WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT, ELECTION DAY IS UPON US, AND THAT MEANS VOTERS WILL BE CASTING BALLOTS TO ELECT GOVERNORS, STATE LEGISLATORS AND MUNICIPAL LEADERS. THAT’S ALL ON TUESDAY. BUT MANY OF THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE ELECTION ARE BRAND NEW TO THE JOB, LIKE THIS CLERK IN COLORADO. YES, OUR DEMOCRACY IS IMPORTANT. WE NEED TO PROTECT IT. WHAT IT TAKES TO OVERSEE THE PROCESS CENTRAL TO DEMOCRACY. PLUS FAMILIES FISHING THE WATERS OFF THE COAST OF MAINE ARE FACING A TRADE OFF THEY CAN’T ACCEPT. IF THIS IS TO SAVE THE WORLD’S CLIMATE. BUT WE’RE GOING TO DESTROY ECOSYSTEM TO DO IT. NOT INTERESTED? WELL, THE PLAN TO HARNESS OFFSHORE WIND POWER, FIND HARMONY WITH THE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES WHOSE LIVELIHOODS DEPEND ON MARINE LIFE. BUT FIRST, SHE WAS LOCKED IN A BATTLE WITH OPIOID ADDICTION. I NEVER STAYED SOBER MORE THAN A FEW WEEKS UNTIL SHE WENT TO MEXICO FOR EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT USING PSYCHEDELICS. COULD AN ILLICIT DRUG BECOME THE BREAKTHROUGH METHOD FOR TREATING ADDICTION NOW, ON MATTER OF FACT, IT A NOVEL, BUT CONTROVERSIAL WAY TO COMBAT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC IS BEING DEBATED IN ONE OF THE NATION’S HARDEST HIT STATES. IN KENTUCKY, MORE THAN 2000 PEOPLE DIED OF A DRUG OVERDOSE IN 2021 ALONE. AND IT’S SADLY NOT AN OUTLIER WITH THAT STATISTIC. IN TOTAL, THE CDC SAYS MORE THAN 106,000 PEOPLE DIED OF OVERDOSE CASES THAT YEAR. AND THE CRISIS HAS ONLY CONTINUED. MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS OF PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS ARE BLAMED FOR FUELING THE ADDICTION EPIDEMIC. THOSE COMPANIES HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO PAY MORE THAN $50 BILLION TO THOUSANDS OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. NOW. NOW THERE’S A PROPOSAL IN KENTUCKY TO USE SOME OF THAT MONEY TO STUDY A LITTLE KNOWN PSYCHEDELIC DRUG CALLED IBOGAINE. IN THE THIRD PART OF OUR SERIES EXPLORING PSYCHEDELIC THERAPIES, OUR CORRESPONDENT JESSICA GOMEZ CRISS CROSSES THE STATE TO EXAMINE THE RISKS AND THE BENEFITS OF TREATING ADDICTION WITH A DRUG THAT’S STILL ILLEGAL IN THE UNITED STATES. SURROUNDED BY THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS, FLOYD COUNTY, KENTUCKY, WHERE THE RAVAGES OF ADDICTION ARE MET WITH PROMISES OF RECOVERY. COME ON HERE. IN THIS AREA, IT HAS RIPPED FAMILY APART. JESSICA BLACKBURN, SHE WAS 17 WHEN SHE GOT HOOKED ON PAIN PILLS. THE PURSUIT AND USE OF THAT DRUG CAN CONTROLLED MY LIFE COMPLETELY. MY PARENTS FOUGHT FOR ME WHEN I WOULDN’T FIGHT FOR MYSELF. AFTER YEARS IN AND OUT OF TREATMENT CENTERS, IT WAS HER FATHER WHO HEARD ABOUT SOMETHING NEW IBOGAINE, A HALLUCINOGENIC DRUG FOUND IN THE ROOTS OF A WEST AFRICAN SHRUB. THEY HAVE SOME TINGLING OR WARMTH IN YOUR FINGERS OR TOES ILLEGAL IN THE US, DOZENS OF TREATMENT CENTERS IN OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE THIS ONE IN MEXICO. CREDIT IBOGAINE WITH ALLEVIATING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES LIKE DEPRESSION AND PTSD AND CURBING OPIOID ADDICTION. I WAS LIKE, WELL, MAYBE I’LL GET LUCKY. AND THIS WILL KILL ME. BUT WHAT HAPPENED IN MEXICO? JESSICA SAYS, WAS TRANSFORMATIVE. LIKE A RESET. YOU KNOW, IT ENDS. DID A LOT OF MY ADDICTIVE, OBSESSIVE THOUGHT PATTERNS. I JUST CAME OUT OF IT FEELING GOOD AND NOT WANTING TO USE USE. HAVE A GOOD DAY. WHERE WAS MY OWN PERSONAL SENSE OF DESPERATION THAT GOT ME LOOKING FOR WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE OUT THERE, CHAIR AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF KENTUCKY’S OPIOID ABATEMENT ADVISORY COMMISSION, BRIAN HUBBARD. AS THE POTENCY OF SUBSTANCES FLED IN THE STREET, INCREASES SO MUST THE POTENCY OF THE TREATMENTS THAT ARE MADE AVAILABLE. THE COMMISSION TASKED WITH DISTRIBUTING HALF OF THE STATE’S NEARLY $900 MILLION OPIOID SETTLEMENT, THE OTHER HALF GOING TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. YOU’VE REFERRED TO THESE SETTLEMENT FUNDS AS BLOOD MONEY. THE VALUE OF THE MONEY HAS BEEN DERIVED FROM THE AMOUNT OF CARNAGE PRODUCED BY THE EPIDEMIC. HUBBARD INTENDS USING A CONTROVERSIAL PROPOSAL TO SPEND A PORTION OF THE MONEY ON CLINICAL TRIALS OF IBOGAINE. THEY WOULD BE THE FIRST IN THE US. WE WOULD LOOK TO OFFER A $42 MILLION MATCH TO WHAT I WOULD DESCRIBE AS A CLINICAL RESEARCH ENTITY THAT WOULD COME FORWARD WITH A PLAN TO CONDUCT FDA APPROVED CLINICAL TRIALS IN KENTUCKY WITH IBOGAINE FOR TREATMENT OF OPIOID USE DISORDER. THIS IS A DRUG FOR WHICH THERE ARE FDA APPROVED ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS THAT ARE SAFER. BUT CRITICS AMONG THOSE TESTIFYING BEFORE THE COMMISSION SAY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION MAY NOT APPROVE THE TRIALS. IBOGAINE HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH HEART RISKS, EVEN DEATH. AN AND EVEN IF IT DOES, DRUG DEVELOPMENT TAKES YEARS AND COSTS MILLIONS MORE. A LARGE SCALE IBOGAINE STUDY APPROVED IN THE 90S WAS MOVED TO SAINT KITTS AFTER FUNDING FELL APART. RESEARCH CENTERS SAY IT SHOWED PROMISE IN CURBING OPIOID CRAVINGS AND ELIMINATING WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS. IBOGAINE IS HAVING SOME SORT OF ACTION THAT IS ALLEVIATING PHYSICAL DEPENDANCE ON OPIOIDS AND THAT MECHANISM OF ACTION IS APPARENTLY NOVEL. NEUROSCI PSYCHIATRIST DR. KENNETH ALPER HAS BEEN STUDYING IBOGAINE FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES. CARDIAC RISK ASSOCIATED WITH IBOGAINE IS SUBSTANTIAL, BUT WE’RE NOT GOING TO KNOW TO WHAT EXTENT THAT RISK CAN BE CONTAINED OR MANAGED UNLESS IT’S STUDIED OBJECTIVELY IN AN FDA SUPERVISED PROCESS. BACK IN KENTUCKY, AT SHEPHERD’S HOUSE, AN ADDICTION RECOVERY FACILITY, THOSE SETTLEMENT DOLLARS WOULD GO A LONG WAY. CEO JARED THOMAS HAS MIXED FEELINGS. YOU NEED PEER SUPPORT. YOU NEED CASE MANAGERS, YOU NEED PSYCHIATRISTS. I MEAN, YOU’VE GOT A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE NEED A LOT OF HELP. AND YOU’VE GOT TO PAY FOR THAT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE GOT TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT. WE’VE BEEN DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. LORD, THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME THAT WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND AT A WEEKLY MEETING FOR PARENTS OF ADDICTED LOVED ONES, FOUNDER KAREN BUTCHER, SHE LOST HER SON MATTHEW TO A FENTANYL OVERDOSE. THERE’S NOT A DAY THAT GOES BY THAT I DON’T THINK ABOUT HIM. SHE’S ALSO A MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION SET TO VOTE ON THE IBOGAINE PROPOSAL. PEOPLE WHO USE OPIATES, THEY’RE AT RISK OF DEATH EVERY SINGLE DAY. THIS WOULD GIVE THEM A TREATMENT OPTION. WHY WOULDN’T WE WANT TO DO THAT? TO HELP PEOPLE LIVE, COME BACK AND LIVE CLEAN? FOR JESSICA BLACKBURN, IT’S BEEN EIGHT YEARS. IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERRUPT ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS. AND YOU KNOW, THE REST IS UP TO YOU. THE REAL WORK BEGINS AFTER THAT TREATMENT. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO BACK TO YOUR HOME, GYPSY HOME IN A COMMUNITY THAT SHE SAYS IN DIRE NEED OF HEALING IN KENTUCKY, FOR MATTER OF FACT, I’M JESSICA GOMEZ THE COMMISSION WILL VOTE ON THE IBOGAINE PROPOSAL LATER THIS YEAR. MEANTIME, OTHER COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THE UK, SPAIN AND BRAZIL, ARE ALL MOVING AHEAD WITH CLINICAL TRIALS. NEXT ON MATTER OF FACT, OUR DEMOCRACY CAN BE FRAGILE. SHE SAW VACANCIES IN THE TOP POSITIONS OVERSEEING OUR ELECTIONS. I’M A DEMOCRACY DEFENDER FOR WHY THIS COLORADO WOMAN SOUGHT A JOB. OTHERS ARE CHOOSING TO QUIT. AND I’M AN EIGHTH GENERATION LOBSTERMAN. IT’S WHAT WE DO. BUT COULD A PUSHED TO RENEWABLE ENERGY JEOPARDIZE HIS FAMILY’S LIVELIHOOD AND LEGACY? YOU’RE WATCHING MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS MAGAZINE. ON TUESDAY, PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY HEAD TO THE POLLS, CASTING BALLOTS IN GUBERNATORIAL AND STATE LEGISLATIVE CONTESTS. BUT THE JOB OF ADMINISTERING THE VOTE HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY FOLLOWING FALSE CLAIMS OF ELECTION FRAUD DRIVEN BY FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. SOME OFFICIALS SAY THEY’VE RECEIVED DEATH THREATS ONLINE ABUSE AND HARASSMENT AND NOW MORE THAN 10% SAY THEY ARE VERY LIKELY OR SOMEWHAT LIKELY TO RESIGN BEFORE NOVEMBER 20TH, 24. IN COLORADO, MORE THAN A THIRD OF THE ADMINISTRATORS HAVE EITHER ALREADY QUIT OR LEFT THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF TERM LIMITS. AND THAT’S LANDED JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO, WITH A NEW COUNTY CLERK, AMANDA GONZALEZ REPRESENTS A LOT OF FIRSTS. FIRST LATINA, FIRST QUEER PERSON AND THE YOUNGEST CLERK EVER ELECTED IN THE COUNTY. GOOD MORNING, MISS AMANDA. GOOD MORNING. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. HOW’S IT GOING? MY BACKGROUND IS AS AN ELECTION ATTORNEY IN 2018 AND 2020, I RAN THE STATE’S LARGEST NONPARTISAN ELECTION PROTECTION EFFORT AND SAW THE IMPORTANCE AND THE POWER OF PUBLIC POLICY. AND I REALLY WANTED TO BE THE PERSON THAT WAS ENSURING THAT WE WERE PROTECTING EVERYONE’S RIGHT TO VOTE. I, MYRNA SMITH, DO SWEAR WHEN I THINK ABOUT DEMOCRACY, IT’S REALLY THE MANIFESTATION VERSION OF OUR HOPE AND OPTIMISM, RIGHT? WHEN YOU’RE VOTING, YOU’RE HAVING A SAY IN WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE OF YOUR COMMUNITY. IF THEY NOW LIVE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, HEARING THINGS LIKE WE’VE LOST 300 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AMONG ELECTION ADMINISTRATORS IS SCARY. MAYBE THAT’S NOT QUITE THE RIGHT MEASUREMENT OF WHETHER OR NOT AN ELECTION IS IN GOOD HANDS. AN ELECTION IS IN GOOD HANDS. IF YOUR ELECTION OFFICIAL IS UPHOLDING THE CORE VALUES OF DEMOCRACY, THESE ARE PARTIZAN POSITIONS. I’M ELECTED AS A DEMOCRAT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT’S A NONPARTISAN ROLE AND ALMOST UNIVERSALLY, REGARDLESS OF PARTY AFFILIATION, PEOPLE ARE LIKE, YES, OUR DEMOCRACY IS IMPORTANT. WE NEED TO PROTECT IT. I COME IN WITH A LOT OF POLICY BACKGROUND, A LOT OF ORGANIZING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BACKGROUND, BUT OF COURSE, I’VE NEVER BEEN THE PERSON WHO ADMINISTERS AN ELECTION. I HOW ARE YOU THERE ARE 64 COUNTY CLERKS THROUGHOUT COLORADO AND MANY OF US ARE NEW AND WE BELONG TO A COUNTY CLERKS ASSOCIATION THAT SOME OF WHAT THEY DO IS EDUCATION SHANE AND THEY HAVE CREATED THESE FORMAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS OF PARTNERS. A NEWER CLERK WITH SOMEBODY THAT HAD BEEN IN THE ROLE FOR A LITTLE WHILE, YOU HAVE THAT PEER TO PEER RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEBODY. IT’S IMMENSELY HELPFUL BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH SOME OF US WERE WITHIN THE OFFICE OR HAVE THAT ELECTIONS BACKGROUND, AND IT’S HELPFUL TO SAY, OH, YOU KNOW, THIS PIECE OF LEGISLATION, HOW DO YOU SEE THIS IMPACTING CLERKS? I WAS ASSIGNED TO CLERK FITZPATRICK UP IN BOULDER, WHO IS A GENIUS. I’M SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE HER IN MY CORNER IN 2019. NO ONE KNEW WHAT A COUNTY CLERK WAS OR WHAT WE DID, AND WE LARGELY RAN KIND OF BEHIND THE SCENES SINCE 2020. EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT A COUNTY CLERK IS AND WHAT THEY DO. AND SO WITH THAT HAS BROUGHT A LOT OF SUPPORT. THERE’S ALSO A LOT OF SCRUTINY ON OUR PROCESS. IT’S I UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE ARE NERVOUS ABOUT 2024, BUT I ALSO DON’T WANT TO CATASTROPHIZE. I THINK THAT PEOPLE EXPECTED 20, 22 TO BE A LITTLE MORE CHAOTIC THAN IT WAS. AND WE HAD, BY MOST MEASURES, A PRETTY SMOOTH ELECTION. WE HAVE A CAREER STAFF THAT HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME AND ARE WELL PREPARED. I RAN FOR THIS THIS OFFICE BECAUSE I’M A DEMOCRACY DEFENDER, BUT I DON’T STAND ALONE HERE. I’M SEEING PEOPLE THAT I KNOW JUST LIKE REALLY CARE ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY AND THESE SYSTEMS AND FAIRNESS AND EQUITY THE WAY I DO, WHICH FEELS PRETTY DARN GOOD. AND I THINK THAT THAT’S THE REASON THAT OUR DEMOCRACY WILL CONTINUE TO BE OKAY COMING UP, SEEKING RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS. THERE’S ENOUGH OFFSHORE WIND CAPACITY TO POWER THE COUNTRY FOUR TIMES OVER. WIND TURBINES OFF THE COAST OF THE US COULD BE THE KEY. IT’S NOT WORTH THE RISK. WHY SOME FISHERMEN ARE CONCERNED. PLUS, HOW THESE COOKIES ARE FILLING IN A MISSING HISTORY LESSON. WELCOME BACK. TO MATTER OF FACT, ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE WITHOUT IMPACTING COMMUNITIES IS A DELICATE BALANCE, RIGHT? RIGHT NOW, FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS ARE PILOTING WIND POWER PROJECTS ALONG THE EAST COAST. LAST MONTH, THE BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT RELEASED THIS WIND ENERGY MAP. IT’S ONLY A DRAFT PROPOSAL, BUT IF IT’S APPROVED, TURBINES WOULD BE BUILT AT LEAST 23 MILES OFF THE COASTAL AREAS OF MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS AND NEW HAMPSHIRE. IT’S AN AREA SPANNING 3.5 MILLION ACRES. THE MOCK UP AVOIDS AREAS THAT WOULD MOST AFFECT THE LOBSTER FISHING INDUSTRY OVER THE SUMMER. OUR CORRESPONDENT DAN LIEBERMAN TRAVELED TO MAINE TO TALK TO LOCAL FISHERMEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THEIR BUSINESS. ABOUT FIVE MILES OFF THE COAST OF MAINE, SWAN’S ISLAND IS A TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITY OF JUST 350 YEAR ROUND RESIDENTS. THEIR CULTURE AND LIVELIHOOD DEPEND ON LOBSTER AND FISHING. I’M AN EIGHTH GENERATION LOBSTERMAN. MY FAMILY FIRST MOVED HERE ON MY DAD’S SIDE IN 1806. MY DAD’S 84, MY MOM’S 83. THEY’VE GOT TRAPS IN THE WATER. DAD LOVES IT. GIVE THAT A FLING OVER ON THE FLOAT FOR ME. LOBSTER IS IS THE GULF OF MAINE. IT’S WHO WE ARE. IT’S WHAT WE DO. JASON JOYCE SAYS THE ENTIRE LOBSTER INDUSTRY IN MAINE IS AT RISK DUE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND PROJECTS. ONCE THOSE TURBINES ARE INSTALLED. THE NEXT 4 OR 5, SIX GENERATIONS COULD BE CURSED WITH THE RAMIFICATIONS OF WHAT HAPPENS NOW. ANCHORED TO THE OCEAN FLOOR WITH THREE CHAINS AS THAT STRUCTURE MOVES, ALL THAT EXCESS CHAIN DRAGS OVER THE OCEAN BOTTOM AND JUST DESTROYS THE HABITAT. SO WE’RE FEARFUL OF HABITAT DESTRUCTION BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH WIND SPEEDS AND DEEP WATERS. THE GULF OF MAINE IS GROUND ZERO FOR FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT WITHIN 50 MILES OF THE US COAST. THERE’S ENOUGH OFFSHORE WIND CAPACITY TO POWER THE COUNTRY FOUR TIMES OVER. DR. HABIB DAGHER IS THE HEAD OF THE COUNTRY’S LEADING RESEARCH AND TESTING CENTER FOR FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND TURBINES. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DO IT RIGHT. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE PRESERVE EVERYONE’S LIVELIHOOD, THAT WE PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT. BIG ADVANTAGE OF FLOATING TURBINE TECHNOLOGY IS THAT YOU CAN PUT IT WAY OUT THERE IN THE OCEAN, IN PLACES WHERE THERE’S LESS FISHING AND LOBSTERING AND SO FORTH. I THINK OFFSHORE WIND IN THE UNITED STATES IS IS A HARD TOPIC BECAUSE IT IS THIS THING THAT HAS EXISTED ELSEWHERE. BUT WE DON’T HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH IT. SUZANNE MCDONALD IS A SENIOR RESEARCHER AT THE NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LAB. AS PART OF HER JOB, SHE MEETS WITH FISHERMEN AND LOBSTERMEN TO HEAR THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT OFFSHORE WIND. LIKE THE CHAIN TIES THAT HOLD THE TURBINES TO THE SEAFLOOR. SHORE. THEY’RE ACTUALLY EXTREMELY LARGE ROPES OR CHAINS THAT ARE VERY HEAVY. THEY’RE NOT LIKELY SOMETHING THAT A SPECIES IS LIKELY TO GET ENTANGLED WITH AND IS MORE LIKELY SOMETHING THEY MIGHT BUMP INTO AND THEN SORT OF MOVE OR MOVE AROUND. THERE WE GO. YOU GOT THE BUOY FOR JASON AND HIS FAMILY. SEE, NOTHING CAN CONVINCE THEM THAT THEIR LIVELIHOOD IS SAFE. IF THIS IS TO SAVE THE WORLD’S CLIMATE. BUT WE’RE GOING