The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

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. 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

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. 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

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

Frank Figliuzzi was the assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, where he served 25 years as a special agent and directed all espionage investigations across the government. He held senior FBI leadership positions in major American cities and was appointed the FBI’s Chief Inspector by then Director Robert Mueller to oversee sensitive internal inquiries, shooting reviews, and performance audits. Following his FBI career, Frank became a corporate security executive for a Fortune 10 company and led global Investigations, Insider Threat, Workplace Violence Prevention, and Special Event security for 200,000 employees in 180 countries. He is the author of “The FBI Way: Inside the Bureau’s Code of Excellence and “Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers” Frank's unique, invaluable expertise makes for a highly compelling discussion and analysis of the Minneapolis shooting death by ICE of 37-year-old wife and mother Renee Good; the administration's gaslighting the reality of this tragedy; and what must happen going forward to ensure a thorough and impartial investigation. 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

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart is a co-host of the morning edition of The Weekend on MS NOW. From 2020 until 2025 he was anchor of The Saturday Show and The Sunday Show on MSNBC. He is also an analyst on The PBS News Hour. He is a former Associate Editor at the Washington Post, where he was an opinion writer for nearly two decades.He was also deputy editorial page editor of the New York Daily News and served on its editorial board. His editorial campaign in 1999 to save the Apollo Theater earned the board the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. His new memoir, “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from A Black Man’s Search for Home,”, is a NY Times bestseller. Jonathan and I discuss the deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis; Trump, Venezuela and Maduro; and his recent interview with Michelle Obama. 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

As Chief Executive Officer of Brown Harris Stevens, she oversees more than 2,300 agents across New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Florida. Since 2018, she has led the firm’s growth into one of the most successful privately held real estate companies in the country, with the highest average sales price per agent nationwide. Before entering real estate, Bess served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Maryland and as a Legal Aid attorney in New York City. She serves on the Boards of the Real Estate Board of New York and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and received REBNY’s Kenneth R. Gerrety Humanitarian Award in 2021. Bess recaps the 2025 real estate trends, shares her outlook for '26, and discusses interest rates and the 'Mamdani Effect' on the NYC market. We also discuss our mutual concern over the alarming rise in global antisemitic rhetoric and violence. 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

Elie Honig is CNN’s Senior Legal Analyst. He previously worked for 14 years as a federal and state prosecutor. He is also the national bestselling author of two books, “Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor’s Code and Corrupted the Justice Department” and “Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away With It”. He writes a weekly column for New York magazine and for Cafe.com, and he hosts two podcasts for Vox Media. He teaches at Rutgers University and is special counsel to New Jersey law firm Lowenstein Sandler. His latest book is, When You Come at the King: Inside DOJ’s Pursuit of the President, From Nixon to Trump, will be published September 16th. Elie revisits the most important judicial rulings of 2025 and those to come in '26 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

My 9-minute rant on Venezuela and Maduro. 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

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 and I compare our lists of The Top 15 Horrible Things Trump's Said and Done in 2025. Given Trump's exhaustive 'flood the zone' strategy, it's become impossible to remember from one week to the next all of his vile, offensive, dangerous words and actions. And voters need to remember. 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

John Fugelsang has been murdered on CSI and picketed by the Westboro Baptist Church. He’s a Drama League–nominated actor, comedian, and broadcaster who’s hosted many TV shows and podcasts, including the acclaimed Tell Me Everything series on SiriusXM Progress. He’s gotten George Harrison to give his final performance on VH1, debated Jerry Falwell and David Duke, and made many appearances on MSNBC, FOX News, and CNN. His epic PBS road trip film on the American Dream, Dream On was named Best Documentary at the New York Independent Film Festival. John joins me for a truly thought-provoking, eye-opening, humorous conversation about Christian nationalism, religious hypocrisy, and his terrific new book Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds 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