Episodes

  • America in Free Fall? Historian Jill Lepore on the US at 250
    Jul 3 2026

    For America’s 250th anniversary, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jill Lepore joins Mishal Husain to take her through her book on the US Constitution.

    We The People explores how the Constitution came about and, crucially, how there was an expectation that it would likely change over time.

    This is not, however, an episode entirely set in the past, because Jill Lepore is acutely alive to the pressures of the moment and of the contested sense of what America is or should be.

    Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net

    Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • Can Republicans Win California Again? Steve Hilton Thinks So
    Jun 26 2026

    In November, California will choose a new governor to replace Gavin Newsom, pitting Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra, a former US Secretary of Health and Human Services, US Congressman and state attorney general, against an unlikely Republican rival: Steve Hilton.

    Hilton was born in the UK and became a US citizen only five years ago. He had a career in center-right British politics, working as an adviser for former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron.

    In 2012, Hilton moved to California, where he worked as a tech entrepreneur and as a host on right-leaning Fox News.

    Hilton, who wants to be the state’s first Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger, tells Mishal Husain how he joined the party, discusses the US-Israel war with Iran, his attitude to big tech and what he misses about life in Britain. He also discusses what having Donald Trump’s endorsement means for him and his campaign.

    Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net

    Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Bonus: Alastair Campbell & Jacob Rees-Mogg Debate Brexit 10 Years On (Live)
    Jun 23 2026

    It’s 10 years since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. It was an enormous decision, one that has contributed to the churn of British prime ministers since, a phenomenon that has continued this week with the resignation of Keir Starmer.

    What effect has Brexit had on UK politics and the British economy over the last decade? This bonus episode of The Mishal Husain Show is an opportunity to reflect and look ahead.

    Earlier this month, Alastair Campbell, Co-Host of The Rest Is Politics podcast, and Jacob Rees-Mogg, a presenter on GB News, joined Mishal Husain in front of an audience of Bloomberg subscribers to mark the anniversary.

    Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net

    Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • AI Wants Your Life: Tech Boss Meredith Whittaker Says No
    Jun 19 2026

    Meredith Whittaker has spent years arguing that privacy is a prerequisite for a free society.

    As the president of the nonprofit foundation behind the encrypted messaging app Signal, she now finds herself defending that principle in the face of mounting pressure from governments and tech companies alike.

    In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Whittaker says she believes business models that rely on data collection, the rise of artificial intelligence assistants and even well-meaning efforts to protect children online risk undermining private communication. She also explains why Signal would rather leave a market than weaken the product’s encryption.

    If you enjoyed this episode, listen to Mishal’s conversation with Mustafa Suleyman from Microsoft AI: Mustafa Suleyman Isn’t Like Everyone Else in Silicon Valley

    Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net

    Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    45 mins
  • Gary Lineker on the World Cup, Trump and the Fans Left Behind
    Jun 12 2026

    For decades, Gary Lineker anchored live sporting events for the BBC. Now he’s a podcaster and media boss. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, he talks about his new Netflix show and hopes for an England World Cup win.

    Lineker co-founded Goalhanger Productions, the UK’s fastest growing private company. Throughout the World Cup, his podcast “The Rest Is Football” will be streamed on Netflix.

    He talks about the politics around the tournament and FIFA boss Gianni Infantino’s relationship with US President Donald Trump. They also discuss Lineker’s departure from the BBC, which he describes as a “long marriage.”

    Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net

    Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Ebola Is Back: Virus Pioneer Peter Piot Explains the Threat
    Jun 5 2026

    Peter Piot first encountered the Ebola virus in a laboratory in Antwerp in 1976. At the time, the pathogen was largely unknown. Now, almost 50 years later, a new outbreak is spreading through parts of Central Africa, triggering travel restrictions and quarantines across the globe.

    In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Piot, one of the world's leading authorities on the disease, discusses why Ebola, while deadly, is not easily spread. The Belgian scientist also explains the challenge of controlling outbreaks in conflict zones and lessons the world still hasn’t learned from Covid-19.

    06:44 - "No future in infectious diseases"
    10:50 - How contagious is Ebola?
    12:05 - “I'm not concerned that this will become a pandemic”
    13:23 - Are travel restrictions necessary?
    18:00 - “Ebola is not their only problem”
    19:07 - How far are we from a vaccine for this Ebola strain?
    22:14 - Tackling Ebola in 1976
    23:48 - Tracking the virus
    32:25 - Vaccine disinformation
    33:18 - “Long Covid really exists”
    34:18 - “I was scared to die”

    Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net

    Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • Cuba on the Brink: Ada Ferrer on Life Under US Pressure
    May 29 2026

    Ada Ferrer won the Pulitzer Prize in 2022 for her acclaimed book, Cuba: An American History, which examined the island’s relationship with the US.

    Her latest work, Keeper of My Kin, tells her family story: a mother who fled the island nation carrying an infant daughter, while leaving a brother behind.

    Now, as Donald Trump increases pressure on Cubans and their leaders, cutting off oil while obtaining an indictment of Raul Castro for the 1996 shootdown of a small plane, Ferrer tells Mishal Husain about the human cost of Cuba’s long crisis.

    03:26 - Writing “Keeper of my Kin”
    04:09 - A love-hate relationship with Cuba
    05:40 - The Cuba of Castro
    07:11 - Leaving Cuba in 1963
    08:13 - Leaving her brother Poly behind
    12:08 - Letters from Poly
    15:48 - Cuba’s history of migration
    17:58 - Helping family in Cuba
    22:50 - People in Cuba are “suffering”
    24:01 - A threat to US national security?
    26:51 - A shared experience with Rubio
    32:19 - Cuban-Americans and Trump
    34:04 Obama’s visit to Cuba
    37:52 - Calling myself an American
    39:52 - The books is a “testament of love”

    Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net

    Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • Can Britain’s Politics Cope: David Dimbleby Thinks Not
    May 22 2026

    David Dimbleby was for decades the face of election programs on the BBC. He anchored coverage of 10 UK general elections, as well as the 1975 and 2016 referendums on European membership, the funeral of Princess Diana and a host of other royal and state occasions.

    He’s seen prime ministers come and go, from Margaret Thatcher to Tony Blair and many more since. With Prime Minister Keir Starmer facing a potential leadership challenge, Dimbleby is uniquely placed to understand the characters and conflicts shaping Britain’s volatile politics today.

    In this conversation with Mishal Husain he gives his take on Starmer, Andy Burnham and Nigel Farage.

    0:03:15 Why so many prime ministers?
    0:09:14 Keir Starmer is a “dud”
    0:09:55 “I don’t know what (Burnham) stands for”
    0:11:31 Would Burnham be a different PM?
    0:13:37 The UK is in a “dire state”
    0:16:16 “I am worried about the future”
    0:16:49 Nigel Farage as prime minister
    0:21:35 Ten years on from Brexit
    0:24:31 The UK rejoining the EU
    0:31:52 King Charles' state visit to the US
    0:37:15 “I'm not in any way a republican”

    Read this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview

    Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net

    Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    41 mins