Where do things stand across the pond nearly a week since election night?
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Here are the key developments:
Joe Biden is the president-elect of the United States after being projected to win the battleground state of Pennsylvania. He is also projected to win the state of Nevada.
There is no projected winner yet in battleground states Georgia, North Carolina or in Alaska, a Republican stronghold.
Former Republican President George W Bush has congratulated the president-elect while some Republicans remain silent on the Democratic victory.
"I ran as a proud Democrat. I will now be an American president," Biden said in a victory speech in his home city as he urged supporters and Trump voters to come together.
Kamala Harris makes history to become the first black woman and South Asian Vice President-elect.
Biden "is rushing to falsely pose as the winner," Trump said in a statement.
Trump's campaign has already filed legal challenges in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania, and says it will seek a recount in Wisconsin.
A recount is likely in Georgia, Georgia's Secretary of State said. Biden has increased his lead there.
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Biden starts day as president-elect by attending church
After attending church in Wilmington, the president-elect visited the graves of family members in the church cemetery.
US First Lady Melania Trump echoes Trump's call to count every 'legal vote'
President Trump has alleged that there were irregularities in the election despite having no evidence. They claim Republican observers were not allowed to watch vote counting even though there are always observers from both parties present.
Former President George W Bush congratulates President-elect Joe Biden, says election outcome 'is clear'
Former President Bush said he spoke to both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on the phone and offered his warm congratulations.
"Though we have political differences, I know Joe Biden to be a good man, who has won his opportunity to lead and unify our country," Bush said.
He said that President Trump had the right to request recounts and pursue legal challenges but that the "American people can have confidence that this election was fundamentally fair, its integrity will be upheld and its outcome is clear."
Trump's allies stand by him while some Republicans say results unlikely to change
Republican chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted: "The media doesn’t decide who wins elections, voters do. In multiple states the margins are razor thin with counting ongoing, several of which are headed for recounts."
"The media can project an election winner, but they don't get to decide if claims of broken election laws & irregularities are true," tweeted Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
Most Republicans have stayed silent on the outcome of the race, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Trump has however broken with tradition by refusing to concede the election. There were recounts in several states following Trump's win in 2016 but that did not stop Hillary Clinton from conceding the election or Trump declaring victory.
Some Republicans have congratulated President-elect Joe Biden, with Senator Mitt Romney calling on the party to get behind the new president.
GOP Senator Roy Blunt told ABC that he thought it was too early to declare Biden the President-elect but said he thought a different outcome was "unlikely."
Protesters hold signs as Trump arrives at Virginia golf club on Sunday
'Now more than ever we need to come together as Americans': Maryland Governor Larry Hogan says
"Everyone should want our president to succeed because we need our country to succeed. We have great challenges ahead of us as a country. Now more than ever, we need to come together as Americans," Governor Hogan tweeted.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, also a Republican, congratulated the President-elect, stating that if there are court battles, they should move quickly.
"If the courts do get involved, they must move quickly to make fact-based, lawful decisions, because the people of this nation - who came out and voted in record numbers - deserve a government that can work collaboratively to fight COVID-19, rebuild our economy and give people hope that there will be a positive path forward," Baker said.
Trump, quoting Newt Gingrich, repeats claim election was stolen
Donald Trump has refused to concede the US presidential election, repeating his claim that the election was "stolen" while retweeting a quote from former US Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney said that Trump had "a relatively relaxed relationship with the truth".
Romney said he would "prefer to see the world watching a more graceful departure but that's just not in the nature of the man."
Most Republicans have remained silent on the election outcome.
Biden team launches transition website with four main priorities
President-elect Joe Biden has launched a transition website with four main priorities that will be addressed "on Day one":
- Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic including new investments in testing
- Getting people back to work and extending COVID crisis unemployment insurance as part of an economic recovery
- Advancing a plan to advance racial equity
- Investing in infrastructure and jobs that tackle the climate crisis
Others on the transition team include Jeff Zients, the former director of the White House National Economic Council, and Michelle Lujan Grisham, the New Mexico governor.
US election is 'moment of significance' for EU partnership, says von der Leyen
In a video statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the US and EU were "friends and allies" and said the election was a "moment of significance".
She called the US-EU partnership "unprecedented" and rooted in "common history and shared values of democracy, freedom, rule of law, the respect for human rights, social justice, and an open economy."
Von der Leyen said the EU was ready to "intensify cooperation with a new administration" to address global challenges.
The EU had a complicated relationship with Donald Trump, who supported the Brexit referendum and criticised NATO, calling it "obsolete".
Trump also withdrew from the Paris agreement and said he would leave the World Health Organisation, actions that Biden has said he would reverse.
Boris Johnson says 'crucial stuff' to work on with next US administration
Johnson said the UK-US relationship would not change despite the change in leadership.
"The United States is our closest and most important ally," said Johnson, who has yet to speak to Biden, according to the Associated Press.
"And that’s been the case under president after president, prime minister after prime minister. It won't change."
Conservatives will be looking to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, who Johnson said he expects will be "tough negotiators".
Iran tells Joe Biden: Let's return to the Obama-era nuclear deal
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has called on President-elect Joe Biden to return to the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran, the US and European states that was signed by Barack Obama and torn up by President Donald Trump soon after he took office.
Rouhani said that Biden should “compensate for past mistakes”, one of Iran's state-run news agencies reported Sunday, marking the first high-level response from Iran since Biden and Kamala Harris clinched the November 3 election.
“Now, an opportunity has come up for the next U.S. administration to compensate for past mistakes and return to the path of complying with international agreements through respect of international norms,” the state-run IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.
Republicans still silent on Joe Biden victory over Donald Trump
Ballina, Ireland, celebrates the election of its native son, Joe Biden
“Now he’ll be the President of the United States, they’re delighted, they’re absolutely delighted,” Blewitt said. “To think one of their own is one of the most powerful men in the world.”
Blewitt, who met Biden in 201 when he was invited to the White House to see Biden awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour, said he was "a really nice fella."
Let's have a look at some of the best images coming in this morning from the other side of the Atlantic.
What next for Donald Trump?
Benjamin Netanyahu thanks Donald Trump, congratulates Biden
Kamala Harris' ancestral village wakes up to news of her election
"Congratulations Kamala Harris. Pride of our village. Vanakkam [Greetings] America,’’ one female villager wrote in colour powder outside her home. A day of celebration is planned with singing, dancing and firecrackers at a temple later today.
'Normally seen...where a dictator has been toppled'
As one New Yorker noted (see tweet below), "this kind of spontaneous eruption of joy is normally seen in countries where a dictator has been toppled".
While tens of millions of Trump voters would be perturbed by the comparison, it is true that such scenes are unprecedented for the results of a US presidential election.
Trump's son-in-law approaches president to discuss conceding - reports
CNN's Kaitlan Collins has broken the news. If true, it will be the first time anyone in Trump's inner circle - including Trump loyalists in the Republican party - has publically discussed conceding to Joe Biden.
Mexico's president playing it safe
Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on Saturday he would not congratulate a winner in the US election until ongoing legal challenges over vote counting were concluded. It's being seen as an attempt to avoid unnecessary friction with Washington during what will likely be a tumultuous transition of power between now and January.
Biden extends lead in red state Georgia
'This isn't over!'
Across the US, Trump supporters have protested outside government buildings, including centres where voting is still taking place in many states, and are unlikely to acknowledge defeat for some time.
Read our full report here.
Now speaking of his running mate, who he describes as "honorary Biden", he tells the crowd how she broke ceilings for women and people of colour across the US. "Don't tell me it's not possible in the United States. It's long overdue".
She turns now to the last four years under Donald Trump and the struggles of many in the country. "You delivered a clear message. You chose hope and unity, decency, science and yes, truth. You chose Joe Biden as the next president of the United States of America," she says to a blare of horns and cheers.
Biden's running mate, who made history as the country's first female, first black and first South Asian-American Vice-President, is also expected to address the crowd and the nation.
Watch: President-elect Joe Biden addresses the nation
Biden to make victory speech soon
It is unclear if or when the president intends to make a public speech. Those closest to him have suggested he will not be making a traditional concession speech, especially since his campaign team are continuing legal battles over the results in states like Pennsylvania.
Biden's victory: How the world is recording history
Biden's granddaughter shares poignant photo
Kamala Harris becomes first Black woman, South Asian elected VP
Kamala Harris made history on Saturday as the first Black woman and South Asian to be elected as vice president of the United States.
She has also become the highest ranking woman ever elected in an American government, an achievement that comes four years after the first woman was nominated to a major party presidential ticket.
The 56-year-old California senator ran for the Democratic presidential nomination but ended her campaign. Eventually she was tapped by Joe Biden to be the vice presidential nominee.
Read more here.
Angela Merkel 'sincerely' wishes Joe Biden and Kamala Harris 'the best of luck'
"I sincerely wish him the best of luck and every success and I would also like to congratulate Kamala Harris, the first female vice-president-elect in the history of your country," Merkel said in a statement released by her spokesperson.
"Our transatlantic friendship is indispensable if we are to deal with the major challenges of our time," Merkel said.
Donald Trump breaks silence after Joe Biden elected president, claims he won the election
"THE OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED INTO THE COUNTING ROOMS. I WON THE ELECTION, GOT 71,000,000 LEGAL VOTES," the US president tweeted.
Trump supporters rally in the US as president refuses to concede
Trump supporters also gathered in Pennsylvania and Nevada, states that were called for Biden on Saturday. Some of them were armed.
Donald Trump 'so blemished' our democracy, Democrats' Senate leader says
"Donald Trump so blemished our democracy, so tried to destroy our democracy, but as the election showed, the American people never lost faith and now Donald Trump can go home to Florida," said the Democratic senator from New York said at a press conference.
"You lost, no more games, go home," Schumer said.
He said the nation had several crises to face and said Trump had done nothing.
But Biden faces a stark challenge, especially with control of the Senate still up in the air.
Democrats gather throughout the US to celebrate Biden win
Where was Trump when the election was called?
| President Donald Trump participates in a round of golf at the Trump National Golf Course on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) |
Joe Biden's win has his supporters dreaming of a brighter future
Fireworks erupted in Atlanta and in Maine, a band playing at a farmers' market broke into the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Neighbours ran out of their homes in Manhattan and assembled into an unplanned street party, whooping, dancing and high-fiving strangers.
In Louisville, Kentucky, Biden supporters gathered on their lawns to toast with champagne. In Harlem, they danced in the streets, banged cowbells and honked their car horns.
Read more here.
'Welcome back America!': Europe reacts to Biden winning US presidential election
"America is back!" tweeted Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, shortly after news organisations called the presidency for Joe Biden.
German foreign minister Heiko Mass said Germany looked forward to the west playing "as a team again."
Slovenia's PM, however, called into question the election.
Read more here.
Americans deeply divided as Biden wins US election
"When you look at the exit polls, it's pretty clear that Americans live in two different universes," Professor William Lasser from Clemson University told Euronews.
Lasser said that Biden was elected by a "coalition of people" who did not like Donald Trump. But nearly half of voters minus one or two percent are very unhappy at this point.
He added that Trump voters have a negative view of Joe Biden, whereas the political world has a positive view of him. "Donald Trump is not going away," he said.
Lasser said, meanwhile, that Biden is seen as someone who has the personality, the connections in Washington and temperament to be a centrist president.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney extends congratulations to president-elect
Several Republicans have notably not commented on the election outcome yet, including Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader.
Former US president Jimmy Carter says Biden will bring a 'positive change'
'I am honoured and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris', Biden statement says
"It's time for America to unite. And to heal," the president-elect added.
'I could not be prouder to congratulate our next President,' Obama says
"In this election, under circumstances never experienced, Americans turned out in numbers never seen," Obama said.
"I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend him your support," Obama added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulates Joe Biden on winning the presidency
"Together we have built an unprecedented transatlantic partnership rooted in common history and shared values of democracy, freedom, human rights, social justice and open economy.
German foreign minister says government looks forward to 'working with the next US government'
"It's good that there are finally clear figures. We look forward to working with the next US government. We want to invest in our cooperation for a new transatlantic beginning, a new deal," German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass tweeted.
'Welcome back America!' Mayor of Paris tweets
"While we are about to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, this victory symbolises our need to act together more than ever, in view of climate emergency," she tweeted.
Joe Biden has said he will rejoin the Paris agreement on his first day in office.
Read more here.
US President-elect Joe Biden wins the state of Nevada, adding six more electoral votes to his total
This gives him six additional electoral votes, bringing his total number of votes to 290.
Former Democratic candidate calls it a 'history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump and a new page for America'
Biden 'is rushing to falsely pose as the winner', Trump says
The campaign alleges that there are legal challenges in Philadelphia although there has been no evidence of irregularities. Observers from both parties have been present as poll workers count votes.
Joe Biden has won, but what does it mean for Europe... and Donald Trump?
Democrat Joe Biden is now president-elect in the United States after results took days to emerge from key battleground states and with Pennsylvania pushing him past the 270 mark and ensuring victory.
But, now he has emerged victorious, what will it mean for Europe and his defeated Republican rival Donald Trump?
Joseph R. Biden Jr. elected president of the United States
The 77-year-old will be the oldest president of the United States. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and tried to contrast his working-class roots from Trump's affluent upbringing.He has won more of the popular vote than in any other US election and was projected the winner four days after the election.
This is the third time that Biden has run for president.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be the first woman and person of colour to hold the position of vice president.
More votes expected from Pennsylvania
These counts could widen the margin between Joe Biden and Donald Trump there. Biden currently leads by .4%.
Former Danish PM shows the 'right way' to leave office
Rasmussen resigned his post in 2019 after a defeat in a general election.
"Just a little piece of advice… This is the right way to leave office with honour once you have lost election. Thanks for honest conversations over the last 4 years. Let's keep in touch," the former PM tweeted.
Donald Trump goes on bizarre Twitter tirade over Pennsylvania
Joe Biden is 'on his way' to winning the election, says Senator Bernie Sanders
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said Democrat Joe Biden appears to be heading towards winning key battleground states and becoming president.
"It was an election about whether we end pathological lying in the White House and retain democracy and the rule of law in our country," said Sanders, who ran for the Democratic nomination in the primaries.
He thanked progressive grassroots organisations for their efforts to make "the victory" possible.
Biden currently leads in four battleground states but the election has not yet been called as votes continue to be tabulated.
"Our struggle is not over. It has just begun," Sanders added, stating that much more work needed to be done. He said that Democrats needed to win the two Senate runoff elections in Georgia.
Sanders also said he would unveil a new agenda in the Senate to work towards solving the country's multiple crises.
Second Georgia Senate race heads to a runoff
In Georgia, candidates must receive 50% of the vote to be elected. If they don't, the race goes to a runoff.
The state's other Senate race between Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler and Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock is also heading to a runoff.
Both races will be closely watched because control of the US Senate is crucial to for passing legislation and confirming judges in the country.
Democrats already have control of the House of Representatives and if they win the Senate, they would be able to more easily pass laws with full control of both chambers of Congress.
But many think the Republicans will keep control of the Senate, where they have had a majority since 2014. Democrats would have needed to pick up three Senate seats in 2020, but so far, they have gained two seats and lost one. If Biden wins the presidency, they still need two additional Senate seats to have a majority.
This means that the two runoff elections in Georgia could be crucial for Democrats.
Pennsylvania is the 'U-Haul truck' to the Trump presidency, Lt Governor says
John Fetterman said that the remaining votes in Pennsylvania will likely go to Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
Fetterman said he thinks the remaining absentee and provisional ballots will come mostly from Democratic voters.
Why is voting taking longer in certain states but not others?
Other states also have outstanding votes to count, but those races between Donald Trump and Joe Biden are not as close which has allowed news organisations to call the races.
Some states also had more time to count ballots prior to the election.
In Pennsylvania, one of the key outstanding states, election officials were not allowed to start counting the millions of mail-in ballots they received until election day. Counties tabulated votes cast on Tuesday in person before counting absentee ballots, which is why Trump led in the state originally.
Some states such as North Carolina extended the timelines for when they would accept ballots due to the pandemic.
What are provisional ballots and how could they slow down the count?
A provisional ballot is cast in the event that there's a question about whether someone can vote.
This can happen for several reasons such as if your name isn't in a poll book, if you did not have your ID in states where you are required to have it, or if you were issued an absentee ballot but it was rejected or not found.
In Pennsylvania, it will be determined whether your provisional ballot is eligible within seven days of the election. This verification process takes a bit longer than other ballots.
They call them "problem child" ballots.
Many of the remaining ballots left to count in key states will be these types of ballots. In Arizona's Maricopa County there are some 15,000 left to verify. Nevada's Clark County registrar of votes said there were some 60,000 provisional ballots to decide on.
Pennsylvania vote counting to begin in key counties from 1 pm CET
We've just had an update on the status of the count in Pennsylvania, where Biden leads Trump and where - if that trend continues - he could clinch the presidency courtesy of the state's 20 electoral college votes.
Vote counting will begin in Philadelphia and Allegheny, another county with a large number of outstanding votes, at around 7 am ET, which is in about 45 minutes for those of you on CET.
Biden's lead is currently 0.4% - if he can reach 0.5% he passes the threshold for a recount. If he can hold that lead, it is game over for Trump.
What are the margins in key states?
Text messages sent about Philadelphia protest
It has emerged that thousands of anonymous text messages were sent out in Philadelphia ahead of a protest at a city intersection on Thursday.
“ALERT: Radical Liberals & Dems are trying to steal this election from Trump! We need YOU!” the text read, urging people to head to a street corner near the venue of the city's vote count, the AP reported.
How would the Supreme Court determine an election outcome?
Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he wants the Supreme Court - to which he has appointed three justices - to determine the outcome of the election. But how would that work?
The AP has also called Arizona while other organisations are waiting for more votes to be counted in Maricopa County.
The Trump lawsuits are arriving in addition to its messaging. The US president has been claiming that illegal votes are being counted.
Evangelical Christians once again important sector of Trump vote
It was a particularly important sector of the vote for Trump in 2020 among Latino voters, with 61% Latino Christians supporting him over Biden.
But speaking this week, evangelicals said that even should Biden clinch the presidency, they feel that the strong turnout will convince the Democrats that it needs to do more to reach out to Christian voters.
“If we can reconcile the message and the messenger, I think the future looks pretty amazing,” Ralph Reed, the veteran GOP activist who founded the Faith and Freedom Coalition nonprofit.
Members of military angered by Trump attack on absentee ballots
President Donald Trump's attack on absentee ballots has upset members of the US military, AP reports, who have little choice but to vote by mail when posted overseas.
“Officials at all levels including in the Congress need to say to the president ‘Sir, you need to exercise the same patience that the rest of the nation does,'” said retired Navy Adm. Steve Abbot, who later served as deputy homeland security adviser in the George W. Bush administration.
Mark Meadows latest White House official to test positive for COVID-19
It's also believed that other aides have also tested positive for the virus.
Divided America: Can Biden unite the country?
With Biden increasingly looking like the victor in the presidential election, leading in electoral college votes so far and counts in three of the remaining four states to be called, can he unite the country?
Euronews spoke with David Schultz, a professor of political science at Hamline University in Minnesota, about what the next steps are in healing a fractured country.
What's happening with the vote count in Pennslyvania
It wasn't.
So, what's happening in the key state of Pennsylvania and why is the count taking so long?
A close margin and a large number of outstanding votes are making the count go at what seems to many watching feverishly like a glacial pace. Pennslyvania, like the rest of the remaining four states which haven't been called for either candidate, is still trawling through an unprecedented avalanche of postal votes.
The Pennsylvania Secretary of State's website stated on Friday that as of 7.30 pm ET (1.30 am CET) there were 102,541 more mail ballots that needed to be counted, including many from Allegheny County, a Democratic area that is home to Pittsburgh, and the Democratic stronghold of Philadelphia County.
The latest tabulated results from Allegheny County saw 7,300 votes tallied for Biden and 1,875 for Trump. A further batch of 1,500 provisional ballots from Erie County in the north-west corner of the state was split fairly equally between the two candidates.
With counting suspended for the night in most counties, Biden's lead now stands at 28,833 votes.
White House Chief of Staff tests positive for COVID-19 - reports
American news networks CNN and NBC say they have confirmed reports by Bloomberg reporters that Meadows, who was at President Trump's White House election night party on Tuesday evening, has COVID-19.
Election noise drowns out news of record-high US coronavirus infections
It was one of the core issues of the election campaign but has been lost in the white noise in its tumultuous aftermath. Nevertheless, the coronavirus pandemic is not going away, as news on Friday evening shows.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the US has broken its daily record of positive COVID-19 cases for the third day running with 127,021 new infections.
Click the link below to read the full story.
'We're not enemies. We're Americans'
As well as acknowledging that he is winning the election and outlining his vision for America after the counting has been completed, the core theme of the speech centred on uniting Americans.
Joe Biden makes live address to supporters, calls for unity
Joe Biden is now speaking in home city of Wilmington, Delaware.
"We're going to win this race with a clear majority," he told a supporters at a drive-in rally.
While he admitted that the vote count was "numbling" at times, each vote represented men and women across the country who had given Biden and running mate Kamala Harris a "mandate for action" on climate change, the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, systemic racism and more.
"The people spoke, more than 74 million Americans, they spoke loudly for our ticket," he said.
Tight race for Senate seat in Georgia goes to run-off
Republican incumbent David Perdue has been forced into a run-off election in January thanks to a surge of support for Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. A second Senate seat in the state has also gone to a run-off, which means it will be as instrumental in determining who controls the Senate as well as who takes the White House.
As it stands, the Senate will be held by the Republicans unless Democrats can gain two more seats to balance the chamber. If Kamala Harris becomes Vice President, she will have the deciding vote in passing legislation in the divided Senate. It's all to play for and the races in January are now expected to be just as hotly contested as it was in Tuesday's election.
More results released in Arizona, Biden's lead narrows
Biden still expected to make address but will stop short of victory speech
Biden campaign officials are saying that he still intends to give an address but it is likely to reflect comments he has already made on counting votes and acknowledging his lead, according to reports from the US.
It's unclear when he will make his appearance. We will keep you updated.
Michigan Secretary of State responds to Republican claims of 'irregularities'
"Michigan’s elections were conducted fairly, effectively and transparently and are an accurate reflection of the will of Michigan voters," Benson said.
McDaniel specifically cited Michigan in comments she made in an interview with Fox News' 'America's Newsroom' programme. "I would say some of these [irregularities] that are coming from Michigan are very, very serious," McDaniel said.
Read Benson's statement in full here.
Front pages: Europe's take on the unfolding US drama
Libération, France "L'espoir d'une Amerique" (Hope for an America)
Why vote counting in Nevada is dragging on - and inspiring memes
The pace of vote-counting in Nevada is being criticised for taking too long and it's even become fodder for online jokes (the below, for example).
State officials say they are emphasising accuracy over speed in a year when processing an unprecedented flood of mail-in ballots under extended deadlines is taking more time.
"We told everyone early on that results would take at least ten days," Secretary of State spokeswoman Jennifer A. Russell said.
Why so long? Well, the state legislature passed a bill in August to send all active voters mail-in ballots in the hope of curbing - or at least not fueling - the spread of coronavirus. Those postmarked by election day (November 3) can be counted if they arrive at election offices within seven days, which is Tuesday. And they continue to come in, though the number arriving each day is expected to dwindle.
More vote tallies are coming out of key states
Nevada:
Joe Biden's lead is still creeping up in the Silver State with the latest batches of results including those from Clark County (which comprises the Las Vegas area). The Democrat netted around 2,500 votes from Las Vegas, opening up his lead over Donald Trump to 22,657 votes.
Pennsylvania:
More votes have been released from Arizona, a staunch Republican state which looks set to flip for the Democrats. It has already been projected to turn blue for Biden by the Associated Press and Fox News but the vote continues. While Biden's lead is slowly being chipped away (currently sitting at 38,455 votes), the latest results from Yuma County don't make good reading for the Trump camp.
Trump defiant on Twitter, tells Biden not to 'wrongfully claim' presidency
Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris to speak ahead of Biden
Mary Trump: ‘This is an attempted coup’
Cybersecurity agency hits back at unfounded claims of voter fraud
Two armed men arrested near Philadelphia counting centre
Trump campaign says Americans 'deserve to have full transparency'
Many have criticised Trump for allegations of fraud he made, with a member of his own party calling his comments "reckless".
Republicans have repeated the claim that only "legal votes" should be counted while suing in battleground states over the timing of when mail-in ballots were received and the casting of provisional ballots to correct mail-in ballots.
The campaign released a statement attributed to the president on Friday.
"We believe the American people deserve to have full transparency into all vote counting and election certification," Trump said.
Joe Biden likely to give speech
Although the presidential race has yet to be called, Biden is ahead in several key states and Democrats say they are confident that he can win the race.
UK Prime Minister says he has 'confidence in the checks and balances of the American constitution'
"I have every confidence in the checks and balances of the American constitution," Johnson said, emphasising that people should "wait and see".
Nevada's Clark County still has 63,000 ballots to report in the coming days
"There's no speeding up that process..we're going to continue to count," Joe Gloria said. He said that they would have a majority counted by Sunday.
"Our priority here is to make sure we're accurate in what we're doing," Gloria said.
He said there were members of the military and students who did not live in Nevada but were eligible to vote there.
Joe Biden is currently leading Donald Trump in Nevada by more than 20,000 votes.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney says Trump is wrong to say the election was stolen
Romney, who formerly ran for president, said however, that the president was "wrong to say that the election was rigged, corrupt, and stolen."
Watch: Philadelphia mayor says Trump needs to put 'big boy' trousers on
"I think what the President needs to do frankly is put his big boy pants on. He needs to acknowledge the fact that he lost and he needs to congratulate the mayor," said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.
The presidential race has not yet to be called and Kenney's statement came at a press conference updating on Philadelphia's ballot counting.
