Welcome to “The Magazine,” our mini-pod, which gives a peek into Ms. magazine’s forthcoming and current issues. In this episode, take a glimpse inside our Winter 2026 issue, which delves into the promise and potential of the abortion medication Mifepristone—which has been shown to treat a striking range of diseases and conditions including fibroids, breast cancer, depression, endometriosis and more. Also in the Winter issue: Jess Michaels on surviving Epstein, the Iceland “Women’s Strike” turns 50, and more. Get the magazine delivered right to your mailbox!

Joining us to discuss is our very special guest:

• Kathy Spillar is the executive director and a founder of the Feminist Majority Foundation, a national organization working for women’s equality, empowerment and non-violence, and the publisher of Ms. since 2001. She has been a driving force in executing the organizations’ diverse programs securing women’s rights both domestically and globally since its inception in 1987. She is also the executive editor of Ms. where she oversees editorial content and the Ms. in the Classroom program, and editor and contributor to 50 Years of Ms: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine that Ignited a Revolution.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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Mifepristone, one of the drugs in the two-pill medication abortion regimen approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is an extremely versatile drug. It has the potential to treat a striking range of diseases and conditions—from fibroids, breast cancer, depression, and endometriosis, to autoimmune diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis, according to scientists. Research also suggests that it could help prevent some forms of breast cancer, and it can serve as an effective weekly contraceptive without some of the side effects of hormonal birth control.

Given its incredibly promising uses to aid women's health, why has its research been repeatedly undermined, derailed, and obstructed in the United States?

Joining us to discuss these issues is our very special guest:

Carrie N. Baker: Carrie Baker is the a professor of the Study of Women and Gender and chair of the Program for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Smith College. She is a contributing editor with Ms. Magazine and publishes a monthly column in the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Her latest book, Abortion Pills: US History and Politics, was published in 2024 by Amherst College Press.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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It’s been a harrowing year for many families. The Trump administration’s budget cuts are giving tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of funding healthy meals for students experiencing food insecurity; legislatures are banning books and attacking LGBTQ+ students; and immigration crackdowns are leaving many students afraid to go to school at all. Families have had a lot to be worried about—more than just tests and grades—this year. What are students, parents, and teachers worried about—and what policies are advocates watching?

Helping us to sort out these questions and set the record straight is our very special guest,

Becky Pringle: Becky Pringle is president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union. Becky is a middle school science teacher with more than three decades of classroom experience and has distinguished herself as a fierce social justice warrior and defender of educator rights.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

Support the show