The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Latest Episodes:

Margaret Donovan on JAGS, Hegseth, Boats, Bombs and the Crisis at the Pentagon Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

Margaret Donovan is a Visiting Clinical Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School and an attorney with Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder PC. She is a former Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. She also served six years in the United States Army and was a Captain in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps…more commonly knows as JAGS.

Margaret walks us through the critical role of JAGS and shares her thoughts on the administration's controversial drug-boat bombings and Venezuelan war threats, embattled Sec Def Pete Hegseth, and the overall crisis at the Pentagon under his leadership.

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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

Jim Acosta on Trump: The Bad, the Badder and the Ugly! Dec 13, 2025

Show notes

Jim Acosta hosts The Jim Acosta Show” on Substack, YouTube and Apple Podcasts. He is an award-winning broadcast journalist, with 25 years of experience in network television news, at CNN and CBS News. Perhaps best-known for his time as the Chief White House Correspondent for CNN, he has covered six straight presidential elections at the network level. He’s also as an anchor and reporter covering some of the biggest news stories of the last 30 years, including Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq War and the aftermath of 9/11. In 2019, Jim’s New York Times bestselling book, “The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America” was published. That same year his work was recognized by the New York Press Club with its “Truth to Power” Award.

Jim's back with us to discuss Trump, Hegseth, Epstein 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

Ken Burns on his Latest Masterpiece "The American Revolution" Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

Ken Burns has been making documentary films for almost fifty years. Since the Academy Award nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, he has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including The Civil War; Baseball; Jazz; The War; The National Parks: America’s Best Idea; Prohibition; The Roosevelts: An Intimate History; The Vietnam War; Country Music; The U.S. and the Holocaust; The American Buffalo; and Leonardo da Vinci. Future film projects include Emancipation to Exodus, and LBJ & the Great Society, among others. Ken’s films have been honored with dozens of major awards, including seventeen Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards and two Oscar nominations. In September of 2008, at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, Ken was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In November of 2022, Ken was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

And we’re thrilled to have Ken with us to discuss his latest masterpiece, The American Revolution.

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. Adelita Grijalva on her Swearing-In Delay, Being Pepper-Sprayed by ICE, Trump, Epstein, Hegseth, MTG, and the Flailing GOP Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

Adelita Grijalva is a lifelong public servant and advocate from Tucson, Arizona, with a career dedicated to equity, education, and community empowerment. She has served on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board and the Pima County Board of Supervisors, where she became the first Latina Chair and championed affordable housing, early childhood education, and environmental protection. In 2025, Adelita made history as the first Chicana elected to represent Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, and was forced to wait nearly two months to be sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson.

The Congresswoman discusses her delayed swearing-in, being pepper-sprayed last Friday by ICE, Trump's economic and healthcare crises, the Epstein and Hegseth scandals, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and the flailing Republican 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

Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Trump, Hegseth, and the State of Our Democracy Dec 06, 2025

Show notes

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.

Has Donald Trump been weakened by recent elections, scandals, and his own chaos and incompetence? Is he less of a threat to democracy today than he was in January? What might he do next as his approval continues to plummet and his desperation increases? How effective has the resistance movement been? And how concerned should we be about Pete Hegseth and Trump's grip on the military? Ruth shares her thoughts on 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

Rep.James Clyburn Discusses his Terrific New Book and the Hegseth SIgnalGate and 'Doubel-Tap' Scandals Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

James E. Clyburn represents South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he previously served as Majority Whip. A more than 30-year Congressional veteran, he has been an influential and effective legislative leader and an unwavering voice for civil rights. Born in Sumter, South Carolina, during the Jim Crow era, he has been awarded the NAACP’s highest honor – the Spingarn Medal, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation’s Liberty and Justice for All Award, the Harry S. Truman Foundation’s Good Neighbor Award, and holds honorary degrees from 40 colleges and universities. In 2024, he was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. And he’s here to discuss his terrific new book The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation.

The Congressman discusses his terrific new book as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's SIgnalGate and 'Double-Tap' Scandals.

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

Ex-MAGA Granny” Pam Hemphill on Trump, MAGA, Epstein, Ice Raids and More Dec 02, 2025

Show notes

Pam Hemphill is a 72-year-old former Trump supporter known as the “MAGA Granny”. She was imprisoned over her role on January 6th, refused a pardon, and has spent the last several years working to debunk the stolen 2020 election Big Lie and the lies about the Capitol riot. She is a cancer survivor, a retired Substance Abuse Counselor, and a recovering alcoholic, 46 years sober.

So is Donald Trump personally involved in the Epstein conspiracy and cover up? Is the MAGA fever breaking? Why has Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned? Pam shares her thoughts on 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

Nick Thompson on his Terrific New Book "The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports” Nov 29, 2025

Show notes

Nicholas Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic, an American magazine founded in 1857, which earned the top honor for magazines, General Excellence, at the National Magazine Awards in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Before joining The Atlantic, he was the editor in chief of Wired and an editor at The New Yorker. He has long been a competitive runner; in 2021, he set the American record for men 45+ in the 50K race. In 2025, he became the top-ranked runner in the world in his age group for the 50-mile run. His new book is “The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports”.

Nick joins me for a truly enjoyable, insightful chat about his terrific new book and the many invaluable life lessons it offers.

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 Steele on the Good, the Bad and the Ugly with Trump, the GOP and Democrats Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

Michael Steele is the co-host of MS NOW’s “The Weeknight” and host of ‘The Michael Steele Podcast.’ Prior to joining MS NOW as a political analyst, he was elected Lt. Governor of Maryland in 2003. Following his time as Lt. Governor, he served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2009 to 2011. Steele was the first African-American to hold either office. He has appeared on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, Real Time with Bill Maher, and The Daily Show and is also the author of two books, “Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda” and “The Recovering Politician’s Twelve Step Program to Survive Crisis”.

It's always fun and insightful when Michael's in The Back Room! This time he's back for a chat about the good, the bad and the ugly with Trump, the GOP and Democrats...including the election, the latest polls, Marjorie Taylor Greene and the MAGA fissure, and whether we've hit at an inflection point.

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 on MAGA, Marjorie, Megyn, Mamdani, Midterms and SO Much More! Nov 23, 2025

Show notes

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. SE 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.

S.E.'s back in The Back Room to discuss Trump, the election, the shutdown, MAGA, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Megyn Kelly, Mamdani, the midterms 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

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