Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien

A salute to the brave who put our country first, what happens when a hero is overlooked, a marine who lost both legs in combat keeps on running, and the only major national monument honoring all women who've defended our country.

In a pandemic, is college still the key to long-term success? An ER doctor's emotional struggle at the hospital and at his own home. How will communities of color economically rebound from COVID-19? And can a President pardon himself?

The urgent preparations to distribute COVID-19 vaccine, your social media feed's not telling you the truth, can church increase your income, a deadly link between COVID-19 and the air you breathe, and a present from the planets just in time for Christmas.

How strangers could learn your COVID-19 test results, a mother's heartbreaking struggle to teach her disabled daughter, fears Blacks will get pushed out of a historic city, plans to wall-off a coastal city, and burgers from the ocean, not the farm.

The national reckoning and COVID 19 move three people to action.  A NYC doctor opens a free pop up clinic. A chef creates a fund to buy land for Black farmers.  An all-Black crewing team bridges police-community relations.

The Toll of COVID-19:  A rural hospital in Texas is overwhelmed with COVID cases, and worried it won’t keep its doors open.  Food banks are stretched to meet demand- a first user becomes a volunteer.  And the head of Meharry Medical School volunteers to test a vaccine.

How People   Change our Politics:  A Nebraska state legislator committed to splitting   electoral votes so his community gets a voice; a historian of polls; and the power   of black women in our elections – how their grassroots organizing paid off.

This weekend, while all eyes have been on the presidential election, the United States is still struggling to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Correspondent Jessica Gomez and photojournalist Scott Curty have been following an ER doctor and his family in the Milwaukee area since the beginning of the pandemic and show us their journey. Then, a look at how the lives lost to COVID have touched so many others. Plus, a high school football team so good no one wanted to play them, forcing them to drop out of the league. Now, HBO is featuring the team in a docuseries called “The Cost of Winning.”

Election Integrity and Election Access:   The roll of the poll watcher.  A conversation about how media should handle coverage.

Voter intimidation history.  And, voting barriers unique to Native Americans

Election 2020’s endgame.  A conservative SuperPAC working to defeat the President they elected. And, 20 years ago, how 537 votes determined the Presidency.