On this week’s 51%, we speak with journalism Becky Aikman about her new book, Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II. Desperate for pilots in 1942, Great Britain recruited 25 American women to ferry bombers, fighter planes, and damaged craft between air bases. Drawing from diaries, letters, and personal interviews, Aikman tells the story of the first American women to ever command military aircraft, and how they still struggled to find piloting work in the U.S. after the war. We also speak with former CIA intelligence officer Christina Hillsberg about her book, Agents of Change, and why she feels women make better spies.

Guests: Becky Aikman, Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II; Christina Hillsberg, Agents of Change: The Women Who Transformed the CIA

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.

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On this week’s 51%, we speak with Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson about how President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful” budget bill in Congress would impact the organization’s clinics. Johnson warns Medicaid restrictions proposed in the bill could put nearly 200 Planned Parenthood clinics at risk of closing, even in states where abortion is legal. We also debunk some menopause myths and speak with the producers of a new NPR podcast highlighting how misoprostol – known as the sister pill to mifepristone in the U.S. – gained popularity as an abortion method among women in other countries.

Guests: Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood; Victoria Estrada and Marta Martinez, hosts of NPR’s Embedded: The Network; Dr. JoAnn Manson, professor at Harvard Medical School and physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.

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On this week’s 51%, we chat with psychologist Dr. Samantha Sweeney about why teaching your kids to celebrate diversity is important to their success as adults – and how to do it. Sweeney lays out a guide for parents in her new book Culturally Competent Kids: Raising Children to Thrive in a Diverse World. We also learn about a bill in New York state that would require a warning label for kids on social media platforms, and hear from a state legislator in Massachusetts looking to strengthen the state’s laws against the secretive recording practice known as “upskirting.”

Guest: Dr. Samantha Sweeney, author of Culturally Competent Kids: Raising Children to Thrive in a Diverse World

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. This episode also contains the tracks "Just a Taste" and "Nights Like This" by Beat Mekanik.

On this week's 51%, we speak with the authors of Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks. Compiling both historical research and folk songs, Breaking Trail spotlights some of the women hikers, hunters, artists and legends who had a profound impact on New York's Adirondack Park.

Guests: Sandra Weber and Peggy Lynn, authors of Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks; Tracy Brown, president of Riverkeeper

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.

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On this week’s 51%, we take a feminist self-defense course with IMPACT Boston Executive Director Meg Stone. In her new book, The Cost of Fear, Stone says a majority of the safety advice given to women – like “Don’t walk at night,” “Don’t put your hair in a ponytail” – is well-meaning, but sexist, and doesn’t actually address gender-based violence on a large scale. Rather than teaching “safety through compliance,” Stone focuses on “safety through resistance”: the understanding that government systems meant to protect people often fail, that you are more likely to be assaulted by someone you know – and that you have the power to advocate for yourself, and get out, should you face a dangerous situation.

Guest: Meg Stone, executive director of IMPACT Boston and author of The Cost of Fear: Why Most Safety Advice is Sexist and How We Can Stop Gender-Based Violence

This episode touches on domestic violence and sexual assault. If you or someone you love has been impacted, please know help is available. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE or by texting "START" to 88788. RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-HOPE.

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.

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On this week’s 51%, we chat with rising Broadway star Jasmine Amy Rogers about her Tony-nominated performance in BOOP! The Musical, and how she gets in character for the iconic role of Betty Boop. We also stop by a lecture with the author of Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her.

Guest: Jasmine Amy Rogers, actress and star of BOOP! The Musical on Broadway

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. This episode also contains the track "funny bunny" by LowLevA.

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On this week's 51%, we hear from NPR’s Emily Feng about her experience reporting in China, and her new book Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping’s China. Telling the stories of nearly two dozen people Feng encountered in China – before she ran afoul of the government herself – Let Only Red Flowers Bloom depicts how ordinary people continue to go against the grain under a government that restricts free expression.

Guest: Emily Feng, NPR international correspondent and author of Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping’s China

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. This episode also contains the track “Butterfly” by Kate Kody.

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On this week’s 51%, we learn about an organization offering community to children and teens impacted by incarceration and deportation. The Pathfinder Network, which merged with the POPS Club in 2022, has support groups in schools across the country, where students can share their thoughts and fears stigma-free. POPS Founder Amy Friedman also edits a regular anthology of students’ creative work. The latest edition is titled Home and Away.

Guests: Amy Friedman, founder of the POPS Club, and Tyler Stonebreaker, a student with the Pathfinder Network in Portland, Oregon; Meaghan Smith, author of Widows Can Love Again

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.

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