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

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 narrator on shows for Reveal, the national investigative journalism show.

Amy joins me to discuss her latest book Killers of Roe: My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Abortion Rights.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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 midterms after being appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster to serve the remainder of her brother’s term.

Annie and I discuss her campaign and this critical race overall following Graham's sudden death.

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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-officials to oppose Donald Trump’s reelection. He’s worked as an advisor in the George W. Bush administration, on Capitol Hill, as a CNN contributor, and is the co-founder of a DC-based charter school and multiple democracy-reform groups. He is also the author of The New York Times best-selling book Blowback and the host of the iHeartRadio podcast “The Whistleblowers”.

Miles and I discuss Lindsey Graham's legacy and funeral; Trump, the Iran war, Israel and Netanyahu; Ukraine and Russia; the Midterms and more.

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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. She regularly interviews authors for CSPAN's BookTV, and is a regular guest on The View, Real Time w/Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Watch What Happens Live and others. SE has also consulted on Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom and AppleTV's The Morning Show, and has made cameos on House of Cards and SNL. As an author SE has written two books, Losing Our Religion: The Liberal Media's Attack on Christianity, and co-authored Why You're Wrong About the RIght. She is on the Advisory Board of Cornell University's Institute of Politics and Global Affairs and INARA.org, and is a No Kid Hungry ambassador.

S.E.'s back, and as always it's super fun! After a little chat about the joys of coffee vs tea, we discuss the latest with Trump 2.0, the Iran War, Pete Hegseth, MAGA, the midterms and more.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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 appears regularly on CNN, MSNOW, News Nation and The BBC.

Sometimes I feel that Joe and I were separated at birth, and while he headed right and I went left, here we are 60 years later on the same side! Which is why it's always a blast when he brings his inimitable wit, wisdom and fire-in-the-belly into The Back Room to discuss Trump, the political parties, MAGA, and the future of our democracy. Don't miss this super-fun and insightful chat!

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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 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 Jocelyn 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 books “State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process”, and last year’s “The Purposeful Warrior: Standing Up for What's Right When the Stakes Are High”. She is also a frequent tv news commentator. And she's back in The Back Room to discuss the campaign, election integrity, and the upcoming midterms.

But first, Matty and I discuss Trump's desperate, bizarre address to the nation last night.

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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 funny impressions of Donald Trump, Jimmy Stewart and Bernie Sanders...but you'll have to listen to find out who does who!

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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 and I discuss her campaign, the broken promises and failures of Trump 2.0 and the Republican Party, and her plan to address the affordability crisis facing the working and middle classes.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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 from Trump 2.0; his prediction for the upcoming midterm elections; expanding the Supreme Court; and his thoughts on the Graham Platner fiasco, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's performance, and the Iran war horizon.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud