Democrats plan to sue over Va. race
Lawyers for a Democrat locked in a tied Virginia House of Delegates race were preparing a lawsuit Tuesday, hoping to head off a name-drawing scheduled for Wednesday that will decide not only that race, but also which party controls the chamber.
In the suit, Democratic challenger Shelly Simonds will ask the Newport News Circuit Court to reverse its decision following a recount last week to count a disputed ballot for Republican incumbent David Yancey.
Ms. Simonds’ lawyers provided copies of the lawsuit but could not file it Tuesday because the court was closed.
If Ms. Simonds wins the seat, the House chamber will be split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, forcing the parties into a rare power-sharing arrangement. If Ms. Yancey wins, the Republicans will retain their majority by the slimmest possible margin.
Trump voting commission
WASHINGTON— A nonprofit privacy group cannot stop President Donald Trump’s election fraud commission from collecting millions of voter records, an appeals court ruled Tuesday.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit determined that the Electronic Privacy Information Center “is not a voter” and therefore does not have standing to demand that the commission assess privacy concerns before assembling a vast database of voter information.
Mr. Trump created the election integrity commission after alleging, without evidence, that widespread fraud cost him the popular vote last year. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican who chairs the commission, sent a letter in June to all 50 states asking for the name, address, date of birth, party affiliation, felony record, last four Social Security digits and voting history of every registered voter.
Thomas fire contained
LOS ANGELES — California’s biggest wildfire on record did not grow overnight, officials said Tuesday morning.
The Thomas fire burning in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties held steady at 281,620 acres and was 88 percent contained, the U.S. Forest Service said. The blaze, which started on Dec. 4, is the largest to burn in California since official recordkeeping began in 1932.
The fire has destroyed 775 homes and damaged 208.
Firefighting efforts were aided on Christmas Day by light winds and chilly overnight temperatures, officials said.