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.”

Join us for this fun, insightful chat about Donald Trump, Trumpism, the Republican Party, the race for the White House, the upcoming debate, VeepStakes, the November election, and the fate of THE CIRCUS. And if that's not enough, Mark reveals his love of the movie WAITRESS, Broadway musicals, the origin of his hats, and his favorite musical artists of all time!

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Jordan Matthew Horowitz is an Emmy-winning writer/director of both documentary and narrative film. His recent documentary, JACK AND SAM, about Holocaust survivors Jack Waksal and Sam Ron, was executive produced by Julianna Margulies and Sarah Silverman, and was shortlisted for a prestigious IDA Award. His other films include the documentary ANGEL OF NANJING and the narrative feature film PAINLESS. He is currently in development on a feature narrative of JACK AND SAM.

Jordan joins me for a truly compelling chat about his poignant, riveting documentary film JACK AND SAM, Holocaust education, the alarming rise in anti-Israel protests and antisemitism, and more. And, we are joined by 99-year-old Jack, who discusses his friendship with Sam, their incredible chance-reunion after 80 years, the harrowing details of his escape from the Pionki concentration camp in Poland, and how he survived hiding out in the forest for six months.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Frank Bruni has been a prominent journalist for more than three decades, including more than twenty-five years at The New York Times, in roles as diverse as op-ed columnist, White House correspondent, Rome bureau chief, and chief restaurant critic. He is the author of four New York Times bestsellers. In July 2021, he became a full professor at Duke University, teaching in the school of public policy. He currently writes his popular weekly newsletter for the Times and produces additional essays as one of the newspaper’s Contributing Opinion Writers.

Frank discusses his new book, The Age of Grievance, and the theories behind why Americans are so polarized and angry. We also chat about Donald Trump and Trumpism; and dissect the MAGA mentality and its impact on the presidential campaign and the upcoming election. And, Frank reveals his Top 5 musical artists of all time!

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Maggie Haberman is a journalist who joined The New York Times in 2015 and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on the investigations into Donald Trump’s, and his advisers’, connections to Russia. She has twice been a member of a team that was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, in 2021 for reporting on the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus, and in 2022 for coverage related to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol. Before joining The New York Times as a campaign correspondent, she worked as a political reporter at Politico, from 2010 to 2015. She previously worked at The New York Post and The New York Daily News.

Maggie brings her keen insights and perspective to a broad discussion about Donald Trump, his legal troubles, his amped-up revenge-rhetoric, its impact on the campaign, and what it all means should he win; the role Bobby Kennedy Jr and Nikki Haley voters may play in the November election; and more...including her top-5 musical artists of all time!

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Ferne Pearlstein is a director, cinematographer, and editor based in New York City. Her most recent film is “XCLD: THE STORY OF CANCEL CULTURE,” a nuanced look at this controversial topic, produced by Trevor Noah and Time Studios for MSNBC’s Turning Point series. As a director and producer, with husband and producing partner Robert Edwards, she has had four features premiere at Tribeca, including SUMO EAST AND WEST and the narratives LAND OF THE BLIND starring Ralph Fiennes and Donald Sutherland, and ONE MORE TIME starring Christopher Walken. The most recent of those four features was the critically acclaimed THE LAST LAUGH (2016) about taboos in humor.

We chat about her early inspirations and career; her films; the film business today; cancel vs consequence culture; and whether there are or should be subjects that are off limits in comedy.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

S.E. Cupp is a CNN political commentator and most recently host of CNN's S.E. Cupp Unfiltered. Before joining CNN she co-hosted MSNBC's The Cycle. She's a nationally syndicated political columnist, culture critic, author and consultant who regularly writes for the New York Daily News, Glamour and CNN.com. She was previously a consultant for Apple TV+'s The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell and HBO's hit series, The Newsroom. Her new syndicated show, Battleground News, launches June 10th.

It's always so much fun when S.E. brings her keen insights and humor into The Back Room! Is this episode we discuss the Trump trial, the verdict, and its impact on the campaign; Trump's veepstakes; Biden, RFK Jr, Nikki Haley and the November election; and she answers the burning question, "Who had the better week, Robert De Niro or Dennis Quaid!

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

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.

Jennifer shares her keen insights into Donald Trump's election-interference/hush-money trial, the verdict, the sentencing options, the appeal process and more. It's an informative, compelling chat that's not to be missed!

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of global investment firm SkyBridge and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. He’s also an author, hosts the OPEN BOOK podcast, and is best known for the 11 roller-coaster days he served in the Trump White House as Communications Director.

Join us as Mooch discusses his new book From Wall Street to the White House and Back; the presidential campaign and Trump's 'veepstakes'; the November election; the NY election-interference/hush-money trial; and yes, we even found a way to discuss Taylor Swift!

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

The inimitable Rick Wilson's back in The Back Room! Rick's a renowned political strategist, infamous ad-maker, writer, speaker, political commentator, co-founder of the political action committee The Lincoln Project, co-founder of media company Resolute Square and a two-time New York Times bestselling author.

Rick is on fire! Join us as he riffs on Trump, his sons "Uday and Qusay", 'his GOP sycophants, and 'veepstakes'; 'Nikki Haley; the November election; the NY trial; and more!

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Jasmine Crockett is an attorney, former member of the Texas House of Representatives and currently serves as the US Representative for Texas’s 30th Congressional District, which covers much of the city of Dallas and parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties. She is a member of the House Oversight and Agriculture Committees.

Rep. Crockett is back in THE BACK ROOM discussing her epic "Bleach-Blonde Bad-Built Butch-Body" clapback of Marjorie Taylor Greene (and does she think Greene's a racist?); her viral popularity and role as the highly-effective humorous, sarcastic nemesis of the GOP crazy caucus; her role as a potent Biden campaign surrogate; Trump and the November election; and more!

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud