skynewsus--2020-11-04--Just six states are left to be called. Who is in the lead: Biden or Trump?

When a global pandemic led to postal votes becoming the backbone of this presidential election , no one could have imagined just how crucial they would be .
With several states still to be called for either candidate , the uncounted votes in each could make the difference between a Trump or Biden White House .
This table shows the number of votes left in each still to be counted in key states - and in some instances the margins are crucial .
In Pennsylvania - always touted as the state that might alone clinch the result for one candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump has a current lead of around 135,000 votes .
However , in spite of there only being about 11 % of votes left to count , these tally up to a total of more than 750,000 which leaves a good chance for Joe Biden to flip the state .
And with 20 Electoral College votes up for grabs , the ballots left as yet unopened or still sitting in post boxes , really could make a difference there , as well as to the final total .
The scope for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is huge .
The Democrat could be victorious if he wins Nevada ( 6 ) and Arizona ( 11 ) - putting him on 270 - even if he does not win the battleground state of Pennsylvania .
Traditionally a Republican state , Arizona looks like it could flip for just the second time since 1952 .
Crucial swing states Mr Biden hoped to flip like Arizona , Georgia , and North Carolina have gone down to the wire , remaining too close to call .
Mr Biden 's campaign said they expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those states where a result has still yet to be found .
The president 's path to power looks tighter .
He could get to 268 votes if he wins Alaska ( 3 ) , which is safe Republican , and the three swing states of Pennsylvania ( 20 ) , North Carolina ( 15 ) and Georgia ( 16 ) .
He holds the lead in Georgia , where the result has been delayed by a burst water pipe in Fulton County ( no ballots were damaged ) , and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does still need to win in Pennsylvania .
He would also have to pick up Nevada or Arizona , which are leaning towards Mr Biden at the moment , but still far too close to call .

When a global pandemic led to postal votes becoming the backbone of this presidential election, no one could have imagined just how crucial they would be.
With several states still to be called for either candidate, the uncounted votes in each could make the difference between a Trump or Biden White House.
This table shows the number of votes left in each still to be counted in key states - and in some instances the margins are crucial.
In Pennsylvania - always touted as the state that might alone clinch the result for one candidate or the other - statistics show that Donald Trump has a current lead of around 135,000 votes.
However, in spite of there only being about 11% of votes left to count, these tally up to a total of more than 750,000 which leaves a good chance for Joe Biden to flip the state.
And with 20 Electoral College votes up for grabs, the ballots left as yet unopened or still sitting in post boxes, really could make a difference there, as well as to the final total.
The scope for a result change in these crucial uncounted ballots is huge.
Joe Biden's path to 270 Electoral College votes
The Democrat could be victorious if he wins Nevada (6) and Arizona (11) - putting him on 270 - even if he does not win the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Traditionally a Republican state, Arizona looks like it could flip for just the second time since 1952.
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Crucial swing states Mr Biden hoped to flip like Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina have gone down to the wire, remaining too close to call.
Mr Biden's campaign said they expected to win Nevada and Pennsylvania, out of those states where a result has still yet to be found.
Donald Trump's path to 270 Electoral College votes
The president's path to power looks tighter.
He could get to 268 votes if he wins Alaska (3), which is safe Republican, and the three swing states of Pennsylvania (20), North Carolina (15) and Georgia (16).
He holds the lead in Georgia, where the result has been delayed by a burst water pipe in Fulton County (no ballots were damaged), and is expected to win North Carolina, but does still need to win in Pennsylvania.
He would also have to pick up Nevada or Arizona, which are leaning towards Mr Biden at the moment, but still far too close to call.


skynewsus--2020-11-05--'They are trying to rig an election': Trump ramps up voter fraud claims

Donald Trump has doubled down on unsubstantiated claims his political opponents are trying to rig and steal the US election .
In his first public appearance for 36 hours , the president said `` we ca n't allow anyone to silence our voters and manufacture results '' - but declined to offer any evidence for his allegations of corruption and wide-scale ballot tampering .
He insisted during a White House speech that `` if you count the legal votes , I easily win '' , despite no victor having been announced yet and Joe Biden leading in both the Electoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US news networks stopped broadcasting the president 's address after he shared unfounded claims of fraud in states where Mr Biden is eating into his lead .
ABC , NBC , MSNBC , CBS and USA Today were among the broadcasters who cut away from the event before it finished .
Earlier , Mr Biden declared `` each ballot must be counted '' and urged people to `` stay calm '' because `` the process is working '' .
He said he felt `` very good about where we stand '' , adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be declared the winner .
It comes as five nail-biting races in battleground states remain too close to call after many hours of counting .
Mr Biden is just 17 Electoral College votes short of the 270 either candidate needs to clinch the White House .
If he takes Pennsylvania , where Mr Trump is ahead but seeing his lead gradually shrink , that would give Mr Biden 20 more and push him over the line .
If he fails to flip the key state from red to blue , then the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Carolina and Nevada will make for an even tighter finale .
On election night , Mr Trump claimed victory before key results had been announced and accused his political opponents of a `` fraud on the American public '' without providing any evidence , demanding counts in four states to cease .
In his latest remarks , the president promised there will be `` a lot of litigation '' because `` they 're trying to steal an election , they 're trying to rig an election and we ca n't let that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressed repeatedly for proof to verify those accounts , Mr Trump offered none - only vowing : `` It 's going to end up perhaps at the highest court in the land . ''
But Mr Biden 's team hit back , calling the intervention `` desperate , baseless and a sure sign he 's losing . ''
Mr Trump 's son , Donald Jr , has called for him to `` go to total war '' over the `` cheating '' - again unsubstantiated - `` that has been going on for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has launched legal action in several states in a bid to halt counting , but already had one bid denied in Michigan .
It is possible the race for the presidency will be dragged out into a third day .
In Nevada , more results are not expected until Friday .
And in Pennsylvania , secretary of state Kathy Boockvar said `` the overwhelming majority of ballots will be counted by Friday '' .
She also denied there was any evidence of voter fraud apart from one case of a man trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was discovered several weeks ago .
A final result in the US presidential election is taking some time partly because of the huge numbers of voters who cast their ballot by post due to the coronavirus , and also because the margins in some states are still razor-thin .
Mr Biden failed to get the early , convincing wins in key targets including Ohio and Florida or other `` ruby red '' states like Texas under the landslide some pollster predicted , so the final result is going down to the wire @

Joe Biden has taken the lead in the key states of Pennsylvania and Georgia in the fight for the White House.
As votes continue to be counted in Pennsylvania, the Democratic hopeful now has almost 7,000 more votes than Donald Trump.
US election 2020 live: Follow the latest updates
Mr Biden has 253 Electoral College votes and needs 270 to win.
If he wins Pennsylvania, which has 20 Electoral College votes, he will become president-elect.
In Georgia (16 votes) - where counting also continues - Mr Biden is now leading in the normally-Republican state by 1,097 votes.
Mr Biden and Mr Trump are in a statistical dead heat in the state, locked on 49.4% each.
Despite his opponent now leading in two key states, the Trump campaign has released a statement declaring the 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," campaign general counsel Matt Morgan said in a statement.
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Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:34 US news network cuts away from Trump statement
It comes after Mr Trump doubled down on unsubstantiated claims his political opponents are trying to rig and steal the US election.
In his first public appearance for 36 hours, the president said "we can't allow anyone to silence our voters and manufacture results" - but declined to offer any evidence for his allegations of corruption and wide-scale ballot tampering.
He insisted during a White House speech that "if you count the legal votes, I easily win", despite no victor having been announced yet and Joe Biden leading in both the Electoral College and the popular vote.
Several US news networks stopped broadcasting the president's address after he shared unfounded claims of fraud in states where Mr Biden is eating into his lead.
ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CBS and USA Today were among the broadcasters who cut away from the event before it finished.
Earlier, Mr Biden declared "each ballot must be counted" and urged people to "stay calm" because "the process is working".
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:12 Trump and Biden: What are they saying?
He said he felt "very good about where we stand", adding he had "no doubt" he will be declared the winner.
It comes as five nail-biting races in battleground states remain too close to call after many hours of counting.
On election night, Mr Trump claimed victory before key results had been announced and accused his political opponents of a "fraud on the American public" without providing any evidence, demanding counts in four states to cease.
Image: Counting is underway in five too-close-to-call state races
In his latest remarks, the president promised there will be "a lot of litigation" because "they're trying to steal an election, they're trying to rig an election and we can't let that happen".
Despite his campaign being pressed repeatedly for proof to verify those accounts, Mr Trump offered none - only vowing: "It's going to end up perhaps at the highest court in the land."
Image: The Biden campaign said Mr Trump's comments were 'asure sign he's losing'
But Mr Biden's team hit back, calling the intervention "desperate, baseless and a sure sign he's losing".
Mr Trump's son, Donald Jr, has called for him to "go to total war" over the "cheating" - again unsubstantiated - "that has been going on for far too long".
The president has launched legal action in several states in a bid to halt counting, but already had one bid denied in Michigan.
It is possible the race for the presidency will be dragged out into a third day.
In Nevada, more results are not expected until Friday.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:22 How Trump or Biden could still win
And in Pennsylvania, secretary of state Kathy Boockvar said "the overwhelming majority of ballots will be counted by Friday".
She also denied there was any evidence of voter fraud apart from one case of a man trying to get a ballot for a deceased relative that was discovered several weeks ago.
A final result in the US presidential election is taking some time partly because of the huge numbers of voters who cast their ballot by post due to the coronavirus, and also because the margins in some states are still razor-thin.
Mr Biden failed to get the early, convincing wins in key targets including Ohio and Florida or other "ruby red" states like Texas under the landslide some pollsters predicted, so the final result is going down to the wire.


skynewsus--2020-11-05--Has the US election been targeted by disinformation?

According to a joint assessment by US intelligence agencies , the Russian state sponsored a disinformation campaign which brought the integrity of the last presidential election into disrepute .
Has anything similar been identified in 2020 ?
Votes are still being counted in a number of key states and the margins for victory remain wafer-thin .
It is in this period of uncertainty following the votes being cast that provocations could have the most damaging impact .
Chris Krebs , the director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ( CISA ) , has stated CISA will `` remain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to target or disrupt the ongoing vote counting and final certification of results '' .
He noted a report by Reuters which identified Twitter accounts falsely claiming to be part of the Associated Press , declaring election results before they were actually finalised - although the operators of those fake accounts are unknown at the moment .
`` Twitter is acting quickly to remove the accounts , '' Reuters reported , but there are challenging questions about whether the platform is responding quickly enough to misinformation being spread by a domestic , rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years following the last election , the platforms faced a barrage of allegations that their incompetence or apathy contributed to undermining the integrity of the electoral process by allowing disinformation to reach millions of voters .
Hostile foreign actors , in particular those sponsored by the Russian state , were found to have flooded social media platforms with messages designed to amplify the divisions between Americans on a number of topics , especially discussions around race .
While this election does n't take place in a nation which has made peace on those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to its integrity comes not from foreign actors , but the sitting president himself , and those amplifying those messages are his organic domestic supporters .
Twitter and Facebook have both taken action against unsubstantiated messages from Mr Trump alleging that the election is being stolen .
But Professor Jennifer Grygiel , a social media expert at Syracuse University , told Associated Press that the actions by Twitter and Facebook were not proving effective at tackling this risk .
Groups of the president 's supporters - some armed with rifles and handguns - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots continue to be tallied up .
In the states of Arizona and Michigan , mostly unmasked crowds chanted `` stop the steal '' following the president 's unsubstantiated claims that votes for him were deliberately not being counted .
Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg warned back in September of `` an increased risk of civil unrest across the country '' due to the anticipated delays in counting postal ballots .
Despite this , even after labelling a potentially false message by the president on Facebook , that platform does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being shared without context .
This does happen when similar messages receive an action by Twitter , but the delay in applying those actions has still allowed those messages to spread .
It took more than 15 minutes for Twitter to obscure a Donald Trump message on Wednesday which claimed that election staff were `` working hard '' to make his lead in Pennsylvania `` disappear '' , during which time the claim - which is unsubstantiated and potentially intentionally false - had been spread .
`` Twitter ca n't really enforce policies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it happens , in the case of the president , '' Professor Grygiel said .
`` When a tweet hits the wire , essentially , it goes public .
It already brings this full force of impact of market reaction . ''

According to a joint assessment by US intelligence agencies, the Russian state sponsored a disinformation campaign which brought the integrity of the last presidential election into disrepute. Has anything similar been identified in 2020?
Votes are still being counted in a number of key states and the margins for victory remain wafer-thin. It is in this period of uncertainty following the votes being cast that provocations could have the most damaging impact.
US election 2020 live: Follow the latest updates
Chris Krebs, the director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), has stated CISA will "remain vigilant for any attempts by foreign actors to target or disrupt the ongoing vote counting and final certification of results".
He noted a report by Reuters which identified Twitter accounts falsely claiming to be part of the Associated Press, declaring election results before they were actually finalised - although the operators of those fake accounts are unknown at the moment.
"Twitter is acting quickly to remove the accounts," Reuters reported, but there are challenging questions about whether the platform is responding quickly enough to misinformation being spread by a domestic, rather than foreign, source.
In the years following the last election, the platforms faced a barrage of allegations that their incompetence or apathy contributed to undermining the integrity of the electoral process by allowing disinformation to reach millions of voters.
Hostile foreign actors, in particular those sponsored by the Russian state, were found to have flooded social media platforms with messages designed to amplify the divisions between Americans on a number of topics, especially discussions around race.
While this election doesn't take place in a nation which has made peace on those topics, now the most prominent challenge to its integrity comes not from foreign actors, but the sitting president himself, and those amplifying those messages are his organic domestic supporters.
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Twitter and Facebook have both taken action against unsubstantiated messages from Mr Trump alleging that the election is being stolen.
But Professor Jennifer Grygiel, a social media expert at Syracuse University, told Associated Press that the actions by Twitter and Facebook were not proving effective at tackling this risk.
Groups of the president's supporters - some armed with rifles and handguns - descended on election counting centres where mail-in ballots continue to be tallied up.
In the states of Arizona and Michigan, mostly unmasked crowds chanted "stop the steal" following the president's unsubstantiated claims that votes for him were deliberately not being counted.
Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg warned back in September of "an increased risk of civil unrest across the country" due to the anticipated delays in counting postal ballots.
Despite this, even after labelling a potentially false message by the president on Facebook, that platform does not obscure the message or prevent it from being shared without context.
This does happen when similar messages receive an action by Twitter, but the delay in applying those actions has still allowed those messages to spread.
It took more than 15 minutes for Twitter to obscure a Donald Trump message on Wednesday which claimed that election staff were "working hard" to make his lead in Pennsylvania "disappear", during which time the claim - which is unsubstantiated and potentially intentionally false - had been spread.
"Twitter can't really enforce policies if they don't do it before it happens, in the case of the president," Professor Grygiel said. "When a tweet hits the wire, essentially, it goes public. It already brings this full force of impact of market reaction."


skynewsus--2020-11-05--'Count every vote' protests sweep US cities as Trump calls for process to be stopped

Protesters have taken to the streets across the US to demand officials `` count every vote '' amid efforts by the Trump campaign to stop the democratic process .
Demonstrations were organised by voters on both sides in cities such as Detroit , Atlanta , Philadelphia and Minnesota .
While most were Biden supporters trying to resist claims by the Trump camp that counting should be stopped , Republican supporters made similar calls in states they have lost or are trailing behind .
In New York City , thousands of Democrats marched along Fifth Avenue , while people in cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House with placards saying `` This is a democracy - act like it '' .
On Wednesday night in Portland , Oregon , where Mr Biden is projected to win , 11 people were arrested and the National Guard was brought in to contain protesters in a repeat of recent clashes triggered by the death of George Floyd .
Tamera Cody , 22 , voted for Donald Trump and was part of a small but dedicated group of his supporters outside the absentee ballot counting hall in Detroit on Thursday trading insults with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I just feel like the election was really rigged , '' she told Sky News , after the Democrats claimed victory in Michigan .
`` There are so many red counties - it does n't make sense that it 's gone to Biden .
I do n't feel like every vote is being counted .
If every voter was being counted it would n't be this way .
I did n't go to the polls for nothing .
`` There was so many red counties on the map yesterday , yet we swing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Angelo Austin , 24 , voted for Mr Biden and went to protest outside the Detroit counting centre when he heard Trump supporters were there contesting the result .
He told Sky News : `` What motivated me to come down here today is this - the same city they are protesting in is the same city that was built on the backs of Black labourers .
`` I lost my job due to COVID-19 .
These people [ Trump supporters ] are able to go home and eat while we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas bill . ''
He added : `` There is no talking to these people about the way I feel .
My ancestors worked for free for 200 years to build the economy we have today . ''
Before the election , Donald Trump implied the surge in mail-in ballots was being used by the Biden campaign to `` steal the election '' .
And with several states yet to declare their results two days on , Mr Trump has filed lawsuits in Michigan , Pennsylvania , Georgia , Nevada and Wisconsin - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the counts should stop altogether .
While there is no evidence for this , Mr Trump has tweeted : `` All of the recent Biden claimed states will be legally challenged by us for voter fraud and state election fraud . ''
Other posts , including `` STOP THE COUNT ! ''
and `` STOP THE FRAUD '' , have been removed by Twitter , which claims they are `` disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process '' .
Voting had to be paused in Philadelphia amid lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including his lawyer Rudy Giuliani , that some ballots have come from people who are dead or live outside the state .
In Georgia , where the result is still undecided , Sky News spoke to Tom Biklind , a 52-year-old pilot originally from Norway who has been in the US for 30 years .
He voted for Donald Trump , but is still concerned that legal votes will not be counted .
`` I 'm disappointed they are still counting the votes , '' he said .
`` For several reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , people who are dead are still voting - the news media reported that from Michigan .
I do n't think that 's a single incident .
Every election in this country dead people vote .
`` I also wanted to make sure that all the legal votes are counted .
If everything is legal and kosher there should n't be a problem .
It should be supervised by both parties not someone who is 'so-called independent ' . ''
He added that he wants to see a recount if the result is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ losing an election if it 's fair .
We 're adults .
I would have to respect it if Biden wins now but if it 's within 1 % for example there should be a recount , '' he said .
In Nevada , where Mr Biden is ahead so far , a Trump news conference claimed a voter called Jille Stokke was unable to vote when she turned up at the polls in Las Vegas .
They called for all voting to be halted , but a local registrar later confirmed he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had already voted once and was trying to vote again .
At a news conference near his home in Delaware on Thursday , Mr Biden urged his supporters to be patient and said `` all votes must be counted '' to cheers from supporters .

Protesters have taken to the streets across the US to demand officials "count every vote" amid efforts by the Trump campaign to stop the democratic process.
Demonstrations were organised by voters on both sides in cities such as Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Minnesota.
While most were Biden supporters trying to resist claims by the Trump camp that counting should be stopped, Republican supporters made similar calls in states they have lost or are trailing behind.
In New York City, thousands of Democrats marched along Fifth Avenue, while people in cars and on bicycles rode past the White House with placards saying "This is a democracy - act like it".
Image: Crowds in Philadelphia carry 'voters decide' and 'count every vote' placards
Image: Voters march in New York City
On Wednesday night in Portland, Oregon, where Mr Biden is projected to win, 11 people were arrested and the National Guard was brought in to contain protesters in a repeat of recent clashes triggered by the death of George Floyd.
Tamera Cody, 22, voted for Donald Trump and was part of a small but dedicated group of his supporters outside the absentee ballot counting hall in Detroit on Thursday trading insults with Biden supporters across the street.
"I just feel like the election was really rigged," she told Sky News, after the Democrats claimed victory in Michigan.
Image: Eleven were arrested during election protests in Portland, Oregon
"There are so many red counties - it doesn't make sense that it's gone to Biden. I don't feel like every vote is being counted. If every voter was being counted it wouldn't be this way. I didn't go to the polls for nothing.
"There was so many red counties on the map yesterday, yet we swing for Biden. It makes no sense."
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Image: Tamera Cody, 22, was one of the protesters outside a counting centre in Detroit
Image: Angelo Austin (R) outside the Detroit counting centre
Angelo Austin, 24, voted for Mr Biden and went to protest outside the Detroit counting centre when he heard Trump supporters were there contesting the result.
He told Sky News: "What motivated me to come down here today is this - the same city they are protesting in is the same city that was built on the backs of Black labourers.
"I lost my job due to COVID-19. These people [Trump supporters] are able to go home and eat while we are worrying about how to pay the gas bill."
Image: Every vote counts protesters clash with Trump supporters outside the Detroit counting centre
Image: Donald Trump supporter holds a 'stop the steal' placard in Detroit
He added: "There is no talking to these people about the way I feel. My ancestors worked for free for 200 years to build the economy we have today."
Before the election, Donald Trump implied the surge in mail-in ballots was being used by the Biden campaign to "steal the election".
And with several states yet to declare their results two days on, Mr Trump has filed lawsuits in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin - alleging electoral fraud is taking place and the counts should stop altogether.
Image: Protesters outside Detroit counting centre in Michigan
While there is no evidence for this, Mr Trump has tweeted: "All of the recent Biden claimed states will be legally challenged by us for voter fraud and state election fraud."
Other posts, including "STOP THE COUNT!" and "STOP THE FRAUD", have been removed by Twitter, which claims they are "disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process".
Voting had to be paused in Philadelphia amid lawsuit claims from members of the Trump campaign, including his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, that some ballots have come from people who are dead or live outside the state.
Image: A Donald Trump supporter takes part in protests in Washington DC
Image: Demonstrators cycle by the White House
In Georgia, where the result is still undecided, Sky News spoke to Tom Biklind, a 52-year-old pilot originally from Norway who has been in the US for 30 years. He voted for Donald Trump, but is still concerned that legal votes will not be counted.
"I'm disappointed they are still counting the votes," he said.
"For several reasons: certain deadlines are not being followed, people who are dead are still voting - the news media reported that from Michigan. I don't think that's a single incident. Every election in this country dead people vote.
Image: In Philadelphia, where voting had to be halted, a woman holds a 'count every vote' sign
"I also wanted to make sure that all the legal votes are counted. If everything is legal and kosher there shouldn't be a problem. It should be supervised by both parties not someone who is 'so-called independent'."
He added that he wants to see a recount if the result is tight.
"We don't mind losing an election if it's fair. We're adults. I would have to respect it if Biden wins now but if it's within 1% for example there should be a recount," he said.
Image: A 'count every vote sign' is held up by a protester in Minnesota, Minneapolis
Image: A Donald Trump supporter waves a 'no voter fraud' sign in Phoenix, Arizona
In Nevada, where Mr Biden is ahead so far, a Trump news conference claimed a voter called Jille Stokke was unable to vote when she turned up at the polls in Las Vegas.
They called for all voting to be halted, but a local registrar later confirmed he had spoken with the woman and she had already voted once and was trying to vote again.
Image: Tom, 52, works as a pilot and came out to protest in Atlanta, Georgia
At a news conference near his home in Delaware on Thursday, Mr Biden urged his supporters to be patient and said "all votes must be counted" to cheers from supporters.


skynewsus--2020-10-28--How Joe Biden could achieve victory in the election - a visual guide

Early indications are that the polls have been proved wrong , but Joe Biden has the momentum going forward .
The former vice president has regained some of the states lost by Hillary Clinton in 2016 and may have pulled of a historic victory in at least one formerly red state .
The election is still yet to be decided , but there are some trends in voting patterns that have become apparent .
1 .
The blue wall has been rebuilt Mr Biden has won Wisconsin and Michigan , two of the states that fell to Donald Trump in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states in the so-called `` blue wall '' , the group of northern states that have been steadily Democrat supporting in many recent elections .
Pennsylvania is still to be declared , but signs are that Mr Biden may close the gap on Mr Trump .
It was the switch in 2016 of many voters in those states to supporting Mr Trump that gave him the keys to the White House , with many blue collar voters sold on his America First vision and pledge to revitalise the US steel and coal industries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rust Belt - in states like Ohio , Indiana and to some extent Michigan - Mr Trump 's support held up .
But changes in levels of support in other parts , meant that Mr Biden was able to take the key states that may be enough to see him take the presidency .
Across all the swing states , in areas with higher levels of education , there was a surge in support for the Democrat candidate in 2020 compared with 2016 In general , the opposite was the case among those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas with high numbers of non-college educated voters have seen a rise in support for Mr Trump .
Blue collar workers , especially in the northern industrial areas , were previously seen as being his `` base '' , but the latest data shows this appears to have become even more the case .
The general trend underscores the growing polarisation of US politics and divisions in American society between those with different levels of education and often differing values .
In places like Arizona , the areas with higher levels of education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump held the state in 2016 , even though his margin was the smallest since Republican Bob Dole 's loss to President Bill Clinton , but in 2020 , the signs are that it might have flipped .
Counties like Pima , which includes Tucson and the University of Arizona , saw a significant rise in Democrat support among college educated voters .
The county has seen an influx in recent years of better-educated Americans , attracted to a growing economy , higher tech industries and lured away from states like California by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the county now have degrees , the same as the US national average .
Pima is 92 % urban .
In several of the swing states , indications are that Joe Biden saw an increased vote share , compared to that of Hillary Clinton in 2016 , among those living in urban areas .
Urban areas sometimes have higher proportions of college-educated voters and people from minorities - groups that tended to support Mrs Clinton previously - but Mr Biden saw more of them support him this time in states such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even in states like Ohio and Iowa , which Mr Biden lost , Democrat support was up in urban areas .
4 .
Sun-seeking retirees may have abandoned the commander in chief Sky News reported before the election on signs elderly communities in Florida may be less willing to vote for the man who they had helped into office in 2016 .
In the end , that was exactly what happened , with Mr Trump seeing a loss in support in areas with a higher population of over-65s .
The same was true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a state with a larger retired population than the average .
.
There was anecdotal evidence before the election that some elderly people were considering switching their vote to Democrat - and to a man who could himself be the oldest president in history - because they were keen to leave a legacy for their grandchildren .
The elderly , thousands of whom have died this year in the US from coronavirus , may have also been more worried about the pandemic and voted for a candidate who pledged to take it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not occur across the board , and in many of the states where Mr Trump did well in 2016 , especially in the north , there were signs that older voters backed him in greater numbers , despite the high levels of COVID-19 infection .
The Democrats had been optimistic they would at least pick up the swing state of Florida , if not the firmly red state of Texas , which the polls said could go their way .
In the end , they won neither .
Behind the losses may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Latino population .
Democrats on the ground say they believe it was the Latino vote that was key to Mr Trump 's success in the state .
Bradley Jackson , a Democrat activist in Florida , told Sky News he could see the effect as he campaigned .
He said : `` One of the main things I did see was down in Miami Dade county - which is a Democratic stronghold - that the Hispanic population , mainly Cuban and Venezuelan , which have had socialist governments for so long , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Republican Party ] have put out , calling Joe Biden a socialist and used that to convince people that this agenda is what is happening . ''
Many commentators have said that the polls may have been wrong because of a phenomenon call the Shy Trumper - voters who did not tell pollsters they planned to vote Trump , and then did .
Many of the graphs above show that in several groups , support for Mr Trump went up .
In several states , particularly the former bellwether states like Ohio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which were won by Barack Obama in 2008 , Mr Trump 's vote share held up .
With turnout predicted to be the highest ever for a US election , it is clear the Mr Trump was backed by a huge number of Americans .
Former Republican adviser Lanhee Chen told Sky News : `` Biden was winning by a much larger margin .
Polls are a reflection of assumptions about who will turn out to vote and pollsters have to do their best to guess who is going to turn out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has been able to do in these states is to create electorate that are more favourable to him .
He 's turning out voters that are going to support him and demotivating those who would oppose him . ''

