WHAT AM I ENSLAVED ANCESTORS YEARS? LITTLE DID I KNOW I COULD READ, WRITE AND DO A LOT OF MATH TO BLACK WORKERS. MAKE UP JUST 5% OF THE BUILDING TRADES. MANY ARE HOPING A HISTORY LESSON CAN CHANGE THAT. I THINK HENRY BOYD, TO ME, EMBODIES SOMEONE WHO JUST NEVER, EVER GAVE UP TELLING THE STORY OF HENRY BOYD AND THE BOYD BED. I WANT THEM TO KNOW IT’S OKAY TO LEARN WITH THEIR HANDS. YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL AND CREATE OPTIONS AND ENCOURAGING THE NEXT GENERATION TO LEARN. PLUS, CITIES ACROSS THE NATION ARE DECLARING HOMELESSNESS A STATE OF EMERGENCY. YOU CAN’T ACTUALLY ARREST OR FIND HOMELESSNESS OUT OF EXISTENCE. WHAT ARE THE BEST SOLUTIONS FOR HELPING UNSHELTERED PEOPLE LIVING IN OUR PUBLIC SPACES? BUT FIRST, EVERY DAY I WOULD LIKE REDOWNLOAD IT AND THEN DELETE IT AGAIN. NONSTOP SCROLLING ON SOCIAL MEDIA IS TAKING A TOLL ON AMERICA’S TEENAGERS. I JUST FELT LIKE I HAD TO BECOME THESE PEOPLE THAT I SAW. NOW, SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN OTHER STATES ARE JOINING SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN SUING SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES, BLAMING THEM FOR WORSENING THE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. CHILDREN THAT HAVE DEVELOPED EATING DISORDERS, SEVERE DEPRESSION, WHOSE RESPONSE REBEL WHEN TEENS ARE HARMED BY THEIR CONSTANT USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA. I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT. THERE’S GROWING CONCERN ABOUT SAFETY AND SECURITY OF TEENS USING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. THIS PAST WEEK, TIK TOK WAS FINED $15.9 MILLION FOR FAILING TO PROTECT KIDS DATA IN THE U.K. IT’S ALSO A BIG ISSUE IN OUR COUNTRY BECAUSE 46% OF TEENAGERS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 13 AND 17 SAY THEY’RE CONSTANTLY ONLINE. AND A MAJORITY, ABOUT 54% OF THEM SAY IT WOULD BE SOMEWHAT HARD TO GIVE UP SOCIAL MEDIA. NOW, MENTAL HEALTH EXPERT ARE WARNING THE EXCESSIVE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA BY TEENS IS BECOMING AN ADDICTION AND CAN LEAD TO DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, EVEN SUICIDE. RECENTLY, PARENTS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN FLORIDA, ARIZONA AND CALIFORNIA HAVE JOINED SEATTLE IN FILING LAWSUITS AGAINST MIRROR, GOOGLE, TIK TOK AND SNAP. OUR CORRESPONDENT DAN LIEBERMAN WENT TO SEATTLE FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LEGAL BATTLE THERE. WHAT WE’RE DEALING WITH IS AN EPIDEMIC OF UNPARALLELED PROPORTIONS. ATTORNEY MATT BERGMAN IS THE FOUNDER OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA VICTIMS LAW CENTER IN SEATTLE. HIS FIRM REPRESENTS SOME 1400 PARENTS WHO SAY THEIR CHILD WAS HARMED BY SOCIAL MEDIA USE. CHILDREN WHO DIE ACCIDENTALLY FROM THE TIK TOK BLACKOUT CHALLENGE, CHILDREN THAT HAVE DEVELOPED EATING DISORDERS, SEVERE DEPRESSION, MANY THAT HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSED ONLINE. THE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES AND THEIR ALGORITHMS, BERGMAN SAYS, ARE RESPONSIBLE. THESE PRODUCTS ARE INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED TO BE ADDICTIVE. THIS POSITION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE BASIS OF A RECENT LAWSUIT BROUGHT BY SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THEY CLAIM THAT COMPANIES BEHIND INSTAGRAM, TIK TOK AND OTHER PLATFORMS DESIGNED THEIR PRODUCTS TO BE ADDICTIVE, EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES OF EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USE ON YOUNG BRAINS. THE LEGAL CLAIM IS PUBLIC NUISANCE, WHICH WOULD BE THE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IMPACTING THEIR SCHOOLS. YOU BREAK IT, YOU HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO FIX IT. DEAN KAWAMOTO IS PART OF THE LEGAL TEAM REPRESENTING THE SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THEY ARGUE THAT SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES ARE LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO PAY FOR THE DAMAGES TO YOUNG PEOPLE. THERE HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS INCREASE IN THE DEMAND FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. THE DISTRICT IS DOING WHAT IT CAN, BUT I MEAN, THE SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS LIKE SCHOOL SYSTEMS EVERYWHERE, HAVE LIMITED BUDGETS. THE DISTRICT HAS MORE THAN 50,000 STUDENTS, BUT IS ONLY LEGALLY REQUIRED TO HAVE ONE COUNSELOR PER SCHOOL REGARDLESS OF THE SIZE. I GO TO A SCHOOL WITH 1700 KIDS AND THERE’S ONE MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR FOR 1700 KIDS. THAT’S NOT ENOUGH. 17 YEAR OLD STELLA RUBEL IS A JUNIOR AT THE SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOL. SHE’S STRUGGLED WITH DISORDERED EATING AND HAS BEEN IN AND OUT OF TREATMENT FOR YEARS. I WOULD BE FEELING GOOD ABOUT MY BODY AND THEN LOOK ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SEE A GIRL WITH LIKE A REALLY TINY WAIST OR SOMETHING. I JUST FELT LIKE I HAD TO BECOME THESE PEOPLE THAT I SAW AND THAT REALLY DROVE THE EATING PATTERNS AND EXERCISING PATTERNS THAT I HAD. HOW MANY MORE KIDS ARE COMING THROUGH THE EMERGENCY ROOM NOW WITH MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS? WE’RE DEFINITELY SEEING LIKE IN OUR INPATIENT NUMBERS ARE INCREASING BY, YOU KNOW, OVER 25%. SO THESE ARE ALL MENTAL HEALTH. IT’S ALL MENTAL HEALTH. DR. YOLANDA EVANS IS THE HEAD OF ADOLESCENT MEDICINE AT SEATTLE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL. SOME PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT THIS STORY AND THEY’LL SAY, LOOK, THIS IS ON THE PARENTS. PARENTS HAVE TO DO MORE. YOU CAN’T JUST BLAME THESE COMPANIES. BLAMING IT ON PARENTS IS ALSO UNFAIR. NOT EVERY PARENT HAS THE SAME ACCESS TO MONITOR OR WHAT THEIR KIDS ARE WATCHING ONLINE AND ESPECIALLY THINKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO MAYBE ARE WORKING MULTIPLE JOBS OR PUTTING ALL OF THE EMPHASIS ON THE INDIVIDUAL IS NOT GOING TO GET US VERY FAR. WHEN YOU’RE MAKING A PRODUCT THAT YOU KNOW, KIDS ARE GOING TO USE AND INDEED YOUR OBJECTIVE IS TO MAKE THEM USE IT, I THINK YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT PROGRAM IS SAFE. IN SEPARATE STATEMENTS, ALL FIVE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES NAMED IN THE LAWSUIT SAID THEY’VE INVESTED HEAVILY IN THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF YOUNG USERS WITH MEASURES LIKE SCREEN TIME LIMITS, PARENTAL SUPERVISION AND CONTENT BLOCKING, FOR MATTER OF FACT. I’M DAN LIEBERMAN IN SEATTLE NEXT ON MATTER OF FACT, SOLUTIONS TO END HOMELESSNESS OFTEN HAVE MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS. IT’S VERY HARD TO HAVE HOUSING IF YOU DON’T HAVE A JOB OR EVEN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SERVICES. I THINK THAT THERE’S A MYTH THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS DON’T WORK, AN EXPERT EXPLAINS WHAT SHE SEES IS WORKING AND WHAT’S NOT. PLUS, THEY THINK THEY CAN’T WIRE A LIGHT SWITCH AND THEY HIT THEIR SWITCH AND THEIR LIGHT COMES ON. COME ON, LET’S GO. WHAT’S NEXT? CAN TEACHING THE NEXT GENERATION OF MAKERS HELP BRING MORE BLACK PEOPLE INTO THE BUILDING INDUSTRY? AND LATER, WE’RE WATCHING THE STARS THIS MONTH FOR SOME RARE CELESTIAL MOMENTS. YOU’RE WATCHING A MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONAL SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRSTHERE’S BEEN A SORT OF A AND ERROR APPROACH WHEN IT COMES TO SOLVING HOMELESSNESS. CITIES AND STATES ARE TRYING TO PLACE. THE 5 TO 600000 PEOPLE WITHOUT HOMES ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT. WE’VE REPORTED EXTENSIVELY ON THOSE EFFORTS. IN SEATTLE, WE EXPLORED THE TINY HOUSE VILLAGES ORIGINALLY CREATED TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID, A RECENT REPORT SHOWS THE CITY HAS SPENT. NEARLY $1 BILLION ON HOMELESSNESS FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. BUT THE NUMBER OF UNSHELTERED PEOPLE KEEPS CLIMBING. IN LOS ANGELES, WE ALSO TALK TO PEOPLE ALONG SKID ROW, A NEW STATE INITIATIVE THERE WILL MOVE THE UNHOUSED MENTALLY ILL INTO SHELTERS AND TREATMENT PROGRAMS. NOW, THE CITY IS TAKING OVER THE NONPROFIT SKID ROW HOUSING TRUST BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL ISSUES. IS THERE A UNIVERSAL SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM? AND OLIVER IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS. NICE TO TALK TO YOU AND THANKS FOR BEING WITH ME. ADVOCATES WORK ON MANY THINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY. I PERSONAL. WE HAVE COVERED FOLKS WHO ARE WORKING ON PUTTING PEOPLE INTO TENTS OR SOME FOLKS WHO ARE DOING TINY HOUSES. AND I GUESS I’D BE CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN WORKS BEST. I GUESS THE FIRST THING THAT I WOULD SAY ABOUT WHAT WORKS IS TREATING PEOPLE WITH SOME DIGNITY AND RESPECT AND RECOGNIZING THEIR HUMANITY WORKS. IT’S WHY CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS DOESN’T WORK. YOU CAN’T ACTUALLY ARREST OR FINE HOMELESSNESS OUT OF EXISTENCE. SO WE’VE SEEN THE APPROACH THAT IS CALLED HOUSING FIRST WORK AND WHAT THAT MEANS, IT’S HOUSING PLUS SERVICES. THE SERVICES ARE THE SERVICES THAT PEOPLE WANT AND NEED, NOT THAT THEY ARE COERCED INTO THE HOUSING IS REALLY BASED ON ON WHERE A PERSON WANTS TO LIVE AND WHERE THEY’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO THRIVE IN THE LONG RUN. OFTEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE CHICKEN AND THE EGG ISSUE, RIGHT? LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS NEED HOUSING. IT’S VERY HARD TO HAVE HOUSING IF YOU DON’T HAVE A JOB OR EVEN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SERVICES. RIGHT. IF YOU DON’T ACTUALLY HAVE AN ADDRESS, IF YOU’RE COMPLETELY TRANSIENT. I USED TO DO SORT OF WALKABOUTS ON SKID ROW ON A REGULAR BASIS, AND I WAS WALKING ABOUT ONE MORNING AT AROUND SIX IN THE MORNING AND I’LL TELL YOU THAT I SAW PEOPLE COMING OUT OF THEIR TENT, PACKING UP THEIR TENT, PUTTING IT ON THEIR BACK AND GETTING ON THE BUS TO GO TO WORK. SO I THINK THAT THERE’S A MYTH THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS DON’T WORK. A LOT OF THEM DO, BUT THEY