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WELCOME TO. MATTER OF FACT, SINCE WE WENT ON THE AIR TEN YEARS AGO, WE’VE BEEN TELLING STORIES THAT SHOW HOW POLICY IMPACTS PEOPLE’S LIVES. WE WERE ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY POISONED BY OUR GOVERNMENT IN THE REMOTE DESERTS OF NEW MEXICO. A STORY ABOUT NUCLEAR POLICY AND ITS EFFECT ON RESIDENTS. THEY FULLY COUNTED ON US TO BE UNABLE TO STAND UP FOR OURSELVES. EIGHT DECADES AFTER THE FIRST NUCLEAR WEAPONS TEST, LOOK AT THE CONTINUED FIGHT FOR GOOD HEALTH AND GOVERNMENT HELP. PLUS IMMIGRATION POLICY AND FAMILIES. A WOMAN TORN BETWEEN WISCONSIN AND WEST AFRICA AFTER HER HUSBAND IS DEPORTED. I WANT THE KIDS TO BE HAPPY. I WANT TO MAKE SURE, LIKE MY MOM IS HAPPY AND MY HUSBAND’S HAPPY. INSIDE HER DILEMMA TO LEAVE FOR LOVE AND SOMETHING A BIT OUT OF THE ORDINARY. SOLEDAD. ACTUALLY, THE DOWNWINDERS SCORED A PRETTY BIG VICTORY. OUR CORRESPONDENTS TELL US WHAT HAPPENED WHILE THEY WERE IN THE FIELD COVERING THESE STORIES. ALL THAT RIGHT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. MATTER OF FACT IS WHAT’S CALLED A NEWS MAGAZINE. THAT MEANS WE’RE DEVOTED TO COVERING WHAT’S HAPPENING IN AMERICA. BUT IT ALSO MEANS WE TAKE THE TIME AND THE SPACE TO REALLY EXAMINE EACH ISSUE, GETTING TO KNOW THE PEOPLE IMPACTED. SO AS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WEIGHED THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR TESTING, OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT JOEY CHEN WENT TO THE AREA NEAR OUR FIRST NUCLEAR WEAPONS TEST, SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO. LET’S TAKE A LOOK BACK AT HER STORY ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO CALL IT HOME. IT WAS EARLY IN THE MORNING OF JULY 16TH, 1945, WHEN THE ILLUSION OF PEACE HERE IN THE TULAROSA BASIN WAS SHATTERED. WE WOKE UP WITH A BOOM, A BIG BOOM, THE WORLD’S FIRST DETONATION OF A NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVE. THE TRINITY TEST TOOK PLACE AT WHAT WAS THEN KNOWN AS THE ALAMOGORDO BOMBING RANGE, ROUGHLY 35 MILES FROM THE TOWN OF TULAROSA, WHERE 13 YEAR OLD LUCY BENAVIDES AND HER FAMILY WERE STARTLED AWAKE. IT SHOOK LIKE IT SHOOK THE HOUSE, AND MY MOTHER JUMPED OUT OF BED AND SHE SAID, QUÉ PASO? WHAT HAPPENED? IT WASN’T UNTIL AFTER HIROSHIMA THAT THE TOWN LEARNED THE HUGE BOOMS ROLE IN ENDING THE WAR. BUT NO ONE WARNED THE COMMUNITY OF THE POSSIBILITY OF LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES. WE JUST KNEW THAT IT WAS THE ATOM BOMB. WE DIDN’T KNOW THAT IT WAS. CONTAMINATION AND RADIATION. WE JUST DIDN’T GIVE IT MUCH THOUGHT BECAUSE WE BELIEVED THE GOVERNMENT. AND SO THEY STAYED IN TULAROSA. FIVE GENERATIONS OF LUCY’S FAMILY HAVE LIVED HERE SINCE TRINITY. SO THIS IS WHERE THE KIDS PLAYED? YES WE PLAYED. WE SPENT THE SUMMERS HERE. HER DAUGHTER, DORIS WALTERS, SHOWS US AROUND THE IRRIGATION DITCH. THEY PLAYED AND BATHED IN. AND NOW BELIEVE WAS IRRADIATED. I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD GET CANCER, JUST LIKE MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER AND MY GRANDMOTHER AND ALL MY AUNTS. IT GIVES ME