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Minute-by-minute: US election 2020

Tribune Desk
  • Published at 10:01 pm November 3rd, 2020
Joe Biden
File photo of Democratic US presidential nominee Joe Biden discusses the results of the 2020 US presidential election during an appearance, in Wilmington, Delaware on November 4, 2020 Reuters

Welcome to Dhaka Tribune's live coverage of US election 2020


People gather outside the White House after media announced that Democratic US presidential nominee Joe Biden has won the 2020 US presidential election, in Washington DC on November 7 /Reuters

In battleground state of Georgia, Biden’s lead widens to 7,248 votes.

Kamala spoke with Pelosi, Hillary Clinton

A campaign aide says Along with her conversation with Barack Obama, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris also spoke with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today.

Trump supporters gather in, Arizona, Pennsylvania

In Arizona, several hundred Trump supporters, many of whom were armed, gathered outside the state capitol in Phoenix, where they waved Trump flags and shouted "USA," and "four more years!"

Outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, police kept Trump and Biden supporters, who were yelling at each other, separate.

Biden win a green light for women's reproductive rights

Democrat Joe Biden as US president will bring sweeping changes to women's reproductive rights globally, starting with overturning a US policy banning government-funded aid groups from mentioning abortion, according to campaign groups.

The so-called global gag rule has been imposed by Republican presidents since 1984 via executive order, often forcing the closure of US-funded health clinics that refuse to accept the restriction, and revoked by Democratic presidents.

Women's rights campaigners say the policy has led to unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and preventable deaths.

Biden, who captured the US presidency on Saturday, has indicated his support for reversing the rule, formally called the Mexico City policy, that President Donald Trump imposed on his fourth day in office in January 2017.

‘Bye Trump': Asylum seekers stranded in Mexico celebrate Biden victory

The shiny silver balloons appeared in the squalid refugee camp in Mexican border city of Matamoros on Friday afternoon, as former vice president Joe Biden appeared poised for victory in the US presidential election against incumbent Donald Trump.

"Bye Trump," the balloons read in all capital letters.

By Saturday morning, shouts of joy began to ring out in the camp where hundreds of asylum seekers have been stuck just across the river from Brownsville, Texas, under President Trump's hardline immigration policies.

"We're all going to celebrate today!" said Dairon Elisondo, a Cuban asylum seeker who works as a doctor in the Matamoros camp. "Everyone is so happy."

Bernie Sanders on Biden's win: ‘Democracy won out’

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their win on Saturday.

This election “was about whether or not we remain a country that believes in the Constitution, that believes in the rule of law and that believes in democracy,” the former Democratic presidential candidate said to CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “And thank God, democracy won out. So I just wish Joe and Kamala the very, very best in leading our country.”

Sanders said Biden’s challenge will be bringing Americans together.

Trump back to the White House from golfing

President Trump’s motorcade arrived back at the White House at 3:13pm ET, after spending the morning golfing at his golf course in Virginia.

Trump waved to the pool reporters as he walked back into the White House.

The President was on the golf course when CNN and other networks called the race for former Vice President Joe Biden.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince congratulates Biden, Harris

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan congratulated Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday on winning the US election.

Citizen Trump will face legal woes

Since taking office in January 2017, President Donald Trump has been besieged by civil lawsuits and criminal investigations of his inner circle.

With Democrat Joe Biden capturing the presidency on Saturday, according to all major US television networks, Trump's legal woes are likely to deepen because in January he will lose the protections the US legal system affords to a sitting president, former prosecutors said.

Here are some of the lawsuits and criminal probes that may haunt Trump as he leaves office.

Read more here.

Experts: Trump to Biden transition could be rockier

US law maps out clear instructions for an orderly transfer of power from one president to the next, but Joe Biden's path is expected to be rockier than most of his modern-day predecessors.

A drawn-out legal fight by President Donald Trump that triggers recounts of ballots in several US states could hold up many transition-related activities, as happened in 2000, when George W. Bush wasn't declared the victor until five weeks after the election.

"A long legal battle would delay the transition, and that could be dangerous on the foreign policy front," said one Republican congressional source. "The world isn't standing still while we're all focused on the election."

Bottles of champagne popped following Biden's win

Groups of people were seen popping bottles of champagne and celebrating Joe Biden's victory over President Trump. Read more here.

People celebrate near the White House after media announced that Democratic US presidential nominee Joe Biden has won the 2020 US presidential election, in Washington DC, US, November 7, 2020 | Reuters

The crowd was also seen in Chicago at one point singing “We Are The Champions."

On Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, dozens of people were as close as they could get to Trump Tower to celebrate Joe Biden’s win.

Philly, Brooklyn celebrates

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer shared a video of himself calling Joe Biden and holding up the phone, so the president-elect could hear the crowds cheering in New York.

“Did you hear that?” Schumer said. “That’s Brooklyn.”

A USPS employee driving down a street in Brooklyn, New York, was cheered on by people standing nearby following President-elect Joe Biden's victory over President Donald Trump today.

Biden benefited from a late surge of mail-in ballots that was preferred by Democrats amid the pandemic. Trump spent months on the campaign trail, falsely blasting mail-in ballots as prone to fraud — one reason why GOP voters have proven far less likely to use them.

In Washington's Petworth neighborhood, Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" and Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up" could be heard playing loudly as neighbours hooted and cars sounded their horns.

More leaders congratulate Biden, Harris

Read more here.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Facebook:

"Congratulations Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on your well-deserved win.

London looks forward to working with you — it's time to get back to building bridges, not walls. 🇺🇸 🇬🇧"

Former President Jimmy Carter congratulates Biden, Harris

Former President Jimmy Carter released a statement congratulating President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. He said he looks forward to the "positive change" they will bring.

Biden-Harris change Twitter bios

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have changed their Twitter bios.

Democrats maintain control of the House

CNN projects the Democratic Party will retain control of the US House of Representatives. 

Even though some House races remain undecided, CNN can make this projection based on statistical models tracking races that Democrats already have won and an analysis of races where they are leading significantly right now.

Biden plans to name coronavirus task force on Monday

Joe Biden plans to announce his 12-person coronavirus task force on Monday, two sources with knowledge told CNN.

The task force will reportedly be lead by three cochairs: Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Yale University’s Dr Marcella Nunez-Smith.

Two hours after projection, Biden has not heard from Trump

More than two hours after Joe Biden was projected as President-elect, he has not yet heard from President Trump, a person familiar with the matter tells CNN.

Trump golfing at Virginia

As the presidential election was called for Joe Biden, Donald Trump was golfing at his Virginia club.

Reuters caught a photo of Trump golfing, as he learned he was officially a one-term president.

US President Donald Trump plays golf at the Trump National Golf course shortly after news media declared US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 US presidential election, in Sterling, Virginia, US on November 7, 2020 | Reuters

Former President Clinton: Democracy has won

Former President Bill Clinton said President-elect Joe Biden will "serve all of us and bring us all together," according to a tweet he sent after Biden received more than 270 electoral votes. 

US Media: Biden wins in Nevada

Joe Biden has won the contested state of Nevada, US media projected Saturday – helping him solidifying his lead over Donald Trump in the all-important tally of Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.

The New York Times and Fox News called the race in the Silver State – which has six electoral votes – in favor of the veteran Democrat.

Earlier in the day, US television networks declared Biden the winner of Tuesday's election by projecting his victory in the decisive battleground of Pennsylvania. Adding those two states, Biden has at least 279 electoral votes.

First Republican to congratulate Biden, Harris

Mitt Romney became the first Republican senator to congratulate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their victory in the presidential election.

Romney was of course the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, when he lost to Barack Obama and Biden.

Obama congratulates Biden, Harris

Former President Barack Obama has issued a statement congratulating his former running mate Joe Biden and VP-elect Kamala Harris.

"I could not be prouder to congratulate our next President, Joe Biden, and our next First Lady, Jill Biden," Obama writes.

“We’re fortunate that Joe’s got what it takes to be President and already carries himself that way. Because when he walks into the White House in January, he’ll face a series of extraordinary challenges no incoming President ever has – a raging pandemic, an unequal economy and justice system, a democracy at risk, and a climate in peril,” he continued.

Pelosi: 'It's a time to heal and a time to grow together'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement praising Joe Biden's projected win.

“Today marks the dawning of a new day of hope for America. A record-shattering 75 million Americans cast their ballots to elect Joe Biden President of the United States – a historic victory that has handed Democrats a mandate for action," Pelosi said in the statement.

World leaders congratulate Biden

Watch Harris' call with Biden: ‘We did it, Joe’

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris tweeted a video of herself on the phone with President-elect Joe Biden. She congratulated him on winning the US presidency and for the success of their campaign.

Biden to speak to Americans Saturday night

US president-elect Joe Biden is expected to address the nation after 8pm on Saturday night in Wilmington Delaware, reports Reuters quoting a campaign aide. That should be 

Trump: Biden 'rushing to falsely pose' as US election winner

Donald Trump, refusing to concede defeat in the US presidential election, said Saturday that Joe Biden was "rushing to falsely pose as the winner" after television networks declared the Democrat's victory, reports AFP.

"We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed," Trump said.

"The simple fact is this election is far from over."

Trump underlined that states had not yet certified the results, and his campaign has launched multiple legal challenges.

However, near complete results issued by each state showed an insurmountable lead for Biden, allowing network news channels to call the overall result, as they do every election.

Joe Biden wins the presidency

Democrat Joe Biden captured the U.S. presidency on Saturday, several major television networks said, as voters narrowly rebuffed Republican incumbent Donald Trump's tumultuous leadership and embraced Biden's promise to fight the coronavirus pandemic and fix the economy in a divided nation.

Trump immediately accused Biden of "rushing to falsely pose as the winner."

"This election is far from over," he said in a statement.

Biden's projected victory came after four days of nail-biting suspense over the outcome of Tuesday's election, with the counting of votes in a handful of battleground states still going on thanks to a flood of mail-in ballots.

Loud cheers erupted in the halls of the hotel where Biden aides were staying and around the country.

“Worth every minute,” of the wait, a Biden aide said, as campaign staff exchanged elbow bumps and air hugs in the lobby.

Read more here.

Biden holds lead in Arizona

In battleground state of Arizona, with 97% of the estimated vote tallied so far, Trump has 48.9% and Biden has 49.5% of , according to Edison research.

Trump at golf club outside Washington as vote count drags on

US President Donald Trump left the White House Saturday for the first time since Election Day, heading to his golf club in suburban Virginia as the vote count dragged on with Joe Biden leading the Republican incumbent in decisive states.

After appearing twice at the White House in recent days to address the nation, Trump left the presidential residence for the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

New results expected out of Philadelphia in the next few hours

A Philadelphia city official told CNN that 2,000-3,000 more ballots should be counted and updated in the system within 3-4 hours.

Another source says the results will be reported between 11am ( 1600 GMT) and as late as early afternoon.

Trump announces press conference

Donald Trump has announced there will be a press conference in Philadelphia at 11:30am – that’s 12:30am Monday, if you are in Dhaka.

Some journalists respond to Trump’s claims

A little more on Trump’s Twitter tirade here from the Washington Post’s Aaron Blake, that not only is the president wrong, but he’s also misunderstood the numbers.

The Post reported on Thursday that Pennsylvania’s count does not yet include any ballots that arrived after Election Day.

“To the extent this is Trump’s fixation, he’s wasting his time.” Blake observed on Twitter.

Brian Stelter, CNN’s chief media correspondent, speaking for a lot of us here.

Denmark's ex-PM has an advice for Trump

Pelosi to seek reelection as US House speaker

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced that she is seeking to be re-elected as speaker for the US House of Representatives.

"I am writing to request your support to be re-elected as Speaker," Pelosi said in a letter sent to her colleagues on Friday morning.

Pelosi, 80, won reelection to the US House in California's 12th Congressional District in this year's general elections, in which all the 435 seats of the chamber were contested.

Read more here.

Biden vows virus action on 'day one'

The United States reported record new coronavirus cases for the third day in a row, as Joe Biden vowed to act against the pandemic on "day one" if he wins the presidential election in the world's worst-hit nation.

Global infections have surged past 49 million and Europe has become the new pandemic epicenter in recent weeks with more than 300,000 deaths -- nearly a quarter of the global total.

Read more here.

US Covid-19 cases hit record for 3rd day, topping 127,000

We should not lose focus on the fact that the election is taking place against the backdrop of a worsening pandemic in the US.

The United States has set a third straight daily record for new Covid-19 infections, notching more than 127,000 cases, John Hopkins University reported Friday, reports AFP.

And the death toll as of 0130 GMT over the past 24 hours was 1,149, the Baltimore-based university said.

As of Friday evening, the US – the worst hit country in the world in terms of deaths and total cases – had more than 236,000 coronavirus-related fatalities and 9.7 million known infections.

Read more here.

White House Chief of Staff Meadows tests Covid-19+

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who has frequently appeared at public events without wearing a mask, has been diagnosed with Covid-19, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Friday.

It was not immediately clear when or how he was infected.

Meadows regularly accompanied US President Donald Trump on the final frenzied days of the campaign rallies leading up to the presidential election on Tuesday.

Read more here.

Guns seen outside vote-counting centres

Some armed protesters gathering outside offices where local workers are counting the votes that will decide who wins the White House.

Biden's lead is growing in Georgia

In battleground state of Georgia, Biden’s lead widens to 7,248 votes; vote count continues. Georgia (16 electoral votes) is traditionally a Republican state, and has not been won by a Democrat in a presidential race since 1992.

Biden: We're going to win this race

Democrat Joe Biden said he was going to win the US presidency as his lead grew over President Donald Trump in battleground states, although television networks held off from declaring him the victor as officials continued to count votes, reports Reuters.

"The numbers tell us ... it's a clear and convincing story: We're going to win this race," Biden said late on Friday, adding that he and his running mate Kamala Harris were already meeting with experts as they prepare for the White House.

Biden addresses nation from Delaware

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden exuded confidence while addressing the nation as his campaign inches closer to the White House while votes continue to be tallied in key battleground states, reports CNN.

"My fellow Americans, we don't have a final declaration of victory yet, but the numbers tell us it's clear. Tell us a clear and convincing story. We are going to win this race," Biden said, as his running mate Kamala Harris stood nearby on stage in Delaware.

"Just look at what has happened since yesterday. Twenty four hours we were behind in Georgia, now we're ahead, and we are going to win that state. Twenty four hours ago we were behind in Pennsylvania, and we are going to win Pennsylvania. And now we are ahead, but we are winning in Arizona, we're winning in Nevada, and in fact our lead just doubled in Nevada. We're on track for over 300 electoral votes, electoral college votes. And look at the national numbers. We're going to win this race with a clear majority, with the nation behind us," CNN quoted Biden as saying.

The campaign earlier in the day said Biden was planning to speak in prime-time.

There was no election briefing from the campaign’s top advisers today. There have been no tweets from Biden or his running mate Kamala Harris.

Earlier, Cheers erupted from the group of supporters outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, as Harris’ motorcade arrived moments ago.

Biden's lead in Pennsylvania grows

Democratic hopeful Joe Biden's lead is growing in the battleground state of Pennsylvania tonight.

A new batch of votes from Allegheny County were counted and released tonight, widening Biden's lead over President Trump by 27,130 votes.

Of the 9,288 votes counted, 7,300 were for Biden and 1,875 were for Trump, Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald said.

Nationwide, Biden led Trump by 4.1 million votes out of a record 147 million cast, reports Reuters.

However, his lead was much smaller in those four contested states: just 83,038 votes out of more than 16 million cast. In Georgia, he led by a mere 3,962 votes.

US Supreme Court denies immediate halt of Pennsylvania count

A US Supreme Court justice on Friday denied a request by Pennsylvania's Republicans to immediately halt the counting of ballots arriving after Election Day -- referring the challenge to the full court for a ruling on Saturday.

Samuel Alito ordered Pennsylvania in the meantime to continue keeping the late-arriving ballots separate, affirming a decision already made by the state's top elections official, reports AFP.

The last-ditch petition for an emergency injunction -- filed as Democrat Joe Biden solidified his lead and was poised to defeat President Donald Trump -- targeted thousands of ballots.

Pennsylvania’s AG: Trump’s attempts halt the vote count with litigation to amount to nothing

“They either lose, or the suit is dismissed,” Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Josh Shapiro told MSNBC. “There has been a lot of noise, but there has been literally zero impact on the counting of ballots.”

He also noted that his children have been asking him – as many people in the US and around the world have been wondering – when we’ll have a result. “My kids keep asking me, when is this going to be over,” he said. “It’s going to take as long as it takes to make sure every legal vote is counted.”


Vote totals in Arizona's biggest county show Biden's lead shrink

The biggest county in Arizona has released a new batch votes Friday night – shrinking Joe Biden's lead there, reports CNN.

Updated vote totals released by Maricopa County show Biden with 1,004,003 votes and Trump with 950,503 there. There's a 29,861-vote difference between Biden and Trump in the state.

Previously, Maricopa was reporting 972,570 votes for Biden and 912,115 for Trump.

'124,500 outstanding ballots still to be counted in Nevada'

There are an estimated 124,500 outstanding ballots in Nevada, according to the secretary of state's office, reports CNN.

This number includes 58,000 mail ballots and 66,500 voter registration ballots to be counted — 90% of the ballots to be counted are in Clark County.

This figure does not include provisional ballots or signature cures outstanding.

Republicans seeking to raise $60m to fund Trump legal challenges

Republicans are trying to raise at least $60 million to fund legal challenges brought by President Donald Trump over the US presidential election’s results, Reuters said on Friday.

Trump’s campaign has a filed lawsuits in several states over Tuesday’s election, as Democratic challenger Joe Biden edged closer to winning the White House, extending his leads in battleground states.

“They want $60 million,” said a Republican donor who received solicitations from the campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC).

Two other sources said the campaign wanted as much as $100 million for the joint fundraising committee it maintains with the RNC, a sign of the scale of the legal fight the campaign expects to mount.

All three sources spoke to Reuters about the requests for money on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. The Trump campaign and the RNC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Republicans ask SC to halt Pennsylvania count

The Pennsylvania Republican Party asked the US Supreme Court Friday to halt the counting of late-arriving ballots in the state, as Democrat Joe Biden took a lead in the tally and was poised to defeat President Donald Trump, reports AFP.

If Biden wins Pennsylvania he wins the presidency.

The last-ditch appeal for an emergency injunction asked the court to freeze the handling of thousands of mailed ballots -- most believed favoring Biden -- that arrived after election day on Tuesday, which Republicans say should be disqualified.

The petition asks the court to order Pennsylvania election officials to sequester all the ballots received after Tuesday and take no action on them.

White House officials beginning to back away

Some senior officials inside the White House and the campaign have begun to quietly back away from Trump, in acts of self-preservation, reports CNN citing sources close to the White House.

They are doing so as a desperate measure since the returns in Pennsylvania and Georgia indicate that Trump will not win reelection, theys said.

"It's over," said one key adviser to the administration. The adviser added that there are concerns about what Trump will do, beyond the question of whether he will concede the race.

"God. Who knows," the adviser said when asked what Trump might do next, conceding there were multiple officials in the campaign and the White House who were shaking their heads after Trump's litany of false statements Thursday evening in the White House briefing room.

Few republicans condemn Trump accusations

Donald Trump's unfounded accusations of fraud in the US presidential election have been condemned by some of his fellow Republicans, but top party figures have maintained their support.

With results showing Democratic challenger Joe Biden edging closer to victory, Trump made a series of allegations without evidence on Thursday night in a speech that was widely condemned.

Senator Mitt Romney, the former Republican presidential candidate who has been strongly critical of Trump, was among those speaking out.

But his stance was not shared by party leaders.

On Friday morning, one of the country's most powerful Republicans, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, released a vague statement that did not condemn the president's bid to sow doubt over the counting process.

Trump passes Obama’s vote record after Biden

Trump has past Obama’s 2008 vote record, days after Biden passed that mark. In the 2008 presidential election, Obama won 69,498,516 votes, making history at the time, reports Al Jazeera.

As of Friday afternoon, Trump had won 69,970,484 votes, passing Obama by more than 470,000 votes. Meanwhile, Biden had 73,781,942, passing Obama’s record by 4.28 million votes.

Trump: This is no longer about any single election

President Donald Trump's team has put out a statement, saying that “the American people deserve to have full transparency into all vote counting and election certification."

"This is no longer about any single election. This is about the integrity of our entire election process," the statement says, reports BBC.

The statement accuses Democrats of resisting the "basic principle" that "all legal ballots must be counted and all illegal ballots should not be counted", and says Trump will "pursue this process through every aspect of the law."

"I will never give up fighting for you and our nation," the statement concludes.

Trump has repeatedly suggesting counting postal votes that arrive after election day is "illegal."

‘Philadelphia has over 40,000 ballots to be counted’

Philadelphia City Commissioner Lisa Deeley said results from another 2,000 to 3,000 mail-in ballot are expected on Friday afternoon, reports ABC News.

Deeley estimates there are upwards of 40,000 ballots that remain to be counted and noted it may take “several days to complete."

USPS delivered 40,000 votes nationwide Thursday

The US Postal Service (USPS) delivered about 40,000 ballots on Thursday as it continues to conduct court-ordered twice-daily sweeps before various state deadlines to receive ballots, a lawyer said on Friday, reports Reuters.

In a court filing early Friday, USPS said 1,076 ballots, had been found at the USPS Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Centre. About 300 were found at the Pittsburgh processing centre, 266 at a Lehigh Valley facility and others found at other Pennsylvania processing centres.

Tensions grow along with pro-Trump demonstrations in Detroit

The demonstrations outside Detroit’s convention centre, where absentee ballots were counted this week, grew considerably larger on Friday, with about 200 Trump supporters chanting “Stop the steal!” and repeating baseless claims of fraud in the presidential election, reports New York times.

Nevada official: There's no speeding up the process

We're hearing now from the Registrar of Voters in Clark County, Nevada - Joe Gloria. He says that all ballots - including ones that need fixing or reviewing - must be counted by 12 November at the latest. But don't worry - it won't take that long to have a sense of who has won, reports BBC.

"We should have a final count on the majority of mail ballots by Sunday," Gloria told reporters.

When asked why things were taking so long, Gloria explained that their process was "very deliberate" and involved several steps, including a machine verifying signatures, staff reviews, ballot separating and counting.

"There's no speeding up that process. We're going to continue to count and make sure we're being accurate."

So, here's where things stand so far: There are 63,000 outstanding ballots. They were able to enter 30,403 ballots this morning. By 16:00 local time, we'll get another update. (00:00 GMT.)

In battleground state of Pennsylvania, Biden’s lead over trump grows to 13,371 votes from 12,390, reports Reuters.

'Trump needs to put his big boy pants on and concede'

Jim Kenney, the Democratic mayor of Philadelphia, has just spoken at a press conference with election officials, reports The Guardian

He started by praising the protesters outside the city's counting location for staying peaceful, and charged that Trump must concede the race given that he is trailing in Pennsylvania and other swing states.

"What the president needs to do is, frankly, put his big boy pants on and acknowledge that he lost," Kenney said.

Biden to deliver primetime address

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are expected to address the nation in a primetime speech this evening, a campaign official confirmed to The Guardian.

Biden is on the verge of victory after taking the lead in Pennsylvania, whose 20 electoral college votes would lift him above the 270-vote threshold to become the next president.

Philadelphia official says it could take several days to count remaining ballots

Philadelphia has about 40,000 ballots left to count, which could take several days to complete, Lisa Deeley, chair of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, said during a press conference Friday.

The ballots fall in three categories, "those that require review, provisionals, US military overseas ballots," said Deeley, reports CNN.

Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir urged patience.

"Ignore a lot of the noise that's going on, allow us to complete the counting process," Sabir said

Jeff Van Drew reelected

The AP just announced Republican Jeff Van Drew won reelection to his House seat.

Van Drew was originally elected as a Democrat in 2018, but he switched parties out of alleged outrage over the impeachment of Donald Trump.

Biden's leads in Pennsylvania, Nevada grow

Joe Biden’s leads in Pennsylvania and Nevada have grown with the latest updates from the two states.

In Pennsylvania, Biden’s lead now stands at 9,027 votes, which is expected to grow as more results come in from Philadelphia, reports the Guardian.

The Democratic nominee’s lead in Nevada has also increased to 22,076, or 1.7% of the total.

Biden's lead in Arizona slightly narrows

Maricopa county, the most populous county in Arizona, has just released a new batch of ballots.

With the latest update, Joe Biden’s vote number in Maricopa stands at 972,570, while Donald Trump is at 912,115. That represents a slight decrease in Biden’s lead from a day earlier, reports the Guardian.

As a reminder, the AP and the Guardian have already called Arizona for Biden, but some networks are still waiting to make a determination. The president’s team has continued to insist he can still take the lead.

Election analyst Nate Cohn said he does not believe the latest batch of ballots will be enough for Trump to be on track to win Arizona.

Trump's economic adviser: I think there will be a peaceful transfer of power

Despite reports that Donald Trump will refuse to concede if the presidential race is called for Joe Biden, a top White House adviser said there would be a peaceful transfer of power.

“I think there will be a peaceful transfer of power,” economic adviser Larry Kudlow told CNBC this morning.

“This is a great country, this is the greatest democracy in the world, and we abide by the rule of law and so will this president,” Kudlow added.

But the White House adviser said there some things to “clear up” in the presidential race, even as election officials in multiple battleground states have voiced confidence in the integrity of their vote counts.

Georgia secretary of state confirms there will be a recount

Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, has confirmed there will be a recount in the state.

“There will be a recount in Georgia,” Raffensberger said in Atlanta, promising transparency in the process.

Given how close the presidential race is in Georgia, it was expected that the state would conduct a recount.

As of now, Joe Biden leads Donald Trump by just 1,579 votes in Georgia, representing a virtual tie.

The recount will also have huge implications for control of the US Senate. As of now, Republican incumbent David Perdue’s vote share in his race has dipped below 50%, which would force a January runoff.

The other Georgia Senate race is already headed to a runoff. If both Georgia seats are up for grabs in January, it is possible Democrats could take control of the Senate if they won both those races and the White House.

Trump speaks after the development in Pennsylvania

Even Pennsylvania’s Republican senator, Pat Toomey, has disputed the president’s claims of fraud, reports the Guardian.

“The president’s speech last night was very disturbing to me because he made very, very serious allegations without any evidence to support it,” Toomey said this morning.

Trump campaign says it will challenge Biden’s victory

The Trump campaign released a statement Friday morning making clear they will contest the election, calling any projections of Joe Biden as the winner "false" and the race "far from final." 

"This election is not over. The false projection of Joe Biden as the winner is based on results in four states that are far from final," Trump campaign general counsel Matt Morgan said in a statement, reports CNN.

A winner in the presidential election has not been projected yet. Joe Biden currently has 253 electoral votes, while Trump has 213. It takes 270 electoral votes to win.

Morgan's statement continued: “Georgia is headed for a recount, where we are confident we will find ballots improperly harvested, and where President Trump will ultimately prevail. There were many irregularities in Pennsylvania, including having election officials prevent our volunteer legal observers from having meaningful access to vote counting locations.

“We prevailed in court on our challenge, but were deprived of valuable time and denied the transparency we are entitled to under state law. In Nevada, there appear to be thousands of individuals who improperly cast mail ballots. Finally, the President is on course to win Arizona outright, despite the irresponsible and erroneous calling of the state for Biden by Fox News and the Associated Press.” 

The statement makes clear the President has no intention of conceding as of now. 

"Biden is relying on these states for his phony claim on the White House, but once the election is final, President Trump will be re-elected," Morgan concluded.

Airspace now restricted over Biden’s home

New restricted "national defense airspace" has been put in place over Democratic nominee Joe Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Federal Aviation Administration posted the Temporary Flight Restriction on Wednesday, the day after the general election. An FAA notice to pilots available online shows the one mile radius no-fly zone is now active until next Wednesday morning, reports CNN.

The FAA says airspace has also been temporarily restricted over the nearby Chase Center, where the stage is set for a possible Biden victory speech – should he ultimately win the presidential election.

Biden takes the lead in Pennsylvania

Democratic candidate Joe Biden has taken the lead in Pennsylvania over President Trump.

Trump cannot be reelected if he doesn't win Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes, no matter how many other states he wins, reports CNN.

His chances of securing reelection will hinge on the developments in this state.

The remaining pool of Philadelphia votes to be counted is about 25,000, according to a city official and an official familiar with the counting. 

These will take longer to count because they are provisional ballots, as well as ones that require review because of such issues as dates and signatures. 

The sources said city election officials are starting this batch from scratch.

"It’s going to be a while," one of the sources said.

More results expected from Pennsylvania soon

Election officials are expected to soon release more results on their vote count in the Keystone State, reports CNN.

Biden is only behind President Trump by a little more than 18,000 votes in Pennsylvania right now, after having trailed at one point by more than half a million ballots in the hours after polls closed. Tens of thousands of votes — most of them from strongly Democratic areas, including around Philadelphia — remain to be counted.

Trump cannot find a route to 270 electoral votes without Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes.

Right now, Biden has 253 electoral votes. If he wins Pennsylvania, he's over the 270 electoral vote threshold.

Secret Service sends more agents to Delaware in anticipation of a potential Biden win

More US Secret Service agents have been sent to Wilmington, Delaware, in anticipation of a potential Joe Biden presidential win, CNN has learned. 

The extra Secret Service agents were sent to Delaware Thursday, two sources said, with one law enforcement source telling CNN: “This was anticipated.”  

Upon a presidential win, the USSS detail for a president-elect would get larger and mirror the size and scope of a president's. Additional airspace security measures are also implemented, a source familiar with USSS protocols said. A team for Biden has been on standby since last week, the source said.

“This is as expected. It’s actually a little bit delayed. It’s not telegraphing any specific concern,” said a senior law enforcement official said. The bolstering of security typically happens on election night, the official said, but USSS has played it "cautiously" as the agency does not want seen as making a decision on the election. 

On Wednesday, CNN observed additional security assets in Biden’s motorcade consistent with Presidential entourages that are equipped to handle a wide variety of threats and situations and are not part of the typical secret service teams a candidate receives, in addition to Biden’s original detail.

A USSS spokesperson declined to provide additional details, telling CNN: “For operational security reasons, the Secret Service cannot discuss specifically or in general terms the means, methods or resources we utilize to carry out our protective mission.”

McConnell: Every legal vote should be counted

McConnell's tweet marks his first public comment since President Trump's remarks in the White House on Thursday, in which he claimed, without evidence, that there was widespread voter fraud.

There have been no legitimate allegations of widespread voter fraud in this race, reports CNN.

"Here’s how this must work in our great country: Every legal vote should be counted. Any illegally-submitted ballots must not. All sides must get to observe the process. And the courts are here to apply the laws & resolve disputes. That's how Americans' votes decide the result," McConnell tweeted.

Chris Christie: Trump's White House remarks inflame without informing

Former New Jersey Gov Chris Christie called on President Trump to provide evidence for his claims in the White House briefing room, which, he said: “inflame without informing,” reports CNN.

“So if this stuff is going on that the President's talking about, all of us want it ferreted out, because it would undercut everything that we believe in our system. But as a prosecutor, that's like asking me to indict someone without showing me any evidence. If you're gonna say those things from behind the podium at the White House – it's his right to do it, it's his right to pursue legal action, but show us the evidence,” Christie said on ABC News Thursday.

Trump has not shown evidence to back up his claims of election fraud, which have so far been completely unsubstantiated.

“We heard nothing today about any evidence. I want to know what backs up what he said, so that I can analyze it. And let me tell you, if he's right I'll be outraged, I'm sure you would be, too,” Christie said.

“This kind of thing, all it does is inflame without informing. And we cannot permit inflammation without information,” he continued.

Joe Biden is inching closer to victory in Georgia

The latest votes tally has both candidates tightly matched, but with Biden 1,097 ahead, reports The Guardian.

For Joe Biden, Pennsylvania is personal

Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton plays a central role in his identity as “Scranton Joe.” It was central to his Scranton versus Park Avenue messaging he used in his pitch to working class voters, particularly in Pennsylvania and the upper Midwest, reports CNN.

The Biden campaign expects to win Pennsylvania by a “sizable” margin when all the votes are counted.

If that comes to fruition, it would be the payoff for Biden’s many trips to the Keystone State during his campaign, which he kicked off and closed in Pennsylvania.

Biden spent Sunday, Monday and Election Day almost exclusively in Pennsylvania. On Election Day, Biden’s stops took a nostalgic turn, as he dropped by his boyhood home in Scranton as well as other favorite places in his hometown.

As of now, Biden is only behind Trump by a little more than 18,000 votes in the Keystone State, after having trailed at one point by more than half a million ballots in the hours after polls closed. Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt told CNN that there will be a vote count update in “the next hour or two.”

The state has 20 Electoral College votes. If Biden wins Pennsylvania, he would win the presidency.

 Biden increased his lead in Georgia

In Georgia, Biden increased his lead to 1,096 over Trump after another batch of ballots came in from Clayton County, a deep blue county just south of Atlanta, The New York Times reported.

'Philadelphia to have another vote count update in 'the next hour or two'

CNN reports, Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt said that there will be a vote count update in “the next hour or two.”

“We have been counting for the past several hours. And I expect you'll see another update in the next hour or two,” he told CNN’s Don Lemon.

“The counting in Philadelphia has continued uninterrupted from the beginning. We had a brief pause yesterday for about two hours as a result of some litigation, but it's just critically important that we continue counting every eligible vote cast by voters in Philadelphia,” he said. “We got about 360,000 total mail-in ballots in Philadelphia. We've counted about a little over 306,000 … and [are] at 50,000 some yet to report.”

The next update will not be the total 50,000 ballots, Schmidt said, adding that “it’s important that we all do this in the right way and that we report information until the official channels like we always do.”

Schmidt also said that election observers have been watching the vote count process “the entire time.”

“Observers from the Democratic Party and Republican Party, from the Biden campaign and the Trump campaign, have been in our counting area observing right up against where the process is taking place from the very beginning on election morning when we began this,” he said.

Global media highlight US 'chaos' and legal battles

As votes from Tuesday's election continue to be counted, the world's media is focused on the legal moves taken by Donald Trump and continues to discuss the "chaos" around the count, reports BBC.

China's nationalist tabloid Global Times said the vote had "given birth to division, violence and anguish" in the US. In China, the election "has mainly served as entertainment," "a sneak-peek into the US and its chaotic society," it added.

Iran's broadcast media reported street protests over the counting process in different US states. Radio Iran (VIRI) reported on "ambiguity in the outcome of the US election, as election chaos escalates."

In Russia, the US election was no longer the top story on the major pro-Kremlin TV channels this morning, as networks focused on Russian anti-Covid efforts. All channels featured Trump's vote-rigging claims without mentioning that so far no evidence has substantiated them.

In South Asia, India's Hindustan Times carried the headline: "US Election 2020: Does Donald Trump have a legal case? Jury is out," while Pakistan's daily Dawn said: "Biden on cusp of White House victory, Trump turns to courts."

Biden takes narrow lead in Georgia, putting White House in reach

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden took a narrow lead over President Donald Trump in the battleground state of Georgia for the first time early on Friday, putting the White House within his reach as it and other undecided states continue to count ballots.

Biden has a 253 to 214 lead in the state-by-state Electoral College vote that determines the winner, according to most major television networks. Winning Georgia's 16 electoral votes would put the former vice president on the cusp of the 270 he needs to secure the presidency.

Biden, 77, would become the next president by winning Pennsylvania, or by winning two out of the trio of Georgia, Nevada and Arizona. Trump's likeliest path appears narrower - he needs to hang onto both Pennsylvania and Georgia and also to overtake Biden in either Nevada or Arizona.

Biden is now ahead by 917 votes in Georgia, where counting continued early on Friday.

Trump sons stand by their father's election claims

While Donald Trump's political allies remained silent or distanced themselves Thursday from the US president, increasingly alone in his fight against what he says is widespread election "fraud," his oldest sons declared their filial loyalty.

Donald Trump Jr, the eldest, called on his father in a tweet to wage "total war" against the cheating that he believes is tainting the presidential election.

His younger brother Eric also targeted the party that his father theoretically heads.

"Where are Republicans! Have some backbone. Fight against this fraud. Our voters will never forget you if your sheep!" he wrote.

'Chill Donald, Chill': Climate activist Greta Thunberg hits back at Donald Trump

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg hit back at Donald Trump on Twitter late on Thursday saying the US president should "chill" about the election, a repost to his tweet last year mocking the teenager over what he called her anger management issues.

Commenting on Trump tweeting "STOP THE COUNT!" on Thursday, as the election race in the United States went to the wire, 17-year-old Thunberg tweeted: "So ridiculous. Donald must work on his Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Donald, Chill!"

The tweet has been liked 1.2 million times so far and retweeted 266,000 times.

Neck-to-neck: Tied at Georgia with 49.4%

The Democratic candidate Joe Biden quickly closes in on President Donald Trump in Georgia, generally a republican state. The former vice president and the current president are just about neck and neck in Georgia after the president's lead plunged below 2,000 votes in the latest ballot count late Thursday night, reports Daily Mail.

In Georgia, Trump got 2,447,343 votes while his democratic contender Joe Biden got 2,445,568 votes, giving Trump a razor thin and fast vanishing lead of 1,775 votes. That put both candidates in equal standing in terms of percentage points with each holding 49.4% of the vote.

There are now approximately 14,000 ballots that still need to be processed in the state in addition to the 8,900 overseas and military ballots that are due to arrive by 5pm on Friday.

Trump loses grip on Georgia

Trump's standing in Georgia has swiftly weakened in the last 24 hours, having been up 9,000 votes on Thursday morning and 18,000 on Wednesday night.  

Biden could win the election with Georgia, which amounts to 16 electoral college points, if he holds on to his lead in Arizona.

In Arizona and Nevada, Biden held on to slim leads. If Biden wins both those states he would win the presidency.

Tight race in Pennsylvania

But the biggest piece of the puzzle was Pennsylvania, where Trump's early lead was again steadily draining away.

In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, with 95% of the estimated vote tallied so far, Trump has 49.5% and Biden has 49.2% of vote, as per edison research.

And according to AP’s projection reported by USA Today, Trump is on the lead by 22389 votes with a total of 3,285,239 votes (49.6%), while Biden is three decimal points behind with 49.3% and has a total of 3,262,850 votes.

For Trump to find the 53 electoral votes he needs, he would need to win Pennsylvania, plus all three other states.

Perhaps the most sought-after swing state of 2020, Pennsylvania is a top target for both Democrats and Republicans. Donald Trump won here in 2016, but Pennsylvania supported the Democrat in every presidential election from 1992 to 2012.

Philly polling centre: Alleged plot to attack being investigated

In Philadelphia, police are reportedly investigating a tip about an alleged plot to attack the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where officials are counting ballots. 

6abc Action News reports that law enforcement took a man into custody. “Action News has learned that police got a tip about a group, possibly a family, driving up from Virginia in a Hummer to unleash an attack at the Convention Center,” the network reported.

Here's where vote-counting stands in 5 swing states

The presidential race between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden remains on a razor's edge as election workers in key states continue to count ballots, reports CNN.

Biden currently has 253 electoral votes, while Trump has 214.

Here's a look at where vote-counting stands in five key states :

Arizona

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said Thursday morning that approximately 450,000 ballots are left for the state to count — with about 300,000 of those coming from populous Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and its suburbs. Hobbs, speaking on NBC, did not have an estimate on how long it would take for the remaining ballots to be counted. She described the remaining ballots as including "early ballots that voters dropped off on Election Day at polling places." She said workers Thursday morning were verifying signatures before the ballots could be tabulated. Eleven electoral votes hang in the balance.

Georgia

About 47,000 ballots are outstanding in Georgia as of 3 pm ET, election official Gabriel Sterling said in a news conference Thursday. Trump was ahead by fewer than 15,000 votes around midday Thursday, according to the latest reports. Chatham County, which includes Savannah, had the most ballots still uncounted Thursday morning, more than 17,000 votes. Sixteen electoral votes hang in the balance.

Nevada

It's hard to determine how many ballots are outstanding in Nevada because the state is one of a handful that mailed ballots to all active registered voters. Election officials will count mail-in ballots received through November 10, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. Biden's lead increased to nearly 12,000 votes in Nevada midday Thursday after an updated result release by the state. Officials in Clark County, home to Las Vegas and more than 70% of the state's voters, said they expect to have all of their ballots counted by the end of the weekend. Six electoral votes are at play here.

North Carolina

Trump leads in North Carolina by more than 75,000 votes, with an estimated 95% reported. The state is not expected to report any additional results until next week. To finish its count, North Carolina is waiting to see if 116,000 outstanding requested absentee ballots are returned by November 12. In North Carolina, an Election Day-postmarked ballot can be counted if it is received by 5pm ET on November 12. But the state still does not know how many of those 116,000 voters chose to instead vote in person or drop off their ballot on Election Day, so the number of potential outstanding votes could shrink. Fifteen electoral votes are at stake here.

Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, about 370,000 ballots remain to be counted, state officials said. And Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar said election workers could finish tallying "the overwhelming majority" on Thursday and have a clear winner. Mail-in ballots continue to arrive in Pennsylvania where state law allows election officials to receive and count mail-in ballots that arrive by Friday. Boockvar has asked counties to segregate any ballots arriving between 8pm ET on November 3 and before 5pm on November 6 in light of a possible legal challenge from the Trump campaign. Twenty electoral votes are at stake here.

Biden will speak soon

Former Vice President Joe Biden is planning to deliver a statement to reporters soon at the Queen in Wilmington, according to the campaign.

Biden and Kamala Harris are currently finishing up the second of two briefings, according to reporters traveling with the former vice president.

Trump holds slim lead in Georgia

Trump held onto to a lead of 0.3 percentage points, or 12,835 votes, with 2% percent of the vote left to be counted.

Counting was continuing on Thursday afternoon, with just 47,000 outstanding ballots, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a press conference.

Wisconsin did not have more ballots than registered voters

False claims of more votes in Wisconsin than registered voters have been spreading online in the wake of Tuesday's election, reports BBC.

One tweet claimed: "BREAKING: Wisconsin has more votes than people who are registered to vote. Total number of registered voters: 3,129,000. Total number of votes cast: 3,239,920. This is direct evidence of fraud."

However, this number of registered voters is outdated - the latest figure as of 1 November is 3,684,726.

That tweet has now been deleted, but people on Facebook and Twitter continue to share a screenshot of the post.

Voter turnout for Wisconsin was significantly higher in this election than in previous years.

The state also allows people to register to vote on election day itself, so the overall number of registered voters could be higher than the current reported figure.

Pelosi: We did not win every battle, but we won the war

On an ongoing caucus call, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is giving a positive assessment of the outcome of Tuesday's election, a Democratic source on the call tells CNN. This is despite House Democratic losses that likely mean she will hold a smaller majority in the new Congress. 

"This was a big win," she told House Democrats, referring to Joe Biden nearing a White House win, keeping the House majority and likely gaining at least a seat in the Senate.

"We did not win every battle, but we won the war," Pelosi said, according to this source. 

Pelosi said that they "recognized from the start [2020] would be a steeper climb" to hold some of their seats because House Democrats did so well in deep red districts in 2018 when Trump wasn't on the ballot.

Pelosi is also talking up the importance of the two possible Georgia Senate runoffs to take back the Senate majority.

Trump campaign seeks public face for legal battle

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is actively searching for a legal spokesperson to spearhead the campaign's election litigation strategy in the coming days, two senior campaign officials told CBS News. Trump's personal attorney Jay Sekulow, who also represented the president during his impeachment trial in the Senate, has been floated for the position.

This person would function similarly to James Baker, who served as chief legal adviser for George W Bush during the battle over the Florida recount in the 2000 presidential election campaign.

President Trump's lead in Pennsylvania is steadily shrinking

President Trump's edge in Pennsylvania is growing smaller each day. As votes have continued to be counted in the hours since Tuesday, Democratic rival Joe Biden has been inching closer, says CNN's John King.

"Every time we get new votes, the President's lead is going down," King noted, whilst digging into various Pennsylvania counties at the Magic Wall.

A lead that was once as large as 500,000 votes, has dwindled to a figure slightly north of about 114,000.

With 92% of the votes counted, the President still holds an edge — 50.2% to 48.5% — but Biden's pursuit has been steady.

Pennsylvania could be decided tonight, secretary of state says

Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania secretary of state, has just told CNN that the winner of the state could be announced tonight.

There are still 550,000 ballots left to be processed, but officials are ahead of schedule and most will be counted by this evening, Boockvar said.

The key is Philadelphia, where there’s about 100,000 outstanding ballots and where Joe Biden is winning a whopping 80% of votes.

This means it may not matter that Allegany county, home to Pennsylvania’s second-largest city of Pittsburgh, has suspended counting until tomorrow.

Boockvar also said that Donald Trump’s legal appeal to discount mail-in ballots posted by 3 November, but which arrive before the end of Friday 6 November, would not make a significant difference as there’s only a few thousand.

As things stand, Trump cannot win without Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral college seats. His lead has shrunk from 618,000 on Wednesday morning to 111,000 right now.

Trump campaign loses lawsuit seeking to halt Michigan vote count

A judge has tossed a lawsuit brought by US President Donald Trump's campaign in hopes of halting vote-counting in Michigan.

Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens made the ruling during a court hearing on Thursday. She said she planned to issue a written ruling on Friday.

Campaign officials for Trump have said they filed the Michigan lawsuit to stop the counting there and gain greater access to the tabulation process.

The lawsuit was a "messaging exercise," said senior campaign advisor Bob Bauer for Democratic challenger and former US Vice President Joe Biden. "It has no other purpose than to confuse the public about what's taking place and to support their baseless claims of irregularity," Bauer said in the call with reporters.

Nevada close to result, but no final tally until 12 November

An additional 51,000 ballots will be reported tomorrow, according to Joe Gloria, an official in Clark County, which contains Las Vegas. There are still just over 63,200 ballots remaining, and a clearer result will likely come by the weekend.

"We are anticipating to have the bulk of our mail ballots that have been received into the system by Saturday or Sunday."

Gloria emphasised that the process was running slow because of the sheer number of mail-in ballots, not because of "any improper ballots that are being processed".

He said "a small number" of ballots are pending - including those that are delayed in the mail, but postmarked by 3 November - and likely won't be finalised until 12 November, in accordance with state rules.

Georgia judge dismisses lawsuit filed by Republicans over count of ballots

A Georgia state court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Georgia Republicans to prevent the "unlawful counting of ballots received after the election" in Savannah. They filed the lawsuit after a poll watcher for the party allegedly viewed unprocessed absentee ballots mixed in with absentee ballots that were set to be tabulated, reports CNN.

Georgia’s secretary of state said there are about 50,000 ballots left to be counted in the state, where Donald Trump remains narrowly ahead.

As of now, Trump leads Joe Biden by 13,540 votes in Georgia, so the Democratic nominee needs to win about 63% of the remaining vote to capture the state.

Biden campaign expresses confidence of victory

Joe Biden’s campaign manager brushed off “meritless” legal attempts by Donald Trump’s reelection campaign to create uncertainty around the voting process, as a handful of states count outstanding votes.

“Joe Biden now has won more votes than any presidential candidate in history, and we’re still counting," Biden's campaign manager Jenn O'Malley Dillion said on Thursday, The Guardian reports.

"Over 140 million votes have been counted so far with more than 72 million of those votes going to vice-president Biden,” Dillon said during a press conference.

Vote counting temporarily stumbles in Philadelphia

Ballot counting in Philadelphia was briefly halted after state Democrats appealed a ruling that allowed observers to watch the process, New York Times reports.

The state Supreme Court has not accepted or rejected the appeal. Counting resumed.

CNN reports that a Pennsylvania court ruled allowing Trump campaign observers to stand closer to watch ballot processing in Philadelphia—a relatively inconsequential ruling that Trump campaign associates quickly touted as being a massive win. 

No court has found wrongdoing in the ballot-counting process in Philadelphia.

“It allows their observers to stand a little closer, but it is not an order that will have any impact on the outcome of the election,” law professor and CNN elections analyst Franita Tolson said on Thursday, noting that the decision was “not massive at all.”

Biden's lead widens in Nevada

Joe Biden's lead in Nevada has gone up from 7,647 to around 11,000, CNN reports.

Biden holds 49.5% of the vote, while Trump holds 48.5%, as of 11:25pm on Thursday, Bangladesh time.

Pennsylvania county to pause counting remaining ballots till Friday

Allegheny County in Pennsylvania, one of the key states, will not count any more ballots until Friday because of a court order over some 29,000 disputed ballots, according to county officials.

But the county will still be preparing for a resumption of the counting on Friday, CNN reports.

The order stems from a legal challenge over misprinted ballots that had to be reissued to some voters. The county agreed not to count the potential pool of reprinted ballots until Novermb 6 at 5 p.m. local time, the deadline for receiving mail-in that were sent by election day.

Allegheny County poll workers will not be counting today because the bulk of the remaining pool of ballots in the county are the disputed pile. Allegheny Executive Rich Fitzgerald said they would be continuing to process ballots on Thursday but they might not be scanning them.

Trump cries 'fraud'

Trump is reacting to the state of play in his now-standard manner: by demanding election officials stop counting valid ballots.

There are about 50,000 votes left to count in Georgia

An election official counts absentee ballots at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

As of 8.10pm Bangladesh time, there are close to 50,000 votes left to be counted in Georgia, according to Walter Jones, spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office.

There were no further immediate details. 

Trump supporters protest outside Arizona vote center

A crowd of Donald Trump supporters, some armed with rifles and handguns, gathered outside an election center in Arizona after unsubstantiated rumors that votes for the Republican president were deliberately not being counted.

The US presidential race is now down to close contests in five key states – Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina and Alaska.

Trump's lead shrinks in Georgia

Trump has seen his lead shrink in Georgia to just 28,827 votes, with 95% of the vote now in. Trump had 2,427,542 votes to Joe Biden's 2,398,715 votes. They're separated by a razor-thin margin of 0.6%.

Heavily Democratic Fulton County, which has currently reported 94% of its vote, said it expected to finish its counting at some point after midnight. Georgia has so far reported 95% of its vote.

Trump's lead narrows in Pennsylvania

Trump's lead has narrowed to 182,561 in Pennsylvania with 1,066,963 mail ballots still uncounted. About 88% of the vote is in, and Trump currently leads Biden 50.8% to 47.9%. 

It's a significant drop from last night, when Trump held a much stronger lead of 379,639 votes over Biden. 

The ballots that are outstanding seem likely to favor Biden. They were cast by mail, and of the 3.1 million mail ballots requests in Pennsylvania, 63% were from Democrats, 25% from Republicans and 12% other. It remains to be seen if there's enough support for Biden among the million or so ballots left to surpass Trump.

Portland declares riot, deploys National Guard

Kate Brown, the governor of Portland, Oregon, activated National Guard troops after protesters engaged in what authorities said was “widespread violence” in the city’s downtown, including smashing windows.

“It’s important to trust the process, and the system that has ensured free and fair elections in this country through the decades, even in times of great crisis,” Brown said in a statement. “We are all in this together.”

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s office declared a riot at 10:30pm Bangladesh time on Thursday and made at least nine arrests, according to a statement on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, thousands of people held a peaceful rally, featuring lectures and music, demanding a complete count of the votes and an end to police brutality.

Meanwhile, US beaks record for daily Covid-19 cases

The US set a one-day record for new coronavirus cases on Wednesday with at least 102,591 new cases and as hospitals in several states reported an increasing number of patients, according to a count from the Reuters news agency.

Nine states reported record one-day increases in cases on Wednesday: Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

Biden vows to rejoin Paris climate deal if elected 

Joe Biden has said he would immediately return the United States to the Paris accord if elected president, a day after Washington withdrew from the climate change pact.

Joe Biden has won more votes than any US presidential candidate in history – but the race for the White House remains too close to call.



Highlights 

*Joe Biden is six electoral college votes away from becoming the next president of the United States.

*The counts are close in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona, as officials continue tabulating ballots. 

*The president’s re-election campaign launched lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Georgia.

*Trump supporters protested at a Detroit vote-counting site, and outside a Phoenix election center. 

*Twitter flagged more of Trump’s tweets for pushing misinformation about the election results.

Who is leading where?

Pennsylvania, where Trump leads Biden by 164,000 votes, with uncounted ballots remaining in Democrat-leaning Philadelphia county.

Georgia, where Trump is leading by about 28,000 voters – with counting ongoing.

Arizona, where Biden is leading by 79,000 votes - but Trump has been narrowing the gap.

Trump, Biden are running neck and neck in Nevada

Donald Trump and Joe Biden are running neck and neck in Nevada as officials continue to tabulate vote counts. Biden leads by less than one point, and the state could decide this election. 

Clash outside Clark County Election Headquarters

Trump supporters and right-wing “Stop the Steal” protestors clashed with “Count the Vote” protestors outside the Clark County Election in Las Vegas.

Clark County Election

Paths to victory remain for both Trump and Biden

According to Tom McCarthy, national affairs correspondent for The Guardian, Biden has more ways to win and appears to be running stronger state to state, based on the places where large absentee votes have yet to be counted.

Biden leads the electoral college vote tally 253-214 after he was declared the winner in Michigan and Wisconsin on Wednesday and Trump gained one vote in Maine. Adding Alaska for Trump – which had not been called but where the result is not in doubt – gives the president 217.

From there, four states remained to be called as Wednesday evening approached in the US: Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.

Count every vote

Across the US, protestors – most aligned with Democratic and progressive – are demanding that officials “count every vote.”

According to The Guardian demonstrators gathered outside Dallas City Hall in Texas.

Presidential election moves to the courts 

A number of court cases are set to play out in the coming days, and possibly weeks, in the aftermath of the election. Trump turned to the courts to try to invalidate votes in Pennsylvania and block Michigan officials from counting ballots. His campaign also filed a lawsuit in a Georgia county over late-arriving ballots. There is also litigation involving the US Postal Service.

Vote counting expected to continue for days in Pennsylvania

Trump is in the lead, by 187,000 votes, but the difference between votes cast for Trump and those cast for Joe Biden has been shrinking with each batch of results released. Almost 80% of the votes counted today were for Biden, reports The Guardian.

Trump leads in Georgia

With 107,751 votes remaining to count, Donald Trump’s lead over Joe Biden in Georgia is down to 37,322 votes, reports The Guardian.

The Guardian projection: Biden's lead narrows in Arizona

Biden’s lead in  Arizona state narrowed. The two presidential candidates are now just 79,000 votes apart. More results are expected in three hours.

Biden wins Michigan 

CNN and AP project Joe Biden to win both Wisconsin and Michigan, extending his foothold in the pivotal Rust Belt. Although the Trump campaign is looking to challenge the count in both states, a Biden win means he can chart a course to victory without Pennsylvania.

CNN projection: Biden wins Wisconsin

Joe Biden will win Wisconsin, CNN projects. There are 10 electoral votes at stake in Wisconsin. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the 2020 presidential election.

Who won in 2016: President Trump carried the state and won the general election.

Biden officially wins most votes for any presidential candidate

Biden has 69,543,071 votes tallied for him so far, breaking a record of most votes for any presidential candidate.

In 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama made history by winning 69,498,516 total votes -- the most of any presidential candidate in history at that time.

Biden leads in Wisconsin after Trump demands recount

The former vice president is leading in  the state by 20,697 votes, according to a final ballot count. The state is now beginning processes to ensure there were no issues during the vote count, before officially announcing a winner.

Trump disputes Arizona win for Biden 

The Trump campaign claims that news outlets have got it wrong and the president still has a chance to win Arizona.

Earlier, the Associated Press declared that Biden had flipped the state that the president won in 2016, based on an analysis of ballots that Trump did not have enough outstanding to catch up.

AP made the call with 80% of the expected vote counted as Biden was ahead by 5 percentage points, with a roughly 130,000-vote lead over Trump with about 2.6 million ballots counted. 

The remaining ballots left to be counted, including mail-in votes in Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located and Biden performed strongly, were not enough for Trump to catch up to the former vice president, AP stated.

Trump campaign demands recount in Wisconsin 

Trump’s campaign is already demanding a recount of the vote in Wisconsin, as polls showed Joe Biden with a narrow lead in the state Trump won in 2016.

Biden holds a narrow lead in Michigan for first time

There’s movement in the numbers in Michigan. Biden is shown to be ahead for the first time.

Pennsylvania situation

Philadelphia election officials are holding a press conference at 9:30pm Bangladesh time, followed by an update from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's administration on the state's election.

Georgia situation 

Fulton County, Georgia, has just begun counting absentee ballots. An estimated 48,000 absentee ballots are still outstanding. 

Fulton County is Georgia's most populous county with more than a million inhabitants.

Roughly 79,000 absentee mail ballots are still uncounted in DeKalb County. They are scheduled to start counting at 11pm Bangladesh time.

Biden is ahead in Wisconsin 

The counting of votes is still underway in Wisconsin. Throughout much of the night, Trump was ahead by over 100,000 votes, but now, with 97% votes reported, Joe Biden is ahead by nearly 21,000 votes.

What happened? The answer lies in mail-in voting, according to CNN’s Phil Mattingly.

Four states where the number of votes left to count is getting down to 10% or less

Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan. Of these, Trump holds a decent lead in Georgia and North Carolina.

Wisconsin and Michigan are much, much tighter. In Michigan, Trump leads by just 13,057, and there are around 540,000 votes still to be counted.

In Wisconsin, Biden has the edge by 20,748, with 173,000 votes remaining to be counted.

Nevada, Pennsylvania and Alaska are also uncalled, but will take much longer to come in.

Nevada: No more results till Thursday

Nevada's elections division announced on Wednesday that no more results will be released until Thursday at 11pm Bangladesh time.

Biden leads by over 7,700 votes in Wisconsin 

Biden ahead in Wisconsin by 7,700 votes with 96% of ballots counted.

Democrats react to Trump: Dangerous and authoritarian 

Trump’s unfounded declaration that "frankly, we did win this election" has prompted a strong reaction from Democratic politicians. 

Key states to watch

The race for the presidency is usually decided in a small number of key battleground states that switch party allegiance between elections.

Pennsylvania: 20 electoral college votes

Estimated vote count 64%

Donald Trump    2,964,854 votes (55.8%)

Joe Biden     2,287,865 votes (43%)

Why does it matter?

Pennsylvania was one of the largest states to swing to Trump in the 2016 election. He won the state by a margin of just 0.7 percentage points, turning it Republican for the first time since 1992.


Michigan: 16 electoral college votes

Estimated vote count 69%

Donald Trump    1,977,941 votes (53.2%)

Joe Biden    1,680,876 votes (45.2%)

Why does it matter?

Trump won Michigan by just 0.2 percentage points in 2016 – the narrowest margin of any state. In the six elections prior, the state consistently voted Democratic.


Georgia: 16 electoral college votes

Estimated vote count 94% 

Donald Trump        2,380,946 votes (50.5%)

Joe Biden        2,278,123 votes (48.3%)

Why does it matter?

Long a Republican stronghold, southern Georgia has recently become more of a battleground state due to its growing black electorate. In the 2018 governor’s election, Republican Brian Kemp defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams by just 1.4 percentage points.


North Carolina: 15 electoral college votes

Estimated vote count 94%

Donald Trump    2,732,104 votes (50.1%)

Joe Biden    2,655,392 votes (48.7%)

Why does it matter?

Historically Republican-leaning, North Carolina has become increasingly competitive in recent years. The state’s recent voting patterns mirror a national trend towards more polarization, with cities swinging further towards the Democrats and rural areas towards the Republicans.


Wisconsin: 10 electoral college votes

Estimated vote count 94%

Donald Trump    1,528,715 votes (51.1%)

Joe Biden    1,420,063 votes (47.4%)

Why does it matter?

Wisconsin sided with the Democratic candidate in all presidential elections from 1988 through 2012, although sometimes by very narrow margins. In 2016, Trump managed to flip the state despite his underdog status in the polls.

Biden wins Arizona

Joe Biden has been declared the winner of Arizona and its 11 electoral votes, the AP just announced.

Trump attacks vote counting efforts, claims fraud without basis

Trump pushed a baseless accusation of “fraud” in the presidential election, as he declared victory without the results to back that up.

“This is a fraud on the American public,” the president said at the White House. “This is an embarrassment to our country.”

"Millions and millions of people voted for us," Trump said in the East Room. "A very sad group of people is trying to disenfranchise that group of people."

His remarks were laced with misleading statements and outright falsehoods and amounted to an assault on the Democratic process. He insisted that states where vote tallies currently show him leading should be called in his favor, despite significant outstanding votes yet to be counted.

Trump declares 'phenomenal' results

Trump expressed confidence about winning Pennsylvania, as the state continues to count ballots.

“Most importantly we’re winning Pennsylvania by a tremendous amount of votes,” the president said at the White House.

But again, there are many outstanding votes in Pennsylvania, and it’s still unclear who has won the pivotal swing state.

“It’s also clear that we have won Georgia,” Trump said at the White House. “They can’t catch us.”

