The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

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Erin Merryn May 16, 2023

Show notes

Erin Merryn is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and child abuse advocate and activist. She earned her MSW from Aurora University. For six years of her childhood she was sexually abused, keeping her secret locked away in her childhood diary. Before graduating high school Erin published her diary into a book called Stolen Innocence. She has since published 4 more books. In 2013 in her home state of Illinois she succeeded in getting Erin’s Law passed, which requires personal body safety taught in public schools. It is currently in 38 states.

Since 2004, Erin has shared her story in over two hundred publications and appeared on Oprah, OWN, Today, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, CNN, Fox, Katie Couric, Tamron Hall, and MSNBC among others. In 2015 she was featured in the documentary Breaking the Silence on TLC. Glamour magazine named Erin Woman of the Year and People magazine named her one of fifteen women changing the world

Erin is a truly remarkable woman on an incredibly important, inspiring journey. Her story is one of survival, perseverance and tremendous accomplishment.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Rachel and Dr. Alexander Vindman May 14, 2023

Show notes

Rachel Vindman is an Opinion Columnist at USA TODAY and a member of the USA Today Board of Contributors. She co-hosts the Suburban Women Problem podcast, and is an advisory board member for the Renew Democracy Initiative. She’s a prominent activist and plain-spoken political commentator on Twitter, where you can follow her @natsechobbyist.

Dr. Alexander Vindman is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who was most recently the director for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Russia on the White House’s National Security Council. He previously served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as an attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia. He is the author of The New York Times bestselling memoir Here, Right Matters and also frequently appears on NPR, MSNBC and CNN.

Please join us for another fun, fascinating chat with these two awesome people that includes Ukraine/Russia, the gun-violence epidemic, Ron DeSantis and the GOP culture wars, "parental rage" and "parental rights", Donald Trump, the 2024 election and…Lizzo!

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Molly & Dr. Grant Rubesh May 10, 2023

Show notes

Molly Rubesh is the author of the children's grief book Is Heaven Farther Than the North Pole? Through the desire to nurture her young stepsons following the passing of their mother, as well as her own father’s death, Molly was inspired and moved to write the book to help children cope with grief at a level they could understand. The book is the beginning of what she hopes will be a series of books that address such challenging topics as divorce and addiction, as well as the loss of a pet or friend.

Please join Molly and I, and her husband Grant, for this deeply personal, emotional conversation about life, love and loss, especially when it involves young children experiencing the pain and grief following the death of a parent. How do we explain death? What do we say? How do we together navigate that loss and move forward with life? Can there ever be 'closure'? It's a very important, compelling chat about the universal subject of grief.

Molly's website is www.Mollyrubesh.com

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Peter Strzok May 08, 2023

Show notes

Peter Strzok served in the FBI from 1996 to 2018, rising to the deputy of its Counterintelligence Division. During his career, he worked around the world against national security threats from China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and others, including countering state-sponsored disinformation, prosecuting acts of economic espionage and theft of intellectual property, and combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Prior to the FBI, he spent four years on active duty in the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division. He’s an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, is the NY Times bestselling author of Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J Trump, and co-host of the Cleanup On Aisle 45 podcast.

Join us for this riveting conversation about Peter's role as the architect of the "Crossfire Hurricane" Russian-collusion investigation; his thoughts on Putin's manipulation of Trump and the possible dirt he has on him; the Muller investigation and former Attorney General Bill Barr's protection of Trump; Trump's role as mastermind of the January 6th insurrection, his overall corruption and mounting legal troubles; the continued impact of Trumpism and its racist foundation on our culture; the Proud Boys trial, seditious conspiracy and domestic terrorism; the Supreme Court ethics violations; 2024 and the existential threat of another Trump presidency; 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 and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Glenn Kirschner May 06, 2023

Show notes

Glenn Kirschner is a former assistant U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. and is an NBC News and MSNBC legal analyst. He's tried hundreds of cases in his 30 years as a prosecutor, including more than 50 murder trials, multiple lengthy RICO trials and precedent-setting cases. He teaches criminal law at George Washington University and has a YouTube channel and podcast called "Justice Matters with Glenn Kirchner".

