I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT. TODAY WE’RE HEADED INTO THE CLASSROOM. WHERE THERE’S AN EFFORT TO DIVERSIFY THE TEACHING STAFF. THIS IS LIKE A THE BIG BROTHER IN THE CLASSROOM TO KIND OF HELP BRING THAT THE COOLNESS OF OUR READING. WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE PROGRAM HELPING MORE YOUNG MEN OF COLOR DISCOVER A PASSION FOR EDUCATING AND GUIDING YOUNG MINDS. THE LIVES THAT YOU HOLD IN YOUR HANDS. I CAN’T AFFORD TO HAVE AN OFF DAY LIKE THEY MATTER. THEIR LIVES MATTER. THEY NEED THIS. PLUS A NEW ROUND OF SWATTING CALLS TARGETS HIGH PROFILE OFFICIALS AND LAWMAKERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE. IT REALLY DID TERRIFY ME. I JUST HEARD MY WIFE START SCREAMING. WE REVISIT THE DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS IN GEORGIA WHO RAISE THE PENALTIES FOR FAKE CALLS TO THE POLICE. AND I TALKED TO TWO TEENAGERS WHO’VE DONE SOMETHING KIND OF SHOCKING. THEY’VE GIVEN UP THEIR SMARTPHONES. ONE TIME SOMEBODY SAW ME PULL OUT MY FLIP PHONE, AND THEN THEY JUST WENT, OH MY GOD, WHAT ARE YOU DO ALL DAY? HOW NOT HAVING SOCIAL MEDIA CONSTANTLY AT THEIR FINGERTIPS HAS IMPACTED THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. THOSE STORIES RIGHT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. THE MAJORITY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS ARE WOMEN. MOST OF THEM ARE WHITE. IN FACT, MEN OF COLOR MAKE UP ONLY ABOUT 7% OF PRE-K THROUGH 12TH GRADE TEACHERS. TWO PRIMARY CONCERNS STEM FROM THAT STATISTIC. ONE, THERE’S A NATIONAL SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS, BUT MEN MIGHT NOT SEE IT AS A VIABLE CAREER PATH FOR THEM. AND TWO YOUNG CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT RACES AREN’T SEEING THEMSELVES REPRESENTED BY ADULTS IN THEIR CLASSROOM. ONE ORGANIZATION IS WORKING TO CHANGE THAT. THEY’RE RECRUITING AND TRAINING MEN OF COLOR TO BE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS WHO FOCUS ON READING AND WRITING. OUR CORRESPONDENT LAURA CHAVEZ TRAVELED TO ATLANTA, GEORGIA TO SEE HOW IT WORKS. 23 YEAR OLD JAMARI SCOTT IS A GEORGIA NATIVE. CENTRAL TO HIS LIFE, HIS FAITH, HIS FAMILY AND FOOTBALL. EVERYTHING IS TEAM. WE ALL WORK TOGETHER BECAUSE WE CAN’T DO NOTHING WITHOUT EACH OTHER. A STAR WIDE RECEIVER AT HIS HIGH SCHOOL, JAMARI GRADUATED IN 2019. FOOTBALL REIGNED OVER EVERYTHING. THAT IS, UNTIL A CAREER ENDING INJURY TOOK HIM OFF THE FIELD. I WAS IN LIKE A DEAD SPACE FOR A MINUTE, GOING THROUGH DEPRESSION. I WAS STUCK IN A PERIOD WHERE I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I WANTED TO DO OR WHAT MY PURPOSE WAS. AT THAT POINT, IT WAS LIKE FOOTBALL OR NOTHING. THAT’S WHEN JAMARI WALKED INTO A JOB FAIR THAT WOULD CHANGE EVERYTHING. I SEEN LEADING MAN FELLOWSHIP AND I WAS LIKE, FELLOWSHIP, OKAY. YOU KNOW, JUST GROWING UP IN THE CHURCH, I HEAR FELLOWSHIP ALL THE TIME. SO I WAS LIKE, WHAT IS THIS? LEAD HIM IN. FELLOWSHIP IS A I’D SAY IT’S LIKE A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. LITERACY PROGRAM. KENNETH HOBSON JR IS A COACH WITH LEADING MEN FELLOWSHIP’S ATLANTA BRANCH. I CAN REMEMBER I DIDN’T HAVE MY FIRST MAN OF COLOR TEACHER UNTIL I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. NATIONALLY, BLACK MEN MAKE UP LESS THAN 1% OF ELEMENTARY AND EARLY EDUCATION. PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS. SO WHAT WE DO IS WE TRAIN, MENTOR, AND RECRUIT MEN OF COLOR BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 24 TO BE LITERACY TUTORS INSIDE OF PRE-K CLASSROOMS. KENNETH NOW MENTORS JAMARI, WHO’S GETTING EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH KIDS AT BENTEEN ELEMENTARY. COUNT YOUR FINGERS. SYLLABUS. WE REALLY ARE LIKE A MELTING POT OF ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT MAKE US A GREAT COMMUNITY. ANDREW LOVETT IS PRINCIPAL AT BENTEEN ELEMENTARY, WHERE 45% BLACK, 29% HISPANIC, 17% WHITE, 9% TWO OR MORE RACES. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO LOOKS LIKE THE CHILDREN REPRESENTING AND TEACHING THEM. A LOT OF OUR A LOT OF TIMES WE REALIZE THAT WE ARE THE ONLY ROLE MODEL THAT OUR KIDS HAVE. I GOT YOU. EVERYBODY GET A HUG. WHAT IS THAT? AND JAMARI IS A WELCOME ASSET TO MISS J. THE SUPERVISING TEACHER IN THE CLASSROOM. HAVING MR. JAMARI IN HER CLASSROOM IS A TREASURE. AND EVERYBODY’S UP. NO MATTER WHAT WE’RE DOING TO GREET HIM. GOOD MORNING. LEADING MEN FELLOWSHIP OPERATES IN FIVE CITIES. PARTICIPANTS ARE PAID $17 AN HOUR. THEY GET A MONTHLY STIPEND OF $120 TO COVER THINGS LIKE TRANSPORTATION TO GET TO SCHOOL. AND AT THE END OF A COMPLETED SERVICE YEAR, THEY QUALIFY FOR A $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP. BUT LOW PAY HAS CONTRIBUTED TO A NATIONAL SHORTAGE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS. ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, PRESCHOOL TEACHERS MAKE AN AVERAGE OF $37,000 A YEAR. ABOUT $26,000 LESS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. WHY ARE YOU STARTING ALL YOUR FELLOWS IN PRE-K, WHERE YOU’RE SETTING THEM UP TO MAKE 30 TO 40,000 A YEAR INSTEAD OF SETTING THEM UP IN AN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM? SO A LOT OF OUR FELLOWS ARE FRESH OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL AND AND EVEN IN COLLEGE. SO GIVING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT THEY’RE GETTING INTO IS SUPER IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO TO BUILD TOWARDS A VIABLE AND SUSTAINABLE CAREER IN EDUCATION VERSUS BEING THRUSTED INTO IT OR WANTING TO GO INTO IT AND NOT HAVING THE EXPERIENCE. WE’VE LITERALLY SEEN RIGHT AT ABOUT HALF OF OUR FELLOWS GOING INTO EDUCATION, WHETHER THAT BE RETURNING TO WITH US FOR A SECOND YEAR OR ACTUALLY GOING INTO A CLASSROOM AS A PARAPROFESSIONAL, INCLUDING JAMARI. NOW, WHAT’S THIS? OKAY. DID YOU EVER WANT TO BE A TEACHER AS A KID? NEVER. I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT TEACHING. I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT GOING INTO EDUCATION. BUT THIS OPENED UP DIFFERENT DOORS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN MY EYES TO DIFFERENT THINGS OF LIKE, OH, YOU ACTUALLY CAN DO THIS. EVEN IF IT’S NOT AT THIS GRADE LEVEL OR PRE-K, IT’S ON THE TABLE NOW. IT’S ON THE TABLE FOR SURE. IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, I’M LAURA CHAVEZ. FOR MATTER OF FACT, MY FAVORITE NEXT ON MATTER OF FACT, SWATTING CALLS ARE NOT ONLY DANGEROUS, THEY’RE EXPENSIVE. IT COULD COST INTO THE THOUSANDS. THE STRAIN FAKE CALLS PUT ON FIRST RESPONDERS AND YOUR TAX DOLLARS. AND BEFORE READING GETTING OUTSIDE, SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH PEOPLE, SOCIALIZING OFF THE SCREEN. AND I REMEMBER ALL THOSE THINGS. WAIT A MINUTE. THOSE THINGS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT. AND WE’VE REALLY LOST TOUCH WITH THAT AS A GENERATION. THE BIG CHANGE THESE TEENS MADE TO GET AWAY FROM STARING AT THEIR PHONES ALL DAY. PLUS, THE INNOVATIVE WAY I COULD HELP COMMUNITIES PREPARE FOR THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. YOU’RE WATCHING, MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS MAGAZINE. WELCOME BACK TO MATTER OF FACT. THERE’S BEEN A NEW STRING OF SWATTING ATTACKS AGAINST HIGH PROFILE PEOPLE. THEY INCLUDE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS MEMBERS AND SOME OF PRESIDENT ELECT DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET PICKS. SWATTING IS WHEN SOMEONE CALLS THE POLICE CLAIMING VIOLENCE LIKE AN ACT OF ATTACKER. LAW ENFORCEMENT RUSHES TO THE SCENE, BUT THE CALL IS COMPLETELY FALSE, AND THAT MEANS AN UNSUSPECTING PERSON IS SURPRISED WITH AN INTENSE POLICE RESPONSE. IN GEORGIA, THOSE CALLS ARE NOW A FELONY. EARLIER THIS YEAR, OUR CORRESPONDENT DAN LIEBERMAN TRAVELED TO ATLANTA AS LAWMAKERS WORKED TO STRENGTHEN THE PENALTIES FOR SWATTING. I OPENED MY FRONT DOOR AND I GO OUT WITH MY HANDS UP AND I CAN SEE THERE ARE THREE POLICE OFFICERS WITH GUNS DRAWN, POINTED AT ME, AND I JUST HEARD MY WIFE START SCREAMING THAT POLICE WERE RUNNING UP OUR STEPS. GEORGIA STATE SENATORS CLINT DICKSON AND KIMBERLY JACKSON ARE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM, BUT ARE UNITED BY A SHARED EXPERIENCE. THEY BOTH GOT A SURPRISE VISIT FROM POLICE OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY. I HEARD THE KIND OF POLICE KNOCK AND THEN I KIND OF QUICKLY LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND I SAW ALL OF THESE POLICE CARS JUST LINED UP. MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER WAS IN TEARS. MY WIFE WAS VERY FRANTIC. DICKSON, A REPUBLICAN, MARRIED WITH THREE KIDS IN JACKSON, A DEMOCRAT, MARRIED WITH A TWO YEAR OLD SON, WERE BOTH VICTIMS OF SWATTING A FORM OF HARASSMENT WHERE AN ANONYMOUS 911 CALLER TRICKS POLICE INTO SENDING A SWAT TEAM TO SOMEONE’S HOME WHEN THERE’S NO EMERGENCY. I HAD HEARD ABOUT A FEDERAL POLITICIANS, YOU KNOW, THAT HAD BEEN SWATTED. I HAD NEVER, NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD UNTIL UNTIL IT REALLY HAPPENED TO ME AND MY FAMILY REDUCING OUR EMERGENCY. WE HANDLE IT LIKE WE WOULD ANY OTHER CALL. GENERALLY, THAT’S ABOUT MAYBE 30, 40 OFFICERS THAT HAVE TO COME OUT, NOT TO MENTION THE OFFICERS THAT WE NEED TO EVACUATE THE AREA. CHIEF MIRTHA RAMOS LEADS THE DEKALB COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHICH RESPONDED TO THE 911 CALL TO SENATOR JACKSON’S HOUSE IN TERMS OF A DOLLAR AMOUNT. WHAT DOES IT COST TAXPAYERS? IT COULD COST INTO THE THOUSANDS, DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF RESOURCES THAT YOU’RE GOING TO UTILIZE. BUT IT COULD BE A SITUATION WHERE WE COULD BE OUT THERE FOR HOURS. SO YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT RESOURCES THAT ARE OFF THE STREET THAT ARE NOT TAKING CARE OF THEIR DAY TO DAY RESPONSIBILITIES, POTENTIALLY PEOPLE THAT ARE ON OVERTIME. SO ALL OF THAT ADDS UP. IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THE ELEMENTS THAT USUALLY OCCUR IN SWATTING, THEN YOU CAN SEE THAT IT’S A LOT MORE SERIOUS THAN A MISDEMEANOR. LAUREN SHAPIRO IS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT JOHN JAY COLLEGE’S DEPARTMENT OF SECURITY, FIRE AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, SOMEONE ENTERS YOUR HOME AND THROWS YOU TO THE GROUND AND ACCUSES YOU OF A CRIME THAT’S A FELONY BECAUSE EVERYTHING THERE PUTS PEOPLE IN DANGER FOR THEIR LIVES. LUCKILY FOR SENATOR JACKSON, EVERYTHING TURNED OUT OKAY. BUT LISTENING TO THE 911 CALL LEAVES HER SHAKEN. MY NAME IS JAMAL. AND I JUST STABBED MY WIFE. AND THAT THOSE POLICE OFFICERS HAD THEIR GUNS DRAWN BECAUSE THEY EXPECTED SOMEBODY TO COME OUT WITH A GUN. I THINK WHAT IFS ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THIS COULD HAVE GONE WRONG, IT REALLY DID TERRIFY ME. DID IT EVER CROSS YOUR MIND AFTER YOU GOT SWATTED? MAYBE I SHOULDN’T DO THIS ANYMORE. IT’S NOT WORTH IT FOR ME. YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE THE LORD’S CALLED ME TO BE HERE FOR A PURPOSE. AND I’M GOING TO SEE THAT THROUGH FOR MATTER OF FACT, I’M DAN LIEBERMAN IN ATLANTA. COMING UP, HOW I COULD EVENTUALLY BE USED TO HELP YOUR FAMILY PREPARE BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES. WE TALK ABOUT FLOODS AND FIRES, PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE FRONT LINES. THIS SHOULD BE VERY VALUABLE INFORMATION FOR THEM. BUT FIRST, THESE TEENS AREN’T GLUED TO INSTAGRAM OR SNAPCHAT OR TIKTOK. IN FACT, THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE SMARTPHONES. I TALKED TO THE FOUNDERS OF THE LUDDITE CLUB ABOUT HOW THEY’RE HELPING OTHERS REDUCE THEIR SCREEN TIME, AS WELL. AN INCREASING NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE SAY THEY’RE GRAPPLING WITH POOR MENTAL HEALTH, AND U.S. SURGEON GENERAL VIVEK MURTHY IS BLAMING, IN PART, SOCIAL MEDIA. ACCORDING TO HIS OFFICE, 95% OF TEENS AGES 13 TO 17 REPORT USING SOCIAL MEDIA, AND A THIRD SAY THEY USE IT ALMOST CONSTANTLY. THAT