"We were getting ready for a big celebration," he says. "We were winning everything."

Taking a triumphant tone, Trump celebrates his big win of the night in Florida.

"We didn't win it, we won it by a lot," he says.

Trump is speaking from the White House

Trump is speaking to a crowd, many of whom are without masks, from the White House right now.

What happens if Trump, Biden tie in the Electoral College?

The Constitution is pretty clear on how this plays out. If there is no winner in the Electoral College, Article 2, Section 1, Clause 3 states that the decision goes to the House of Representatives while the Senate picks the vice president. 

Ilhan Omar wins reelection

Democrat Ilhan Omar, a member of the progressive Squad in Congress, will hold onto her US House seat in Minnesota after she won reelection and defeated a well-funded Republican challenger.

Omar, who has become a high-profile lawmaker during her first-term in Congress, was widely expected to win in the state's heavily Democratic 5th congressional district, but Lacy Johnson, her GOP opponent, nevertheless raised a significant amount of money despite facing an uphill battle, reports CNN.

CNN projection: Biden wins 1 electoral vote in Nebraska, Trump wins total of 4 electoral votes

Joe Biden will win one electoral vote in Nebraska, and President Trump will win an additional vote, giving him total of four out of five votes.

There are five electoral votes at stake in Nebraska. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the 2020 presidential election.

Nebraska allows electoral votes to be split. In Nebraska, two of five electoral votes go to the winner of the statewide vote. One electoral vote goes to the winner in each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts.

Protesters gather outside White House 

More than 1,000 people protesting President Trump have descended on Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House.

Hundreds more are marching through parts of downtown Washington early Wednesday, sometimes blocking traffic and setting off fireworks.

Twitter slaps warning on Trump’s election tweet

Twitter almost immediately responded to Donald Trump’s tweet alleging “they” were trying to steal the election.

Per Twitter’s label: “Some or all of the content shared in this tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process.”

Trump claims Democrats are trying to steal the election

Donald Trump said he would be making a statement tonight, baselessly accusing Democrats of trying to “steal” the presidential election.

As soon as Joe Biden finished his short remarks, Trump took to twitter to say he’ll be making a statement shortly about “a big WIN!”

“We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!” Trump said.

There is no evidence that anyone is trying to cast a ballot after polls have closed, and the presidential election remains too close to call, as we await results from key Midwestern battleground states.

Biden: 'I believe we’re on track to win this election'

Joe Biden is now addressing supporters in Delaware, as the presidential race remains too close to call.

“We knew this was going to be long,” the Democratic nominee said. “But look: we feel good about where we are. We really do.”

Biden added, “I believe we’re on track to win this election.”

Biden emphasized the country had to wait until every vote was counted to determine the winner of the presidential election.

Delaware, Vermont elect first US transgender state legislators

Democratic candidates in the US states of Delaware and Vermont made history Tuesday when they became the first openly transgender legislators in their states.

Sarah McBride, 30, became Delaware's first trans senator, taking 86% of the vote in the state's first Senate district. She is also the first openly trans state senator in the United States and the highest-ranking trans official in the country.

Further north in Vermont, Taylor Small, 26, became the state's first transgender representative, taking 43% and 41% of the vote in her two districts.

ABC news: Young voters turning out less than expected

Heading into election night, experts had been tracking whether the country could see a major generational shift in the electorate this year. So far, there aren't indications of that in the preliminary national exit polls.

The 18-29 year-olds and 30-44 year-olds make up the same percentage of the electorate as they did in 2016.

Those youngest voters are breaking toward Biden by much more than they did to Hillary Clinton in 2016, but among 30-44 year olds, Biden is only winning by about the same as Clinton. There are no major third-party candidates this year, while 10% of young people voted for a third-party candidate or gave no answer in exit polls.

Older voters, over 65, make up a similar percentage of the vote as they did in 2016, making up about 21% in preliminary exit polls compared to 20% in 2016.

Biden to soon address the country 

Joe and Jill Biden are expected to soon address the country from their home state of Delaware, as the presidential race remains too close to call.

The Democratic nominee is expected to urge patience with the tabulation of votes while expressing confidence about his results in Arizona and the Midwest.

Arizona could be first surprise

Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds reporting from Los Angeles, says that Arizona could be one of the surprises.

“It has not been called yet, but it’s looking good for Joe Biden,” Reynolds said. 

“And this is extraordinary because Arizona is formerly a rock-ribbed Republican state … it hasn’t gone for a Democratic President since 1996.”

Here's how the candidates are looking

Joe Biden is projected to win 14 states, plus Washington DC. Those states are Vermont, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Colorado, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Illinois, California, Oregon, Washington state, and Washington DC

Donald Trump is projected to win 17 states. Those are Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia, Arkansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, Nebraska and Nebraska 3rd District, Utah, Missouri, Kansas, Wyoming, and Mississippi


Trump projected to win Wyoming, Mississippi

President Donald Trump is projected to defeat Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Wyoming and Mississippi, according to NBC News.

Wyoming has three electoral votes, while Mississippi has six. Trump won both states in 2016 and was widely expected to carry them again this year.

Biden boosted by projected win in California 

Biden will win the Pacific West Coast -- taking California, Oregon and Washington -- ABC News projects, and raising his Electoral College standing to 187 votes.

CNN Projection: Biden wins Washington state

Joe Biden will win Washington, CNN projects. There are 12 electoral votes at stake in Washington.

Trump projected to win 3 out of 5 electoral votes in Nebraska

ABC News projects Trump will win the state of Nebraska -- but because the state allocates electoral votes based on both the statewide result and the results in congressional districts, the electoral votes are not allocated all at once.

Democrats are still hoping to flip Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, stopping Trump from another electoral vote.

Trump projected to win Missouri

President Donald Trump is projected to win Missouri, according to NBC News. The state is worth ten electoral votes. President Trump won Missouri in 2016 with 56.4% of the vote.

Trump projected to win Louisiana, Biden to take New Hampshire

Trump will hold onto Louisiana's eight electoral votes and Biden will gain four from taking New Hampshire, ABC News projects, raising Trump’s Electoral College standing to 83 votes and Biden’s to 93.

CNN Projection: Biden wins New Mexico

Joe Biden will win New Mexico, CNN projects. There are five electoral votes at stake in New Mexico. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the 2020 presidential election.

Who won in 2016: Former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton carried the state, and President Trump won the general election.

Trump leads in Ohio and Biden ahead in Arizona, but both races too early to call

President Donald Trump is leading Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Ohio, but the race is still too early to call, according to NBC News. Trump won the Buckeye State and its 18 electoral votes in 2016.

Biden holds the advantage in Arizona, but the contest also is too early to call, per NBC News. The state, which Trump won in 2016, has 11 electoral votes to award.

Polls close in 5 states 

The polls are closing in Iowa, Montana, Utah, in parts of Idaho and Nevada.

Democrats flip US Senate seat in Colorado

Colorado former governor John Hickenlooper defeated a sitting Republican in the US Senate on Tuesday, flipping the seat to the Democrats as the party aims to snatch control of the upper chamber of Congress.

Hickenlooper, a 68-year-old businessman and geologist and former presidential hopeful, handily defeated one-term Senator Cory Gardner, with Fox News and NBC News calling the race.

CBS News projection: Biden wins New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Colorado; Trump wins Arkansas, South Dakota

CBS News projects that Trump wins Arkansas and its six electoral votes, as well as South Dakota and its three electoral votes.

Biden has won New Jersey and its 14 electoral votes, Connecticut and its seven electoral votes, Maryland and its 10 electoral votes, and Colorado and its nine electoral votes.

Early reaction from Florida: Biden lost ground with crucial Cuban constituency

As vote totals in Miami-Dade, Florida's most populous county, show Biden underperforming compared to the 2016 election totals, political analysts there saw signs of a new phenomenon -- the migration of some segments of the Hispanic community further away from Democrats.

Home to the largest concentration of Cubans outside the island nation, Biden is carrying about 54% of the vote. Four years earlier, Hillary Clinton won the county with 63% of the vote.

Biden strong in Ohio 

Results in Ohio are offering a surprise so far. With 67% of the vote counted statewide, Biden is leading by 50% to 48.8%, outperforming Trump in some crucial counties.

If that holds, it would be a big surprise. Trump won Ohio by eight points in 2016 – a huge swing considering the state voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Key to that win was Trump winning nine traditionally Democratic counties by big numbers.

So far, Biden is outperforming Hillary Clinton in all nine of those counties. Trump won Montgomery county, in south-east Ohio, with 47.7% to Clinton’s 47%. Tonight, with 62% of the votes counted, Biden is leading 58.6% to 39.9%.

Join Dhaka Tribune webinar on US election

Join us to watch the Dhaka Tribune US Election 2020 Live with Zafar Sobhan. Lawyer and political scientist Stephen Diamond, author and journalist Shahirah Majumdar and freelance journalist Nader Rahman is also present at the webinar.

States, where each candidate has the lead as of 8am

Based on the votes counted so far, this is where each candidate currently has the lead.

Joe Biden:

North Carolina, Ohio, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas

Donald Trump:

Florida, Michigan, Georgia, Virginia

It's still early and these numbers could change as more votes are counted.

CNN projection: Biden wins New York

Joe Biden will win New York, CNN projects. There are 29 electoral votes at stake in New York. 

It takes 270 electoral votes to win the 2020 presidential election.

Who won in 2016: Former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton carried the state.

Battleground update

While several non-competitive states have been called already, winners have not been projected yet in any of the competitive battleground states whose polls have closed.

Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania are all too close to call, per the Associated Press. Trump won all but New Hampshire in 2016. And there are some signs in the exit polls and the vote count that show some early positive signs for Trump and Biden in different states.

In Florida, Trump is keeping Biden’s margin of victory down in Miami-Dade, the state’s most populous county.

In North Carolina and Ohio, exit polls suggest Biden is receiving more support among suburban voters than Trump did in 2016.

The Associated Press, which is one of several US media organization making calls, waits until a significant number of votes have been counted, while also analyzing exit polling data, in competitive states before they make projections.

Pipe bursts at Atlanta ballot processing facility

A pipe burst in State Farm Arena in Atlanta and it delayed processing of ballots by about four hours, according to deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs.

"It had no impact on ballots, not a single ballot was damaged," Fuchs said, stating that any reports of damaged ballots are false.

