Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien

Soledad speaks with Victor Cha on the intersection in U.S. relations with China and North Korea; Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) on the House Freedom Caucus and healthcare reform; Peter Zeidenberg on investigation options for the Russian interference probe; and Andrea Prasow on human rights abuses in Syria.

Soledad O’Brien is joined by Mayor Ras Baraka, of Newark, NJ, to talk about his opposition to the administration’s stance on community police reform and sanctuary cities. Former congressman Patrick Kennedy discusses his battle with addiction and the need to medically treat it like a chronic disease. And we meet the refugees of Fugees Academy in Georgia who are working to make America a second home.

This weekend on Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien we dive into Republican town halls with Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR); an ethics lawsuit against President Trump with Deepak Gupta; and funding for Planned Parenthood, which some states stand to lose.

This weekend on Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, we look at President Trump’s first 100 days with freshman Congress members Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), check in with a new partnership hoping to retrain coal miners into solar farmers, and dive into the failures of Hillary Clinton’s campaign with “Shattered” authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes.

This weekend on Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, we dive into the First Amendment with constitutional lawyer Floyd Abrams, “Truth Decay” with RAND Corporation President & CEO Michael Rich and the state of Black America in the heartland with Gary, IN Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson.

This weekend on Matter of Fact, Soledad O’Brien visits DNC headquarter to ask Chair Tom Perez whether the resistance will backfire on Democrats and his thoughts on FBI Director James Comey’s firing. Then, she then speaks with Peter Zeidenberg, a 17-year veteran of the Department of Justice, for his take on what is the next step in the Russia probe. We also meet up with Ronnie Cho, a candidate for New York City’s city council who says he won’t count out millennials, and we hear from freelance journalist Jennifer Davis, who tells in her own words how healthcare policy will deeply affect her family.

This weekend on Matter of Fact, Soledad O’Brien speaks with Tulsa, OK Public School Superintendent Deborah Gist who drills down on what budget cuts will mean for education, especially for schools with low state funding. Then, Soledad sits down with Anita Earls, a civil right attorney, to take a look at a Supreme Court decision on gerrymandering which could impact the future political balance of Congress. And, Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, explains how manufacturers are working to attract a new generation of skilled employees.

Soledad O’Brien speaks with Watergate special prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks to discuss the Russia probe, standards for obstruction of justice and compares investigations to the Watergate hearings. Next, Sarah Ladislaw, a Bush administration energy policy adviser, joins the program to talk about the international and economic repercussions of the United States backing out of the Paris Climate Accord. Then, Soledad has an in-depth discussion about the removal of confederate monuments with Garrett Epps, southern native and contributing editor for The Atlantic.

Soledad O’Brien sits down with Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Al Franken (D-MN) to discuss infrastructure, health care and bipartisanship in the Senate. Then, we revisit the story of Michael Bornstein, child prisoner of Auschwitz, as more Holocaust survivors have recognized themselves on the cover of his recent memoir. And Soledad speaks with Elizabeth Bodine-Baron from RAND Corporation to learn more about the specific tactics terrorists use to recruit online and the countermeasures used by U.S. tech companies.

Soledad O’Brien hosts a special edition of Matter of Fact looking at refugees adjusting to life in America. First, we visit Clarkston, GA, a town of over 40 nationalities where many refugees have been given a home away from home. Then, we take a trip to Fugees Academy, a school for refugees that came out of a soccer team. Then, Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson details his experience, in his own words, visiting refugee camps in Lebanon.

Soledad O’Brien takes on the new Senate healthcare bill with senators from both sides of the aisle. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) says he won’t support any bill that doesn’t meet President Trump’s promises on the campaign trail while Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) says any vote is too soon. Then, Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans, the new president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, gives a preview of the bipartisan weekend meeting and details what’s at the top of the agenda for most American mayors. And, Maggie Elehwany from the National Rural Health Association digs into why rural Americans and their hospitals struggled under the ACA.

Soledad O’Brien is joined by Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, to talk about why the caucus declined a follow-up meeting with President Trump. Then, Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) joins the program to talk about Democratic strategies for reaching out to voters in the heartland of America. Finally, Jen Mishory, Executive Director of the Young Invincibles, explains how a cut to Medicaid could be especially damaging to millennials.

