Soledad do you see that as part of your role, if youre a very visible and successful black chef . Announcer can he change the face of fine dining . Soledad im soledad obrien. Welcome to matter of fact. 2020 is just around the corner. But before you change your calendar, we wanted to look back at some of the important stories we covered this year, including a recordbreaking year in politics. When the 116th congress was sworn in, it became the most diverse in u. S. History. It includes the first native american women to be elected to the house of representatives. Deb haaland from new mexico and Sharice Davids from kansas promised to tackle the epidemic of violence against Indigenous Women. Native american women have a murder rate 10 times higher than nonnative women. We spotlighted the crisis earlier this year and found native women are disappearing without a trace, leaving their families without hope or justice. Ive been having a lot of friends that have gone missing and never found. Soledad for decades, Indigenous Women and girls have been disappearing, including larissa lone hill. That was one of the recent ones before she went missing. Soledad more than two years have passed since lisa lone hill last saw her daughter. I was so mad. Im just writing down my feelings. Can you imagine your own daughter being missing . Try to imagine how painful that is. I pray for strength to go on, but its so hard without my girl. Soledad its impossible to know how many native women have disappeared or how many have been murdered because some cases go unreported. Others arent properly documented. And there isnt a specific government database tracking the cases. [chanting; singing] i used to come out here and sit all the time. And there would always be an eagle. Soledad two hours away, on the rose bud reservation, elizabeth roubideauxs daughter, rychinda, went missing more than 20 years ago. She wanted to be in the army and fly. Soledad the 11yearolds body was found in the trees. From what i was told, she only had underwear on. It makes me mad to know that she was out here, i dont know how long. Soledad rychindas murder remains unsolved. One thing we really want is justice for her. You know of any place that might need a drone . Soledad when we first met matthew lone bear in january of 2018, he was orchestrating a search for his sister olivia. The 32yearold mother of five vanished from the fort Berthold Indian reservation in new town, north dakota. She was last seen driving a pickup truck. Lone bear says authorities were slow in launching their search after she was reported missing. You look at all these people that want to step in and they did not allow them to. Soledad he says it took months to have boats searched the nearby lake. By then, the seasons had changed. If they would have said yes to every agency that wanted to search the water and they worked with the family, we could have got that water searched six times already. But they dont want that. And now, were sitting here with a frozen lake and wondering. Look at all this effort we are throwing in to find this truck, and what if its sitting under the water the whole time . Tribal p. D. Will have to answer for that. Soledad nine months after she disappeared, volunteers using sonar found the truck with olivias body inside submerged in a lake less than a mile from her home. We want to make a protocol, that will help other families so they dont have to jump through all the hoops like we had to do. And get rid of some of the excuses that Law Enforcement agencies and other agencies have. We are trying to eliminate those so at least if someone goes missing on a reservation, it happens right away. Law enforcement agencies are working cohesive together, that state resources are available to come into the reservation right away, not nine months down the road. Right away. Soledad back on the pine ridge indian reservation in south dakota, lisa lone hill is still waiting for her daughter, larissa, to come home. And so is larissas threeyearold daughter. When she sees her moms picture, she says, mommy, i miss you so much. Is she going to be gone forever . The detectives say she is not with us no more. Maybe they gave up on her, but i didnt. And i refuse to believe she is dead. She will never be forgotten, and i wont give up hope you come wont give up hope. Soledad since our story aired, the Justice Department unveiled a nationwide plan to address the crisis. The missing and murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative is investing 1. 5 million to hire special coordinators to assist u. S. Attorneys in working in indian country. They hope the initiative will help Law Enforcement agencies better respond to missing persons cases. Announcer next on matter of fact. She left for love. I know that this experience is not going to be the sunshine and beach. Announcer will she stay with her deported husband or return home to america . An update on one of our top stories of 2019. Plus, can iowa really make or break white house hopes . And on deadline. Soledad we say goodbye to ouraw shorten your cold by almost half with coldeeze® lozenges. Coldeeze® can shorten your cold by 42 . It releases zinc ions that some scientists believe inhibit cold viruses from replicating. Try coldeeze® lozenges. Is skincare from around the wobetter than olay . Olay regenerist faced 131 premium products, from 12 countries, over 10 years. Olays hydration was unbeaten every time. Olay, face anything. Why do wrinkles happen at the worst times . Showing up here. Here and even here . With new bounce rapid touch up spray, you can fight wrinkles anywhere. Spray smooth and youre fresh and ready to go wherever you are. New bounce rapid touch up spray. Bounce out wrinkles anywhere. Soledad this year, we committed to reporting on immigration issues impacting america. From the humanitarian crisis at the u. S. Mexico border, to undocumented asian immigrants finding their political voice, our reporting has taken us all the way to west africa. We followed katrina jabbi, a young mother from wisconsin, as she moved to the gambia to reunite her children with their deported father. Heres correspondent Leone Lakhani with their story. This is something ive been preparing for the past six or seven months. Leone as the waves lap against the shores of the gambia in western africa, for 32yearold katrina jabbi, its been a long journey to get here. Just watching my girls on the beach. Its beautiful. I would lay in bed and envision this moment at my darkest days. Leone a year ago, her husband was suddenly deported from the united states. And katrina began a quest to reunite her daughters, aisha and nahlia, and son, noble, with their dad. Even if it meant leaving behind her own mother and father back home. Just 24 hours before, she was in wisconsin saying goodbye to her mother, judee. So we wanted to come down here and take a walk along the river. I grew up coming here and walking and fishing actually along this river, so its one of my moms fondest memories. We thought wed come here with the kids one last time, before we end up in africa. Leone before they leave, grandma wants to give the children some heartfelt mementos. Can we say goodbye to grandma . Give her some big hugs . I feel like this guilt, like all the way around for everybody. Im just trying to make everybody happy. I feel like i want the kids to be happy. I want to make sure like my mom is happy, my husband is happy. Leone her husband, buba, was deported to his native country of the gambia last march. Hed been in the u. S. For more than 20 years. Hed overstayed his original visa but spent the last decade trying to legalize his status, reporting to immigration officers every year. The next morning, katrinas dad, dave, helps her wrap it all up. He and his wife are sad to see her go but hope katrinas plight can help to change government policies. Breaking up families, its wrong. Its just simply wrong. There was discussion of the fact that buba wasnt a legal citizen of the united states. And we knew all this. But i just never thought that he would ever get deported because he was going to immigration twice a year like he was supposed to. He was following his responsibilities. Leone determined to keep her family together, katrina sold her most of her belongings, including her house, in order to reunite with buba in the gambia. The family endures two long flights over a daylong journey to get to their new home. Welcome to the gambia, where the local time here is just approaching 7 20 in the evening. Leone its been a year since the girls have seen their father. And their little brother has never met his dad. But after months of agonizing waiting, the moment has finally come. Africas been waiting on you. Ive been anticipating this moment for over a year and not only anticipating and planning it, planning everything about us and envisioning it. And its just, its emotional. Its overwhelming. So im really excited and happy. And im glad its over with. Thank you. It has been a lot of work. Youre brave. I love you. My superwoman. Our supermom. Leone the next morning is the start of a new life for the family in gambia. Its friday, a day of prayer in this muslim country. So this is day one for katrina and the kids in gambia. And were actually in sene, gambia, just outside the capital. This is a neighborhood thats considered welltodo, middleclass, but its a very different environment from what katrina and the kids are used to. Hello. Hi. Katrinas awake. So are the girls. Do you want to go see the chickens outside . Yeah. Leone katrinas already getting her house in order. I have to familiarize myself with what weve got going on here. But its just the basics really. I actually shipped some cereals and stuff a while back. So my husband set these up. And we actually need to go shopping today. We need to go the market and find some things for the kids like milk and more water and maybe some items to make a dinner theyre familiar with like spaghetti or maybe we could find some mac and cheese. Leone and shopping couldnt be more different from wisconsin. I was looking for some smoked fish. Leone katrina says life her may be simple, but family values are strong, and thats what she wants to instill in her children. But as the day starts to wind down, and despite her excitement, reality is beginning to set in. Just being in the gambia now with my husband and for him to be with the children, its a relief. We have a lot to adapt to. And i know that. And i know that this experience is not going to be the sunshine, and beach, and palm trees. There is more to it. And that well have to get used to. But as of today and as of right now, im just enjoying every single moment. Leone for matter of fact in the gambia, this is Leone Lakhani. Soledad katrina tells us that there have been many challenges adapting to such a different culture and lifestyle, but that overall, she and her kids are doing well. Announcer when we come back, should the road to the white house take a detour around iowa . Plus. When i had to fend for myself and provide for myself, i reverted back to cooking. Announcer the young chef cooking up change in kitchens across america. Soledad for chef kwameonwauchi, 2019 has been a very good year. When i sat down with him earlier this year, he had just published his memoir, notes from a young black chef. Since then, he went on to win the James Beard Award for rising star chef of the year. He was recently included in time magazines next 100 a list of rising influencers. And now, his memoir will be turned into a movie. During our conversation, kwame shared his own unique recipe for success. Soledad kwame, its so nice to have you. It is a pleasure to be here. Soledad thank you. I appreciate that. So, lets start at the very beginning. You talked about your childhood, which was a rough childhood and not one that you might think reading about it would be like, oh, yes, by his mid20s hed be a wildly successful chef. walk us through kind of where you grew up. Kwame well, i grew up in the bronx. My mother operated a Catering Company from our onebedroom apartment and my sister and i became like her first two employees. So instead of doing laundry or taking out the trash, i was peeling shrimp and fabricating vegetables for the small little brigade that we had in our in our kitchen. Soledad and you had some troubles. I mean, at one point, your mom sends you off, when youre about 10, to nigeria. Kwame yeah, yeah. You know, growing up in the bronx, i stayed in new york city. In general, its easy to veer off on the wrong path. Your left to your laurels a lot and she wanted to nip that in the bud. You know she dont want to see me in a body bag or in jail. And it was between military school and nigeria. And nigeria was substantially cheaper, so she sent me there. Soledad you had experiences dealing drugs in a gang. And these are all things that you talk about. Where did cooking come in to that . Kwame for me, i think food has always been a Common Thread throughout my life. You know, my mother being a chef. Living in nigeria, we had to cultivate our own food. We had to raise our own livestock. You know, we had to go and harvest different things. And that intrigued me as a kid, and it trickled into my adulthood. And when i had to fend for myself and provde for myself, i reverted back to cooking. Soledad there have been black people in kitchens forever. I imagine if you walk into any restaurant, there will be a lot of black and brown people working. But not a lot of chefs. Why not . Kwame well, i think its the same reason why theres not a lot of black quarterbacks, you know. And if you go back 40, 50 years ago, they said we didnt have the mental capacity to quarterback a team. And were proving them wrong. We need to continue to prove them wrong. I think really it comes from the top down. It comes from editorial staffs having more diverse writers so they are more inclined to go out and seek out these young black chefs or black chefs in general. You know, it takes investors to put their cards in black chefs hands and let them have their shot. Soledad do you see that as part of your role, if youre a very visible and successful black chef . Kwame absolutely. Soledad you can move the needle for other black chefs. Kwame you know, i think in general, we have a platform we have. We can continue to put out great food which is, you know, part of our job. But we also have another job to do, and thats to advocate for something. And thats what im here advocating for. Soledad the book is called notes from a young black chef its excellent. A memoir at 27. 29 now. Kwame onwauchi, nice to have you. Kwame thank you for having me. Soledad my pleasure. Announcer coming up next. Buckle up. Caucuses, primaries, and super tuesday. Theyre back. Are you ready for the race to the white house to hit overdrive . Soledad now to a weekly feature we like to call, were paying attention even if youre too busy. 2020 is almost here, and that means the race for the white house is about to go into overdrive. There are some important dates to keep in mind, starting with february 3. Thats when the countrys first major contest of the president ial primary season kicks off with the iowa caucuses. Winning iowa is considered a big prize for both political parties. But its important to remember that the candidate who wins in iowa doesnt always go on to be the nominee. For example, in 2016, ted cruz beat donald trump. New hampshire, nevada, and South Carolina will also hold their primaries in february. The next big date on the primary calendar is march 3 or super tuesday when the largest number of states and territories 15 hold a primary or caucus. And to make your vote count, be sure to check with your secretary of States Office about the deadline to register. Its different for each state. A lot of swing states like ohio, pennsylvania, and arizona have february deadlines. But if youre in vermont, you have more time. In 2017, it became the only state in the country that allows registration in person, online, and by mail, up to and including election day. And election day is tuesday, november 3. Announcer when we return. While the building may close, the mission of the museum still stands. The newseum highlighted the importance of a free press in a democracy. We switched to tide purclean, because its made with plants. We switched to tide purclean, it gets stains out of his pants. Tide purclean, they dont put phosphates in. No dyes or chlorine its gentle on my skin. Tide purclean, it has nothing to hide. Its made with plants and has the cleaning strength of tide. The first plantbased detergent with the cleaning power of tide. Ition and we broke through. Olays retinol24 complex hydrates better than the 1 retinol. Visibly smoother brighter skin in just 24 hours. New olay retinol24. Soledad finally this week, we say goodbye to our home here at the newseum. The newseum opened its new location here on pennsylvania avenue more than 11 years ago. Since then, more than 10 Million People have visited. The newseum highlighted the importance of a free press in a democracy. In fact, the First Amendment is etched right on the front of the building. Like the newseum, at matter of fact, we understand the critical job of the fourth estate, the news media, is to serve and inform the public. So even though the newseum is closing its doors, we will be back next week to bring you more conversations as diverse as america. Have a safe and happy new year from all of us at matter of fact. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] robert handa hello, welcome to a holiday Asian Pacific america show. Im robert handa, your host for our show here on nbc bay area and cozi tv. Today we feature a music legend, june kuramoto, who along with husband dan kuramoto, formed the iconic band hiroshima. June, our first musical guest when we launched our show five years ago, plays the traditional instrument, the koto, but in a very contemporary style. Shes branching off with solo efforts and we caught up with her at the Hakone Foundation gala at Hakone Gardens in saratoga where, along with band mate, kimo cornwell, she showed off her everexpanding skills. We talked to her about it, about hiroshima, and about music. Robert you knew, of course, there wasnt that many japanese