The Trump administration says it is actively working to dissolve the U.S. Department of Education. If passed by Congress, the measure would shrink federal oversight and give more control to the states. “Closer Look” program host Rose Scott talks with Erika Mitchell, the former board chair of the Atlanta Board of Education. Mitchell discusses the current state of K-12 public education in the U.S. and shares the achievements and remaining challenges for urban school districts.

Plus, it’s day two of the 2026 Georgia legislative session. State Senator Sonya Halpern joins the program to discuss the latest happenings at the state capitol, bills she's backing and those she's not. She also discusses some of the other legislative priorities for Georgia’s Senate Democrats.

President Trump signed the "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" executive order last year, calling for the removal of “improper," "divisive or anti-American ideology" from federally funded establishments, such as the Smithsonian Institution. Tuesday is the deadline for the museum to provide documents about current and upcoming exhibitions and events, which could put its $1 billion budget at risk. Karen Comer Lowe, a curator, cultural strategist, and art advisor, shares her thoughts about how this effort undermines scholarly independence, artistic and curatorial freedom.

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The Atlanta Beltline, Inc. is spearheading an initiative to help support small businesses within the corridor’s overlay in preparation for the FIFA World Cup. We hear from Natalie Jones, the Atlanta Beltline project manager for the Business Solutions Office, Anthony Pope, the co-founder and design principal of Atelier 7 Architects, and Latrice Rochelle and Xavier John of PARLAY Savory Saloon. They discussed strategies for vendors and small businesses to reap revenue from the influx of visitors when the world’s largest sporting event comes to Georgia. Across the eight games Atlanta will host, an estimated range between $500 million to more than $1 billion is expected to be pumped into the Atlanta area’s economy. They also shared details about what other small business owners can do to ready their businesses for the surge in World Cup visitors, including applying for the Beltline Business Ventures accelerator program.

Plus, Marci Collier Overstreet is the 10th Atlanta City Council President. The longtime elected official campaigned on leading Atlanta forward. Now, one week into her four-year term, Overstreet returns to “Closer Look” to talk more about how her tenure as a city council member, representing District 11 in Southwest Atlanta, prepared her to take on the role of council president. President Overstreet also discussed her leadership style and plans to work collaboratively with fellow council members, ensuring that economic development projects include binding community benefits. Overstreet also explained why she had to recede her initial committee appointments.

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January 20th will mark President Donald Trump’s first full year back in office. So far, Trump’s second term has been marked by the dismantling of several federal agencies, spending cuts, layoffs and an aggressive crackdown carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Just days ago, under the direction of President Trump, the U.S. military carried out a series of air strikes in Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. For Feedback Friday on “Closer Look,” program host Rose Scott asked listeners to share their thoughts about the direction of the nation following Trump’s return to the White House. For the discussion, Scott was joined by WABE politics reporter Rahul Bali, Tammy Greer, a politics and policy clinical assistant professor at Georgia State University, and Cathy Woolard, a longtime Democratic leader, former Atlanta City Council president and former board chair of the Fulton County Elections.

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