This week, Matter of Fact of heads to Chicago to talk to a community group training high school students and residents to treat victims on gun violence on the scene. They say this training could save lives in neighborhoods with slow emergency response times. Plus, Soledad chats with Mariko Bennett, the author of “The Blueprint to Manifest Your Dreams,” about following through on the goals you set for yourself. Also, the U.S. Census redefines what rural and urban living mean and find out how a slower grocery checkout lane encourages connections.
In certain areas of Chicago’s south side, victims with gunshot wounds have a low chance of surviving, because ambulance response is slower, there’s a shortage of hospitals and trauma centers and police personnel aren’t required to administer first aid. Ujimaa Medics wants to change that by empowering the residents to help. They are training high school students and neighbors to learn life-saving techniques to treat victims right at the scene. Correspondent Laura Chavez talks to the group about their mission and what medical professionals say about their efforts. [hearst-video upload=”undefined” thumbnail=”undefined” name=”Chicago community group training residents to help victims of gun violence” description=”In certain areas of Chicago’s south side, victims with gunshot wounds have a low chance of surviving, because ambulance response is slower, there’s a shortage of hospitals and trauma centers and police personnel aren’t required to administer first aid. Ujimaa Medics wants to change that by empowering the residents to help. They are training high school students and neighbors to learn life-saving techniques to treat victims right at the scene. Correspondent Laura Chavez talks to the group about their mission and what medical professionals say about their efforts.”
In the wake of the pandemic, many New Yorkers remain worried about where they’ll get their next meal — and frustrated with elected officials. Alexis Clark speaks with a Bronx family of restaurateurs about how this is driving both activism and voter apathy.
More than a month after Hurricane Ian hit Florida, countless residents — including poll workers — are still displaced. Soledad O’Brien speaks with Lee County Supervisor Tommy Doyle about how extending early voting, focusing on absentee ballots and waiving certain requirements for poll workers are keeping the elections process afloat.
In our final leg of the road trip, Jessica Gomez and her team meet with voters from Ohio to Maryland to see what they’re worried about beyond what’s making headlines.
This week Matter of Fact continues our journey across the U.S., talking with Americans about the impact of rising costs, the debate over abortion and concerns about the future. Plus, how Hurricane Ian is impacting Florida’s elections and community residents rallying to lift the Bronx neighborhoods out of poverty.
Dina is an award-winning correspondent and producer who crafts stories that illuminate the humanity at the heart of any policy issue. In addition to reporting for Matter of Fact, she is also a correspondent at CBS News. She began her career at ABC News where she worked for many years at Nightline and Good Morning America. Dina has reported and produced in-depth investigative, social justice and underreported stories for KCET/PBS, Al Jazeera America, and A&E Network. Dina anchored a weekly public affairs show and documentary specials at Spectrum News 1. As a documentary director, she led a team to Nicaragua filming the stories of an orphanage, aid workers and the people they assist in the Nicaragua’s toxic and dangerous garbage dumps. Dina is the recipient of five L.A. area Emmy Awards, six L.A. Press Club Awards including for her groundbreaking California fracking investigation, and four RTNA Golden Mike Awards. She lives in Los Angeles and is a native of the Detroit area.
Dan is an award-winning investigative journalist who has a unique eye for finding and telling underreported stories around the world. His reports for VICE and CBS News include in-depth news documentaries that aim to expose injustice and promote policy debate and social change. Dan’s work has appeared on CNN, NBC, ABC Nightline, BBC World News & PBS NewsHour. His superpower is connecting with people from all walks of life, and his passion is helping their voices be heard to inspire them & others who need lifting up.
Diane Roberts is an Emmy, Murrow, Telly, AP and SPJ award winning journalist. She has been working in broadcasting since she co-hosted a news program about her high school on a small-town radio station in Georgia. She’s been working in radio and television ever since! After graduating from Georgia State University in Atlanta, she worked as a general assignment TV reporter in Des Moines, IA. She worked as a weekend TV news anchor in Columbia, SC and Tampa, FL. In Washington DC she worked as a sports anchor/reporter for Fox5DC and WUSA9 covering Washington’s professional, college and high school teams for 20+ years. She’s been an update anchor at SiriusXM Sports and a news update anchor at Voice of America radio. She has been working at WTOP as a sports update anchor since 2022 and added news update anchor to her duties in 2023. She also is a freelance field producer for Entertainment Tonight covering celebrity events from Kennedy Center Honors to the Mark Twain Awards and more. As Pres /CEO of Diane’s Talking, she produces videos for companies and non-profits, is a media/public speaking coach and a voiceover artist.