The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Frank Figliuzzi was the assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, where he served 25 years as a special agent and directed all espionage investigations across the government. He held senior FBI leadership positions in major American cities and was appointed the FBI’s Chief Inspector by then Director Robert Mueller to oversee sensitive internal inquiries, shooting reviews, and performance audits. Following his FBI career, Frank became a corporate security executive for a Fortune 10 company and led global Investigations, Insider Threat, Workplace Violence Prevention, and Special Event security for 200,000 employees in 180 countries. He is the author of “The FBI Way: Inside the Bureau’s Code of Excellence and “Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers”

Frank's unique, invaluable expertise makes for a highly compelling discussion and analysis of the Minneapolis shooting death by ICE of 37-year-old wife and mother Renee Good; the administration's gaslighting the reality of this tragedy; and what must happen going forward to ensure a thorough and impartial investigation.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart is a co-host of the morning edition of The Weekend on MS NOW. From 2020 until 2025 he was anchor of The Saturday Show and The Sunday Show on MSNBC. He is also an analyst on The PBS News Hour. He is a former Associate Editor at the Washington Post, where he was an opinion writer for nearly two decades.He was also deputy editorial page editor of the New York Daily News and served on its editorial board. His editorial campaign in 1999 to save the Apollo Theater earned the board the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. His new memoir, “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from A Black Man’s Search for Home,”, is a NY Times bestseller.

Jonathan and I discuss the deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis; Trump, Venezuela and Maduro; and his recent interview with Michelle Obama.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

As Chief Executive Officer of Brown Harris Stevens, she oversees more than 2,300 agents across New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Florida. Since 2018, she has led the firm’s growth into one of the most successful privately held real estate companies in the country, with the highest average sales price per agent nationwide. Before entering real estate, Bess served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Maryland and as a Legal Aid attorney in New York City. She serves on the Boards of the Real Estate Board of New York and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and received REBNY’s Kenneth R. Gerrety Humanitarian Award in 2021.

Bess recaps the 2025 real estate trends, shares her outlook for '26, and discusses interest rates and the 'Mamdani Effect' on the NYC market. We also discuss our mutual concern over the alarming rise in global antisemitic rhetoric and violence.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Elie Honig is CNN’s Senior Legal Analyst. He previously worked for 14 years as a federal and state prosecutor. He is also the national bestselling author of two books, “Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor’s Code and Corrupted the Justice Department” and “Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away With It”. He writes a weekly column for New York magazine and for Cafe.com, and he hosts two podcasts for Vox Media. He teaches at Rutgers University and is special counsel to New Jersey law firm Lowenstein Sandler. His latest book is, When You Come at the King: Inside DOJ’s Pursuit of the President, From Nixon to Trump, will be published September 16th.

Elie revisits the most important judicial rulings of 2025 and those to come in '26

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

My 9-minute rant on Venezuela and Maduro.

Got somethin' to say?!

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 can also be seen regularly on CNN, MSNBC and News Nation.

Joe and I compare our lists of The Top 15 Horrible Things Trump's Said and Done in 2025. Given Trump's exhaustive 'flood the zone' strategy, it's become impossible to remember from one week to the next all of his vile, offensive, dangerous words and actions. And voters need to remember.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

John Fugelsang has been murdered on CSI and picketed by the Westboro Baptist Church. He’s a Drama League–nominated actor, comedian, and broadcaster who’s hosted many TV shows and podcasts, including the acclaimed Tell Me Everything series on SiriusXM Progress. He’s gotten George Harrison to give his final performance on VH1, debated Jerry Falwell and David Duke, and made many appearances on MSNBC, FOX News, and CNN. His epic PBS road trip film on the American Dream, Dream On was named Best Documentary at the New York Independent Film Festival.

John joins me for a truly thought-provoking, eye-opening, humorous conversation about Christian nationalism, religious hypocrisy, and his terrific new book Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Pete Souza was the Chief Official White House Photographer for the entire tenure of the presidency of Barack Obama. He is the author of several books, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Obama: An Intimate Portrait and Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents. A photojournalist since the late 1970s, Souza was also an official White House photographer during the Reagan administration, a freelance photographer for Life and National Geographic, and the Washington-based natural national photographer for the Chicago Tribune. A documentary about his work at the White House, The Way I See It, was nominated for an Emmy, and its Premier was the highest rated non-news, non-live program in MSNBC history. He is a professor emeritus at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication. In 2021, Souza was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame.

Pete has brilliantly captured on film so many incredible moments in modern presidential history. But he also has a great way with words, and joins me for an insightful chat about Donald Trump's unconscionable architectural and design assault on The White House, the defiling of The Kennedy Center, and his utter disdain for protocol, the rule of law, and history.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Eli Sharabi is a former hostage who survived 491 days in Hamas captivity following his abduction from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023. He became a global advocate for the remaining hostages, meeting with world leaders, speaking at the United Nations, and sharing his story with audiences around the world. His memoir, Hostage, is the first published account by a released Israeli hostage, became an instant New York Times and UK’s Sunday Times bestseller.

Eli discusses his book and shares his harrowing story of being taken hostage, his treatment during captivity, the murder of his family, and his inspiring journey through loss and grief.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Rep. Seth Magaziner proudly serves Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District. He serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security, for which he is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee for Counterterrorism, Intelligence and Law Enforcement.

The Congressman joins me for an insightful discussion of the Brown University shooting and the gun violence epidemic in America; Trump's draconian Immigration policies; Homeland Security and the fate of Secretary Kristi Noem; the latest developments with the Epstein Files; and CBS's 60 Minutes debacle

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud