Inflation, high costs, and economic uncertainty have Georgians rethinking how far they plan to spend and stretch their dollar in 2026. For Feedback Friday for a special edition of “Closer Look,” program host Rose Scott opened the phone lines to hear from callers. They discussed their spending habits in 2025 and candidly shared their concerns for how they plan to navigate their spending in the new year. We also hear from WABE contributor Tom Smith, an associate professor in the practice of finance at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, and Roger Tutterow, a professor of economics at Kennesaw State University.

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Real Estate Developer Booker T. Washington is teaming up with Rapper Killer Mike to bring affordable housing to their hometown of Atlanta. There remains a wide gap between the number of Black and White homeowners in the U.S., and the pair are working to make homeownership more attainable for the Black community with their micro-home concept. So far, they’ve produced $60 million in real estate developments in the Atlanta area. Now, Washington joins “Closer Look with Rose Scott” to discuss their new $13 million project, give his insight on the housing market, and share his long term strategy for making housing more accessible and affordable.

We also revisit another unique affordable home project. Shipping containers travel all over the world and are constantly reused for transporting goods. Wanona Satcher, the CEO and founder of Mākhers Studio, sees even more potential in the durable, steel boxes. Back in February, Satcher gave the “Closer Look” team a tour of her East Point warehouse, and shared her vision for turning shipping containers into affordable housing.

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December 10th marks the 77th Anniversary of World Human Rights Day. CARE USA President and CEO Michelle Nunn says 91,000,000 lives have been saved internationally in the last 20 years as a result of U.S. humanitarian aid. She added that less than a fraction of a penny is invested from every U.S. tax dollar. Those are the numbers Nunn wants the public to be aware of as the Trump Administration makes deep cuts to foreign aid programs, despite over one-billion people living in extreme poverty around the world. She says CARE USA had to reduce their operating budget by $300 Million this year to make up for the financial shortfall. Nunn also mentioned they’ve had to pull back on some of their outreach to areas experiencing crises, like Haiti. Nunn joined “Closer Look with Rose Scott” today to explain the impact of these investments, why they also matter to U.S. economic and national security, the pivotal part Georgia plays in global development and international aid, and how organizations like CARE USA are finding new ways to support communities abroad. Show host Rose Scott also shares a segment of her 2013 journey to Jordan where CARE assisted Syrian refugees.

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Since 1994, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund has distributed nearly $93 billion to individuals, organizations, and businesses in under-resourced communities through credit unions. However, the fund has faced growing uncertainty under the Trump administration, including layoffs that were reversed after the government shutdown and stalled funding. Sydney Seral, the chief advocacy officer at the League of Credit Unions & Affiliates, talks with program host Rose Scott about the ongoing impact on Georgia and the risk credit unions and their communities could still face.

Plus, as Atlanta prepares for an influx of people for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Play Fair ATL is working to make sure the human rights of workers, immigrants, and the city’s unhoused population are protected. We hear from the coalition’s director, Michael Collins. He shares more about what Play Fair ATL is doing to make sure people will not be displaced by this mass event, that’s been described as multiple Super Bowls at once.

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Race relations and health equity are among the pressing social issues being discussed at Thriving Together Atlanta’s Equitable Dinners series. Since January 2020, more than 12,000 people from across the metro Atlanta area have gathered for challenging conversations over a hot meal, with a side of performance art. Program Manager Adria Kitchens joins “Closer Look” to talk more about the origin and impact of the Equitable Dinners series.

According to an Atlanta-area broker, the metro area has seen a negative net migration - meaning more people are moving out than moving in. That’s in addition to new data that says Atlanta is now among 39 metro areas that recently flipped from being an affordable place to buy a home to being a place where it’s now cheaper to rent. Scott Pratt, a real estate broker and owner of Pratt & Associates Realty, talks more about the housing market, the Trump administration’s proposed 50-year mortgage plan and explains why he still encourages people to become homeowners.

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Joshua Clark Davis is an associate professor of U.S. history at the University of Baltimore. He spent eight years researching, combing through police and civil rights activists' records, as well as news reports, to piece together acts of police violence and surveillance during the Civil Rights Movement. His research is now detailed in his new book, “Police Against the Movement: The Sabotage of the Civil Rights Struggle and the Activists Who Fought Back.” On Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look,”  Davis joined the program to talk more about his findings and what he wants readers to walk away with after reading it.

Plus, engineering students, in their junior year, at Kennesaw State University will take part in a two-year study that will align classroom learning with the needs of modern industry. The students will use the story circles methodology, which is commonly used in group settings and encourages techniques like active listening, two-way dialogues, and reflection. We hear from Kennesaw State University researcher Awatef Ergai and Shane Peterson, associate professor of German, who secured a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to launch the study.

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Outgoing Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman says Atlanta is better now than it was four years ago. Shipman, a longtime nonprofit leader, was a political newcomer when elected in November 2021. He campaigned on building a better Atlanta. On Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” he joined the program to reflect on his tenure as the leader of the city’s chief policy-making body, discussing everything from having bi-weekly meetings with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, to streamlining basic city services, to changes at MARTA, and boosting recruiting and retaining the city’s emergency response personnel. 

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Monday marks WORLD AIDS Day. However, for the first time since 1988, the federal government is not commemorating WORLD AIDS Day.  Since 2003, under the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) initiative, the federal government has invested more than $100 billion in responding to the #HIV/AIDS epidemic and set a collaborative goal of ending the epidemic by 2030. For a special edition of “Closer Look,” program host Rose Scott examines how funding cuts and international program suspensions under the Trump administration could be devastating to the decades of progress. Scott talks with Dr. Barbara Marston, an infectious diseases physician who retired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Michelle Montandon, a public health physician who previously worked for the CDC, most recently for PEPFAR.

Plus, later in the program, Scott revisits conversations with Tammy Kinney, the founder of Rural Women in Action and an HIV-AIDS activist, who was diagnosed with HIV in October 1987, and famed Atlanta-based photographer Billy Howard, who recounts stories from some of the dying AIDS patients he photographed in the 1980s.

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People across the country are preparing for friends and family to gather around the Thanksgiving dinner table. But data from the National Alliance on Mental Illness shows that the holidays are not always joyful — they can be triggering for some. Food and conversation often take center stage, and sometimes those discussions can become intense. So what should you do? For a special edition of “Closer Look”, program host Rose Scott took email questions from listeners about what to do if gatherings have the potential to lead to arguments. Scott was joined in-studio by Atlanta-based licensed therapist Vernique Esther. They discussed the dos and don’ts for holiday gatherings for both hosts and guests. Esther also offered guidance on setting boundaries and shared strategies for avoiding awkward or heated conversations.

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Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is resigning from Congress in January. Greene, who represents Georgia’s 14th congressional district, recently announced the news via social media. WABE politics reporter Rahul Bali joins “Closer Look” with the latest. He also shares details about how some Georgia lawmakers are reacting to the news, when a special election could be held to fill Greene’s seat and what this all means for Georgia’s 14th congressional district.

Plus, Serenbe is a 1,000-acre community, located in Chattahoochee Hills. The biophilic community, comprised of geothermal, solar and net zero homes, was founded by Steve Nygren and Marie Lupo Nygren in 1994. Steve talks with program host Rose Scott about his new book, “Start In Your Own Backyard, Transforming Where We Live with Radical Common Sense.” The book aims to provide a blueprint for building sustainable, walkable and nurturing communities through the principles of connecting people to nature for a healthier life and well-being. 

https://stevenygren.com/events

Lastly, we hear from some of the team behind the new “Atlanta is...” podcast. The 8-episode series from Will Packer Productions and Complex explores the city’s history and culture, spotlighting stories behind Atlanta’s music, film industry, religion, politics, and more. We hear from Atlanta-based writer and event host Maurice Garland and award-winning journalists Jewel Wicker and Christina Lee.

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