Claim OwnershipThe Back Room with Andy Ostroy
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The Back Room with Andy Ostroy presents a humorous, honest take on politics and pop culture featuring notable guest interviews, a shit-ton of righteous indignation, and rip-roaring repartee with co-producers Matty Rosenberg and Jen Hammoud. We're havin' a ball, and so will you!
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
Music by Andrew Hollander
Design by Cricket Lengyel
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
Music by Andrew Hollander
Design by Cricket Lengyel
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Joe Walsh is a former Republican Congressman from Illinois elected to Congress in the TEA Party wave of 2010. Following his service in Congress, Joe became one of the most popular syndicated conservative talk radio hosts in the country. In August of 2019 he became a candidate for President of the United States, waging a Republican primary challenge against Donald Trump. He is the author of F*CK SILENCE: Calling Trump Out for the Cultish, Moronic, Authoritarian Con Man He Is. He's currently the Director of The Social Contract and the host of “The Social Contract With Joe Walsh,” podcast. He can also be seen regularly on CNN, MSNBC and News Nation.
Joe joins me for a State of the Union preview and a pull-no-punches chat about Trump, the Midterms, and the latest Epstein cover-up BOMBSHELL
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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
Ricki Lake is an American actress, television host, and producer whose career has spanned more than three decades. She burst onto the scene at just 19 years old as Tracy Turnblad in John Waters' 1988 cult classic Hairspray, earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead. She went on to appear in a string of beloved films including Cry-Baby, Serial Mom, and Mrs. Winterbourne.
In 1993, at just 24 years old, she made history as the youngest person to host a syndicated daytime talk show, The Ricki Lake Show, which ran for 11 seasons. She brought the show back in 2012, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. She has also produced the documentaries The Business of Being Born and Weed the People. Most recently, Ricki is an executive producer of Big Rock Burning, a documentary about the devastating 2025 Palisades Fire, which destroyed her own Malibu home. And, she is an ambassador for Community Access, a New York-based nonprofit providing housing and support for people with mental health challenges.
Ricki is living a very rich, successful and open life full of incredible highs and lows. We talk about love, life, loss, and longevity in her nearly 40-year illustrious career.
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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
We're still on vacation, but there's just too much happening today not to hop on the mic for a few minutes to discuss the breaking news! So, join me as I share some thoughts on SCOTUS's devastating blow to Trump on tariffs, the shitty GDP numbers that just came out, and the latest Epstein news including former Prince Andrew's arrest.
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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
SPECIAL REPEAT!: We're on vacation! But we'll be back in a week. So in the meantime, we're re-posting our recent terrific chat with Mary Trump in case you missed it the first time. It's super insightful and fun, and is one of our most popular episodes. Enjoy!
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 which sold nearly one million copies on its first day of publication, is considered a serious game-changer in the 2020 U.S. presidential elections that Donald Trump lost decisively to Joe Biden. She is the author of two other New York Times bestsellers, The Reckoning, (2021), and a memoir, Who Could Ever Love You (2024). Mary holds a PhD in clinical psychology and a Master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She writes The Good in Us, a best-selling newsletter on Substack, and is the founder of Mary Trump Media and the Mary Trump Media YouTube channel.
Mary and I discuss her Uncle Donald's rapidly declining mental and physical condition. And as always, Mary and I share more than a few good laughs!
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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
Mimi Rocah is an attorney who served as District Attorney of Westchester County, NY from 2021-2024.Prior to becoming DA, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for nearly 17 years where she prosecuted and oversaw cases involving
violent crime, organized crime, human trafficking, sex trafficking, child exploitation, frauds and public corruption. She’s a frequent commentator on MSNOW, CNN, The Contrarian, Cafe, and numerous podcasts and radio shows on topics relating to law, justice and women’s issues and has written and published dozens of opinion pieces on those topics. She’s an expert in the rule of law, democracy and the corruption and abuse of the justice system and is currently an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law. And, Mimi is writing a book, “Justice Under Siege,” about the Trump Administration’s political takeover of the DOJ and the heroes who have stood up, due out in September 2026.
