The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Alexandra Pelosi has written, produced, filmed and directed 15 HBO Documentary Films. She started off her career at NBC News where she served for a decade as a field producer. Covering the campaign of future-President George W. Bush led to her first documentary, Journeys with George. Since then, she has been making films that take the temperature of the American political landscape. She is also the author of two books, Sneaking Into the Flying Circus: How the Media Turn Our Presidential Campaigns Into Freak Shows, and Citizen USA: A 50 State Road Trip. This is such a fun, insightful, riveting chat about politics and movies with one of America's premier documentary filmmakers. We discuss her early career and inspirations; Trump and Trumpism; the chaos in the House; the 2024 election; the January 6, 2021 insurrection, which is the subject of her most recent films, last year's Pelosi in The House, and her new HBO documentary, The Insurrectionist Next Door; 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 Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Dr. Sheila Nazarian is an Iranian-American board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills and the star of the Emmy-nominated Netflix series Skin Decision. She is also a mom, wife, humanitarian and activist. Join us for this important discussion about the Israel-Hamas war, the rise in rabid anti-Semitism, and what lies ahead for Israel, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Gaza and the overall struggle for peace in the region. 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

Daniel Byman is a professor and Vice Dean at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and the director of the Security Studies Program there and a Senior Fellow with the Transnational Threats Project at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He’s also a part-time Senior Advisor to the Department of State as part of the International Security Advisory Board and a senior fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, as well as a Professional Staff Member with both the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States (“The 9-11 Commission”) and the Joint 9/11 Inquiry Staff of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. He’s written widely on a range of topics related to terrorism, insurgency, intelligence, social media, artificial intelligence, and the Middle East. He is the author of nine books, and his most recent is Spreading Hate: The White Power Movement Goes Global. Professor Byman shares his keen insights on the Israel-Hamas war; the threat of escalation from Hezbollah/Lebanon and Iran; the need for Egypt to broker peace; post-war Gaza; Israel's and Bibi Netanyahu's political future; the rise in rabid anti-Semitism; Donald Trump, Trumpism and domestic terrorism; the threat to America from China; 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 Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Antonio Delgado is Lt. Governor of the State of New York, appointed in May of 2022 and then elected for a full term in November ’22. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving NY’s 19th Congressional District. He played basketball at Colgate, is a Rhodes Scholar, and a graduate of Harvard Law School. He spent 5 years pursuing a career as a hip-hop artist in LA, and then went on to work as an attorney focusing on complex litigation with pro-bono work in criminal justice reform. As Lt. Governor, he serves as chair of the Hate and Bias Prevention Unit, oversees the Regional Economic Development Council, and is committed to empowering New York communities through civic engagement. Join us for this insightful conversation about the Israeli/Hamas war and the rise of anti-Semitism, especially here at home; NY's Hate and Bias Prevention Unit; the GOP House chaos; the success of Bidenomics and the need for better Democratic messaging; political tribalism; and the 2024 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 Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

It's a two-fer in The Back Room! Join us for two incredibly important, insightful conversations about the Maine mass-shooting and America's gun-violence epidemic; the Israeli-Hamas War and the growing tensions here and abroad; the chilling rise in anti-Semitism; the Republican House chaos and Speaker debacle; Donald Trump's legal troubles and the on-going threat to democracy of Trumpism; and more. Rep. Goldman serves New York’s 10th Congressional District. In 2019, he served as lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of President Donald J. 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. S.E. Cupp is a CNN political commentator and most recently host of CNN's S.E. Cupp Unfiltered. Before joining CNN she co-hosted MSNBC's The Cycle. She's a nationally syndicated political columnist, culture critic, author and consultant who regularly writes for the New York Daily News, Glamour and CNN.com. She was previously a consultant for Apple TV+'s The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell and HBO's hit series, The Newsroom. 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

May Pang is the subject of the just-released documentary THE LOST WEEKEND: A LOVE STORY, in which she recounts her legendary 18-month romantic relationship in ’73/’74 with John Lennon which began at 22 when she was John and Yoko Ono’s personal assistant—an affair orchestrated by Yoko herself. She is also a photographer, author and jewelry designer. Her intimate portraits of John during their time together include rare images of the former Beatle and music legend and his son Julian. In addition to working for Apple Records and John & Yoko, she worked in music publishing at United Artists, Famous Music and Island Records. May and I discuss this incredible new documentary; her time with John in NY and LA; her thoughts on the phrase "Lost Weekend", her relationships with John's first wife Cynthia Lennon, Julian and Yoko; and the emotional journey she's been on since John's murder in 1980. 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

David Jolly is an attorney, political consultant, NBC/MSNBC political analyst and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida from 2014 – 2017. His work has been published in the Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, USA Today, Roll Call, CNN.com, NBCNews.com, NewsMax, the Washington Times, and the Tampa Bay Times. After leaving Congress he became a prominent critic of former President Trump and in 2018 announced he’d left the Republican Party. David helps unpack the Israeli/Palestinian war and what lies ahead; the GOP House chaos and the Speaker's vacancy; Donald Trump and the overall Republican Party dysfunction; and handicaps the 2024 presidential horse race. And don't miss the first part of this episode as Andy, Matty and Jen--three American Jews--engage in a spirited debate about the mounting crisis in the Middle East. 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

Tara Setmayer is a former CNN political commentator, contributor to ABC News and former GOP Communications Director on Capitol Hill. She's frequently guest-hosted ABC's The View and appears regularly on MSNBC. She’s also a Senior Advisor for the Lincoln Project and co-hosts the streaming show "The Breakdown" alongside Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson. After spending 27 years with the Republican Party, Tara publicly left the GOP in November 2020 after Donald Trump refused to concede the election to Joe Biden. She now identifies as a 'conservative independent'. Tara is super smart, super insightful and super engaging. We discuss the crisis in the Middle East, the crisis in the GOP House and the ongoing threat to democracy from Donald Trump and his right-wing extremist election-denying cultists. 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

Jasmine Crockett is an attorney, former member of the Texas House of Representatives and currently serves as the US Representative for Texas’s 30th Congressional District. Elected as a freshman last Fall, her district covers much of the city of Dallas and parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties. She is a member of the House Oversight and Agriculture Committees. Congresswoman Crockett is a Back Room favorite, and she's back with us again to discuss the barbaric Hamas attack on Israel and the war that's followed, as well as the Republican House chaos and the crisis its creating as America supports two allies at war--Israel and Ukraine--without a Speaker and a fully functioning Congress. We also revisit her epic speech during the GOP's recent sham Biden impeachment inquiry. 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

Sarah Tuttle-singer is a writer, author of the book Jerusalem Drawn and Quartered, and works for The Times of Israel. She was born and raised in Venice beach and has lived in Israel for the past 13 years. She now lives in Jerusalem with her kids where she writes stories about people, climbs roofs, and explores the roads not taken…and loves talking with strangers. Sarah is a friend of mine. A mother of two teenagers and a toddler. And she shares her personal story of what it's like living in this nation at war in the wake of the barbaric terrorist attack last weekend by Hamas. We discuss the shock and horror of that attack; the imminent ground invasion of Gaza; the growing humanitarian crisis and the likelihood of mass casualties on both sides; and the dilemma facing Israel as it mobilizes and goes on the offensive to protect itself and its citizens. An inspiring optimist, Sarah offers her thoughts on compassion, empathy and the long-term prospects for peace in the region. And at one chilling point, our chat is interrupted by gunfire and blaring sirens. It's a riveting conversation you don't want to miss. 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