The U.S. leads high-income nations in maternal deaths, especially among Black mothers. In 2021, around 1200 women died of childbirth-related causes – a 40% increase from 2020. Leone Lakhani meets with one woman in Chicago who’s working to change that, and whose mission to support Black and brown mothers could become a model for the rest of the country.
As rental costs have jumped and expired pandemic relief assistance has disappeared, more renters are finding themselves facing evictions. Soledad O’Brien speaks with Juan Pablo Garnham of the Eviction Lab about what’s driving the record numbers and who’s most at risk.
Nearly one in ten people don’t own a computer in the U.S. That can limit their access to jobs, education and socialization. One non-profit, PCs for People, is changing this – putting low-cost or free upcycled computers into the hands of families for more than two decades. Laura Chavez met up with the founder, who shared his childhood vision that is now changing lives across the country.
The new COVID variant, EG.5, or “Eris,” is spiking in parts of the U.S. – amidst scaled-back tracking. Soledad O’Brien speaks with Dr. Ali Khan about the status of COVID in the U.S. and how people can stay healthy heading into the flu season. Dr. Khan is the dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska’s Medical Center and former director of the CDC’s Office for Public Health Preparedness and Response.
In 1865, following the end of the Civil War, Union leaders gathered a group of Black ministers in Georgia. They decided that newly freed enslaved families could claim up to 40 acres of land. Almost 160 years later, against the backdrop of national reparations discussions, Joie Chen visits Savannah to hear the history of this famously broken promise.
This week Matter of Fact unpacks the history behind the “40 Acres and a Mule” promise that was made to formerly enslaved people following the Civil War – and not fulfilled. Plus, how can lessons from the pandemic help us stay healthier today? And, one non-profit is getting computers into families’ hands across the country.
Some of the most recognizable names in tech are inviting hackers to test their AI vulnerabilities at the DEF CON convention in Las Vegas. Rumman Chowdhury talks with Soledad O’Brien about the motivation behind this year’s focus on AI, biases in AI and the AI Bill of Rights. Chowdhury is the former director of Twitter’s META ethics team and one of the convention’s organizers.
This week on Matter of Fact, a severe staffing shortage of home care
This week Matter of Fact explores the world of online hacking as companies agree to have their systems tested in this year’s DEF CON convention. Plus, a shortage of firefighters around the country is leading to employee burnout and longer 911 wait times. And, a rocket scientist inspires a new generation of girls to pursue a STEM career.