Mimi shares her thoughts on this week's Pam Bondi testimony at the House Judiciary Committee hearing as well as the overall weaponization of, and corruption at, the Justice Department.
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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 joins me to help unpack the latest developments in the Epstein case, from Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie's review of the unredacted files to Ghislaine Maxwell's testimony before the House Oversight Committee and more.
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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
Tim Heaphy is a former federal prosecutor and founding partner of the new law firm Heaphy Smith Harbach & Windom. He has extensive experience in complex investigations, white-collar litigation, crisis management and compliance counseling developed in public service, in-house, and private law firm practice. His clients include corporations across a wide array of industries, universities, and public entities facing federal investigations, investigative challenges, and business and reputational crises. He was also the chief investigative counsel for the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol. He is regularly called upon by major media outlets to provide insight and analysis on significant legal issues.
David Harbach most recently served as an Assistant Special Counsel in the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith. His 21 years of service as a prosecutor include tours in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of Virginia, the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Houston, Texas, and as an international war crimes prosecutor in The Hague. He also served a one-year detail as Special Counsel in the office of FBI Director James Comey, from 2014 to 2015. He has tried dozens of cases to juries in courts across the country and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Tim and David discuss their new law firm with Jack Smith; Trump, Bondi, and the weaponizing of the Justice Department; the concern over interference in the midterm elections; SCOTUS , the lower courts and the judicial system serving as the critical check on the administration; and more.
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Twitter: @AndyOstroy
Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD is a vice provost and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. A bioethicist, health policy expert, and oncologist, he was one of the architects of the Affordable Care Act. He is a regular guest on CNN and MSNBC and frequently contributes to the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Atlantic. His new book is “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life”. He’s also an author whose new book is “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life”.
Dr. Emanuel and I discuss his terrific new book and the state of healthcare in America today.
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Twitter: @AndyOstroy
Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
Dave Aronberg served three terms as the elected State Attorney for Palm Beach County from 2012 to 2024. He is also a former Assistant Attorney General, White House Fellow and Florida State Senator, where he was elected in 2002. In 2010, he returned to the Florida Attorney General’s Office as a Special Prosecutor for Prescription Drug Trafficking. He frequently appears on cable television as a legal commentator. And he is the managing partner of Dave Aronberg Law, P.A., and a strategic partner with Capital City Consulting in West Palm Beach.
Dave and I discuss Trump's DOJ weaponization and AG Pam Bondi's utter lack of independence; Don Lemon's arrest; the Epstein Cover-Up; and more
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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 which sold nearly one million copies on its first day of publication, is considered a serious game-changer in the 2020 U.S. presidential elections that Donald Trump lost decisively to Joe Biden. She is the author of two other New York Times bestsellers, The Reckoning, (2021), and a memoir, Who Could Ever Love You (2024). Mary holds a PhD in clinical psychology and a Master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She writes The Good in Us, a best-selling newsletter on Substack, and is the founder of Mary Trump Media and the Mary Trump Media YouTube channel.
Mary and I discuss her Uncle Donald's rapidly declining mental and physical condition. And as always, Mary and I share more than a few good laughs!
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
Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of global investment firm SkyBridge, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. He's a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a board member of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation....and the author of five books, including last year’s From Wall Street to the White House and Back and his new book The Little Book of Bitcoin: What You Need to Know that Wall Street Has Already Figured Out…which will be released February 11th. He also hosts the Open Book podcast and along with Katty Kay he co-hosts The Rest is Politics: US podcast. And he’s of course well-known for the 11 rollercoaster days he served in the first Trump WH as Communications Director, after having served on Trump's Finance Committee and then on his Presidential Transition Team.
Anthony shares his keen insights into, and concerns over, Donald Trump's chaos and corruption and the impact it's having at home and abroad. And, he makes a prediction for Trump's nominee for new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh.
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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
Special Episode: My 7-minute WTF rant on the new Alex Pretti video and the Georgia FBI raid
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Twitter: @AndyOstroy
Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
Michelle Goldberg is an author and award-winning NY Times opinion columnist. Her first book, “Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism,” was a finalist for the Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism. After that, she wrote “The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World,” a book about global battles over gender and reproductive rights. And then in a departure from politics she then wrote “The Goddess Pose,” a book about wellness culture and the long Western fascination with Eastern spirituality. She is a contributor at MSNOW, and her work has appeared in publications including The New Yorker, The New Republic, The Nation and many others.
