The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Antonio Delgado is Lt. Governor of the State of New York, appointed in May of 2022 and then elected for a full term in November ’22. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving NY’s 19th Congressional District. He played basketball at Colgate, is a Rhodes Scholar, and a graduate of Harvard Law School. He spent 5 years pursuing a career as a hip-hop artist in LA, and then went on to work as an attorney focusing on complex litigation with pro-bono work in criminal justice reform. As Lt. Governor, he serves as chair of the Hate and Bias Prevention Unit, oversees the Regional Economic Development Council, and is committed to empowering New York communities through civic engagement.

Join us for this insightful conversation about the Israeli/Hamas war and the rise of anti-Semitism, especially here at home; NY's Hate and Bias Prevention Unit; the GOP House chaos; the success of Bidenomics and the need for better Democratic messaging; political tribalism; and the 2024 election.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected]

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

It's a two-fer in The Back Room! Join us for two incredibly important, insightful conversations about the Maine mass-shooting and America's gun-violence epidemic; the Israeli-Hamas War and the growing tensions here and abroad; the chilling rise in anti-Semitism; the Republican House chaos and Speaker debacle; Donald Trump's legal troubles and the on-going threat to democracy of Trumpism; and more.

Rep. Goldman serves New York’s 10th Congressional District. In 2019, he served as lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of President Donald J. Trump for abusing his office for his personal interest regarding Ukraine. Prior to that, Goldman served for a decade as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York.

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.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected]

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

May Pang is the subject of the just-released documentary THE LOST WEEKEND: A LOVE STORY, in which she recounts her legendary 18-month romantic relationship in ’73/’74 with John Lennon which began at 22 when she was John and Yoko Ono’s personal assistant—an affair orchestrated by Yoko herself. She is also a photographer, author and jewelry designer. Her intimate portraits of John during their time together include rare images of the former Beatle and music legend and his son Julian. In addition to working for Apple Records and John & Yoko, she worked in music publishing at United Artists, Famous Music and Island Records.

May and I discuss this incredible new documentary; her time with John in NY and LA; her thoughts on the phrase "Lost Weekend", her relationships with John's first wife Cynthia Lennon, Julian and Yoko; and the emotional journey she's been on since John's murder in 1980.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected]

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

David Jolly is an attorney, political consultant, NBC/MSNBC political analyst and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida from 2014 – 2017. His work has been published in the Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, USA Today, Roll Call, CNN.com, NBCNews.com, NewsMax, the Washington Times, and the Tampa Bay Times. After leaving Congress he became a prominent critic of former President Trump and in 2018 announced he’d left the Republican Party.

David helps unpack the Israeli/Palestinian war and what lies ahead; the GOP House chaos and the Speaker's vacancy; Donald Trump and the overall Republican Party dysfunction; and handicaps the 2024 presidential horse race.

And don't miss the first part of this episode as Andy, Matty and Jen--three American Jews--engage in a spirited debate about the mounting crisis in the Middle East.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected]

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Tara Setmayer is a former CNN political commentator, contributor to ABC News and former GOP Communications Director on Capitol Hill. She's frequently guest-hosted ABC's The View and appears regularly on MSNBC. She’s also a Senior Advisor for the Lincoln Project and co-hosts the streaming show "The Breakdown" alongside Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson. After spending 27 years with the Republican Party, Tara publicly left the GOP in November 2020 after Donald Trump refused to concede the election to Joe Biden. She now identifies as a 'conservative independent'.

Tara is super smart, super insightful and super engaging. We discuss the crisis in the Middle East, the crisis in the GOP House and the ongoing threat to democracy from Donald Trump and his right-wing extremist election-denying cultists.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected]

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. Elected as a freshman last Fall, her district 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.

Congresswoman Crockett is a Back Room favorite, and she's back with us again to discuss the barbaric Hamas attack on Israel and the war that's followed, as well as the Republican House chaos and the crisis its creating as America supports two allies at war--Israel and Ukraine--without a Speaker and a fully functioning Congress. We also revisit her epic speech during the GOP's recent sham Biden impeachment inquiry.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected]

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Sarah Tuttle-singer is a writer, author of the book Jerusalem Drawn and Quartered, and works for The Times of Israel. She was born and raised in Venice beach and has lived in Israel for the past 13 years. She now lives in Jerusalem with her kids where she writes stories about people, climbs roofs, and explores the roads not taken…and loves talking with strangers.

Sarah is a friend of mine. A mother of two teenagers and a toddler. And she shares her personal story of what it's like living in this nation at war in the wake of the barbaric terrorist attack last weekend by Hamas. We discuss the shock and horror of that attack; the imminent ground invasion of Gaza; the growing humanitarian crisis and the likelihood of mass casualties on both sides; and the dilemma facing Israel as it mobilizes and goes on the offensive to protect itself and its citizens. An inspiring optimist, Sarah offers her thoughts on compassion, empathy and the long-term prospects for peace in the region. And at one chilling point, our chat is interrupted by gunfire and blaring sirens. It's a riveting conversation you don't want to miss.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected]

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

David Hogg is a leader in the fight to end gun violence. He is co-founder of the Leaders We Deserve PAC, a grassroots organization dedicated to electing young progressives to Congress and State Legislatures nationwide. He is also co-founder of March for Our Lives, an organization that’s helped lead one of the largest youth movements in America.

David rose to prominence during the 2018 gun violence protests as a student survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, FL. With his sister Lauren, he wrote the NY Times best-selling book #NeverAgain: A New Generation Draws the Line. He was also included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018.

David is an incredibly impressive young man. And our conversation is so compelling. We discuss the gun-violence epidemic in America, what needs to be done to effect real change, and his personal long-term commitment to achieving meaningful gun-reform legislation.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected]

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.

It's always uniquely insightful and entertaining when Rick joins the conversation with his razor-sharp wit and wisdom! In this episode he shares his thoughts on Donald Trump's NY State civil fraud trial, Kevin McCarthy's ouster as House Speaker, the GOP House chaos, the 2024 election and a hilarious lightening-round of the presidential candidates.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected]

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud

Elie Honig is an attorney and CNN senior legal analyst and the bestselling author of Hatchet Man and the recently released Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away With It. He’s a former assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. He also hosts podcasts and writes for CAFE and Vox Media.

Elie is our first member of The Back Room "Five-Timers" club! And he's back to help unpack Donald Trump's New York State civil fraud trial and his myriad legal troubles going forward.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at [email protected]

Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud