I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO. MATTER OF FACT, WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT STUDENT LOAN DEBT. IT’S USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH YOUNG ADULTS. THEY LIKE. HOW COME PEOPLE OVER 50 HAVE STUDENT DEBT? MEET LESTER SMALL CLAUDIN, ONE OF THE MORE THAN 8 MILLION PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 50 WHO STILL PAYING OFF HER STUDENT LOANS. AIN’T NO WAY WE COULD PAY THIS DEBT OFF BEFORE WE DIE. HOW A 1960S LAW AIMED AT MAKING IT EASIER FOR STUDENTS TO GET LOANS MEANS THAT SOME ARE BURIED IN DEBT. TODAY. PLUS, KAMALA HARRIS AND DONALD TRUMP TAKE THE DEBATE STAGE IN JUST A FEW DAYS, TOPPING VOTERS CONCERNS THIS ELECTION YEAR. HOW EACH WOULD TACKLE IMMIGRATION AS PRESIDENT. THERE’S A CONSENSUS AMONGST THE LEFT, THE RIGHT, THE CENTER THAT THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM WE HAVE IS BROKEN. COULD A NEW PRESIDENT MAKE PROGRESS ON A DEAL THAT’S ELUDED PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS? AND IT’S A STORY OF LOSS THAT’S PLAYED OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE’RE GOING TO LOSE OUR HOME. HOW CITIES ARE TRYING TO MAKE AMENDS AFTER DESTROYING A ONCE THRIVING MINORITY COMMUNITIES. THOSE STORIES RIGHT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE SETTLING INTO THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR, MILLIONS OF THEM TAKING ON DEBT TO PAY FOR THEIR CONTINUED EDUCATION. RIGHT NOW, ROUGHLY 43 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE OUTSTANDING FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN DEBT. IT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU WHO’S CARRYING THE HIGHEST AVERAGE BALANCE, ACCORDING TO FEDERAL STUDENT AID, IT’S BORROWERS AGED 50 TO 61 YEARS OLD OWING AN AVERAGE OF $45,000 EACH, PAYING OFF THAT DEBT IS PROVING TO BE A CHALLENGE FOR SOME. NEARLY 7 MILLION PEOPLE ARE IN DEFAULT ON THEIR SCHOOL LOANS, AND THE CONSEQUENCES ARE ESPECIALLY DIRE FOR OLDER BORROWERS. OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT JULIE CHEN TRAVELED TO THE SUBURBS OF PHILADELPHIA TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHY THEY HAVE SO MUCH ON THE LINE. FOUR YEARS LATER, SMALL KLOWDEN HAS KNOWN THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS. PIGEON PEAS AND COCONUT MILK WERE HER TRINIDADIAN PILAU. DOES IT FEEL LIKE HOME? IT FEELS LIKE HOME. IT DOES FEEL LIKE HOME. THIS IS SOME TRINIDADIAN COMFORT FOOD AND IN LIFE, SHE BELIEVED THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS FOR HERSELF AND FOR HER CHILDREN WAS EDUCATION. I DECIDED TO GO TO SCHOOL, GET MY DEGREES SO THAT MY KIDS WILL BE SAYING, OKAY, MOMMY IS DOING IT. I CAN DO IT. I GOT MY OWN BACHELOR’S DEGREE, MOVED ON TO MY GRADUATE DEGREE, AND THEN TO MY PHD. THAT’S A LOT OF EDUCATION. YES, IT. WAS A LOT, BUT I FIRMLY BELIEVE WHEN YOU BEGIN SOMETHING THAT YOU SHOULD FINISH IT. BUT ALL THAT EDUCATION CAME AT A COST, A PRICE LISTRA COULDN’T AFFORD. THIS IS A STATEMENT OF MY STUDENT LOAN BALANCE. BY THE TIME SHE RECEIVED HER DOCTORATE IN 2015, LISTRA. OWED $124,000 FOR HER OWN EDUCATION. IN ADDITION, SHE’D COSIGNED ANOTHER $108,000 IN STUDENT LOANS FOR TWO OF HER CHILDREN, EVEN THOUGH SHE MADE REGULAR PAYMENTS UP TO $4,300 A MONTH. THE INTEREST CONTINUED TO ADD UP. BY THIS YEAR, SHE STILL OWED. $331,000, NEARLY 100,000 MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL. ALL THE YEARS THAT YOU’VE BEEN REPAYING, IT JUST KEEPS YOU NEVER ABOVE WATER. YOUR PRINCIPAL IS NOT GOING DOWN AT ALL. IT’S JUST YOU PAYING AGAINST THE INTEREST AND EVEN THAT IS GROWING. IT’S GROWING. THAT’S RIGHT. LAID OFF FROM HER EXECUTIVE LEVEL JOB EIGHT YEARS AGO, LYSTRA IS NOW 67 YEARS OLD. SHE SEARCHED FOR WORK, BUT NOW HAS LITTLE HOPE. SHE CAN FIND A JOB THAT WILL ALLOW HER TO MAKE ANY MORE PAYMENTS AT THE D.C. THINK TANK NEW AMERICA POLICY ANALYST TIA CALDWELL SAYS LYSTRA SITUATION IS NOT UNUSUAL. THERE ARE 3.5 MILLION PEOPLE WHO ARE OVER 60 AND HAVE STUDENT LOAN DEBT, AND THEY HAVE $125 BILLION WORTH OF DEBT, BILLION, BILLION. IT’S A BIG AMOUNT. IT’S A BIG AND GROWING GROUP. THAT GROUP HAS GROWN 500% IN THE LAST TWO DECADES. CALDWELL SAYS IT IS THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE OF AN EFFORT TO HELP MORE YOUNG AMERICANS GO TO COLLEGE. STILL, THE BEST GUARANTEE OF FUTURE EARNINGS IN 1965, LYNDON JOHNSON SIGNED LEGISLATION THAT GUARANTEED FEDERAL BACKING FOR STUDENT LOANS, SO THAT EVEN WHEN STUDENTS DEFAULTED, BANKS WOULDN’T LOSE MONEY AND THEREFORE WILLINGLY LENT MORE. THE SYSTEM’S EVOLVED SINCE THEN, BUT EVEN TODAY, STUDENT LOANS ARE EASY TO GET. OFTEN JUST ONE CLICK AWAY. ANYBODY CAN GET A STUDENT LOAN, AND IN FACT, MANY OLDER BORROWERS ARE BORROWING FOR THEIR OWN EDUCATION. THEY GO TO SCHOOL AND THEY’RE HOPING TO MAKE MORE MONEY SO THEY CAN PAY OFF THEIR STUDENT LOAN. AND THAT’S THEY HAVE NO COLLATERAL. THEY’RE JUST BETTING ON THE FUTURE. NEW AMERICA’S RESEARCH FOUND 4 IN 10 OLDER BORROWERS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO PAY THEIR DEBT BACK FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. AN ADDED FEAR THE GOVERNMENT CAN GARNISH IRS CHECKS, EVEN SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS FROM BORROWERS WHO DEFAULT CAN’T YOU JUST DECLARE BANKRUPTCY? YOU CAN, BUT THEN YOU WON’T GET YOUR STUDENT LOANS FORGIVEN. DON’T STUDENT LOANS GET DISCHARGED AFTER 20 YEARS, 25 YEARS, 30 YEARS? NO, I MEAN, THE REALITY IS YOUR LOANS ONLY REALLY DISCHARGE WHEN YOU DIE, WHICH CAN BE REALLY HARD FOR BORROWERS. I DON’T KNOW WHAT LIFE IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE FOR ME IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. LISTER FINALLY CAUGHT A MAJOR AND RARE BREAK RECENTLY WHEN THE GOVERNMENT FORGAVE SOME OF HER LOANS, AGREEING THAT A FOR PROFIT UNIVERSITY HAD DEFRAUDED HER. STILL, SHE STANDS WITH THOUSANDS OF BORROWERS DEMANDING RELIEF. FACING THE CONSTANT WORRY OF A DEBT THEY MIGHT NEVER BE ABLE TO PAY. AND AFTER A WHILE YOU BECOME VERY DEFEATED AND YOU ASK YOURSELF, IS IT ALL WORTH IT? WHY DID I DO THIS? AND WONDERING IF THEY WILL EVER FIND A WAY OUT IN HORSHAM, PENNSYLVANIA? I’M JOEY CHEN FOR MATTER OF FACT, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS MADE ATTEMPTS AT STUDENT LOAN DEBT FORGIVENESS, INCLUDING INTRODUCING THE SAVE PLAN IN 2023. SO FAR, THOSE HAVE MET LEGAL CHALLENGES AND DELAYS. NEXT ON MATTER OF FACT, FROM BRITAIN TO FRANCE, WE THINK THAT IMMIGRATION AS A DOG WHISTLE OR AS A WAY TO MOTIVATE THE BORDERS WORKS ON THE SHORT TERM. SO HOW COULD IMMIGRATION PLAY IN THE UPCOMING US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION? PLUS AI AND POLICING? WHY SOME POLICE DEPARTMENTS ARE INCORPORATING NEW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INTO THEIR DAILY WORKFLOW. AND WE VISIT PORTLAND, OREGON, WHERE A NONPROFIT HAS A VISION FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT BLACK FAMILIES WERE FORCED OUT OF DECADES AGO. YOU’RE WATCHING MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS MAGAZINE. TOPPING VOTERS CONCERNS, HEADING INTO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS THE ECONOMY AFTER THAT, VOTERS SAY THEY CARE ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND THEN IMMIGRATION. THAT’S ACCORDING TO GALLUP POLLING FROM JULY. BUT MY NEXT GUEST SAYS SIMPLY SAYING IMMIGRATION TO A POLLSTER DOESN’T TELL YOU WHERE VOTERS ACTUALLY STAND ON THE ISSUE. IT’S A COMPLICATED ONE. AND HIS RESEARCH SHOWS THAT VOTERS FEELINGS ABOUT IT ARE EVOLVING. ERNESTO CASTANEDA IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE IMMIGRATION LAB AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY. IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. THANK YOU. SOLEDAD, LET’S BEGIN MAYBE WITH A HISTORY 101 ABOUT THE DEBATE OVER IMMIGRATION IN THE UNITED STATES. THERE WAS A LULL IN IMMIGRATION AFTER WORLD WAR TWO, AND THEN THERE WAS A BIG CHANGE TO THE LAW IN 1965 WITH THE OPENING TO FAMILY REUNIFICATION AND THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE IN CONGRESS HAD IS THAT IN THAT WAY, MORE EUROPEANS WILL KEEP COMING TO THE UNITED STATES. WHAT HAPPENED IN REALITY IS THAT THAT OPENED THE DOORS FOR THE ASIAN FAMILIES AND THE LATINO FAMILIES WHO WERE ESTABLISHED IN THE US TO BRING THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS LEGALLY AT THE SAME TIME, WE START SEEING THE EFFECTS OF THE END OF THE GUEST WORKER PROGRAM DEMANDED BY AGRICULTURE SECTORS AND OTHER EMPLOYERS THAT ENDED. AND THEN THAT BECOMES AN INFORMAL LABOR MARKET OF WHAT BECOMES WHAT WE CALL NOW UNDOCUMENTED MIGRATION. AND THEN THE THIRD ELEMENT THAT CHANGES IS THAT IN THE 80S, WITH A LOT OF CIVIL WARS IN CENTRAL AMERICA, YOU SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE COMING LOOKING FOR ASYLUM THAT WERE NOT GIVEN THE STATUS OF REFUGEES BECAUSE THE US HAD FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE REGIME IN CENTRAL AMERICA. WHEN POLLSTERS TALK ABOUT IMMIGRATION, YOU KNOW, OFTEN IT’S VERY GENERIC. WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND IN YOUR RESEARCH ABOUT HOW AMERICANS POLE AROUND IMMIGRATION? SO FOR SOME PEOPLE, YES, WHEN THEY THINK ABOUT IMMIGRATION, THEY THINK ABOUT BORDER SECURITY. THAT IS A PHRASE THAT WE HEAR OFTEN FROM WASHINGTON, FROM POLITICIANS, ESPECIALLY SINCE NINE OVER 11. FOR OTHER PEOPLE IS UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS, FOR OTHER PEOPLE, MAYBE THE PEOPLE SLEEPING TEMPORARILY IN THE STREETS OR IN HOTELS AND SHELTERS AND FOR OTHERS, IT’S JUST HOW WHEN CAN WE PASS A HUMANE LAW TO HELP PEOPLE ESCAPING HORRIBLE SITUATIONS IN HAITI, VENEZUELA, UKRAINE AND AFGHANISTAN? HOW DOES IMMIGRATION PERFORM? IF YOU WILL, AS AN ISSUE WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A TIGHT CONGRESSIONAL RACE, SENATE RACE, PRESIDENTIAL RACE, WE HAVE DONE RESEARCH SINCE THE 2018 MIDTERM ELECTIONS AND SINCE THEN WE HAVE LOOKED AT CONGRESSIONAL RACES OR GUBERNATORIAL RACES THAT ARE CLOSED. SO IN THESE SWING STATES, IN THESE PURPLE STATES, WE SEE THAT IMMIGRATION IS NOT A WINNING THING. KRIS KOBACH WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST ADVISERS FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION. HE RAN FOR GOVERNOR AND HE LOST. AND LIKE THAT, WE HAVE COUNTED DOZENS OF CASES EVERY ELECTION WHERE BEING PRO-IMMIGRANT FOR THE DEMOCRATS HAVEN’T HASN’T AFFECTED THEM. MANY GOT ELECTED. SAME THING. MANY THEY TEND TO BE REPUBLICANS WHO ARE ANTI-IMMIGRANT. THEY HAVE LOST MANY ELECTIONS. SO IT’S NOT THAT WINNING ISSUE THAT PEOPLE THINK. AND IT’S ALSO WHEN IT’S WHEN IT’S USEFUL ELECTORALLY IS TEMPORARY. IT’S PROBABLY ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT BROUGHT TRUMP TO THE FORE, MADE HIM POPULAR IN 2016. TALKING AGAINST MEXICANS IN PARTICULAR, THE BORDER WALL. HE WAS IN OFFICE. HE DIDN’T CHANGE THE DYNAMICS VERY MUCH IN 2020. HE WAS TRYING TO SCARE PEOPLE ABOUT THE CARAVANS. IT DIDN’T WORK. AND NOW HE’S TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE COMING FROM ASYLUMS, WHICH IS NOT TRUE. HE’S PROBABLY REFERRING MORE TO PEOPLE COMING FROM CUBA AND VENEZUELA TODAY. IT’S A QUESTION MARK WHETHER. THAT’S GOING TO FUNCTION FOR HIM ELECTORALLY. I DON’T THINK SO. WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE CHANCES THAT, AS WE HEAD INTO 2025, IN FACT, WE’RE GOING TO SEE PROGRESS ON THIS ISSUE. IT’S A PRIORITY FOR EMPLOYERS THAT CANNOT FIND ENOUGH WORKERS. THERE’S AROUND 1.5 OPENING JOBS FOR EVERY ONE WORKER AVAILABLE. SO EVEN IF WE HIRE EVERYBODY THAT DOESN’T HAVE A JOB TODAY, THEY WILL STILL BE MORE JOBS TO BE FILLED. THE WHITE HOUSE HAS VERY STRONG OPINIONS ON MIGRATION AND FROM ONE SIDE, TRUMP DEPORTING A LOT OF PEOPLE AND DOUBLING DOWN ON THE POLICIES THEY DID LAST TIME AROUND. AND THE KAMALA ADMINISTRATION WITH WALLS WILL BE TRYING TO BRING THESE PEOPLE INTO THE AMERICAN FOLD IN A LEGAL FASHION. SO THE QUESTION REALLY LIES IN THE SENATE. WHAT PARTY HAS HOW MANY VOTES? AND THEN BECAUSE OF THE FILIBUSTER, THEY WILL NEED TO BE A BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT. ERNESTA CASTANEDA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH ME. DIRECTOR OF THE IMMIGRATION LAB AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, SOLEDAD. I APPRECIATE IT. COMING UP, HER FATHER OWNED A BARBER SHOP IN THE 1960S. THEY WOULD PUT A SIGN ON THE BARBERSHOP AND SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS CONDEMNED PROPERTY. AND EVERY DAY HE’D GO TO THE BARBERSHOP AND TAKE IT OFF AND BE OPEN FOR BUSINESS. A NEIGHBORHOOD STORY OF PERSISTENCE. PLUS, WE EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS OF AI GENERATED POLICE REPORTS. AMERICA’S INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM IS ALMOST 47,000 MILES LONG, CONNECTING STATES, CITIES, AND RURAL AREAS. ITS CONSTRUCTION, THOUGH, CAME AT A COST TO THRIVING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AN ESTIMATED. 475,000 HOUSEHOLDS WERE DISPLACED WHEN FEDERAL ROADS WERE BUILT, WHICH MEANT HUGE PERSONAL LOSS OF LAND, OF HOMES, OF GENERATIONAL WEALTH. IN SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, THAT HIGHWAY IS INTERSTATE 81. NOW, THE CITY IS TRYING TO RECONNECT NEIGHBORHOODS BY DEMOLISHING ONE AND A HALF MILES OF I-81 IN PORTLAND, OREGON. IT WAS HIGHWAY I-5 THAT LED TO THE END OF A PREDOMINANTLY BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD CALLED ALBINA. OUR CORRESPONDENT, ALEXIS CLARK VISITED PORTLAND, WHERE A NONPROFIT HAS A PLAN TO BUILD A NEW COMMUNITY WHERE THE NEIGHBORHOOD ONCE STOOD. OUR WALKWAY WAS PROBABLY RIGHT HERE UNDER THE I-5 HIGHWAY IN PORTLAND’S ALBINA DISTRICT. ONCE STOOD STATELY HOMES WITH MANICURED LAWNS. DONNA MAXEY GREW UP HERE UNTIL THE CITY FORCED HER FAMILY AND OTHER BLACK HOMEOWNERS OUT LIVING IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY WAS SO SPECIAL. DONNA’S PARENTS MOVED FROM EAST TEXAS TO PORTLAND IN THE 1940S. HER FATHER OPENED A BARBERSHOP IN THE TIGHTLY KNIT ALBINA COMMUNITY. MOM HAD A LITTLE FLOWER GARDEN IN THE BACK. BY 1960, PORTLAND HAD DESIGNATED ALBINA A SLUM. IT HAD A MOTIVE. THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS DOWNTOWN AND NEAR THE RIVER, A PRIME LOCATION FOR WHAT THE CITY CALLED URBAN RENEWAL. WE SAW IT COMING. DADDY HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN POLITICS, SO HE KNEW HOW THINGS WENT. HE KNEW THAT HE WAS LOSING HIS BARBER SHOP AND THAT WE WERE GOING TO LOSE OUR HOME. SO ALBINA WAS NOT A DECAYING COMMUNITY? NO. AT THE TIME, 80% OF PORTLAND’S BLACK POPULATION LIVED IN ALBINA, WHEN THOUSANDS HAD TO MOVE, THEY GOT A FRACTION OF THEIR PROPERTY VALUES. FAMILIES WHO REFUSED TO LEAVE RAN THE RISK OF LOSING EVERYTHING. WHEN ALBINA WAS DESTROYED, THERE’S A BILLION DOLLARS OF WEALTH THAT HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM FAMILIES. WINTER JOHANNES IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ALBINA VISION TRUST, A NONPROFIT THAT’S OVERSEEING THE AREA’S REVIVAL. THE GOAL TO DEVELOP 94 ACRES OVER THE NEXT 50 YEARS, WITH PARKS, HIGH RISES, COMMUNITY SPACES AND SMALL BUSINESSES, IT’S BEING PROMOTED AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE NEED TO PROVIDE MORE THAN IF WHAT WE’RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT IS RESTORATIVE ECONOMICS, SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE HEAR MOST CLEARLY IS THAT IT’S AN INSULT TO OWN PROPERTY RIGHT HERE AND THEN TO BE INVITED BACK TO RENT IT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT THAT WE THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE OWNERSHIP. THIS IS THE GOLD WE’VE CHOSEN. PORTLAND NATIVE SANDRA ROBINSON OF LEVER ARCHITECTURE IS LEADING THE BUILD. WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THIS PROJECT THAT MADE YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED? THIS WAS THE FIRST PROJECT WE WERE GOING TO CREATE A NEW FUTURE AND CREATE NEW STORIES. IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT EVERYONE HAVE A WELL-DESIGNED HOME AND SOMETHING THAT’S BEAUTIFUL. IT’S ALL ABOUT WHAT CAN WE BUILD IN THE FUTURE. A FUTURE DONNA MAXEY HOPES WILL BE INCLUSIVE. I HAVE FINALLY GOTTEN SO I’M NOT ANGRY, BUT IT’S TAKEN A LONG TIME. I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT THAT THERE BE A BLACK PRESENCE HERE IN PORTLAND, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, DON’T REMOVE US IN THE FIRST -- PLACE IN PORTLAND. FOR MATTER OF FACT, I’M ALEXIS CLARK, AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, POLICE HAVE A NEW AI ASSIST. WHY THE APPROACHES TO IMPLEMENTING AND REGULATING THE SYSTEM ARE RAISING CONCERNS, AND HE OVERCAME TRAUMATIC LOSS AND ADDICTION. HIS NEW LIFE MISSION TAKING HIM HUNDREDS OF MILES ON FOOT TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH WITH MATTER OF FACT SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER ATWELCOME BACK TO MAT AI IS WORKING ITS WAY INTO POLICE AGENCIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN A NEW WAY. IT’S CALLED DRAFT ONE AND HELPS OFFICERS GENERATE