Michelle and I discuss Trump, Noem, Homan, Bovino, DHS and the Minneapolis murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti; the Democrats' Texas US Senate primary showdown between Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and State House Rep. James Talarico; and why the right is so damn furious with liberal white 'wine moms'.
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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
Frank Bruni has been a prominent journalist for more than three decades, including more than twenty-five years at The New York Times, in roles as diverse as op-ed columnist, White House correspondent, Rome bureau chief, and chief restaurant critic. He is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including his latest, The Age of Grievance. In July 2021, he became a full professor at Duke University, teaching in the school of public policy. He currently writes his popular weekly newsletter for the Times and produces additional essays as one of the newspaper’s Contributing Opinion Writers.
Frank and I discuss the chaos in Minneapolis, the Melania documentary, Trump's nasty middle finger and twisted psyche, and what chicanery he may attempt between now and the midterms
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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
Elected in 2022 and re-elected in 2024, Congressman Chris Deluzio represents Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District, where he serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He is an Iraq War veteran, voting rights attorney, and union organizer.
The Congressman and I discuss the Jack Smith hearing, Trump and Davos, DOJ weaponization, the midterms and more.
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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
Special Episode: My 8-Minute WTF Rant on Trump at Davos
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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
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 discuss her Senate campaign, Renee Good's death and the DOJ's cover-up, the "sons of bitches" ICE "goons", Trump's chaos, "chickenshit" Republicans, flipping the House and Senate, and more. Don't miss this frank conversation about the war on democracy and the rule of law and what Democrats and voters must do to fight and win.
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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
Geoffrey Corn is the George R. Killam Jr. Chair of Criminal Law and Director of the Center for Military law and Policy at Texas Tech University School of Law. He’s a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who served as both an intelligence officer and a military attorney who culminated his career as the Army’s senior law of war advisor. He’s co-authored several books including The Law of Armed Conflict: An Operational Perspective; U.S. Military Operations: Law, Policy, and Practice; and National Security Law and the Constitution.
What is a JAG, why are they so important, how have they been marginalized in Trump 2.0, and why is that so dangerous? Is Trump violating international law with his threats to invade Greenland? Are the boat attacks off Venezuela legal? Would a strike on Iran be legally justified? What is the strategic impact on our allies of Trump's military adventurism, and can they ever trust us again? Will Trump invoke the Insurrection Act to squelch the Minneapolis protests? What additional powers would that give him, what is the legality of that, and how would the courts respond? What should Congress be doing to rein him in? Geoffrey addresses these critical questions and more.
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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, NYT bestselling author, and co-founder of defiance.org. He 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 co-founder of a DC-based charter school and multiple democracy-reform groups. He is also the author of The New York Times best-selling book Blowback.
Miles and I discuss the Renee Good murder and ICE's out-of-control behavior; the chaos on American streets created by Trump, Miller and Noem; DOJ's weaponization; Trump's Insurrection Act threat; his foreign expansionism and militarism, and more.
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Twitter: @AndyOstroy
Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel
Julie Roginsky is the co-founder of the Mayday Media Network on YouTube and the author of the Salty Politics newsletter on Substack. She has nearly three decades of public and private sector experience as an adviser on strategic communications, political strategy and public relations…working on behalf of corporate and political clients which include Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, non-profits and dozens of politicians. She is also the co-founder of Lift Our Voices, a national non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the American workplace by banning forced arbitration clauses and non-disclosure agreements for toxic workplace issues. And she is a former contributor at Fox News Channel, where she was a frequent co-host of Outnumbered and The Five. Prior to that, she was a contributor at CNBC, the financial news network.
Julie and I discuss Trump's 24/7 chaos and lawlessness and it's emotional toll on America, Congressional Republicans' continuing fealty, and how and when it all ends.
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
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Don't freak me out by starting this saying John Fuselgang has been murdered!