Philadelphia counted more than 690,360 votes in the city, the city commissioner's office said.
Lisa Deeley, chair of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, said there were some 40,000 additional votes to count which could take several days. Many of them were those that need to be reviewed, provisionals and military or overseas votes.
"Election results are not officially certified until 20 days after the initial election," Deeley said.
Why is Pennsylvania key to the presidential race?
President Donald Trump will not be able to win reelection if he doesn't win the state.
So far, Biden's lead in the state has widened as more mail-in ballots are counted. But the state has an automatic recall if the margin between the candidates is less than or equal to 0.5% of the total vote.
The state is also separating ballots arriving after Election Day so long as they were postmarked November 3 in view of a pending case before the Supreme Court on whether those ballots can be counted.
Read more about the keystone state here.
Biden currently leading in four of five key battleground states
All eyes are on Pennsylvania which will likely determine the race with its 20 electoral votes.
Trump economic advisor: 'I think there will be a peaceful transfer of power'
The US' National Economic Council Director said the country will "continue peacefully as we always do," in an interview with CNBC.
"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 said.
"We will continue peacefully as we always do," he added.
Speaker Pelosi says Biden will soon be president-elect
She called it a "very happy day" for the US and said he would be president-elect of the US imminently.
She said the House of Representatives was preparing for a "new Biden administration".
Pelosi said Trump was up to "mischief".
The presidential race has not yet been called for either candidate.
Biden campaign responds to reports Trump will not concede
Watch: Georgia Secretary of State says there will be a recount
There are some 4,169 votes remaining in several counties in the state and some 8,000 military ballots sent out that are eligible to be returned by the end of the day.
Biden leads Trump by around 2,000 votes in the state.
"The stakes are high and the emotions are high on all sides," Raffensperger said. "We will get it right," he added.
Raffensperger said the difference will be a few thousand between the two candidates which will prompt a recount in the state.
Gabriel Sterling, the state's voting system implementation manager said that they were not seeing any irregularities but that with a narrow margin small changes can make a difference.
Pro-Trump rally ongoing in Detroit, Michigan
Protesters held Trump and Pence campaign flags and chanted "fight".
Michigan is one of the key battleground states in this election that has been called for Democrat Joe Biden. President Trump won the state in 2016.
Biden up by nearly 7,000 votes in Pennsylvania with 163,000 ballots left to count
The state could determine the outcome of the election.
Trump campaign: 'This election is not over'
In a statement obtained by US media, Matt Morgan, the campaign's general counsel, said there were "irregularities" in Pennsylvania and thousands of "improper" ballots in Nevada.
Morgan said Fox News and the Associated Press had called Arizona erroneously.
Republican Senator says Trump speech 'hard to watch'
"The president's allegations of large scale fraud and theft of the election are just not substantiated. I'm not aware of any significant wrongdoing here," the Pennsylvania Senator said.
Trump claimed on Thursday that he would "easily win" with the legal votes being counted.
"If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us," Trump said.
Senator Toomey said that he did not think that the timing of the count was concerning and said it was due to a "massive quantity" of mail-in ballots.
He said election officials did a great job processing the votes but also mentioned pending lawsuits, stating that ballots that arrived after election day were being separated due to disagreement over a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that ballots arriving later could still be counted.
That case could be heard by the US Supreme Court.
Senator Toomey said that Trump still had a "narrow path" to win Pennsylvania, a crucial state that Trump needs in order to win reelection. Biden recently took a narrow lead in the battleground state.
Why has the Arizona vote led to media outlets having contrasting numbers for Joe Biden?
With all eyes on the US presidential election, some have noticed a discrepancy between different networks' count on electoral votes awarded to President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
Some media including the NY Times and NBC News are reporting that Joe Biden has 253 electors, whereas others, including Euronews, are reporting that Biden has 264 electors.
The difference comes down to the state of Arizona where Biden currently leads Trump by some 47,000 votes, and 1.5 percentage points.
Read more here.
Biden takes narrow lead in Pennsylvania, a state Trump needs in order to win reelection
President Donald Trump needs to win the 20 electoral votes from Pennsylvania in order to win reelection.
Several key counties in the state began trending Democratic overnight including Erie County which voted for Trump in 2016.
Biden is leading by 5,594 votes after more votes were posted from Philadelphia. Trump had been leading there by some 18,000 votes before the updated vote count.
Most of the votes coming in are mail-in ballots where Biden has been leading.
The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits in the state including in Philadelphia where the campaign said observers were not allowed to sit close enough. There is also a case before the US Supreme Court over mail-in ballots arriving after election day.
Senate Majority Leader McConnell joins Trump's call to count every 'legal' vote
"If you count the legal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us," Trump claimed. "If you count the votes that came in late, we're looking at those very strongly".
McConnell tweeted: "Every legal vote should be counted. Any illegally-submitted ballots must not."
In fact, there is no evidence that any votes cast illegally are being counted or that the process is unfair and corrupt.
The "illegal votes" the president refers to are the perfectly legal votes sent in by post, and which under state rules are now being counted.
Ballots with discrepancies in these elections are never decided on by just one person, there are people from both parties that are present, poll workers say.
How often does the US reelect its Senators?
One of the most watched races this 2020 election cycle is the Senate race.
The upper chamber of Congress is crucial for lawmakers in order to pass legislation and appoint judges.
Republicans have held the Senate since 2014, but Democrats have a majority in the House of Representatives.
US networks cut away from Trump address Thursday evening
The US' three main networks ABC, CBS and NBC cut away from President Donald Trump's speech on Thursday when he made baseless claims that the election was being stolen from him, AP reported.
"We have to interrupt here, because the president has made a number of false statements, including the notion that there has been fraudulent voting," said NBC's Lester Holt. "There has been no evidence of that."
Trump's claims came as vote margins tightened in several key states including Georgia and Pennsylvania. More vote tallies are expected throughout the day in the US.
CNN and Fox News reportedly played the entire speech of the US president.
Some Republicans have defended the president's statement that only "legal votes" should be counted including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Others, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have said the states should continue counting votes.
"The courts will decide disputes. That's the way we do it in this country. Having close, disputed elections is not unusual," McConnell, a Republican Senator from Kentucky, said on election night.
The controversy is over late arriving mail-in ballots, but states determine their own election laws and many of these key states are allowed to accept ballots postmarked election day even if they arrive later.
The Trump campaign has already filed a flurry of lawsuits over absentee ballots, although there is no evidence of inconsistencies.
Louisiana restricts abortion protections with referendum on state constitution language
The ballot measure passed by 62% according to the Louisiana Secretary of State.
The question was written on the ballot as: "Do you support an amendment declaring that, to protect human life, a right to abortion and the funding of abortion shall not be found in the Louisiana Constitution?"
A previous law in Louisiana said a doctor performing an abortion needed to have admitting privileges at a hospital not further than 48 kilometres from the location where an abortion was performed.
That law was struck down by the US Supreme Court earlier this year.
Colorado voters also addressed abortion on their ballots this year, rejecting a measure that would have prohibited abortions after a foetus reaches 22-weeks gestational age.
Biden flips several key counties in Pennsylvania as more votes reported
Biden is also leading in Lehigh County, Lackawanna County and Dauphin County by higher margins than the final vote in 2016 when candidate Hillary Clinton won them by small margins.
Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 and has to win the state in 2020 if he wants to be reelected president. He currently leads Biden by 18,042 votes with some 97% of the vote counted.
Many counties in the state are working overnight to finish tallying mail-in ballots.
'I easily win!': Trump repeats baseless claim of vote fraud in White House rant
He offered no evidence for his claims, which came as the legitimate counting of mail-in ballots continued in several key battleground states. These have tended to favour Joe Biden, putting the momentum firmly with the Democratic candidate although some states remain too close to call.
"If you count the legal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us," Trump claimed. "If you count the votes that came in late, we're looking at those very strongly".
In fact, there is no evidence that any votes cast illegally are being counted or that the process is unfair and corrupt.
Read more here.
French bulldog becomes mayor in small Kentucky town
The election is also a fundraiser for the Rabbit Hash Historical Society and is not the first time the unincorporated community of some 426 people has had a canine mayor.
The other canine candidates Jack Rabbit, the Beagle and Poppy, the golden retriever will become ambassadors in the town, the historical society said.
Biden takes lead in Georgia
The Democratic candidate has overtaken Donald Trump in the crucial state of Georgia with 99% of the vote counted.
Joe Biden has a lead of just under 1,000 votes amid ongoing counting, with both candidates notching up just short of 2.45 million ballots in their favour.
The estimate puts Biden on 49.39% of the vote and Trump on 49.37%.
There are 16 electoral college votes are at stake in the conservative-leaning state. Many of the counties that have outstanding vote counts there are in the suburbs of Atlanta, where Biden has been leading.
Click on the map of Georgia in the main story above for details.
How US election misinformation has led to real-world tensions
#TheCube investigates the impact of the swathes of online misinformation festering and spreading since Tuesday's vote, as legitimate ballot counting continues.
How US election misinformation has led to real-world tensions
False claims online surrounding the US presidential election have led protestors to the streets and harassment of polling station officials.Trump 'does not have the authority to interfere' in US election vote
A political scientist tells us the electoral system is robust and the president's attempt to interfere is "all bluster":
Poll observers push back on Trump's dubious claims
Election officials in key battleground states have denied claims by the Trump campaign that Republican poll watchers were being improperly denied access to observe the counting of ballots.
They said rules were being followed and they were committed to transparency.
Tasked this year with monitoring a record number of mail ballots, partisan poll watchers are designated by a political party or campaign to report any concerns they may have.
Election officials said they were carefully balancing access with the need to minimise disruptions.
Poll watchers have been a central element of legal battles that have erupted in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada. While counting was largely finished in Michigan, the work continued Thursday in Pennsylvania and Nevada where a narrow margin separated President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden. (AP)
Nevada did not stop counting ballots overnight
The western US state has countered false rumours spread on social media saying it had stopped counting votes after the election. Joe Biden narrowly leads Donald Trump in the state but no result has been declared. #TheCube investigates:
Debunked: Nevada did not stop counting ballots overnight
Nevada did not stop counting ballots overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday but instead stopped posting updates of the count.Margin tightens in state of Georgia
The world waits for the results out of Georgia, where Joe Biden and Donald Trump are so close there is even talk of a tie. In Clayton County, votes are being counted through the night.
If they can, Biden would find it far easier to pass legislation and secure appointments, something that could be frustrated by Republican lawmakers if not.
Protests as Trump alleges fraud
President Donald Trump's allegations about fraud on Thursday have led to angry protests outside vote counts, with election officials saying that they have been threatened by demonstrators.
The registrar of Clark County, Nevada, said that vehicles coming and going from the election building were being tracked and security was being tightened.
“I can tell you that my wife and my mother are very concerned for me,” said Joe Gloria, the registrar of a battleground county of the state, which includes Las Vegas.
In Phoenix, Detroit and Philadelphia, groups of Trump supporters have turned out at vote-counting venues, where they accused officials of trying to defraud American voters.
Vote counting: state of play on Friday morning in key battlegrounds
Donald Trump's substantial lead in the Peach State has all but evaporated. At the last count, there was just over 1,700 votes separating the candidates. Some 5,000 ballots from Clayton County, a heavily Democratic county south of Atlanta, were in the process of being counted with 16,000 in total from counties across the state still uncounted. Given overseas and military ballots are yet to arrive and voters have until 11 pm CET today (Friday) to check and fix irregularities in their ballots, it is still too close to call but the tide is with Biden at the moment.
Pennsylvania:
Another state, another lead decimated. Trump's commanding lead in Pennsylvania has crumbled to around 26,000 votes with over 100,000 more ballots to be counted. So far, the latest batches of results from absentee ballots have heavily favoured Biden.
Nevada:
There is no end in sight for the vote count in Nevada with the next tranche of votes from Clark County (which includes Las Vegas, a Democratic-leaning city) not expected until 6pm CET. Biden is maintaining a lead of around 1 point or 11,000 votes.
Arizona:
Called early by the Associated Press for Biden, the vote count is narrowing in the Sunset State, diminishing Biden's lead in what has long been a Republican state. The Democrat challenger is leading by 1.5 points with more results expected from the state's biggest county, Maricopa County, at 6pm CET.
Here's our report on what it could all mean for NATO.
Georgia now a virtual tie - reports
The state is unlikely to be called for either candidate any time soon given how tight the vote is, with a recount very likely. There are also votes from overseas troops yet to be counted.
Trump narrows Biden's lead in Arizona: latest report
Another tranche of results from Maricopa County is expected to be posted later today (Friday) at 5 pm CET.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, thousands of still-uncounted ballots — many in counties where Democrat Joe Biden was in the lead — are making the contest between President Trump and Biden still too early to call.
While in his response on Twitter he doesn't directly mention the president, he alludes to Trump's comments stating that "counting every vote is at the heart of democracy".
William Cogswell, a Republican state congressman who has just been re-elected to South Carolina's House of Representatives, took to Twitter to say he was "embarrassed and ashamed" by Trump's statement.
If Biden manages to flip this "red" state, it will be the first time since 1992 that it has been carried by a Democratic presidential candidate. It would also bring Biden agonisingly close to the 270-vote threshold of the electoral college and within touching distance of the White House itself.
Democrats 'trying to rig an election,' says Trump
The president talked at length about irregularities at vote counts in Michigan in particular, a state he says he won "legally" but was called for Biden.
In a rambling speech offering no evidence to support his claims about vote rigging, he also referred to opinion polls in the run-up to the election as "suppression polls" designed to keep his supporters at home.
There is no evidence to back up claims that electoral fraud is being committed at ongoing counts in key battleground states.
Trump giving a statement from the White House
He is striking a defiant tone, describing a "red wave" that has swept the country. He also says he has won the "legal votes".
Counting is still ongoing in key battleground states, the results of which will determine Trump's future.
'Several hundred thousand ballots' remaining to be counted in Pennsylvania, says secretary of state
Where do things stand in Pennsylvania?
Trump has reportedly filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania, among legal action in other states, pressing for closer scrutiny of the ballot counting process.
Biden calls for 'patience' at live address
Donald Trump's former chief of staff said that he expects the president to run for election again in 2024 if he is not victorious this year.
Trump may run again in 2024 if he loses this year, says former aide
"I would absolutely put him on the shortlist of people likely to run in 2024. He doesn't like losing," Mick Mulvaney said.Philadelphia election officials appeal court ruling allowing Trump campaign to more closely observe ballot counting
The Philadelphia County Board of Elections has appealed that ruling to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court stating that it both jeopardises "the safety of the City Defendants’ canvass, plus the privacy of voters".
The election board is carrying out a "massive" task "to accurately, safely, and securely count hundreds of thousands of mail-in and absentee ballots, under intense time pressure and pandemic conditions", the court filing says, adding that a political campaign was challenging the process "based solely on the observations of one lawyer-witness".
"The Election Code does not say that representatives have the right to be able to read the language written on each ballot declaration or otherwise to make their own determinations of declaration sufficiency with respect to individual ballots. No such right exists," the court filing states.
Pennsylvania official says votes could be counted by today in crucial state
She said there were about 550,000 ballots being processed today including about 100,000 in Philadelphia and 30,000 in Allegheny county which are expected to vote more Democratic.
"I have been saying that we'll have the overwhelming majority counted by tomorrow but it is looking like we'll have the overwhelming majority counted by today," Boockvar said.
The key battleground state has 20 electoral votes and could determine who wins the presidency.
Michigan poll worker describes meticulous vote counting process
A poll worker in Michigan described a meticulous vote counting process in a social media post shared with Euronews.
The poll worker, who preferred not to share his name, said workers were sequestered from the outside world and that thousands of ballots were counted and recounted to make sure they were verified.
Any time ballots were handed off to another part of the process, workers re-confirmed the number. Ballots were counted every time they were received back from a step of processing.
The poll worker said no one person makes a decision about a ballot and that there was always two opposite-leaning observers watching the process. He said it would have been very difficult for a bad actor to influence the process.
“I was responsible for ensuring that I delivered the right number of validated, processed, legal ballots to the tabulator and ensuring that that number was in fact tabulated,” he said.
Michigan judge dismisses Trump lawsuit over Republican access to absentee ballots
The lawsuit attempted to sue the Michigan Secretary of State over the ballots. The judge said the Secretary of State did not have control over local vote counting, according to AP.
Watch: Nevada election officials give briefing as more votes counted in key battleground state
The majority of mail-in ballots will by counted by Saturday or Sunday, Gloria said.
He added that they would add additional security to protect poll workers who continued counting votes and said that it would not impact them finishing their jobs.
Gloria said that they were not concerned about being fast seeing as it was an important election that could determine the presidency.
Mail-in votes are able to received until Tuesday, November 10 in the state.
Biden widens margin in Nevada as more votes come in
The difference between Biden and Trump had been less than 8,000 votes previously. It has now widened to some 11,438, according to the AP.
Protests in Philadelphia as voting continues
Pro-Trump and pro-Biden protesters gathered in Philadelphia on Thursday as the state continued to count votes.The city is located in Pennsylvania which is a big prize with 20 electoral votes. The race there remains too close to call.
Protests have spread to multiple US cities as the election remains undecided.
Georgia judge dismisses Trump campaign absentee ballot lawsuit, AP reports
The county is Democratic-leaning and still has thousands of votes left to count.
