The Lede
This is The Lede, the New Lines Magazine podcast. Each week, we delve into the biggest ideas, events and personalities from around the world. For more stories from New Lines, visit our website, newlinesmag.com
Episodes

May 11, 2026
May 11, 2026
45 min
Historian Quinn Slobodian joins Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede to discuss what Elon Musk reveals about a new era of digital capitalism, the fusion of rockets and far-right ideology, and his new book, "Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed," co-authored with Ben Tarnoff.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

May 4, 2026
May 4, 2026
37 min
Novelist Hannah Lillith Assadi joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the century of Arab exile, the question of what it might mean to forget and the spiritual return at the heart of her new novel, "Paradiso 17."
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Apr 27, 2026
Apr 27, 2026
24 min
On this month's episode of Global Insights on The Lede, journalist and historian Michael Smith and New Lines Culture Editor Lydia Wilson join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei to discuss the strains on the U.S.-U.K. special relationship in the wake of the Iran war, the enduring role of intelligence sharing between the two countries, and whether Britain may pivot closer to Europe as a lasting consequence of the conflict.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Apr 20, 2026
Apr 20, 2026
1hr 1 min
Investigative journalist Barbara Matejčić and author Jasmin Mujanović join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss Matejčić's New Lines investigation into a 1992 execution in Bosnia, the ethics of war photography and the long afterlife of the Bosnian genocide in today's far-right politics.
Produced by Finbar Anderson
Further reading: They Photographed an Execution in Bosnia. Did They Influence the Killer? by Barbara Matejčić

Apr 13, 2026
Apr 13, 2026
39 min
Journalists Nada Bakri and Zahra Hankir join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss the latest strikes on Lebanon, the shrinking space of civilian safety and what it means to watch your country's destruction from afar.
Produced by Finbar Anderson
Far From the Land of Good News by Nada Bakri
Who Is Left To Cover Lebanon? by Zahra Hankir

Apr 6, 2026
Apr 6, 2026
48 min
On this week's episode of the podcast, novelist and essayist Rana Dasgupta joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss a world in crisis from China to Iran, why what we call fascism may just be the standard operating practice of the nation-state, and his vision for a political architecture that responds to the needs of today’s global world, as set out in his new book, "After Nations."
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Mar 30, 2026
Mar 30, 2026
35 min
On this month's episode of Global Insights on The Lede, New Delhi restaurateur Anuj Wadhwa tells Kwangu Liwewe Agyei how the Iran war is squeezing his third-generation family business, while economist and Bloomberg columnist Mihir Sharma explains why South Asia is particularly vulnerable to the crisis — and why it could get much worse.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Mar 23, 2026
Mar 23, 2026
50 min
On this week's episode of the podcast, journalist and author Anand Gopal joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss two decades of conflict from Afghanistan to Iran, how the stories told by the powerful ignore the people who live under them, and what a forgotten democratic experiment in Syria can teach us about authoritarianism worldwide, as set out in his new book "Days of Love and Rage."
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Mar 16, 2026
Mar 16, 2026
54 min
Writer and anti-corruption expert Sarah Chayes and journalist Emran Feroz join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss the Epstein files, global networks of kleptocracy from Washington to the remote valleys of Afghanistan, and what elites really get up to when they think we’re not watching.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Mar 9, 2026
Mar 9, 2026
1hr 3 min
As the war on Iran enters its second week, Bloomberg Economics Middle East lead Dina Esfandiary and Saudi analyst Sultan Alamer join Faisal Al Yafai to discuss how the war has come to the Gulf, upending years of careful diplomacy.
Further reading: Saudi Arabia’s Break With Interventionism by Sultan Alamer
Produced by Finbar Anderson





