The White House News

A New York judge has lifted the gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump in his civil fraud trial stemming from state Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against him and the Trump Organization.

Citing concerns over free speech, appeals court Judge David Friedman issued a stay on the order Thursday, which was put in place by Judge Arthur Engoran in October.

Engoron, who is overseeing Trump’s trial, imposed the partial gag order to block all parties from making derogatory statements about his court staff. He fined Trump $5,000 for violating the order on social media on Oct. 20, and did so again on Oct. 25 for another $10,000 before threatening imprisonment if further violations were committed.

JUDGE IN TRUMP’S GEORGIA ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE ORDERS ‘SENSITIVE’ EVIDENCE WITHHELD FROM PUBLIC

At Thursday’s emergency hearing, Friedman questioned Engoron’s authority to limit Trump’s speech outside the courtroom, and argued gag orders were used more in criminal trials where there is a fear of swaying a jury. The ruling also applies to Trump’s lawyers, who say they have no plans to inhibit the former president’s First Amendment rights.

Trump celebrated the ruling in a post on Truth Social, in which he railed against Engoran.

“Judge Arthur Engoron has just been overturned (stayed!) by the New York State Appellate Division (Appeals Court), for the 4th TIME (on the same case!). His Ridiculous and Unconstitutional Gag Order, not allowing me to defend myself against him and his politically biased and out of control, Trump Hating Clerk, who is sinking him and his Court to new levels of LOW, is a disgrace,” he wrote.

GEORGIA REPUBLICANS DUNK ON VOTING LAW CRITICS AFTER MLB ALL-STAR GAME RETURNS TO ATLANTA

“They are defending the Worst and Least Respected Attorney General in the United States, Letitia James, who is a Worldwide disgrace, as is her illegal Witch Hunt against me. The Radical and Unprecedented actions of Judge Engoron will keep BUSINESSES and JOBS forever out of New York State,” he said.

Trump reiterated that he did “nothing wrong,” and again accused James of having run on a “Get Trump” platform during her campaign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The Hudson County Democratic Organization, a left-wing campaign group for New Jersey politicians that Sen. Bob Menendez once chaired, endorsed state governor first lady Tammy Murphy on Wednesday.

“From her strong record of advocating for progressive policy initiatives like protecting women and children’s health, to her incredible success raising millions of dollars for families in desperate need during the pandemic, to her business background and her long political record as a renowned Democratic fundraiser, it’s clear that Tammy Murphy is a uniquely qualified candidate for the U.S. Senate,” said Anthony Vainieri, the organization’s chairperson, in a statement.

“The Hudson County Democratic Organization is honored to give Tammy Murphy our full, unequivocal support,” he wrote. “We look forward to working closely with Tammy and her team to reintroduce her to Hudson County voters and help her become the first woman to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate.”

Murphy announced earlier Wednesday that she is running for the Senate seat currently occupied by Menendez.

SEN BOB MENENDEZ ACCUSED OF ACTING AS FOREIGN AGENT IN SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT

The county’s endorsement is a blow to the disgraced senator who is facing federal bribery charges. He has also been an officeholder in the Democrat organization for the last 40 years.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy previously called for Menendez’s resignation. 

“The Hudson County Democratic Organization’s decision today to endorse Tammy Murphy only proves why Phil Murphy rushed to call for my resignation,” Menendez said in a statement, the New Jersey Globe first reported. “It was a politically motivated power move in an effort to hand his wife a Senate seat. To those who’ve caved into the political pressure, the people of New Jersey deserve better than an out of touch, life-long Republican (sic) millionaire who will never understand their lived experiences or fight for their communities if she is elected.”

Menendez is facing federal charges of acting as a foreign agent and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to benefit the Egyptian government through his “power and influence as a Senator,” according to the superseding indictment filed by a grand jury in Manhattan last month.

Menendez previously beat separate indictment charges in 2017.

MSNBC’S ALICIA MENENDEZ ADDRESSES FATHER’S INDICTMENT: COLLEAGUES HAVE ‘AGGRESSIVELY’ COVERED

Menendez, along with his wife, Nadine, and three other New Jersey businessmen – Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes – were first charged in the federal bribery scheme on Sept. 23.

“Among other actions, MENENDEZ provided sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt,” the indictment states.

DEMOCRAT SEN MENENDEZ’S WIFE HIT, KILLED PEDESTRIAN WHILE DRIVING IN 2018: REPORTS

“It was a part and an object of the conspiracy that ROBERT MENENDEZ, the defendant, and others known and unknown, being a public official, directly and indirectly, would and did corruptly demand, seek, receive, accept, and agree to receive and accept something of value personally and for another person and entity, in return for being influenced in the performance of an official act and for being induced to do an act and omit to do an act in violation of his official duty,” the indictment reads.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Menendez for comment.

Several leading Pennsylvania universities that receive millions of dollars in state aid must publicly disclose more records about their finances, employment and operations, under legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Shapiro, a Democrat, signed the bill a day after it passed the Senate unanimously.

For years, lawmakers have sought to expand public disclosure requirements over Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities: the University of Pittsburgh and Temple, Lincoln and Penn State universities.

PA SENATE AUTHORIZES UNIVERSITY FUNDING AMID ONGOING FISCAL YEAR DISPUTE

The schools supported the bill that passed.

Under it, the universities will be required to publish various pieces of information about their finances, employment and operations. Some of it they already voluntarily produce, such as open meeting minutes from their boards of trustees, enrollment and staff employment figures.

In addition, the universities will be required to list the salaries of all officers and directors, as well as up to the 200 highest-paid employees, plus faculty salary ranges. They will have to report detailed financial information for each academic and administrative support unit and any enterprise that is funded by tuition or taxpayer money, plus detailed information about classification of employees and course credits.

The schools also will have to publish information about each contract exceeding $5,000 online and submit it to the governor’s office and Legislature.

PA HOUSE ADVANCES BILL TO PROTECT ABORTION ACCESS FOR OUT-OF-STATE RESIDENTS

The four universities, referred to as “state-related universities,” are not state-owned, but receive hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars that support in-state tuition and operations.

The bill passed on the same day lawmakers resolved a partisan fight over the hundreds of millions of dollars in annual aid the state sends to the four schools.

Lincoln University received a $3 million increase after it kept tuition flat for the 2023-24 school year. The other three schools increased tuition, stiffening Republican opposition to giving them an increase. Shapiro signed the $603 million in aid into law Thursday.

The universities are otherwise exempt from Pennsylvania’s open records law that covers state agencies, including the state-owned universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration and political opponent Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos are in the rare position of taking the same side in a lawsuit seeking to end Wisconsin’s taxpayer-funded voucher school system, telling the Wisconsin Supreme Court that it should not take the case.

Vos and Department of Administration Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld, who was appointed by Evers, told the court in separate filings this week that the case should start at the circuit court level. The third defendant, Department of Public Instruction Secretary Jill Underly, took no position. Underly, who was elected on a nonpartisan ballot, was backed by Democrats.

Democratic opponents of the voucher program took a different position from Evers and asked the state Supreme Court to take the case directly. If it does, it would issue a ruling within weeks or months. It would likely take two or three years for the case to work through the lower courts.

WISCONSIN GOVERNOR LIFTS LOCKDOWNS IN PRISONS AFTER INMATE LAWSUIT

Brian Potts, attorney for those challenging the voucher programs, said “it’s incredibly disappointing” that Evers has aligned himself with Vos.

“We hope the Supreme Court sees through the difficult politics associated with this issue and decides to stand up to the Republican Legislature and protect Wisconsin’s public school children,” Potts said Thursday.

Evers’ spokesperson Britt Cudaback did not return a message seeking comment.

Evers, who previously served as state superintendent of education, has been a longtime critic of the voucher program. But this summer, he agreed to increase spending on the program as part of a larger education funding package tied to a deal sending more money to Milwaukee and local governments.

The arguments from Vos and the Evers administration line up with other supporters of the voucher school programs, including Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty which is representing private schools, parents of students who attend them and other advocates of the program.

They argue that the case should start in circuit court, so the lower courts can determine an array of facts before the Wisconsin Supreme Court has to weigh in.

Underly, in a one-page filing, said she was taking no position because her “primary concern is oversight and supervision of public instruction.” But, she said, if the court takes the case, Underly “may take a position on the accuracy of any factual assertions made by any party.”

When the lawsuit was filed last month, Underly seemed in alignment with those challenging the voucher school system by saying that she welcomed any opportunity to “effectively, equitably, and robustly fund our public education system.”

Democrats have argued for decades that the voucher school program is a drain on resources that would otherwise go to public schools.

The lawsuit argues that the state’s revenue limit and funding mechanism for voucher school programs and charter schools violate the Wisconsin Constitution’s declaration that public funds be spent for public purposes. It also contends that vouchers defund public schools, do not allow for adequate public oversight and do not hold private schools to the same standards as public schools.

WISCONSIN SENATE PASSES 8-FIGURE PFAS GRANT BILL

The nation’s first school choice program began in Milwaukee in 1990. Then seen as an experiment to help low-income students in the state’s largest city, the program has expanded statewide and its income restrictions have been loosened. This year, nearly 55,000 students were enrolled.

Evers appointee Blumenfeld argued that ending the voucher program immediately, as the lawsuit requests, “could lead to chaotic and unanticipated outcomes.” Trying to absorb those students in the public school system “could lead to staffing, funding, and classroom shortages,” Blumenfeld said.

The lawsuit was filed two months after the state Supreme Court flipped to 4-3 liberal controlled.

The lawsuit was brought by several Wisconsin residents and is being funded by the liberal Minocqua Brewing Super PAC. Kirk Bangstad, who owns the Minocqua Brewing Co., is a former Democratic candidate for U.S. House and state Assembly.

EXCLUSIVE: The Republican National Committee (RNC) is threatening to take Arizona’s top election official “to court and win” if his office certifies the Patriot Party.

Arizona’s Patriot Party, which bills itself as a constitutional conservative party, submitted faulty signatures for its state application, the RNC alleges.

RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told Fox News Digital if Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, certifies the party, it would be “a drastic failure to uphold the standards of his office.”

KARI LAKE GETS ANOTHER BIG BOOST WHILE GOP INCREASINGLY SEES HER AS STANDARD-BEARER FOR MAJOR SENATE SEAT FLIP

“Upon review of the filing, it’s become clear that this party doesn’t even have the necessary signatures to make it onto the ballot. If Fontes chooses to certify their petition in the face of these glaring issues, the RNC, NRCC and AZGOP will take him to court and win,” McDaniel said.

The RNC claims the Patriot Party submitted approximately up to 8,000 signatures from non-registered voters, 10,000 signatures from more than two years ago and 900 duplicate signatures in its filing.

The Patriot Party must gather at least 34,127 valid signatures from qualified electors to appear on the ballot. 

Should Fontes certify the Patriot Party’s signatures to become a party on Arizona’s ballot and it puts up a candidate, it could split the GOP vote in the 2024 elections after GOP losses in Arizona in 2020 and 2022.

“Fontes didn’t notify anyone, blocked observers and essentially rolled out a secret red carpet in what looks like a drastic failure to uphold the standards of his office,” said McDaniel. 

‘NO LABELS’ LEADER SAYS GROUP LAUNCHING 2024 CANDIDATE COMMITTEE: MANCHIN DESERVES ‘SERIOUS CONSIDERATION’

The secretary of state’s office declined to comment on the Patriot Party’s application process.

Patriot Party President John Fillmore told Fox News Digital the group has launched a campaign to recruit candidates in Arizona.

“We are actively recruiting candidates. I have several people who are nameless … who said that if we become a party, they will join us,” said Fillmore.

“We will always probably caucus with the Republicans, but we will not be hamstrung by the Republican Party rules.”

“If I get enough signatures for us to become another party, well then, hey, there’s a problem in their house,” said Fillmore. 

Fillmore asserted he does not think the addition of the party will split GOP votes, saying this party “will not be looking to put candidates in a race where we have a strong conservative Republican.”

In 2022, Democrat Katie Hobbs beat Republican Kari Lake by a margin of less than 1%. Trump-backed venture capitalist Blake Masters also lost his senate bid to Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly by a large margin. 

Both Democrats and Republicans have opposed third parties that threaten to split the ballot in key swing states. President Biden and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have launched attacks against the No Labels Party, which seeks to qualify for ballots in all 50 states and is flirting with the prospect of offering an alternative presidential candidate in 2024. 

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, will decide whether the Patriot Party’s signatures are valid by Friday.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Convicted criminals in New York will now have their records sealed after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law the “Clean State Act” on Thursday.

The controversial proposal would seal old criminal records as long as the perpetrators remain out of trouble for a certain number of years.

Under the new law in New York, a person’s felony records would be sealed eight years after conviction or release from prison; three years for a misdemeanor. 

Sex crimes and most Class A felonies, such as kidnapping or terrorism, will not be eligible for the program. The bill excludes class A felonies for drug possession.

FORMER NY GOVERNOR KNOCKS STATE’S ‘CLEAN SLATE’ BILL THAT SEALS CRIMINAL RECORDS: ONLY WORKS ‘IN THEORY’

During the signing of the controversial law, Gov. Hochul hailed the program for its potential to fight rising crime.

“The best crime-fighting tool is a good-paying job,” Hochul said at the Brooklyn Museum on Thursday morning. “That’s why I support giving New Yorkers a clean slate after they’ve paid their debt to society and gone years without an additional offense.”

Melinda Agnew with the Center for Community Alternative said that the legislation will change lives.

“Twenty-six years after successfully completing my sentence, despite all that I have accomplished, I continue to have doors closed in my face,” said Agnew.

The law, which will go into effect in one year, will still allow law enforcement, prosecutors, the Education Department, the courts and others to have access to perpetrators’ records.

HOCHUL SAYS NEW YORK TO INVEST IN 3 OFFSHORE WIND PROJECTS

“I negotiated a compromise that protects public safety and boosts economic opportunity, and the final Clean Slate Law will help New Yorkers access jobs and housing while allowing police, prosecutors and school officials to protect their communities,” Hochul said. 

The governor said that the law hopes to address the worker shortage plaguing New York.

“And as our state faces a worker shortage, with more than 450,000 job openings right now, this new law will help businesses find more workers who will help them grow, expand and thrive,” Hochul said.

The bill was passed by state lawmakers last June on a party-line vote. 

Former New York Democratic Gov. David Paterson has denounced the law, saying that that while he thinks the “intent” was positive, he believes the measure is misguided. 

“In theory, it works. But one of the problems we have in the state right now is you have people getting arrested 40, 50, 60 times. When that kind of thing happens, there can never be a clean slate because they were never more than six months away from their previous conviction,” he said on the “Cats Roundtable” WABC 770 AM radio show in June.

Gov. Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Yael Halon contributed to this report.

New York City on Thursday announced it is reducing police numbers and cutting budgets in areas like education as it continues to struggle with the exorbitant costs related to the “sanctuary” city’s migrant crisis.

Mayor Eric Adams announced a $110.5 billion budget, saying cuts across all agencies were necessary with the city having spent $1.45 billion in fiscal 2023 on the migrant crisis and nearly $11 billion expected to be spent in 2024 and 2025.

“For months, we have warned New Yorkers about the challenging fiscal situation our city faces,” Adams said in a statement. “To balance the budget as the law requires, every city agency dug into their own budget to find savings, with minimal disruption to services. 

“And while we pulled it off this time, make no mistake: Migrant costs are going up, tax revenue growth is slowing and COVID stimulus funding is drying up.”

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAYS PARENTS MAY NEED TO HELP IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AMID MIGRANT CRISIS

The New York Police Department will freeze hiring to bring numbers below 30,000 by the end of fiscal year 2025 from over 33,000. There will also be deep cuts to education, including the universal pre-kindergarten program, and sanitation.

Adams appealed for more help from Washington.

“No city should be left to handle a national humanitarian crisis largely on its own, and without the significant and timely support we need from Washington, D.C., today’s budget will be only the beginning,” he said.

