The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Kara Swisher is the host of the podcast “On with Kara Swisher” and the co-host of the “Pivot” podcast with Scott Galloway. She was the co-founder and editor-at-large of Recode, host of the “Recode Decode” podcast, and co-executive producer of the Code conference. She was a former contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and host of its “Sway” podcast and has also worked for The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She is the author of several books, including her latest, BURN BOOK. Kara shares her keen insights into Nvidia's blowout earnings, the AI trade, and the future of AI; the Paramount/Netflix battle for Warner; SecDef Pete Hegseth's Anthropic threats; Bari Weiss and the trouble at CBS News and 60 Minutes; and the latest Epstein 'missing Trump files' bombshell and massive cover-up. 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 joins me for a State of the Union preview and a pull-no-punches chat about Trump, the Midterms, and the latest Epstein cover-up BOMBSHELL 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

Ricki Lake is an American actress, television host, and producer whose career has spanned more than three decades. She burst onto the scene at just 19 years old as Tracy Turnblad in John Waters' 1988 cult classic Hairspray, earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead. She went on to appear in a string of beloved films including Cry-Baby, Serial Mom, and Mrs. Winterbourne. In 1993, at just 24 years old, she made history as the youngest person to host a syndicated daytime talk show, The Ricki Lake Show, which ran for 11 seasons. She brought the show back in 2012, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. She has also produced the documentaries The Business of Being Born and Weed the People. Most recently, Ricki is an executive producer of Big Rock Burning, a documentary about the devastating 2025 Palisades Fire, which destroyed her own Malibu home. And, she is an ambassador for Community Access, a New York-based nonprofit providing housing and support for people with mental health challenges. Ricki is living a very rich, successful and open life full of incredible highs and lows. We talk about love, life, loss, and longevity in her nearly 40-year illustrious career. 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

We're still on vacation, but there's just too much happening today not to hop on the mic for a few minutes to discuss the breaking news! So, join me as I share some thoughts on SCOTUS's devastating blow to Trump on tariffs, the shitty GDP numbers that just came out, and the latest Epstein news including former Prince Andrew's arrest. 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

SPECIAL REPEAT!: We're on vacation! But we'll be back in a week. So in the meantime, we're re-posting our recent terrific chat with Mary Trump in case you missed it the first time. It's super insightful and fun, and is one of our most popular episodes. Enjoy! Mary Trump is an American psychologist and author. Her first book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man which sold nearly one million copies on its first day of publication, is considered a serious game-changer in the 2020 U.S. presidential elections that Donald Trump lost decisively to Joe Biden. She is the author of two other New York Times bestsellers, The Reckoning, (2021), and a memoir, Who Could Ever Love You (2024). Mary holds a PhD in clinical psychology and a Master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She writes The Good in Us, a best-selling newsletter on Substack, and is the founder of Mary Trump Media and the Mary Trump Media YouTube channel. Mary and I discuss her Uncle Donald's rapidly declining mental and physical condition. And as always, Mary and I share more than a few good laughs! 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

Mimi Rocah is an attorney who served as District Attorney of Westchester County, NY from 2021-2024.Prior to becoming DA, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for nearly 17 years where she prosecuted and oversaw cases involving violent crime, organized crime, human trafficking, sex trafficking, child exploitation, frauds and public corruption. She’s a frequent commentator on MSNOW, CNN, The Contrarian, Cafe, and numerous podcasts and radio shows on topics relating to law, justice and women’s issues and has written and published dozens of opinion pieces on those topics. She’s an expert in the rule of law, democracy and the corruption and abuse of the justice system and is currently an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law. And, Mimi is writing a book, “Justice Under Siege,” about the Trump Administration’s political takeover of the DOJ and the heroes who have stood up, due out in September 2026. Mimi shares her thoughts on this week's Pam Bondi testimony at the House Judiciary Committee hearing as well as the overall weaponization of, and corruption at, the Justice Department. 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

Gretchen Carlson is an internationally recognized advocate for women’s rights, whose bold actions against Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes helped pave the way for the global #MeToo movement. A former CBS News and Fox News journalist, author, TED talk alum, and champion for workplace equality, she was named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World”. Gretchen is the co-founder of the non-profit Lift Our Voices which works to end silencing mechanisms in the workplace that keep toxic issues secret. She is also a frequent contributor to CNN and MSNBC, a Fast Company contributor and the author of the New York Times bestsellers “Be Fierce” and “Getting Real.” Her story of harassment and retaliation at Fox News has garnered international attention, including the Showtime mini-series “The Loudest Voice” and movie “Bombshell.” Her signature achievement is the passage of the “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act” in March 2022, one of the biggest labor law changes in the last 100 years. Gretchen joins me to help unpack the latest developments in the Epstein case, from Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie's review of the unredacted files to Ghislaine Maxwell's testimony before the House Oversight Committee 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

Tim Heaphy is a former federal prosecutor and founding partner of the new law firm Heaphy Smith Harbach & Windom. He has extensive experience in complex investigations, white-collar litigation, crisis management and compliance counseling developed in public service, in-house, and private law firm practice. His clients include corporations across a wide array of industries, universities, and public entities facing federal investigations, investigative challenges, and business and reputational crises. He was also the chief investigative counsel for the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol. He is regularly called upon by major media outlets to provide insight and analysis on significant legal issues. David Harbach most recently served as an Assistant Special Counsel in the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith. His 21 years of service as a prosecutor include tours in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of Virginia, the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Houston, Texas, and as an international war crimes prosecutor in The Hague. He also served a one-year detail as Special Counsel in the office of FBI Director James Comey, from 2014 to 2015. He has tried dozens of cases to juries in courts across the country and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Tim and David discuss their new law firm with Jack Smith; Trump, Bondi, and the weaponizing of the Justice Department; the concern over interference in the midterm elections; SCOTUS , the lower courts and the judicial system serving as the critical check on the administration; 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

Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD is a vice provost and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. A bioethicist, health policy expert, and oncologist, he was one of the architects of the Affordable Care Act. He is a regular guest on CNN and MSNBC and frequently contributes to the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Atlantic. His new book is “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life”. He’s also an author whose new book is “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life”. Dr. Emanuel and I discuss his terrific new book and the state of healthcare in America today. 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

Dave Aronberg served three terms as the elected State Attorney for Palm Beach County from 2012 to 2024. He is also a former Assistant Attorney General, White House Fellow and Florida State Senator, where he was elected in 2002. In 2010, he returned to the Florida Attorney General’s Office as a Special Prosecutor for Prescription Drug Trafficking. He frequently appears on cable television as a legal commentator. And he is the managing partner of Dave Aronberg Law, P.A., and a strategic partner with Capital City Consulting in West Palm Beach. Dave and I discuss Trump's DOJ weaponization and AG Pam Bondi's utter lack of independence; Don Lemon's arrest; the Epstein Cover-Up; 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