Federal judge allows effort to disqualify Marjorie Greene from ballot to proceed
ATLANTA — A federal judge has denied U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's request to block a challenge of her eligibility to run for a second term in office.
That challenge, filed by five voters in Greene's 14th Congressional District, is slated for a hearing in a Georgia administrative court on Friday. Attorneys for the voters plan to argue that Greene's actions leading up to and on the day of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot make her ineligible to serve, citing a Civil War-era provision in the Constitution that bars members of Congress who supported an insurrection from returning to their seats.
Judge Amy Totenberg of the Northern District of Georgia wrote that the voters' challenge is serious and deserves a full vetting.
"This case raises novel and complex constitutional issues of public interest and import," she wrote.
Greene has said she had no role in the attack on the Capitol, and no evidence has been published to date by law enforcement or congressional committees linking her to it. Her spokesman did not immediately respond to an email and text message asking for reaction late Monday to the judge's decision.
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Childhood poverty in Florida far worse than federal data show, report says
TAMPA, Fla. — Far more children face financial hardship than federal data used to measure poverty shows, according to a recently published United Way study.
The disparity is particularly acute in Florida, with its reliance on service sector jobs, according to the study that attempts to better track families struggling to meet basic needs.
During a virtual panel discussion on Tuesday, organized by United Way Florida, experts from the behavioral health, housing and business sectors came together to discuss the findings of the report and noted the repercussions of poverty on health and well-being, as well as on the economy.
“You’re talking about trauma,” said Donna Wyche, who leads mental health and homelessness services in Orange County. “It’s the trauma of not having dinner, the trauma of going to school and not being prepared, the trauma of being bullied.”
Representatives from the Florida Coalition to End Homelessness and the Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation also joined the discussion.
—Tampa Bay Times
Johnny Depp takes the stand in trial against Amber Heard: ‘My goal is the truth’
Actor Johnny Depp testified Tuesday that his $50 million defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard is motivated by his desire to clear up “heinous and disturbing” allegations of abuse his ex-wife made against him six years ago and to prevent his friends and acquaintances from thinking he was a liar and a “fraud.”
“My goal is the truth,” he said in a Virginia court. “My goal is the truth.”
Wearing a suit and with his hair pulled back in a ponytail, Depp spoke of how his world turned on a dime in 2016 after Heard filed for divorce and then sought a restraining order against him, alleging physical abuse.
“It’s very strange when one day you’re Cinderella, so to speak, and then in 0.6 seconds you’re Quasimodo,” he said on the stand, speaking in halting tones. “I didn’t deserve that, nor did my children, nor did the people who have believed in me for all these years.”
Depp said that while his and Heard’s relationship had included “arguments and things of that nature ... never did I myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life.”
—Los Angeles Times
Trial of 14 defendants charged in 2015 Paris terror attacks begins in Brussels
BRUSSELS — The trial of 14 defendants charged with helping terrorists carry out the Paris terror attacks in November 2015 began in Brussels on Tuesday, Belga, the Belgian news agency reported.
One of the accused is suspected of harboring two of the Paris terrorists in his flat in Brussels, according to Belga.
A total of 20 people have been charged in the case in France, 14 of whom are now also on trial in Belgium.
During the Paris attacks, terrorists shot dead 130 people in the Bataclan concert hall and in the surrounding area, injuring 350 people.
In addition, three suicide bombers blew themselves up at the Stade de France during an international football match between Germany and France.
—dpa