STILL CAN’T AFFORD HOUSING AND MAYBE DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OR HEALTH RESOURCES THAT THEY REALLY WANT AND NEED TO BE ABLE TO THRIVE. FINAL QUESTION FOR YOU AS YOU LOOK AT ALL THE DATA AND AS YOU LOOK AT PROGRAMS THAT WORK AND THOSE PROGRAMS THAT ARE CLEARLY NOT WORKING ARE YOU HOPEFUL? I’VE BEEN DOING THIS WORK FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS AND THIS MIGHT BE THE TOUGHEST ENVIRONMENT THAT WE’VE HAD, BOTH SORT OF FROM A HOUSING PERSPECTIVE AND FROM A POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE. HOWEVER, WHAT MAKES ME HOPEFUL IS THE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND WHO ARE DOING THIS WORK AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS THAT I GET TO TALK TO EVERY SINGLE DAY ARE DOING THE WORK, THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX, COLLABORATING IN NEW WAYS, COMING UP WITH NEW IDEAS SO THAT WE CAN EVENTUALLY END HOMELESSNESS IN THIS COUNTRY. AND OLIVER IS A CEO OF THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS. THANK YOU FOR TALKING WITH ME AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. COMING UP, A HISTORY LESSON THROUGH WOODWORKING. I READ THROUGH FURNITURE SHOW THESE PEOPLE AS BEING HUMAN BEINGS. AND LATER, WHILE YOU WERE DRIVING TO DOCTOR MAN WITH THAT, MORE ABOUT IT. OH, THAT MUST HAVE BEEN SCARY. WHAT A NEW INITIATIVE COULD DO TO HELP THE SOUTH BRONX CURB HIGH RATES OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA CONNECTED TO CLIMATE CHANGE. MOST OF US HAVE SEEN A FOUR POSTER BED, A STAPLE IN MANY HOMES AND PART OF AMERICANA FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. IN FACT, THERE’S ONE ON DISPLAY AT THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE. VISITORS CAN SEE ITS IMPRESSIVE CRAFTSMANSHIP AND LEARN THE LITTLE KNOWN ORIGIN STORY. THE BED IS CALLED THE BOYD BED, AND IT’S NAMED AFTER HENRY BOYD, AN ENSLAVED AFRICAN AMERICAN FROM KENTUCKY. BOY, IT IS AMONG MANY BLACK CRAFTSMEN WHOSE WORK IS NOW BEING CELEBRATED. OUR CORRESPONDENT ALEXIS CLARK BRINGS US THE STORY OF HOW A NEW GENERATION OF STORYTELLERS AND TEACHERS ARE REVIVING BOTH THE HISTORY AND THE TECHNIQUES USED CENTURIES AGO. WHEN I SEE A PIECE OF FURNITURE, WHAT CROSSES MY MIND IS WHO IS INVOLVED IN IT? WHO CUT THE WOOD? JEROME BIAS IS VICTORIAN HOME IN GRAHAM NORTH CAROLINA, IS FILLED WITH HAND-CARVED IT PIECES HE MADE IN HIS WORKSHOP. HOW DID YOU BECOME A FURNITURE MAKER? THAT’S AN INTERESTING QUESTION. MY FIANCEE AND I WERE ENGAGED AND WE NEEDED A BED OUT SHOPPING. BIAS NOTICE A SUBSTANTIAL FOUR POSTER BED AND LEARNED IT WAS A REPLICA OF ONE CREATED IN THE EARLY 1800S BY THOMAS DAY, A FREE BLACK MAN. MY MIND WAS BLOWN. DAY BECAME ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FURNITURE MAKERS IN NORTH CAROLINA DURING A TIME WHEN MILLIONS OF BLACK PEOPLE WERE ENSLAVED ON PLANTATIONS IN THE U.S. AT THE TIME, I THOUGHT THAT THEY COULDN’T READ OR WRITE. LITTLE DID I KNOW I COULD READ, WRITE AND DO A LOT OF MATH TO REAL COMES OVER. I WAS SO INSPIRED BY SEEING THIS BLACK ACADEMY MAKER AND SEE THIS BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF FURNITURE. BIAS YOU’VE GONE TO SCHOOL FOR INTERIOR DESIGN. DECIDED TO MAKE HIS OWN FOUR POSTER BED TEACHING HIMSELF THE TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES OF HIS ENSLAVED ANCESTORS. IT’S NOT PERFECT. IT’S GOT FLAWS. IT’S GOT PERFECTION. AT TIMES. BUT IT’S A MIX OF STUFF. IN MANY WAYS, IT’S A SYMBOL OF LIFE. BIAS WAS RECENTLY THE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AT THE BELLE GROVE PLANTATION IN VIRGINIA IS SHENANDOAH VALLEY. I CAME TO SEE THAT I WAS NOT JUST MAKING A PIECE OF FURNITURE, BUT A PIECE OF FURNITURE THAT WAS A WITNESS. A WITNESS TO AN ENSLAVED FAMILY AND SLAVE FAMILY. HAVING LOVE, PAIN AND JOY. YOU ALSO WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW MUCH MORE ABOUT ENSLAVED PEOPLE THAN JUST THE BRUTAL HISTORY WE HEAR ABOUT. IT’S EASY TO FOCUS ON WHAT ENSLAVERS DID TO US. YOU HAVE THE PAIN AND SUFFERING. BUT THEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE WITH SKILLS AND TALENTS. I CAN, THROUGH FURNITURE, SHOW THESE PEOPLE AS BEING HUMAN BEINGS. THIS IS A WHOLE WORK OUT. WHITNEY MILLER IS A JOURNALISTS WORKING IN NEW ORLEANS WHO LOVES CRAFTING. A FEW YEARS AGO, SHE ADDED WOODWORKING TO HER SKILL SET. I TOOK A CLASS TO MAKE A TOOL CHEST AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. IT WAS FUN. IT WAS DURING THIS CLASS THAT MILLER LEARNED THE STORY OF HENRY BOYD, WHO LIKE THOMAS DAY, ALSO INVENTED A BED. BUT THE BOYD BED BECAME LEGENDARY. THE OWNER OF THE WORKSHOP ALSO OWNED THE PUBLISHING COMPANY, AND THEY PUBLISH NICHE BOOKS ABOUT WOODWORKING. HE ASKED MILLER TO WRITE ABOUT BOYD. IT WAS A DEWEY’S SPRING MORNING ON A FARM IN CARLISLE, KENTUCKY, WHEN HENRY BOYD WAS BORN, AND HER ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN’S BOOK, HENRY BOYD’S FREEDOM BED. MILLER TELLS BOYD STORY FROM SLAVERY TO HIS MOVE TO CINCINNATI, WHERE HE CREATED A BED FRAME WITH A SPECIAL SCREW FASTENING SYSTEM THAT HE PATENTED IN 1833. DURING THIS TIME, HE ALSO MADE HIS HOUSE A SECRET STOP ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DID A LOT OF GREAT, WONDERFUL, HEROIC THINGS FOR OUR CULTURE THAT WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT. AND I THINK IT’S SO IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN TO KNOW ABOUT THESE HEROES. HELLO, SKYLER JONES. HOW HOW BIG YOU’RE KNOWN AS THE DOG TEACHER. OF COURSE. EVAN JARRETT TEACHES AT PHILADEL SOFIA’S MAYFAIR MIDDLE SCHOOL. HIS PASSION IS INTRODUCING CHILDREN TO THE BUILDING TRADES. AND THIS IS THE ONLY SHOP CLASS IN THE CITY OFFERED TO MIDDLE SCHOOLERS. WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO TEACH SUCH YOUNG KIDS THESE TYPE OF TRADES? I WANT TO TRY TO REMOVE THE STIGMA THAT’S BEEN PUT ON THE TRADES. SO THERE’S THIS HISTORY OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN THE TRADES. A LOT OF STUDENTS DON’T KNOW ABOUT THEIR HISTORY, AND THEY DON’T SEE THAT REPRESENTATION. I’M TRYING TO CHANGE THE NARRATIVE, AND I THINK BY BEING A BLACK INSTRUCTOR AND JUST THE KIDS CAN ACTUALLY SEE ME IN A LEAD ROLE AND HERE THE LESSON JUST OPENS UP MANY DOORS. I’M JUST TRYING TO OPEN UP DOORS FOR STUDENTS. MY ENSLAVED ANCESTORS WOULD HAVE BEEN WOULD HAVE MADE THIS FOR JEROME BIAS. REPRESENTATION IS KEY TO OPENING THOSE DOORS. WHEN I WENT TO MUSEUM ARMS, I NEVER SAW THIS. SO IT’S IMPORTANT FOR ME TO BE SEEN AND TO DO THIS IN A PUBLIC WAY. SO I CAN SPUR OTHER FOLKS TO COME JOIN US, SEE THE RICHNESS OF OUR ANCESTORS, THE RICHNESS FROM WHICH WE COME FROM FOR MATTER OF FACT. I’M ALEXIS CLARK, A A HEAD ON AN UPDATE ON THE EFFORTS TO EASE AIR POLLUTION IN THE SOUTH BRONX. THIS IS A COMMUNITY WHERE ACTUALLY THE RATES OF ASTHMA IS VERY HIGH. WILL CHILDREN THERE FINALLY GET RELIEF? TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER AT. MATTER OF FACT,NOW TO A MATTER O SOUTH BRONX RESIDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT AIR POLLUTION IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE GETTING SOME HELP. IT’S PART OF NEW YORK’S PLAN TO DISTRIBUTE STATE FUNDING FOR CLEAN ENERGY PROGRAMS TO DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES. THE SOUTH BRONX IS ONE OF THE MORE THAN SEVEN 200 PLACES TO GET THAT MONEY. SOME OF MY RECENT REPORTING HAS FOCUSED ON THE LINK BETWEEN CLIMATE CHANGE AND PUBLIC HEALTH. THE SOUTH BRONX IS CRISSCROSSED BY THREE MAJOR HIGHWAYS, INDUSTRIAL PARKS AND POWER GENERATION FACILITIES. BACKED CHILD GROWING UP THERE IS TWICE AS LIKELY TO BE HOSPITALIZED FOR ASTHMA THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE UNITED STATES. AND NEXT YEAR, THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK IS GOING TO ENFORCE WHAT’S CALLED CONGESTION PRICING, CHARGING VEHICLES TO DRIVE THROUGH MANHATTAN. NOW, THE GOAL IS TO CUT DOWN ON GRIDLOCK. LOCAL LEADERS IN THE BRONX FEAR THAT TRUCKS WHO ARE TRYING TO AVOID THE FEES WILL DRIVE THROUGH THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS INSTEAD CAUSING EVEN MORE AIR POLLUTION. DO YOU THINK PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CLIMATE CHANGE AND CONGESTION PRICING? IT WOULD SEEM THERE WOULD BE A NATURAL CORRELATION BETWEEN IF YOU REDUCE CONGESTION AND REDUCE CARBON EMISSION, BUT IF YOU’RE NOT REDUCING TRUCKS, YOU JUST PUT THEM IN DIFFERENT PLACES. YOU STILL EMITTING THE SAME CARBON. WE SHOULD BE TO A PLACE, LIKE I TOLD, TO REDUCE CONGESTION HERE FIRST. RIGHT NOW IT’S NOT CLEAR HOW MUCH MONEY THE SOUTH BRONX WILL RECEIVE. STILL AHEAD, ON A MATTER OF FACT, THIS MONTH IS DEDICATED TO STARGAZERS AND THE BIG EVENTS HAPPENING IN THE SKY. FINALLY, APRIL IS A BIG MONTH FOR STARGAZERS. IT’S GLOBAL ASTRONOMY MONTH. SINCE 2009, THE NONPROFIT GROUP ASTRONOMERS WITHOUT BORDERS HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO LEARN ABOUT SPACE. A LOT IS HAPPENING OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. ON APRIL 15TH, YOU CAN PAY YOUR TAXES AND SEE SATURN AND THE MOON RISING TOGETHER BEFORE SUNRISE. LATER ON THE 20TH, THERE WILL BE A HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSE. PARTS OF THE WORLD WILL EITHER SEE A PARTIAL OR TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. A FEW DAYS LATER, ON THE 23RD, THE LYRID METEOR SHOWER WILL BE THE MOST VISIBLE. YOU MIGHT SEE UP TO 20 METEOR STREAKS IN AN HOUR. AND ALTHOUGH IT’S NOT HAPPENING THIS MONTH, A HISTORIC SPACE MISSION IS ON THE HORIZON. SOMETIME IN NOVEMBER OF 2024 FOR ASTRONAUTS WILL FLY AROUND THE MOON ON BOARD. THE SPACECRAFT WILL BE A SERIES OF FIRSTS. THE OUTERMOST TWO CREW INCLUDES THE FIRST WOMAN, THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN, AND THE FIRST NON-AMERICAN, A CANADIAN. NASA’S GOAL IS TO HAVE ASTRONAUTS NOT JUST FLYING TO THE MOON, BUT ALSO LIVING ON IT. SO SET YOUR REMINDERS AND ENJOY THE STARS. THAT’S IT FOR THIS EDITION. A MATTER OF FACT. I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. AND I’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK. LISTEN TO A MATTER OF FACT WITH SOLEDAD O’BRIEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PROVIDER. WATCH US DURING THE WEEK ON WII AND YOUTUBE.