Joe Biden is projected to win the election and become the 46th president of the United States.
After a nail-biting race, the Democratic candidate took an unbeatable lead in Pennsylvania - picking up its 20 Electoral College votes and passing the 270 needed to gain the White House.
So how did he do it? Some trends in voting patterns have become apparent.
1. The blue wall has been rebuilt
Mr Biden won Wisconsin and Michigan - and now Pennsylvania, three of the states that fell to Donald Trump four years ago.
They are in the so-called "blue wall", a group of northern states that have been steadily Democrat supporting in many recent elections.
It was the switch in 2016 of many voters in those states to supporting Mr Trump that gave him the keys to the White House, with many blue collar voters sold on his America First vision and pledge to revitalise the US steel and coal industries.
In many parts of America's Rust Belt - in states like Ohio, Indiana and, to some extent, Michigan - Mr Trump's support held up.
But changes in levels of support in other parts meant Mr Biden was able to take the key states that were enough to see him take the presidency.
2. The educated vote counted
Across all the swing states, in areas with higher levels of education, there was a surge in support for the Democrat candidate in 2020 compared with 2016
In general, the opposite was the case among those with lower levels of education.
All areas with high numbers of non-college educated voters have seen a rise in support for Mr Trump.
Blue collar workers, especially in the northern industrial areas, were previously seen as being his "base", but the latest data shows this appears to have become even more the case.
The general trend underscores the growing polarisation of US politics and divisions in American society between those with different levels of education and often differing values.
In places like Arizona, the areas with higher levels of education may have made the difference.
Mr Trump held the state in 2016, even though his margin was the smallest since Republican Bob Dole's loss to President Bill Clinton, but in 2020, the signs are that it might have flipped.
Counties like Pima, which includes Tucson and the University of Arizona, saw a significant rise in Democrat support among college educated voters.
The county has seen an influx in recent years of better-educated Americans, attracted to a growing economy, higher tech industries and lured away from states like California by lower prices.
Thirty-two percent of county inhabitants now have degrees - the same as the US national average. Pima is 92% urban.
3. Increasing urban/rural split
In several of the swing states, indications are that Joe Biden saw an increased vote share, compared to that of Hillary Clinton in 2016, among those living in urban areas.
Urban areas sometimes have higher proportions of college-educated voters and people from minorities - groups that tended to support Mrs Clinton previously, but Mr Biden saw more of them support him this time in states such as Georgia, Minnesota and North Carolina.
Even in states like Ohio and Iowa, which Mr Biden lost, Democrat support was up in urban areas.
4. Sun-seeking retirees may have abandoned the commander in chief
Sky News reported before the election on signs elderly communities in Florida may be less willing to vote for the man who they had helped into office in 2016.
In the end, that was exactly what happened, with Mr Trump seeing a loss in support in areas with a higher population of over-65s.
The same was true in Arizona, another key battleground, and a state with a larger retired population than the average.
There was anecdotal evidence before the election that some elderly people were considering switching their vote to Democrat - and to a man who could himself be the oldest president in history - because they were keen to leave a legacy for their grandchildren.
The elderly, thousands of whom have died this year in the US from coronavirus, may have also been more worried about the pandemic and voted for a candidate who pledged to take it more seriously.
However, this did not occur across the board, and in many of the states where Mr Trump did well in 2016, especially in the north, there were signs that older voters backed him in greater numbers, despite the high levels of COVID-19 infection.
5. Latino vote swings sun belt
The Democrats had been optimistic they would at least pick up the swing state of Florida, if not the firmly red state of Texas, which the polls said could go their way.
In the end, they won neither. Behind the losses may be a dramatic swing to Donald Trump among the Latino population.
In Florida, 48% of Latinos backed Donald Trump.
Democrats on the ground say they believe it was the Latino vote that was key to Mr Trump's success in the state.
Bradley Jackson, a Democrat activist in Florida, told Sky News he could see the effect as he campaigned.
He said: "One of the main things I did see was down in Miami Dade county - which is a Democratic stronghold - that the Hispanic population, mainly Cuban and Venezuelan, which have had socialist governments for so long, have taken that message that the GOP [Republican Party] have put out, calling Joe Biden a socialist and used that to convince people that this agenda is what is happening."
5. 'Shy Trumpers' came out
Many commentators have said that the polls may have been wrong because of a phenomenon call the Shy Trumper - voters who did not tell pollsters they planned to vote Trump, and then did.
Many of the graphs above show that in several groups, support for Mr Trump went up.
In several states, particularly the former bellwether states like Ohio, and also including Iowa and Indiana, which were won by Barack Obama in 2008, Mr Trump's vote share held up.
With turnout predicted to be the highest ever for a US election, it is clear that Mr Trump was backed by a huge number of Americans.
Former Republican adviser Lanhee Chen told Sky News: "Biden was winning by a much larger margin. Polls are a reflection of assumptions about who will turn out to vote and pollsters have to do their best to guess who is going to turn out on election day.
"Clearly what Trump has been able to do in these states is to create an electorate that is more favourable to him. He's turning out voters that are going to support him and demotivating those who would oppose him."


skynewsus--2020-11-05--Trump team insists he's 'alive and kicking' as he calls for knife-edge counts to cease

Donald Trump is `` alive and kicking '' as he prepares to launch legal action to stop some counts and challenge results in key battlegrounds he is projected to lose , his team has said .
The US president 's campaign manager gave an update on their tactics and claimed Americans had lost faith in democracy .
He repeated unsubstantiated accusations that the Democrats were cheating and stealing the US election , while ballots are sorted through in five knife-edge races that are still too close to call .
Live updates as election still too close to call Neither Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vital 270 Electoral College votes needed to guarantee them the keys to the White House , but a result is edging closer .
The incumbent Republican is ahead in Georgia , North Carolina and Pennsylvania while Mr Biden is leading in Arizona and Nevada .
But as the ballots are counted in batches , those razor-thin margins could narrow further , or see one candidate overtake the other .
The momentum seems to be behind Mr Biden , who is winning the popular vote and within touching distance of the 270 Electoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on 253 .
He had demanded election administrators `` stop the count '' in Arizona , Nevada , Pennsylvania and Georgia , and has claimed a `` big legal win '' after his campaign said they got a court order in Philadelphia to enter a count to observe it .
`` All of the recent Biden claimed states will be legally challenged by us for voter fraud and state election fraud , '' he vowed in a tweet , again without providing evidence .
In Nevada , his campaign declared at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corrupt '' .
They presented one resident - Jill Stoke - who claimed she had been the victim of voter fraud and another who said he was denied access to watch ballots being counted , but they all refused to take questions or verify those accounts .
A registrar later said that contrary to Ms Stoke 's claims , she had actually already voted and then tried to vote again .
The Trump campaign has also lost a legal bid to halt counting in Michigan - a state the Republicans are already projected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes have been counted .
Mr Biden 's team has dismissed claims of wide-scale fraud as `` baseless '' and `` political theatre '' .
One adviser , Bob Bauer , said : `` It is to create an opportunity to message falsely about what is taking place in the electoral process ...
This is part of a broader misinformation campaign . ''
Urging patience , Georgia 's election system manager Gabriel Sterling said people should stay calm and wait for officials to finish doing their job .
`` Fast is great and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accuracy , '' he said .
`` Accuracy is going to be the bedrock upon which people will believe the outcomes of this election , be they on the winning side or the losing side . ''
A result there is expected to be announced later on Thursday , but could be delayed further if it goes to a recount .
In Nevada , more results are not expected until Friday .
Mr Biden 's best chance of victory is flipping the high-value target of Pennsylvania , where the secretary of state is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 5:15pm Eastern Time ) .
If he can do that then he will take its 20 Electoral College votes , surpassing the 270 threshold needed without having to rely on the other remaining races .

Donald Trump is "alive and kicking" as he prepares to launch legal action to stop some counts and challenge results in key battlegrounds he is projected to lose, his team has said.
The US president's campaign manager gave an update on their tactics and claimed Americans had lost faith in democracy.
He repeated unsubstantiated accusations that the Democrats were cheating and stealing the US election, while ballots are sorted through in five knife-edge races that are still too close to call.
Live updates as election still too close to call
Neither Mr Trump nor Joe Biden have yet clinched the vital 270 Electoral College votes needed to guarantee them the keys to the White House, but a result is edging closer.
The incumbent Republican is ahead in Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania while Mr Biden is leading in Arizona and Nevada.
But as the ballots are counted in batches, those razor-thin margins could narrow further, or see one candidate overtake the other.
The momentum seems to be behind Mr Biden, who is winning the popular vote and within touching distance of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to guarantee the presidency, on 253.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:22 How Trump or Biden could still win
Mr Trump currently has 214 Electoral College votes.
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He had demanded election administrators "stop the count" in Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia, and has claimed a "big legal win" after his campaign said they got a court order in Philadelphia to enter a count to observe it.
"All of the recent Biden claimed states will be legally challenged by us for voter fraud and state election fraud," he vowed in a tweet, again without providing evidence.
Image: Counting continues in five battleground states
In Nevada, his campaign declared at a news conference that "the system is corrupt".
They presented one resident - Jill Stoke - who claimed she had been the victim of voter fraud and another who said he was denied access to watch ballots being counted, but they all refused to take questions or verify those accounts.
Image: Jill Stoke was used by the Trump campaign to evidence their claims
A registrar later said that contrary to Ms Stoke's claims, she had actually already voted and then tried to vote again.
The Trump campaign has also lost a legal bid to halt counting in Michigan - a state the Republicans are already projected to lose and where 99% of votes have been counted.
Image: Crowds gathered outside counting centres to protest
Mr Biden's team has dismissed claims of wide-scale fraud as "baseless" and "political theatre".
One adviser, Bob Bauer, said: "It is to create an opportunity to message falsely about what is taking place in the electoral process... This is part of a broader misinformation campaign."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:02 Biden: 'I'm confident we'll emerge victorious'
Urging patience, Georgia's election system manager Gabriel Sterling said people should stay calm and wait for officials to finish doing their job.
"Fast is great and we appreciate fast; we more appreciate accuracy," he said.
"Accuracy is going to be the bedrock upon which people will believe the outcomes of this election, be they on the winning side or the losing side."
Image: Pockets of protests have broken out over the president's interference
A result there is expected to be announced later on Thursday, but could be delayed further if it goes to a recount.
In Nevada, more results are not expected until Friday.
Mr Biden's best chance of victory is flipping the high-value target of Pennsylvania, where the secretary of state is due to make an announcement at 10:15pm (5:15pm Eastern Time).
If he can do that then he will take its 20 Electoral College votes, surpassing the 270 threshold needed without having to rely on the other remaining races.


