In Amy’s opinion, Astead Herndon is one of the sharpest and most thoughtful political journalists out there. His New York Times podcast, The Run-Up, did an amazing job pulling back the cover on how national politics is done and showing the gulf that exists between the parties, the insiders and actual voters.

It’s this kind of journalism that has set Astead apart from the pack. He picks apart conventional wisdom and elevates the complexities and gray areas that are critical in understanding this political moment.

He's also been skeptical of the idea that traditional forms of political journalism can keep up with the significant changes we've seen in the way Americans receive and process the fire hose of digital media coming at them every single day.

It's one reason why he made the decision to leave the New York Times for a role at Vox. There, he’ll take on the position of host and editorial director and create a new weekly video podcast about, of course, politics starting next year.

This was a really interesting conversation that covered everything from the media to the midterms to the World Cup.

We recorded it on Wednesday, November 19th.