The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Mark McKinnon is a political advisor, reform advocate, columnist, and television producer. He was the creator and co-host of Showtime's Emmy-nominated hit documentary series "The Circus”. He’s worked for many causes, companies, and candidates, including President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain, late Governor Ann Richards, and Bono. He was the chief media advisor for five winning presidential primary and general election campaigns. Dedicated to bipartisanship, McKinnon helped start No Labels. He’s been a regular columnist for The Daily Beast, The London Daily Telegraph, and Vanity Fair, and was a consultant to the HBO show “The Newsroom” and Netflix’s “House of Cards.”

Mark and I reflect back on 9/11 on this 25th anniversary, and the impact the horrific attacks have had on America since. We also discuss Trump's disastrous MAGA convention and his $5000 bribe; Paxton v Talarico and Texas politics overall; the midterms and whether Democrats will take the House and Senate; George W. Bush's 'silence'; and more.

But first, Andy and The Back Room crew share their own 9/11 remembrances and thoughts on 'TrumpCon', and dish up the week's winners and losers.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Jessica Tarlov is a liberal co-host of The Five on FOX News, the most watched show in cable news. In addition to co-hosting The Five, Jessica plays an integral role in special coverage for the network and is a fixture on election nights and for breaking news. She also co-hosts the podcast Raging Moderates with NYU Professor Scott Galloway and previously worked as a Democratic pollster and researcher specializing in GenZ and Millennial trends. She holds a PhD in political science from the London School of Economics. Her debut book is I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends, which is on sale September 15th.

Jess and I discuss the book, her role on The Five, and whether it's still possible to engage in civil discourse in Donald Trump's America.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Michelle Kinney is co-founder of The Mayday Network and a democratic strategist. Prior to that she was at The Seneca Project, which she co-founded.She previously served as the Creative Director at The Lincoln Project. She's also a photojournalist, previously served as Vice President of WestSide Democrats in NYC, and was publicly elected to the New York County Democratic Committee.

Will the Postal Service end up controlling mail-in ballots? Will Democrats take back the House and Senate? Will democracy prevail? Michelle and I discuss the drama, chaos, and danger of Trump 2.0 as we head towards the November midterms.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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 and is the author of two books, “Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda” and “The Recovering Politician’s Twelve Step Program to Survive Crisis”. He also hosted “The Michael Steele Podcast.”

Will Donald Trump spend any of his $400-million war chest to help Republicans get elected or just spend it on himself? Will his efforts to stop mail-in voting hurt the GOP by turning off rural Republicans and keep them from voting? Will the Supreme Court ultimately help him steal the midterms? Will Texas' redistricting scam backfire? Will the Lone Star State finally flip with a James Talarico victory over Ken Paxton? How much impact will DSA have this November? Will Democrats win back the House AND Senate? Michael addresses these critical questions and more.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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 is also the co-founder of Lift Our Voices, a national non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the American workplace by banning forced arbitration clauses and non-disclosure agreements for toxic workplace issues. And she is a former contributor at Fox News Channel, where she was a frequent co-host of Outnumbered and The Five. Prior to that, she was a contributor at CNBC, the financial news network.

Can a Democratic Socialist like Angie Nixon win a U.S. Senate seat in a ruby-red Southern state like Florida? Can progressive/capitalist Abdul El-Sayed win in the critical Midwest swing state of Michigan. Is there a blue tidal wave coming? Lastly, does Natalie Harp see Donald Trump as her Jesus? Julie shares her thoughts on all this and more as we head towards the November midterms.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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 as Nevada Secretary of State.

The Secretary and I discuss Trump's relentless assault on our election system, the complicit Republican Party, and the legal fight he and other secretaries of state and state attorneys general are successfully waging to ensure a free and fair election in the November midterms.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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 relentless assault on our electoral system, the Attorney General and I discuss election integrity and what to expect in Michigan and elsewhere in the 58 days between now and the November midterms.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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 veteran of the Biden Administration, she served as Director of External and Government Affairs for the CHIPS Program Office. During the 2020 general election, she served as a top aide to Biden's general election campaign.

A native of Arkansas, she began her political career in President Bill Clinton’s Administration, serving in both the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. On the 2016 presidential campaign, she served as Hillary for America’s Director of Strategic Communications. She was a senior communications aide to Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. She’s also a frequent contributor to NBC News and MS NOW.

Adrienne and I discuss the democrats' establishment vs progressive/DSA rift and It's impact on the November midterms. We also discuss the possible reasons behind White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's sudden announcement that she'll be leaving her job at month's end. But first, The Back Room gang discusses how significant the subject of Israel may be on the campaign trail these next 2 1/2 months.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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 as episodes of the NBC comedy The Office.

Lee joins me to discuss his terrific new film NIMRODS, which opens in theaters this Friday, August 14th. It’s a '90s-inspired coming-of-age road trip movie inspired by the band Green Day’s early days. The band is heavily involved and in the film, alongside a killer cast including Mason Thames, Mckenna Grace, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, Fred Armisen, Bobby Lee, and Sean Gunn.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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.

Got somethin' to say?!

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud