The Mishal Husain Show

When President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, one of his first acts was to sign an executive order withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization. The administration's rupture with the WHO began in Trump’s first term, when relations deteriorated as the Covid-19 pandemic set in.  In this conversation with Mishal Husain, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reveals he remains in close contact with US Secretary of Health and Human Services  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. despite that break. He also talks about the lessons learned from Covid and why the WHO is still waiting for answers from China as it seeks to understand the origins of the virus. Beyond the politics of global health, Ghebreyesus opens up about his own childhood trauma and why the death of his brother in 1970 makes the fight against preventable disease personal for him. 02:51 - Being a child of war 06:25 - Working in conflict zones08:07 -  “War and disease are old friends”09:34 -  “Don’t forget the invisible enemy”11:35 - How far away is the next pandemic? 12:48  -  US withdrawal from the WHO14:50 - Covid and China16:50 -  Personal attacks from the US18:16  - The US flag has been returned 18.51 Argentina is leaving the WHO21:22 - Was Covid a lab leak? 22:49 - Waiting for answers from China 26:46 - Vaccine skeptics27:26 - Texting RFK Jr. 28:56 - “My brother died”31:06 - “He could have survived”33:46 - “Defunding mRNA research is the wrong decision”34:20 - Will MAHA work? 37:27 - A message for President Trump39:26 - “Viruses get advantage when we are divided” 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.

“KPop Demon Hunters” is the brainchild of Korean-Canadian animator Maggie Kang. It’s Netflix’s biggest-ever film and follows Rumi, Mira and Zoey, members of the girl band Huntrix, as they battle to save the world from dark forces.  As you’ll hear, Kang grew up loving Korean pop music long before it was globally cool and forged a Hollywood career on films including “The Lego Ninjago Movie” and “Kung Fu Panda 3.” In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Kang explains how she had always hoped a story about Korea would one day come her way. But it never did, so she came up with her own. Kang is in the middle of a life-changing moment. Her movie has already scored wins at the Golden Globes and the Grammys, and now all eyes are on the Oscars. The extraordinary thing is that no one expected “KPop Demon Hunters” to be such a smash hit. Husain asks Kang what it’s been like adjusting to all the attention, and of course whether there’s a sequel in the works. 03:06 - “A global phenomenon”04:17 - The screaming fans05:01 - The movie theater screenings 06:49 - Pitching “KPop Demon Hunters”09:27 - Living between two cultures12:04 - Growing up as an “outsider”16:34 - Kang’s first animation book 17:16 - “I liked to draw” 18:21 - Recording the voiceover, over and over20:11 - The story of “Golden” 21:39 - Rumi, Mira and Zoey in “Golden”23:00 - Waiting for “the tingles”25:25 - “We kinda worried it was a little cheesy”27:27 - Helping the world find Korean culture29:30 - Choosing the title for a “kooky” movie34:20 - A message from Kang to the fans34:48 - “There’s a sequel, surely?”35:14 - Live action “KPop Demon Hunters”? 37:01 - “I’m still very grounded”37:22 - Diving back into the sequel? 38:00 - “Wow! You are going to the Oscars!” Read this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net Visit https://www.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.

The Feb. 19 arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of King Charles, puts the British Royal Family into uncharted territory. The former Prince Andrew was detained on suspicion of misconduct in public office after further details emerged of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. For this bonus episode, Mishal Husain speaks to Allegra Stratton, a contributing editor to Bloomberg who previously worked for Prime Minister Boris Johnson.  She’s also joined by Harry Wilson, a reporter on Bloomberg UK’s finance team who’s been involved in reporting on Epstein’s emails and has previously broken stories about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. They discuss Andrew’s business links and the significance of today’s events for the monarchy and the UK.  Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This winter has been exceptionally brutal in Ukraine. Already the coldest in more than a decade, it’s been made worse by Russian attacks on energy infrastructure that have left millions with no heating and intermittent power. As Russia’s war approaches its fourth anniversary, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is under intense pressure from Donald Trump to hold elections and accept a peace deal within months. But inside Ukraine and among its allies, there remains deep skepticism that Vladimir Putin is truly interested in a durable peace. Celebrated writer Andrey Kurkov has lived the  reality of the wartime winter in his home city of Kyiv. Best known for his 1996 novel “Death and the Penguin,” set in post-Soviet Ukraine, Kurkov also has written extensively about the current war, publishing three volumes of diaries alongside his fiction. While he’s been determined to remain in Ukraine throughout the conflict, he says the present conditions have been too much to bear. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, he talks about his hopes for peace and how he  plans to return to Kyiv in the spring.02:54 Situation in Kyiv: “Winter allied with Russia”04:53 Four years since full-scale invasion07:12 Ukraine is “fragmented”09:12 “Writing nonfiction is a duty”12:03 “Nobody’s winning”14:20 Kurkov’s relationship with Russia17:47 How the war changed Kurkov and his country20:19 Kurkov’s message to the Munich Security Conference21:53 Capitulation “camouflaged” as a peace deal24:15 Support for Zelenskiy in Ukraine26:15 Corruption scandals: “I’m very angry”2:49 “I hope the war will be over this year”31:43 Observing the war as a diarist33:14 Humor as a “psychological defense”35:17 “We are part of Europe” Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interviewContact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Illustration: Uli Knörzer for Bloomberg; Photo: Leonardo Cendamo for GettySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2007 when he was UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband delivered an address to the Labour Party conference. He described a world with “fewer countries at war” and “more democracies than ever before.”Two decades later, with that vision further from view, Miliband is head of the New York-based International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest aid agencies. Its “Emergency Watchlist” cites 20 urgent crises, from Haiti to Sudan and the Middle East to Myanmar. The group finds itself increasingly constrained by widening conflict and shrinking government aid.The IRC role, however, gave Miliband new purpose after his bid to lead Labour ended in dramatic and personal fashion when in 2010 he lost to his own brother. Now he sees his old friends and rivals back in power, forced to make decisions he finds painful. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Miliband discusses the current state of politics in the UK, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership. He talks about Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” and his old boss, former Prime Minister Tony Blair. They also discuss Miliband’s family heritage. 02:30 - His refugee parents and link to work at IRC08:09 - Growing up, democracy “seemed like the norm”08:59 - 2007 speech at Labour Party Conference10:54 - Mark Carney’s 2026 speech at Davos12:49 - “America will no longer be Atlas”13:49 - “More autocracies than democracies in the world today”14:26 - “A revolution in America’s role in the world”15:42 - IRC work on the US-Mexico border17:55 - IRC’s 2026 Emergency Watchlist: Sudan and the Occupied Palestinian Territory18:36 - “Remediation of desperate suffering is our business”19:06 - “If you talk to the people you have hope.”23:31 - Jared Kushner’s plans for Gaza26:21 - Tony Blair and the Board of Peace32:12 - Cuts to foreign aid34:55 - “Challenging period” for UK Labour, Starmer36:06 - Threats from Reform and Andy Burnham39:07 - What next for Miliband?40:28 - Relationship with Hilary Clinton Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Illustration: Uli Knörzer for Bloomberg; Source Photo: Jose Sarmento Matos/BloombergSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The killing of two US citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis has made January a dark month for many across America. Both Alex Pretti and Renee Good were quickly labeled “domestic terrorists" by the Trump administration, which accused them of endangering the lives of law enforcement. Video evidence soon appeared to contradict government claims, but it’s still a label that filmmaker Laura Poitras says she finds chilling. Poitras has been producing and directing documentaries for more than 20 years, winning both an Oscar and a Pulitzer Prize for her 2014 work “Citizenfour,” which focussed on the whistleblower Edward Snowden and mass surveillance. She too has her own experience of being regarded as a threat by the US government and says she was on a terrorist watch list for years. Her latest film, which this week was nominated for a BAFTA, profiles renowned US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. “Cover-Up,” on Netflix, traces Hersh’s life from his early days in Chicago through his scoops of the 1960s to his current journalism on Substack. It’s a story of media both past and present. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Poitras also reflects on the role of citizen journalism in documenting government violence in places like Minneapolis.02:53 - “Legendary investigative journalist” Seymour Hersh05:35 - Poitras and Hersh’s Iraq connection06:40 - US public “failed by our legacy media”09:06 - Cycles of impunity09:50 - Criticism of Hersh’s journalism11:30 - Hersh quits the film15:00 - Hersh’s early life 16:19 - Poitras’ lens on America17:40 - Parallels between Iraq and Venezuela19:30 - “Regime change” in Venezuela 20:20 - Poitras under surveillance23:00 - Leaving the US24:40 - Edward Snowden and NSA secrets28:15 - “I’m very happy he’s not in a US prison”32:00 - “Cover-Up” and the present day33:33 - “Whistleblowers face the consequences”35:00 - “Citizen journalists” 37:00 - Mishal speaks to Poitras for a second time38:00 - Alex Pretti and the violence in Minneapolis39:30 - “Domestic terrorist”40:17 - “Journalists have an obligation”40:50 - A tipping point for ICE?  Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYSYou can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interviewContact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rutger Bregman knows what appearing at Davos can do for your profile. His reputation was made when he went there in 2019 and attacked the rich. The clip went viral.  A historian and author originally from the Netherlands, Bregman has been focused on elites ever since, most recently in his book Moral Ambition, and in a series of lectures on the BBC, after which he accused the organization of censoring his views on Donald Trump. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, we hear more about his worldview, which is more nuanced than some might expect. He discusses how he is impressed by entrepreneurs, favors action over commentary and is putting his book profits toward building a community that furthers his beliefs. 00:00 - Introducing Rutger Bregman 02:30 - The rise of AI07:53 - Wasted talent 09:22 - I want to pull my hair out10:05 -  European leadership 11:14 - Europe is weak 12:25 - Ideals are worth little without power 13:45 - Building a movement 17:40 - Mamdani and populism 21:00 - The God shaped hole 25:12 - Elon Musk the entrepreneur26:08 - The BBC and Trump 30:49 - A new form of feudalism33:56 - Small groups can change the world 35:14 - The best place to thinkWatch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://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.

What is Donald Trump’s plan for Venezuela? Does he have one? Will he go beyond threats in supporting the uprising in Iran or invading Greenland? Jeanne Shaheen has been in the US Senate since 2009 and is now the most senior Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee. Her position has given her access to information most lawmakers don’t have. She’s also known as someone prepared to work with Republicans. Indeed, she was one of the eight Democrats who joined the GOP to end last year’s government shutdown over healthcare subsidies that have since been allowed to expire. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Shaheen talks about how she’s hoping to reassure traditional American allies shaken by Trump’s attacks and threats as part of a Congressional delegation to Denmark this week. Closer to home, she discusses healthcare, the cost of living and the future of the Democratic party ahead of the midterms. 02:38 - US operation in Venezuela04:47 - Military action on Greenland?06:00 - Has Trump already damaged NATO?07:11 - Is Trump emboldened? 08:13 - Maduro replaced by another “repressive dictator” 12:20 - Trump and Iran13:31 - Tariffs and China15:21 - Bipartisanship in a polarized era18:17 - “I share that frustration”20:20 - The future of the Democratic party24:00 - Disquiet amongst Republicans24:55 - Healthcare and the shutdown27:25 - Policy differences with her daughter30:35 - Life after the Senate31:55 - Optimism for the future?Read this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend:www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net Visit https://www.bloomberg.com/mishal Subscribe to Bloomberg Podcasts: https://bit.ly/BloombergPodcasts Visit us: https://www.bloomberg.com/podcasts For coverage on news, markets and more: http://www.bloomberg.com/video Illustration: Uli Knörzer for Bloomberg; Source Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu/Getty ImagesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump’s tough talk about China and tariffs can be traced back in large part to economist Peter Navarro. A well-known China hawk, he has written books arguing Beijing poses a threat to the US economy and its national security.Navarro is a loyalist who has served as a key trade adviser in both Trump administrations. In between, he spent four months behind bars for refusing to comply with a Congressional subpoena tied to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.It is Navarro who stands behind Trump’s sweeping tariffs against China and other nations, levies that have in some cases raised prices for US companies and consumers. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, recorded in Bloomberg's Washington studio, Navarro discusses the US relationship with China and an upcoming Supreme Court ruling on the administration’s use of emergency powers to levy tariffs. They also look ahead to this year’s midterm elections and back at the controversial Vanity Fair profile of Trump Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.  00:00 - Introduction from Mishal Husain02:16 - Navarro’s bond with President Trump05:04 - Navarro’s journey from Democrat to MAGA Republican08:01 - Time in Federal prison09:36 - US-China relationship12:21 - Navarro’s advice for Europe13:22 - Trump diplomacy15:35 - Allowing Nvidia to export advanced chips to China17:49 - Delivering for working class Americans20:08 - Rubio-Vance 202821:57 - Addressing affordability concerns23:38 - Manufacturing jobs: “We can’t wave a magic wand”26:45 - Supreme Court ruling30:17 - Cost of tariff refunds31:15 - “It's not a job, it's a mission” Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://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.

Kara Swisher has followed the story of Silicon Valley for three decades, having started work as a tech journalist at a time when few people were interested in the beat. But through relationships she built with the likes of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and many others, she became a formidable voice, and eventually more of a commentator and critic. Swisher now hosts the podcasts Pivot and On with Kara Swisher. Following a year in which Silicon Valley titans lined up behind Donald Trump, she tells Mishal Husain what she thinks 2026 will bring. Swisher unpacks fears of an artificial intelligence bubble, why she’s paying attention to robotics and what life after Trump may be like.02:16 - You would be “stupid” to ignore the AI bubble05:40 - The promise of AI07:16 - Swisher’s first download09:30 - “Serious wealth creates real problems”14:20 - Steve Jobs was an “adult” 17:15 - “What Tesla did was astonishing”20:30 - The influence of Peter Thiel22:20 - Generational shift in tech 23:30 - “You couldn’t have started an Uber now”26:15 - Swisher’s paying attention to robotics in 2026 29:30 - What Swisher learned from Silicon Valley31:50 - Swisher’s move into podcasting 35:40 - Life after Trump and why she’s watching KPop Demon HuntersWatch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYSFind Mishal’s conversations with the godmother of AI Fei-Fei Li and CEO of Microsoft AI Mustafa Suleyman here:https://link.podtrac.com/1wqpj1f8 You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interviewContact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.netSubscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the year draws to a close, we are bringing you one of Mishal Husain’s biggest conversations of the year, in full. In May 2025, Elon Musk joined Bloomberg's Qatar Economic Forum, in a rare media appearance.He remains as consequential a global figure today, as he was then, even if he is no longer working with Donald Trump.Within 10 days of this conversation, he had left DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, and soon after that he was publicly trading insults with the president.Musk talked about Tesla, his ambitions for SpaceX and Starlink and his political spending. Note: This episode was recorded with a remote guest in front of a live audience, and as a result, the audio quality may vary. 02:31 - Mishal Husain introduces Elon Musk03:21 - A week in the life of Elon Musk 04:25 - The future of Tesla 9:19 - Attacks on Tesla showrooms11:35 - The future of warfare14:30 - “I’m in no rush to go public”17:30 - OpenAI 20:45 - Regulating AI24:00 - “I’m simply an advisor”26:30 - Starlink29:44 - “Your question’s absurd”31:26 - DOGE33:15 - US Agency for International Development37:20 - Political spending Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://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.

Lynsey Addario’s life work means  taking great risks to tell other people’s stories. She is a Pulitzer Prize winning war photographer who has been abducted twice while documenting conflicts from Afghanistan to Ukraine and Sudan. There aren’t many women in her field. In a new National Geographic documentary called “Love+War,” currently streaming on Disney+, she lets us into that world, one she’s made her profession for three decades. Addario shows how she adjusts from a work environment of grave danger and high-adrenaline to being a mother making the school run and spending time with her sons. In this conversation, she tells Mishal Husain, why she believes her job is to “bear witness” and how she came to it. She remembers the first time she used a camera and shares how her childhood prepared her to walk into any situation and connect with anyone, from soldiers to refugees and civilians living through extreme times.This interview contains descriptions of abduction, violence and sexual assault which some listeners/viewers may find distressing.02:27 - Love+War03:34 - The turning point 06:00 - Learning about the risks07:00 “I don’t want to do this for a living”09:19 - Being held in Fallujah11:20 - On embed in Afghanistan 14:31 - Operation Rock Avalanche15:43 - Dealing with the emotion16:50 - The daughter of hairdressers in Connecticut17:44 - Getting her first camera19:30 - Planning a “shoot-list” 21:51 - Russian strike on Ukraine17:30 - Being held hostage in Libya31:02 - Survivor’s guilt33:30 Life at home36:30 - Social media and fake images 40:18 - Switching offWatch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interviewSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mustafa Suleyman co-founded AI lab DeepMind when he was just 26 years old. Four years later, it was acquired by Google for a reported $400 million. He is now head of Microsoft’s AI unit, where he just unveiled a new superintelligence team tasked with creating an AI that can outperform humans at all tasks.In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Suleyman talks about the decisions society has to make about AI, the white-hot war over tech talent and the competition with other tech bros.  00:00 - Introduction from Mishal Husain02:20 - Suleyman’s daily use of AI04:52 - Stoicism and the magic of AI05:50 - Defining superintelligence07:35 - The AI Wild West09:20 - Humans misusing technology11:43 - Promise of abundance, universal basic income14:30 - Suleyman’s family and decision to drop out of Oxford19:37 - "Decisions we make may have very lasting consequences”21:04 - Exploring the ‘broligarchy’22:28 - His view of Sam Altman and Open AI24:11 - Conversations with Demis Hassabis about Gemini 326:15 - “I’m sort of a centrist these days”28:09 - AI containment and the role of government 29:58 - Microsoft’s revised deal with OpenAI: “It is a shift for us”31:42 -The talent war and ‘Zuck’s’ pay packages34:12 - Circular deals in AI: “Watching it carefully”36:22 - “I really want to nail medical superintelligence”37:36 - Suleyman on using AI for emotional support40:21 - The UK lacks the “hustle culture” of Silicon Valley42:13 - AI news reporters: “We’re exploring everything” Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://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.

