The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

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

Garlin Gilchrist is Michigan's Lt Governor and is running for Secretary of State to succeed Jocelyn Benson who's running for governor. Prior to serving as Lt Governor he worked at Microsoft as a software engineer. Join us for this important conversation about Michigan's efforts to protect the midterms, as well as Garlin's campaign for this critical position in the face of Donald Trump's assault on our elections process. 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

Frank Rich is a journalist, author, and television producer. A writer-at-large for New York magazine, he was previously chief drama critic and an OpEd columnist for the New York Times. He executive produced the long-running HBO series Succession, Veep as well as the limited series White House Plumbers and The Regime. He’s also EP’s the documentaries Six by Sondheim and Becoming Mike Nichols. His books include The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina and the memoir Ghost Light. He has been awarded 6 Emmys, 3 Peabody Awards, 3 Golden Globe Awards, and a Producer’s Guild Award. His journalism honors include the George Polk Award for Commentary and the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism from Harvard University. He has twice been a Pulitzer Prize finalist. In 2015, he was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. Frank joins me for a compelling discussion of his latest New York magazine essay, "Trump's Shameless Collaborators", about the sycophants in Trump's cabinet and inner circle and the accountability they may one day soon be facing, especially if Democrats take back 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

Dana Bash is CNN's chief political correspondent, anchor of “Inside Politics with Dana Bash” and co-anchor of CNN’s“State of the Union”. She is based in Washington, D.C., where she plays a key role in CNN’s political coverage, conducting high profile interviews with politicians and candidates, and regularly serves as a moderator for the network’s political debate and town hall specials. In 2024, Dana co-moderated CNN’s historic Presidential Debate between President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. She also serves as an anchor of CNN’s Election Night in America special coverage. She is the author of two books co-written with David Fischer: America’s Deadliest Election: The Cautionary Tale of the Most Violent Election in American History, and her new book, The Elections That Changed the World: Fifteen Pivotal Moments That Shaped How We Live, which is on sale now. Dana and I discuss her terrific new book as well as the parallels it draws to today's politics. But first we take a look at the midterms, how these next three weeks may play out, and whether or not the much-anticipated blue wave is on the horizon.. 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

Kerry Kennedy is a human rights lawyer, activist, New York Times-bestselling author, and daughter of Ethel Skakel Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. Kerry is the president of the Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, the organization Ethel founded in 1968 to continue Robert’s unfinished work, and served as chair for the Amnesty International USA Leadership Council for more than a decade. During her forty years working in human rights she has led hundreds of delegations and negotiated with leaders around the globe. She appears regularly on television and in the press, has written dozens of published op-eds, and is the author of the books Robert F. Kennedy: Ripple of Hope; Speak Truth to Power; and Being Catholic Now. Kerry joins me for a conversation about her terrific new book "Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy", which is on sale now. 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

James Henson teaches in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the founder and executive director of the Texas Politics Project, a hub of research and public affairs work that provides non-partisan resources for understanding Texas government and politics. He co-founded the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll, the longest running academic survey of Texas public opinion, in 2008 with Daron Shaw. His writing about Texas politics has appeared in every major Texas media outlet, as well as publications including The Washington Post, The Hill, Texas Monthly, and The Conversation. Jim and I talk Texas politics: the Talarico v Paxton Senate race, the Abbott v Hinojosa governor's race, whether the state may finally be turning blue, and the midterms overall in terms of who’s likely to win control of 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

George Conway is an attorney, political activist, and legal and political commentator. He’s a founder of the Lincoln Project, and is a contributing writer to The Bulwark. He previously worked as a litigator for three decades at the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City. He recently ran for Congress in New York’s 12th District in Manhattan. George and I discuss all things Trump, the midterms, and whether the' inflection point' is finally here. 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

Cait Conley is a fourth-generation Hudson Valley native and the daughter of a postal worker and a construction worker. She applied to West Point the day after 9/11 and went on to serve in the Army, first as a military police officer and then in special operations leadership, deploying six times and earning three Bronze Stars. She concluded her active-duty career as Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, and then served as a senior executive at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Cait's back in The Back Room for an update on her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in NY’s 17th Congressional district, a critical battle against incumbent Republican Mike Lawler. 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

Nikki Fried is the Chair of the Florida Democratic Party. She served as Florida’s 12th Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services from 2019-2023. She is a lifelong Floridian, attorney and activist. Nikki and I discuss her state's key House, Senate and governor's races as well as the midterms overall and Democrats' chances of winning 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