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No public appearances for Newsom in more than a week
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., has not been seen in public since abruptly canceling his trip to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on Oct. 29 over “family obligations.”
Newsom press secretary Daniel Lopez said the governor worked at the state Capitol last week and would begin making normal appearances again sometime this week, according to a statement provided to SFGATE.
Lopez further explained that the governor’s cancelation was not a result of the COVID-19 booster shot he received during his last public appearance.
“Last week Governor Newsom worked in the Capitol with staff on urgent issues including COVID-19 vaccines for kids, boosters, ports, the forthcoming state budget and California’s continued economic recovery,” Lopez said. “He will have public events this week related to the economy and vaccines.”
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife, addressed his absence in a weekend tweet that was later deleted.
“It’s funny how certain folks can’t handle truth,” she wrote. “When someone cancels something, maybe they’re just in the office working; maybe in their free time they’re at home with their family, at their kids’ sports matches, or dining out with their wife. Please stop hating and get a life.”
California state senators John Laird and Bob Hertzberg reportedly bristled when asked about the governor’s absence at the Glasgow conference. Laid said the controversy was “overblown.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.
In other developments:
– Newsom’s wife posts new tweet, asked why she deleted earlier one
– Newsom’s wife posts, deletes tweet as governor deals with ‘family obligations’: reporter
– LA County sheriff rips liberal DA George Gascon for releasing convicted killer
– California authorities ask for help in identifying suspect in alleged sexual assault of blind woman
Ciattarelli weighing recount demand in New Jersey governor race
New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli is not ready to concede, arguing that the election is still too close to call but making clear that are not making accusations of fraud.
“No one on this team is alleging fraud or malfeasance, as we have not seen any credible evidence of that,” the campaign said in a statement Monday.
The campaign noted that while there is around a 66,405 vote gap separating Ciattarelli and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, there are still about 70,000 provisional ballots left to be counted. Additionally, an unknown number of vote-by-mail ballots will continue to be received through Monday.
“Waiting an additional day or two for all votes to be counted should not be controversial,” Ciattarelli legal counsel Mark Sheridan said Monday.
The campaign has discussed the possibility of asking for a recount, though officials would not commit to taking that route until they can assess the situation after all ballots have been counted.
“The odds of them all going in favor of Jack and changing the outcome of this election based on the current timeline is unlikely,” Sheridan said of the current vote tally in a call with reporters Monday. “But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t bring it close enough to warrant a recount, which is really what we’re sitting here looking to do at this point of time, is evaluate whether or not it makes sense to recount this vote. “
The campaign said the threshold for asking for a recount would be “roughly one percent” but continued to stress that the refusal to concede so far was not based on any reports of fraud. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
– NJ Gov Murphy: Dem policies prevented being ‘swept away’ by GOP; no current plan to end COVID mandates despite
– NJ Dem Steve Sweeney refuses to concede election to GOP truck driver, says thousands of ballots ‘found’
Elf…by himself? Judge jokingly bans ‘tyranny’ of Elf on the Shelf
Santa’s little helper may be notably absent for Christmas this year as a Georgia judge jokingly banned the Elf on a Shelf.
Taking to Twitter, Cobb County Superior Court Chief Judge Robert Leonard offered parents a “gift” to remove the iconic Elf, who is traditionally moved throughout the home to determine whether a child has been naughty or nice, from this year’s decorations.
“Tired of living in Elf on the Shelf tyranny? Not looking forward to the Elf forgetting to move and causing your kids emotional distress? I am a public servant and will take the heat for you. My gift to tired parents,” Leonard said in a tweet Thursday.

“Inexplicably, Elves sometimes move and don’t move overnight. When those Elves do not move, it leaves our children of tender years in states of extreme emotional distress,” the judge continued.
In the order, Leonard cited elven “tyranny” and a “horrific incident” involving an Elf in his own home.
“Three children were sent to school in tears, with one child being labeled an ‘Elf Murderer’ and accused of making the elf ‘lose his magic.’ The Court has no doubt the day of education was lost to everyone,” the judge recalled.
The order was mostly well-received online, with some people even calling for their local legal system to enact similar bans. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
– Holiday cheer: Most popular time to decorate as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa season approaches
– Shaq adds thousands to reward for info on alleged cop shooter in Georgia
– Ahmaud Arbery made the sound of a ‘death rattle’ after he was shot: First responder
TODAY’S MUST-READS:
– SpaceX returns 4 astronauts to Earth, ending 200-day flight
– WATCH: Pulse-pounding moment pastor tackles gunman in church
– WaPo media critic has message for those who hyped up Steele dossier
– Slain Iowa teacher told local paper, ‘We all know we are going to die,’ day before killing
– Aaron Rodgers upset with being ‘crucified’ for COVID vax explanation: report
THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS:
– New York State gambling regulators approve nine mobile sports betting operators
– Art is among the hottest markets on Earth
– Rich millennials to financial advisers: thanks for the golf invite, but you can’t invest my money
– AOC reveals why her own spending squad is making her lose sleep
– Senate Democrats demand Biden release oil from the Strategic Reserve
SOME PARTING WORDS
Sean Hannity on Monday evening noted that President Biden is polling at “a new low” of 38% approval, with Vice President Harris is faring historically worse at 28%.
“Nearly two-thirds of all voters do not want Biden to run for a second term. A vast majority of Americans are seeing what we have all known for years: Joe and Kamala are two deeply incompetent individuals who desperately want to please their party’s radical, socialist base at all costs,” the host said on “Hannity.”
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Fox News First was compiled by Fox News’ David Aaro. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We’ll see you in your inbox first thing Wednesday.