POLICE REPORTS IN LESS THAN A MINUTE. DRAFT ONE IS BUILT WITH THE SAME TECHNOLOGY AS CHATGPT. THE COMPANY EXXON SELLS IT. EXXON IS ONE OF THE MAJOR SUPPLIERS OF BODY CAMERAS AND INVENTED THE TASER. OFFICERS LOAD THE VIDEO FROM THEIR BODY CAMS INTO THE SYSTEM AND PRESS A BUTTON. THE PROGRAM THEN PULLS ALL THE SOUND AND RADIO CHATTER PICKED UP BY THE MICROPHONE, AND TURNS OUT A TIME STAMP REPORT OF AN INCIDENT. THE OFFICER MUST CLICK A BOX THAT SHOWS THE REPORT WAS GENERATED BY AI. OKLAHOMA CITY’S POLICE DEPARTMENT USES THE PROGRAM, BUT ONLY FOR MINOR INCIDENTS THAT DON’T LEAD TO AN ARREST. OTHER CITIES LIKE LAFAYETTE, INDIANA AND FORT COLLINS, COLORADO DON’T HAVE ANY RESTRICTIONS ON WHEN DRAFT ONE IS USED. POLICE OFFICERS SAY THE TECHNOLOGY SAVES THEM TIME AND HELPS THEM RECALL SPECIFIC DETAILS. HOWEVER, PROSECUTORS, LEGAL SCHOLARS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACTIVISTS ARE WORRIED THAT AUTOMATED REPORTS COULD INCLUDE FALSE INFORMATION, A PROBLEM WE’VE SEEN BEFORE WITH AI CHATBOTS. SOME DISTRICT ATTORNEYS CAUTION THAT OFFICERS SHOULDN’T JUST RELY ON AI TO CREATE REPORTS, BECAUSE THAT SAME OFFICER MIGHT BE ASKED TO TESTIFY IN COURT AS A WITNESS. IT’S NOT CLEAR JUST HOW MANY POLICE DEPARTMENTS ARE USING THE TECHNOLOGY. STILL AHEAD ON. MATTER OF FACT, HE LOST COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS ON 911 THE GREAT LENGTHS THIS RETIRED FLIGHT ATTENDANT IS GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW TO PRESERVE THEIRFINALLY, PAULIE VENETO IS PROBABLY WALKING RIGHT THIS MOMENT. THE RETIRED UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANT IS PUSHING A BEVERAGE CART 210 MILES FROM BOSTON’S PUBLIC GARDEN TO GROUND ZERO IN MANHATTAN ON SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2001. PAULIE WORKED ON UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 175 INTO BOSTON. IT WAS A FLIGHT HE REGULARLY STAFFED. HE WASN’T SCHEDULED TO WORK THE NEXT DAY. THE DAY UNITED FLIGHT 175 TOOK OFF FROM BOSTON WITH SEVERAL OF HIS TEAM MEMBERS ON BOARD. THAT FLIGHT WAS HIJACKED AND THEN FLOWN INTO THE SOUTH TOWER OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. 20 YEARS LATER, PAULIE’S PUSH WAS BORN. A WAY TO HONOR THE FLIGHT CREWS THAT WERE LOST ON NINE OVER 11. IN 2021, PAULIE WALKED 220 MILES, PUSHING A BEVERAGE CART FROM BOSTON LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO GROUND ZERO. THEN 2022, HE PUSHED THE CART FROM DULLES AIRPORT TO THE PENTAGON IN MEMORY OF AMERICAN FLIGHT 77. LAST YEAR, HE PUSHED FOR 300 MILES FROM NEWARK LIBERTY TO SHANKSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, IN HONOR OF UNITED FLIGHT 93. I WAS ANGRY THAT THEY WEREN’T BEING RECOGNIZED. I FELT BY THE WORLD. AND AND I WAS STANDING THERE AND I LOOKED AT THE BEVERAGE CART AND I SAID, YOU KNOW SOMETHING? I’LL GET THE MECHANIZED. I KNEW I HAD TO DO SOMETHING THAT NOBODY EVER DID. BUT MY STORY IS A STORY OF ADDICTION WHERE I WAS NUMBING MYSELF OUT AFTER NINE OVER 11 WITH PAIN MEDICATION. SO NOW THAT I WAS ABLE TO TURN IT AROUND AND NINE YEARS CLEAN, NOW THAT I’M ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE, PAULIE PLANS TO ARRIVE AT GROUND ZERO IN TIME FOR THE SEPTEMBER 11TH MEMORIAL SERVICE HONORING ALL THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES 23 YEARS AGO. 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. ANY TIME, HEAD TO MATTEROFFACTTV.