In this episode of Global Insights on The Lede, Gazan journalist Abeer Ayyoub tells New Lines’ Kwangu Liwewe about a recent trip to Cairo, Egypt, to which her sister has recently fled from Gaza. Ayyoub also tells Liwewe about her parents’ decision to stay in the beleaguered northern part of Gaza. Produced by Finbar Anderson…

Happy Halloween, kids! Harry and Jen take time out to chat about two of their favorite Halloween flicks, Trick R' Treat (2007) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). The two discuss their favorite aspects of the films, why the films have staying power, and why Halloween is the horniest holiday. They also say "punish" a lot. Stick around after th…

This week’s episode of The Lede welcomes back returning guest Ece Temelkuran, whose book “How To Lose a Country,” has just been republished with the subtitle, “The Seven Steps From Democracy to Fascism.” Temelkuran joins Faisal Al Yafai to test the pulse of global democracy and consider the rise of fascism since her last appearance on the podcast. …

In this week’s episode of The Lede, New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai is joined by The Wall Street Journal’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, Yaroslav Trofimov, for a discussion about modern Ukraine and Trofimov’s new novel, “No Country for Love,” set in the country’s turbulent early 20th century. Produced by Finbar Anderson…

Harry and Jen are joined by Jen's partner, the lit professor Teagan Bradway! The trio get into one of the year's most anticipated horror films, Longlegs. They talk queer-coded killers, horny stabbings, the nuclear family, and the Nicolas Cage of it all. Content Warnings: spoilers Here's a cool article that inspired Harry's interpretation! This epis…

In this week’s episode, New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai discusses the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and the outsize role the Hezbollah leader had in the Arab world and Israel with the magazine’s Middle East Editor Kareem Shaheen and Yair Wallach, a reader in Israeli studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. Further read…

On this episode of Global Insights on The Lede, the executive director of the joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, Winnie Byanyima, joins New Lines’ Kwangu Liwewe to examine the global response to the mpox outbreak in Africa, and how it relates to the continent’s past and ongoing struggle against HIV. Produced by Finbar Anderson…

On this week’s episode of The Lede, renowned professor of Holocaust and genocide studies Omer Bartov of Brown University joins New Lines’ Lisa Goldman to discuss his recent trip to Israel and how his position in the debate on genocide has fundamentally changed. Produced by Finbar Andersonتوسط New Lines Magazine

For this first episode of the new season of The Lede, New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai sits down with journalist Paul Caruana Galizia, whose mother was murdered in Malta as a result of her reporting, to discuss the importance of investigative journalism and the terrible price it can exact. Produced by Finbar Anderson…

Cornell lit professor Caroline Levine joins us to discuss the Mexican-Peruvian body horror joint, Huesera: The Bone Woman. We discuss the natural body horror of pregnancy stories, the Ring-imprinted generation, the patriarchy, queer v. hetero relationships, and the "dismissive husband" trope. Content Warnings: Spoilers, Pregnancy, Infanticide If yo…

As The Lede takes a summer break, listen again to one of our favorite conversations from the past year, which was shortlisted in the International Women's Podcast Awards. This week, we go back to a conversation between Zahra Hankir, author of “Eyeliner: A Cultural History,” and New Lines’ Ola Salem about the fascinating history of the humble eyelin…

As Global Insights on The Lede takes a summer break, listen again to one of our favorite episodes from the past year. We published this episode about the rise of toxic masculinity in Kenya and South Africa following the murders of two Kenyan women this January, with insight from South African author Rosie Motene and Caroline Kimeu, The Guardian’s E…

On this week’s episode of The Lede, sociologist Eman Abdelhadi and David Faris, author of “It’s Time To Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics,” join New Lines’ Danny Postel in Chicago to discuss the ongoing battle to determine the future of the Democratic Party. Further reading: Kamala’s Progressive Skeptics P…

Ex-Pentagon adviser Jasmine El-Gamal sits down with New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede for a wide-ranging discussion that covers her time working as a translator during the Iraq War and at Guantanamo Bay, the unique perspective she gained working as an adviser to the Pentagon for three U.S. defense secretaries, and Joe Biden’s failures on Gaza.…

Lebanon is no stranger to conflict. For many of its citizens, a vicious 15-year civil war and a short but brutal war with Israel in 2006 are within living memory. Now, another conflict simmers on the country’s southern border with Israel and threatens every day to expand across the country. New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai speaks to Lebanese translator a…

Songwriters Sam Lupowitz and Mandy Goldman join us again to talk Zach Creggar's Barbarian. We discuss haves and have-nots, Dante, systems that enable evil, story structure, and the weird hotness of Bill Skarsgard. Content Warning: Spoilers, Sexual assault/rape, Bill Skarsgard Check out our favorite works of Mandy Goldman and Sam Lupowitz: Sam's glo…

In 100 episodes on The Lede over five seasons, we have had the pleasure of interviewing politicians, authors, academics, thinkers, explorers and plenty of journalists. To celebrate our 100th episode, we held a live event in front of an audience to discuss how the United Kingdom is viewed from an outsider’s perspective. Our guests were the foreign c…

On this episode of Global Insights on The Lede, host Kwangu Liwewe discusses the inexorable rise of soccer stars of African origin with former Nigeria player Segun “The Mathematical” Odegbami and soccer journalist Ponga Liwewe. Produced by Finbar Andersonتوسط New Lines Magazine

On this week’s episode of The Lede, host Faisal Al Yafai catches up with New Lines Politics Editor Danny Postel from Milwaukee, where Postel has been attending the Republican National Convention. Their conversation comes after a momentous week in U.S. politics that not only saw an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a campaign…

On this week’s episode of The Lede, veteran journalist Mark Danner joins New Lines’ Politics Editor Danny Postel for a discussion on Donald Trump, Joe Biden and the possible autocratic future looming ahead for America. Further reading: The Mass Psychology of Trumpism — Watch the accompanying video here The United Auto Workers Rejected Trump. Member…

Violist, teacher, and reluctant horror fan Katharina Nichols joins us in a conversation about Immaculate (2024). We talk politics, Rosemary's Baby, the phenomenon of Sydney Sweeney, Nunsploitation, and Kat outlines her plans for her own evil convent. Content Warning: Spoilers, Infanticide, Religious Violence Follow the show on social media! Instagr…

On this episode of The Lede, veteran CNN correspondent Hala Gorani sits down with New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai for a discussion on identity and belonging following the publication of her new memoir, “But You Don’t Look Arab: And Other Tales of Unbelonging.”توسط New Lines Magazine

In this edition of Global Insights, New Lines Culture Editor Lydia Wilson sits down with host Kwangu Liwewe to discuss the upcoming election in the United Kingdom, which despite potentially heralding a change in government for the first time in 14 years, seems to be a bit lackluster. Produced by Finbar Anderson…

On this week’s podcast, Cambridge University academic Shruti Kapila, author of “Violent Fraternity: Indian Political Thought in the Global Age,” sits down with New Lines’ Surbhi Gupta to discuss the shock Indian election result and what it means for the future of the world’s largest democracy. Further listening: The War on India’s Free Press — With…

While the conflict in Gaza plays out on a tiny strip of land a fraction of the size of Los Angeles, its impact on the wider Middle East region has been huge. New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai speaks to the Guardian’s Ruth Michaelson, Chloe Cornish of the Financial Times and independent journalist Tara Kangarlou to assess how the war has changed the politi…

Harry and Jen talk with artist/one-woman-riot Ten Van Winkle about the smash indie possession film Late Night with the Devil. They talk about guilt, exploitation, AI, peeps, and what the hell exactly happened in that movie anyhow. Find Ten on social! Instagram Email Enjoying the show? Take a moment and give us a follow, rating, or review! Social Me…

On June 8, 1924, two climbers set off for what they hoped would be the first-ever summit of Mount Everest. As the mist closed in around them high up the mountain, they would never be seen alive again. A century later, the mystery of whether they reached the top continues to inspire fascination and debate, but is perhaps not the most interesting thi…

In the two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian influence in Africa was at a low ebb. But that’s all changed, New Lines Global News Editor Amie Ferris-Rotman tells Kwangu Liwewe on this week’s Global Insights on The Lede. Ferris-Rotman and Liwewe discuss Russia’s past in Africa and its more recent neocolonialist enterprises on th…

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, her sadness about the current situation in Nicaragua, and her secret — the celebrated journalist is not interested in politics. Produced by Finbar A…

On this week’s episode of The Lede, New Lines' Lydia Wilson sits down with extremism researcher Elizabeth Pearson, whose book “Extreme Britain: Gender, Masculinity and Radicalisation,” was published in December 2023. Pearson explains how her research challenged established thinking around extremism, and how she came to the understanding that misogy…

 Shima Bozorgi is pursuing her S.J.D. from American University Washington College of Law. She is working on her dissertation, reviewing the nexus of human rights and national security in the Middle East. After earning her law degree from the University of Tehran, Shima worked on children’s rights and child labor issues. She has over ten years of ex…

Harry and Jen are joined by Jen's friend-in-law, the lovely, insightful Mike Jan! Together, they dissect the surreal, meaty world of Robert Morgan's Stopmotion. They talk folklore, archetypes, agency, the age-old beef between fine and commercial art, and why an inanimate object may just be the sexiest character. Wanna suggest a movie? Wanna say hi?…

On this week’s episode of The Lede, New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai sits down with Jasmin Mujanović for a discussion on nationhood in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the genocide of the 1990s, its current political challenges and Mujanović’s argument for a liberal democratic future in Bosnia. Mujanović dissects his new book, “The Bosniaks, Nationhood After…

