As Catholics gather in Rome to mourn Pope Francis, those hoping to succeed him are preparing to engage in one of the world's oldest and most intriguing electoral contests.

This week's guest knows the inner workings of the Vatican and the key players involved as cardinals gather for the next conclave. Host Anne McElvoy talks to Francis Campbell, who served as Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 to 2011. Campbell became ambassador not long after the death of Pope John Paul II and a few months into Benedict’s pontificate, which preceded that of Francis. He believes that the cardinals may opt for a break from the past, rather than for a continuity candidate.

Brought up in Northern Ireland, Campbell was the first Catholic to represent the U.K. in the Vatican. He was a foreign policy adviser to former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who converted to Catholicism after he left office. Campbell is now vice-chancellor of the University of Notre Dame Australia.  

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In a dramatic twist, President Trump announced an abrupt reversal of the tariff policy that had spooked the markets and threatened to upend world trade. While many trading partners have been given a temporary reprieve, Washington’s tit for tat with Beijing has reached new heights. Where does it leave the credibility of the Trump administration?

Host Anne McElvoy talks to Jason Furman, former U.S. President Barack Obama’s top economic adviser and chair of his Council of Economic Advisers. He’s currently the Aetna Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy jointly at Harvard Kennedy School and the Department of Economics at Harvard University.

She's also joined by Nahal Toosi, POLITICO’s senior foreign affairs correspondent, who has been closely following the machinations of Trump’s new tariff regime. 

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United States President Donald Trump’s "Liberation Day" of tariffs on foreign imports has roiled the markets and caused upset across the Atlantic. But is there anything opposition Democrats can do to curtail an all-powerful president?

Host Anne McElvoy talks to Sen. Mark Kelly, former NASA astronaut and naval officer, who is one of the few prominent Democrats taking the fight to the Trump administration with gusto. Kelly’s criticism of the president’s approach to Ukraine turned into an ugly spat with Elon Musk, who called him a "traitor."

The politician from Arizona sits on the Senate's influential Armed Services and Intelligence committees, where he’s been probing senior officials in the administration about leaked Signal messages detailing a recent U.S. combat mission. They discuss "Signalgate," the impact of tariffs on the American and global economy, and how the Democrats can recover from last year's election defeat.

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Germany entered a new political era this week as the Bundestag met for the first time since last month's pivotal general election. Does the country's leader-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, have what it takes to reassure a fractious nation worrying about its fading status as an economic giant and lead Germany toward smoother transatlantic relations? Some question whether he has the political skillset to provide firm leadership.

Host Anne McElvoy talks to Gordon Repinski, POLITICO’s executive editor in Germany and host of the Berlin Playbook podcast, and Jennifer Wilton, editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Die Welt. They survey the challenges facing Merz as he tries to forge a grand coalition between his Christian Democrat party and the Social Democrats. A sluggish economy, a growing defense budget and the war in Ukraine loom large as Merz prepares to take over the Chancellery.

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United States President Donald Trump has been rebuked by the chief justice of the Supreme Court for his attacks on judges who have ruled against his flurry of executive orders. Elon Musk has joined the fray by calling this a "judicial coup." Is this the road to a full-blown constitutional stand-off?

Host Anne McElvoy talks to Matthew Platkin, Attorney General of New Jersey, and prominent thorn in the Trump administration’s side. Platkin is spearheading a coalition of Democratic law-enforcement officials from more than 20 states, resulting in lawsuits attempting to thwart the president’s executive orders to revoke birthright citizenship, stop a sweeping freeze on federal funding and challenge an attempt to dismantle the Department of Education.

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The United States-Ukraine plan for a temporary ceasefire has turned up the heat on Russian President Vladimir Putin. What are Donald Trump's next moves if Putin either refuses to accept the deal or places unacceptable demands on Ukraine and its allies?

Host Anne McElvoy talks to Kurt Volker, who has a particular insight into Trump’s thinking on Ukraine. Volker was the U.S. special representative during his first administration and America’s ambassador to NATO under President George W. Bush. They discuss how any ensuing negotiations might play out and whether a meaningful peace deal can be achieved.

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Will Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s olive branch to Donald Trump be enough to secure Ukraine’s future — and his own? After his bruising encounter with the U.S. president in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy issued an eleventh-hour missive and said he was ready to sign the minerals deal and "work fast to end the war."

Host Anne McElvoy speaks with one of the most senior politicians in Ukraine, Oleksandr Merezhko, Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee chair and staunch Zelenskyy ally, who argues that Trump is "being used by Putin" in his attempts to force a deal and call for fresh elections in Ukraine.

She is also joined by POLITICO Europe’s Opinion Editor Jamie Dettmer from Kyiv on the fast-moving realpolitik being played between Ukraine, the U.S. and European capitals.

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The French president and British prime minister have been to the White House to urge President Donald Trump not to abandon Kyiv as negotiations with Russia loom. Trump's attacks on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and his administration's approach to the Western alliance have caused consternation among European capitals.

This week, host Anne McElvoy talks to Dan Crenshaw, a Republican congressman representing the Second Congressional District in Texas and an ally of President Trump. A former Navy SEAL, Crenshaw served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he lost an eye to a bomb blast in the province of Helmand. He was in London to attend the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference, where right-wing thinkers from Europe and the U.S. gathered.

They discuss Trump's position on Ukraine, Russia and the Western alliance as well as transgender rights in the U.S. military. Crenshaw argues that Europe needs to mount a more aggressive defense posture or "shut up" about the need for American support.

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President Donald Trump’s quick-fire approach to ending Russia’s war against Ukraine has left European allies worried they are being sidelined by the United States administration, as Washington and Moscow conduct direct negotiations.

It has also caused a crisis in European capitals about the future of NATO, created in the wake of World War II to uphold security in Europe and protect it from a Russian threat. Now, it’s America that looks as if it's turning its back on NATO and Europe — in search of a grand bargain with Moscow.

Host Anne McElvoy talks with John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who also served as national security adviser under Trump, and Sanna Marin, Finland’s prime minister from 2019 to 2023, who led the country to its NATO accession.

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Donald Trump may have ruffled feathers with his closest neighbors in recent weeks, but he has a willing ally in South America. Argentina’s President Javier Milei has become something of a hero in the MAGA movement for his populist style and radical economic reforms. Will the love affair outlast an era of tariff-wielding? 

Host Anne McElvoy talks to Federico Sturzenegger, the former president of Argentina’s central bank and an economist at Harvard. He is now leading the Ministry of Deregulation and State Transformation under Milei.

They discuss whether the South American free-market experiment provides a catalyst for Trump’s vision for the United States' economy and the wider world, and whether Margaret Thatcher — elected as Britain's Conservative Party leader 50 years ago this week — is an inspiration for Milei.

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