Just ahead of Election Day, Celeste and John put the truly bizarre 2016 U.S. presidential cycle into context, with the help of distinguished podcasters from both sides of the pond. First up: Ken Rudin, the award-winning National Public Radio and ABC News veteran best known as "The Political Junkie" and the host of a podcast by that name. Rudin draws on decades of news coverage and analysis to unpack the breathtaking electoral brawl between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Next, weighing in...

Trailing in the polls, Donald Trump has kept up a drumbeat of warnings about a "rigged system" that's working against his chances of beating Hillary Clinton and winning the presidency. But is the U.S. election system really rigged — or riggable? Celeste and John pose the question to Dana Perino, White House press secretary under former President George W. Bush and now host of Fox News Channel's "The Five" and the "I'll Tell You What" podcast. Then we jump to Nairobi, Kenya, for a talk with...

With the election looming and the final debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump dominating the headlines, Celeste and John step back to focus on one of the greatest challenges the next president must face: dealing with war-torn Syria. Celeste speaks with Christina Psarra of the humanitarian aid group Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieresabout her work helping refugees and educating the public about their experience through MSF's traveling exhibition "Forced From...

With one final presidential debate left to go, the hits keep on coming for Donald Trump. The Republican nominee is now not only defending himself against accusations of prurient behavior towards women, but finds himself embroiled in a civil war with the top figures in his own party, just weeks away from the election. This week, Celeste and John break down the latest in the race for president and look ahead at what could might come next with the help of Economist Washington Bureau Chief...

The media is under siege in this election — and the phenomenon isn't limited to the campaign for U.S. president. In this episode, Celeste and John talk with two powerful news editors in the United States and Europe about covering politics in an era when people think they're entitled not just to their own opinions, but their own facts. Marty Baron, the Pulitzer Prize-winning executive editor of The Washington Post, speaks about the moral obligation — and occasional frustrations — of...

It might be hard to make sense of the first debate between presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, but in a special edition of the podcast recorded the morning after the debate in the Mic studio at One World Trade Center, Celeste and John try to do just that. This episode was produced by Alan Haburchak.

Ahead of showdown #1 at Hofstra University in New York, Celeste and John preview the upcoming trio of presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Presidential debates are a big part of American political culture, and they've given us plenty of memorable moments — even if their ultimate effect on the outcomes of elections are, well, debatable. They're also fairly unique on the world stage. Former Sen. and New Hampshire Gov. Judd Clegg shares an insider's take he earned by...

Hillary Clinton has been fighting off questions about her health throughout the 2016 presidential election, but the topic returned to the fore after she nearly fainted at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony and then revealed she'd contracted pneumonia. Clinton, 68 -- or Donald Trump, 70, who has released scant detail about his own medical history -- would be among the oldest presidents ever elected. This week, Celeste and John speak with distinguished historian and presidential biographer Robert...

Celeste and John take a look at the facts and feelings surrounding one of the thorniest issues of the 2016 campaign for the White House: Immigration reform. Journalist and activist Jose Antonio Vargas of Define American shares how his experiences as an undocumented immigrant from the Philippines have shaped his life, his work and his view of the race for president. Next, former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service Commissioner Doris Meissner, now a senior fellow at the Migration...

Special Relationship #8: Alt-Right or Wrong? This week, Celeste and John try to put the so-called "alt-right" movement into context in the U.S. and abroad. Hillary Clinton's decision to call out this amorphous branch of conservatism and tie it to Donald Trump won accolades from those who deem it a haven for racists and ultra nationalists. But in doing so, did she give the alt-right the spotlight it craved? Helping tackle the topic in guest appearances: Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol...

In a special edition of the podcast, Celeste and John share their personal observations after covering both the Republican National Convention in Cleveland and the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Celeste contrasts 2016 with covering five previous conventions; John reports on his takeaways after entering the U.S. convention bubble for the very first time. Special Guest: Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

To help unravel what the U.K.'s decision might mean for the nation's "Special Relationship" with the United States and the 2016 presidential elections, and the world, Celeste and John are joined by two guests. Robert Tuttle served as ambassador to the United Kingdom from the United States from 2005 to 2009. Speaking from California, Tuttle shares his thoughts on how the international landscape will change — and his own surprising plans for casting his own vote in November. Economist...

Today, Celeste and John speak with U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat who led a 15-hour filibuster to force lawmakers to take action on stronger gun control regulations after 49 people were gunned down at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Murphy's measure also came as Jo Cox, a U.K. Labour Party member of Parliament, was murdered in a savage shooting and stabbing attack in her home district amid the tensions of the Brexit vote. Murphy expresses his anger and frustration —...

Today, Celeste and John delve into the Bernie Sanders phenomenon and what it means for the future of Democratic and third-party politics. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a supporter of Sanders rival Hillary Clinton, looks at the election through the lens of his own experiences as a 2004 presidential contender. He gives his take on not only Clinton and Sanders, but on presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump as well. Providing an international perspective: Writer Sam Knight, who uses the...

In our third episode, Celeste and John focus on the stunning tidal wave of 2016 campaign television advertising — and whether or not it's even effective. Veteran strategist and admaker Jimmy Siegel opens the discussion with his take on what makes a winning TV commercial. Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, speaks about the changing landscape of how candidates connect with voters and forecasts the general election ad wars. And Matt...

In our second episode, we examine the complexities of why American voters may select or reject their first female leader. Celeste and John talk about how Clinton's second attempt to win the Oval Office may be helped — or hurt — by her gender. Guest Joanne Bamberger, author of "Love Her, Love Her Not: The Hillary Paradox," speaks about the complexities of how female voters view Clinton and the personal and political choices she's made. And later, Economist Senior Editor Anne McElvoy contrasts...

In ancient times — pre-2012, say — American presidential elections were often reasoned, somber affairs. The 2016 campaign will not be remembered that way. Combative candidates have channeled voters' anger and fear into a new strain of hypernationalism. In this, our first episode of Special Relationship, we examine how fear of terrorism is shaping the campaign — and whether what is happening in the U.S. is really so different from the politics of other countries.

Special Relationship is a podcast collaboration that examines the US presidential election from the characteristic perspectives of two leading news organizations. Hosted by The Economist’s John Prideaux and Mic’s Celeste Katz, Special Relationship grapples with the major themes and issues in a campaign that has been anything but predictable. Each episode is a conversation, fusing deep dives into specific themes with broader perspectives provided by global and historical comparisons from both...