The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Sarah McCammon is a National Political Correspondent for NPR and cohost of The NPR Politics Podcast. Her work focuses on political, social and cultural divides in America, including the intersections of politics and religion, reproductive rights, and the conservative movement. She is also a frequent guest host for NPR news magazines, and has appeared on the BBC, CNN, PBS, and MSNBC. During the 2016 election cycle, Sarah was NPR’s lead political reporter assigned to the Donald Trump campaign and previously reported for NPR Member stations in Georgia, Iowa and Nebraska. Sarah is the author of the terrific new book The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. In this fascinating conversation, Sarah shares her deeply personal journey of faith to freedom; explains white evangelical support for Trump; and offers compelling insights on religion 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

Paul Begala is a CNN political commentator, consultant and NY Times best-selling author. Along with his partner James Carville, he was one of the masterminds behind Bill Clinton's winning presidential campaign in 1992 and later served as Counselor to the President, serving as one of President Clinton's closest aides, and coordinating policy, politics, and communications. In the 2012 campaign, Paul was a senior adviser for the pro-Obama Super PAC, making Begala one of the few people to play a critical role in electing two different presidents. Paul is back in The Back Room, and as always, he brings his inimitable wit and wisdom on a range of critical subjects including Trump and his existential threat to democracy; right-wing religious extremism and its Orange Jesus worship; RFK Jr and his VP pick Nicole Shanahan; Liz Cheney, the November election and the latest polling; the economy; 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

Miles Taylor is a national security expert who served in the Trump administration as chief of staff at the US Department of Homeland Security, where he published an “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-officials to oppose Donald Trump’s reelection. He’s worked as an advisor in both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, on Capitol Hill, and as a CNN contributor. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Blowback, and the host of the “The Whistleblowers” podcast. Miles is back in The Back Room to discuss his revised paperback edition of Blowback (out April 9) and the intensifying threats of a Donald Trump 2.0, including his promises of dictatorship and weaponizing of the government to exact revenge on his opponents and perceived enemies. 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

Ian Bremmer is a political scientist, Columbia University professor and president and founder of geopolitical risk advisory firm Eurasia Group, and GZERO Media, which covers international affairs. He is the author of eleven books, including the New York Times bestsellers “Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism,” and his latest book, “The Power of Crisis: How Three Threats—and Our Response—Will Change the World”. Ian serves as rapporteur of the UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence and is the foreign affairs columnist and editor at large for Time magazine. He is the host of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, a global affairs program that airs weekly on US public television. Ian is also a frequent guest on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and many other news outlets globally. Ian and I get into it all: Putin, Russia, Ukraine, NATO, Israel, Trump, Biden, the November election and its impact on American foreign policy. 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

Jonathan Vigliotti is an Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award–winning CBS News national correspondent whose work has appeared on numerous platforms including CBS Sunday Morning, Face the Nation, 48 Hours, and more. His reporting has taken him to more than forty countries and territories across six continents. His just released debut book is Before It’s Gone: Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America. Join us for this important conversation about the climate crisis, its devastating consequences, and what we can do to protect and preserve the environment. 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

Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State, and 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 eligible Michiganders prior to the 2020 election, including the right to vote absentee, and oversaw more than 250 audits after the election, all of which affirmed its integrity and accuracy. At 36 she was appointed dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, becoming the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100, accredited law school, and continues to serve as vice chair of the advisory board for the Levin Center at Wayne Law, which she founded with former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. She is the author of the book State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process, and is a frequent tv news commentator. Join us as the Secretary discusses the past, present and future of election integrity and security in Michigan and across the United States. 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

Don Lemon is a best-selling author, journalist and former anchor of the long-running CNN primetime program, Don Lemon Tonight. He made headlines recently when his newly launched The Don Lemon Show, originally set to launch on X, formerly Twitter, was cancelled by Elon Musk after his interview with the testy billionaire tech-bro. The show is available on YouTube and all audio and video platforms. Don has won a variety of distinguished awards including an Edward R. Murrow award, multiple Emmys and a Peabody award, among others. He’s also been recognized as a leading influential figure by Ebony magazine, The Advocate, Out and others. And in 2011, he broke barriers by revealing he was gay in his auto-biographical book Transparent. His 2021 book This is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism, debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was inspired by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Join us as Don and I get into it all...the old show, the new show, Musk and more. It's a truly don't-miss conversation. 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

Katie Rogers is a White House correspondent for The New York Times, where she has worked since 2014. She has traveled the world covering two presidential administrations, writing extensively about domestic policy, foreign policy and the complicated dynamics of first families. Her just published first book is American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden . Join us for this fun, insightful chat about the role of the First Lady, and the best and worst moments of the last several decades! 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

Tom Nichols is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He’s an expert on international security issues who taught national security affairs for 25 years at the U.S. Naval War College, as well as at the Harvard Extension School, Dartmouth College, and Georgetown University. He is the author of several books on Russia, the Cold War, and international politics. A new, updated edition of his most recent book, Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault From Within on Modern Democracy, will be released in April. Tom brings his inimitable wit and wisdom back into The Back Room to discuss Putin, Ukraine and the recent Russian 'election'; Trump's legal troubles; the Biden administration; the November election and the existential threat to democracy; "campus culture" and the youth vote; the MAGA cult; 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

Jennifer Rodgers is a Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School, an Adjunct Professor of Clinical Law at the NYU School of Law, and a Legal Analyst for CNN. She teaches, writes, and speaks about government ethics, public corruption, sports corruption, and criminal law issues. Between 2000-2013, Jennifer worked at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where she served in numerous capacities, including as a Deputy Chief Appellate Attorney, the Chief of the Organized Crime Unit, and a Chief of the General Crimes Unit. She serves on the Board of Directors for the New York City Bar Association. Join us for this informative, insightful chat as Jennifer helps unpack each of Donald Trump's civil and criminal cases and how and when he may finally be held accountable...or not. 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