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I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT. TODAY, A REMARKABLE JOURNEY. EIGHT YEARS AGO, I INTERVIEWED MICHAEL BORNSTEIN. MOST PRISONERS DID NOT SURVIVE VERY LONG. BORNSTEIN WAS ONE OF THE FEW CHILDREN TO SURVIVE THE AUSCHWITZ CONCENTRATION CAMP. NOW, AT 84 YEARS OLD, HE RETURNS, THIS TIME WITH HIS FAMILY. I’D LIKE TO SAY IT WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN, BUT SOME WAY OR ANOTHER, IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. MICHAEL, LET OUR CAMERAS COME ALONG, HOPING THAT HIS STORY COULD HELP GUIDE US TO A BETTER FUTURE. PLUS, IT’S ABOUT ONE GARBAGE TRUCK. A SECOND. WE BUY A LOT OF CLOTHES, AND MUCH OF IT IS ENDING UP IN LANDFILLS. COULD MORE SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING ACTUALLY CATCH ON AND HELP REDUCE WASTE? BUT FIRST, KEEPING OUR KIDS SAFE IS A TOP PRIORITY. WE’RE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. WE SHOULD NOT BE HAVING ANY KIDS HARMED ON A SCHOOL CAMPUS. HE LED A PANEL THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO ADVISE THE GOVERNMENT ON HOW TO PREVENT SCHOOL SHOOTINGS. WHAT HAPPENS NOW THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS PUT THAT PANEL ON PAUSE? THOSE STORIES RIGHT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. NEARLY 400,000 CHILDREN HAVE EXPERIENCED GUN VIOLENCE AT SCHOOL SINCE THE 1999 MASS SHOOTING AT COLUMBINE. THAT’S ACCORDING TO ANALYSIS BY THE WASHINGTON POST. AND THAT INCLUDES STUDENTS AT THE MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL IN PARKLAND, FLORIDA, WHERE 17 PEOPLE WERE SHOT AND KILLED IN 2018. AFTER THAT, THE FEDERAL SCHOOL SAFETY CLEARINGHOUSE WAS ESTABLISHED TO HELP ADMINISTRATORS PREVENT FUTURE SHOOTINGS. THEN, AFTER 19 STUDENTS AND TWO TEACHERS WERE KILLED AT ROBB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN UVALDE, TEXAS, IN 2022, THAT CLEARINGHOUSE WAS CODIFIED INTO LAW AND AN EXTERNAL ADVISORY BOARD WAS MANDATED. THE ADVISORY BOARD WAS SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW TO IMPROVE K THROUGH 12 SAFETY. BUT ONE OF THE FIRST ACTS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WAS TO PUT THAT PANEL ON PAUSE. RONN NOZOE IS THE BOARD’S CHAIR. HE’S CEO OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS. MR. NOZOE, NICE TO HAVE YOU. THANKS FOR JOINING ME. THANK YOU. WHO WAS ON THE BOARD AND WHAT WAS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS BOARD? THE BOARD WAS COMPRISED OF 26 MEMBERS, ALL APPOINTED BY THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY. AND IT WAS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT REPRESENTED A WIDE RANGE OF VOICES AND EXPERIENCES. THAT INCLUDED, YOU KNOW, STUDENT AND PARENT VOICES ALL THE WAY THROUGH EDUCATORS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AND MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. AND IT WAS ALL IN AN ADVISORY CAPACITY TO REVIEW AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE THE ITEMS THAT ALREADY EXISTED IN THE SCHOOL SAFETY CLEARINGHOUSE TO RECOMMEND ADDITIONS OR INCLUSIONS TO SPECIFICALLY ADVISE THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ON SCHOOL SAFETY MATTERS. YOU ONLY HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET ONCE. HOW FAR DID YOU EVEN GET IN? WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST AND AT THIS MOMENT, YOUR LAST MEETING? YES. IT’S TRUE. WE HAD ONE MEETING. AND THAT MEETING WAS REALLY A VERY PRODUCTIVE, ACTUALLY. WE SET A TONE THAT THIS WASN’T ABOUT ANYBODY’S PERSONAL AGENDA. THIS WAS ABOUT SCHOOL SAFETY. AND WE GOT INTO THE WORKING GROUPS AND STARTED HAMMERING OUT A PLAN AS TO HOW WE WERE GOING TO ADDRESS THE DIFFERENT CHARGES THAT EACH OF THE WORKING GROUPS HAD. YOU RECEIVED A MEMO FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. SO WHAT WHAT DOES THE MEMO SAY EXACTLY? AND WHAT DID IT SAY ABOUT THE STATUS OF THIS PANEL? IT WASN’T DISBANDED. IT WAS THEY WANT TO REEVALUATE THE MEMBERSHIP. PRESIDENT TRUMP IN HIS FIRST TERM, WAS THE ONE WHO STOOD UP THE ORIGINAL CLEARINGHOUSE. THERE’S A NEW SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY. SO IN MY MIND, I’M THINKING THEY PROBABLY WANT TO RELOOK AT IT AND DECIDE WHETHER THEY WANT TO CHANGE THE MAKEUP AND OR DIRECTIONAL FOCUS OF THE OF THE BOARD. I THINK OFTEN WHEN PEOPLE THINK ABOUT SCHOOL SAFETY, A LOT OF PEOPLE I KNOW JUMP RIGHT TO, YOU KNOW, YOU PUT UP METAL DETECTORS IN THE FRONT OF THE SCHOOL, BUT ACTUALLY IT’S MUCH MORE COMPLICATED AND COMPLEX THAN THAT. YOU’RE 100% RIGHT. IT TAKES A LOT OF THINGS TO MAKE A SCHOOL SAFE. FOR EXAMPLE, WE CAN DO A WAY BETTER JOB OF MAKING SURE THAT KIDS FEEL REALLY CONNECTED TO THEIR SCHOOL AND HAVE A MEANINGFUL CONNECTION WITH AN ADULT, AND THAT SCHOOLS ARE WELCOMING PLACES WHERE KIDS FEEL LIKE THEY’RE SEEN AND HEARD, AND THEY HAVE A SENSE OF AGENCY. THE SECOND PRACTICE AND LEARN HOW TO DO EFFECTIVE THREAT ASSESSMENTS, PRACTICE THEIR SAFETY DRILLS. THIRD IS THE WHOLE INTERACTING WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES. LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EDUCATION APPROACHED THESE ISSUES VERY DIFFERENTLY. HOW DO YOU ENGAGE SO THAT YOU HAVE A SORT OF UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES? AND THEN THE FINAL ONE WOULD BE, WHAT KINDS OF THINGS WOULD WE ASK FOR IN POLICY THAT COULD BE HELPFUL TO ENSURE THAT SCHOOLS ARE SAFER? ARE YOU HOPEFUL, IN FACT, THAT WE ARE AT ANY POINT GOING TO BE ABLE TO STOP WHAT I BELIEVE IS AN EPIDEMIC OF SCHOOL SHOOTINGS? I AM 100% HOPEFUL THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP THIS. AND AND IF NOT ENTIRELY, TOTALLY STOP IT, BUT SUPER MINIMIZE IT. WE HAVE WORK IN EDUCATION AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AND MENTAL HEALTH AND SUPPORTS AND, YOU KNOW, POLICY WORK THROUGH THE COMMITTEE WAS STARTING TO WORK ON THESE ISSUES. LIKE, WHAT COULD WE CLARIFY AS LOW HANGING FRUIT THAT ALREADY EXISTS? AND THEN HOW COULD WE FILL IN THE GAPS THAT THAT ARE MISSING? RONN NOZOE IS THE CEO OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS. IT’S SO NICE TO CHAT WITH YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH ME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT ON MATTER OF FACT, FAST FASHION COMES WITH AN ENVIRONMENTAL COST. WE DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE WITH OUR DOLLARS, BUYING INTO A MORE SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING SOLUTION. PLUS, THE FBI WARNS ABOUT THE POTENTIAL COST OF LONGING FOR A CONNECTION. BUT FIRST WORLD LEADERS GATHERED IN POLAND TO MARK THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ. WE GO IN TOGETHER, WE LEAVE TOGETHER. WE MEET THE AMERICAN SURVIVOR RETURNING WITH HIS FAMILY. YOU’RE WATCHING, MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWSMAGAZINE. THIS YEAR, WE’RE MARKING 80 YEARS SINCE THE LIBERATION OF THE AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU CONCENTRATION CAMP. ON JANUARY 27TH, 1945. APPROXIMATELY 7000 JEWISH PRISONERS WERE RELEASED FROM NAZI IMPRISONMENT AT THE CAMP. ABOUT A MILLION -- HAD LOST THEIR LIVES THERE. AS EVERY YEAR PASSES, THE NUMBER OF SURVIVORS LEFT TO TELL THEIR STORIES IS DWINDLING. ONE SURVIVOR IS 84 YEAR OLD MICHAEL BORNSTEIN OF NEW JERSEY, NOW A FATHER OF FOUR. AND GRANDFATHER OF 12. HE WAS JUST FOUR YEARS OLD WHEN HE, HIS MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER WERE FREED FROM AUSCHWITZ. YOU CAN SEE HIM HERE IN ONE OF THE NOW FAMOUS IMAGES OF THE LIBERATION. THIS YEAR, FOR THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY, BORNSTEIN AND NEARLY TWO DOZEN OF HIS FAMILY MEMBERS MADE THE TRIP BACK TO THE CAMP IN POLAND. HERE’S THEIR STORY. ALL RIGHT, HOW ARE YOU? YOU LOOK LOVELY. IT’S 20 OF US, AND IT’S A WHOLE BIG, CRAZY FAMILY. HI. WE’RE HERE FOR THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ. EVERYBODY LOOK UP AND SAY HI TO TIKTOK. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. AND IT REALLY MEANS A LOT TO ME BECAUSE I HATE TO GO TO THAT PLACE. PRE HAGAFEN. AMEN. MORNING, EVERYBODY. WE ARE OBVIOUSLY DEPARTING IN A SECOND. MY NAME IS MICHAEL BORNSTEIN. I’M A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR. HELLO. THANKS YOU. THERE WERE OVER A MILLION JEWISH PEOPLE KILLED IN AUSCHWITZ. AND THAT INCLUDES MY OLDER BROTHER AND MY FATHER. ALL THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN PIONKI WERE BOARDED ONTO TRAINS, STUFFED INTO TRAINS. THEY COULD HARDLY BREATHE. ONE OF MY GRANDPARENTS ACTUALLY SUFFOCATED IN ONE OF THOSE CATTLE CART TRAINS. ON THE BUS, I HAD A SENSE OF DREAD FROM THE START. IT WAS SCARY TO SEE JUST A NORMAL TOWN RIGHT ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF WHERE THIS ATROCITY HAPPENED. YES, I’M VERY, VERY PLEASED THAT MY FAMILY HAS COME TO SUPPORT ME. I DON’T THINK ANYONE CAN EVER BE READY TO SEE THIS. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WE GO IN TOGETHER, WE LEAVE TOGETHER. GUYS, THE SIGN WORK WILL MAKE YOU FREE. WALKING THROUGH THAT, IT’S CRAZY TO THINK LIKE, WHAT WENT ON THERE. IT’S JUST AWFUL. SO MANY PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES, AND NOW WE’RE HERE. 80 YEARS LATER, STANDING IN THE SAME PLACE. I THINK IT’S A REALLY POWERFUL FEELING, ESPECIALLY TO BE HERE TODAY WITH MY PAPA AND EXPERIENCE IT WITH HIM. YOU CAN SEE MY TATTOO. IT READS. B11 48. FOR 70 YEARS I DIDN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. I WAS ASHAMED OF THIS TATTOO. CHILDREN’S BUNKE MUST HAVE BEEN AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE. MY MOTHER BROUGHT ME TO THE WOMEN’S BUNKE. AND I HAD ON THE STRAW ON THE DAYTIME WHEN THE WOMEN WENT TO WORK. I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE’RE ALL HERE NOT ONLY TO SUPPORT HIM, BUT ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT HE KNOWS THAT THERE’S GOING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE OUT HERE WHO’S GOING TO TELL HIS STORY. IT’S BEEN A HARD 30 MINUTES OR SO SO FAR. WE KNOW THAT MY DAD’S NOT GOING TO BE AROUND FOREVER. HOPEFULLY HE HAS A LOT MORE YEARS TO SHARE. BUT AT SOME POINT IT’S GOING TO COME DOWN TO ME AND MY SIBLINGS AND MY KIDS. AFTER THEY HAD BEEN IN THE GAS CHAMBERS, THEY BROUGHT THE BODIES TO BE BURNED. AND THEY SAID THE MOURNER’S KADDISH, WHICH IS BASICALLY FOR LIKE THE DECEASED, THAT WE REMEMBER THEM, THAT WE APPRECIATE, LIKE WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH FOR US. AND WE PLACED ROCKS THERE TO SHOW THAT, LIKE, THESE ROCKS STAND HERE FOREVER. AND THEIR MEMORIES WILL NEVER DIE. SO I’M GLAD YOU’RE HERE. I’M GLAD I COULD BE HERE. THERE’S A LOT OF ANTI-SEMITISM GOING ON NOW. AND LEARNING AS A FAMILY BACKGROUND OF AUSCHWITZ TO DISCUSS THE HATE, THE BIGOTRY. NOT JUST --, MUSLIMS, LGBT COMMUNITY. THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE WANT TO BE HERE. I’D LIKE TO SAY IT WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN, BUT YOU KNOW DARN WELL IT’S IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER, IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. THE MESSAGE BEING THAT IF YOU ALLOW HATE TO BE PREVALENT, THIS IS THE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE’S HATE, WHEN HATE WINS. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE KNOW THAT. BUT. WE’RE TRYING. THIS TIME WAS A CELEBRATION OF BEING HERE WITH HIS FAMILY THAT HE SURVIVED. I THINK HE FELT THE LOVE AND THE WARMTH. SO I’M GRATEFUL FOR THAT. OH, TEAK. PUTTING YOU AND FOR ME. I’M SO HAPPY TO BE OUT OF THERE. IT’S AN AWFUL PLACE, AND I’M HOPING I DON’T HAVE TO GO BACK. SO WALK IN WITH HIM AND WALK OUT WITH HIM AS A FAMILY. THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT HE’S BEEN THROUGH. IT REALLY JUST DID FEEL LIKE SUCH AN ACCOMPLISHMENT AND EVERYTHING THAT HE’S BEEN ABLE TO DO IN HIS LIFE, IN SPITE OF THE TERRIBLE THINGS THAT HE HAD TO START WITH, IS UNBELIEVABLE TO ME. AND TRULY INSPIRING. IN 2017. BORNSTEIN COAUTHORED A MEMOIR WITH HIS DAUGHTER TO SHARE HIS STORY. IT’S CALLED SURVIVOR’S CLUB. COMING UP, OUR SAVING MONEY AND REDUCING WASTE, BECOMING TRENDY. PLUS, LOOKING FOR LOVE COULD COST YOU. THE FBI’S WARNING ABOUT SOME ONLINE CONNECTIONS. WHETHER IT’S A QUICK TRIP TO YOUR FAVORITE STORE OR CLICKING A LINK ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEED, IT IS EASY TO SPEND MONEY. BUT WITH THE ONGOING TRADE WAR AND UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE ECONOMY, MORE AMERICANS ARE MAKING A PLEDGE. NO. BY 2025. CONSUMER CONFIDENCE DROPPED IN DECEMBER AND THEN AGAIN LAST MONTH. AND NOW THERE’S A SOCIAL MEDIA MOVEMENT ENCOURAGING NO OR LOW CONSUMPTION. PEOPLE ARE SCALING BACK ON FOOD DELIVERY ORDERS, ON HAIRCUTS, ON PURCHASES. OF BRAND NEW CLOTHES. BUT THERE IS A BENEFIT TO NOT BUYING NEW CLOTHES THAT GOES BEYOND SAVING MONEY. OUR CORRESPONDENT LAURA CHAVEZ TRAVELED TO WASHINGTON, D.C. TO TALK TO PEOPLE WHO ARE ENCOURAGING CONSIGNMENT. MEREDITH FINEMAN FOUND HER LIFE’S PASSION FOR THRIFTING WHEN SHE WAS 11. I ENJOY THE HUNT OF IT. THERE’S NOTHING I HAVEN’T BOUGHT. RESALE, AND I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE, YES. OBVIOUSLY I FOCUS ON THE FASHION PORTION, BUT THERE’S ALMOST NOTHING YOU CAN’T GET SECOND HAND. AS THE YEARS PASSED, MEREDITH’S CLOSET GREW AND SO DID HER AWARENESS OF THE IMPACT THE FASHION INDUSTRY HAS ON THE ENVIRONMENT WHEN IT COMES TO THE CLIMATE PORTION. AND WHAT I THINK ABOUT CONSIGNMENT IS THAT IT’S A TREMENDOUS TOOL. THIS GAVE MEREDITH AN IDEA. SHE WOULD CREATE A SPACE TO ELEVATE RESALE SHOPPING, AND SHE COULD HELP OTHERS LEARN TO CONSIGN, TOO. AND SO BEGAN SECONDHAND SOCIETY. HI, FRIEND. HOW’S THE CLOSET CLEANOUT GOING? IT HELPS PEOPLE LIKE CRYSTAL PATTERSON. I THINK OFTENTIMES PEOPLE GET OVERWHELMED BECAUSE THEY’RE LIKE, I’M JUST ONE PERSON. WHAT DIFFERENCE CAN IT MAKE? AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT I DO FEEL LIKE AS ONE PERSON, THIS IS ONE THING I CAN DO. FASHION INDUSTRY IS VERY, VERY RESOURCE INTENSIVE. JUST THE WAY IT MANUFACTURES PRODUCTS, HOW IT GIVES, YOU KNOW, DISSEMINATES AND SELLS PRODUCTS. GARIMA SHARMA IS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT THE KOGOD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY. SHE STUDIES FASHION’S IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. A 2017 REPORT ACTUALLY FOUND THAT OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS, THE SIZE OF THE INDUSTRY HAS DOUBLED, BUT OUR USE OF THE CLOTHING PER PIECE HAS DECREASED BY 40%. I THINK THERE’S JUST THIS SHIFT FROM SEEING CLOTHES AS SOMETHING THAT LASTS YOU TO SEEING IT AS PERISHABLE. GOOD. ALL THESE CLOTHES ARE REACHING LANDFILLS. THEY’RE GETTING INCINERATED. IN FACT, 87% OF OUR FIBER INPUT THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS AND END OF LIFE ACTUALLY REACHES THE LANDFILL, WHICH IS ABOUT TO GIVE YOU AN IMAGE. IT’S ABOUT ONE GARBAGE TRUCK A SECOND. SHARMA SAYS SOLUTIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY INCLUDE CONSIGNING, REPAIRING, REPURPOSING AND ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT REGULATIONS ON COMPANIES MAKING THESE GOODS. THAT INCLUDES PARAMETERS ON THE AMOUNT OF TOXINS USED DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS, OR A CARBON TAX. THIS IS A VERY COMPLEX PROBLEM. IT CAN NEVER BE A SILVER BULLET SOLUTION. I THINK IT HAS TO BE A VARIETY OF SOLUTIONS THAT WORK TOGETHER. MEREDITH SAYS SHE’LL WORK TOGETHER WITH HER CLIENTS. WHETHER CONSIGNING IS A HOBBY, A NEED FOR MONEY, OR A NEED FOR MORE AFFORDABLE CLOTHING. I DEEPLY BELIEVE THERE’S ENOUGH STUFF. THERE IS ENOUGH CLOTHING. THERE’S ENOUGH TEXTILES THAT ANYONE CAN HAVE ACCESS TO THESE GARMENTS. I’M LAURA CHAVEZ, FOR A MATTER OF FACT. IN WASHINGTON, D.C. JUST AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, WHY THE FBI SAYS SCAMMERS ARE TRYING TO BE YOUR PERFECT MATCH. PLUS, THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT BANNED THE USE OF PENNIES AT OVERSEAS MILITARY BASES IN 1980. WE EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF THE PENNY AS ITS FUTURE IS DEBATED. TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER AT. AMERICANS ARE LONELY, AND THAT’S LEAVING THEM VULNERABLE TO SCAMS. ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, THE SURGEON GENERAL AT THE TIME, DOCTOR VIVEK MURTHY, DECLARED A LONELINESS EPIDEMIC AFFECTING 1 IN 2 AMERICANS. HE WENT ON TO SAY LONELINESS COMES WITH SEVERE RISKS TO HEALTH AND LONGEVITY. AND NOW, IN THE WAKE OF VALENTINE’S DAY, THE FBI IS WARNING PEOPLE TO BE CAREFUL SPECIFICALLY ABOUT TURNING TO SOCIAL MEDIA AND DATING WEBSITES FOR CONNECTIONS. ACCORDING TO THE FBI, IN 2020, VICTIMS OF ROMANCE SCAMS LOST MORE THAN $600 MILLION COMBINED. JUST LAST MONTH, TWO NIGERIAN NATIONALS WERE FOUND GUILTY OF A ROMANCE SCAM. THE VICTIM SENT THEM MORE THAN HALF $1 MILLION BETWEEN 2016 AND 2017. BOTH MEN FACE UP TO 20 YEARS IN PRISON. THE FBI SAYS THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT YOURSELF OR LOVED ONES IS TO NEVER SEND MONEY TO ANYONE. YOU’VE ONLY COMMUNICATED WITH ONLINE OR BY PHONE. VICTIMS OF ROMANCE SCAMS ARE ENCOURAGED TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE FBI’S INTERNET CRIME COMPLAINT CENTER. STILL AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, A PENNY COSTS NEARLY $0.04 TO MAKE. AND PENNY TECHNICALLY ISN’T EVEN HIS NAME. THE STORY OF AMERICA’S LEAST VALUABLEFINALLY, THE PENNY HAS M LOT OF HEADLINES RECENTLY, AS PRESIDENT TRUMP SUGGESTS, THE US ENDS PRODUCTION. WHILE IT’S OUR LEAST VALUABLE COIN, IT DOES HAVE A RICH HISTORY. IN 1792, CONGRESS ESTABLISHED THE US MINT. THE COPPER $0.01 PIECE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST COINS IT PRODUCED. IT WAS LARGER THAN THE PENNY WE HAVE TODAY AND FEATURED A WOMAN WITH FLOWING HAIR TO SYMBOLIZE LIBERTY. IN 1857, THE COIN GOT SMALLER AND BECAME 88% COPPER AND 12% NICKEL. TODAY, THE PENNY IS PRIMARILY ZINC WITH SOME COPPER. IT WASN’T UNTIL 1909 THAT PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS PUT ON THE PENNY. HE WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO BE FEATURED ON A COIN, AND IT WAS IN HONOR OF HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY. SO THIS IS A BIT OF A TRIBUTE TO THE PENNY AND TO THIS PRESIDENTS DAY WEEKEND. AND OF COURSE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GEORGE WASHINGTON, TOO. WASHINGTON WAS ADDED TO THE QUARTER FOR HIS 200TH BIRTHDAY IN 1932. THAT’S IT FOR THIS EDITION OF MATTER OF FACT, I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN, AND I’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK. TO WATCH MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ANYTIME, HEAD TO MATTEROFFACTTV.