July 04, 2026

From Diamond Boom To Ghost Town | The Housing Market’s Missing First Step

21 minutes

From Diamond Boom To Ghost Town

For nearly a century, the diamond trade has carved up the coastlines of South Africa and Namibia, turning remote communities into mining towns and workers into the engine of a luxury industry most will never benefit from. We look at the human and environmental cost behind natural diamonds, from dangerous labor and low pay to what’s left behind after the industry leaves.

Guest: Matthew Gavin Frank, professor, nonfiction, creative writing, poetry, Northern Michigan University, author, Flight of the Diamond Smugglers: A Tale of Pigeons, Obsession, and Greed Along Coastal South Africa.

The Housing Market’s Missing First Step

For generations, the starter home was the first real step into the American dream. Now, with prices climbing, inventory shrinking and builders incentivized to go bigger, we look at how that first rung of homeownership has moved out of reach for many first-time buyers.

Guests: Dennis Shea, executive vice president, Bipartisan Policy Center; Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist, National Association of Realtors.

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By Marty Peterson, Gary Price, Evan Rook, Ebony McMorris | AURN

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