The 2 Best The Lede Podcast Episodes
1) The End of Assad and a New Era for Syria — with Kareem Shaheen, Rasha Elass and Faisal Al Yafai
In a momentous week in the history of Syria, New Lines’ Middle East Editor Kareem Shaheen and Editorial Director Rasha Elass join Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede to discuss how the Assad regime’s collapse...Show More
2) Populism and Power in Mexico’s Historic Election — With Alma Guillermoprieto
Veteran Mexican correspondent Alma Guillermoprieto joins New Lines’ Danny Postel on The Lede for a discussion about how the upcoming election in Mexico is actually not about the two leading candidates...Show More
3) Queens, Cities and States in the Making of Africa
In this first episode of 2026, award-winning broadcaster Zeinab Badawi joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss why traditional histories of Africa miss the mark, remarkable African figures fro...Show More
4) Listen Again: How America’s Margins Became the Mainstream
Listen again to this rerun episode of the podcast, in which journalist Gabriel Gatehouse, host of The Coming Storm and the documentary “Seeking Satoshi,” joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai to discuss ho...Show More
5) From Emotional Video Games to Early Music Chanting: The Christmas Episode
For this year’s Christmas special episode, New Lines editors highlight some of their favorite stories from the magazine and reflect on the power of culture to bring people together. A Palestinian Citi...Show More
6) Shadi Hamid Makes the Case for American Power
Author and political scientist Shadi Hamid joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to argue his case for a U.S.-led world order, as set out in his new book, “The Case for American Power.” Produced by Fin...Show More
7) How Power Hides Itself
Following the National Guard shootings in Washington, D.C., and recent revelations surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and, separately, a Syrian charity, investigative journalists Murtaza Hussain and Lynzy Bi...Show More
8) Lifting the Lid on the Criminal Underworld
On this week’s episode, the historian and writer Mark Galeotti joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss his new book about the global criminal underworld, “Homo Criminalis,” and why he thinks D...Show More
9) Why the Internet Got Bad, and How To Fix It
On this week’s episode, bestselling author and tech blogger Cory Doctorow joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss why the internet has steadily, but noticeably, become unusable, as he sets out...Show More
10) The Power Shifts Changing the Middle East, from Baghdad to Riyadh
The Financial Times’ Raya Jalabi and writer Robin Yassin-Kassab join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss elections in Iraq, and White House visits by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Saudi C...Show More