The Lede
New Lines Magazine
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
Mentioned books

Oct 27, 2025 • 39min
Why Is Gen Z Protesting Across Africa?
Youth-led protests are sweeping much of Africa and the wider world. On this month’s edition of Global Insights on The Lede, Kwangu Liwewe is joined by journalist Aboubakr Jamaï and public policy expert Gedion Onyango to zoom in on Morocco and Kenya and look at why young protesters in both countries feel that the status quo no longer works for them.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Oct 20, 2025 • 39min
Is It Really Peace in the Middle East?
New Lines’ Middle East Editor Kareem Shaheen joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to consider the Gaza peace deal authored by Donald Trump, what it really means for Palestinians and Israelis on the ground and whether the U.S. president deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Oct 13, 2025 • 29min
Uncovering the Human Stories Behind Global Politics
Recorded at a New Lines live event at London’s Frontline Club, The Wall Street Journal’s Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov and The Sunday Times’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Christina Lamb join Faisal Al Yafai and Lydia Wilson for a discussion on storytelling and why it matters.
Produced by Finbar Anderson
Assistant Producer Henry Wilkins

Oct 6, 2025 • 55min
Rashid Khalidi on One of the Worst Periods in Palestinian History
The eminent Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss two years of war on Gaza and a century of war on Palestine.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Sep 29, 2025 • 45min
Britain’s Summer of the Right
For this week’s episode of Global Insights on The Lede, Byline Times Editor-in-Chief Hardeep Matharu and New Lines’ Jos Betts join host Kwangu Liwewe to discuss the British right’s evolving relationship with identity and race, and whether a focus on immigration in the national conversation could translate into political gain for the far-right Reform UK party.
Produced by Finbar Anderson
Further reading: The UK’s Fragmenting Politics by Jos Betts and Lydia Wilson

Sep 22, 2025 • 45min
How To Fix America’s Political Violence
Writer and political pundit Anand Giridharadas joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, political violence in America, and how to bridge the huge gulf currently dividing the country.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Sep 15, 2025 • 51min
Lyse Doucet's Alternative History of Afghanistan
Veteran BBC correspondent Lyse Doucet joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss her new book on Afghanistan, “The Finest Hotel in Kabul,” the highs and lows of a career in journalism, and why she almost didn’t make the interview due to an Israeli strike on Doha.
Produced by Finbar Anderson
Sep 8, 2025 • 26min
China’s Rise, American Reckoning
The recent meeting of global leaders in Beijing, foremost among them Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, was a major moment in modern geopolitics. New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai asks whether it could also signify the rise of a new multipolar world order, and an end to decades of global American dominance.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Aug 29, 2025 • 45min
Listen Again: The True Impact of USAID Cuts on Africa
Listen again to this episode of Global Insights on The Lede, in which economist James Shikwati and New Lines’ North Africa Editor Erin Brown consider the impact of drastic cuts to American aid in Africa with host Kwangu Liwewe, and wonder what the continent’s future might look like without such aid.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Aug 22, 2025 • 47min
Listen Again: Gaza and the Fall of Western Idealism
Listen again to the acclaimed writer and journalist Omar El Akkad in conversation with New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai for a frank, difficult and moving discussion about the personal impact and wider implications of the war in Gaza.
Further reading: The Courage and Death of Anas al-Sharif by Kareem Shaheen


