Fifth & Mission

As society reopens and vaccinations spread, COVID-19 is on the run. But as Chronicle reporter Annie Vainshtein reports, health experts say the Bay Area may see a fourth pandemic surge — thanks to more contagious variants, the relaxing of rules and spring break. Also, sports writer Ron Kroichick talks about fans returning to Giants and A's games, and whether that's a good idea. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For coverage of Gov. Gavin Newsom's State of the State speech Tuesday night, Fifth & Mission presents The Chronicle's It's All Political podcast, hosted by Joe Garofoli. Sacramento reporters Alexei Koseff and Dustin Gardiner help break down key points of Gov. Newsom's defense of his response to the coronavirus pandemic as he likely faces a recall. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a year of distance learning, young kids in San Francisco public schools now have a date to return. Meredith Dodson is the co-founder of Decreasing the Distance, a group of families that's been pressing for the safe return to schools. She talks to Heather Knight about the plan, its highlights and its problems. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was March 8, 1971. While the nation watched Muhammad Ali fight Joe Frazier, eight activists broke into a small FBI office near Philadelphia. The files they stole and leaked to the press would change America, revealing the scandalous operation known as Cointelpro. Now, 50 years later, one of the burglars — who lives in San Rafael — has come forward and identified himself to The Chronicle's Matthias Gafni. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reporter Tatiana Sanchez tells the story of a two-year separation and a remarkable reunion for San Francisco schoolteacher Kenny Kruse and Yar Zar Min of Myanmar. Their improbable relationship defied a dizzying series of obstacles, including Myanmar's criminalization of homosexuality, the Trump travel ban, coronavirus, and the coup in Yar Zar's native country. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Health reporter Catherine Ho talks about a big change in the state's vaccine program that will steer 40% of the supply to eligible people in the roughly 400 lowest-income ZIP codes. The change seeks to smooth out what has been an uneven distribution of vaccines that's benefited wealthier residents. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco and other counties entered the red tier on Wednesday, reopening indoor dining, gyms and museums. But is that smart with just a fraction of the population vaccinated and variants taking hold? Chronicle reporters Aidin Vaziri and Steve Rubenstein discuss the city's first day in the red tier and why it has some doctors concerned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco prepares to open indoor dining and other activities as the city moves into the red tier. Are we heading into a yo-yo phase of opening up and shutting back down, or does vaccine distribution mean the worst of shelter in place is finally coming to an end? Health reporter Erin Allday talks about what to expect. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reporters Alexei Koseff and Jill Tucker talk about California's multibillion-dollar reopening plan, which could mean a windfall for schools if they meet certain dates and requirements. The agreement comes as schools and teachers' unions face pressure from parents, and Gov. Gavin Newsom faces a possible recall election. But will it actually speed things up? | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two boys who were forced out of a Bay Area high school over what appeared to be a blackface photo have filed a $20 million lawsuit, saying the selfie was years old and they were actually wearing acne medication. It's the latest emotional dispute over racism on campus and the responsibility of schools. Reporter Matthias Gafni and columnist Justin Phillips talk about the case and the necessary conversation it raises. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The city's 215 hotels are usually packed nightly. But a year into the pandemic, half of them are temporarily closed, the rest mostly empty. S.F. Hotel Council CEO Kevin Carroll talks about how a key industry can rebound. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reporter Janelle Bitker talks about the conversations she's been having with Bay Area Asian Americans who have been victims of coronavirus-related racism, including a recent series of brutal physical attacks. They say they are too often scapegoated and cast as foreigners in their own home. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Read Janelle Brown's story: sfchronicle.com/asianattacks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The legendary poet, publisher and City Lights Books founder, who died Tuesday at 101, is remembered by Jerry Cimino of the Beat Museum and others, and we hear him recite from "A Coney Island of the Mind" on the Datebook podcast in 2018. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States has surpassed 500,000 dead in the COVID-19 pandemic, a figure that roughly matches the entire population of Sonoma County. The milestone comes amid steady progress in the Bay Area as vaccinations take hold, Reporter Erin Allday talks about that and new worries about research showing a dangerous variant spreading in California, a mutation that may be both more contagious and more serious. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The city's 148-year-old cable cars have been out-of-service for nearly a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has no timeline for when they'll return. Chronicle columnist Heather Knight explains why that is and why it's crucial to save these treasures. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices