Closer Look with Rose Scott

American farmers say they’re in the midst of a perfect storm of problems. Rising diesel prices, tariffs, low cattle herds, imported beef from foreign countries, and years of drought have the farm economy in a crisis. And over the past year, consumers have felt the pain from more expensive beef at grocery stores. But back in July, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins visited Carroll Coun...

On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott , our latest discussion on how artificial intelligence is incorporated into daily life. A 2026 study found 93.5% of pastors have used or experimented with AI.  Dr. Brady Beard, the Associate Librarian at Pitts Theology Library at Emory University, joins the program to discuss a new and free online course, “ Speaking of God in an Age of Artifi...

As our education system moves further into the age of artificial intelligence , a new book is urging America to remember past harms. On today’s edition of Closer Look with Rose Scott , we focus on AI, starting the conversation with Dr. Kamau Bobb , author of The Bullwhip's Algorithm: Artificial Intelligence and America's Racial Caste System . Dr. Bobb raises questions about the dependency of...

Title IX – it was signed into law by President Richard Nixon more than 50 years ago, but it still has a wide-ranging impact today . It states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." In 2026, Title...

On today’s “ Closer Look with Rose Scott ,” we begin with the following statement from WABE and Show Host Rose Scott: “As the Closer Look Executive Producer, I do not authorize or endorse the use of a clip from a 2021 documentary about then Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. The clip is being used in a campaign advertisement supporting Rick Jackson’s campaign for Gov...

On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott , we speak to a woman who has achieved many firsts and many titles in Atlanta area politics. She’s the first openly gay elected official in Georgia history, and the first woman to be President of the Atlanta City council. She was also chair of the Fulton County Election Board. Cathy Woolard joined the program to reflect on her decades of public se...

On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott , we focus on local and federal efforts to address human trafficking in Georgia and across the nation. We begin our conversation with a recent report by the Associated Press. It revealed that the Trump Administration wants caregivers of migrant children to " stop reporting human trafficking concerns directly to the Office of Trafficking in Persons -- wh...

Georgia is home to more than 429,000 Latinos of voting age. However, some in the community believe both Democrats and Republicans have done a poor job of outreach to Latino voters, leaving 40% still undecided within days of early voting for the midterm election. And just like their community, Latinos have diverse priorities this election season: the cost of living, healthcare coverage access, immi...

It's been six years since the opening of the Atlanta Department of Transportation , also known as ATLDOT. The department's staff is tasked with everything from street paving to building new sidewalks. And now they're asking for your input on what the department calls its Comprehensive Transportation Plan . Atlanta DOT Commissioner Solomon Caviness and Mobility Planning Director John Saxton talk ab...

Early voting in Georgia for the Midterm Election runs from Tuesday, Oct. 13, through Friday, Oct. 30. However, for the Atlanta-based Carter Center , election observation is already underway. On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott , we speak with Avery Davis-Roberts , Director of the Carter Center's Democracy Program. She describes the role, responsibilities, qualifications, and misconception...

On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott , we revisit a conversation with former elected lawmakers representing both sides of Georgia’s political aisle. We’re joined by former Mayor Shirley Franklin (D), former Senator Saxby Chambliss (R), former Congressman Drew Ferguson (R), and former Governor of Georgia Roy Barnes (D). They discuss how far we’ve come from when Democrats a...

The President of the National Education Association is responding to the White House's newly releasing rules related to the nation’s first federal school "voucher–style program". It's set to begin next year.  Part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and under the Educational Choice for Children Act. It's supposed to operate as a tax-credit program where parents/caregi...

It seems to be a lost cause at the moment, civility in politics. With 2026 being a major election year and the upcoming midterm elections approaching, the Democracy Defense Foundation (DFF) understands the importance of combating misinformation and intentional disrespect in political messaging. DFF is organization led by a bipartisan group of former elected officials and leaders across selected st...

With just over 30 days until the November midterm election, two candidates are vying to become Georgia’s next attorney general. It’s a matchup between Democratic State Representative Tanya Miller and Republican State Senator Brian Strickland. Whichever candidate wins will serve as the state's chief legal officer and lead the Georgia Department of Law in handling statewide legal matters...

With just over 30 days until the November midterm election, two candidates are vying to become Georgia’s next attorney general. It’s a matchup between Democratic State Representative Tanya Miller and Republican State Senator Brian Strickland.   Whichever candidate who wins the election will serve as the state's chief legal officer and lead the Georgia Department of Law in handling...

It was a discriminatory practice that was upheld by city ordinances.  Racial zoning was common in a lot of American cities that used legislation to purposely designated where Black and white residents could live, not only by neighborhood but even by block. Atlanta was one of the cities. A recent episode of RE(Defining History: Racial Zoning: Divided By Design, traces racial zoning origins in...

Studies have found “a devastating correlation between declining mental health of LGBTQ+ youth and the passage of these anti-LGBTQ+ laws.” On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott , we speak with Cheryl Greene , the Vice President of School and Youth Programming for the Human Rights Campaign . Their new survey of 900 educators not only shows their struggle to support LGBTQ+ students...

It was once a diagnosis widely believed to be an absolute death sentence, but much has changed since the earliest years of the AIDS epidemic. There have been tremendous advances in detection and treatment which have dramatically improved health outcomes for millions. Still, an estimated 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, and 13% of them don’t know it. That gap is tied to bar...

On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott , a new alliance formed by the Georgia Chamber is attempting to bring communities and industry leaders together on data centers. The intention of the Georgia Digital Infrastructure Alliance is to "help communities prepare for responsible digital infrastructure investment." As Georgia continues as a fast-growing market for data centers, we hear from Geor...

On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott , we discuss a new website that breaks down how the trade war is costing each state and each household. According to Tariffs.org , Georgia ranks fourth among the hardest hit states by the tariffs, at a cost of $20 Billion or $4,771 per household. Bryan Riley is the Director of the Free Trade Initiative for the National Taxpayers Union Foundation. He joi...

On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott , we speak to ProPublica Investigative Reporter Max Blau . His lawsuit forced state officials to release records on Georgia’s lethal injection process. Among Blau’s discoveries: Georgia has spent over a million dollars on a contractor since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and since that time, the contractor has carried out only one execu...

On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott , as Georgia leads most states in development and operation of data centers, a report from Greenlink Analytics and Science for Georgia is skeptical of their expected growth beyond 2030. It claims the industry is planning massive infrastructure expansions that has “about a 0.2% chance of actually materializing.” We discuss the potential futur...

Andra Hall went from selling a few cupcake orders while earning $9 an hour at a hotel to building Cami Cakes Cupcakes, a thriving bakery brand that eventually expanded to nine locations. After more than a decade of growth and success, her life took a sharp turn as she navigated a series of major challenges; the COVID‑19 pandemic, a divorce, and a diagnosis of triple‑negative breast cancer. In this...

On today’s “ Closer Look with Rose Scott ,” it’s our annual live broadcast from Dragon Con ! We mark 40 years of the epic pop culture event and 250 years of America by asking how creative storytelling. imagined characters and worlds have helped shape our world today. We’re joined for this fun, fascinating, and unpredictable conversation by:   TODAY’S GUESTS...

On a special edition of “ Closer Look ,” host Rose Scott sits down for a one-on-one conversation with Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms . Bottoms addresses questions about her tenure as Atlanta mayor, including key decisions made under her leadership. She also reflects on how her four years in office along with her work in the Biden administration are guid...