In this special Christmas episode of The Lede, New Lines’ most culinary-minded discuss the mysterious, thrilling and sometimes bloody origin stories of their favorite dishes, and go head-to-head in the annual Christmas quiz.

Produced by Finbar Anderson

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 happened so quickly, the terrible symbolism of the Sednaya prison complex and what’s next for Syria’s future.

Further reading:

The Backstory Behind the Fall of Aleppo by Hassan Hassan and Michael Weiss

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Bestselling historian Katja Hoyer joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede to discuss her history of East Germany, reunification and the former state’s most famous living politician, Angela Merkel, who has just published a major new memoir.

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This week’s episode of Global Insights on The Lede looks at the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, with insight from Itamar Mann, a professor at the University of Haifa’s Faculty of Law, New Lines’ Middle East Editor Kareem Shaheen and Global Insights host Kwangu Liwewe.

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On this week’s episode of the podcast, Middle East cultural expert Diana Darke joins New Lines’ Lydia Wilson to discuss the unacknowledged influence of Islamic architecture on medieval buildings throughout Europe.

Further reading | A New Theory: European Cathedrals Show Traces of Ancient Egypt

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One week after the American election, New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai is joined by the novelist and commentator Hari Kunzru for a discussion on the changing currents of American society and culture, the author’s recent novels, and Kunzru’s new introduction to the Edward Said classic “Culture and Imperialism.”

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Throughout 2024, The Lede has covered a number of elections. Few of them are likely to be as consequential as the reelection of Donald Trump in the United States. A panel of New Lines editors discuss what Trump’s victory means both for America and around the world.

Further reading: The Threat Trump Poses Is Real, but Democrats Must Learn Through Defeat

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Once again, the debate over whether or not Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump might be a threat to the future of America’s democracy is dominating the narrative around November’s knife-edge election. But that debate, political scientists John Sides and Sheri Berman tell New Lines’ Danny Postel, is unlikely to be where the election is actually won or lost.

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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.

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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.

Produced by Finbar Anderson