Food insecurity is on the rise across the country. The number of households with insufficient access to healthy food rose by 4.2 million between 2020 and 2023. The problem disproportionately affects Black and African American households with nearly 21% of them experiencing food insecurity compared to around 8% of white households. After seeing the issue firsthand, Bronx native Karen Washington connected with friends to create Rise and Root Farm, an organization that grows fresh produce and sells it to underserved communities. Producer Tara Cleary travels to upstate New York to see how the farm is cultivating a healthier future.
When the U.S. Supreme Court began its term last October, it agreed to hear 65 cases. In January, that workload quickly grew as the Trump administration asked the Court to take up a flurry of emergency requests. Alicia Bannon is the director of the judiciary program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law. She joins Soledad O’Brien in studio to explain what a shadow docket is and how it’s changing the way that the Court typically conducts business.
Kids across the country are spending their days at summer camps, but one camp is providing a special experience for children in foster care. It’s called Camp To Belong. It gives siblings who live in different foster homes a chance to reunite with each other. The camp, founded in 1995, hosts gatherings all over the country. Correspondent Alexis Clark takes us to one location in Irvine, California to see how a few days at summer camp are helping brothers and sisters maintain their bonds.
This week Matter of Fact visits a summer camp that’s reuniting siblings separated by the foster care system. Plus, a legal expert explains the impact of the Supreme Court taking on more emergency cases. And, a New York farmer brings fresh produce to underserved communities.
America’s native population has long faced health disparities. Many tribes rely on government rationed food, which is often highly processed, and have limited access to fresh produce. Researchers say several factors, including food, contribute to a shorter life expectancy for American Indians and Alaska Natives. A woman living on the North Dakota’s Fort Berthold Reservation is working to change that. Special correspondent Joie Chen meets Dr. Ruth De La Cruz and learns how she’s helping lead a program that’s teaching a new generation to live off the land and preserving traditional farming practices.
About 30 years ago, Congress mandated the inclusion of women and minorities in federally funded clinical trials with the passage of the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act. Before then, women were largely left out of federally funded medical research, creating a critical gap in the understanding of how diseases and treatments affect women differently. Now, that work is at risk with the Trump administration planning to cut more than 1,700 medical research grants. Correspondent Dina Demetrius meets two female scientists who have dedicated their careers to women’s health research, to learn how uncertainty over funding could impact their work.
This week Matter of Fact meets two female scientists whose work in women’s health research is being threatened by funding cuts. Plus, chef and restaurateur Alice Waters shares her passion for fresh, locally sourced food. And, a North Dakota woman works to preserve her tribe’s traditional farming methods.
Every Sunday, the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches in Florida opens its doors for the Amigos. It’s a group created for people with special needs – including those of different ages, backgrounds and faiths. The church and its Through the Roof Ministry program give members and their families a safe environment to come together to worship and build friendships without limitations or judgement. Our producer Sidney Holmes takes us inside.
In 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act established the Job Corps – a program that offers free vocational training to low-income young adults between ages 16-24. In addition to training, it provides housing for most of the enrolled students. In May, the Department of Labor announced it would begin a so-called “phased pause” of operations at contractor-operated Job Corps sites across the country. Donna Hay is the president and CEO of the National Job Corps Association. She joins Soledad O’Brien in studio to explain why they’re taking legal action to keep sites open.
Across the country, states are struggling to provide legal counsel to those going through the criminal court system. A lack of funding and overwhelming workload have led to a shortage of public defenders. In Washington, the state’s supreme court recently set new standards, slashing the maximum number of cases that a public defender can be assigned in a year, but many say that’s not enough. Now, the state is launching a program to recruit and train future generations of public defenders. Correspondent Dan Lieberman shows us how the fellowship is filling the gap.