WAS THE CASE FOR LOGAN LANE AND JAMESON BUTLER, TWO TEENS GROWING UP IN NEW YORK CITY GLUED TO THEIR SMARTPHONES UNTIL ONE DAY THEY DECIDED TO GIVE THEM UP. THEY FOUNDED THE LUDDITE CLUB, A SMARTPHONE FREE GATHERING OF THEIR PEERS. LOGAN AND JAMESON RECENTLY JOINED ME IN STUDIO TO TALK ABOUT LIFE AS A TEENAGER, WITH A FLIP PHONE AND THE DOCUMENTARY THAT’S IN THE WORKS TO TELL THEIR STORY. TELL ME HOW YOU WERE FIRST INSPIRED TO SAY, WE’RE JUST NOT GOING TO HAVE SMARTPHONES IN OUR LIVES. IT WAS COVID. WE WERE BOTH REALLY ADDICTED TO OUR TECH, PARTICULARLY OUR PHONES, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND WE KIND OF JUST WASTED AWAY THE COVID DAYS, DEPRESSED IN OUR ROOMS. EIGHT NINE HOURS OF SCREEN TIME EVERY DAY. DID YOU FEEL THAT HAVING THAT SMARTPHONE WAS MAKING COVID WORSE FOR YOU? IN SOME WAYS? YEAH, IT WAS ALMOST LIKE SELF-DEPRECATING TO BE LOOKING AT ALL THESE PEOPLE ONLINE GOING ON RUNS, DOING ALL THESE THINGS. IT JUST MADE ME FEEL WORSE ABOUT MYSELF. AND YEAH, IT DEFINITELY MADE COVID A LOT HARDER. WHAT WAS THE REACTION WHEN YOU STOPPED USING YOUR SMARTPHONE? SO IMMEDIATELY FROM OUR FRIENDS? A LOT OF THEM REFER TO US AS KIND OF FALLING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH, BECAUSE WE WEREN’T ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I REMEMBER JAMESON SAYING, SOME PEOPLE WOULDN’T TEXT HER ANYMORE BECAUSE THE TEXTS WERE GREEN. YEAH, OTHER PEOPLE WERE REALLY SUPPORTIVE. THEY REALLY LIKED WHAT WE WERE DOING AND FINALLY SOME OF OUR PEERS WERE A LITTLE JUDGMENTAL. THEY DIDN’T LIKE THAT. IT SEEMED LIKE WE WERE KIND OF TELLING THEM HOW TO USE THEIR TECHNOLOGY, WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO, SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE BOTH FOUND IS ALMOST LIKE PULLING OUT OUR FLIP PHONES. I THINK SOME PEOPLE FELT ALMOST LIKE UNDER ATTACK, BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE I KNOW AT SCHOOL ARE SPENDING EIGHT, NINE HOURS A DAY ON THEIR IPHONES. SO FOR ME TO, YOU KNOW, VERY VISIBLY TAKE A STANCE AGAINST THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL PERSONALLY ATTACKED BY THAT WHICH IS NOT WE HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF THAT AT ALL. BUT I THINK I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH SPENDING, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN HALF OF YOUR TIME AWAKE ON YOUR PHONE. ULTIMATELY, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? IS THERE A BIGGER UPSIDE THAN A DOWNSIDE? YEAH, 100%. AND ALSO LIKE THE INTERNET AND ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA APPS ARE SO SELF-REFERENTIAL THAT LIKE GETTING AWAY FROM IT. I DIDN’T NEED TO BE A PART OF IT. I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND ANY OF IT, AND I DIDN’T NEED TO BECAUSE I DIDN’T NEED TO ENGAGE IN THAT CONVERSATION ANYMORE. I THINK ULTIMATELY IT COMES DOWN TO NOT WHAT WE’RE AGAINST, BUT REALLY WHAT WE’RE FOR. WE’RE FOR OFFLINE HOBBIES. WE’RE FOR READING, GETTING OUTSIDE SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH PEOPLE, SOCIALIZING OFF THE SCREEN. AND WE’VE REALLY LOST TOUCH WITH THAT AS A GENERATION. AND TO RECLAIM THOSE THINGS IS REALLY POWERFUL. SO YOU STARTED THIS LUDDITE CLUB. WHAT DOES THE CLUB DO? IT’S OPEN TO EVERYONE, AND IT’S BASICALLY JUST A PHONE FREE ENVIRONMENT THAT’S DEDICATED TO HELPING PEOPLE FORGE BETTER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR TECHNOLOGIES. CAN PEOPLE BE VARIOUS STAGES OF LUDDITE? OH YEAH, THERE ARE LOTS OF LUDDITES WHO STILL HAVE IPHONES AND EVERYBODY TAKES KIND OF A DIFFERENT MEASURE. SOME PEOPLE TURN THEIR PHONES. IT’S INTERESTING INTO BLACK AND WHITE MODE BECAUSE THEY FIND WITHOUT ALL THE COLORS, THEY’RE A LOT LESS COMPELLED TO PICK UP THEIR IPHONE. SOME PEOPLE SET TIME LIMITS ON THEIR SCREEN TIME, SOME PEOPLE DON’T TAKE IT WITH THEM OUT OF THE HOUSE SOMETIMES. SO EVERYBODY’S KIND OF AT A DIFFERENT STAGE FIGURING OUT WHAT WORKS BEST FOR THEM. SO NOW THERE’S A DOCUMENTARY IN THE WORKS. WHAT’S THE STORY YOU WANT TO TELL THROUGH THE DOCUMENTARY? THROUGH THE DOCUMENTARY, WE WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE HOPE. WE WANT TO GIVE THEM A SOLUTION. WE WANT TO TELL A GREATER STORY ABOUT THIS PROBLEM OF TECH ADDICTION. AND TEEN MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH A MORE POSITIVE LENS THAN A LOT OF THE DOCUMENTARIES IN THIS FIELD HAVE PROVIDED. WE LOOK AT OUR CLUB AND WE SEE AN ANSWER. I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THAT DOCUMENTARY ONE DAY. THANK YOU. JAMESON BUTLER AND LOGAN LANE, THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THEY RECENTLY TURNED THE LUDDITE CLUB INTO A NONPROFIT WITH BRANCHES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. AND WELCOME INTEREST FROM ANYONE WHO MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A BREAK FROM THEIR TECH. AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, COULD AI HELP COMMUNITIES AND POLICYMAKERS ADDRESS AND PREPARE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE? OUR WORK REALLY IS TO TRY TO EDUCATE, TRY TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND TRY TO ACTUALLY BRING PEOPLE TO ACTION. HOW THESE MODELS COULD TELL A STORY BEFORE IT HAPPENS. PLUS, WHY THIS MARBLE FIGURE SCULPTED IN ITALY IS IN ALABAMA HOLDING A BUG. TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER ATHOUSTON AFTER HURRI WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AFTER HURRICANE HELENE BOTH NATURAL DISASTERS BROUGHT CATASTROPHIC FLOODING THAT TOOK RESIDENTS BY SURPRISE. IT WAS LIKE A NIGHTMARE. YOU COULD HEAR THE CREEK AND IT WAS DEAFENING. THE ROAR OF THE CREEK. EVEN WHEN THE RAIN STOPPED, THE ROAR WAS STILL THERE BECAUSE IT WAS STILL SO HIGH. THAT’S KAREN HUDGINS IN YANCEY COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, WHO MIGHT NOT GET RELIABLE POWER UNTIL THIS SPRING. BUT WHAT IF THERE WAS A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW FLOODING