Rephonic
Artwork for The Lede
Gaza
Israel
Syria
Iran
United States
Ukraine
Donald Trump
Russia
Middle East
Gaza War
Democratic Party
Human Rights
Hezbollah
China
Bashar Al-Assad
Turkey
Hamas
Hassan Nasrallah
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Immigration

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes271Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
News CommentaryNews

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Lede

Latest Episodes

On this week's episode of the podcast, the historian and writer Ryan Gingeras joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the making of mafias from New York to Lebanon and Tokyo, how gangsters shaped the modern state, and his new book, "Mafia: A Global History.... more

YouTube

Israel goes to the polls in October with a clear majority of voters opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu — and no obvious way to translate that into a government. On this month's episode of Global Insights on The Lede, pollster Dahlia Scheindlin and politic... more

Journalists Chloe Hadjimatheou and Sarah Dadouch join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss what the story of former Syrian first lady Asma al-Assad reveals about power and the people who wield it, and their new podcast series “We Call Her Emma.”... more

YouTube

On this week's episode of the podcast, constitutional law scholar Marcus Gadson joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the Declaration of Independence at 250, why Americans have never agreed on what liberty means, and how the country's oldest arguments — o... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Politics Theory Other
Politics Theory OtherPolitics Theory Other
Ones and Tooze
Ones and ToozeForeign Policy
The Foreign Affairs Interview
The Foreign Affairs InterviewForeign Affairs Magazine
Foreign Policy Live
Foreign Policy LiveForeign Policy

Recent Guests

Dahlia Scheindlin
Political scientist, expert on Israeli public opinion
Paul Stern political scientist
Episode: Why Israel Keeps Voting and Nothing Changes
Rida Abu Rass
Political scientist focusing on Arab citizens in Israel
United Arab List (Israeli Arab leadership)
Episode: Why Israel Keeps Voting and Nothing Changes
Marcus Gadson
Professor of constitutional law
University of North Carolina
Episode: The Arguments America Has Never Settled
Simon Kuper
Author of World Cup Fever and co-author of Soccernomics
Financial Times
Episode: Soccer, Power and the Politics of America’s World Cup
Tolbert Nyenswah
Public health expert, Africa CDC (interviewed on Ebola outbreak)
Africa CDC
Episode: How a New Pandemic Exposes the Geopolitics of Disease
Patrick Gathara
Kenyan journalist and commentator
New humanitarian news organization (editor)
Episode: How a New Pandemic Exposes the Geopolitics of Disease
Hannah Lucinda Smith
Journalist and author of Hinterlands, Journeys Through Europe's Unfinished Frontiers
The Lede / New Lines Magazine
Episode: How Europe’s Hinterlands Became Its Front Line
Yeganeh Torbati
New York Times reporter and co-author of Stolen Revolution
New York Times
Episode: How Revolutionary Iran Became a Mafia State
Suzy Hansen
Author of From Life Itself, Turkey and Istanbul in the Age of Erdoğan
Author
Episode: How Authoritarianism Came to One Istanbul Street

Hosts

Faisal Al Yafai
Host of The Lede; affiliated with The Lede / New Lines Magazine; regular moderator and interviewer.
Kwangu Liwewe Agyei
Co-host featured on episodes covering global insights and policy analysis.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 86 ratings
  • A Necessary Counterpoint on Doctor Dahesh

    Finbar — I appreciated your interview and the tone you brought to the conversation. It’s clear you’re genuinely interested in getting to the truth, and that’s precisely why I’m writing this.

    Having now read both the European and U.S. editions of Dr. Raphael Cormack’s book, I felt it was important to share a documented counterpoint directly. I previously posted the following open letter on what appeared to be his public Facebook page. It was removed the next day. I am reposting it here for the r... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Mario Henri Chakkour
    United States6 months ago
  • Conventional capitalist ideologues rehash tired neoliberal tripe!

    Podcast Addict
    2
    Harold N.
    a year ago
  • Great Journalism

    New Lines Podcast and Magazine are a highly recommended source of quality international news.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    benrem
    Canada2 years ago
  • Insightful and thought provoking

    A welcome addition to the geopolitical podcasts that is refreshingly different from the standard Anglo/Western worldview. Using the Middle East as a launching point, this podcast expands horizons to important discussions about social, political and historical forces that shape our world today. One suggestion is to keep the episodes shorter (under 30 minutes) to be commuter friendly - can be broken into multiple episodes. Another suggestion is to add a current news update tying to the episode... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Almond1
    United States4 years ago
  • Excellent podcast

    Fantastic podcast with important discussions on SWANA/MENA issues!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Swarz Seawalker
    United States4 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Delivers important discussions on SWANA/MENA issues with depth and rigor.
Provokes thoughtful, sometimes challenging perspectives; tends to broaden horizons on Middle East and SWANA issues.
A nuanced counterpoint with thorough documentation that challenges conclusions and highlights methodological balance.
High-quality international news with strong recommendations for global insights.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Why Israel Keeps Voting and Nothing Changes
Q: So now you've been covering Israeli politics and public opinion throughout this war. And as Israel heads into another election in October, where do you think Israelis are emotionally and what are people most worried about?
Dahlia explains that Israelis are emotionally unsettled, with broad pessimism about democratic governance, security, economy, and social solidarity, and that the public is deeply divided between supporters of the government and the opposition, each prioritizing different security and domestic goals.
How Crime Built the Modern World
Q: What makes the Sopranos a window into a bigger issue about America and its insecurities?
Gingeras explains that the show condenses broad social anxieties about national decline and the fragile American dream into a personal, intimate narrative of a crime family, reflecting broader cultural and political dynamics.
Soccer, Power and the Politics of America’s World Cup
Q: Do you think England can win or at least reach the quarters given their current form and history?
England remains a strong, top-five football nation with a realistic chance at the later stages, though performance depends on how they adapt to continental play and avoid old pitfalls.
How Europe’s Hinterlands Became Its Front Line
Q: You suggested that based on your hinterlands experience, a war is coming in some form. Could you explain how you see that unfolding and what the protagonist of this war might be?
The conflict is already present in various non-traditional forms, with alliances and rival blocs forming around NATO and the EU versus a broader Axis of Upheaval led by Russia, China, and Iran, and Turkey occupying a nuanced middle ground within these dynamics.
How Europe’s Hinterlands Became Its Front Line
Q: There's a lot to unpack, but I guess let's start with the one that listeners would have picked up on: what are these values roughly that the West needs to hold on to?
Freedom of speech, liberal democracy, and pluralism are the core values, with pluralism being especially important as Europe confronts migration debates and the rise of autocratic tendencies in nearby regions.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Lede

What is The Lede about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A globe-trotting, idea-forward current affairs show that centers on geopolitics, economics, technology, and global governance through rigorous interviews with historians, journalists, economists, and authors. Episodes frequently explore how power, policy, and narrative shape world events—from tech oligarchy and state strategy to energy security, conflicts, and transnational corruption. Notable strengths include a consistently policy-focused, evidence-driven approach and guests who offer deep context and nuanced analysis. Listeners likely include professionals seeking rigorous, globally aware perspectives on contemporary issues and the forces that drive them.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Lede?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Lede. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Lede and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Lede get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Lede, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Lede?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Lede, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Lede have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Lede has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Lede?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Lede:

1. Politics Theory Other
2. Ones and Tooze
3. The Intercept Briefing
4. The Foreign Affairs Interview
5. Foreign Policy Live

How many episodes of The Lede are there?

The Lede launched 5 years ago and published 271 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Lede?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Lede?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Lede from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Lede?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Lede. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Lede?

Recent guests on The Lede include:

1. Dahlia Scheindlin
2. Rida Abu Rass
3. Marcus Gadson
4. Simon Kuper
5. Tolbert Nyenswah
6. Patrick Gathara
7. Hannah Lucinda Smith
8. Yeganeh Torbati

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days