When the polls close at 8 p.m. local time Tuesday, all eyes will be on California.

There are six races in the state that could decide control of the House. Democrats need a net gain of 23 seats to take control, and they are focused on the several GOP congressional districts won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

In the 25th Congressional District, covering parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, "pragmatic progressive" Katie Hill is hoping to unseat Rep. Steve Knight (R), a former police officer and Army veteran. Knight often votes along party lines, while Hill is calling for new tax cuts for the middle class.

In the 39th District, Republican Young Kim and Democrat Gil Cisneros are vying to replace outgoing Rep. Ed Royce (R). Kim, an immigrant from South Korea, worked for Royce for two decades. Cisneros won the lottery in 2010, and became a prominent Democratic donor. In this Orange County district, about a fifth of registered voters are Asian Americans.

Two other Orange County races to watch: the 45th and 48th Districts. Rep. Mimi Walters (R) represents the 45th but doesn't live there. Her opponent, University of California Irvine law professor Katie Porter, supports single-payer health care and tax cuts for the middle class. In the 48th, 15-term incumbent Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R) — dubbed "Putin's favorite congressman" — is running against Harley Rouda, a real estate investor and former independent.

The 49th District is now represented by Rep. Darrell Issa (R); Republican Diane Harkey and Democratic environmental lawyer Mike Levin are running to replace Issa. The district primarily covers northern San Diego County, plus a part of southern Orange County.

Finally, the 50th Congressional District encompasses parts of San Diego and Riverside counties. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R), elected in 2008, was indicted over the summer by a federal grand jury, accused of misusing campaign funds. His opponent, Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, worked in the Obama Labor Department and for the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Catherine Garcia

On the fifth anniversary of Miles Scott, a.k.a. Batkid, saving San Francisco from the Penguin and Riddler, the Make-a-Wish Foundation gave a wonderful update: Scott is now cancer free.

Scott was five years old and battling leukemia when Make-a-Wish teamed up with the San Francisco mayor's office, police and fire departments, and the Giants to turn the city into Gotham, just for him. After he spent the day getting rid of bad guys and rescuing Giants mascot Lou Seal, he received a key to the city, and The San Francisco Chronicle published the one-off Gotham City Chronicle, his face on the cover along with the headline "Batkid Saves City."

On Thursday, Make-a-Wish said Scott is "a happy, healthy fifth grader," and has been in remission since 2013. He plays baseball in Little League, helps on his family farm, and loves science and robotics. When wishes are granted, the foundation said, they have "proven physical and emotional benefits and can produce better health outcomes." Catherine Garcia

With his family by his side, Alex Reins has been busy knitting hats and scarves for people who will need them this winter.

The 9-year-old from Lakewood, Colorado, was inspired to give back after hearing about a person who was discharged from the hospital wearing only a hospital gown and socks, and had to wait for the bus in the cold. "His big heart saw that and he thought, 'We just need to do something to help other people,'" his great-aunt, Cherie DeHerrera, told 9News. 


Reins, his mother, Bri Reins, and three great-aunts regularly get together to knit for what they call Alex's Warm Hat Project. They've worked diligently, and have made over 300 hats and scarves. They drop them off at local food banks and homeless shelters, for distribution to those who are "out in the cold and don't have enough money to get a cat," Alex Reins said. It's not difficult to make the scarves and hats, Bri Reins said, and it makes a huge difference in people's lives: "You can turn a ball of yarn into something beautiful." Catherine Garcia

David Hockney's "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" sold on Thursday for $90.3 million, setting a new auction record for a living artist.

Christie's in New York estimated that the 1972 oil painting would fetch $80 million. The bidding lasted nine minutes, with the two most active bidders calling in by telephone. The previous record was held by Jeff Koons, whose "Ballon Dog (Orange)" sold in 2013 for $58.4 million.

Hockney, 81, is considered one of the most influential British artists. Before the sale, Ana Maria Celis, vice president of postwar and contemporary art at Christie's, said auction houses can "rarely say, 'This is the one opportunity to buy the best painting from the artist.' This is it." Catherine Garcia

On Thursday, search teams in Northern California discovered seven more bodies in the Camp Fire burn area, bringing the blaze's death toll to 63.

Authorities say there are now 631 people missing, up from 130 on Wednesday evening. The fire, the deadliest in state history, has burned 141,000 acres, destroyed 11,862 structures, and is about 40 percent contained. Most of the deaths occurred in the town of Paradise, which was almost entirely wiped out by the fire. Officials said it could take several weeks to finish searching for victims. Catherine Garcia

Another red seat turned blue in Southern California on Thursday, with Democrat Katie Porter defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Mimi Walters in the 45th Congressional District.

With the latest vote count, Porter, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, has a 6,203-vote lead over Walters. Walters is a Trump supporter, while Porter said she was running "to hold Donald Trump and the powerful special interests in Washington accountable."

Orange County has been a Republican stronghold for decades, and in 2016, while Hillary Clinton carried the district by 5 percentage points, Walters was re-elected by 17 points. If Democrat Gil Cisneros defeats Republican Young Kim in the 39th Congressional District — the county's last undecided race — Orange County won't have any Republican representatives in Congress. Cisneros took the lead for the first time on Thursday, in a bad sign for Kim's chances. Catherine Garcia

After a year of discussions, Justice Department officials are optimistic they will be able to get WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange into a U.S. courtroom, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

In 2012, Assange received political asylum from Ecuador, and he has been living in the country's London embassy ever since. Prosecutors do not yet know what charges they might file, but it could involve the Espionage Act, the Journal reports. Prosecutors are also reportedly considering publicly indicting Assange so the Ecuadorian government could see evidence against him and would have a reason to remove him from the embassy.

Last month, Assange sued Ecuador over his conditions in the embassy, and after a judge rejected his claims, he said he believes he'll soon be kicked out. In 2010, Chelsea Manning gave WikiLeaks documents related to the Iraq War, and ahead of the 2016 presidential election, WikiLeaks released thousands of emails hacked from Democrats; Special Counsel Robert Mueller says those hacked emails were provided by Russian intelligence officers. Catherine Garcia