Fifth & Mission

The flagship news podcast of the San Francisco Chronicle. Producer/host Cecilia Lei and director of news Demian Bulwa discuss the biggest stories of the day with Chronicle journalists and newsmakers from around the Bay Area. | Get full digital access to the Chronicle: sfchronicle.com/pod

News
Politics
226
How Digital Data Leaves Abortion Seekers Vulner...
Digital footprints, including Google searches and text messages, could leave abortion seekers vulnerable to prosecution.
12 min
227
The Fate of the Oakland A's Howard Terminal Bal...
15 min
228
What COVID-19's Evolution Means for Our Future
Will we ever be able to get ahead of this relentless virus? It's surpassed the expectations of health experts and scientists: With each mutation, it's been able to evade immunity and become more infectious. Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday explains the evolution of the virus to host Cecilia Lei.
17 min
229
Does the Supreme Court Have Too Much Power?
California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis tells It's All Political on Fifth & Mission host Joe Garofoli that the six justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade have discredited the court, and that she's worried a national abortion ban would supersede California's laws protecting the right to choose.
20 min
230
The Anti-Abortion Movement is ‘Not Stopping Here’
In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, there are countless questions about what comes next. Carole Joffe, a UCSF professor and an expert on the societal impacts of reproductive health care, joins host Dominic Fracassa.
19 min
231
Breaking: Roe v. Wade Is Overturned
For months, Fifth & Mission has been talking to health care workers, advocates and people who have had personal experience with abortion care about what a post-Roe world would look like. Now that we're in that world, listen to some of what they've said.
20 min
232
What's Tough About Pride for Emeryville's Gay M...
California has long been a pioneering mecca for LGBTQ politicians. But John Bauters, one of just eight out mayors in the state, says it can also be exhausting and scary as leaders like him face attacks and threats.
23 min
233
Is Getting COVID Inevitable?
Why have some people managed to avoid catching the virus despite the latest variants being highly transmissible? And will they eventually become infected? Chronicle reporter Danielle Echeverria joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss what health experts have to say about dodging COVID and why that is still worth the effort.
11 min
234
How Storytelling Drag Queens Became Right-Wing ...
A recent disruption of Drag Queen Story Hour by protesters at a San Lorenzo library has the LGBTQ community on edge. Chronicle reporter Ryan Kost joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the anxiety among Bay Area drag queens, and drag queen storyteller Per Sia shares her perspective.
19 min
235
The Future of Central Valley Abortion 'Deserts'
With the Supreme Court expected to overturn Roe v. Wade soon, California is preparing for an influx of out-state patients who will be seeking abortion care. Chronicle reporter Lauren Hepler joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the myth that the state is a post-Roe "sanctuary."
16 min
236
How The Chronicle is "Fixing Our City"
A new Chronicle podcast aims to find solutions to San Francisco's biggest challenges. As part of the SFNext initiative, Fixing Our City is tackling issues like housing and affordability by talking directly to community residents. Host Laura Wenus and producer Cintia Lopez join Cecilia Lei.
17 min
237
Key Takeaways From the Jan. 6 Hearings
Unlike impeachment or the Mueller hearings, the committee is putting on a show — with San Jose Rep. Zoe Lofgren taking a star turn — and ratings have been good. Washington correspondent Tal Kopan joins Joe Garofoli on It's All Political on Fifth & Mission to talk about it.
22 min
238
Big Vote for New S.F. School Board: Lowell High
A school board with three new members after this year's recall election must decide whether the prestigious public high school will stay with the lottery-based admissions system it adopted for 2021 admissions or revert to the old competitive system. Reporter Jill Tucker has details.
17 min
239
What to Expect of Bay Area's Upcoming "Cruel Su...
Chronicle reporter Kurtis Alexander joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about our hot, dry, possibly burning immediate future. Plus: State Capitol reporter Dustin Gardiner analyzes why Gov. Gavin Newsom has been hesitant to issue statewide water restrictions.
22 min
240
The Hair Project: Black Representation and Disc...
A Chronicle special project looks at textured hair: How it’s represented in the media and why it’s so central to the Black community. Newsroom developer Katlyn Sofaea Alo Alapati and reporter Shwanika Narayan join host Cecilia Lei to talk about what they’ve learned.
24 min
241
Paxlovid Rebounds and Vaccines for Little Kids
Chronicle health reporter Catherine Ho joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what we've learned about the anti-viral pill Paxlovid. Plus: What should Bay Area parents expect once vaccines for kids 5 and under are authorized?
16 min
242
The New Generation of Asian American Activists
The Chesa Boudin recall has spotlighted the political power of Asian Americans, but the Bay Area already has a long history of Asian American activism. Justin Zhu of Stand With Asian Americans joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about his pivot from Silicon Valley to organizing.
20 min
243
Post-Boudin Recall: What Voters Want Now
Some of the most contested races of the California primaries have one central issue in common: how to deal with public safety. From the recall of San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin, to the state attorney general and governor's race.
27 min
244
Why San Francisco Recalled Its Progressive D.A.
Chesa Boudin was decisively voted out of office in a recall election Tuesday. Chronicle crime reporter Megan Cassidy and senior political writer/It's All Political on Fifth & Mission host Joe Garofoli talk to host Demian Bulwa about what went wrong for the district attorney.
20 min
245
LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE! With Warriors Hype Man F...
With Golden State back in the NBA Finals after a 2-year absence, the Chase Center emcee talks with host Demian Bulwa about how he got his job, what it means to him to be the only Asian American hype man in the league, and how he became a Warriors superfan to avoid bedtime as a kid.
23 min
246
Gun Law Expert: "We Are at the Worst Place Ever"
Stanford law professor John Donohue, who has studied the effects of assault-weapon bans — he says they work — tells host Cecilia Lei that gun lobby disinformation and a GOP that won't stand up to that lobby mean new federal gun safety laws are unlikely.
23 min
247
The Legacy of California's Assault Weapons Ban
California has some of the toughest gun restrictions in the country, including an assault weapons ban, which was passed in 1989. Former Assemblyman Mike Roos, who wrote the law, talks about why it remains at the heart of the state's debate over how to regulate guns.
21 min
248
Chesa Boudin on the Recall: "It's Scapegoating"
The embattled San Francisco district attorney, who could be recalled by voters Tuesday, tells host Demian Bulwa that he's just as frustrated with crime in the city as everyone else, but he says much of what ails the city isn't in his power to change, and his foes are offering no solutions.
36 min
249
The Post-Roe Future of Abortion in California
Joe Garofoli joins abortion-rights advocates Jodi Hicks, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and Jessica Pinckney on Planned Parenthood's "Bans Off Our Bodies" bus to talk about how California would be affected if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade this month.
28 min
250
Is the Future of the Office the End of the Office?
Will the office ever be the same after COVID? Not likely. When San Francisco's TaskRabbit announced it would shut down all its offices, the company acknowledged reality: As the pandemic drags on, more and more employees want a hybrid workplace.
16 min