featured on CNN.com, Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, Cosmopolitan, and NBC.com. In November 2020 she left the Republican Party after Donald Trump refused to concede the election to Joe Biden. At the start of this terrific conversation Tara pleads, "Please Dems don't blow it!". We discuss Donald Trump's epic chaos and failures, whether the MAGA fever's starting to break, the momentum Democrats have heading towards November, and the critical importance of the midterms. But first, The Back Room crew discusses the interest rate hike, Republican Rep. Maria Salazar's new anti-Trump immigration ad, the new NY Times poll, and the GOP's panic and desperation over the poll's devastating numbers. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected] 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

Stephanie Grisham is the New York Times bestselling author of “I’ll Take Your Questions Now, What I Saw in the Trump White House.” During the Trump Administration she served as White House press secretary and director of communications for both the President and First Lady, Melania Trump. She is the only person in history who has held three senior roles at once, while representing both the east and west wings. Stephanie shares her keen insights into Donald Trump's second-term behavior; the integrity of the midterm elections and the role of the courts; Natalie Harp; and more. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected] 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

Mark McKinnon is a political advisor, reform advocate, columnist, and television producer. He was the creator and co-host of Showtime's Emmy-nominated hit documentary series "The Circus”. He’s worked for many causes, companies, and candidates, including President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain, late Governor Ann Richards, and Bono. He was the chief media advisor for five winning presidential primary and general election campaigns. Dedicated to bipartisanship, McKinnon helped start No Labels. He’s been a regular columnist for The Daily Beast, The London Daily Telegraph, and Vanity Fair, and was a consultant to the HBO show “The Newsroom” and Netflix’s “House of Cards.” Mark and I reflect back on 9/11 on this 25th anniversary, and the impact the horrific attacks have had on America since. We also discuss Trump's disastrous MAGA convention and his $5000 bribe; Paxton v Talarico and Texas politics overall; the midterms and whether Democrats will take the House and Senate; George W. Bush's 'silence'; and more. But first, Andy and The Back Room crew share their own 9/11 remembrances and thoughts on 'TrumpCon', and dish up the week's winners and losers. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected] 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 is a liberal co-host of The Five on FOX News, the most watched show in cable news. In addition to co-hosting The Five, Jessica plays an integral role in special coverage for the network and is a fixture on election nights and for breaking news. She also co-hosts the podcast Raging Moderates with NYU Professor Scott Galloway and previously worked as a Democratic pollster and researcher specializing in GenZ and Millennial trends. She holds a PhD in political science from the London School of Economics. Her debut book is I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends, which is on sale September 15th. Jess and I discuss the book, her role on The Five, and whether it's still possible to engage in civil discourse in Donald Trump's America. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected] 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

Michelle Kinney is co-founder of The Mayday Network and a democratic strategist. Prior to that she was at The Seneca Project, which she co-founded.She previously 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. Will the Postal Service end up controlling mail-in ballots? Will Democrats take back the House and Senate? Will democracy prevail? Michelle and I discuss the drama, chaos, and danger of Trump 2.0 as we head towards the November midterms. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected] 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