Podcast
The Back Room with Andy Ostroy
Hosted by Produced by RFR and Andy Ostroy · EN
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
73episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Marisa Renee Lee on Life, Love, Loss, Grief, Hope, Healing and her New Book Waiting for Dawn: Living with Uncertainty
2d ago00:44:39Tap to summarizeMarisa Renee Lee is the award-winning and bestselling author of Grief is Love. For her work on grief and healing, she has been featured on Good Morning America and NPR, in Vogue and The Atlantic, among other outlets. Her new book Waiting for Dawn: Living with Uncertainty reflects on her experiences with chronic illness and grief, offering solace to folks living with all kinds of uncertainty. A longtime rabble-rouser of social healing and equity, Lee previously served as a deputy director in the Obama White House and is now CEO of Beacon Advisors, a social-impact consulting firm. Illness and death is all around us. Grief is universal. How can we best navigate it all? And can we ever truly find 'closure'? Marisa and I discuss life, love, loss, grief, hope, and healing...the subjects of her two terrific books. 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
Transcribe →Jeffrey Toobin on Trump's Assault on Democracy, How SCOTUS has Empowered him, and Whether the Guardrails are Holding
5d ago01:04:14Tap to summarizeJeffrey Toobin is a legal journalist who last year joined the New York Times as a contributing opinion writer. He also writes for The New York Times Magazine and continues to offer commentary on CNN. In 2024, NBC Universal released “Homegrown: OKC,” a podcast based on his book, “Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism.” He’s a noted lecturer and an instructor at Harvard Law School. He previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Brooklyn. His work has been the basis for major television events including the acclaimed ten-part limited series, “American Crime Story”, based on his book, The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson. His other bestselling books include The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court, The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, Too Close to Call: The 36-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election, American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst,”, True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump, and 2025’s The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy. How effective is Donald Trump's assault on democracy? How successful have the courts been in serving as a guardrail? What can we expect from the Supreme Court in further expanding Trump's power? Who will he pardon next? Jeffrey addresses these questions 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
Transcribe →Barb McQuade on her New Book The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government
1w ago00:27:52Tap to summarizeBarbara McQuade is a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, where she teaches criminal law and national security law. She is also a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNOW and co-host of the #SistersInLaw podcast From 2010 to 2017 she served as the U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. She was appointed by President Barack Obama, and was the first woman to serve in her position. Earlier in her career, she worked as a sports writer and copy editor, a judicial law clerk, an associate in private practice, and an assistant US attorney. She is the author of the national best seller Attack From Within, and is here today to discuss her new book, The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government. Join us for this insightful and compelling conversation about her new book; the 'corruption, cruelty and chaos' of Trump 2.0; and what we the people can do to 'take back power and save America'. 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
Transcribe →Adam Mockler on How to Effectively Beat Back Republican BS...and So Much More!
1w ago00:30:58Tap to summarizeAdam Mockler is a GenZ political commentator who's become a hero to Democrats and a giant thorn to Republicans over his ability to fact-check his conservative counterparts in real-time. At 23, and armed with receipts, he can debate the liars and gaslighters better than many analysts twice his age. Join us for this insightful and humorous chat about how to effectively beat down the right-wing bullshit and control the narrative. 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
Transcribe →Andrew McCabe on the Current State of the FBI under Kash Patel and the Impact on the Bureau's Credibility, Hiring and Firing, and Morale
2w ago01:07:46Tap to summarizeAndrew McCabe is the former deputy director, and acting director, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump. He is currently a senior law enforcement analyst for CNN, a distinguished visiting professor at the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government, a consultant and advisor to cyber companies, and the co-host of the podcast “Unjustified” about the policies and actions of the Department of Justice. Andrew began his 21-year FBI career in 1996 as a special agent assigned to the New York City Field Office, where he investigated Russian organized crime cases. In 2006, he shifted his focus to national security when he was promoted to FBI Headquarters in the Counterterrorism Division. He went on to serve in numerous high level leadership positions in the FBI including, assistant director of the Counterterrorism Division, executive assistant director of the National Security Branch, assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office, and Deputy Director of the FBI. In 2017, he served as the acting FBI director after the firing of James Comey. He retired from the FBI in 2018. We discuss the current state of the FBI under Kash Patel and the impact on the bureau's credibility, the hiring and firing policies of agents, and overall morale. 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
Transcribe →Batya Ungar-Sargon on her New Book The Jews and the Left
2w ago00:27:43Tap to summarizeBatya Ungar-Sargon is the host of Batya! on NewsNation, where she is a weekend anchor. She is a frequent contributor to the New York Post and a columnist for the Free Press. Her new book is The Jews and the Left. She joins me for a spirited conversation about the book, antisemitism, and her thoughts on how the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has driven a wedge between Jews over Israel. 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
Transcribe →Alisyn Camerota on Life, Loss, Grief and Reinvention
2w ago01:02:24Tap to summarizeAlisyn Camerota is an award-winning journalist, author and former CNN New Day anchor. Before CNN, she was an anchor and correspondent at the FOX News Channel. In her three+ decades in journalism, Alisyn has covered major stories nationally and internationally, earning two Emmy Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and a DuPont-Columbia Award. Alisyn’s debut novel, Amanda Wakes Up, was selected by National Public Radio as one of the best books of 2017, and by Oprah Magazine as “a must read.” Her 2024 memoir Combat Love was an instant Amazon bestseller. On her Substack she writes about the process of having to reinvent life after leaving legacy media and the death of her beloved husband Tim. She now hosts a weekly interview show on the Scripps News network called, “Connected with Alisyn Camerota.” Alisyn's had quite the storied life so far, full of incredible highs and lows. She takes us back to her turbulent childhood; her 'badass adjacent' teenage punk-rock period at CBGB's; when she realized she wanted to be a journalist; the tough decision to leave her coveted CNN anchor position; Tim's illness and eventual death; navigating through unfathomable loss and grief; the power of friendship; and reinventing herself professionally. I'm confident you'll find this conversation as engaging and inspiring as I have. 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
Transcribe →Keisha Lance Bottoms on her Campaign for Georgia Governor and her New Memoir, The Rough SIde of the Mountain
3w ago00:43:19Tap to summarizeKeisha Lance Bottoms has served as senior advisor to former President Joe Biden, leading the transformation of the White House Office of Public Engagement, and acting as a liaison and media surrogate. Before joining the White House, she worked with CNN as a political commentator based in Atlanta, Georgia, where she served in all three branches of government, as judge, council member, and mayor. She is now running for governor and recently released her new memoir, The Rough Side of the Mountain. Keisha joins me for an inspiring conversation about her life, campaign, and overcoming challenges on the road to success. 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
Transcribe →Danielle Crittenden on her Terrific New Book Dispatches from Grief: A Mother’s Journey Through the Unthinkable
3w ago00:59:18Tap to summarizeDanielle Crittenden is a journalist, author, and former host of the The Femsplainers Podcast and Substack, known for her incisive commentary on women and modern life. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and more. She is the author of five books, including What Our Mothers Didn’t Tell Us: Why Happiness Eludes the Modern Woman, and her new memoir, Dispatches from Grief: A Mother’s Journey Through the Unthinkable, which chronicles the sudden loss of her 32-year-old daughter Miranda in 2024, and the two interminable years of pain, love, and life since then. Losing a child is a parent's worst nightmare. Danielle joins me to discuss her terrific new book and the profound grief journey she and her family have been navigating following Miranda's death. It's a raw, honest and at times humorous conversation. 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
Transcribe →MI State Sen. Mallory McMorrow on her U.S. Senate Campaign
3w ago00:30:01Tap to summarizeMallory McMorrow is a Michigan State Senator who in 2018 flipped a district that had previously voted Republican by 16 points, then helped Democrats take control of the Michigan Senate for the first time in 40 years. She’s stood up to extremists to repeal Michigan’s abortion ban, expand voting rights, and pass sweeping gun safety laws, and refuses corporate PAC or AIPAC money. She was thrust into the national spotlight in April 2022 over her incredible viral speech on the Michigan Senate floor in response to being accused of being a “groomer” by a Republican Senator. Last year she released her first book, a follow up to that speech, Hate Won't Win. Mallory is back with us to discuss her U.S. Senate campaign, the economy and affordabilty, Israel and Gaza, Artificial Intelligence, the midterms and the threats to this critical election. 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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