The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Matthew Cole is an investigative journalist and the author of Code Over Country: The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team Six. He has covered national security for more than two decades, much of it focused on America’s clandestine wars and covert programs. He was previously an investigative producer for ABC and NBC News, and a longtime national security reporter for The Intercept. His other work has appeared in The New York Times, GQ, New York magazine, Salon, and ESPN. He has reported from more than twenty countries, across five continents. Matthew joins me to discuss his terrific new book "Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohammed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East". We also discuss the midterms and the road ahead for holding Kushner and others accountable for their alleged crimes. 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

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. 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

Susan B. Glasser is a staff writer at The New Yorker based in Washington, D.C., writes a weekly column on life in Washington and is a host of the Political Scene podcast. 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 Peter Baker is the Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times and a political analyst for MS NOW. He’s covered the last five presidents for The Times and The Washington Post. He is author of seven books, including the best-selling The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021, and The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III, both with his wife Susan. He is a frequent panelist on Washington Week on PBS. Join us for this insightful midterm election analysis. 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

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 discuss the midterms and what lies ahead for Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and Democrats, who will soon control both the House and Senate. 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

Paul Begala is a political commentator, professor of public policy, NY Times bestselling author, and political strategist. He is a commentator for CNN, and he’s been a frequent guest on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. In the 1990’s he helped his friend John F. Kennedy, Jr. launch the political magazine George and wrote the “Capitol Hillbilly” column. He served in 1992 as a senior strategist for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign and as Counselor to the President in the White House, helping coordinate policy, politics, and media. Before working for Pres. Clinton, Paul worked on Capitol Hill and advised campaigns across America. In 2012 he played a crucial role in the Obama-Biden re-election campaign. Is the blue tsunami coming? Will Democrats win back the House and Senate? Paul shares his predictions on the eve of the critical midterm elections. 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

Rep. Jason Crow 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. It's just four days from the critical midterm elections. How much will Donald Trump and Republicans attempt to interfere? How prepared are democrats to fight off whatever drama and chaos ensues? Is a blue wave coming? Who will end up in control of Congress? How aggressively should democrats pursue accountability if they win the House and Senate? The Congressman and I discuss all this and more. But first, Andy and The Back Room crew share their own thoughts on the midterms, Trump's obsession with men's asses, and discuss 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

George Hahn is a humorist, satirist, social media sensation, host of The Week podcast and reader of No Mercy/No Malice, both on Prof G Media, and host of The George Hahn Show podcast. George and I unpack Donald Trump's bizarre homoerotic behavior including his choice of YMCA as his theme song, his odd 2024 comments about golfer Arnold Palmer's penis, and his recent gushing over men's asses, hands, thighs and 'beautiful' faces. We also discuss the midterms and what lies ahead. Don't miss this one-of-a-kind chat! 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

Norman Ornstein is an author, political scientist and emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He’s a contributing editor and writer for The Atlantic, contributor to The Contrarian, and cohost of the podcast Words Matter. His many books include The New York Times bestseller, It's Even Worse Than It Looks written with Tom Mann, and the NYT and WAPO best-seller One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate and the Not-Yet-Deported with E.J. Dionne and Tom Mann. Is Trump planing to steal the midterms? Will there be chaos before, on, and/or after Election Day? Is a blue wave coming? Will Democrats win back the House and Senate? And if so, how aggressively should a Democrat-controlled Congress pursue holding Trump and his administration accountable for violating the law? Norm addresses these questions 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

Rob Bonta is Attorney General of the State of California. He previously spent more than eight years serving in the State Assembly. Prior to that he worked as a Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco. He was sworn in on April 23, 2021, becoming the first person of Filipino descent to serve as California Attorney General. AG Bonta and I discuss Trump, the midterms, and the efforts to protect democracy before, on, and after Election Day 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

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. He is also the recipient of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the News & Documentary Emmys. His films include TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM, GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY & THE PRISON OF BELIEF, IN RESTLESS DREAMS: THE MUSIC OF PAUL SIMON, THE BIBI FILES, WISE GUYS: DAVID CHASE & THE SOPRANOS, and THE DARK MONEY GAME. Most recently, his documentary KNIFE: THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF SALMAN RUSHDIE was released last month. And he joins me for a fascinating conversation about his terrific new film, the highly-anticipated and critically-acclaimed documentary MUSK, about the life and career of controversial trillionaire tech, space and automotive entrepreneur and political donor Elon Musk. 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