Trump campaign says they are filing a federal lawsuit to stop vote counting in Nevada
Adam Laxalt, the former Nevada Attorney General, said that Clark County continued to count "illegal" votes.
They said that votes were coming from non-residents and that they wanted the count to be trusted by the American people. They said they needed to be able to make a case for every ballot to be acceptable.
Nevada is one of the key battleground states in the race.
Watch: Biden campaign says they expect to win the election, say Trump lawsuits 'doomed to fail'
"We do expect, similar to Nevada, that some of the margin will continue to close today [in Arizona]," said Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon.
She said more favourable data in Nevada and Arizona would come for Biden later tonight and tomorrow.
Campaign adviser Bob Bauer said the lawsuits brought by the Trump campaign were meaningless and said that the campaign was continually alleging fraud as part of a "misinformation campaign that involves some political theatre".
Bauer said that lawsuits in Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania were about baseless claims of irregularities. He said it was a strategy that was "doomed to fail".
Trump tweets 'stop the count' as battleground states work to finish counting mail-in votes
He has been insisting that the mail-in and absentee votes are fraudulent even though many US citizens cast their ballots via mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
His supporters protested in Detroit, Michigan and chanted "stop the count" outside an election facility on Wednesday evening.
He later tweeted that votes coming in after election day would not be counted, a tweet that was flagged by the social media network.
Watch: Georgia secretary of state spokesperson says 60,000 votes left to count
He said they care more about accuracy than being fast but hoped to finish counting by the end of the day.
"An accurate and fair count is much more vital than having a fast count," Sterling said, adding that there would be a close margin.
There are still outstanding votes to count in 13 counties.
Some of the counties left are where Joe Biden is leading, making the race too close to call.
Trump is leading but he and Biden are currently only separated by 18,148 votes.
The absentee ballots have to be checked before counted where they go through a signature match process.
Counties in Georgia have ten days to certify the election results.
Many still see Arizona as key state in US election race
The state was first called by Fox News, a right-leaning US cable network on Tuesday night.
The call reportedly angered Trump, US media reported, and Fox News presenters questioned their own Decision Desk on the air.
Fox News Decision Desk director Arnon Mishkin said he was "absolutely" sure about the call and apologised on television.
"I'm sorry, the president is not going to be able to take over and win enough votes to eliminate that seven-point lead that the former vice president has," Mishkin said.
Most US networks have yet to project the state of Arizona, where the race tightened overnight. There is a difference of 68,390 votes between Biden and Trump, according to the AP as votes continue to be counted in Maricopa County, where Trump supporters protested overnight.
Trump campaign advisors say they will sue to stop vote counting
"We are going to file suit in Pennsylvania, it's a shame that we had to do that, it's the last thing that we wanted to do, it's the last thing my father wanted to do. But this is rampant corruption and it can't happen, it simply can't happen," Eric Trump, the US president's son said, on Wednesday.
Republicans already have a case before the Supreme Court over vote counting in the state. Pennsylvania's Supreme Court ruled last month that absentee ballots can be counted if postmarked on election day, but Republicans are waiting for the US court to decide.
The US Supreme Court denied in October a demand to expedite hearing the case.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said: "We’ve seen efforts across the country to undermine this election, including a lawsuit from the Trump campaign to block the counting of ballots — the counting of your vote. This goes against the principles of our democracy and the right of every American citizen."
'This is an election': Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says
"Until now, nothing is clear. This is an election," the Russian opposition leader tweeted, presumably comparing US elections to those in Russia.
Navalny recently was hospitalised in Germany after being poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok.
Pennsylvania county thanks their American football team for sending food to election workers
The county said American football players sent chicken, pasta, vegetables, and pie to the election officials.
Pennsylvania is one of the last states to be called and is a battleground state with 20 electoral votes.
Georgia Senate race remains too close to call
Perdue currently has 50.03% of the vote compared to 47.66% for Ossoff, according to the AP.
If incumbent Perdue slips below 50%, the election will go to a runoff in January.
Georgia's other Senate race is already heading to a runoff after three candidates competed for the same seat on Tuesday.
Democratic candidate Raphael Warwock will face Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler in January.
Both races are key for Democrats who are still hoping to win enough seats to control the Senate, which would allow them to pass legislation in Congress.
Oregon is first US state to decriminalise hard drugs
It changes the offence for possession of hard drugs from a misdemeanour to a violation resulting in either a $100 (€84.5) fine or a completed health assessment.
As part of the ballot measure, the state will also establish a drug treatment and recovery fund with the money saved from a reduction in arrests.
It's not unheard of as a way of tackling drug addiction. Portugal decriminalised drugs in 2001 which ended up reducing deaths due to drug use.
National Guard called in amid demonstrations in Portland, AP reports
Large military vehicles were seen in the state's largest city, Portland.
US elections were 'tarnished' by attempts to undermine public trust, international observers say
The international election observers said that the US election was "well managed despite the many challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic."
The international mission said however that "the campaign was characterised by deeply entrenched political polarisation that often obscured the broader policy debate and included baseless allegations of systematic fraud."
Michael Georg Link, leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission, said that incumbent President Donald Trump's allegations of deficiencies "harm public trust in democratic institutions."
Trump attempted to cast doubt on the vote tallies that continued throughout the day on Wednesday, accusing states of "secretly" dumping votes as they counted absentee and mail-in ballots.
Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Meagan Wolfe said nothing about the day was a surprise to her and that election officials gave their "hearts and souls."
Wolfe said that she felt "so confident that every single valid ballot was counted in the state of Wisconsin."
"I think that we should feel really proud about the election that was conducted yesterday."
Biden won the battleground state of Wisconsin with some 20,500 votes.
The OSCE said the pandemic was a challenge but election day was peaceful.
They said that voter identification requirements disenfranchised certain groups of people and that campaign finance remains an issue in the US.
The total expenditure is estimated to reach $14 billion for these elections, the OSCE said.
US and EU ‘have to build new relationship’
Heavily armed Trump supporters outside Arizona counting station
“Everyone should want all the votes to be counted, whether they were mailed or cast in person,” said the statement signed by Clint Hickman, the GOP chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, and Democratic Supervisor Steve Gallardo. “An accurate vote takes time. ... This is evidence of democracy, not fraud.”
Anger at Sharpies
In Arizona, where Donald Trump is projected to lose, some of his supporters appear to be directing their anger at an unexpected target: a marker pen.
Election officials have confirmed the Sharpie brand of marker had no impact on vote counting in the state after many alleged their votes were invalidated because the ink bled through the ballot paper and became unreadable by machines.
The claims became more widely circulated in Arizona from Tuesday night, after Joe Biden was declared the winner in the state.
But election officials said that Sharpies did not invalidate ballots and said they were used because they dried quickly and did not smudge when votes are counted.
Congress looks divided
Tuesday's election was not just about electing a new president: there were multiple contests for national and state-level seats, including the House of Representatives and the US Senate.
In the House, the Democrats are on track to retain control, but their majority appeared likely to shrink. There was speculation that the losses could bring Speaker Nancy Pelosi's leadership into question.
Four seats were left to call in the Senate, with each party having 48 seats after the Democrats gained seats in Arizona and Colorado. Republicans appeared marginally closer to retaining control of the chamber after the party was projected to win a Democratic-held seat in Alabama.
'Stop the count', Trump supporters demand
Election-related protests have been taking place across the United States on Wednesday night.
In Michigan, Trump supporters gathered outside a vote counting centre in Detroit demanding officials stop counting ballots.
Police officers lined outside the TCF Center to keep them from entering the counting area as they chanted "Stop the vote". Michigan's 16 crucial electoral votes are projected to be won by Joe Biden.
There was also anger at another pro-Trump rally in Phoenix, Arizona, where there were chants of "Shame on Fox" — a reference to Fox News which, like Euronews's partners, has projected a Biden victory in the state.
Which states are we waiting for?
There are five states where Euronews has not projected a winner in the US presidential election.
Alaska: this is a traditionally Republican state that Donald Trump is expected to carry, but the results will be slow to come. Mail and absentee ballots might not be counted here for another week.
Georgia: a single percentage point separates Joe Biden and Donald Trump in this southern state that has proven to be unexpectedly competitive, with results in Atlanta suburbs favouring Biden. Counting continues here this evening.
North Carolina: Donald Trump has a slim lead. Many of the remaining votes are expected to favour Democrats, but it's not clear if there are enough to change the result. There may not be any more results here until next week.
Nevada: counting continues in this western state, where the time is approaching 7pm, but officials have said they won't declare any more results until lunchtime tomorrow — that's Thursday evening for us in Europe.
Pennsylvania: over the course of Wednesday Donald Trump's lead was steadily reduced here as more votes from urban and suburban areas were counted. He remains ahead; like North Carolina, it's possible but not certain that there are enough Democrat votes to flip the result.
A Biden victory in any single one of these states (except Alaska) will secure the presidency. Trump needs them all.
New Arizona results show slim Biden lead
Officials in Arizona, a state which we projected Joe Biden will win, have released a new batch of results that suggest his victory will be a narrow one.
Biden now leads Trump here by a margin of 79,173 votes. The Trump campaign and several other news organisations have maintained the race is too close to call.
Counting continues in Arizona and a further tranche is expected in around an hour and a half.
Paris climate accord
In the last hour a tweet from Joe Biden has offered another reminder of the significant differences between the two candidates in this election: climate change.
On Wednesday the United States became the first and so far only country to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, after Donald Trump served notice of the decision back in 2017.
Biden tweeted that in 77 days — the time remaining until the inauguration of the next US president — he would reverse that decision, if he wins this election.
Trump legal action
There are now four states where President Donald Trump's campaign has filed lawsuits regarding the vote counting process.
Earlier on Wednesday the Republicans had demanded better access to vote counters for campaign observers in Pennsylvania and Nevada, two of the closest states in this race where a winner has not been projected.
In Michigan, the Trump campaign has called for a temporary halt to the vote counting process: the lawsuit alleges state officials were allowing absentee ballots to be counted without teams of bipartisan observers.
And in Chatham County, Georgia, a judge has been asked to confirm whether state laws are being followed on absentee ballots. The Trump campaign is reportedly considering similar claims in up to a dozen other countries around the state.
COVID-19 surge
Amid the electoral drama across the country, Wednesday was a record-breaking day for the United States in a different field: COVID-19. More than 100,000 coronavirus cases were confirmed across the country, with many states posting record numbers.
Dr Susan Bailey, president of the American Medical Association, said Americans now needed to buckle down.
She said: "A lot of us have gotten kind of relaxed about physically distancing, not washing our hands quite as often as we used to, maybe not wearing our masks quite as faithfully. We all need to realize that things are escalating and we’ve got to be more careful than ever."
What does Biden's projected win in Michigan mean?
Democrat Joe Biden has carried Michigan and its 16 electoral votes, further dismantling Donald Trump’s Rust Belt wall of support that helped deliver him the presidency four years ago.
The flip from red back to blue was a huge blow to Trump, whose victories in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in 2016 sent him to the White House. Biden also carried Wisconsin, though Pennsylvania hasn’t been called yet.
Biden’s victory in Michigan pushes him to 264 Electoral College votes, six short of the 270 needed to win the White House. Trump is at 214 electoral votes. Nevada, which has six electoral votes, is among the states Democrat Hillary Clinton won in 2016 that hasn’t yet been called.
Why are we announcing that the candidates are 'projected' to win states?
Democratic hopes of winning Senate fade
Republicans held key Senate seats that Democrats hoped to flip, and the GOP may ultimately end up shrinking the Democrats' House majority.
Several once-promising Democratic Senate challengers far fell short, despite a deluge of national fundraising support for headliners like Jaime Harrison in South Carolina, Amy McGrath in Kentucky and MJ Hegar in Texas.
Maine's Susan Collins also claimed victory, seeing off a challenge from Democratic challenger Sara Gideon.
Democrats also hoped to take four seats from the Republicans in order to assume control of Congress's upper chamber.
Their lower chamber majority looked set to stay in place but with some losses from the House.
But it could be some time before the final result is known for both houses with many votes yet to be counted.
Nevada county releasing more results on Thursday
The top elections official in Nevada’s most populous county says more results will be released Thursday morning that include mail-in ballots received on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Clark County Registrar of Voters Joe Gloria said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that he did not yet know how many ballots had been received but uncounted in the Las Vegas area.
Early results showed Democrat Joe Biden with a slim lead over President Donald Trump in Nevada, but it was too early to declare a winner in the race Wednesday with a large number of ballots yet to be counted.
Biden: 'we believe we will be the winners'
"Now, after a long night of counting, it's clear," he said. "I'm not here to declare that we've won."
"But I am here to report when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners."
"There will be no red states and blue states when we win ... just the United States of America," he said.
Trump campaign says it is suing to temporarily halt Pennsylvania vote count
The Trump campaign said it filed lawsuits Wednesday in Pennsylvania and Michigan, laying the groundwork for contesting the outcome in undecided battleground states that could determine whether President Donald Trump gets another four years in the White House.
Suits in both states are demanding better access for campaign observers to locations where ballots are being processed and counted, the campaign said.
The campaign also is seeking to intervene in a Pennsylvania case at the Supreme Court that deals with whether ballots received up to three days after the election can be counted, deputy campaign manager Justin Clark said.
Black Lives Matter demonstrators take to streets of Washington
Scattered protests took place from Washington, D.C. to Washington state in the hours after polls closed.
More than 1,000 people protesting against President Donald Trump converged on Black Lives Matter Plaza on Tuesday night, just a block from the White House, while hundreds more marched through downtown, sometimes blocking traffic and setting off fireworks.
Protestors shouted “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “If we don’t get no justice, they don’t get no peace!”
Groups of teenagers danced in the street as onlookers cheered. Large banners, including one reading “Trump lies all the time,” were unfurled.
There were, however, no signs of widespread unrest or violence linked to the election.
What paths to victory remain for the candidates?
The key states that the race now hinges upon are Michigan and Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia.
Wisconsin went for the Democrats, so if Biden won both Nevada and Michigan, his electoral vote count would be 270, which is the exact number he needs to claim the White House.
The former vice president has an extremely narrow lead over Trump in Michigan, but Trump’s campaign said it has filed a lawsuit to “halt counting” in the state.
It is thought Nevada will provide an update concerning the state's vote count tomorrow morning.
Georgia could go either way. While it initially looked like Trump would win earlier on Tuesday, the president now only has a narrow lead with 94% counted. If Biden wins Georgia he would only have to claim one of the Midwest states.
Pennsylvania and at least three other states would be Trump's easiest path to victory. If he does not win the "keystone state" of Pennsylvania, the president needs all four remaining states to get 270.
Biden has been projected to win Wisconsin - key part of 'blue wall'
Trump’s campaign has requested a recount.
The victory for Biden bumps him up to 248 electoral votes, while Trump has 214. It takes 270 to win the presidency.
In 2016, Trump won Wisconsin by fewer than 23,000 votes, a breakthrough that along with wins in Michigan and Pennsylvania helped hand him his first term in the White House.
Where votes remain to be counted
Trump has filed legal case to suspend Michigan vote counting
President Donald Trump’s campaign says it has filed a lawsuit trying to halt the vote count in battleground Michigan.
The latest counts give Trump’s Democratic challenger Joe Biden a small lead, but the race is still too early to call.
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement Wednesday that the campaign “has not been provided with meaningful access to numerous counting locations to observe the opening of ballots and the counting process, as guaranteed by Michigan law.”
He added a suit was filed Wednesday in the Michigan Court of Claims “to halt counting until meaningful access has been granted.”
Michigan is a critical battleground state that helped deliver Trump the presidency four years ago, along with Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Neither Wisconsin nor Pennsylvania has been called yet.
Maine's Congressional District 2 has been called for Donald Trump, giving him one electoral vote from the north-eastern state's possible four.
The other three have already been claimed by Joe Biden.
Trump to ask for recount in Wisconsin
President Donald Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien says the president plans to “immediately” request a recount in the battleground state of Wisconsin, where the race remains close.
In this state, if a race is within 1 percentage point, the trailing candidate can force a recount.
Stepien said in a statement Wednesday: “The President is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so.”
The fate of the United States presidency is hanging in the balance, with Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, battling for three familiar battleground states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — that could prove crucial in determining who wins the White House.
In the race to the 270 electoral votes needed to win, Biden has 238 while Trump has 213.
Five things you might have missed
Five things you may have missed from the US election
From support for legalising recreational marijuana to the historic election of LGBTQ+ candidates, the US elections were full of surprises.Georgia has 200,000 votes left to count
“Every legal ballot will be counted," he added at a press conference.
The state has 16 votes in the electoral college.
Biden set to make address
Biden ‘on clear path to victory’ claims campaign manager
Biden wins most votes in US presidential election history
Joe Biden now holds the record for the most votes for a presidential candidate in a US election.
But Biden has now surpassed the previous record, held by his friend and former President Barack Obama, who won 69,498,516 votes in 2008.
Biden’s vote count currently stands at 69,551,307 according to an AP count, with more votes still to be counted.
Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016 with 65,853,514 votes, nearly three million more than Trump, who won the election by getting more electoral college votes.