TO DESTROY ECOSYSTEM TO DO IT WHERE WE LIVE AND WHERE MY FAMILIES LIVE FOR OVER 200 YEARS, NOT INTERESTED. IT’S HAPPENING TOO FAST AND I BELIEVE WITH TIME PEOPLE WILL SEE THAT IT’S NOT. IT’S NOT WORTH THE RISK. THEY’RE MAKING DECISIONS ON THE ENVIRONMENT THAT’S GOING TO AFFECT GENERATIONS TO COME. OKAY. YOU WANT TO HEAD RIGHT FOR THAT BELL DOING A GOOD JOB. FOR MATTER OF FACT, I’M DAN LIEBERMAN ON THE GULF OF MAINE. AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, I FULLY SUPPORT USING COOKIES AND SNACKS EDUCATIONALLY. WE INTRODUCE YOU TO THE BAKER INFUSING HER TREATS WITH HISTORY AND AND HOW A NONPROFIT FOCUSED ON FARMING BECAME THE WINNER OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST ANNUAL HUMAN SANITARIAN AWARD TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER AT MATTEROFFACT DOTA BAKER IS USING TEACH HISTORY. JASMINE CHO ALWAYS WONDERED WHY SHE NEVER READ ABOUT HER ASIAN AMERICAN ANCESTRY IN SCHOOL. WELL, FAST FORWARD TO CHOSE ONLINE BAKERY. IT’S CALLED YUMMY HOLIC. A CUSTOMER REQUESTED SHE MAKE A COOKIE WITH THEIR FACE ON IT AND IT GOT SO MUCH ATTENTION THAT CHO BAKED A GALLERY OF COOKIES DEPICTING AAPI TRAIL BLAZERS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT. THEY INCLUDE ACTOR AND ACTIVIST GEORGE TAKEI, AUTHOR GRACE LEE BOGGS AND ARTIST MINÉ OKUBO. I REALIZE IF I HAVE EVERYONE’S ATTENTION ANYWAY, THEN I’D LIKE TO FUNNEL IT TOWARD ISSUES THAT MATTER TO ME AND WHAT REALLY MATTERED ARE MATTERS OF REPRESENTATION. SHE’S EXPANDING HER COOKIE PORTRAIT TO ANOTHER PASSION PROJECT, MAKING GINGERBREAD REPLICAS OF HISTORIC ASIAN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOODS. AND I FULLY SUPPORT USING COOKIES AND SNACKS EDUCATIONALLY. STILL AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, A NONPROFIT WITH BIG ASPIRATIONS FOCUSED ON SMALL FARMERS. HOW THE ONE ACRE FUND IS HELPING END HUNGER IN THE FACE OF A CHANGINGAND FINALLY, WE PUT A SP ON AN ORGANIZATION THAT WAS THE BIG WINNER OF A MAJOR HUMANITARIAN PRIZE. I GOT TO HOST THE EVENT AGAIN THIS YEAR. THE NONPROFIT ONE ACRE FUND WON THE WORLD’S LARGEST ANNUAL HUMANITARIAN AWARD. IT’S CALLED THE HILTON HUMANITARIAN PRIZE. IT’S A TWO AND A HALF DOLLARS MILLION PRIZE. ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO, THE KENYA BASED NONPROFIT STARTED A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ABOUT 40 SMALL FARMERS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, TEACHING THEM HOW TO INCREASE CROP YIELDS AND PROFITS AND HOW TO THRIVE DESPITE THE CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THE OVER ARCHING GOAL WAS TO HELP THESE FARMERS BE THE SOLUTION TO LOCAL HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY. WELL, TODAY, THE ONE ACRE FUND REACHES A NETWORK OF 4 MILLION FARM FAMILIES AND THE ORGANIZATION NOW GETS A SIGNIFICANT BOOST TOWARD MEETING THEIR NEXT GOAL, WHICH IS HELPING 10 MILLION FARMERS BY 2030. A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ONE ACRE FUND. THAT’S IT FOR THIS EDITION OF MATTER OF FACT, I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN, AND I’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK TO WATCH MORE STORIES LIKE THIS. ANY TIME, HEAD TO MATTEROFFACT DOT TV.