The announcement of a police hiring freeze drew condemnation from the police union, which said it could put public safety in jeopardy.

“This is truly a disaster for every New Yorker who cares about safe streets,” police union President Patrick Hendry said. “Cops are already stretched to our breaking point, and these cuts will return us to staffing levels we haven’t seen since the crime epidemic of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

“We cannot go back there. We need every level of government to work together to find a way to support police officers and protect New York City’s 30 years of public safety progress.”

The teachers union was similarly critical of the cuts to education.

“Rather than protect our public schools, City Hall proposes to cut overall funding, and on top of that, is making good on another threat by clawing back $109 million from city classrooms,” United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said. 

“That means 653 schools — 43% of the school system — will be hit now with midyear budget cuts. Class sizes will rise, and school communities will be needlessly damaged.”

ERIC ADAMS LAUGHS OFF QUESTION ABOUT FBI SEIZURES: ‘WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HELICOPTERS’

The cuts are the latest consequence of a migrant crisis the city has been tackling since last year. While it has been exacerbated by buses sent to the city by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who began bussing migrants to “sanctuary” cities as the migrant crisis escalated, that only makes up a fraction of the more than 110,000 migrants the city says have come in since last year. Abbott says Texas has sent just over 23,000 migrants to New York City.

New York City, along with other liberal jurisdictions, including Massachusetts and Chicago, have called for additional federal help with the numbers they are seeing. Adams has been particularly loud in his calls, warning that the crisis could “destroy” New York City. 

However, the Biden administration has pointed to more than $770 million it has given out to support communities taking in migrants in the last year and recommendations its teams of experts have made.

It has also deployed personnel to help with authorizing work permits and to educate migrants on the immigration system, a DHS official said. The administration has also requested an additional $14 billion in emergency funding for border operations, which includes an additional $1.4 billion in grants to help local governments and nonprofits.

However, the crisis at the border continues. There were more than 249,000 migrant encounters in October, coming after a fiscal year with a record 2.4 million encounters at the border.

Republicans have blamed the crisis on the administration’s policies, while also criticizing sanctuary cities for encouraging migrants with their anti-enforcement stance. Republicans in the House have passed legislation that would increase border security and limit asylum, while the Biden administration says more funding and comprehensive immigration reform to fix a “broken” system is what is needed.

Fox News’ Courtney De George contributed to this report.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appeal to stop a lower court from letting the state enforce a new law that bans bars from “knowingly” hosting drag queen performances with minors in the audience.

At issue is a lawsuit challenging a Florida law passed in April that prevents children from exposure to sexually explicit “adult live performances” at restaurants and bars, and mandates that establishments that allow such performances with minors in the audience could get alcohol or operating licenses revoked.

Hamburger Mary’s, a restaurant and bar in Orlando, argued the law was written so broadly as to have a “chilling effect” on free speech rights.

A district judge agreed, finding the plaintiff was likely to succeed at trial on First Amendment grounds, and granted a preliminary injunction stopping the law from taking effect while the case moves through the courts.

GOP AG HOPEFUL SUPREME COURT WILL BLOCK BIDEN ADMIN FROM ‘WORST FIRST AMENDMENT’ BREACHES IN HISTORY

The DeSantis administration appealed to the Supreme Court, asking the justices to stay that order and arguing it improperly applied to other places of business in Florida that aren’t party to the suit.

But the Supreme Court on Thursday denied that request.

In an order written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the court said that while the case centers on First Amendment questions, the state’s appeal “challenges only the scope of relief ordered by the District Court—namely, that the injunction prohibits state enforcement of the law not only against Hamburger Mary’s but also against other entities that are non-parties to this litigation.

“To begin with, although Florida strongly disagrees with the District Court’s First Amendment analysis, Florida’s stay application to this Court does not raise that First Amendment issue,” the order says.

FREE-SPEECH ADVOCATES PUSH ELON MUSK TO FIGHT ‘STATE-SPONSORED CENSORSHIP’: PETITION

“Therefore, the Court’s denial of the stay indicates nothing about our view on whether Florida’s new law violates the First Amendment,” it reads. 

