MARCH 8, 2025

I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT. ALEXIS FOSTER IS A CHILD SUPPORT SPECIALIST. THE PROBLEMS THAT I SEE OFTEN IS SO MUCH STRESS FROM THE MOMS. THEY’RE OVERWHELMED. IT’S A FEELING. THE MOTHER OF TWO YOUNG CHILDREN IS FAMILIAR WITH. EVERYTHING IS ON YOU. THE RENT HERE CAN TEND TO BE MORE THAN WHAT YOU MAKE. YOU GET TO EXPERIENCE 12 MONTHS OF NOT HAVING TO OPERATE IN SCARCITY. THE PROGRAM EXPLORING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GIVE MOTHERS A GUARANTEED MINIMUM INCOME. PLUS, WE MARK 60 YEARS SINCE BLOODY SUNDAY, WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT ATTACKED THE CIVIL RIGHTS MARCH LED BY JOHN LEWIS. SELMA WASN’T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. JOHN LEWIS WAS LIKE, ALL RIGHT, I’M GOING TO GO. HOW LEWIS LATER HELPED CREATE A COMIC BOOK THAT GIVES A GLIMPSE INTO HIS EXPERIENCES. BUT FIRST, THEY’RE CALLED THE CONSCIENCE OF THE MILITARY. THE OFFICERS CHARGED WITH ENSURING THE MILITARY FOLLOWS THE LAW. THEY REPRESENT OUR VALUES. WHAT DOES IT MEAN NOW THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS FIRED THE TOP PEOPLE IN THOSE ROLES? THAT STORY RIGHT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. THEY’RE CALLED JAG OFFICERS, JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL’S LAWYERS WHO SERVE IN THE MILITARY. RECENTLY, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FIRED THE TOP JAG OFFICERS. DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH SAID HE WAS REPLACING THEM BECAUSE HE DIDN’T THINK THE PEOPLE IN THE ROLES WERE WELL SUITED TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS WHEN LAWFUL ORDERS ARE GIVEN. RETIRED ARMY LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAMES DUBIK IS A SENIOR FELLOW AT THE INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. WELCOME. THANKS, SOLEDAD. SO LET’S START WITH WHAT THE JAG OFFICERS ACTUALLY DO. JAGS HAVE TWO MAJOR FUNCTIONS, ONE OPERATIONAL AND ONE INSTITUTIONAL. THE OPERATIONAL FUNCTION HELPS COMMANDERS USE MILITARY FORCES. A WITHIN THE LAWS OF LAND WARFARE, WHICH IS IMPORTANT. BUT THEY ALSO HELP EXECUTE MILITARY OPERATIONS. I’LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. FROM WHEN I WAS IN BOSNIA, WE USED OUR JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL SECTION TO HELP US IDENTIFY BOSNIAN POLITICAL LEADERS THAT WERE ANTI DAYTON, WORKING AGAINST THE DAYTON ACCORDS. THE PEACE AGREEMENT THAT WAS NEGOTIATED TO END THE WAR IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA. AND THROUGH THE USE OF THE JUDICIAL PROCESS, WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE THEM OUT OF OFFICE OR INTIMIDATE THEM TO BE MORE IN LINE WITH THE DAYTON ACCORDS. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT OPERATIONAL TOOL THAT DEPLOYED JAGS HELP YOU WITH IN GARRISON. THEY HELP US RUN THE MILITARY JUDICIAL SYSTEM AS A COMMANDER. I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR GOOD ORDER AND DISCIPLINE IN THE UNITS THAT I COMMANDED AND THE THE LAWYERS ACT AS PROSECUTORS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SOLDIERS RIGHTS AS AN AMERICAN ARE PROTECTED EVEN DURING THE JUDICIAL PROCESS IN THE MILITARY. SO WITH THESE TOP LEADERS ALL BEING OUSTED AT THE SAME TIME, WHAT ARE POTENTIALLY THE IMPLICATIONS? I WORRY ABOUT THE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT ON THE REST OF THE LAWYERS. WHAT ARE THEY LEARNING FROM THIS? HOW WILL THAT AFFECT HOW WELL THEY DEFEND A SOLDIER OR REPRESENT A COMMANDER? I ALSO WORRY ABOUT THEIR PERSPECTIVE ON THE ADVICE THEY WILL GIVE ME NOW. I’M RETIRED NOW, BUT THEY HAD GIVEN ME AS AN OPERATIONAL COMMANDER ON WHERE THE LIMITS OR WHERE THE PERMISSIONS ARE IN THE IN THE LAW OF LAND WARFARE, WHICH ARE VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE, WE FIGHT WITH A CERTAIN SET OF VALUES. WHEN I DEPLOY TO HAITI OR BOSNIA OR IRAQ, I WORE AN AMERICAN FLAG ON MY SHOULDER. AND THE JAGS ARE VERY HELPFUL IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR MILITARY OPERATIONS ARE CONDUCTED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY REPRESENT OUR VALUES. WILL IT BE HARD TO REPLACE THOSE JAG OFFICERS WHO ARE NOW OUT WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE QUALIFIED? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, DAD, THE PEOPLE ELIMINATED WERE FULLY QUALIFIED, BUT THEY CAN BE REPLACED. WE WILL NOT LOSE A BUNCH OF PROFICIENCY UNLESS THE REPLACEMENTS ARE CHOSEN BECAUSE OF LOYALTY TO THE ADMINISTRATION RATHER THAN COMPETENCY IN THE JOB. THAT WILL HAVE A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT. I THINK MOST OF THE POSITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN TAPPED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP HAVE BEEN PEOPLE WHO ARE LOYAL TO PRESIDENT TRUMP. WELL, I MEAN, EVERY, EVERY PRESIDENT DESERVES TO HAVE A STAFF LOYAL TO HIM. THE ISSUE IS, IS, IS LOYALTY BALANCED WITH COMPETENCY? AND IF THE PERSON IS COMPETENT AND LOYAL, THEN, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WORK WELL AS AN INSTITUTION. IF THE COMPETENCY LEVEL GOES AWAY OR TOO LOW, AND LOYALTY IS THE PRIMARY FUNCTION THAT MAY HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE QUALITY OF LEGAL ADVICE THAT THE JAG GIVES TO THE CHIEF OF SERVICE, OR THE JAG GIVES TO THE SECRETARY OF THE SERVICE. RETIRED LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAMES DUBIK. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. NEXT ON MATTER OF FACT, HER PROGRAM IS GIVING MOMS IN NEED MONEY WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED. THE THINKING WHEN WE INVEST IN THE MOST VULNERABLE WITHIN A COMMUNITY, THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY BENEFITS. IS IT WORKING? AND HOW THIS ILLUSTRATED SERIES ABOUT THE CIVIL RIGHTS ICON JOHN LEWIS IS INSPIRING A NEW GENERATION? PLUS, AS PRESIDENT TRUMP CREATES A WHITE HOUSE FAITH OFFICE LED BY A CHRISTIAN PASTOR, AN UPDATE ON HOW AMERICANS FEEL ABOUT RELIGION TODAY. YOU’RE WATCHING, MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS MAKING ENDS MEET IS HARD RIGHT NOW FOR 43% OF ALL U.S. FAMILIES. THEIR INCOMES AREN’T ENOUGH TO COVER THEIR BASIC FAMILY BUDGET FOR FAMILIES LED BY SINGLE BLACK MOTHERS, 91% CAN’T MAKE ENDS MEET. THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION. THE PERSISTENT GAP BETWEEN WAGES AND COST OF LIVING HAS MORE COMMUNITIES TURNING TO AN OLD IDEA GUARANTEED INCOME. IN 1969, PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON PROPOSED THE FAMILY ASSISTANCE PLAN. IT WOULD HAVE PROVIDED A GUARANTEED MINIMUM INCOME TO ALL FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN, BUT IT FAILED IN CONGRESS. STILL, SOME CITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS HAVE MOVED FORWARD WITH THEIR OWN GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAMS. OUR CORRESPONDENT LAURA CHAVEZ TAKES US TO JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, WHERE A LONG RUNNING PROGRAM IS WORKING TO LIFT BLACK MOMS AND THEIR FAMILIES OUT OF POVERTY, DOING GOOD, CARTER. GOOD JOB. BORN AND RAISED IN MISSISSIPPI, ALEXIS FOSTER IS DETERMINED TO GIVE HER SONS A SAFE AND SECURE CHILDHOOD. IN THIS DAY AND AGE, SPENDING TIME IS VERY IMPORTANT AND THEM BEING ABLE TO COME TO ME AND TALK TO ME AND BEING CONFIDENT AND COMFORTABLE. YOU’RE GOING TO ADD ALL THREE NUMBERS UP AND THEN YOU’RE GOING TO DIVIDE IT. THE BOYS FATHERS DIED A FEW YEARS AGO, LEAVING ALEXIS A CHILD SUPPORT SPECIALIST, TO RAISE KINGSTON AND CARTER ON HER OWN. WE STRUGGLE WITH, WELL, I WOULDN’T SAY STRUGGLE, BUT I MADE A WAY LIKE THE RENT HERE CAN TEND TO BE MORE THAN WHAT YOU MAKE. GOD, I THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER MEAL WITH MY FAMILY. ALEXIS KNEW THE FINANCIAL CHALLENGE OF BEING A SINGLE PARENT. HER MOM RAISED HER AND HER SIBLINGS ON HER OWN. MY MOM WORKED A LOT, SO WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME AT HOME BY OURSELVES OR WITH A FAMILY MEMBER IN THE HOPE OF SPENDING MORE TIME WITH HER OWN BOYS. ALEXIS APPLIED FOR THE MAGNOLIA MOTHER’S TRUST. MAGNOLIA MOTHER’S TRUST IS A GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES $1,000 A MONTH FOR 12 MONTHS, NO STRINGS ATTACHED. AISHA LEANDRO IS THE CEO OF SPRINGBOARD TO OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH LAUNCHED MAGNOLIA MOTHER’S TRUST IN 2018. WE SUPPORT ABOUT 100 WOMEN PER YEAR. WE ARE SPECIFICALLY FOCUSING ON BLACK MOMS IN THIS COMMUNITY BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DATA, BLACK MOMS ARE THE MOST HARMED FINANCIALLY IN SPITE OF WORKING MORE HOURS, IN SPITE OF HAVING MORE EDUCATION THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS, GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAMS HAVE LONG FACED CRITICISM THAT THEY COULD DISSUADE PEOPLE FROM WORKING, AND THAT THERE’S NO WAY TO ENSURE THE MONEY IS USED FOR NEEDS. WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO JUST GIVE PEOPLE MONEY? DON’T YOU THINK IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE MORE GUIDING IF YOU WERE TO SAY, HEY, THIS IS FOR YOUR RENT, THESE ARE FOR YOUR BILLS. ALL OF THE DATA THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE SHOWS THE VERY OPPOSITE OF THAT SNAP, TANF, HOUSING VOUCHERS. ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS ARE GUIDED. AND ULTIMATELY, WE HAVE SEEN THAT NONE OF THOSE PROGRAMS HAVE REALLY MOVED THE NEEDLE ON POVERTY. WHAT IT IS THAT WE ARE DOING WITH OUR WORK OF HAVING NO STRINGS ATTACHED, WE ARE CHANGING THE NARRATIVE ON HOW WE TALK ABOUT POVERTY, AND WE ARE ACTUALLY SAYING, WE TRUST YOU. WE KNOW THAT YOU KNOW BETTER THAN ANYONE WHAT IT IS THAT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY NEEDS. THE SIMPLEST EXPLANATION FOR GUARANTEED INCOME IS IT’S THE NOTION THAT WE DON’T HAVE TO START OUT AT ZERO FOR INCOME. WE COULD START OUT AT SOME FLOOR. ELAINE MAAG IS A SENIOR FELLOW AT THE URBAN INSTITUTE. A GUARANTEED INCOME IS AN INVESTMENT IN SOCIETY BECAUSE IT FREES UP PEOPLE TO DO THE THINGS THEY’RE BEST SUITED TO DO, ACCORDING TO THE URBAN INSTITUTE, COMMUNITIES ARE INCREASINGLY TURNING TO GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAMS, WITH MORE THAN 100 PILOT PROGRAMS LAUNCHED FROM 2018 TO 2024, MANY OF THESE PROGRAMS HAVE SHOWN ECONOMIC GROWTH, AN INCREASE IN FULL TIME JOB RETENTION, BETTER RATES OF HOME STABILITY, AND IMPROVED HEALTH. BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL. WHEN WE GIVE PEOPLE ENOUGH INCOME TO MEET THEIR BASIC NEEDS, THEY CAN USE THE TIME THAT YOU FREE UP TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY CAN THRIVE. THIS IS TIA. SHE WAS ONE OF OUR VERY FIRST MOMS, A FREEDOM THAT LEANDRO SAYS IS HELPING FAMILIES BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY. PRIOR TO THE MAGNOLIA MOTHER’S TRUST, OR PRIOR TO GETTING THE GUARANTEED INCOME. WHEN WE ASK OUR MOMS, WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR YOUR FUTURE? THEIR GOALS FOR THEIR FUTURE ARE ALWAYS RELATED TO THEIR KIDS AND WHAT WE SEE OVER THE COURSE OF THE MAGNOLIA MOTHER’S TRUST, OUR MOMS BEGIN TO BLOSSOM AND THEY’RE LIKE, HOLD ON, I ACTUALLY HAVE THINGS THAT I WANT AS WELL. I ACTUALLY WANT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL. I ACTUALLY WANT A BETTER JOB. THAT INCLUDES ALEXIS. I WANT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND DO MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING. SO THE TUITION IS 3500. AND PRIOR TO MAGNOLIA, I PROBABLY WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO PAY FOR IT. BUT WITH MAGNOLIA IN THIS EXTRA INCOME, I CAN SAVE AND BE ABLE TO PAY MY TUITION. MY HANDS ARE SLIPPERY. WHILE HER BOYS ARE MAKING PLANS OF THEIR OWN. WHAT DO YOU GUYS WANT TO DO WITH YOUR MOM OVER THE NEXT YEAR? I WANT TO GO SWIMMING JUST LIKE GO GO PLACES AND GET ALL TOGETHER AS ONE AND JUST EXPRESS HOW WE FEEL AS A FAMILY UNIT IN JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI. I’M LAURA CHAVEZ, FOR MATTER OF FACT. COMING UP, A LOOK INSIDE THE CLOSE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR AND FORMER CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS AND MORE THAN A THIRD OF U.S. ADULTS SAY THEY’VE CHANGED RELIGION. THE NEW SURVEY, REVEALING HOW AMERICANS DEFINE THEIR SPIRITUALITY. ON MARCH 7TH, 1965, 600 CIVIL RIGHTS PROTESTERS BEGAN THEIR MARCH ACROSS THE EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE IN SELMA, ALABAMA. LEADING THE GROUP WAS 25 YEAR OLD JOHN LEWIS. THE DEMONSTRATORS WERE UNARMED, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT DESCENDED UPON THEM WITH BILLY CLUBS AND TEAR GAS. THE VIOLENCE CAPTURED ON FILM SHOCKED THE NATION AND GALVANIZED THE FIGHT FOR RACIAL JUSTICE. DECADES LATER, A UNIQUELY PERSONAL VIEW JOHN LEWIS’S VIEW OF BLOODY SUNDAY AND THE FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS WAS CAPTURED IN A SERIES OF GRAPHIC NOVELS. THE TRILOGY IS CALLED MARCH. OUR CORRESPONDENT ALEXIS CLARK SHOWS US HOW THE GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES CAME TO BE. IT IS FRIGHTENING, RIGHT? CAPTURING THE HOODS? YEAH, IN THAT LIGHT. AND THE N WORD AGAIN. YEAH, THAT WAS ALSO SOMETHING I REALLY STRUGGLED WITH. AND IT’S LIKE UNCOMFORTABLE. YEAH. YOU TALK TO THE CONGRESSMAN ABOUT IT AND HE’S LIKE, YOU CAN’T LEAVE IT OUT. THOUGH OFTEN DESCRIBED AS A GRAPHIC NOVEL, MARCH IS A MEMOIR THAT TELLS THE STORY OF CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS’S LIFE GROWING UP IN RURAL ALABAMA TO BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL LEADERS IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. GIVE US A VOTE. THE IDEA OF THE COMIC BOOK SERIES CAME FROM ANDREW AYDIN, WHO WORKED IN LEWIS’S OFFICE. I STARTED WORKING FOR CONGRESSMAN LEWIS IN 2007. SO MUCH OF THE CRITICISM OF JOHN LEWIS AT THAT TIME WAS, WHAT IS HE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY? WHAT DID YOU REALLY DO DURING THE MOVEMENT AFTER CONGRESSMAN LEWIS WON HIS REELECTION, HIS CAMPAIGN STAFF TOOK A PAUSE. FOLKS WERE STARTING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO AFTER, AND I SAID, I’M GOING TO DRAGONCON, WHICH IS LIKE THE BIG ATLANTA COMIC BOOK CONVENTION, COSPLAY CONVENTION, EVERYTHING. AND SO EVERYBODY ON THE CAMPAIGN JUST STARTED LAUGHING AT ME. YOU KNOW, IT WAS SORT OF THIS LIKE, OH, YEAH, THE NERD. AND THEN THE CONGRESSMAN SAID, DON’T LAUGH. THERE WAS A COMIC BOOK DURING THE MOVEMENT, AND IT WAS DEEPLY INFLUENTIAL. MARTIN LUTHER KING AND THE MONTGOMERY STORY. AND SO I WENT HOME THAT NIGHT, AND I LOOKED IT UP ON THE INTERNET, AND I WAS AMAZED. AND I JUST REMEMBER SITTING THERE AND JUST SAYING, WHY ISN’T THERE A JOHN LEWIS COMIC BOOK? THAT’S QUITE A DEPARTURE. I MEAN, YOU’VE GOT A CIVIL RIGHTS ICON. WHAT WAS HIS RESPONSE? HE SAID, I THOUGHT THAT BOY LOST HIS MIND. BUT THE CONGRESSMAN EVENTUALLY AGREED, AND ANDREW SPENT ENDLESS HOURS INTERVIEWING HIM. FIRST, WE WERE TRYING TO JUST TEACH HIS STORY. THEN WE REALIZED WE COULD ACTUALLY INSPIRE THIS GENERATION TO UNDERSTAND NONVIOLENT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. LEWIS BECAME A PART OF THE NONVIOLENT MOVEMENT WHEN HE WAS JUST 18 YEARS OLD. SHORTLY AFTER MEETING MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HE WOULD ALWAYS SAY, DOCTOR KING WAS MY FRIEND, MY HERO, MY LEADER, AND HE WAS SO LOYAL TO HIM. BUT I THINK WHAT JOHN LEWIS LOVED MOST ABOUT DOCTOR KING WAS WHAT A SENSE OF HUMOR HE HAD AFTER A MARCH OR IN THE EVENINGS, THEY WOULD GET TOGETHER IN THE HOTEL ROOM AND THEY WOULD PREACH EACH OTHER’S EULOGY, AND THEY WOULD MAKE FUN OF EACH OTHER, LIKE MERCILESSLY. RIGHT? THE MARCH SERIES NOT ONLY DETAILS THE RELATIONSHIPS JOHN LEWIS DEVELOPED, BUT THE BOOKS ALSO SHOW WHAT LEWIS AND SO MANY OTHER ACTIVISTS ENDURED, WHICH AT TIMES WAS RAW BRUTALITY. JOHN LEWIS SAW THAT FIRSTHAND WHEN HE LED THE MARCH ACROSS THE EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE IN SELMA, ALABAMA. SELMA WASN’T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. ANDY YOUNG CAME AND SAID THAT DOCTOR KING WOULDN’T BE AT THE MARCH, AND SO JOHN LEWIS WAS LIKE, ALL RIGHT, I’M GOING TO GO NOW. THESE OMITTED DETAILS ABOUT THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT ARE BEING TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THANKS TO MARCH. YOU CAN READ MARCH IN A DAY AND HAVE A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF THE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF THE MOVEMENT. FROM 1960 TO 1965, PARTICULARLY FROM THE YOUNG PEOPLE’S PERSPECTIVE. WHAT WOULD YOU THINK JOHN LEWIS WOULD SAY ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ATTEMPTS TO BAN BOOKS RIGHT NOW AND ELIMINATE THE TEACHING OF CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY IN CLASSROOMS? HE WOULD SAY THE SAME THING HE SAID TO US MANY TIMES BEFORE, WHICH IS, I THINK WE’RE BEING TOO QUIET, THAT NOW IS THE TIME TO SPEAK UP AND SPEAK OUT AND FIGHT BACK. FOR A MATTER OF FACT, I’M ALEXIS CLARK, AHEAD ON, MATTER OF FACT, A NEW LOOK AT THE COUNTRY’S SHIFTING RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE. PLUS HOW A DESK NEAR THE SENATE CHAMBER’S BUSIEST ENTRANCE BECAME KNOWN FOR ITS CANDY TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH. MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER ATWELCOME BACK TO MAT TWO OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S RECENT EXECUTIVE ORDERS ADDRESS RELIGION HEAD ON. ONE INCLUDES FORMING A TASK FORCE TO COUNTER, QUOTE, ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THOUGH THE FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTS THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE, THIS COMES AS WE GET NEW INSIGHT INTO THE RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE OF AMERICA FROM PEW RESEARCH CENTER. THEIR LATEST STUDY FINDS THAT 62% OF AMERICANS IDENTIFY AS CHRISTIAN. THAT’S ABOUT WHERE IT WAS THE LAST TIME THEY CONDUCTED THE POLL. BACK IN 2019. STILL A SHIFT FROM WHERE IT WAS JUST TEN YEARS AGO, DOWN 9% FROM 2014, 29% OF PEOPLE SURVEYED WERE UNAFFILIATED WITH THE RELIGION, UP SIX POINTS SINCE 2014. THIS GROUP INCLUDES PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY’RE ATHEISTS, AGNOSTICS, OR DON’T IDENTIFY WITH ANY PARTICULAR RELIGION, PEW SAYS. WE COULD CONTINUE TO SEE FURTHER DECLINES IN RELIGIOUSNESS. BECCA ALPER IS A SENIOR RESEARCHER AT PEW AND ONE OF THE STUDY’S AUTHORS. THE OLDEST ADULTS ARE HIGHLY RELIGIOUS ON AVERAGE, AND WE KNOW TODAY’S OLDEST ADULTS WILL DECLINE AS A SHARE OF THE POPULATION AS THEY PASS AWAY. WE ALSO KNOW THAT TODAY’S YOUNGEST ADULTS COMING UP BEHIND THEM ARE FAR LESS RELIGIOUS. AND SO FOR THE RECENT STABILITY TO BECOME LASTING, SOMETHING WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO IDENTIFY WITH RELIGIONS OTHER THAN CHRISTIANITY, LIKE JUDAISM AND ISLAM, IS TRENDING HIGHER, THOUGH THEIR OVERALL TOTALS ARE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS. STILL AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, THE STORY BEHIND AN UNUSUAL SENATE TRADITION THAT STARTED 60 YEAND FINALLY, A SWEET TRADITION ON CAPITOL HILL. THE CANDY DESK. THE DESK SITS INSIDE THE SENATE’S CHAMBER ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE, NEAR THE BACK, BY THE BUSIEST ENTRANCE. WHICHEVER SENATOR IS ASSIGNED, THE DESK KEEPS IT STOCKED WITH SWEETS. HOW DID THIS CUSTOM BEGIN? IN 1965, CALIFORNIA SENATOR GEORGE MURPHY KEPT LOZENGES IN HIS DESK DRAWER. HE SHARED THEM WITH HIS COLLEAGUES, REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL AFFILIATION. WHEN HE LEFT IN 1971, OTHER SENATORS KEPT THE TRADITION GOING. TO DATE, MORE THAN 19 SENATORS HAVE SERVED AT THE CANDY DESK. THE LATE SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN KEPT BREATH MINTS AND COUGH DROPS AND HARD CANDY AT HIS DESK. BETWEEN 1987 AND 1989. IN INDIANA, SENATOR TODD YOUNG KEPT SOUR CANDY AND GUMMIES AT HIS DESK. FROM 2023 UNTIL HE MOVED THIS YEAR. HERE’S A PICTURE OF HIM ANNOUNCING HIS SEAT ASSIGNMENT BY PASSING OUT CANDY TO REPORTERS. OKLAHOMA SENATOR MARKWAYNE MULLIN NOW OCCUPIES THE DESK. HE STOCKS IT WITH SOUR PATCH KIDS AND NERDS AGREEING ON KEEPING THE CANDY STOCKED. MIGHT BE ALL THE BIPARTISANSHIP WE CAN HOPE FOR OUT OF CONGRESS AT THIS MOMENT. 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.