CHILLS. I KNOW OF NO PEOPLE THAT DIED THE DAY OF THE BOMB, BUT IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR LOTS OF PEOPLE. AFTER SURVIVING HER OWN CANCER, TINA CORDOVA BEGAN DOING HER OWN RESEARCH, COLLECTING SOME 18,000 GRASSROOTS HEALTH SURVEYS OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. SHE SAYS THE GOVERNMENT NEVER DID, VIEWING THE AREA AS UNINHABITED, ALTHOUGH SHE’S FOUND AT LEAST 14,000 PEOPLE LIVED WITHIN 50 MILES OF THE TEST SITE. THEY POISONED US AND THEY WALKED AWAY. AND WE’VE BEEN DYING EVER SINCE, AND WE DON’T KNOW WHO’S NEXT. BEYOND STORIES OF RARE CANCERS AND DESPERATE SEARCHES FOR TREATMENT, THE DATA FOUND A SHARP UPTICK IN INFANT MORTALITY IN THE MONTHS AFTER TRINITY. THE FIRST VICTIMS OF AN ATOMIC BOMB WERE AMERICAN BABIES. THEY WERE AMERICAN CHILDREN LIVING RIGHT HERE IN NEW MEXICO. AND IMAGINE OUR GOVERNMENT’S NEVER RETURNED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS OR ATONE FOR IT. CORDOVA IS PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL COALITION OF DOWNWINDERS WHO LIVED IN THE PATH OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTING, AND NOW WANT GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND COMPENSATION. HEALTH CARE IS WHAT I WAS HOPING FOR THE MOST. HEALTH CARE WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE, REALLY, FOR PEOPLE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. WITH BIPARTISAN SUPPORT, AN EFFORT TO EXPAND THE RADIATION EXPOSURE COMPENSATION ACT, RECA FINALLY WON SENATE APPROVAL LAST YEAR. RICK HAS PAID OUT $2.6 BILLION TO ATOMIC WEAPONS WORKERS OVER THE LAST 35 YEARS, BUT THE HIGH PRICE, AS MUCH AS $50 BILLION TO EXPAND PAYOUTS TO DOWNWINDERS IN NEW MEXICO AND BEYOND, KEPT THE BILL FROM GETTING A VOTE IN THE HOUSE. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT DENYING IT. THEY’RE NOT SAYING TO US YOU WEREN’T HARMED. WE DIDN’T HARM YOU. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING IS IT’S GOING TO COST YOU MUCH TO TAKE CARE OF YOU. MEANWHILE, THE DEATH TOLL CONTINUES TO GROW. CANCER, CANCER, CANCER CANCER CANCER. 17 OF LUCY BENAVIDES GARWOOD RELATIVES HAVE BATTLED CANCERS THAT HAVE BEEN LINKED TO RADIATION EXPOSURE. NOW 93, SHE FEARS THAT SHE WON’T LIVE TO SEE THE GOVERNMENT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT HAPPENED HERE. I FEEL THAT THEY DIDN’T VALUE OUR LIVES OR SEE THE RISK TO THEIR FUTURE DOWNWIND IN TULAROSA, NEW MEXICO. I’M JOEY CHEN FOR MATTER OF FACT. WHEN WE COME BACK, JOEY CHEN JOINS ME TO TALK ABOUT HER STORY. WHILE SHE WAS VISITING THESE FAMILIES, THEY EXPLAINED WHY THEY STRUGGLE WITH HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THEIR ROLE IN HISTORY. MORE ON THAT AFTER THE BREAK. AND LATER ON, MATTER OF FACT, I WOULD LAY IN BED AND ENVISION THIS MOMENT. WHY U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICY TRIGGERED A WISCONSIN MOTHER AND HER CHILDREN TO MOVE TO WEST AFRICA. YOU’RE WATCHING, MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS MAGAZINE. BEFORE THE BREAK, WE WATCHED JOEY CHEN’S STORY ABOUT THE DOWNWINDERS FAMILIES WHO SAY THE FIRST U.S. NUCLEAR TEST IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO BROUGHT GENERATIONS OF HEALTH PROBLEMS. SO, JOEY, NICE TO SEE YOU. CAN YOU START WITH THE STATUS OF THE EFFORTS TO GET COMPENSATION FOR THESE FAMILIES? YEAH. SOLEDAD ACTUALLY, THE DOWNWINDERS SCORED A PRETTY BIG VICTORY VERY RECENTLY. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE LIMITATIONS TO IT IN THE PRESIDENT’S BUDGET BILL, THERE’S ACTUALLY A PROVISION TO EXPAND THE RADIATION EXPOSURE COMPENSATION ACT, AND IT ALLOWS FOLKS LIKE MISS LUCY AND MEMBERS OF HER FAMILY TO BE ABLE TO APPLY UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS FOR $100,000 IN COMPENSATION FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. BUT UNDERSTAND THIS EXPANSION DOES NOT COVER WIDE SWATHS OF THE COUNTRY WHERE PEOPLE WERE ALSO EXPOSED. I WOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WHO OBJECT TO THE EXPANSION. THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATES THAT IT’S GOING TO ADD ABOUT $8 BILLION IN COSTS TO THE FEDERAL BUDGET OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, AND WHAT THEY’RE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT IS SOMETHING LIKE COMPENSATION CREEP, THAT IT MIGHT BE EXPANDED EVEN FURTHER. JOEY, YOU’RE IN A PRETTY ISOLATED DESERT REGION, AND I KNOW THE FOLKS THERE HAVE A LOT OF CONFLICTED EMOTIONS ABOUT THEIR ROLE IN HISTORY. YEAH. YOU KNOW, THESE ARE FOLKS THAT WEAR THEIR PATRIOTISM ON THEIR SLEEVES. HONESTLY, SO MANY PEOPLE IN THESE COMMUNITIES HAD FAMILY MEMBERS WHO WENT TO WORK AT WHITE SANDS OR ENTERED THE MILITARY AND SERVICE THEMSELVES. THEY HAD GREAT PRIDE IN THAT. YOU KNOW, THEY SAW IT AS A MATTER OF PRIDE THAT THEIR COMMUNITY WAS ABLE TO GIVE BIRTH, AS IT WERE, TO THE BOMB, WHICH IS CREDITED WITH ENDING THE WAR, ENDING WORLD WAR TWO. THE IRONY FOR THEM, OF COURSE, IS THAT WITH ALL THEIR PATRIOTISM, THEY WERE ALSO THE PEOPLE WHO SUFFERED THE MOST DIRECTLY FROM THE TESTS. AND FOR 80 YEARS NOW HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET THE GOVERNMENT TO RECOGNIZE THAT SACRIFICE AND AS WELL TO COMPENSATE THEM FOR IT. SO YOU’VE WORKED ON THIS SHOW FOR A DECADE, AND THEN, OF COURSE, YOU AND I KNOW EACH OTHER FOR WAY MORE MANY YEARS BEFORE THAT. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS ALWAYS IMPRESSED ME IS THAT YOU ALWAYS MANAGE TO DO THESE REALLY UNIQUE STORIES ON COMMUNITIES THAT OFTEN FLY UNDER THE RADAR. SO I’D LOVE TO UNDERSTAND SORT OF HOW YOU THINK ABOUT DOING THAT. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, YOU KNOW, AND I APPRECIATE THIS PROGRAM SO MUCH AS BEING A PLATFORM TO BE ABLE TO TO COVER THESE STORIES AND, AND SHED LIGHT ON COMMUNITIES AND HISTORIES THAT PERHAPS HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED OR FORGOTTEN ABOUT. STORIES LIKE THE STORIES OF THE DOWNWINDERS OR THE FIRST CLIMATE REFUGEES OF THIS COUNTRY. YOU KNOW, THEY WERE ACTUALLY ASIAN MIGRANTS LIVING ON THE LOUISIANA GULF COAST. WHO KNEW THAT THAT WAS THE CASE? THESE ARE ALL PEOPLE AND ALL COMMUNITIES THAT DESERVE TO BE RECOGNIZED. AND THERE’S SO MANY MORE STORIES WE COULD TELL, BUT WE SO APPRECIATE SOLEDAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO THE MATTER OF FACT AUDIENCE. AND FOR THIS PLATFORM ITSELF REALLY HAS BEEN GREAT. WELL, JUST FROM THAT LIST, IT’S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE RIDE. THANK YOU. JOEY, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING. YOU ARE A PHENOMENAL, PHENOMENAL REPORTER AND JOURNALIST. WE APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU. SOLEDAD NEXT ON. MATTER OF FACT, I’VE BEEN ANTICIPATING THIS MOMENT FOR OVER A YEAR. HOW A FAMILY, AN OCEAN APART IS NAVIGATING THE COMPLEXITIES OF AMERICA’S IMMIGRATION SYSTEM. OVER A MATTER OF FACTS. TEN YEARS. WE MADE A POINT IN EACH SHOW TO TELL THE STORY OF EVERYDAY AMERICANS, CAUGHT OR M O R’S, SHOWING HOW POLICY IMPACTS LIVES. IMMIGRATION POLICY IS ONE THAT COMES UP TIME AND AGAIN IN 2019. OUR CORRESPONDENT LEONE LAKHANI BROUGHT US THE STORY OF A WISCONSIN MOM WHO HAD TO MAKE A DIFFICULT DECISION AFTER HER HUSBAND WAS DEPORTED. IT’S A STORY THAT CONTINUES TO PLAY OUT TODAY. AS THE WAVES LAP AGAINST THE SHORES OF THE GAMBIA IN WESTERN AFRICA. FOR 32 YEAR OLD CATRINA JABBI, IT’S BEEN A LONG JOURNEY TO GET HERE. JUST WATCHING MY GIRLS ON THE BEACH. BEAUTIFUL. A YEAR AGO, HER HUSBAND WAS SUDDENLY DEPORTED FROM THE UNITED STATES, AND CATRINA BEGAN A QUEST TO REUNITE HER DAUGHTERS, AISHA AND NAHLIA, AND SON NOBLE WITH THEIR DAD, EVEN IF IT MEANT LEAVING BEHIND HER OWN MOTHER AND FATHER BACK HOME. JUST 24 HOURS BEFORE SHE WAS IN WISCONSIN SAYING GOODBYE TO HER MOTHER, JUDY. SO WE WANTED TO COME DOWN HERE AND TAKE A WALK ALONG THE RIVER. I’M HERE WITH THE KIDS ONE LAST TIME BEFORE WE END UP IN AFRICA, BEFORE THEY LEAVE, GRANDMA WANTS TO GIVE THE CHILDREN SOME HEARTFELT MEMENTOS. CAN WE SAY GOODBYE TO GRANDMA? GIVE HER SOME BIG HUGS. LOVE YOU. I FEEL LIKE THIS GUILT, LIKE, ALL THE WAY AROUND FOR EVERYBODY. JUST TRYING TO MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY. HER HUSBAND, BOOBA, WAS DEPORTED TO HIS NATIVE COUNTRY OF THE GAMBIA LAST MARCH. HE’D BEEN IN THE U.S. FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. HE’D OVERSTAYED HIS ORIGINAL VISA, BUT SPENT THE LAST DECADE TRYING TO LEGALIZE HIS STATUS, REPORTING TO IMMIGRATION OFFICERS EVERY YEAR, DETERMINED TO KEEP HER FAMILY TOGETHER, KATRINA SOLD MOST OF HER BELONGINGS, INCLUDING HER HOUSE, IN ORDER TO REUNITE WITH BOOBA IN THE GAMBIA. THE FAMILY ENDURES TWO LONG FLIGHTS OVER A DAY LONG JOURNEY TO GET TO THEIR NEW HOME. WELCOME TO THE GAMBIA, WHERE THE LOCAL TIME HERE, JUST APPROACHING 720 IN THE EVENING. IT’S BEEN A YEAR SINCE THE GIRLS HAVE SEEN THEIR FATHER, AND THEIR LITTLE BROTHER HAS NEVER MET HIS DAD. AFRICA HAS BEEN WAITING FOR YOU. HEY, SEE DADDY NOW I’M REALLY EXCITED AND HAPPY AND I’M GLAD IT’S OVER WITH. THANK YOU. IT’S BEEN A LOT OF WORK. YOU’RE BRAVE. LOVE YOU. THANK YOU, MY SUPERWOMAN. OUR SUPER MOM. HEY! ONE MORE THING. IS BECOMING. THE NEXT MORNING IS THE START OF A NEW LIFE FOR THE FAMILY IN GAMBIA. IT’S FRIDAY, A DAY OF PRAYER IN THIS MUSLIM COUNTRY. HELLO. HI. LET’S GO UP. TRINA IS AWAKE. SO ARE THE GIRLS HAPPY? BOY, DO YOU WANNA GO SEE THE CHICKENS OUTSIDE? YEAH. KATRINA IS ALREADY GETTING HER HOUSE IN ORDER. WE ACTUALLY NEED TO GO SHOPPING TODAY. WE NEED TO GO TO THE MARKET AND FIND SOME THINGS FOR THE KIDS, LIKE MILK AND MORE WATER AND MAYBE SOME ITEMS TO MAKE, LIKE A DINNER THAT THEY’RE FAMILIAR WITH, LIKE SPAGHETTI OR MAYBE WE CAN FIND SOME MAC AND CHEESE. AND SHOPPING HERE COULDN’T BE MORE DIFFERENT FROM WISCONSIN. ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SOME SMOKED FISH. KATRINA SAYS LIFE HERE MAY BE SIMPLE, BUT FAMILY VALUES ARE STRONG AND THOSE ARE VALUES SHE WANTS TO INSTILL IN HER CHILDREN. BUT AS THE DAY STARTS TO WIND DOWN AND DESPITE HER EXCITEMENT, REALITY IS BEGINNING TO SET IN. WE HAVE A LOT TO ADAPT TO, BUT AS OF TODAY, AND AS OF RIGHT NOW, I’M JUST ENJOYING EVERY SINGLE MOMENT. FOR MATTER OF FACT, IN THE GAMBIA, THIS IS LEONE LAKHANI. WHEN WE COME BACK, LEONE JOINS ME WITH AN UPDATE ON HOW THE FAMILY IS DOING NOW AND HOW THIS PIECE BECAME PART OF A WIDER SERIES ON COUPLES AND FAMILIES NAVIGATING IMMIGRATION LAWS TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER ATWELCOME BACK TO MATTER OF FACT BEFORE THE BREAK, WE TOOK A LOOK AT OUR CORRESPONDENT LEONE LAKHANI 2019 STORY FOLLOWING A MOTHER AND HER THREE CHILDREN FROM THEIR HOMETOWN IN WISCONSIN TO HER HUSBAND’S NATIVE HOME IN THE GAMBIA. LEONE, NICE TO SEE YOU. THANKS FOR JOINING ME. SO IT HAS BEEN SIX YEARS SINCE YOU FIRST REPORTED THAT STORY. WHY DON’T YOU FILL US IN ON WHAT’S HAPPENED TO THAT FAMILY SINCE THEN? SO KATRINA AND THE KIDS ACTUALLY CAME BACK TO THE STATES. THEY CAME BACK TO WISCONSIN BECAUSE HER YOUNGEST SON, NOBLE, ACTUALLY NEEDED A BIT OF SPECIAL CARE. SO THEY’RE BACK HERE. THEY’VE BEEN TRAVELING BACK AND FORTH AS MUCH AS THEY CAN TO SEE THEIR DAD. THEY’RE STILL WORKING ON THE PATHWAY, THE DOCUMENTATION PATHWAY FOR BOOBA. HER HUSBAND. YOU KNOW, HE HAS TO BE OUT OF THE COUNTRY FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS BEFORE THEY CAN BRING HIM IN, BUT THEY’RE GETTING CLOSE TO THAT. BUT SHE WAS SAYING THAT IF SHE HAD A CHOICE, SHE WOULD GO BACK IN A SECOND. SHE WAS WORKING THERE AS A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR, AND SHE’S DOING THAT NOW AS WELL. THIS STORY IS PART OF A SERIES THAT YOU DID, FOR A MATTER OF FACT, A SERIES THAT IS STILL VERY RELEVANT EVEN TODAY. SOME OF THESE STORIES YOU’VE COVERED YEARS AGO. RIGHT. TELL ME ABOUT THAT. YEAH. SO WE FOUND THIS COMMUNITY OF WOMEN ON FACEBOOK WHERE, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO HAD DECIDED TO SELF-DEPORT THEMSELVES WITH THEIR HUSBANDS WHO’D BEEN DEPORTED, MANY OF THEM TO MEXICO, JUST TO KEEP THEIR FAMILIES TOGETHER. AND WE FOUND THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE THESE SOME OF THESE WOMEN HAD COULDN’T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE, WEREN’T FAMILIAR WITH THE CULTURE. THEY WERE TRYING TO ASSIMILATE. AND THIS COMMUNITY WAS HELPING EACH OTHER OUT. WE DID MOST RECENTLY A STORY WITH KARINA, WHO CAME TO THE COUNTRY WHEN SHE WAS ONLY SEVEN YEARS OLD, AND SHE WAS AN EXAMPLE OF, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WHO HAS GOT A REALLY COMPLEX SITUATION IN HER FAMILY BECAUSE THE DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF HER FAMILY ALL HAVE DIFFERENT STATUSES. SO KARINA WAS ABLE TO BECOME A US CITIZEN. HER HUSBAND JOINED THE MILITARY, BUT SHE’S GOT HER DAD WHO’S GOT A TOWING COMPANY. HE EMPLOYS PEOPLE, PAYS HIS TAXES, CAN’T FIND A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP. SO IT JUST SHOWS LIKE THE NUANCES AND THE COMPLEXITIES. AND I THINK WHAT RESONATES IS THAT THE ISSUES ARE STILL THE SAME AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. WE’RE STILL SEEING THE SAME ISSUES. AND EVERY TIME YOU TALK TO ANY OF THESE FAMILIES, THE ONE THING THEY SAY IS THE SYSTEM REALLY NEEDS SOME FORM OF REFORM. WE NEED SOME KIND OF IMMIGRATION REFORM BECAUSE ALL THESE FAMILIES ARE JUST IN A STATE OF LIMBO AT THE MOMENT. ONE THING I’VE NOTICED OVER THE PAST NOW, ALMOST TEN YEARS THAT WE’VE WORKED TOGETHER, YOU ARE SO GOOD AT GETTING PEOPLE TO SHARE VERY PERSONAL STORIES WITH YOU BECAUSE THEY TRUST YOU. TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU APPROACH THAT. I THINK IT’S PARTLY BECAUSE THESE ARE NOT INTERVIEWS WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WHERE WE’RE LIKE ASKING QUESTIONS TO LIKE, YOU KNOW, FIND OUT FOLLOW UPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE SHARING VERY PERSONAL TIMES OF THEIR LIVES AND VERY PERSONAL PARTS OF THEIR FAMILY. AND I THINK IT’S JUST IT’S JUST RESPECTING THAT. SO I DON’T WANT TO BREAK THAT TRUST. AND I THINK THAT’S PART OF JUST SHOWING THEM THAT YOU CAN TRUST ME. AND I PROMISE I WILL TRY AND DO THE BEST THAT I CAN WITH YOUR STORY. IT HAS BEEN A REAL PLEASURE TO WORK WITH YOU OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS. REPORTING IS ABSOLUTELY STELLAR. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. LEONE LAKHANI PLEASURE. THANK YOU. STILL AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT. SOLEDAD REFLECTS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOURNALISTS AND THE PEOPLE WHO BECOME THE CENTER OF OURFINALLY, TODAY, A F ABOUT THE REPORTING JOEY CHEN AND LEONE LAKHANI HAVE DONE FOR US OVER THE PAST TEN SEASONS. IT’S NOT EASY TO GET PEOPLE TO OPEN UP THEIR HOMES AND LIVES SO THAT WE CAN BRING YOU INSIGHTS INTO HOW NATIONAL POLICIES ARE IMPACTING THEM LOCALLY. IN FACT, IT’S QUITE CHALLENGING. IT REQUIRES COMMITMENT AND TIME AND TENACITY. JOEY CHEN AND LEONE LAKHANI ARE STANDOUTS AT MAKING THOSE CONNECTIONS AND TELLING THOSE STORIES. THEY UNDERSTAND THAT GIVING REPORTERS ACCESS CAN MAKE PEOPLE VULNERABLE SO THEY DON’T TAKE SHORTCUTS. WHEN IT COMES TO EARNING THE TRUST OF THE PEOPLE THEY FEATURE IN THEIR PIECES. WHY IS THAT KIND OF CARE IMPORTANT? WELL, IT RESULTS IN BETTER, MORE NUANCED STORYTELLING. THE HALLMARK OF PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM THE TRADEMARK OF MATTER OF FACT. SO MY THANKS TO JOEY AND LEONE FOR THEIR DEDICATION TO EXCELLENCE AND FOR BEING SUCH INSPIRING COLLEAGUES. THAT’S IT FOR THIS EDITION OF MATTER OF FACT, I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. I’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK. TO WATCH MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ANYTIME, HEAD TO MATTEROFFACTTV.