Texas Governor Abbott backs out of throwing 1st pitch due to MLB

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Hours before the Texas Rangers were set to have Texas Gov. Greg Abbott throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the first home opener at the new Globe Life Field stadium, the governor announced he would no longer participate in any Major League Baseball events, including Monday's game. 

The governor also said the state of Texas would not "not seek to host the All-Star game or any other MLB special events" and sent a letter to the Rangers explaining his decision

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Georgia's law places new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative oversight of elections. 

The 95-page bill includes things like:

Requiring an ID number, like a driver’s license, to apply for an absentee ballot

Cutting off absentee ballot applications 11 days before an election

Limiting the number of absentee ballot drop boxes

Allowing the state to take control of what it calls “underperforming” local election systems

Disallowing volunteers from giving away food and drink to voters waiting in lines

Opponents of the law say it will mostly impact urban counties with more Democrats and have referred to it as 'Jim Crow 2.0.'

Abbott himself is a proponent of such "election integrity" laws, with similar proposals being worked on in the Texas legislature that would limit how and when voters could cast their ballots, as well as other limitations around mail-in voting after the pandemic led to a surge in voters submitting their ballots in new ways to avoid in-person interaction.

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