“The question of whether a district court, after holding that a law violates the Constitution, may nonetheless enjoin the government from enforcing that law against non-parties to the litigation is an important question that could warrant our review in the future,” Kavanaugh wrote.

SUPREME COURT ASKED TO STEP IN ON BLUE STATE LAW THAT TARGETS ANTI-ABORTION ‘COUNSELORS’

“But the issue arises here in the context of a First Amendment overbreadth challenge, which presents its own doctrinal complexities about the scope of relief. This case is therefore an imperfect vehicle for considering the general question of whether a district court may enjoin a government from enforcing a law against non-parties to the litigation. For that reason, the Court is not likely to grant certiorari on that issue in this particular case,” he continues. 

In sum, because this Court is not likely to grant certiorari on the only issue presented in Florida’s stay application, it is appropriate for the Court to deny the application,” Kavanaugh concludes. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Georgia Republicans are taking a victory lap after the MLB named Atlanta as the site of the 2025 All-Star Game, which it moved from the state in 2021 following the passage of a voting law dubbed by left-wing critics as racist and akin to Jim Crow laws.

The law, which is still on the books in Georgia, aimed to ensure election integrity by placing certain restrictions on absentee and mail-in voting, expanding voter ID requirements and prohibiting non-poll workers from providing food and drink to voters waiting in line at polling centers.

MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred said at the time that the decision to move the game was “the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport,” citing concerns the Republican-backed legislation could limit voting access. However, turnout across Georgia increased in the 2022 midterm elections.

JUDGE IN TRUMP’S GEORGIA ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE ORDERS ‘SENSITIVE’ EVIDENCE WITHHELD FROM PUBLIC

“Georgia’s voting laws haven’t changed, but it’s good to see the MLB’s misguided understanding of them has. We look forward to welcoming the All-Star Game to Georgia. Go Braves!” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote in a post on X after news of the move back to Atlanta broke.

Georgia Lt Gov. Burt Jones took aim at the state’s two-time Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, one of the biggest critics of the voting law, and blamed her for the millions in economic benefits he said were lost due to the game being moved.

“Stacey Abrams cost Georgians over $100M due to her lies about Georgia’s common-sense election reform law. Four years delayed, I’m happy to see the MLB seeing through her lies and bringing the All Star Game back to Georgia. I’ll hold my breath waiting on an apology,” he wrote.

KARI LAKE GETS ANOTHER BIG BOOST WHILE GOP INCREASINGLY SEES HER AS STANDARD-BEARER FOR MAJOR SENATE SEAT FLIP

“[The MLB] realized that ‘voter suppression’ is as much a myth as Stacey Abrams winning the Governor’s race. Vindication – for Georgia voters, small businesses, and sports fans!” former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler said, referencing Abrams’ refusal to concede the 2018 gubernatorial election, the first of two elections she lost to Kemp.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called the decision the “longest instant replay review of all time,” and celebrated the overturning of “a bad call.” 

“Georgia’s elections are safe, secure, and accessible to serve our voters,” he added.

BIDEN’S APPROVAL RATING SINKS OVER ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR; SUPPORT FOR TRUMP IN 2024 RISES: POLL

Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock joined in with Republicans in celebrating the move, saying it was “great news” for the state’s economy, and a “wise choice.” He was one of the few Democrats to scrutinize the MLB for its decision to move the game in the first place, while calling for them to stay and fight “voter suppression head on.”

Georgia’s other Democrat senator, Jon Ossoff, told Fox News Digital, “This is great news for the State of Georgia. We are prepared and excited to host the All-Star Game.”

However, he did not respond to questions concerning why the MLB was moving the game back to Atlanta despite Georgia’s unchanged voting law remaining in place after railing against Republicans in 2021 over the law amid the MLB’s decision to pull the game.

“The leadership of Georgia’s Republican Party is out of control and Georgia is hemorrhaging business and jobs because of their disastrous new Jim Crow voting law. The Governor and the legislature are deliberately making it harder for Black voters to vote. They know it. Everybody knows it and this egregious and immoral assault on voting rights has also put our state’s economy at grave risk,” he said at the time.