We happened to chat with Glenn amid breaking news as the verdicts were announced in the Proud Boys trial. In this real-time conversation Glenn dissects and explains the seditious conspiracy verdicts and potential sentences and the impact of these convictions on Donald Trump and the federal investigation into his role in the attempt to overturn the election and overthrow the government. Glenn also shares his thoughts on the overall effectiveness and timeliness, or lack thereof, of Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice; reflects back on the Mueller Report; weighs in on the tarnished Supreme Court and the Clarence Thomas ethics scandals; and discusses the Homicide Victims Families Rights Act, a 2022 law he helped draft and pass with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA).

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Taylor Lorenz May 03, 2023

Show notes

Taylor Lorenz is an author and Washington Post columnist covering technology and online culture. Before joining The Post, she was a technology reporter for the New York Times' business section. She was also previously a technology reporter at the Atlantic and the Daily Beast. Her first book Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet, will be released this October and is now available for pre-order.

Taylor brings her extensive expertise and keen insights into our in-depth conversation about the internet and social media and their impact on society, which is the subject of her book; Elon Musk, Twitter and the alt sites Post, Mastodon and Bluesky; the future of Facebook and Instagram; TikTok and the potential ban; the increasing appeal of LinkedIn; the concerns over AI and ChatGPT; and she also takes us back to her childhood, early influences and artistic background. It's a thoroughly entertaining and interesting chat!

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Robert F. Kennedy Jr May 01, 2023

Show notes

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an environmental attorney, writer, author, activist and 2024 presidential candidate. Join me for this fascinating, historical, brutally-honest and, at times, intense discussion.

Bobby and I discuss the impact on him of his father's assassination; how America and the world would be different had his dad and uncle, President John F. Kennedy, not been killed); his journey through addiction and self-destructive behavior; his early influences and personal heroes; his reflections on life as a 69-year-old; his thoughts on the British Royal Family and comparisons to the Kennedys as 'America's Royalty'; his newly announced presidential campaign and what his first 100 days would look like; and his controversial positions on vaccines, which have been uniformly refuted by the scientific and medical communities. It’s a convo you definitely don’t wanna miss.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Rep. Dan Goldman and Kat Abughazaleh Apr 29, 2023

Show notes

Rep. Dan Goldman serves New York’s 10th Congressional District. In 2019, he served as lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump for abusing his office for his personal interest regarding Ukraine. Prior to that, Goldman served for a decade as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Join us for this in-depth chat about the Congressman's reasons for entering politics; his first 100 days in office and the issues most important to him; his thoughts on Trump and Trumpism; the tarnished Supreme Court; Kevin McCarthy, Marjorie Taylor Greene, George Santos and the House craziness; the debt ceiling showdown; racism, anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial; and his all-important Bagel Caucus and the success of Bagel Diplomacy!

But before that, Fox News watcher Kat Abughazaleh pops into The Back Room for a quick, fun chat about the awesome firing of Tucker Carlson!

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

The Good Liars Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

The Good Liars, Jason Selvig and Davram Stiefler, have cultivated a large audience with their unique brand of hilarious pranks and interviews. Their videos have garnered well over half a billion views. In their 2016 election comedy, Undecided: The Movie, they pranked every presidential candidate. The Wrap said Undecided “May be the funniest movie you haven’t seen yet.” They’ve filmed at major events including DC on January 6th, 2021, CPAC, The RNC, The Iowa Caucus, QAnon Conferences, The March for Life, Trump rallies and recently, the 2023 NRA Conference.

Jason, Davram and I had a lot of fun revisiting their childhood, their early comedy years together, their creative process, their favorite videos (and mine!) and whether JFK Jr. is in fact alive and an accountant living in Pittsburgh who drives his van to Trump rallies.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Katie Hill Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

Katie Hill is a former Congresswoman from California’s 25th District. At 31, she was as one of the youngest members of the historic freshman class that flipped the House and served as the Vice Chair for the House Oversight and Reform Committee and on the powerful House Armed Services Committee. Prior, Katie worked as Executive Director of PATH (People Assisting The Homeless), the largest homeless services organization in California.

After resigning from Congress in 2019 over an admitted affair with a young female campaign staffer, and leaked nude photos, Katie founded the PAC Her Time, whose mission is to help elect women and young people -- the long-shot candidates who have the vision and drive needed to make lasting, systemic change in America. She is also the author of the 2020 book She Will Rise: Becoming a Warrior in the Battle for True Equality.

Katie opens up about her past, what the future holds for her and whether she'll run again, and what she thinks about the current political landscape.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

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