Ruby Lal’s new biography of the Mughal Princess Gulbadan brings to life the princess’s remarkable seven-year pilgrimage, from her home in the harem of her nephew Emperor Akbar in India to the holy city of Mecca. Surviving shipwrecks and expulsion orders from the Ottoman Sultan, Gulbadan eventually returned to India where she would go on to write gr…

Jen and Harry speak once again with Singer/Bar-Owner/Swiftie Kate Conroy, this time about the most recent installments in the Scream series. They talk the evolution of Scream, franchises, requels, authenticity, and David Arquette's hot-broken-old-man vibes. Enjoying the show? Hit us up on social! Instagram Facebook Wanna suggest a movie? Wanna say …

New Lines Contributing Editor Lisa Goldman has spent much of her life living and working in Israel, but her most recent reporting trip revealed a side of the country she had not seen before. “It’s unprecedented,” she tells New Lines Africa Editor Kwangu Liwewe on Global Insights. “Israelis feel for the very first time that their army couldn’t prote…

Ezra Rosser is a Professor at American University Washington College of Law. He has taught courses in Federal Indian Law, Poverty Law, Land Use, Housing Law, Wills, Trusts, & Estates, and Property Law. He is the author of A Nation Within: Navajo Land and Economic Development published by Cambridge University Press in 2021. He is a past chair of the…

“Going into Gaza, that pit of fear was more like a web that sat on my chest and never settled.” Arwa Damon has been in plenty of war zones, but going into Gaza was unlike anything she’s yet experienced. The veteran CNN correspondent joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede for a conversation about her recent humanitarian mission into the Palest…

Harry and Jen analyze and review the independent cosmic horror frolic Older Gods. They talk Lovecraft and the origins of cosmic horror, bad dads, Harry's obsession with symbolic d*cks, and the importance of independent art. Content Warning: Suicide Check out Older Gods Follow the podcast on social! Want us to watch your movie? Wanna just say "hi"? …

Marija Jovanović is an Associate Professor at the Essex Law School in the UK. Her research focuses on modern slavery and its intersection with different legal regimes, such as human rights law, criminal law, labour law, immigration law, and international trade and business regulation. She is the author of State Responsibility for ‘Modern Slavery’ i…

Early Arabic hunting poetry showcases a fascinating overlap between the pre-Islamic world, which was dominated by the concepts of fate and time, and the post-Islamic world, in which the standout theme was an omniscient or omnipotent god. “The wise thing about the poetry is it doesn’t seek to reconcile the two, it allows both to coexist,” says Montg…

For Alex Rowell, the need to reassess the legacy of former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser has only increased in the decades since the death of the hugely influential figure, and especially recently. “If you just take a moment to look at the Arab Spring and the countries in which the largest protests occurred, and the regimes against which mi…

In a year of elections across the globe, none will be bigger in scale than that in India, where nearly 1 billion people are eligible to vote. “In the seven decades since India got its independence, democracy has been its identity,” Surbhi Gupta tells Kwangu Liwewe on the first episode of Global Insights on The Lede. Gupta and Liwewe discuss the var…

In their first ever context episode, Harry and Jen summon Kate Conroy (Singer, Bar Owner, 90s kid, and All-Around Good Gal) to talk the classic 90s meta-slasher, Scream. They talk youth culture, misogyny, trauma, and the unstoppable hotness of Drew Barrymore. Harry lays out his thesis on why Scream '96 is a cinematic masterpiece. Look for our episo…

“War changes you. It doesn’t necessarily make you a tougher person or a better person or a worse person, but it is a training on the art of dying,” Joumana Haddad tells New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai. “I’ve always thought about that ever since I can remember. And it’s not easy to live while thinking you can die any minute.” The author and activist expl…

After the attacks in Israel on Oct. 7 last year that sparked the current war in Gaza, Laliv Melamed watched as Israeli society came together to mourn its victims — and also closed itself off. It was a phenomenon she recognized from previous conflicts. “The entire public sphere becomes like a collective body that is orchestrating around this war eff…

In September 2022, the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement broke out in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. On this week’s episode Arash Azizi, the author of a new book on the movement, “What Iranians Want: Women, Life, Freedom,” and New Lines’ Danny Postel discuss its immense popularity, how it was different to other protest movemen…

One hundred years ago this week, the Ottoman Caliphate was formally abolished by a decree of the nascent Republic of Turkey’s National Assembly. In this week’s episode of The Lede, New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai talks to Professor Ryan Gingeras of the Naval Postgraduate School in California, whose book “The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire” tells the st…

The recent decision by South Africa, a longtime ally of Palestine, to take Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on accusations of genocide sent shock waves through the global community. The unprecedented move served as a wake-up call to Israel’s Western allies, who might not have predicted the drive of a seemingly less powerful nation…

“There’s more to eyeliner than meets the eye,” Zahra Hankir, author of “Eyeliner: A Cultural History,” tells New Lines’ Ola Salem. “This is not just a makeup product. It carries within it so much meaning that goes far beyond beauty. … Historically and through the centuries, eyeliner has been used as a form of conveying a person’s spirituality or th…