First Monday
Jan. 5 — Mayor Andre Dickens, new Council President Marci Collier Overstreet, and members of the Atlanta City Council will be sworn in at today’s inauguration ceremony starting at 1 p.m. at the GSU Convocation Hall. A council meeting and public reception will follow at City Hall.
😶🌫️ Expect fog and temperatures around 60° today.
🏈 The Falcons ended the season by winning their final four games, including yesterday’s 19-17 win over the Saints. Hours later, the team announced that it was parting ways with coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot.
🗣️ Georgia politicians responded to Saturday’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro along mostly party lines, but Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (who resigns from office today) said this was not what President Donald Trump’s supporters voted for. (More updates on Venezuela in Global Updates below.)
🚧 Work on the GA 400 express lanes is expected to begin this morning, which will mean lane closures around Mansell Road and Roberts Drive.
✋ The Brookhaven City Council will swear in returning council members John Funny and Jennifer Owens, as well as elect a mayor pro tem, during a called meeting today at 4:30 p.m.
🔥 A fire heavily damaged the old Channel 46 headquarters building on Briarcliff Road on Sunday.
🏠 GPB reports that the City of Atlanta is about halfway to its goal of preserving or creating 20,000 affordable housing units.
ELSEWHERE
📺 Tony Dokoupil is the new anchor of the CBS Evening News, filling a chair previously held by Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, and Connie Chung.
🤖 The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) returns to Las Vegas this week, with robotics poised to dominate as tech companies introduce their latest AI-driven products.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• MARTA’s ‘new era’
• Flu rates increase
• Global Headlines
AND
• Look & Listen
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1. ‘New era’ for MARTA coming in 2026, officials say
🚇 MARTA will welcome a “new era” of transit in 2026, with a slate of major capital projects and service enhancements scheduled for completion and implementation.
According to officials with the transit agency, MARTA is aiming to have many projects completed ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in June and July.
The projects include new state-of-the-art rail cars (pictured), an overhaul of its fare payment system, the opening of the Summerhill BRT line between Downtown and the Atlanta Beltline Southside Trail, and a new schedule.
Ready, Set, AGLOW!
SPONSORED BY FERNBANK MUSEUM
🌟 When the sun sets, the woods come alive at WildWoods: AGLOW.
This after-hours experience combines art, nature, and music at Fernbank Museum, featuring scenic trails aglow with light outdoors and nighttime access to museum exhibits inside.
🌙 Select nights through Feb. 28, 2026.
2. Hospitals urge masking, vaccinations as flu spreads across Georgia
🩺 As flu rates increase in Georgia, forcing families to replace trips to visit grandparents with trips to the doctor, local health systems are asking people to mask up and warning patients of longer wait times in the emergency room.
Health systems say they are being hit hard – and they expect the number of cases to increase in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Georgia’s flu vaccination rates remain low, putting more people at risk of complications and even death.
➳ Read Rebecca Grapevine’s full report for Healthbeat Atlanta.
3. Maduro to appear in court today; Denmark in ‘crisis mode’
🇻🇪 With confusion over who will govern Venezuela, deposed leader Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by U.S. forces and flown to New York, will make his first court appearance on narco-terrorism charges today. Here’s the latest.
🇩🇰 Danish leaders are rejecting President Donald Trump’s renewed calls to take over Greenland, citing national security.
🇨🇭 Switzerland has begun five days of mourning to honor the dozens killed in a tragic bar fire in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana.
🇮🇷 Protests over Iran’s struggling economy have turned deadly, as demonstrations against the regime enter their second week.
🇳🇬 At least 30 people have been killed or kidnapped in Nigeria after armed gunmen stormed a busy market as part of a series of violent raids in nearby communities.
🇮🇹 Law enforcement officers in Italy arrested nearly a dozen people whom the government accuses of raising more than $8 million for Hamas.
🇲🇽 A 6.5-magnitude earthquake shook Mexico during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s start-of-the-year news conference.
🇫🇷 George and Amal Clooney, and with their two children, have officially become citizens of France.
🇪🇸 Residents of Ibi, Spain, marked the 200th anniversary of the Els Enfarinats festival by pelting each other with eggs and flour in a lively street battle.
🗓️ Individual tickets are now on sale for The World Cup in Atlanta: Unlocking Economic Opportunity in 2026 and Beyond on Jan. 27. Katie Kirkpatrick, CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, will share how Atlanta can seize this once-in-a-generation moment. Secure your seat today.
🏢 Discover modern elegance in the sky with this $3.45 million designer penthouse at The Borghese. This exceptional 4,000± square foot residence, listed with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, features three bedrooms, two terraces, a chef’s kitchen, and a luxurious primary suite offering unmatched comfort and style. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Pods for 2026
We’ve rounded up some suggested podcasts to add to your playlist for 2026 – from motivational and spicy to historical and political.
🎙️The“Surrendering to the Signs” podcast features everyday people who’ve faced extraordinary challenges – from divorce and cancer diagnoses to death-defying accidents – and found new purpose in their lives.
🎧“The Mel Robbins Podcast” features guests and advice on how to empower and change your life for the better. Robbins will bring a stage versionof her show to the Fox Theatre in April.
🎙️The “Blowback” podcast about American empire and U.S. interventions returns in 2026, including a mini-series in the spring about Israel and U.S. relations.
🎧 “You Must Remember This” is a storytelling podcast exploring the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century.
🤫 If you’re having “Heated Rivalry” withdrawal, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams are starring in“Ember & Ice”– an erotic audio drama about two feuding princes who fall in forbidden love.
🏢 Discover modern elegance in the sky with this $3.45 million designer penthouse at The Borghese. This exceptional 4,000± square foot residence, listed with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, features three bedrooms, two terraces, a chef’s kitchen, and a luxurious primary suite offering unmatched comfort and style. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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