Tom Nichols is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a contributor to the Atlantic Daily newsletter. And he's back in The Back Room sharing his thoughts on Trump's war of choice in Iran and what happens next.

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Alex Vindman and his family left the Soviet Union as refugees when he was three years old. He is a retired 21-year U.S. Army combat veteran who also served as a national security expert working for presidents of both parties. He was wounded in Iraq and awarded a Purple Heart. His military service took him from the battlefield to the Pentagon and the White House, where he served as a Director on the National Security Council staff.

During his time on the National Security Council, he witnessed a corrupt and illegal abuse of power by a president intent on undermining an election. As was his duty under the Constitution, he reported the wrongdoing. His decision to blow the whistle led to the 2019 impeachment of President Donald Trump, whose retribution ultimately cost him his military career. After he left the military, Alex dedicated himself to public service outside of uniform, helping veterans run for office so they can serve as a check on corruption and abuse of power. He’s also the author of the Why It Matters Substack and the New York Times bestselling books Here, Right Matters and The Folly of Realism. And he is now running for the U.S. Senate in Florida.

Alex and I discuss Trump's illegal Iran War, the overall incompetence of the administration, and his very exciting, very promising U.S. Senate campaign in Florida.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
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Kara Swisher is the host of the podcast “On with Kara Swisher” and the co-host of the “Pivot” podcast with Scott Galloway. She was the co-founder and editor-at-large of Recode, host of the “Recode Decode” podcast, and co-executive producer of the Code conference. She was a former contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and host of its “Sway” podcast and has also worked for The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She is the author of several books, including her latest, BURN BOOK.

Kara shares her keen insights into Nvidia's blowout earnings, the AI trade, and the future of AI; the Paramount/Netflix battle for Warner; SecDef Pete Hegseth's Anthropic threats; Bari Weiss and the trouble at CBS News and 60 Minutes; and the latest Epstein 'missing Trump files' bombshell and massive cover-up.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
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Design by Cricket Lengyel

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 joins me for a State of the Union preview and a pull-no-punches chat about Trump, the Midterms, and the latest Epstein cover-up BOMBSHELL

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Ricki Lake is an American actress, television host, and producer whose career has spanned more than three decades. She burst onto the scene at just 19 years old as Tracy Turnblad in John Waters' 1988 cult classic Hairspray, earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead. She went on to appear in a string of beloved films including Cry-Baby, Serial Mom, and Mrs. Winterbourne.

In 1993, at just 24 years old, she made history as the youngest person to host a syndicated daytime talk show, The Ricki Lake Show, which ran for 11 seasons. She brought the show back in 2012, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. She has also produced the documentaries The Business of Being Born and Weed the People. Most recently, Ricki is an executive producer of Big Rock Burning, a documentary about the devastating 2025 Palisades Fire, which destroyed her own Malibu home. And, she is an ambassador for Community Access, a New York-based nonprofit providing housing and support for people with mental health challenges.

Ricki is living a very rich, successful and open life full of incredible highs and lows. We talk about love, life, loss, and longevity in her nearly 40-year illustrious career.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

We're still on vacation, but there's just too much happening today not to hop on the mic for a few minutes to discuss the breaking news! So, join me as I share some thoughts on SCOTUS's devastating blow to Trump on tariffs, the shitty GDP numbers that just came out, and the latest Epstein news including former Prince Andrew's arrest.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
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Design by Cricket Lengyel

SPECIAL REPEAT!: We're on vacation! But we'll be back in a week. So in the meantime, we're re-posting our recent terrific chat with Mary Trump in case you missed it the first time. It's super insightful and fun, and is one of our most popular episodes. Enjoy!

Mary Trump is an American psychologist and author. Her first book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man which sold nearly one million copies on its first day of publication, is considered a serious game-changer in the 2020 U.S. presidential elections that Donald Trump lost decisively to Joe Biden. She is the author of two other New York Times bestsellers, The Reckoning, (2021), and a memoir, Who Could Ever Love You (2024). Mary holds a PhD in clinical psychology and a Master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She writes The Good in Us, a best-selling newsletter on Substack, and is the founder of Mary Trump Media and the Mary Trump Media YouTube channel.

Mary and I discuss her Uncle Donald's rapidly declining mental and physical condition. And as always, Mary and I share more than a few good laughs!

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
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Mimi Rocah is an attorney who served as District Attorney of Westchester County, NY from 2021-2024.Prior to becoming DA, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for nearly 17 years where she prosecuted and oversaw cases involving
violent crime, organized crime, human trafficking, sex trafficking, child exploitation, frauds and public corruption. She’s a frequent commentator on MSNOW, CNN, The Contrarian, Cafe, and numerous podcasts and radio shows on topics relating to law, justice and women’s issues and has written and published dozens of opinion pieces on those topics. She’s an expert in the rule of law, democracy and the corruption and abuse of the justice system and is currently an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law. And, Mimi is writing a book, “Justice Under Siege,” about the Trump Administration’s political takeover of the DOJ and the heroes who have stood up, due out in September 2026.

Mimi shares her thoughts on this week's Pam Bondi testimony at the House Judiciary Committee hearing as well as the overall weaponization of, and corruption at, the Justice Department.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud
@ Radio Free Rhiniecliff
Design by Cricket Lengyel