COULD IMPACT THEIR AREA AND HELP COMMUNITIES BETTER PREPARE? THAT’S SOMETHING THAT RESEARCHERS AT MIT ARE WORKING ON. THEY’RE TAKING PHYSICS BASED FLOOD MODELING, INCLUDING FROM NOAA AND SATELLITE IMAGERY, AND THEN USING GENERATIVE AI TO REALISTICALLY SHOW THE IMPACTS OF FLOODING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT IS A NORMAL SATELLITE IMAGE FROM NORTH CAROLINA. THE PICTURE ON THE RIGHT IS AN AI GENERATED IMAGE SHOWING WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AFTER MAJOR FLOODING. BJORN, LUTJENS AND DAVA NEWMAN OF MIT WORKED ON THE PROJECT. THE MOST COMMONLY USED VISUALIZATION LAYER RIGHT NOW ARE THESE COLOR CODED FLOOD MAPS. THEY’RE STILL INCREDIBLY USEFUL, AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO REPLACE THEM. BUT WHAT WE ARE THINKING ABOUT, LIKE, COULD WE OFFER ANOTHER, MORE INTUITIVE VISUALIZATION LAYER TO THAT? WE’VE INCLUDED INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOUSES AND ROADS. SO WHEN YOU GIVE THOSE SATELLITE IMAGERY KIND OF ZOOM IN, PEOPLE NOW, IT BECOMES VERY PERSONAL. IT BECOMES VERY RELATABLE TO ME. I KNOW WHAT MY ZIP CODE IS, AND MAYBE EVEN MY HOME OR, YOU KNOW, MY LAND AND IS IT GOING TO FLOOD? AND THEN HOW CAN WE GET PEOPLE OUT OF HARM’S WAY? THIS IS STILL JUST A PROOF OF CONCEPT. THE RESEARCHERS HOPE THE AI TOOL COULD ONE DAY BE SCALED TO ALSO GENERATE SATELLITE IMAGING OF ARCTIC ICE MELT, AND THE POSITIVE RESULTS OF REFORESTATION. THIS INFORMATION COULD ENABLE COMMUNITIES AND OFFICIALS TO DEVELOP MORE CLIMATE RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND BETTER NATURAL DISASTER RESPONSE PLANS. STILL AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, THE U.S. IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST PRODUCERS OF PEANUTS. HOW A TINY INSECT HELPED FARMERS DISCOVER THE PROFITABLEAND FINAL INSECT. WEDNESDAY MARKS THE 105TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOLL WEEVIL MONUMENT IN ENTERPRISE, ALABAMA. YES, IT IS A MONUMENT TO A PEST. HERE’S THE BACK STORY. IN THE EARLY 1900S, THIS QUARTER INCH LONG INSECT MADE ITS WAY FROM ITS NATIVE MEXICO TO THE COTTON FIELDS OF THE SOUTH, PRACTICALLY DESTROYING THE ENTIRE COTTON INDUSTRY. COFFEE COUNTY, WHERE ENTERPRISE IS LOCATED, LOST 60% OF ITS COTTON CROPS IN 1915. FARMERS WERE FACING BANKRUPTCY. SO WHY A MONUMENT? AFTER SEEING RESEARCH BY AGRICULTURAL SCIENTIST GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER, FARMERS IN ENTERPRISE TRIED PLANTING PEANUTS. BY 1917, THE COUNTY HARVESTED MORE PEANUTS THAN ANY OTHER IN THE NATION, AND IT WAS HUGELY PROFITABLE. SO THE TOWN DECIDED TO HONOR THE BOLL WEEVIL FOR FORCING THEM TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY. INSCRIBED IS IN PROFOUND APPRECIATION OF THE BOLL WEEVIL AND WHAT IT HAS DONE. AS THE HERALD OF PROSPERITY. A FASCINATING LITTLE SLICE OF AMERICAN HISTORY ENCAPSULATED BY A MARBLE STATUE THAT BASICALLY CELEBRATES A BUG. 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.