The Lede

Few expected the Democrats’ midterm victory to be this big. Historian Lily Geismer and New Lines’ Danny Postel join Faisal Al Yafai to unpack the results — from Abdul El-Sayed’s win in Michigan to the paradox facing Republicans after the Iran war — and look ahead to the 2028 race on both sides.

Produced by Finbar Anderson

Writer Zaina Arafat joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss belonging to multiple cultures, how New York became “Habibi City,” and her new book “Our Arab: On Longing, Belonging and Hope.”

Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this month’s episode of Global Insights on The Lede, author and Caine Prize winner Tope Folarin and AI researcher Tuhin Chakrabarty join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei to discuss the AI accusations that have hit major literary prizes this year, why African writers feel pressure to tell the stories their editors in London and New York expect, and whether detection software can conclusively tell human writing from machine-made text.

Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this week’s episode of the podcast, author Anand Giridharadas joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the divisive death of Jordan Neely on a New York subway train in 2023, why Americans across the political divide feel abandoned by the institutions meant to protect them, and what it would take to address the polarization felt across the country, as set out in his new book “Man in the Mirror.”

Produced by Finbar Anderson

On the podcast this week, journalist and author Kim Ghattas joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss how the Beirut of the 1980s offers a prism through which to understand today’s regional rivalries, as set out in her new book, “The Best Kind of American: A True Story of Murder, War, and America's Undoing in the Middle East.”

Produced by Finbar Anderson