The Mishal Husain Show

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
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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
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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