State Farm Arena is the largest ballot processing center in the Fulton County, according to Fuchs. It is not yet clear exactly what effect this will have on results out of Fulton County, Georgia's most populous county in the state.

In Florida, Trump is winning

5 of 10 Latino voters vs 4 of 10 in 2016

3 of 10 non-white voters vs 2 of 10 in 2016

5 of 10 white female college graduates vs 6 of 10 in 2016

(Source: Edison Research exit polls)

Neck and neck in Florida

Florida has been flipping back and forth between Trump and Biden, at one point separated by as little as 9,200 votes, according to CNN. Votes are close in Georgia and Ohio and leaning Biden in the early going, two states Trump won in 2016.

Trump picks up four states while Biden wins seven others

With polls closing in many states moments ago, the AP has just made a flurry of calls in the presidential race.

Joe Biden has won seven states, including his home state of Delaware. The Democratic nominee won Rhode Island, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, Delaware and Connecticut.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has won the states of Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.

However, none of these states are battlegrounds, so the results are not surprising. The major prizes of the night remain up for grabs.

Trump wins South Carolina

Donald Trump has won South Carolina and its nine electoral votes, the AP just announced.

Trump was expected to win the state, but South Carolina’s key Senate race between Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham and Democrat Jaime Harrison remains too close to call.

FBI concerned with election security

ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas said the FBI is concerned about disinformation from bad actors in the coming days.

"If we don't know who the president is for a couple days, they expect and anticipate that we will see foreign nations and others try to stoke disinformation and chaos and undermine the democracy," Thomas said.

Thomas also noted that voting Tuesday was orderly, saying that law enforcement was grateful that there was not violence at the polls.

Florida saga

With about 80% of votes in, Biden leads by just 0.4% in the pivotal swing state of Florida, with the later votes expected to favor Trump.

As a reminder, Florida is a must-win state for Trump, while Biden can afford to lose it and still potentially win the presidency.

However, a Biden win in Florida would almost certainly eliminate any chance of Trump winning reelection, so the potential loss is a big one for Democrats.

Biden wins Virginia

Joe Biden has won Virginia and its 13 electoral votes, the AP has just announced. Virginia was a swing state during Barack Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012, but it has moved sharply toward Democrats in recent years.

Trump wins West Virginia

Trump has won West Virginia, giving the president another five electoral votes. The key swing states of Ohio and North Carolina, where polls closed moments ago, are still too close to call.

Florida climax

Donald Trump is looking much better in the key swing state of Florida, after disappointing early results for Joe Biden from Miami-Dade county.

Florida results 

Biden wins Vermont

Joe Biden has secured his first victory of the night, capturing three electoral votes in the safely Democratic state of Vermont.

Biden and Trump have now each won one state, but the true prizes of the night -- the battleground states -- have not yet been called, and polls remain open in most of them.

CNN projection: Trump wins Indiana

Trump will win Indiana, CNN projects.

There are 11 electoral votes at stake in Indiana. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the 2020 presidential election.

Who won in 2016: Trump carried the state and won the general election.

Polls close in 5 states 

The polls are closing in Georgia, Virginia, Vermont, South Carolina and Florida.

First polls close in pivotal swing state of Florida

It is 7pm ET, so the first polls have closed in the pivotal swing state of Florida. The westernmost part of the state will have polls open for another hour.

Polls have now also closed statewide in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia and Vermont.

Democrats have expressed confidence about their chances of flipping the traditionally conservative state of Georgia, which Donald Trump won by 5 points in 2016.

Why always votes in November

The first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month of November every four years is auspiciously set aside by Americans as part of a ritual they have been following since January 1845, when the Congress declared it to be the day when America will vote. 

The schedule was such that the earliest possible date for election is November 2 and the latest being November 8. The Congress in 1845 had finely plotted out the day as being most convenient for America’s voting population- white, adult males.

November was chosen as the month for voting because majority of America at that point in time was agrarian and by November the harvest season was over; which meant that working people did not require to take a day off for voting. 

The fact that most people had to travel long distances for the sake of voting also meant that it was necessary that voting took place only once the harvest season was over.

Republican National Committee moves to undisclosed location  

The Republican National Committee has moved its election night "war room" from its downtown headquarters in Washington to an undisclosed location in the district over security concerns related to potential civil unrest, a Republican official told CBS News. 

The city has been preparing for election night for days, with businesses boarding up storefronts and law enforcement readying their response to potential demonstrations.

Scene from Black Lives Matter Plaza outside the White House 

Kentucky results

New York Times

First results for Indiana have came in 

Trump echoed optimistic tone 

Donald Trump echoed the optimistic tone coming from his reelection campaign, claiming in a new tweet that he is “looking really good all over the country.”

New Hampshire results

Donald Trump 16 votes    (61.5%)

Joe Biden 10 votes (38.5%)

Polls close in 2 states 

The polls are closing in Indiana and Kentucky.

What to look for in the exit polls

The exit polls will offer some key clues about whether Trump or Biden is winning over the voters they need to clinch the White House. According to CNN’s Grace Sparks, here are things to watch for:

The key groups to watch for Trump: 

White voters without a college degree: This group propelled Trump to the presidency four years ago, but now, Biden hopes to narrow the gap. Trump won White voters without a college degree by 31 points in Michigan, 32 points in Pennsylvania and 28 points in Wisconsin. Trump needs to try to hold those margins again.

White women: Pre-election polls suggest Trump is losing ground with this group, but he needs to stop the bleeding to have a fighting chance. A gaping gender gap could be fatal to Trump's reelection bid. Trump won White women by 9 points in 2016.

Independent voters: Independent voters haven't given either candidate a double-digit advantage in more than 30 years. Could Biden break the streak? Trump narrowly won independent voters by 4 points in 2016, and he'll need to keep things close with this group to win again.

The key groups to watch for Biden: 

Seniors: Trump won voters over 65 years old by 7 points in 2016, but amid a pandemic that is disproportionately killing older Americans, Biden may win them back in key states like Florida. Plus, Trump won White seniors by 19 points. Can Biden break even?

Trump-to-Biden voters and former third party voters: How many former Trump voters can Biden convince to cross party lines? In a tight race, even picking off 5-10% of them could make a difference. Plus, almost 6% of voters went third party in 2016. Where will they fall now?

White voters with a college degree: One of the big surprises of 2016 came when White voters with a college degree backed Trump by 3 points. Polls suggest they will likely go for Biden in 2020, but Biden needs to run up the score, especially among college-educated women.

Black and Latino voters, especially men: Trump has been pushing to make inroads with Black and Latino men, where even a small shift could help make up losses with other groups. Hillary Clinton won Black men by 69 points and Latino men by 31 points in 2016. 

Early exit polls show voters focused on Covid-19 and the economy

Early exit polls show that voters are focused on the coronavirus pandemic and the economy. A majority of voters nationally and in key battleground states say that addressing the pandemic takes precedence over the economy, but answers were divided along party lines.

Most Biden voters say containing the coronavirus is more important, even if it hurts the economy. But most Trump voters say rebuilding the economy should be more important, even if it hurts efforts to contain the virus.

From a list of five issues — the economy, the coronavirus, racial inequality, health care policy and crime and safety — Trump voters overwhelmingly say the economy is the top issue for them today, and there is no issue that comes close. Currently, just 5% of Trump backers pick the coronavirus as their top issue. For Biden voters, racial inequality and the coronavirus pandemic are the top issues on their minds.

Joe Biden, Kamala Harris urge Americans to come out and vote


Republican governor says he voted for Biden

Phil Scott, Vermont's Republican governor, told reporters Tuesday that he cast his ballot for the Democratic nominee, according to Vermont newspaper Seven Days. He's the first GOP governor to publicly state he's supporting the candidate of the opposite party, although other prominent Republicans have said they wouldn't be voting for Trump.

"I put country over party," Scott said.

US Election Day: What to expect

Millions more were to vote in person on Tuesday, and the winner -- Republican President Donald Trump or Democratic challenger Joe Biden -- won't be known until the evening at the earliest.

Stocks had their second-biggest election day rally ever 

US financial markets rose sharply today, achieving their second-biggest election day rally after 2008.


North Carolina extends voting at four polling sites

Four polling locations in North Carolina will remain open past the state's official poll closing time of 7:30pm ET, the state's Board of Elections voted. The extension will delay the battleground state's reporting of election results by 45 minutes, to 8:15pm ET. 

Four polling sites in three different counties across the state experienced various issues Tuesday morning, forcing them to pause operations or open late. 


Biden: 'There's just so much in play right now'

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wouldn't commit to a plan if election results aren't made clear by the end of Tuesday night, telling reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, that he'll say something when he's ready.

"There’s just so much in play right now … We’ll see. If there’s something to talk about tonight, I’ll talk about it. If not, I’ll wait ‘til the votes are counted the next day," Biden said.

Judge orders sweep for outstanding mailed ballots amid delays

US District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered the US Postal Service (USPS) to conduct a sweep of some processing facilities to ensure no ballots have been held up and any discovered are immediately sent out for delivery.

The order calls on USPS inspectors or designers to conduct sweeps in Central Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Detroit, Colorado/Wyoming, Atlanta, Houston, Alabama, Northern New England, Greater South Carolina, South Florida, Lakeland and Arizona.

Over 100m Americans voted early

Over 100 million Americans voted early in the 2020 US election, report the US elections project. They give the figures, updated to include November 1, as:

  1. Total early votes: 100,611,070
  2. In-person votes: 35,901,138
  3. Mail ballots returned: 64,709,932
  4. Mail ballots outstanding: 27,364,521

Hello and welcome to Dhaka Tribune's live coverage of US election 2020. Our coverage today will include scenes from the polls, social media reactions, expert opinions and results. 

Thanks for joining us!

Trump campaign loses lawsuit seeking to halt Michigan vote count

A judge has tossed a lawsuit brought by US President Donald Trump's campaign in hopes of halting vote-counting in Michigan.

Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens made the ruling during a court hearing on Thursday. She said she planned to issue a written ruling on Friday.

Campaign officials for Trump have said they filed the Michigan lawsuit to stop the counting there and gain greater access to the tabulation process.

The lawsuit was a "messaging exercise," said senior campaign advisor Bob Bauer for Democratic challenger and former US Vice President Joe Biden. "It has no other purpose than to confuse the public about what's taking place and to support their baseless claims of irregularity," Bauer said in the call with reporters.

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