In the wake of news about Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian attorney for dirt on Hillary Clinton, Soledad O’Brien speaks with law professor Kathleen Clark to walk through the questions that need answering and why claims of treason are a stretch too far. Then, Soledad speaks with Ezekiel Emanuel, an architect of the Affordable Care Act, to discuss the bigger issues of healthcare in America that are not being addressed in policy talks. And, we revisit the issue of Confederate monuments with Charlottesville’s Mayor Michael Signer who says he wants them to stay put.

Soledad O’Brien speaks with Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor, who is out with his new book called “Chokehold: Policing Black Men.” He explains his idea that the criminal justice system is working exactly the way it is intended to work. Then a look ahead to our themed program on Detroit with retired Sen. Fred Harris for the 50th anniversary of Summer of 1967 riots and the Kerner Commission. And we take a look at a new driver’s ed course requirement – learning how to handle a traffic stop.

Soledad O’Brien covers a tumultuous moment in American history – the nationwide civil unrest during the summer of 1967. In July of that year, five days of protest broke out in Detroit leaving 43 people dead, 1189 inured, over 7000 arrests and more than 2000 buildings destroyed, making it the deadliest instance of civil disorder since the Civil War draft riots. It served as a catalyst for Pres. Lyndon Baines Johnson’s establishment of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, which was tasked with finding the cause of these outbreaks. Their conclusion: “We are moving toward two societies, one black, one white – separate and unequal.” Soledad O’Brien visits Detroit to see how the city is moving forward with its past and interviews the last surviving member of the Commission to see how those lessons can be applied today. Then, she speaks with a panel of Detroit journalists to discuss the city’s current challenges and opportunities for growth. And, correspondent Jessica Gomez takes us inside the Detroit Historical Museum where they are still debating the question the civil unrest of 1967 was a riot or a rebellion.

Soledad O’Brien sits down with moderate U.S. Representatives Charlie Dent (R-PA) and Jim Himes (D-CT) – co-chair of the Tuesday Group and chair of the New Democrats, respectively – to discuss the fight for a return to bipartisanship in Congress. And, Urban Policy Director Erika Poethig of the Urban Institute joins Soledad to discuss why nearly 40 million American live in housing they cannot afford and the long term impact on the national economy. Then, Heather Korbulic, Director of the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, explains why over 8,000 Nevadans could be without health insurance in 2018 and how her state is working to find resources.

A protest over Confederate monuments that the Southern Poverty Law Center says is “shaping up to be the largest hate-gathering of its kind in decades” is scheduled for this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. It’s the latest development in a series of incidents and debates across the nation of what to do with symbols honoring the Confederate South. Soledad O’Brien explores the controversy with contributing Atlantic editor Garrett Epps, native from Richmond, VA, and Charlottesville, VA mayor Mike Signer. Disclaimer: This program and included interviews were taped prior to the events in Charlottesville, VA on August 12.

Soledad O’Brien hosts a special edition of Matter of Fact looking at refugees adjusting to life in America. First, we visit Clarkston, GA, a town of over 40 nationalities where many refugees have been given a home away from home. Then, we take a trip to Fugees Academy, a school for refugees that came out of a soccer team. Then, Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson details his experience, in his own words, visiting refugee camps in Lebanon.

This week, Soledad O’Brien takes a look at August 28th –a date memorialized in the nation’s journey toward equality. We revisit August 28, 1955, when 14-year-old Emmett Till, an African American boy from Chicago, was killed by two white men who accused him of making sexual advances toward a white woman. An all white jury cleared the two men, although they later admitted to the crime. Till’s death galvanized the Civil Rights movement, serving as inspiration for Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., who chose August 28, 1963 as the date of his “I Have a Dream Speech.” We speak with historian Timothy Tyson who unearthed the lie that led to Till’s brutal murder. Then, we visit the Emmett Till interpretative center, where Mississippian Patrick Weems is keeping Till’s story and its significance alive.