Morning, y’all! Rainy this morning before things clear out for the rest of the weekend — which you surely haven’t forgotten includes Mother’s Day. Here’s a whole bunch of tips for that, should you find yourself scrambling.
- New from overnight: Details are scant. But police are searching for whoever’s responsible for shooting and killing a man inside a MARTA train during Thursday’s afternoon rush hour.
Otherwise, today’s newsletter includes big-time barbecue news, a quarter-million-dollar strip club heist and a not-so-cold case out of Athens. The Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr. takes to the (practice) field for the first time, too.
But first: Marjorie Taylor Greene.
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‘AN EVEN SMALLER ISLAND’
Marjorie Taylor Greene has never not been a divisive figure. But the congresswoman from northwest Georgia might’ve crossed the line with this week’s acrimonious attempt to oust House speaker Mike Johnson.
Even her Republican colleagues are now roasting her publicly. A sampling from the AJC’s latest story:
- “You’re not the Republican Party. Don’t talk to the Republican Party.” — U.S. Rep. Carlos Jimenez of Florida.
- “They don’t want to govern. They just want to blow stuff up and go out and get clicks, cash and a national profile.” — U.S. Rep. John Rutherford of Florida.
- “She knew it was going to fail and still continued to play this game.” — U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick of Suwanee.
Johnson himself said he hoped Greene’s forced-and-failed vote would be “the end of the personality politics and the frivolous character assassination.”
Dangerous far-right talking points and baseless conspiracy theories (remember the Jewish space lasers?) define Greene’s tenure in Congress. That stuff rarely pleases more mainstream Republicans.
But AJC Washington correspondent Tia Mitchell found the public outcry following the speaker vote — which failed with support from just 11 GOP members — surprising.
- “They just felt it was really disingenuous,” Tia told me, “in that she was just doing it to humiliate them while also raising her platform. And they just said they had enough.”
Some folks floated the idea of stripping Greene’s committee assignments or punishing her some other way. But Tia doesn’t see that happening, at least anytime soon. Greene did “put herself on an even smaller island,” she said.
Otherwise?
The constituents in her deep red district don’t seem to much mind. And Donald Trump still loves her.
“She’s got spirit, she’s got fight, and I believe she’ll be around and on our side for a long time to come,” the former president wrote on social media.
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COLD CASE ARREST
Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
More than 23 years after UGA student Tara Baker was found dead inside her burning home, the GBI announced an arrest. They charged 48-year-old Athens resident Edrick Lamont Faust with murder and other offenses but released few details on a potential motive.
“While this is a day we have long prayed for, it is not a day without grief and unanswered questions,” a statement released by Baker’s family said.
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MORE TOP STORIES
» Florida authorities shot and killed Senior Airman Roger Fortson — a graduate of DeKalb County’s McNair High School — after entering the wrong apartment, attorneys for his family allege.
» Police say two men entered the popular Atlanta strip club Onyx through the roof, then used power tools to break into several safes and steal about $250,000 in cash.
» In a new letter to the postmaster general, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff demands an update on the Atlanta area’s mail woes within one week.
» The state Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit challenging Cobb County’s electoral map, increasing the likelihood that this year’s elections will take place with commission-drawn districts.
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PARTIAL IMMUNITY?
Even if the U.S. Supreme Court favors Donald Trump’s claims of presidential immunity, the pending ruling may not nuke Fulton County’s case, legal experts say. Even Trump’s lawyers concede that some of his alleged actions weren’t taken as part of his official duties.
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SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
» The Falcons start a three-day rookie minicamp today, which means we’ll get our first look at surprise first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. Follow @DOrlandoAJC for all the latest.
» The Braves spent their off day trading back-up infielder Luis Guillorme to the Angels, then acquiring back-up infielder Zack Short from the Red Sox. They start a road series with the Mets tonight at 7:10 p.m.
» The Dream held Indiana Fever phenom Caitlin Clark to 12 points in their final preseason game.
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RETURN OF THE KING
Credit: Mike Jordan/AJC
Credit: Mike Jordan/AJC
More than five years after his Riverside restaurant, B’s Cracklin’ BBQ, burned down, famed Atlanta pitmaster Bryan Furman is working toward a new brick-and-mortar eatery. In August, he plans to open the aptly named Bryan Furman BBQ on Marietta’s Windy Hill Road.
“I’m coming out swinging,” he told the AJC. “Don’t let the time fool you: I ain’t forgot who I was.”
More restaurant news:
- Little Five Points’ Porter Beer Bar reopens today following a two-year hiatus.
- Trinidadian restaurant Miss Conduck is now open in the former Noni’s space on Edgewood Avenue.
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RAP BEEF
Atlanta helped kick off the high-profile war of words between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar and continues to play a significant role. The AJC’s DeAsia Paige breaks it all down.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» WeWork expects to emerge from bankruptcy with 6 Atlanta locations
» HelloFresh to close Newnan facility, lay off 727 workers
» Georgia State mistakenly sends acceptance message to 1,500 students
» Disney+, Max and Hulu in one bundle?
» Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs tries Atlanta lawyer’s strategy to end legal woes
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ON THIS DATE
May 10, 1924
The clubhouse at Druid Hills Golf Club — “famous throughout the south as one of the most modernly constructed and handsomely appointed structures of its kind” — burned down. It was rebuilt and, 100 years later, the club still operates near Clifton Road and Ponce de Leon Avenue.
More importantly: If you look very closely, you can see a fire pup named “Sweetums” in one of the photos.
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
AJC photographer Natrice Miller captured Helas Cenescar, the father of late Georgia State Patrol Trooper Jimmy Cenescar, reacting to his son receiving an honorary diploma from Georgia Gwinnett College. Cenescar was set to graduate before dying in an on-duty crash in January.
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ONE MORE THING
Before we go, take some time for this story about a Marietta mom battling two rare disorders and the family that sustains her. Their mantra: “Keeping the hope alive.”
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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