The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Michael Steele is the co-anchor of MS NOW’s The Weeknight and previous co-host of The Weekend. Prior to joining MS NOW as a political analyst, he was elected Lt. Governor of Maryland in 2003 and served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2009 to 2011. He was the first African-American to hold either office. Michael has appeared on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, Real Time with Bill Maher, and The Daily Show...

ulie 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 ...

Cisco Aguilar serves as Nevada’s Secretary of State, as well as chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State. As Secretary, he is focused on three major principles: modernization, innovation, and transparency. Under the Secretary’s leadership and vision, the office undertook two major projects to modernize the state’s elections and business licensing infrastructure. He is the first Latino to serve a...

Dana Nessel has served as Attorney General for the state of Michigan since 2019. Prior to that she served as a Wayne County Prosecutor for over a decade. In her private practice, she was lead attorney for the plaintiffs in DeBoer v. Snyder, a precursor to the landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which codified same-sex marriage and granted adoption rights to same-sex couples nationwide.

Against the backdrop of Trump's relentl...

Adrienne Elrod is a political strategist, government affairs expert and communicator with over 25 years of experience working on Capitol Hill, the executive branch and advising corporate, political and non-profit organizations. She most recently served as Sr. Advisor and Sr Spokesperson to Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. She held this same position for President Biden’s re-election campaign. A vete...

Lee Kirk is a filmmaker and playwright whose feature films as writer/director include Ordinary World, starring Billie Joe Armstrong, Selma Blair, Judy Greer, and Fred Armisen, and The Giant Mechanical Man, starring Jenna Fischer, Chris Messina, Topher Grace, and Bob Odenkirk. His award-winning play Ashland Avenue had its world premiere in October 2025 at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. He has directed numerous music videos, as well...

Tom Nichols is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a contributor to the Atlantic Daily newsletter. In this episode, Tom and I discuss Trump 2.0, the status of the Iran war, the midterms, Abdul El-Sayed and more.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
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Amy Littlefield has reported on abortion rights for over a decade. She is the abortion access correspondent for The Nation. She has contributed to The New York Times Opinion and wrote the Times’ Sunday Review cover story “Where the Pro-Choice Movement Went Wrong.” She is a frequent commentator on abortion for TV and radio news outlets and podcasts, including MS NOW and Democracy Now! She was a lead reporter and n...

Dr. Annie Andrews is a pediatrician who in May of 2025 launched her campaign to flip the U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina held by the late Lindsey Graham. She won the democratic nomination last month.She’s running to address the affordability pressures from healthcare and housing to the price of everyday necessities including groceries and gas. She will face Graham’s sister Darlene Graham Nardone in the November midte...

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...

S.E. Cupp is a nationally syndicated columnist, author, podcaster and TV commentator. She hosts Off the Cupp, a podcast which focuses on mental health, and which features interviews with celebrities and newsmakers. She is a columnist at the New York Daily News and has also been published in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Washington Post and many other publications. She is currently a political commentator at CNN. S...

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 Cu...

Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State and is running for governor. She has become one of the nation’s most prominent leaders in ensuring elections are secure and accessible. Her work overseeing Michigan’s 2020 and 2022 general elections earned her national recognition, including the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the Presidential Citizens Medal. She also implemented new voting rights for all...

Dan Osborn is a former union leader who gained national attention leading the 77-day Kellogg's strike in Omaha in 2021. A U.S. Navy veteran and father of three, he's spent the last 20 years punching a clock as a steamfitter and industrial mechanic. He is running for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska as an independent candidate focused on economic issues affecting working families.

Dan and I discuss the campaign and end with some pretty...

Cait Conley is a fourth-generation Hudson Valley native, daughter of a postal worker and a construction worker, a decorated combat veteran and national security expert. And she’s running for the House in NY’s 17th Congressional district. She recently won the Democratic Party's nomination to face-off against incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Lawlor in New York's 17th Congressional district in the November midterms.

Cait a...

Brian Tyler Cohen is a progressive YouTuber, podcaster, and host of the No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen podcast. He’s built an audience of millions across platforms and billions of views on YouTube. His first book, Shameless, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. His new book, THE DAY AFTER: How to Wield Power in a Post-Trump World, goes on sale July 14th.

Brian and I discuss the book and the current threats to our democracy fr...

Emily Suttle-Braun is the founder and CEO of Doodle Mom Strategies, a growth and sales partner for political tech companies, agencies, and data platforms. She has over 15 years of experience in campaigns, advocacy, and political tech highlighted by her work on the 2016 Hillary Clinton and 2020 Biden-Harris campaigns.

About a decade ago Emily dated embattled former Maine U.S. Senate democratic nominee Graham Platner. She joins me ...

Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk-music revival of the early 1980s. Since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed 1985 debut album, she has written and recorded numerous songs that have become part of the contemporary music vernacular, including “Luka,” “Marlene on the Wall” and “Tom’s Diner,” an a cappella piece that was remixed by U.K. electronic dance duo ...

Rina Shah is a Washington, DC-based geopolitical risk adviser, political strategist, and frequent on-air commentator. She is the Founder of Vental Strategic Advisory Group. With experience as a Capitol Hill senior aide to two members of Congress, chief spokesperson for two presidential campaigns, and trusted counselor to CEOs, elected officials, and diplomats worldwide, she’s been a leading voice on U.S. foreign policy, natio...