Biden takes lead in Michigan
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Pennsylvania could be key to White House
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Race to the White House going down to the wire
US election: What is the electoral college and how does it work?
euronewsThe most popular US presidential candidate could end up losing the election. Here is why.Slovenian PM congratulates Trump, count continues
"It’s pretty clear that American people have elected Donald Trump and Mike Pence for four more years," Janša tweeted on Wednesday, after Trump himself claimed victory prematurely.
"More delays and facts denying ... [the] bigger the final triumph for the President. Congratulations to the Republican Party for strong results across the US".
The US election is currently locked in a stalemate, with hundreds of thousands of votes still to be counted, and the outcome still unclear in key states.
Slovenian PM congratulates Donald Trump despite no election result
euronewsSlovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša has said that it is "pretty clear" Donald Trump has won the United Presidential election, even though no result has been declared.Pollsters' predictions once again proven inaccurate
'Major fraud' claims Trump, without evidence
'A major fraud on our nation': Donald Trump casts doubt on election
euronewsThe US President vowed to ask the Supreme Court to weigh in on the inconclusive election and claimed a premature victory. No winner has yet been declared in the presidential race.How the result could affect the climate
How the result could affect EU relations
Votes are still being counted in several states
Joe Biden will be hoping to win Rust Belt states such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Donald Trump will also be hoping to win Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is likely to be slow to count the vote.
North Carolina and Georgia are also outstanding races that Democrats were hoping to win.
Joe Biden is projected to win three electoral votes from Maine.
Congressional District 2 has not yet been called in the state, which could give one electoral vote to Trump.
Democrat Mark Kelly wins election to US Senate from Arizona
Giffords was shot in the brain at a constitutent meeting in 2011 and documented her recovery. She and Kelly have since become outspoken gun control policy activists.
Joe Biden is projected to win the state of Arizona, which went for Trump in 2016.
'This is a fraud on the American public', Trump says
Trump says he believes he has won the election and called the results "phenomenal". Trump claimed that he won several states that are still considered too close to call, stating that the Democrats "can't catch us".
Trump added that he didn't want them to find ballots at 4am and add them to list, suggesting that he would take it to the Supreme Court.
"As far as I'm concerned we already have won it," Trump said.
Vice President Mike Pence took a more measured tone than the president, stating that they would remain "vigilant" as the votes continue to be counted and that they would "protect the integrity of the vote."
Montana Republican Steve Daines wins reelection to the Senate
Watch live: Donald Trump is set to address supporters after stating opposition was trying to steal the election
Florida approves $10 per hour minimum wage
Florida voters approved a $10 (€8.58) per hour minimum wage that will increase by $1 per year until it reaches $15 (€12.87) per hour by 2026.
Donald Trump has won the state of Texas in an election result that was close but expected. The demographics in Texas have changed and some thought the state could be in play for Democrats.
Senator Joni Ernst wins Senate seat in Iowa, limiting Democrats' ability to take control of the Senate
The win for Ernst means that Democrats have fewer options to flip the Senate.
They would need to win four seats in order to gain a majority after they lost Doug Jones' Alabama seat to Tommy Tuberville a former football coach.
Donald Trump is tweeting that his campaign is 'up big'
Trump's tweet was flagged by Twitter.
It's still an open race with either candidate a potential winner.
'We feel good about where we are': Biden says he feels on track to win the election
Biden has told supporters in Delaware that he feels good about Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania despite losses in the key states of Florida, Ohio and Iowa. He said he was optimistic about the election.
"It's not my place or Donald Trump's place to decide the election," Biden said, stating that he was grateful to poll workers and supporters. He called for people to be patient, explaining that the results would not be known immediately.
It came after Donald Trump had a better showing than expected in the early swing states, particularly in Florida among Hispanic voters.
Trump has won three swing states: Florida, Ohio and Iowa. This is better than expected showing for the President. Florida was won with the help of Hispanic voters,
Mississippi voters approve new state flag to replace Confederate one
Voters in the state of Mississippi voted to replace their state flag after legislators retired a flag with a Confederate symbol. The former embelm from the Civil War is viewed by many as a racist symbol.
Some in the South see the flag as a historic symbol.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican who supports QAnon conspiracy theories wins a US House seat
She supports a conspiracy theory that pedophiles are plotting against Donald Trump.
Greene said she would “fight hard to make sure that Nancy Pelosi and the squad and the radical Democrats in the House do not steal anything away from America, because this country was never ever meant to be a socialist nation," AP reported.
Election looks very close between Joe Biden and Donald Trump
The map looks better for Republicans than polls had originally suggested with key southern states leaning towards incumbent President Donald Trump. Florida and North Carolina are leaning towards Trump though the races are too close to call. Trump is also leading in Ohio, a key state.
Joe Biden looks likely to win the swing state of Arizona but Democrats were likely hoping for a better outcome.
Biden will be looking towards the Rust Belt states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. These states have been polling Democratic but could take longer to count votes.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks as Democrats look likely to keep the House
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi spoke about upcoming legislation in the House of Representatives as it appeared likely that the Democrats would keep control of the lower chamber of Congress.
Some very well-known Democratic representatives won reelection including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Deb Haaland.
Donald Trump has won the states of Idaho and Utah which were expected. Both are very conservative states.
Joe Biden won the three states on the west coast. This was expected as these states typically vote Democratic which is why they were called so quickly.
New Jersey votes to legalise marijuana
New Jersey has become the twelfth US state to legalise marijuana in a referendum on the 2020 ballot. The measure appeared to win by an overwhelming vote in favour of the measure.
Sarah McBride to become the country's first transgender state Senator
"I think tonight’s results demonstrate what I’ve known my entire life, which is that the residents of this district are fair-minded, and they’re looking at candidates’ ideas and not their identity,” she said.
Republican Tommy Tuberville wins election to Senate
It was not unexpected since Alabama is a very conservative state.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham wins reelection in South Carolina after tight race
Harrison had raised more than $100 million (€85.9 million), a record for a Senate race. It was a surprising race in a deeply conservative state.
Some key states are still counting votes with a result expected from North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Arizona tonight.
John Hickenlooper wins a Senate seat in Colorado
Hickenlooper, the state's former governor, was expected to win the race.
Nigel Farage, former Brexit Party leader says he thinks Donald Trump will be reelected
"We're going to see all sorts of strange results state-by-state tonight. The question is will he get to 270 votes in the electoral college? I think he will," Farage told Euronews in Washington D.C.
He said he was concerned that left-wing voters would create unrest, pointing to boarded up windows in Washington D.C. in the event of a Trump win. He also said that Brussels would hate Trump being reelected because he believes in "nation-states."
Tight race in Florida is a good sign for Donald Trump
Florida could be the first swing state to be called in this race. It is a key state without which incumbent Donald Trump's path to reelection would be very complicated. Republicans have said they are encouraged by the vote returns in the state, which is likely to be called for Trump. Democrats in particular had a smaller showing in Miami-Dade County among Hispanic voters.
Irish communities linked to Trump and Biden show their colours ahead of vote
"Local employment, remaining local access to the beach area, using local suppliers," are some of the reasons for the hotel's popularity among locals, Doonberg trader Rita McInerney told Euronews.
Such is the love of Joe Biden's distant family for the Democrat in the town of Ballina, County Mayo that they recently painted a mural in his honour.
The former vice-president's family connections in Ireland run from the east coast's Cooley peninsula to Ballina in the west, where his great-great-great-grandfather emigrated to the US from in the 1840s.
Read more here.
Here's what time the rest the polls close this evening
What are the Senate races to watch as Democrats try to flip the chamber?
Democrats would likely need to win four seats tonight in order to gain control of the chamber. They’re hoping to pick up seats in Arizona, Colorado, and Maine. Republicans are hoping to pick up Alabama and Michigan.
There are tight races to watch in Iowa, South Carolina, North Carolina, Montana, and Georgia as well.
Read more here.
Republican Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, wins re-election in the state of Kentucky
Turnout in the United States could be record high
https://www.euronews.com/2020/11/03/us-election-turnout-expected-to-hit-record-high-as-polling-booths-open
These states were predicted to go to both candidates due to an established political trend either Republican or Democratic in those states. The calls are based on polling in those states, early voting statistics and an expectation of how the states will vote.
How do the Americans living in Europe feel about the election?
US voters in Europe say election result might stop them going back
We spoke to several US voters on the continent who told us they were stressed and anxious about the election. The outcome, they said, could determine how they feel about moving back someday.Biden's third go at the White House
As he closed his final day of campaigning, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden told reporters he is "hopeful" as voting continues across the US.
He added he would not commit to commenting on any results Tuesday night, even if President Donald Trump weighs in prematurely on the vote.
Speaking to reporters outside a community centre in Wilmington, Biden said he is "superstitious" about offering predictions for election night but remains "hopeful."
"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."
This election is Biden's third bid for the White House, after previous attempts in 1987 and 2008.
