DECEMBER 21, 2024

I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT, THIS WEEK. COME WITH ME TO TENNESSEE. WHERE ARE WE NOW? WE ARE IN OUR SINGLE BARREL RICK HOUSE, WHERE I MEET UP WITH FAWN WEAVER, THE CO-FOUNDER OF UNCLE NEAREST PREMIUM WHISKEY. HOW MANY BARRELS ARE IN HERE? THERE’S ABOUT 2000. THE BUSINESS VALUED AT OVER $1 BILLION. AND WEAVER, THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN TO HEAD A MAJOR SPIRIT BRAND. THIS IS ABOUT ENOUGH WHISKEY FOR A MONTH. HOW? A DESIRE TO TELL A FORGOTTEN STORY NOT ONLY LAUNCHED A COMPANY, BUT IS EMPLOYING, EDUCATING AND EMPOWERING A WHOLE NEW GENERATION. PLUS, THE COLORADO RIVER IS A WATER SOURCE FOR SEVEN STATES AND 30 TRIBES, AND IT’S IN TROUBLE. I FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE GOOD STEWARDS OF THIS RIVER. CAN TRIBES HELP STATES MEET THEIR WATER NEEDS WHILE IMPROVING LIFE FOR THEIR PEOPLE? BUT FIRST, LAST WEEK WE INTRODUCED YOU TO JUANITA TWEEDY, MOTHER OF THREE AND ONE OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE PRICED OUT OF HOUSING. I WOULD HAVE NEVER IMAGINED THAT WE WOULD BE HOMELESS. NEVER. BUT THERE’S BEEN A TWIST IN HER STORY. WHEN MY KIDS ARE ABLE TO BE IN THEIR OWN ROOMS, IT WILL BE THE GREATEST FEELING. A UNIQUE EFFORT TO HELP THOSE WORKING AND STILL EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. THOSE STORIES RIGHT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. IT’S A STORY PLAYING OUT IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS AMERICA. HIGH DEMAND FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT NOT ENOUGH SUPPLY. IT’S FORCING MANY INTO HOMELESSNESS, INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO ARE EMPLOYED FULL TIME. LAST WEEK WE INTRODUCED YOU TO THE TWEEDY FAMILY LIVING IN THEIR CAR FOR MONTHS IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE. RENT COSTS THERE HAVE SKYROCKETED IN RECENT YEARS. CITY SHELTERS ARE NOW OVER CAPACITY. IN PART TWO OF OUR STORY FROM KNOXVILLE, OUR CORRESPONDENT JESS GOMEZ SHOWS US THE CITY’S EFFORTS TO BUILD MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND ONE COMPANY’S UNIQUE PLAN TO FILL IN THE GAPS. WITH DAWN BARELY BREAKING OVER A KNOXVILLE TRUCK STOP. GUYS, MAKE SURE YOU PUT YOUR JACKETS ON. QUANISHA TWEEDY AND HER THREE KIDS STARTING THEIR DAY SHAMAYA PAT. THEY’VE BEEN LIVING IN THEIR CAR FOR MORE THAN FOUR MONTHS NOW. ALL RIGHT, THAT’S IT. TURN LEFT ONTO MATTEL ROAD. THAT’S THE BIGGEST DREAM I HAVE RIGHT NOW, IS BEING ABLE TO PUT THEM. BACK IN THEIR OWN BEDS. TWEEDY WORKS SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, FILLING ONLINE DELIVERY ORDERS AFTER LOSING HER JOB AS A DISTRICT MANAGER AT A DOWNSIZING NEWSPAPER COMPANY. IT’S HARD TO SAVE WHEN YOU’RE STRUGGLING JUST TO MAKE ENDS MEET. AS IT IS, KNOXVILLE, ALONG THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS AND HOME TO THE FAST GROWING UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, A CITY IN THE MIDST OF A HOUSING CRISIS, THE AVERAGE RENT INCREASING BY ABOUT $500 A MONTH OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE CITY’S HOMELESS POPULATION DOUBLING RENTAL INCREASES IN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY HAVE BEEN UNTENABLE. AARON REED IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE KNOXVILLE KNOX COUNTY OFFICE OF HOUSING STABILITY. THE CITY COMMITTING $50 MILLION OVER TEN YEARS TO SPUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, 1800 UNITS UP THIS YEAR ALONE. STILL, IT’S NOT ENOUGH. WHAT WE NEED IS FOR GOVERNMENT, NONPROFITS, FUNDERS, PRIVATE LANDLORDS TO JUMP IN AND EACH BRING THEIR PART OF THE SOLUTION. I WOULD STAY BACK THERE IN THE WOODS, IN A TENT. JENNIFER MASON HAS BEEN HOMELESS FOR YEARS UNTIL SHE FOUND A PLACE HERE AT SECOND CREEK STUDIOS. SO THIS IS THE KING ROOM. KATIE LINKOUS, PRESIDENT OF THE NONPROFIT THAT TURNED WHAT WAS A RUNDOWN MOTEL INTO ONE AND TWO BED STUDIOS FOR RENT, 80 ROOMS FILLED WITHIN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF OPENING. THERE’S A POPULATION OF PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY HAPPY IN A STUDIO APARTMENT AND MAYBE AREN’T LOOKING FOR THE THREE BED, TWO BATH HOME WITH A YARD. THOSE, LIKE MASON, CAN RENT THE ROOMS FOR ABOUT $220 A WEEK WITH NO SECURITY DEPOSITS, CREDIT CHECKS OR LONG TERM LEASES REQUIRED. I WANT TO CRY BECAUSE IT’S REALLY EXCITING. AND TO KNOW THAT IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY WITHOUT HELP. THERE’S NO WAY I CAN GET RENT. QUANISHA TWEEDY HOPING THAT HELP COMES SOON. SHE’S BEEN ON THE LIST FOR PUBLIC HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR MONTHS. HI, WENDY. HELLO. HOW ARE YOU? BUT TODAY, SOME UNEXPECTED NEWS FROM HER CASEWORKER. A ROOM AT SECOND CREEK STUDIOS OPENING UP. SO I’M SO HAPPY. THIS IS WHERE WE WILL BE STAYING FOR HER KIDS. A SURPRISE AFTER SCHOOL, WARM BEDS FOR NOW. YEAH, WE’RE HAPPY. IT’S REALLY REWARDING TO BE ABLE TO SEE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE. I’M A MOTHER. I CAN’T IMAGINE NOT KNOWING WHERE WE WERE GOING TO SLEEP AND WHERE WE’RE GOING TO GO. OR ARE WE GOING TO BE WARM? CAN THEY GET TO SCHOOL INSTEAD OF BE ABLE TO REMOVE ALL OF THAT? NOW THEY CAN MOVE FORWARD. LAST NIGHT WE SAID GOOD NIGHT TO YOU. YOU WERE IN THE CAR. HOW ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW? OVERWHELMED. BUT GOD, I’M SO EXCITED AND SO APPRECIATIVE. APPRECIATIVE FOR THE STROKE OF LUCK NOT AFFORDED TO SO MANY OTHERS. STILL ON THE STREETS IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE. FOR MATTER OF FACT, I’M JESSICA GOMEZ. NEXT ON MATTER OF FACT, WITH DROUGHT TAKING A TOLL ON THE COLORADO RIVER, HOW INDIAN TRIBES ARE WORKING TO HELP RESCUE THE RIVER, AND WHY SO MANY COMMUNITIES ARE LOSING AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE. THEIR PHARMACIES. PLUS, I CHASE THE MOST AMAZING STORIES. HER OWN STORY IS PRETTY FASCINATING. MY CONVERSATION WITH FAWN WEAVER, THE CO-FOUNDER OF UNCLE NEAREST PREMIUM WHISKEY. YOU’RE WATCHING, MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS MAGAZINE. IT LOOKS LIKE THE COLORADO RIVER CRISIS WILL FALL INTO THE CATEGORY OF UNFINISHED BUSINESS FOR THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. THE RIVER PROVIDES WATER TO SOME 40 MILLION PEOPLE, BUT A YEARS LONG DROUGHT IS TAKING A TOLL. THE SEVEN STATES THAT DEPEND ON IT APPEAR AT AN IMPASSE OVER HOW TO RATION THE WATER. RIGHT NOW, ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE WATER IS ALLOCATED TO THE 30 NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES LIVING IN THE AREA. DESPITE THEIR FEDERALLY AUTHORIZED CLAIM TO THAT WATER, NATIVE TRIBES HAVE HAD VERY LITTLE SAY ABOUT HOW IT’S MANAGED. OUR CORRESPONDENT DINA DEMETRIUS VISITS THE COLORADO RIVER INDIAN TRIBES RESERVATION TO HEAR THEIR IDEA TO EASE THE CRISIS. THESE ARE THE HUMBLE BEGINNINGS OF A MIGHTY RIVER. THE COLORADO. THIS RIVER HAS ALLOWED LIFE TO FLOURISH HERE, NOT ONLY ECOLOGICALLY, BUT ALSO THINKING ABOUT THE CULTURES OF THE FOUR TRIBES THAT HAVE CALLED THIS PLACE HOME. JOSHUA MOORE MANAGES THE COLORADO RIVER INDIAN TRIBES, OR CRIT’S 34,000 ACRE FARMING OPERATIONS, WHICH SHARE OF WATER FROM THE COLORADO 719,000 ACRE FEET, IS DIRECTLY TIED TO HOW MUCH LAND THEY FARM, BEING STEWARDS OF BOTH IS TRIBAL HERITAGE, ESPECIALLY IN TIMES OF DROUGHT. WE’VE TAKEN COMMITMENTS TO TO TRY AND SAVE AND CONSERVE WATER FOR THE GENERAL BENEFIT OF ALL. WITHIN THIS REGION. WHEN THE DROUGHT BROUGHT UNPRECEDENTED WATER CUTS, CHRIT WAS PAID TO FALLOW THOUSANDS OF ACRES, PROVIDING 150,000 ACRE FEET OF WATER TO ARIZONA OVER THREE YEARS, WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO LEASE OUR WATER FOR OVER 20 YEARS, THE 2023 FEDERAL LAW FINALLY GIVES CHRIT THE RIGHT TO MARKET PART OF ITS WATER ALLOCATION. OFF RESERVATION AS AN ONGOING LEASE. CRET CHAIRWOMAN AMELIA FLORES SAYS THE REVENUE WOULD PROVIDE MANY LONG OVERDUE IMPROVEMENTS TO LIFE HERE. WE COULD OPEN OUR OWN HOSPITAL, OUR OUR CARE, WE COULD PROVIDE FOR OUR ELDERS, AND THEY WANT TO USE SOME OF THAT MONEY TO HELP THE RESERVATION MORE EFFICIENTLY. USE THE WATER. IT DOES KEEP FOR FARMING. THERE’S ABOUT 3000 ACRES THAT CAN BE UNLOCKED TO FARMLAND BY FIXING THIS CANAL. FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT NATIVE LANDS IS OFTEN IN DISREPAIR, ESPECIALLY CANALS LIKE THESE, WHERE SIGNIFICANT CRACKS AND LACK OF LINING LEAD TO WASTED IRRIGATION. I’VE HAD CREWS OF MEN OUT HERE ALL SUMMER LONG REPAIRING CANALS CONSTANTLY. BOTH FLORES AND MOORE SAY LEASING PROVIDES SOMETHING ELSE VITAL TO TRIBAL SURVIVAL GREATER SOVEREIGNTY OVER THEIR RESOURCES. THEY’VE ALWAYS SAID WATER IS GOLD. SO TRIBES HAVE LEVERAGE WITH OUR WITH THEIR ALLOCATION, ESPECIALLY KREATE. A DROUGHT IS HERE. SO NOW WE ARE BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY. IS THE COLORADO RIVER A COMMODITY? I GUESS IN A SENSE IT CAN BE LOOKED AT AS A COMMODITY. BUT FOR THE COLORADO RIVER, INDIAN TRIBES AND FOR MY PEOPLE, THE MOJAVE PEOPLE, IT IS NOT A COMMODITY. IT IS OUR LIFE. AND IF WE LEASE THE WATER, THEN THAT FALLS IN LINE WITH WHAT OUR CREATOR HAS TOLD US TO DO, TO LOOK AFTER THE LANDS, LOOK AFTER THE WATER. LOOKING AT THIS RIVER, WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR THE FUTURE FOR BOTH CRIT AND THE COLORADO? I’M HOPING THAT YOU KNOW I CAN CREATE A SPACE THROUGH MY WORK THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO FARM THIS LAND AND TO LIVE ALONG ITS BANKS ON THE RESERVATION IN ARIZONA. I’M DINA DEMETRIUS FOR MATTER OF FACT. COMING UP, WHY THIS CO-FOUNDER OF A MAJOR SPIRITS COMPANY IS ACTIVELY SUPPORTING OTHERS TRYING TO BREAK INTO THE INDUSTRY. PLUS, AS MORE PHARMACIES CLOSE NATIONWIDE, THE FAILURE TO ADDRESS PHARMACY CLOSURES WILL WORSEN HEALTH DISPARITIES. A LOOK AT WHAT COULD HELP MORE STAY OPEN. WELCOME BACK TO. MATTER OF FACT, YOU MIGHT REMEMBER FAWN WEAVER YEARS AGO, SHE WAS ON THE SHOW AS SHE RESEARCHED THE HISTORY OF NATHAN OR NEAREST GREEN, THE FORMER SLAVE WHO TAUGHT JACK DANIEL HOW TO DISTILL WHISKEY. WHEN I LOOK AT THE STORY OF NEAREST GREEN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS SO HARD FOR ME TO FIGURE OUT IS, IS WHY ONE PART OF HIS FAMILY HAD MONEY AND ONE PART DID NOT. IN 2017, SHE CO-FOUNDED UNCLE NEAREST PREMIUM WHISKEY IN HIS NAME. THE SPIRITS COMPANY TOOK OFF. WHAT I LEARNED IS ONE OF HIS SONS, BECAUSE HE HAD ALL DAUGHTERS. THAT WHOLE SIDE, THAT WHOLE BRANCH, BECAME POOR. IT WASN’T EVEN COLOR THAT DID THAT. BUT THE FACT THAT THEY WERE WOMEN. WEAVER IS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO HEAD A MAJOR SPIRITS BRAND, AND UNCLE NEAREST, THE FIRST AMERICAN SPIRIT BRAND WITH AN ALL FEMALE EXECUTIVE TEAM. IF I CAN DO IT IN THIS INDUSTRY, THERE’S NOT A SINGLE INDUSTRY A WOMAN CAN’T DO IT IN. I RECENTLY SAT DOWN WITH WEAVER AT THEIR DISTILLERY IN SHELBYVILLE, TENNESSEE, TO TALK ABOUT HER DECISION TO LAUNCH UNCLE NEAREST AND TELL UNCLE NEAREST. THERE HAD NEVER BEEN AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMEMORATED ON ANY BOTTLE OF SPIRIT ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. WE CAN GO BACK TO RUM, WHICH TECHNICALLY IS THE FIRST SPIRIT OF AMERICA. THOSE FROM THE CARIBBEAN THAT HAD COME IN, THEY WERE MAKING RUM. THEN YOU HAVE RYE WHISKEY BEING MADE OUT OF THE EAST COAST, AND THEN YOU HAVE BOURBON. SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS, THEY ALL HAD BLACK DISTILLERS, THEY ALL HAD AFRICAN-AMERICAN DISTILLERS. AND YET NO ONE HAD EVER COMMEMORATED A SINGLE ONE OF THEM HONORED A SINGLE ONE WITH A DISTILLERY OR A BOTTLE, 2017 YOU FOUNDED THE PREMIUM WHISKEY BRAND OF UNCLE NEAREST, AND IT QUICKLY BECAME WILDLY SUCCESSFUL. IT QUICKLY BECAME THE FASTEST GROWING AMERICAN WHISKEY AND U.S. HISTORY, AND HAS REMAINED THAT YOUR COMPANY IS VERY PHILANTHROPIC. YES. WHY IS THAT SO IMPORTANT? THAT’S WHAT BRINGS TRUE FULFILLMENT IN LIFE IS THE GIVING, NOT THE TAKING OR THE RECEIVING. WE WERE PAYING FOR NEAREST GREEN’S DESCENDANTS, ALL OF THEM, TO GO TO COLLEGE BEFORE WE EVER SOLD THE FIRST BOTTLE OF UNCLE NEAREST. YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A PERSON WHO COULD NOT READ OR WRITE. HIS SONS COULDN’T READ OR WRITE, AND NOW WE’RE ABLE TO NOT ONLY MAKE SURE HIS DESCENDANTS READ OR WRITE, BUT THEY’RE GETTING THEIR JDS AND THEIR DOCTORATES AND THEIR MASTER’S DEGREES. THERE’S SOMETHING REALLY REMARKABLE ABOUT BEING ABLE TO BE A PART OF THAT. YOU ALSO INVEST IN STARTUPS, AND I’M NOT SURE HOW SORT OF EFFORTS TO UNDERMINE DEI AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BECAUSE I KNOW EVERYBODY’S REFRAMING HOW THEY SPELL OUT WHERE THEY PUT THEIR INVESTMENTS. YEAH, I’M NOT REFRAMING IT. I’M REALLY, REALLY CLEAR. THIS INDUSTRY LOOKED NOTHING LIKE OUR COUNTRY. OUR COUNTRY IS 70% WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR. AND THAT WAS NOT REPRESENTED. AND WE ARE GOING TO FIND INCREDIBLE COMPANIES THAT ARE FOUNDED BY WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR. AND WE ARE GOING TO INFUSE THEM WITH THE CAPITAL THAT THEY NEED, AND WE’RE GOING TO BE THEIR BACKBONE. IT’S NOT ANY GOOD IF UNCLE NEAREST IS NOT JUST THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL AFRICAN-AMERICAN OWNED BRAND, BUT THE ONLY SUCCESSFUL ONE THAT SOMETHING ABOUT THAT DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT. YOU’RE A PREACHER’S KID. I AM A PREACHER’S KID. VERY PROUD OF IT. I READ THAT YOU WERE HOMELESS WHEN YOU WERE IN YOUR TEENS. YOU LEFT HOME AT A YOUNG AGE. 15. DID YOU HAVE A VISION OF WHAT YOU WOULD BE? NONE. I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE ASPIRATIONS TO BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN FREE. AND SO GROWING UP IN A HOUSE THAT WAS WAS SOUTHERN BAPTIST, INCREDIBLY RELIGIOUS, THE ONLY THING I CARED ABOUT IS BEING ABLE TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR MYSELF. THAT’S IT. AND WHEN I BEGAN WORKING ON THIS, MY MOTHER SAID, BABY, I LOVE WHAT YOU’RE DOING FOR THAT MAN AND HIS FAMILY, BUT I SURE WISH HE MADE LEMONADE. AND, I MEAN, AND SHE HELD ON TO THAT. AND IT’S ONLY AS SHE’S REALLY SEEN THIS COMPANY GROW AND HOW IT’S IMPACTING PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD, HOW IT’S INSPIRING PEOPLE OF EVERY BACKGROUND THAT SHE’S GOING. YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT, BUT I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT GOD IS ALL OVER THIS. AND NO SCRIPTURE FRONTWARD AND BACKWARDS. AND SO I’M REAL COMFORTABLE WITH GOD AND WHISKEY. SO IN THE FUTURE, YOU’RE GOING TO BE BUILDING IN FRANCE. WE ARE ALREADY. SO WE BOUGHT ONE OF THE MOST HISTORIC PROPERTIES AND VINEYARDS IN COGNAC, FRANCE. WHY FRANCE AND COGNAC? I CHASED THE MOST AMAZING STORIES AND THERE ARE REMARKABLE STORIES THAT HAPPEN IN EACH OF THE CENTURIES THAT MAKE AMERICA AS TIED TO COGNAC AS THE FRENCH ARE. AND SO NOW I GET TO SHARE THAT WITH THE WORLD AND GET TO DO IT WITH A BOTTLE. SO WHEREVER THE STORIES LEAD, IF IT’S SOMETHING THAT I GET GOOSEBUMPS WHEN I TELL THAT STORY, THERE’S A VERY GOOD CHANCE IT WILL BE TURNED INTO A SPIRIT AND IT’LL BE A PART OF THE COMPANY. VAUGHN WEAVER, IT IS SUCH A PLEASURE TO BE HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. IT IS AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU HERE. I APPRECIATE YOU. AHEAD ON. MATTER OF FACT, WHY A TRIP TO PICK UP A PRESCRIPTION IS GETTING HARDER FOR SO MANY FAMILIES. PLUS, THE COUNTDOWN TO THE NEW YEAR THROUGH THE EVENTS THAT HAD US ALL TALKING TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH. MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER AT @MATTEROFFACTTV. WELCOME BACK TO MATTER OF FACT. MANY RETAIL PHARMACIES ARE SHUTTING THEIR DOORS. A NEW STUDY SHOWS THAT FROM 2010 TO 2021, NEARLY A THIRD SHUT DOWN. THOSE CLOSURES AFFECTED CLOSE TO 92 MILLION PEOPLE. 37% WERE IN PREDOMINANTLY BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS AND IN LATINO NEIGHBORHOODS. AROUND 36% OF PHARMACIES SHUT DOWN INDEPENDENT DRUG STORES WERE ALMOST TWICE AS LIKELY TO CLOSE AS LARGE CHAINS. THE OVERALL HARDEST HIT STATES ARE ILLINOIS, MAINE, NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, VERMONT, RHODE ISLAND AND MISSISSIPPI. SO WHILE THE CLOSURES, PHARMACY REIMBURSEMENT RATES, WHAT DRUGSTORES ARE PAID BACK BY INSURERS ARE LOW, ESPECIALLY FOR MEDICAID AND MEDICARE? ANOTHER REASON PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGERS, THEY’RE THE MIDDLEMEN BETWEEN DRUG COMPANIES, INSURERS AND PHARMACIES. CRITICS SAY PBMS OFTEN EXCLUDE INDEPENDENT PHARMACIES FROM THEIR PREFERRED NETWORKS. AND SO THE SMALLER STORES LOSE BUSINESS. AMAZON KETO IS SENIOR SCHOLAR AT USC’S SCHAFER INSTITUTE AND ALSO THE STUDY’S SENIOR AUTHOR. THESE CLOSURES ARE AFFECTING BLACK AND LATINX NEIGHBORHOODS MORE THAN ANY OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD. I THINK THE FAILURE TO ADDRESS PHARMACY CLOSURES WILL WORSEN DISPARITIES IN PHARMACY DESERTS AND DISPARITIES IN MEDICATION ACCESS, AND ULTIMATELY WORSEN HEALTH DISPARITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE RESEARCH TEAM HAS URGED FEDERAL AND STATE LAWMAKERS TO INTRODUCE POLICIES TO INCREASE REIMBURSEMENT RATES AND REGULATE PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGEMENT. STILL AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, FROM THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE TO THE OLYMPICS, REMEMBERING 2024 THROUGH THE WORDS WE ALL USE TO DESCRIBEAS 2024 FINALLY COMES TO CLOSE. A WORD TO SUM UP THE PAST 12 MONTHS POLARIZATION. IT’S MERRIAM-WEBSTER’S WORD OF THE YEAR. POLARIZATION MEANS THE DIVISION INTO TWO SHARPLY DISTINCT OPPOSITES. THE DICTIONARY SITE SAYS PEOPLE SEARCH FOR THE DEFINITION. AS THE MEDIA BEGAN TO USE POLARIZATION TO DESCRIBE POLITICS DURING THE ELECTION SEASON, SOME OTHER TOP SEARCH WORDS ALSO TAKE US THROUGH THE YEAR. ELYSIAN WAS SEARCHED AFTER BALTIMORE’S FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSED IN MARCH. IT’S THE MARITIME TERM USED TO DESCRIBE WHEN A SHIP RUNS INTO A STATIONARY OBJECT. TOTALITY FOR APRIL’S SOLAR ECLIPSE. FORTNITE A TAYLOR SWIFT SONG AND A PERIOD OF 14 DAYS OR TWO WEEKS. AND DEMURE TIKTOKER JULES LEBRON’S CATCHPHRASE SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE. VERY DEMURE, VERY MINDFUL. THAT WORD WAS ALSO DICTIONARY.COM WORD OF THE YEAR. OXFORD DICTIONARIES WORD OF THE YEAR WAS BRAIN ROT, AND CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARIES WAS MANIFEST AS SEVERAL PUBLIC FIGURES, INCLUDING SINGER DUA LIPA AND OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL SPRINTER GABBY THOMAS, TALKED ABOUT MANIFESTING THEIR GOALS. SO CHEERS TO THE WORDS OF 2024 THAT DEFINED THE YEAR. 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.