skynewsus--2020-11-06--Race for the White House: Who has the lead in the states still counting?

Not quite a race to 270 , more of a crawl , as the tortoise catches the hare .
On Tuesday night Donald Trump had raced to leads in Georgia and Pennsylvania .
Since then he has watched Joe Biden take the lead in the former and gradually slice away his lead in the latter .
The president needs to win both states to be sure of the magic 270 Electoral College votes that would keep him in the White House .
If Joe Biden wins Georgia , then the worst he could do is tie .
Win Pennsylvania and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top job .
So what is the state of play ?
There are fewer than 14,000 , mainly absentee , votes to be counted in this historically Republican state .
At around 9.30am on Friday ( UK time ) , Mr Biden took a lead of 917 votes .
As of 11am , he was 1,096 votes ahead .
The majority of the outstanding ballots are in two counties - Clayton which leans heavily Democratic and Gwinnett which Hillary Clinton won from the Republicans in 2016 .
Joe Biden needs to take around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Should he do it then he would become the first Democratic nominee to win Georgia since Bill Clinton in 1992 , and he had some help from Ross Perot .
If it remains neck and neck then the 8,800 military ballots yet to be counted could come into play .
In Pennsylvania , the avalanche of Democratic postal ballots has helped Joe Biden turn a deficit of around 700,000 votes into one of around 18,000 votes .
More significantly , Mr Biden is adding between 70 % and 80 % of every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If that continues , he will not only overtake President Trump but build a sizeable lead of his own , big enough to secure the 20 Electoral College votes Pennsylvania offers and the White House .
The majority of outstanding votes are in Democratic-friendly Philadelphia .
One county , Allegheny , in the Pittsburgh area , will count its remaining 36,000 votes on Saturday .
But what if Joe Biden does n't win Pennsylvania ?
Then Nevada becomes more important .
His lead in the state of casinos and gambling has grown from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provisional ballots ( which need signature verification ) there are approximately 60,000 mainly postal ballots that need to be counted and 90 % of them in Clark County which includes Las Vegas .
Clark tends to vote Democratic .
The last time it supported a Republican for president was 1988 .
So , a betting man might put his money on Mr Biden to hold on to the six Electoral College votes on offer .
Arizona 's 11 Electoral College votes though could be slipping from Joe Biden 's grasp .
The absentee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump and have steadily reduced the Democratic nominee 's lead to around 47,000 .
Mr Trump needs to win about 58 % of the 290,000 ballots still to be counted , and he is currently taking around 56 % of them .
Three quarters of the outstanding votes are in Maricopa County , where Mr Biden has a narrow lead , but the Republicans have been the winners since 1948 .
If Joe Biden can win Arizona he will be the first Democratic Presidential nominee to do so since Bill Clinton in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blue wall , and Joe Biden puts the presidency beyond doubt .
Add Nevada and he makes the victory more comfortable .
With either Georgia or Arizona he makes history .
All are still possible .
Whereas Donald Trump 's hopes depend on Pennsylvania .
Lose that and he loses his job .

Not quite a race to 270, more of a crawl, as the tortoise catches the hare.
On Tuesday night Donald Trump had raced to leads in Georgia and Pennsylvania. Since then he has watched Joe Biden take the lead in the former and gradually slice away his lead in the latter.
US election 2020 live: Follow the latest updates
The president needs to win both states to be sure of the magic 270 Electoral College votes that would keep him in the White House.
If Joe Biden wins Georgia, then the worst he could do is tie. Win Pennsylvania and the former vice president finally gets the top job.
So what is the state of play?
GEORGIA
There are fewer than 14,000, mainly absentee, votes to be counted in this historically Republican state. At around 9.30am on Friday (UK time), Mr Biden took a lead of 917 votes. As of 11am, he was 1,096 votes ahead.
The majority of the outstanding ballots are in two counties - Clayton which leans heavily Democratic and Gwinnett which Hillary Clinton won from the Republicans in 2016. Joe Biden needs to take around 55% of what remains to win.
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Should he do it then he would become the first Democratic nominee to win Georgia since Bill Clinton in 1992, and he had some help from Ross Perot. If it remains neck and neck then the 8,800 military ballots yet to be counted could come into play.
PENNSYLVANIA
In Pennsylvania, the avalanche of Democratic postal ballots has helped Joe Biden turn a deficit of around 700,000 votes into one of around 18,000 votes.
More significantly, Mr Biden is adding between 70% and 80% of every batch counted to his vote tally.
If that continues, he will not only overtake President Trump but build a sizeable lead of his own, big enough to secure the 20 Electoral College votes Pennsylvania offers and the White House.
The majority of outstanding votes are in Democratic-friendly Philadelphia. One county, Allegheny, in the Pittsburgh area, will count its remaining 36,000 votes on Saturday.
NEVADA
But what if Joe Biden doesn't win Pennsylvania? Then Nevada becomes more important. His lead in the state of casinos and gambling has grown from 8,000 votes to around 11,500.
Excluding provisional ballots (which need signature verification) there are approximately 60,000 mainly postal ballots that need to be counted and 90% of them in Clark County which includes Las Vegas. Clark tends to vote Democratic.
The last time it supported a Republican for president was 1988. So, a betting man might put his money on Mr Biden to hold on to the six Electoral College votes on offer.
ARIZONA
Arizona's 11 Electoral College votes though could be slipping from Joe Biden's grasp.
The absentee and postal ballots there are breaking for Donald Trump and have steadily reduced the Democratic nominee's lead to around 47,000.
Mr Trump needs to win about 58% of the 290,000 ballots still to be counted, and he is currently taking around 56% of them.
Three quarters of the outstanding votes are in Maricopa County, where Mr Biden has a narrow lead, but the Republicans have been the winners since 1948.
If Joe Biden can win Arizona he will be the first Democratic Presidential nominee to do so since Bill Clinton in 1996.
Win Pennsylvania, rebuilding the blue wall, and Joe Biden puts the presidency beyond doubt.
Add Nevada and he makes the victory more comfortable.
With either Georgia or Arizona he makes history. All are still possible.
Whereas Donald Trump's hopes depend on Pennsylvania. Lose that and he loses his job.


skynewsus--2020-11-06--Election officials threatened with violence as pro-Trump protests intensify

Election officials across the US say they fear for their staff 's safety amid threats and harassment from protesters , spurred by Donald Trump 's claims of a corrupt election .
Groups of Trump supporters have gathered outside vote tabulation sites in Phoenix , Detroit and Philadelphia , decrying counts that showed Democrat Joe Biden leading or gaining ground .
It comes as Facebook removed a fast-growing group in which Trump supporters posted threats of violence .
The `` Stop The Steal '' group , which called for `` boots on the ground to protect the integrity of the vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members every 10 seconds and had grown to 365,000 members in a day .
`` The group was organised around the delegitimisation of the election process , and we saw worrying calls for violence from some members , '' a Facebook spokeswoman said .
While the protests outside counting stations have so far not been violent or very large , local officials were distressed by the harassment of election staff .
Michigan 's attorney general Dana Nessel tweeted a plea to `` stop making harassing & threatening calls '' to her staff .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncomfortable places is never appropriate & is a sad commentary on the state of our nation , '' wrote Ms Nessel , a Democrat .
She was referring to a false conspiracy theory that Trump supporters were told to fill out ballots with Sharpie markers instead of regular pens so that their votes would not be counted by the machines .
Arizona secretary of state Katie Hobbs told CNN her main concern was staff safety but that sheriff 's deputies were providing protection .
She said protesters were `` causing delay and disruption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job '' .
On Thursday , around 100 Trump supporters gathered again in front of the Maricopa County election centre in Phoenix , some carrying military-style rifles and handguns .
Arizona law allows people to openly carry guns .
Authorities at the centre used fences to create a `` freedom of speech zone '' and keep the entrance to the building open .
The crowd took turns chanting `` count the votes '' and `` four more years '' , and complained through a megaphone about the voting process .
Some briefly chased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depicting the president as a Nazi pig behind a stage where right-wing talk-radio host Alex Jones was speaking .
`` They are trying to steal the election , but America knows what happened and it 's fighting back , '' Jones told the crowd .
`` 1776 is the answer to 1984 , '' he said , an apparent reference to the US Declaration of Independence and the dystopian George Orwell novel .
The group paused to listen as Mr Trump spoke from the White House , where he repeated many of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They whooped and clapped when the president said : `` We 're on track to win Arizona . ''
However , Mr Biden is still in the lead there , albeit by a small margin of more than 47,000 votes .
Both sides held rallies in Philadelphia on Thursday , where election staffers slowly counted thousands of mail-in ballots that could decide Pennsylvania 's crucial 20 Electoral College votes .
Trump activists waved flags and carried signs saying : `` Vote stops on election day '' and `` sorry , polls are closed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind a barricade across the street .
Late on Thursday , Philadelphia police said they were investigating an alleged plot to attack the city 's Pennsylvania Convention Center , where votes were being counted .
Police took at least one man into custody and seized a weapon .
No injuries were reported .
In Atlanta , roughly 100 chanting Trump supporters gathered outside State Farm Arena as votes were being counted .
Several Atlanta police officers monitored the scene .
Tom Haas , 50 , who said he was visiting Atlanta from Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Trump had won the election .
`` There 's obvious voter fraud , and it 's coming out of the larger Democratic-run cities , '' he said .
`` Atlanta is one of them . ''
`` Our democracy is under attack , '' he said , echoing Mr Trump 's language .
A few dozen Trump supporters gathered outside Detroit 's convention centre on Thursday morning as election workers counted absentee ballots inside .
The protesters held signs that read , `` stop the steal '' and `` stop the cheat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 backers of the president chanted as they stood along the road in front of the election offices .
In Milwaukee , some 50 Trump supporters gathered in front of a city building where votes were being counted , blasting country music , waving flags and carrying signs reading `` recount '' and `` rigged '' .
Roughly a dozen counter-protesters arrived after an hour , shouting `` black lives matter '' and `` say their names '' , referring to the victims of police brutality .
Others threw eggs at the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ My country 's future is what brings me out here tonight , '' said Mitchell Landgraf , a 21-year-old construction worker who cast his first vote in a presidential election for President Trump .
`` I 'm afraid if it goes one way that this country will go downhill fast . ''
Mr Trump 's campaign has called for a recount in Wisconsin , where Mr Biden has been declared the winner by a razor-thin margin .

Election officials across the US say they fear for their staff's safety amid threats and harassment from protesters, spurred by Donald Trump's claims of a corrupt election.
Groups of Trump supporters have gathered outside vote tabulation sites in Phoenix, Detroit and Philadelphia, decrying counts that showed Democrat Joe Biden leading or gaining ground.
US election 2020 live: Follow the latest updates
Image: Trump supporters have been demonstrating in Phoenix, Arizona
It comes as Facebook removed a fast-growing group in which Trump supporters posted threats of violence.
The "Stop The Steal" group, which called for "boots on the ground to protect the integrity of the vote", was gaining a thousand new members every 10 seconds and had grown to 365,000 members in a day.
"The group was organised around the delegitimisation of the election process, and we saw worrying calls for violence from some members," a Facebook spokeswoman said.
While the protests outside counting stations have so far not been violent or very large, local officials were distressed by the harassment of election staff.
Michigan's attorney general Dana Nessel tweeted a plea to "stop making harassing & threatening calls" to her staff.
"Asking them to shove sharpies in uncomfortable places is never appropriate & is a sad commentary on the state of our nation," wrote Ms Nessel, a Democrat.
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She was referring to a false conspiracy theory that Trump supporters were told to fill out ballots with Sharpie markers instead of regular pens so that their votes would not be counted by the machines.
Image: Around 100 backers of the president chanted in Las Vegas
Arizona secretary of state Katie Hobbs told CNN her main concern was staff safety but that sheriff's deputies were providing protection.
She said protesters were "causing delay and disruption and preventing those employees from doing their job".
On Thursday, around 100 Trump supporters gathered again in front of the Maricopa County election centre in Phoenix, some carrying military-style rifles and handguns. Arizona law allows people to openly carry guns.
Authorities at the centre used fences to create a "freedom of speech zone" and keep the entrance to the building open.
The crowd took turns chanting "count the votes" and "four more years", and complained through a megaphone about the voting process.
Some briefly chased a man who held up a sign depicting the president as a Nazi pig behind a stage where right-wing talk-radio host Alex Jones was speaking.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:34 US news network cuts away from Trump statement
"They are trying to steal the election, but America knows what happened and it's fighting back," Jones told the crowd.
"1776 is the answer to 1984," he said, an apparent reference to the US Declaration of Independence and the dystopian George Orwell novel.
The group paused to listen as Mr Trump spoke from the White House, where he repeated many of his groundless assertions of a rigged vote.
They whooped and clapped when the president said: "We're on track to win Arizona." However, Mr Biden is still in the lead there, albeit by a small margin of more than 47,000 votes.
Image: Both sides held rallies in Philadelphia on Thursday
Both sides held rallies in Philadelphia on Thursday, where election staffers slowly counted thousands of mail-in ballots
that could decide Pennsylvania's crucial 20 Electoral College votes.
Trump activists waved flags and carried signs saying: "Vote stops on election day" and "sorry, polls are closed" as Biden supporters danced to music behind a barricade across the street.
Late on Thursday, Philadelphia police said they were investigating an alleged plot to attack the city's Pennsylvania Convention Center, where votes were being counted.
Police took at least one man into custody and seized a weapon. No injuries were reported.
In Atlanta, roughly 100 chanting Trump supporters gathered outside State Farm Arena as votes were being counted. Several Atlanta police officers monitored the scene.
Tom Haas, 50, who said he was visiting Atlanta from Chicago on business, said he was convinced Mr Trump had won the election.
"There's obvious voter fraud, and it's coming out of the larger Democratic-run cities," he said. "Atlanta is one of them."
Image: Trump supporters in Wisconsin, where Mr Biden has been declared the winner by a razor-thin margin
"Our democracy is under attack," he said, echoing Mr Trump's language.
A few dozen Trump supporters gathered outside Detroit's convention centre on Thursday morning as election workers counted absentee ballots inside.
The protesters held signs that read, "stop the steal" and "stop the cheat".
In Las Vegas, around 100 backers of the president chanted as they stood along the road in front of the election offices.
In Milwaukee, some 50 Trump supporters gathered in front of a city building where votes were being counted, blasting country music, waving flags and carrying signs reading "recount" and "rigged".
Roughly a dozen counter-protesters arrived after an hour, shouting "black lives matter" and "say their names", referring to the victims of police brutality.
Others threw eggs at the Trump supporters from a passing car.
"My country's future is what brings me out here tonight," said Mitchell Landgraf, a 21-year-old construction worker who cast his first vote in a presidential election for President Trump. "I'm afraid if it goes one way that this country will go downhill fast."
Mr Trump's campaign has called for a recount in Wisconsin, where Mr Biden has been declared the winner by a razor-thin margin.


skynewsus--2020-11-06--Rose McGowan breaks arm after falling over while reading US election results

As US election counts go down to the bone , Rose McGowan 's dedication to keeping across results has landed her in hospital .
The 47-year-old actress and activist shared a photo on Instagram that showed her wearing a face mask and a cast on her left arm .
McGowan explained the cause of her injury was politics related , writing in her post : `` Reading US election results while on the stairs = bone break . ''
Donald Trump and Joe Biden are currently locked in a closely fought election race with razor-thin margins set to decide the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she was n't being treated in America , but in neighbouring Mexico , writing : `` It cost $ 250 in Mexico for my emergency room visit , compared to a likely 10k hospital bill in California for the same accident .
`` USA is not the land of the free , it 's the land of the overcharged .
# bigpharma # usa🇺🇸 # mexico 🇲🇽 OUCH '' .
Her dig at the US healthcare system is not uncharacteristic for McGowan , who has been vocal in her criticism of both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Trump a `` disease '' and accused Mr Biden and the Democratic Party of achieving `` nothing '' .
: : Subscribe to the Backstage podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker She wrote on Twitter : `` What have the Democrats done to solve ANYTHING ?
Help the poor ?
No .
Help black & brown people ?
No .
Stop police brutality ?
No .
Help single mothers ?
No .
Help children ?
No .
You have achieved nothing .
NOTHING . ''
McGowan was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out about disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein , accusing him of sexual misconduct .
He is now serving 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault .

As US election counts go down to the bone, Rose McGowan's dedication to keeping across results has landed her in hospital.
The 47-year-old actress and activist shared a photo on Instagram that showed her wearing a face mask and a cast on her left arm.
McGowan explained the cause of her injury was politics related, writing in her post: "Reading US election results while on the stairs = bone break."
US election 2020 live: Follow the latest updates
Image: McGowan has been critical of both US presidential candidates
Donald Trump and Joe Biden are currently locked in a closely fought election race with razor-thin margins set to decide the winner.
McGowan went on to explain that she wasn't being treated in America, but in neighbouring Mexico, writing: "It cost $250 in Mexico for my emergency room visit, compared to a likely 10k hospital bill in California for the same accident.
"USA is not the land of the free, it's the land of the overcharged. #bigpharma #usa🇺🇸 #mexico 🇲🇽 OUCH".
Her dig at the US healthcare system is not uncharacteristic for McGowan, who has been vocal in her criticism of both presidential candidates.
She has previously called Mr Trump a "disease" and accused Mr Biden and the Democratic Party of achieving "nothing".
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She wrote on Twitter: "What have the Democrats done to solve ANYTHING? Help the poor? No. Help black & brown people? No. Stop police brutality? No. Help single mothers? No. Help children? No. You have achieved nothing. NOTHING."
McGowan was one of the first actresses to speak out about disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, accusing him of sexual misconduct. He is now serving 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault.


skynewsus--2020-11-06--Trump sounded defeated and some Republicans now want him out of the party

History may call it the death rattle of this presidency .
Right now , the election needs to be called first .
As the country 's verdict crystallised and TV increasingly showed a map turning Democrat blue , Donald Trump addressed journalists inside the White House .
The voting figures had formed in him a melancholic mode and he read , low-key , from a paper script through familiar , baseless , accusations of an election `` stolen '' .
However , he did n't present so much as president pickpocketed and ready for robust challenge .
Rather , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a set-piece media event to lay out a convincing case for legitimate challenge , it fell short - short of a White House lawyer or two to give detail and credibility on where and why the courts would see fit to become involved .
Donald Trump 's advisers had reportedly advised him against rolling out his allegations of electoral fraud , but he ignored them .
A fraught election can put distance between a president and his people and there 's increasing evidence of it .
The Republican Party has obediently filed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but unity has been undermined by his denouncing of the country 's democratic process .
The fracture lines stretched onto social media .
Maryland 's Republican Governor Larry Hogan tweeted : `` There is no defence for the President 's comments tonight undermining our Democratic process . ''
Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger tweeted : `` STOP Spreading debunked misinformation ...
This is getting insane . ''
Twitter - where else - was the arena for Family Trump to engage in the fight .
A series of tweets from Eric and Don Trump Jnr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans in an effort to shake them for support .
Eric Trump tweeted : `` Where are Republicans !
Have some backbone .
Fight against this fraud .
Our voters will never forget you if your ( sic ) sheep !
`` Therein lies the dilemma for the Republican party .
The `` our voters '' of whom Eric Trump spoke number nearly 70 million after Tuesday 's election .
It 's a huge voter base that every Republican needs , whether Donald Trump remains in the White House or not .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him or else '' .
The incumbent president needs the wider support of the movement to add momentum and political clout to any court challenge .
Many Republicans would prefer to see Donald Trump recycled out of the party for the party 's sake .
Enabling such a scenario comes with significant risk to personal and party ambition .
Not for the first time with this president , it is a balance of priorities and principles .

History may call it the death rattle of this presidency. Right now, the election needs to be called first.
As the country's verdict crystallised and TV increasingly showed a map turning Democrat blue, Donald Trump addressed journalists inside the White House.
US election 2020 live: Follow the latest updates
The voting figures had formed in him a melancholic mode and he read, low-key, from a paper script through familiar, baseless, accusations of an election "stolen".
However, he didn't present so much as president pickpocketed and ready for robust challenge. Rather, the tone was resigned.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:34 US news network cuts away from Trump statement
If this was a set-piece media event to lay out a convincing case for legitimate challenge, it fell short - short of a White House lawyer or two to give detail and credibility on where and why the courts would see fit to become involved.
Donald Trump's advisers had reportedly advised him against rolling out his allegations of electoral fraud, but he ignored them.
A fraught election can put distance between a president and his people and there's increasing evidence of it.
The Republican Party has obediently filed in behind Donald Trump throughout his term, but unity has been undermined by his denouncing of the country's democratic process. The fracture lines stretched onto social media.
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Maryland's Republican Governor Larry Hogan tweeted: "There is no defence for the President's comments tonight undermining our Democratic process."
Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger tweeted: "STOP Spreading debunked misinformation... This is getting insane."
Twitter - where else - was the arena for Family Trump to engage in the fight. A series of tweets from Eric and Don Trump Jnr, sons of Donald, screamed at Republicans in an effort to shake them for support.
Eric Trump tweeted: "Where are Republicans! Have some backbone. Fight against this fraud. Our voters will never forget you if your (sic) sheep! "
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 21:10 Trump claims US election is 'rigged'
Therein lies the dilemma for the Republican party. The "our voters" of whom Eric Trump spoke number nearly 70 million after Tuesday's election.
It's a huge voter base that every Republican needs, whether Donald Trump remains in the White House or not.
The Trump warning to Republicans is "back him or else".
The incumbent president needs the wider support of the movement to add momentum and political clout to any court challenge.
Many Republicans would prefer to see Donald Trump recycled out of the party for the party's sake. Enabling such a scenario comes with significant risk to personal and party ambition.
Not for the first time with this president, it is a balance of priorities and principles.


skynewsus--2020-11-06--Ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon banned from Twitter over beheading call

Donald Trump 's former chief strategist Steve Bannon has been banned from Twitter after he called for the beheading of Dr Anthony Fauci and the FBI director Christopher Wray .
The action comes as Donald Trump supporters - some of them armed with rifles and handguns - descended on election counting centres after the president made unsubstantiated allegations that the vote is being stolen from him .
Mr Bannon , who is currently on bail after pleading not guilty to charges of fraud and money laundering , made the comments during an online show in which he criticised the men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr Fauci , who is the head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , has warned that the US government 's strategy for tackling COVID-19 needs an `` abrupt change '' .
Bannon has previously criticised Mr Wray for allegedly failing to investigate a hard drive allegedly owned by Hunter Biden , Joe Biden 's son , the contents of which were leaked to the New York Post in `` highly suspicious '' circumstances .
After initially calling for Dr Fauci and Mr Wray to be fired , Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like to go back to the old times of Tudor England .
I 'd put their heads on pikes .
`` I 'd put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats .
You either get with the program or you 're gone . ''
The conversation with his co-host , Jack Maxey , continued with Maxey stating : `` Just yesterday there was the anniversary of the hanging of two Tories in Philadelphia .
`` These were Quaker businessmen who had cohabitated , if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were occupying Philadelphia .
These people were hung .
This is what we used to do to traitors . ''
Bannon responded : `` That 's how you won the revolution .
No one wants to talk about it .
The revolution was n't some sort of garden party , right ?
It was a civil war .
It was a civil war . ''
Following these comments , Twitter permanently banned the Steve Bannon 's War Room account , while YouTube and Facebook also deleted the video , all saying it violated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson for Mr Bannon said Mr Bannon `` did not , would not and has never called for violence of any kind '' , adding that his `` commentary was clearly meant metaphorically '' .
The former chief strategist had been arrested on a yacht in relation to fundraising for the controversial Mexico border wall earlier this year .
The US Department of Justice said the charges relate to We Build The Wall , a fundraising campaign to support the building of a border wall between the US and Mexico .
Federal prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others , `` orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors '' in connection with the online crowdfunding campaign , which raised more than $ 25m ( £19m ) .
The charges against Bannon , 66 , and three others , Brian Kolfage , 38 , Andrew Badolato , 56 , and Timothy Shea , 49 , were contained in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court .
According to the indictment , Bannon promised that 100 % of the money donated would be used for the project , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dollars in a manner inconsistent with the organisation 's public representations .
They allegedly faked invoices and sham `` vendor '' arrangements in a bid to hide what was really happening , the indictment added .

Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon has been banned from Twitter after he called for the beheading of Dr Anthony Fauci and the FBI director Christopher Wray.
The action comes as Donald Trump supporters - some of them armed with rifles and handguns - descended on election counting centres after the president made unsubstantiated allegations that the vote is being stolen from him.
US election 2020 live: Follow the latest updates
Mr Bannon, who is currently on bail after pleading not guilty to charges of fraud and money laundering, made the comments during an online show in which he criticised the men for not supporting the president enough.
Dr Fauci, who is the head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has warned that the US government's strategy for tackling COVID-19 needs an "abrupt change".
Bannon has previously criticised Mr Wray for allegedly failing to investigate a hard drive allegedly owned by Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, the contents of which were leaked to the New York Post in "highly suspicious" circumstances.
After initially calling for Dr Fauci and Mr Wray to be fired, Mr Bannon added: "I'd actually like to go back to the old times of Tudor England. I'd put their heads on pikes.
"I'd put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats. You either get with the program or you're gone."
The conversation with his co-host, Jack Maxey, continued with Maxey stating: "Just yesterday there was the anniversary of the hanging of two Tories in Philadelphia.
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"These were Quaker businessmen who had cohabitated, if you will, with the British while they were occupying Philadelphia. These people were hung. This is what we used to do to traitors."
Bannon responded: "That's how you won the revolution. No one wants to talk about it. The revolution wasn't some sort of garden party, right? It was a civil war. It was a civil war."
Following these comments, Twitter permanently banned the Steve Bannon's War Room account, while YouTube and Facebook also deleted the video, all saying it violated their policies on inciting violence.
A spokesperson for Mr Bannon said Mr Bannon "did not, would not and has never called for violence of any kind", adding that his "commentary was clearly meant metaphorically".
The former chief strategist had been arrested on a yacht in relation to fundraising for the controversial Mexico border wall earlier this year.
The US Department of Justice said the charges relate to We Build The Wall, a fundraising campaign to support the building of a border wall between the US and Mexico.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Bannon, along with three others, "orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors" in connection with the online crowdfunding campaign, which raised more than $25m (£19m).
The charges against Bannon, 66, and three others, Brian Kolfage, 38, Andrew Badolato, 56, and Timothy Shea, 49, were contained in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court.
According to the indictment, Bannon promised that 100% of the money donated would be used for the project, but the defendants allegedly used hundreds of thousands of dollars in a manner inconsistent with the organisation's public representations.
They allegedly faked invoices and sham "vendor" arrangements in a bid to hide what was really happening, the indictment added.


skynewsus--2020-11-05--Biden takes narrow lead over Trump in key states of Pennsylvania and Georgia

Joe Biden has taken the lead in the key states of Pennsylvania and Georgia in the fight for the White House .
As votes continue to be counted in Pennsylvania , the Democratic hopeful now has 5,587 more votes than Donald Trump .
In Georgia - where voting also continues - Mr Biden is now leading in the normally-Republican state by 1,097 votes .
It comes as Donald Trump doubled down on unsubstantiated claims his political opponents are trying to rig and steal the US election .
He has 253 Electoral College votes and needs 270 to win - Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 269 .
The pair are in a statistical dead heat in the state , locked on 49.4 % each .
Under state law , if the margin between the two candidates is under half a percentage point , a recount can be requested .
The development comes after Mr Trump made his first public appearance for 36 hours .
The president said `` we ca n't allow anyone to silence our voters and manufacture results '' - but declined to offer any evidence for his allegations of corruption and wide-scale ballot tampering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech that `` if you count the legal votes , I easily win '' , despite no victor having been announced yet and Joe Biden leading in both the Electoral College and the popular vote .
Several US news networks stopped broadcasting the president 's address after he shared unfounded claims of fraud in states where Mr Biden is eating into his lead .
ABC , NBC , MSNBC , CBS and USA Today were among the broadcasters who cut away from the event before it finished .
Earlier , Mr Biden declared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and urged people to `` stay calm '' because `` the process is working '' .
He said he felt `` very good about where we stand '' , adding he had `` no doubt '' he will be declared the winner .
It comes as five nail-biting races in battleground states remain too close to call after many hours of counting .
Mr Biden is just 17 Electoral College votes short of the 270 either candidate needs to clinch the White House .
If he takes Pennsylvania , where Mr Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that would give Mr Biden 20 more and push him over the line .
If he fails to flip the key state from red to blue , then the remaining races in Georgia , Arizona , North Carolina and Nevada will make for an even tighter finale .
A win in Georgia would put Mr Biden one Electoral College vote away from the presidency , although the remote possibility of a tie on 269 votes each remains .
However , Mr Trump would need to win all of the other five states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this stage .
On election night , Mr Trump claimed victory before key results had been announced and accused his political opponents of a `` fraud on the American public '' without providing any evidence , demanding counts in four states to cease .
In his latest remarks , the president promised there will be `` a lot of litigation '' because `` they 're trying to steal an election , they 're trying to rig an election and we ca n't let that happen '' .
Despite his campaign being pressed repeatedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Trump offered none - only vowing : `` It 's going to end up perhaps at the highest court in the land . ''
But Mr Biden 's team hit back , calling the intervention `` desperate , baseless and a sure sign he 's losing '' .
Mr Trump 's son , Donald Jr , has called for him to `` go to total war '' over the `` cheating '' - again unsubstantiated - `` that has been going on for far too long '' .
The president has launched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bid to halt counting , but already had one bid denied in Michigan .
It is possible the race for the presidency will be dragged out into a third day .
In Nevada , more results are not expected until Friday .
And in Pennsylvania , secretary of state Kathy Boockvar said `` the overwhelming majority of ballots will be counted by Friday '' .
She also denied there was any evidence of voter fraud apart from one case of a man trying to get a ballot for a deceased relative that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result in the US presidential election is taking some time partly because of the huge numbers of voters who cast their ballot by post due to the coronavirus , and also because the margins in some states are still razor-thin .
Mr Biden failed to get the early , convincing wins in key targets including Ohio and Florida or other `` ruby red '' states like Texas under the landslide some pollsters predicted , so the final result is going down to the wire .


skynewsus--2020-11-06--Facebook bans 'Stop The Steal' group over calls for violence

Facebook has banned a group which , inspired by unsubstantiated claims from Donald Trump , was featuring calls for violence over concerns the election was being `` stolen '' by the president 's rivals .
It comes as Joe Biden took the lead in the key state of Georgia , while Donald Trump doubled down on his claims political opponents were trying to rig and steal the US election , despite criticism from some Republicans .
The group issued a call for donations as well as `` boots on the ground to protect the integrity of the vote '' , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday .
The president 's supporters - some armed with rifles and handguns - descended on election counting centres where mail-in ballots continue to be tallied up , chanting in some for vote counting to be halted , and in others for it to be accelerated , depending on whether Mr Trump was ahead or behind .
It follows Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg warning back in September of `` an increased risk of civil unrest across the country '' due to the anticipated delays in counting postal ballots .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line with the exceptional measures that we are taking during this period of heightened tension , we have removed the Group 'Stop The Steal , ' which was creating real-world events .
`` The group was organised around the delegitimisation of the election process , and we saw worrying calls for violence from some members of the group . ''
Numerous replacement groups have been established following the main one being banned .
Facebook said it would continue to monitor for any activity which violated its rules , and has already banned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief executive of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate , told Associate Press : `` There is a systemic issue with Facebook groups being exploited by people spreading misinformation , hate and inciting violence .
`` It 's a problem they have known about for a long time and they continue to fail to take proper action .
It 's generally only when a lot of attention is placed on something that they act . ''
In the years following the 2016 election , social platforms faced a barrage of allegations that their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ integrity of the electoral process by allowing disinformation to reach millions of voters .
Hostile foreign actors , in particular those sponsored by the Russian state , were found to have flooded social media platforms with messages designed to amplify the divisions between Americans on a number of topics , especially discussions around race .
Twitter and Facebook have both taken action against unsubstantiated messages from Mr Trump alleging that the election is being stolen .
But Professor Jennifer Grygiel , a social media expert at Syracuse University , told Associated Press that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not proving effective at tackling this risk .
In the states of Arizona and Michigan , mostly unmasked crowds chanted `` stop the steal '' following the president 's unsubstantiated claims that votes for him were deliberately not being counted .
It took more than 15 minutes for Twitter to obscure a Donald Trump message on Wednesday which claimed that election staff were `` working hard '' to make his lead in Pennsylvania `` disappear '' , during which time the claim had been widely spread .
`` Twitter ca n't really enforce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before it happens , in the case of the president , '' Professor Grygiel said .
`` When a tweet hits the wire , essentially , it goes public .
It already brings this full force of impact of market reaction . ''

Facebook has banned a group which, inspired by unsubstantiated claims from Donald Trump, was featuring calls for violence over concerns the election was being "stolen" by the president's rivals.
It comes as Joe Biden took the lead in the key state of Georgia, while Donald Trump doubled down on his claims political opponents were trying to rig and steal the US election, despite criticism from some Republicans.
US election 2020 live: Follow the latest updates
The group issued a call for donations as well as "boots on the ground to protect the integrity of the vote", and has rapidly grown in popularity since Wednesday.
The president's supporters - some armed with rifles and handguns - descended on election counting centres where mail-in ballots continue to be tallied up, chanting in some for vote counting to be halted, and in others for it to be accelerated, depending on whether Mr Trump was ahead or behind.
It follows Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg warning back in September of "an increased risk of civil unrest across the country" due to the anticipated delays in counting postal ballots.
A spokesperson for Facebook said: "In line with the exceptional measures that we are taking during this period of heightened tension, we have removed the Group 'Stop The Steal,' which was creating real-world events.
"The group was organised around the delegitimisation of the election process, and we saw worrying calls for violence from some members of the group."
Numerous replacement groups have been established following the main one being banned. Facebook said it would continue to monitor for any activity which violated its rules, and has already banned the #stopthesteal hashtag.
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Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, told Associate Press: "There is a systemic issue with Facebook groups being exploited by people spreading misinformation, hate and inciting violence.
"It's a problem they have known about for a long time and they continue to fail to take proper action. It's generally only when a lot of attention is placed on something that they act."
In the years following the 2016 election, social platforms faced a barrage of allegations that their incompetence or apathy contributed to undermining the integrity of the electoral process by allowing disinformation to reach millions of voters.
Hostile foreign actors, in particular those sponsored by the Russian state, were found to have flooded social media platforms with messages designed to amplify the divisions between Americans on a number of topics, especially discussions around race.
Image: Supporters are being inspired by the president's words
Twitter and Facebook have both taken action against unsubstantiated messages from Mr Trump alleging that the election is being stolen.
But Professor Jennifer Grygiel, a social media expert at Syracuse University, told Associated Press that the actions by Twitter and Facebook were not proving effective at tackling this risk.
In the states of Arizona and Michigan, mostly unmasked crowds chanted "stop the steal" following the president's unsubstantiated claims that votes for him were deliberately not being counted.
It took more than 15 minutes for Twitter to obscure a Donald Trump message on Wednesday which claimed that election staff were "working hard" to make his lead in Pennsylvania "disappear", during which time the claim had been widely spread.
"Twitter can't really enforce policies if they don't do it before it happens, in the case of the president," Professor Grygiel said. "When a tweet hits the wire, essentially, it goes public. It already brings this full force of impact of market reaction."