Salman Rushdie was nearly killed when he was stabbed 15 times on stage in upstate New York in 2022. His injuries were so severe that he lost an eye. It was an attack that came decades after he was first subjected to death threats over his novel, The Satanic Verses.Once he had recovered, he found he was unable to write fiction. However, after publishing an account of what happened to him, the stories returned, with five brought together in his latest book, The Eleventh Hour.In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Rushdie talks about free speech, the family connection they both share and the places he’s called home, from India to Britain and the US. 02:30 - “Don’t waste your time”04:40 - Writing as a form of optimism05:00 - Starting out as a writer 08:00 - Meeting E.M. Forster as a teenager10:00 - “You write the story to find out what story you’re writing”11:15 - Writing Midnight’s Children 12:46 - The family connection between Salman Rushdie and Mishal Husain14:35 - The women in the family16:00 - Getting together as a family17:55 - Returning to India to write about childhood20:30 - Reclaiming India 22:55 - India today and Prime Minister Modi24:24 - “If you’re paying attention you see things coming”24:50 - The family reacts to Midnight’s Children26:44 - A farewell to India?28:45 - Before and after the fatwa31:30 - Defending free speech32:25 - Banning books in the US34:30 - Zohran Mamdani’s campaign38:50 - The next novel40:25 - “I’m a bit clumsier”Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://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.

Ken Burns has been telling stories about America for almost 50 years. The lauded documentary filmmaker has a new series on PBS, The American Revolution, which charts the period before and after 1776. It will air internationally ahead of the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.  Mishal Husain asked Burns to join the show to mark Thanksgiving, looking at today’s America through the lens of its past and the characters who made history. 02:15 -  The complexity of the American Revolution 04:00 - The underdog story  07:15 - The global significance of the American Revolution 13:43 - Mishal Husain’s connection to Lexington Green  16:15 - Why Ken Burns became a filmmaker 17:55 - “My mother’s gift in a funny way was dying” 19:20 - The Ken Burns Effect  20:15 - Hollywood actors as first person narrators  21:25 - Directing Josh Brolin as George Washington 22:00 - Why Tom Hanks didn’t want to be the voice of George Washington 23:00 - Filming reenactments 24:50 - The American Revolution is not over 29:10 Working for PBS, American Public Broadcasting 32:20 What is Ken Burns grateful for on Thanksgiving? Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://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.

Stanford University Professor Fei-Fei Li has been at the forefront of artificial intelligence research for 25 years, which is why she’s been called the “godmother of AI.” In this conversation she tells Mishal Husain how she arrived in the US as a teenager after her parents decided to emigrate from China. She also talks about the high school teacher who inspired her and a deep love of physics, leading her to ask what she calls “audacious” questions. These days, amid her excitement about AI and its potential, she also is focused on what humans must do to build safeguards, and has a message for parents, too.  02:50 -  AI is a “civilizational technology”04:15 - “Technology is a double-edged sword”05:45 - Being a tech CEO and an academic06:45 - Falling in love with physics08:00 - What is intelligence?08:40 - Finding my first North Star 09:45 - Fei-Fei Li’s two key breakthroughs14:52 - Moving from China to the US at 1515:48 - Running the family shop taught me resilience17:30 - “I wasn’t curious about nightclubs”18:20 - My inspirational teacher 22:20 - “China is a powerhouse in AI”23:00 - Creating 3D worlds with AI27:20 - AI and the jobs market28:40 - Are humans going to be replaced? 31:00 - “The machine overlord”32:45 - What should parents tell their children? 34:40 - The AI bubble36:00 - Powering the big data centres AI needs37:20 - “I’m not a tech utopian or a dystopian”38:00 - “My one worry is our teachers”39:20 - “I’m conscious of my responsibility”41:28 - Fei-Fei Li believes in timeless human values42:00 - “My favourite book these days is Harry Potter” Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYSYou can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interviewSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For almost 40 years, Richard Moore was a career spy in Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service. Only his closest friends and family knew what he did for a living. When he was appointed chief of the agency in 2020, that changed: The name of the person in the top role is the only one made public. In his first broadcast interview since leaving his post in September 2025, Moore talks to Mishal Husain about managing China, the psychology of Vladimir Putin and why spies shouldn’t expect recognition. 03:00 - “I certainly haven’t left the world in a better place than I found it” 05:02 - China as an “opportunity and a threat” 07:20 - UK’s China spy scandal 09:44 China should “get their embassy” in London 10:22 - Getting the “tap on the shoulder” at Oxford University 14:16 - Telling your children you’re a spy 16:28 - What is spycraft really like? 22:00 - Intelligence work post 9/11 28:15 - “Putin has no intention of doing a deal” 33:46 - Strikes on Venezuela 40:00 - Life on the outside Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://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.

How do you tell the history of a whole country through its women? And what can it tell us about the world today? These are the questions Russian-American journalist Julia Ioffe set out to answer in her new book, Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy. Having reported from, and on, Russia for publications including The New Yorker and Foreign Policy for more than a decade, Ioffe says she has repeatedly been asked to explain the actions and motivations of one man: Vladimir Putin.  Motherland is, she says, partly a response to Putin, through her desire to show that Russia is much more than one person, let alone one man. In this conversation Ioffe talks to Mishal about reclaiming Russia’s women, about Donald Trump’s hollowing out of American institutions and why Putinism will endure. (Note: This podcast contains a discussion of sexual violence that some listeners may find distressing.) 02:30 - “I was born in a country that no longer exists”03:55 - The anti-feminist at Lenin’s side during the Revolution06:55 - Reluctancy to write about Russian women12:55 - What a “horrible boyfriend” Vladimir Putin was16:50 - Return to Russia, oligarch hunters and ‘trad wives’22:13 - Alexei Navalny, “the last shred of hope”29:20 - Can Russia sustain the war in Ukraine?  32:32 - Trump’s assault on US institutions, faster than Putin34:30 - American authoritarianism, risk of “one party state” Watch this podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYSYou can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interviewContact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.netSubscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three weeks after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado finds herself supporting US intervention in her native country. Mishal speaks to Maria Corina on recent US boat strikes, Nicolas Maduro’s fate and the need for strength to secure peace. 03:24 - "I had to go into hiding" 03:51 - Impact of the Nobel Peace Prize  05:38 - US Military build up 10:21 - Prospect of US ground strikes  13:10 - Is Machado speaking to the Trump Administration?  16:00 - Prospect of regime change 18:50 - Venezuela after Maduro 23:04 - Machado's economic vision 26:04 - What is the Venezuelan opposition planning next?  28:23 - "We are ready to take our government" 34:22 - Why Machado thinks this time is different Watch this podcast https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://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.

After successfully pushing for Brexit, political disruptor Nigel Farage announced his retirement. Last year, he returned to frontline politics as the leader of Reform UK, an insurgent party that’s never held national power but is now polling ahead of Labour and the Conservatives. Mishal speaks with Farage about dismantling consensus politics, Britain’s future relationship with the European Union and what he thinks Donald Trump is getting right. 4:02 - “We’ve not had enough change”7:10 - Working in the City of London in the 1980s11:46 Alignment with the European Union13:33 “Everything in life’s about risk”16:24 “Make Britain Great Again”21:00 The Bank of England 25:19 “Putin is a very bad dude”30:15 Immigration and ICE raids35:12 Economic plans46:14 Reading to prepare for government Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYSYou can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interviewContact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.netSubscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.