Fifth & Mission

The state was the first to pass a law criminalizing so-called revenge porn in 2013, but prosecuting perpetrators of the crime has been uneven, including in the Bay Area. Chronicle reporter Tal Kopan joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what was revealed during a Chronicle review of the state law, and how an effort to make revenge porn a federal crime could strengthen it. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York was the first city in the country to open supervised consumption sites for people using drugs. Chronicle columnist Heather Knight and photographer Gabrielle Lurie traveled there to see how the facilities operate. They join host Cecilia Lei to offer what they think San Francisco can learn from what they observed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That's the question Gov. Gavin Newsom and California legislators have to answer after Senate Democrats announced their estimate that the state’s budget surplus has more than doubled to that amount. Reporters Sophia Bollag and Dustin Gardiner join host Cecilia Lei to talk about the unusual problem of the state having more money than it knows what to do with. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People all over the Bay Area are getting COVID again at increasing rates — but this time it's different. As Dr. Anthony Fauci says that America is "out of the pandemic phase," far fewer people are getting seriously ill or dying. Restrictions like mask mandates may be a thing of the past, and everybody has to make their own choices about safety. Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday tells host Demian Bulwa what we should make of Fauci's remarks and the latest spread of the disease. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stanford ICU nurse Brittaney West joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about why nurses throughout the Bay Area are staging job actions and preparing to strike if they don't get what they say they need from the hospitals they work for. "And it doesn't just come down to wages," she says, but also involves adequate staffing, mental health care and other forms of support befitting the "heroes" they're often portrayed as being. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco has long depended on single room occupancy units, or SROs, to house its most vulnerable populations. A year-long investigation by Chronicle reporters Joaquin Palomino and Trisha Thadani reveals that many of these buildings are unsanitary and unsafe. They discuss their findings with host Cecilia Lei and share what tenants say life is like for them inside SRO hotels. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a San Francisco teacher recently handed students cotton plants in a lesson about the hardship of slavery, it ignited immediate controversy at the school. There was an investigation, a debate among parents and an apology. Host Demian Bulwa hears from Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker and Ohio State University professor Hasan Jeffries about why incidents like this are so complicated — and important — as the nation reckons with the ongoing harm of racism — and as conservatives seek to ban such teaching altogether. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yema Khalif and Hawi Awash are the only Black retail owners in the wealthy town of Tiburon. During the summer of 2020, police asked the couple to prove that they owned the store, and the body cam footage of the incident went viral. Chronicle reporter Joshua Sharpe joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how the couple leveraged that incident to implement police reform in the coastal city nearly two years later. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco supervisor defeated David Campos by positioning himself as the pro-housing candidate for the state Assembly seat. Chronicle reporter Dustin Gardiner joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss why Haney's win is a coup for YIMBYs. But political victories won't be enough. A new bill in the Assembly aims to make development easier, even in difficult cities like San Francisco. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that a federal judge has tossed out the mask requirement on airplanes and public transit, Bay Area transit agencies are scrambling to figure out their mask requirements, creating a patchwork of conflicting policies for travelers. UCSF's Dr. Bob Wachter joins host Cecilia Lei to share his thoughts on the latest federal mask update and why he still recommends keeping masks on in certain public settings. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin's Innocence Commission has exonerated its first person — and the case is extraordinary. The defendant, Joaquin Ciria, has been behind bars for more than 30 years, accused of killing a friend in a gun attack in SoMa. Now, there's a new witness — and fresh questions about what went wrong. Chronicle reporter Joshua Sharpe joins host Demian Bulwa to talk about the case and what it means. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency in the Tenderloin and pledged to bring in more police, critics feared she was criminalizing drug users. Months later, Breed maintains her position. Chronicle reporter Mallory Moench joins host Cecilia Lei to share what she learned from her conversation with Breed, and what changes have actually been made in the Tenderloin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The task force tasked with drawing the city's new supervisor districts has missed its deadline, and it's not clear how the process — marked by protests and outbursts at public meetings — will play out. Reporter J.D. Morris joins host Cecilia Lei to sort out the complex and controversial story of drawing a new map. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At age 88, the giant of California politics is the oldest sitting U.S. senator. Five members of Congress — including four Democrats — have told The Chronicle that they're concerned that her memory is rapidly deteriorating, and that it appears she can no longer represent the state without her staff doing much of the work. Reporters Tal Kopan and Joe Garofoli join host Demian Bulwa to discuss these concerns and the response from Feinstein and her allies. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans across the country are moving to restrict abortions in their states, including in Oklahoma where a near-total ban on abortion was signed on Tuesday. Senior political writer and host of "It's All Political on Fifth and Mission" Joe Garofoli chats with Mini Timmaraju, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. They discuss what anti-abortion laws mean for California and what the future looks like for reproductive rights organizing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California Department of Education released data on Monday that revealed public school enrollment fell below 6 million for the first time in more than a decade. That means school districts are facing more budget cuts and long-term financial instability. Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker joins host Cecilia Lei to explain what's causing the declines and how the state might help. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Covid-19 vaccines and boosters have allowed many people to return to their pre-pandemic activities, but they still don't appear to provide long-lasting protection against Covid infections. Chronicle health reporter Catherine Ho joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what the future of Covid immunizations could look like, how scientists are looking for a 'pan-coronavirus vaccine' and why that is critical for future coronavirus epidemics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Area residents are being confronted by fentanyl in places you might not expect. A local organization is making fentanyl test kits available in bar bathrooms, just one element of a larger harm reduction strategy that's necessary to fight the Bay Area's growing fentanyl crisis. Reporter Caron Creighton delves into the differing harm reduction strategies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2012, John Muir Health formed a multimillion dollar partnership with Stanford to boost its pediatric program and operations. The deaths of the hospital's pediatric patients, including 2-year-old Ailee Jong, bring into question John Muir's ability to perform complex procedures. Chronicle reporters Matthias Gafni and Cynthia Dizikes join host Cecilia Lei to discuss their investigation, which revealed that hospital staff members had warned that John Muir shouldn't operate on Ailee. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After an exchange of gunfire on a crowded Sacramento street killed six people and wounded 12 more, Democratic politicians and others are again calling for gun control. So will there be meaningful change? Chronicle senior political writer Joe Garofoli lays out the obstacles, including opposition from Republicans in Congress who fear alienating their voters and California’s inability to keep guns from streaming in from states with weaker laws. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices