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I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO THE FINAL EPISODE OF MATTER OF FACT, MARKING THE END OF TEN SEASONS AND CELEBRATING THE POWER OF JOURNALISM. LET’S JUMP RIGHT IN. JOURNALISM HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE LIVES, TO HIGHLIGHT FLAWS IN OUR SYSTEMS INJUSTICES, INEQUITIES, TO UPLIFT, VOICES, TO EXPLORE POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS. I WOULD CLASSIFY MATTER OF FACTS REPORTING OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS AS SOLUTIONS BASED JOURNALISM. AT THE HEART OF MUCH OF THAT WORK IS OUR CORRESPONDENT, JESSICA GOMEZ. JESSICA WAS MATTER OF FACTS. FIRST CORRESPONDENT, AND SHE’S REPORTED MORE THAN 80 STORIES FOR THIS SHOW. THAT INCLUDES THIS EMMY NOMINATED PIECE FROM THIS PAST DECEMBER ABOUT PEOPLE WORKING FULL TIME BUT STILL UNABLE TO AFFORD A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS. HERE’S AN AIRPORT ORDER. IT’S PAYING $23. QNESHA TWEEDY, STARTING HER DAY AS AN ONLINE DELIVERY DRIVER IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE. SWITCHING BETWEEN APPS, SHE CLOCKS IN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. TURN RIGHT ONTO MUDDY CREEK ROAD. THERE’S A BREAK TO PICK UP HER KIDS FROM SCHOOL. DID YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY WITH MISS JENKINS? AND HOMEWORK? USUALLY AT THE LOCAL LIBRARY. ALL RIGHT, GUYS, TIME TO BUCKLE UP. THEN BACK ON THE ROAD. TWEEDY’S KIDS FIVE, NINE AND 14, HER OLDEST WITH SPECIAL NEEDS HELPING TO DELIVER. YES, YOU COULD PLAY YOUR GAME. THEY LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY CAN COME AND HELP ME WITH ORDERS. THEY JUST DON’T WANT TO BE IN THE CAR ALL DAY. IT WASN’T ALWAYS THIS WAY. BEFORE THAT, I WAS A DISTRICT MANAGER AT A NEWSPAPER COMPANY. BUT WHEN THE COMPANY DOWNSIZED, SHE LOST HER JOB AND WAS EVICTED FROM HER GEORGIA APARTMENT. MOVING HERE WITH PROMISES OF MORE DELIVERY WORK UNTIL SHE CAN FIND A NEW JOB. YOU GOT BOTH CASES OF WATER? I KIND OF THINK I FAILED, HONESTLY, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT’S THE ECONOMY, BUT IT’S LIKE, YOU KNOW, I WAS TRYING TO SAVE. AND IT SEEMED LIKE EVERY TIME I WAS SAVED, SOMETHING WOULD COME UP. BUT FAILURE ISN’T SOMETHING TWEEDY HAS TIME FOR. SHE AND HER FAMILY WILL WORK INTO THE NIGHT BEFORE STOPPING TO SLEEP IN THEIR CAR, THEIR HOME FOR FOUR MONTHS NOW, I WOULD HAVE NEVER IMAGINED THAT WE WOULD BE HOMELESS, NEVER. SHE’S NOT ALONE. KNOXVILLE’S HOMELESS POPULATION, NEARLY DOUBLING SINCE 2018. MORE THAN HALF REPORT BEING EVICTED OR UNABLE TO FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AS PRICES HERE HAVE SKYROCKETED. THE AVERAGE RENT INCREASING MORE THAN 50% OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO WORK AT GAS STATIONS, WAREHOUSES, RETAIL LOCATIONS. AARON REED, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF HOUSING STABILITY. IT’S NOT A KNOXVILLE PROBLEM, BUT IT’S AN AMERICA PROBLEM. SINCE THE DOWNTURN IN 2008, WE’VE BEEN UNDER-BUILDING, AND WE’RE ALSO ON THE RECEIVING END OF THIS MIGRATION TREND WHERE PEOPLE WITH COMPARATIVELY HIGH INCOMES ARE MOVING FROM LARGE CITIES INTO SMALL AND MID-SIZED TOWNS. AND THAT’S HAVING AN UPWARD EFFECT ON OUR HOUSING COSTS. THE COUNTY’S MAIN SHELTER, KNOX AREA RESCUE MINISTRIES, OVER CAPACITY BY NOVEMBER AND EXPANDED AREA FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN FULL WITH A WAITING LIST. ABOUT 150 OF THOSE STAYING HERE ARE EMPLOYED. WE RECENTLY HOUSED A LADY WITH A MASTER’S DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK WHO WAS STAYING HERE, AND SO FOLKS THAT ARE HIGHLY SKILLED HAVE BACKGROUNDS, WORK HISTORIES, NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD CURRENT RENT PRICES. COFFEE IS WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE SOME MORE COFFEE JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN. JOLIN HARTNEY WORKS 40 HOURS A WEEK AS A GAS STATION MANAGER. THE MOTHER OF TWO HOMELESS AFTER BEING EVICTED FROM HER APARTMENT THREE YEARS AGO. I WAS PAYING 975 FOR A THREE BEDROOM AND LIVED THERE FOR TWO YEARS. NO PROBLEMS. BUT THEN MY BROTHER DIED AND I SPIRALED A LITTLE BIT AND DIDN’T PAY RENT FOR A MONTH AND A HALF TO TRY TO GET HIM BURIED AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND IT JUST, IT JUST ALL WENT DOWNHILL FROM THERE. YOU WILL GIVE THE PROPERTY MANAGER THE BLUE FORM HARTNEY ON THE WAIT LIST FOR PUBLIC HOUSING ASSISTANCE FACILITATED THROUGH KNOXVILLE’S COMMUNITY ACTION COMMITTEE, A SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY THAT ALSO PROVIDES MEALS, TRANSPORTATION AND UTILITY ASSISTANCE TO THOSE IN NEED. WE ARE WORKING RIGHT NOW WITH OVER 100 FAMILIES WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. WE’VE GOT ABOUT 35 ON OUR WAITING LIST, AND IT’S HEARTBREAKING TO TELL SOMEONE WHEN THEY COME IN, YOU KNOW, I’M SO SORRY. WE WILL GET TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. ALL RIGHT. STRONG MAN IN THE BACK. I AM WORKING VERY, VERY HARD FOR MY KIDS TRYING TO GET US OUT OF THIS SITUATION. YES. WORKING HARD. QUANISHA TWEEDY SAYS INSPIRED BY THE LIFE, A HOME AND NEW JOB MIGHT BRING. I WANT MY KIDS TO BE LIKE ANY OTHER CHILD, BE ABLE TO ENJOY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, TO HAVE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS, TO EVEN GO AND BE AT FRIENDS HOUSES AFTER SCHOOL. BUT AS DAY TURNS INTO NIGHT IN KNOXVILLE’S TEMPERATURE DIPS INTO THE 30S. BLANKETS, PILLOWS FOR NOW, HOME IS A TRUCK STOP. I KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO BE KIND OF COLD. GOOD NIGHT, PRINCESS. OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN EVEN THOUGH THEY’RE GOING THROUGH A HARD TIME, THEY KEEP SMILES ON THEIR FACES. AND I LOVE THAT ABOUT THEM. THEY HELP ME KEEP FOCUSED BECAUSE THEY DON’T LET THE SITUATION GET TO THEM. FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN. GOOD JOB. GOOD NIGHT GUYS. I LOVE YOU. LOVE YOU TOO. IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE. FOR MATTER OF FACT, I’M JESSICA GOMEZ. WHEN WE COME BACK, JESS JOINS ME WITH AN UPDATE ON THE TWEEDIE FAMILY AND WHAT SHE LEARNED ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THIS PROBLEM WHILE WORKING ON THE STORY. LATER ON, MATTER OF FACT, I ALWAYS KIND OF KNEW THAT MY PAPA WAS IN THE HOLOCAUST, BUT I NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD WHAT THAT MEANT. WHY THIS GRANDFATHER DECIDED TO FINALLY SHARE HIS STORY OF SURVIVAL WITH HIS FAMILY AND THE WORLD YOU’RE WATCHING. MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS MAGAZINE. BEFORE THE BREAK, WE WATCHED CORRESPONDENT JESSICA GOMEZ’S 2024 PIECE ABOUT A MOTHER OF THREE WORKING FULL TIME AND STILL UNABLE TO AFFORD HOUSING. JESSICA, GREAT TO SEE YOU. CAN YOU UPDATE US ON KANISHA? TWEEDIE HAVE THEY FOUND HOUSING? HOW’S THE FAMILY DOING? YEAH. WELL, YOU KNOW, INITIALLY WE WERE ABLE TO DO A PART TWO TO THIS STORY, WHICH WE DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO SHOW YOU TODAY. BUT IN THAT STORY WE SHOWED THE TWEEDIE FAMILY GET INTO A ROOM AT AN EXTENDED STAY HOTEL THAT WAS RENOVATED INTO SUITES. SHE WAS ABLE TO PAY MONTH TO MONTH. THERE SHE GOT A NEW JOB AS A MEDICAL COURIER, SO SHE WAS ABLE TO MAKE THOSE PAYMENTS AND SHE WAS SLATED TO GET INTO AN APARTMENT THERE NEXT MONTH. BUT THEY HAD SOME CONSTRUCTION ISSUES, SO IT’S LOOKING LIKE SEPTEMBER. AND THAT IS IS PUTTING US AT ABOUT TEN MONTHS SINCE WE WERE ON THE GROUND IN KNOXVILLE SHOOTING THAT STORY. WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS ISSUE AS YOU WERE DOING RESEARCH AND REPORTING? WE TALKED TO SO MANY PEOPLE. THAT WAS THE SURPRISING THING TO ME THAT ARE WORKING FULL TIME JOBS AND ARE HOMELESS. I MEAN, WE SPOKE WITH ONE WOMAN IN NASHVILLE IN HER 20S. SHE’S LIVING AT A SHELTER, AND SHE HAD TO TAKE THE BUS TO HER JOB AT A HOSPITAL AND TAKE THE BUS HOME TO MAKE CURFEW AT THE SHELTER. AND HER EMPLOYERS HAVE NO IDEA THAT SHE’S HOMELESS. I FEEL LIKE ALL OF YOUR STORIES ARE ALWAYS SO GOOD IN CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE LIKE YOU. JUST FIND GREAT PEOPLE WHO THEN WANT TO OPEN UP THEIR ENTIRE LIVES TO YOU. AND I THINK THAT’S BOTH UNUSUAL AND HARD TO DO. SO I GUESS I’M I WONDER IF YOU GO INTO THESE THINGS SAYING, I’M GOING TO I’M GOING TO DO SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM, OR YOU JUST SAY, I’M GOING TO JUST TALK TO PEOPLE AND SEE WHERE IT GOES. HOW DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR WORK? I THINK THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I APPRECIATE SO MUCH ABOUT. MATTER OF FACT, WE STARTED FROM THE BEGINNING SAYING, HEY, WE’RE GOING TO GO IN AND CONNECT WITH PEOPLE. OBVIOUSLY, PEOPLE ARE THE STORY. WE’RE GOING TO GO IN AND FIND THE WHY, BUT WE’RE ALSO GOING TO FIND THE WHAT’S NEXT. I MEAN, I THINK OF ALL THE STORIES I’VE DONE AND ALMOST ALWAYS THERE ARE AMAZING PEOPLE DOING AMAZING THINGS TO HELP SOLVE THESE ISSUES. I THINK ABOUT IN SHEBOYGAN WISCONSIN, THE COMPANIES KOHLER AND SARGENTO THAT ARE BUILDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO ATTRACT PEOPLE. I THINK ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURAL FIRM IN PHOENIX THAT ARE RENOVATING THESE SHIPPING CONTAINERS FOR UNHOUSED SENIORS. I OFTEN THINK ABOUT THE MR. ROGERS QUOTE, LOOK FOR THE HELPERS WHEN THERE’S TRAUMA, WHEN THERE’S TRAGEDY. AND I THINK WE CAN DO THAT IN OUR STORIES BECAUSE THERE ARE ALWAYS HELPERS, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN NEWS RIGHT NOW, THE NEWS CYCLE CAN BE SO HEAVY. I THINK WE OWE IT TO OUR VIEWERS TO PROFILE THE HELPERS IN EVERY STORY AS MUCH AS WE CAN. SO I APPRECIATE YOU, I APPRECIATE. MATTER OF FACT, AND IT’S BEEN SUCH AN HONOR. WELL, THANK YOU, BUT I HAVE TO SAY, I’M GOING TO PUT YOU IN THAT CATEGORY OF THE HELPERS BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS DO AN AMAZING JOB OF TEASING OUT THE FOLKS WHO ARE DOING ALL THE WORK AND TELLING THEIR STORY IN SUCH A REALLY THOUGHTFUL AND BEAUTIFUL AND COMPELLING WAY. SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, JESS. REALLY APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU GUYS. COMING UP, FREED FROM AUSCHWITZ CONCENTRATION CAMP AS A CHILD, THE MOMENT CAPTURED FOR HISTORY. THEY SHOWED MY PICTURE AND THEY SAID THE HOLOCAUST REALLY WASN’T SO BAD. FIND OUT HOW THIS GRANDFATHER TOOK ON THE DENIERS TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. WHEN YOU’RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN ON THE AIR FOR A DECADE, YOU NOT ONLY GET TO TELL THE INSPIRING STORIES OF AMERICANS WORKING TO OVERCOME GREAT HARDSHIP, BUT YOU GET TO CHECK BACK IN ON THEIR JOURNEYS YEARS LATER. THAT’S TRUE FOR A STORY I DID IN 2017 ABOUT MICAHEL BORNSTEIN, A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR WHO PARTNERED WITH HIS DAUGHTER ON A BOOK ABOUT SURVIVING AUSCHWITZ TO MICAHEL BORNSTEINS GRANDKIDS. HE’S KNOWN AS PAPA, FATHER OF FOUR, GRANDFATHER TO 11. BUT TO HIS NAZI CAPTORS, BORNSTEIN WAS KNOWN ONLY AS PRISONER B 1148. YOU DIDN’T HAVE A REAL NAME, AND MOST PRISONERS DID NOT SURVIVE VERY LONG WHEN THEY GOT INTO AUSCHWITZ. A TIME HE HASN’T SPOKEN MUCH ABOUT, EVEN TO HIS FAMILY UNTIL NOW. IT’S THIS FAMOUS AUSCHWITZ LIBERATION FOOTAGE. BORNSTEIN HAPPENED TO SEE THAT FINALLY INSPIRED HIM TO TELL HIS FULL STORY. HE RECOGNIZED HIMSELF, THE LITTLE BOY ON THE RIGHT, ONE OF THE FEW YOUNG CHILDREN WHO SURVIVED AUSCHWITZ. IT WAS ONE OF THE IMAGES BORNSTEIN DISCOVERED BEING USED BY HOLOCAUST DENIERS. IT WAS DEVASTATING AND I THREW A BOOK DOWN ON THE DESK AND I WAS FURIOUS. SO WITH HELP FROM HIS DAUGHTER DEBBIE, AND TWO YEARS OF RESEARCH, MICAHEL BORNSTEIN SHARED HIS TRUTH IN A BOOK CALLED THE SURVIVORS CLUB. I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR ME, AND ESPECIALLY NOW THAT MY CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN KNOW WHAT WE’VE BEEN THROUGH, AND TO KNOW THAT THIS CAN HAPPEN AGAIN. BORNSTEINS STORY STARTS IN POLAND IN THE LATE 1930S, WITH THE GERMANS INVADING THE VILLAGE AND THE FAMILY’S HAPPY LIFE. MY MOTHER WAS HIDING BEHIND A TREE AND THE NAZIS WERE MAKING A JEWISH FAMILY DIG A PIT. AFTER THAT, THE NAZIS ASKED THE FAMILY TO HUG AND THEY KILLED THEM ALL AND GOT THEM INTO THE PIT. AND MY MOTHER JUST TALKED ABOUT THAT ALL THE TIME. IT WAS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT FOR HER. IN 1944, BORNSTEIN AND HIS FAMILY WERE ROUNDED UP, FORCED ONTO A TRAIN AND IMPRISONED IN THE AUSCHWITZ CONCENTRATION CAMP. WITHIN DAYS OF HIS ARRIVAL, HIS BROTHER, JUST FIVE YEARS OLDER, AND HIS FATHER WERE TAKEN AWAY. THEY WERE NEVER SEEN AGAIN. BORNSTEIN SAYS INSTEAD OF KEEPING HIM IN THE CHILDREN’S BUNKE, HIS MOTHER HAD HIM IN THE WOMEN’S BARRACKS. MY MOTHER WOULD GIVE ME SOME OF HER BREAD AND SOUP, AND SHE WAS BEATEN OVER THE HEAD FOR DOING THAT. HE LEARNED TO KEEP QUIET AND STILL. I WAS ONE OF THE BEST HIDERS. I DON’T DO THAT ANYMORE. LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER THEY ARRIVED, THE WAR ENDED. AUSCHWITZ WAS LIBERATED. THE CAMP’S LIBERATORS FILMED BORNSTEINS GRANDMOTHER CARRYING HIM TO FREEDOM. THEY MADE THEIR WAY BACK TO JACKIE, LOOKING FOR PROOF OF THEIR OLD LIFE. TREASURES HIDDEN AND LEFT BEHIND. THERE WAS ONE ITEM THAT SURVIVED, WHICH IS A KIDDISH CUP. A CUP WHERE YOU MAKE BLESSINGS OVER THE WINE. AND WE’RE VERY LUCKY. AND WE USE THAT KIDDISH CUP AS A SYMBOL OF SURVIVAL, THAT SYMBOL OF SURVIVAL MADE ITS WAY TO AMERICA WITH BORNSTEIN AND HIS MOTHER. REFUGEES WITH LITTLE EXCEPT HOPE. MY MOTHER WAS A VERY POSITIVE PERSON. SHE HAD A SAYING GAMZEE YA’AVOR. WHAT’S THAT MEAN? THIS TOO SHALL PASS. EARLIER THIS YEAR. MATTER OF FACT SENT CAMERAS ALONG AS MICAHEL TOOK HIS CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ. WATCHING BORNSTEIN WALK THROUGH THE GATES OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMP, SURROUNDED BY HIS FAMILY, TRULY MOVING. WE THANK THE BORNSTEIN FAMILY FOR LETTING US SHARE THIS TIME WITH THEM. YOU CAN FIND THAT STORY ON OUR WEBSITE, MATTEROFFACTTV. AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, SOLEDAD EXPLAINS WHY ONE MOMENT IN THIS SHOW’S TEN YEAR RUN WILL FOREVER STAND OUT. NOW I WANT TO REFLECT ON A PROJECT THAT MEANT A LOT TO ALL OF US BECAUSE OF ITS HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE. I’M TALKING ABOUT THE MATTER OF FACT LISTENING TOUR, A FOUR PART DIGITAL SERIES CREATED IN 2020 AFTER THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD. HEARST, THE PARENT COMPANY OF THIS SHOW, ASKED US TO TAKE THE LEAD IN AN INITIATIVE TO HELP CITIZENS GRAPPLE WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT RACE AND INEQUALITY. THERE WERE MANY STANDOUT MOMENTS IN THE SERIES. THE MOMENT WHEN STANFORD UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR JENNIFER EBERHARDT WAS TALKING ABOUT IMPLICIT BIAS, AND SHE SHARED THE STORY OF HER FIVE YEAR OLD SON PICKING OUT A BLACK MAN ON A PLANE AS A POSSIBLE THIEF. AND HE LOOKED AT ME WITH THIS REALLY SAD FACE, AND HE SAID, I DON’T KNOW WHY I SAID THAT. THAT ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BLACKNESS AND CRIME MADE ITS WAY INTO THE MIND OF MY FIVE YEAR OLD, AND IT MAKES ITS WAY INTO ALL OF OUR MINDS. A MOMENT IN THE SHOW CALLED TO BE AN AMERICAN. WHEN PULITZER PRIZE WINNER NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES, THE CREATOR OF THE 1619 PROJECT, BECAME EMOTIONAL ABOUT HER FATHER’S MILITARY SERVICE. MY FATHER WAS LIKE GENERATIONS OF BLACK PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED THAT SERVICE TO THEIR COUNTRY WAS HOW THEY COULD FINALLY GET TREATED AND RECOGNIZED AS FULL CITIZENS. AND PEOPLE SEEM TO FORGET BLACK AMERICANS WERE FIGHTING IN WARS TO DEMOCRATIZE OTHER COUNTRIES AND THEN COMING HOME AND FACING BRUTAL SUPPRESSION OF THEIR OWN DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS. IN ANOTHER PART OF THE SERIES, PROMISES OF CHANGE. I INTERVIEWED ICONIC FARM WORKER ACTIVIST DOLORES HUERTA, THEN 91 YEARS OLD. I LIKE TO QUOTE BENITO JUAREZ, WHO WAS THE PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, AND HE HAD A SAYING THAT SAID RESPECTING OTHER PEOPLE’S RIGHTS IS PEACE. AND SO WE’VE GOT TO RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE’S RIGHTS. AND I THINK THAT’S WHAT WE REALLY HAVE TO START THERE, BECAUSE WE DO WANT WE DO WANT A COUNTRY THAT IS UNITED AND NOT DIVIDED. MOST OF OUR CONVERSATIONS FOR THE LISTENING TOUR INVOLVE PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT HOUSEHOLD NAMES. BUT ONE STAR WHO JOINED US SHARED A VULNERABLE AND CANDID COMMENT. YOU KNOW, I WAS TOLD FROM THE MOMENT I COULD COMPREHEND THOUGHT THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH ME. I NEEDED TO BE FIXED. THERE’S NO SPACE FOR YOU. THERE’S NO ROOM FOR YOU. AS A BLACK QUEER MAN IN THIS WORLD. TODAY AND FOR THE ENTIRETY OF MY LIFE. JUST BEING MYSELF IS A IS RADICAL. BILLY PORTER STATEMENT WAS ONE OF MANY EMOTIONALLY RAW MOMENTS DURING THE LISTENING TOUR. AS WE LEANED INTO CHALLENGING TOPICS TO HELP US GET COMFORTABLE WITH THE UNCOMFORTABLE, WE TURN TO PEOPLE LIKE CIVIL RIGHTS SCHOLAR YOHURU WILLIAMS. AMERICANS ALWAYS LIKE A TRAGEDY WITH A HAPPY ENDING. THIS IDEA THAT WE HAVE A SITCOM UNDERSTANDING OF OUR HISTORY. WE WANT EVERYTHING TO BE WRAPPED UP IN 30 MINUTES. AND THE REALITY IS, IT REQUIRES US TO MAKE EVERYDAY COMMITMENTS FOR JUSTICE. IT’S HARD WORK, AND IT MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO BE INVESTED AT A LEVEL THAT WE DON’T ASSUME THAT ANY SUPERMAN OR SUPERWOMAN IS GOING TO SAVE OUR PROBLEMS. WE HAVE TO DO THAT WORK EVERY DAY. AND THAT’S THE MESSAGE WE’VE HEARD OVER AND OVER AGAIN OVER THE TEN SEASONS OF MATTER OF FACT, THE WORK OF JUSTICE, THE WORK OF DEMOCRACY REQUIRES HARD WORK. EVERY DAY WHEN WE COME BACK, MY FINAL THOUGHTS. FINALLY, AS WE COME TO THE CLOSE OF OUR 10TH AND FINAL SEASON, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO EXPRESS MY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR LOYAL VIEWERSHIP. THIS SHOW BEGAN WITH AN IDEA AND A MISSION. WE WANTED TO SHOW HOW POLITICS AND POLICY IMPACT PEOPLE’S LIVES. ON MY VERY FIRST SHOW, I TALKED ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN COVERING POLITICS AND OUR RESPONSIBILITIES. I THINK WE’RE HERE TO HAVE AUTHENTIC CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SOMETIMES UNCOMFORTABLE ISSUES AND PUSH FOR DIRECT AND TRUTHFUL ANSWERS TO TOUGH QUESTIONS AND CREATE A SPACE FOR RESPECTFUL DISAGREEMENTS. I ALSO THINK WE’RE HERE TO CHALLENGE EACH OTHER’S BELIEFS AND THE BASIS OF THOSE BELIEFS. I ALSO PROMISE TO BRING YOU INTO THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND ASK THE QUESTIONS THAT MATTER TO ALL OF US, TO MAKE SURE THAT VIEWERS COULD SEE THEMSELVES REPRESENTED IN OUR STORIES AND OUR CONVERSATIONS. CONVERSATIONS THAT WE LIKE TO SAY ARE AS DIVERSE AS AMERICA. TO PUT THIS SHOW TOGETHER EVERY WEEK, WE’VE RELIED ON A DEDICATED TEAM OF GIFTED JOURNALISTS AND TV PROFESSIONALS, BOTH ON AND OFF CAMERA, AND I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THEM FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS. I’LL LEAVE IT TO YOU TO DECIDE IF WE KEPT OUR ORIGINAL PROMISE, AND I’LL MAKE YOU ONE MORE. WHEREVER THE FUTURE TAKES US, WE’LL ALWAYS STAND UP FOR TRUTH, FOR FACTS, AND FOR WHAT TRULY MATTERS. I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN, AND FOR ALL OF US AT. MATTER OF FACT. THANK YOU.