The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Maura Gillespie is the founder and principal of Bluestack Strategies, and is a communications professional with expertise in strategic messaging and media training. She previously served 12 years on Capitol Hill as Press Advisor to former House Speaker John Boehner and as Deputy Chief of Staff to former Congressman Adam Kinzinger. She is a recurring guest on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, Bloomberg, and FOX News. Join Maura and I for a compelling discussion on the first presidential debate; the calls for President Biden to quit the race; the threats and dangers of Donald Trump; the broken Republican Party; VeepStakes; and the November 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

Michael Cohen is the former personal attorney for Donald Trump and served for years as an executive in the Trump Organization. He is host of the Mea Culpa With Michael Cohen podcast and co-host of Political Beatdown with Michael Cohen and Ben Meiselas podcast. He’s a two-time New York Times best-selling author. His latest book is “Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized the US Department of Justice Against His Critics. He’s also Principal of crisis management firm Crisis-X. Michael's back in The Back Room for a fun, insightful morning-after post-debate analysis. Guest Name(s) 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

Judy Gold is a film, television and theater actor and writer and comedian. Her stand-up specials have appeared on HBO, Comedy Central, and LOGO, and she’s appeared on Netflix's Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration. She’s the host of the podcast It’s Judy’s Show with Judy Gold; and is featured in the new Netflix documentary Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution, which explores the history of LGBTQ+ standup comedy. Her recent film credits include She Came To Me, Tripped Up, and Love Reconsidered. And her TV credits include City On A Hill, Better Things, The First Lady, Extrapolation, Life and Beth, Girls 5 Eva and recurring roles on Awkwafina, Friends from College and Search Party. She’s won two Emmy awards for writing and producing The Rosie O’Donnell Show, and has written and starred in three critically acclaimed Off-Broadway hit shows, Yes I Can Say That!, The Judy Show – My Life as a Sitcom, and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother. Judy’s appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show, and has made numerous appearances on The View, The Today Show, The Drew Barrymore Show, and on MSNBC, CNN and NewsNation as a free-speech advocate. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book Yes I Can Say That: When They Come For The Comedians, We Are All In Trouble. Judy is funny AF! We have an absolute blast chatting about Jews and Jewish mothers; cats and dogs; cancel culture and the comedy business today; her early inspirations and favorite current comics; and her writing process. And, she reveals the things that piss her off most, as well as her Top 5 musical artists of all-time! And, what would a chat between two Jews be without a passionate discussion of Israel, the protests and antisemitism... 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

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 combatting 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 NYT bestselling author of Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J Trump, and co-host of the Cleanup On Aisle 45 podcast. Peter's back in THE BACK ROOM sharing his keen insights into America's most dangerous foreign and domestic threats as we head towards the presidential election in November. 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 is the co-host of MSNBC’s ‘The Weekend’ and host of ‘The Michael Steele Podcast.’ Prior to joining MSNBC 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 a blast when Michael brings his inimitable wit and wisdom into The Back Room! He's back helping unpack the latest with Trump, the campaign, VeepStakes, the debates, the November election, and what concerns him most. 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

Ryan Hamilton is a husband, father, acclaimed singer/songwriter-turned-radio host, and unexpected women’s rights activist who’s been speaking out after he and his wife Jess experienced a nightmarish miscarriage-related situation at a Texas hospital back in May. Please join us for this incredibly moving (and infuriating) conversation as Ryan emotionally recounts their harrowing ordeal in riveting detail. 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

LaDoris Hazzard Cordell was the first lawyer to open a law practice in East Palo Alto, CA, a low-income community of color. In 1978, she was appointed Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at Stanford Law School, where she implemented a successful minority admissions program. In 1982, Governor Jerry Brown appointed her to the Municipal Court of Santa Clara County making her the first African American woman judge in northern California. In1988, Judge Cordell won election to the Superior Court of Santa Clara County. In all, she' spent nearly 20 years on the bench. From 2010 to 2015, she served as Independent Police Auditor for the City of San Jose. In 2015 she was a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Transparency, Accountability, and Fairness in Law Enforcement. She’s also served as Vice Provost & Special Counselor to the President for Campus Relations at Stanford University; served on the Palo Alto City Council; was the Independent Police Auditor for the City of San Jose; and is the co-founder of the African American Composer Initiative. She is the author of the 2021 book: Her Honor: My Life on the Bench...What Works, What's Broken, and How to Change It. And, she’s appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, CBS-5 television and Court TV. Judge Cordell take us back to childhood and her early inspirations; walks us through her illustrious academic and judicial career; helps unpack the latest with convicted-felon Donald Trump's sentencing options in the New York election-interference/hush-money trial; discusses the need for an enforceable code of conduct for the Supreme Court in the wake of new disclosure violations and conflicts of interest with Justices Thomas and Alito; discusses her book; and shares how music has impacted her life. 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

Mark McKinnon is a political advisor, reform advocate, columnist, and television producer. He was the creator and co-host of Showtime's Emmy-nominated hit documentary series "The Circus”. He’s worked for many causes, companies, and candidates, including President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain, late Governor Ann Richards, and Bono. He was the chief media advisor for five winning presidential primary and general election campaigns. Dedicated to bipartisanship, McKinnon helped start No Labels. He’s been a regular columnist for The Daily Beast, The London Daily Telegraph, and Vanity Fair, and was a consultant to the HBO show “The Newsroom” and Netflix’s “House of Cards.” Join us for this fun, insightful chat about Donald Trump, Trumpism, the Republican Party, the race for the White House, the upcoming debate, VeepStakes, the November election, and the fate of THE CIRCUS. And if that's not enough, Mark reveals his love of the movie WAITRESS, Broadway musicals, the origin of his hats, and his favorite musical artists of all time! 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

Jordan Matthew Horowitz is an Emmy-winning writer/director of both documentary and narrative film. His recent documentary, JACK AND SAM, about Holocaust survivors Jack Waksal and Sam Ron, was executive produced by Julianna Margulies and Sarah Silverman, and was shortlisted for a prestigious IDA Award. His other films include the documentary ANGEL OF NANJING and the narrative feature film PAINLESS. He is currently in development on a feature narrative of JACK AND SAM. Jordan joins me for a truly compelling chat about his poignant, riveting documentary film JACK AND SAM, Holocaust education, the alarming rise in anti-Israel protests and antisemitism, and more. And, we are joined by 99-year-old Jack, who discusses his friendship with Sam, their incredible chance-reunion after 80 years, the harrowing details of his escape from the Pionki concentration camp in Poland, and how he survived hiding out in the forest for six months. 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 Bruni has been a prominent journalist for more than three decades, including more than twenty-five years at The New York Times, in roles as diverse as op-ed columnist, White House correspondent, Rome bureau chief, and chief restaurant critic. He is the author of four New York Times bestsellers. In July 2021, he became a full professor at Duke University, teaching in the school of public policy. He currently writes his popular weekly newsletter for the Times and produces additional essays as one of the newspaper’s Contributing Opinion Writers. Frank discusses his new book, The Age of Grievance, and the theories behind why Americans are so polarized and angry. We also chat about Donald Trump and Trumpism; and dissect the MAGA mentality and its impact on the presidential campaign and the upcoming election. And, Frank reveals his Top 5 musical artists of all time! 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