Episodes

  • Taming Labour and Facing Down Farage: Steve Richards on Burnham's Plan
    Jul 10 2026

    Andy Burnham appears set to walk into 10 Downing Street and take power as the UK’s latest prime minister.

    Behind the mid-term departure of Keir Starmer has been, at least in part, the rise of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Farage himself has dominated the headlines this week, amid an investigation and his decision to re-contest his parliamentary seat.

    In this conversation with Mishal Husain, longtime UK political commentator Steve Richards examines Burnham’s record and looks at what he stands for. They also discuss how the new Labour leader might deal with his own party and the popularity of Farage.

    Only Bloomberg subscribers can see Mishal’s reflections on this conversation, along with what she has been reading bloomberg.com/mishal

    Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net

    Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    48 mins
  • 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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    42 mins