Biden Confident of Impending Election Victory as Pennsylvania Lead Tops 20,000 Votes

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Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s lead over U.S. President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania climbed from 5,000 votes early Friday to about 29,000 votes by late night, and that margin is expected to grow as remaining ballots are counted. Taking this pivotal state would propel Biden over the required threshold of 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidential election.Biden is also ahead in Georgia by more than 4,000 votes and maintains clear leads in Arizona and Nevada, although these races have not yet been called for either candidate.Addressing supporters Friday, amid speculation he would be projected the winner in Pennsylvania,more

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Trump Chief of Staff Meadows Diagnosed With COVID-19

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President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows has been diagnosed with the coronavirus as the nation sets daily records for confirmed cases for the pandemic.Two senior administration officials confirmed Friday that Meadows had tested positive for the virus, which has killed more than 236,000 Americans so far this year.Meadows traveled with Trump in the run-up to Election Day and last appeared in public early Wednesday morning without a mask as Trump falsely declared victory in the vote count. He had been one of the close aides around Trump when the president came down with the virus more than amore

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Pressure on Police as Presidential Vote Counting Nears an End

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Election officials across the United States are increasingly calling on police and federal law enforcement to help keep the peace as the number of ballots left to be tallied winds down.From Philadelphia to Phoenix, lines of uniformed police officers are becoming commonplace, separating partiers and protesters from workers counting ballots inside government buildings and other venues.So far, the gatherings, while loud, have been peaceful. But officials warn that tensions are simmering as the nation gets closer to declaring a winner.“It’s just troubling for my employees. I have employees who are nervous leaving the building, and rightfully so,” Joe Gloria, the registrarmore

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Bannon Lawyer Quits Fraud Case After Inflammatory Remarks

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A lawyer for President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, quit defending him in a federal fraud case a day after Bannon made inflammatory comments about Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray. In a letter dated Friday, defense attorney William Burck told a federal court judge in New York City that he was withdrawing from the case. He did not give a reason why. Reached by email, Burck declined to discuss the decision. The lawyer quit after Bannon suggested on an online broadcast that Fauci and Wray should be beheaded for being disloyal to the president. The remarks promptedmore

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Biden’s Election Lead Grows as Trump Disputes Results

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Democratic candidate Joe Biden continues to build on the razor-thin leads he gained early Friday over Republican President Donald Trump in the states of Georgia and Pennsylvania, where vote counting continues. While those races are still too close call, Biden is strongly positioned to win the U.S. presidential election. The Trump campaign is disputing the results, saying in a statement Friday, “this election is not over.” The campaign says the president will ultimately win as a result of expected recounts in close state races and its legal challenges based on unsubstantiated allegations of vote fraud and irregularities. Biden currently leads in themore

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Q&A: Trump’s Campaign Lawsuits

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President Donald Trump promised litigation if voting results do not show that he has won the presidential election.  QUESTION: How many lawsuits have been filed by President Donald Trump’s campaign?  ANSWER: The Trump campaign has filed at least six lawsuits in battleground states since Election Day. Activists from both parties have also filed lawsuits.  Q: Has the Biden campaign filed any lawsuits yet? A: The Biden campaign has a legal team assembled but has not initiated litigation. Q: Has there been any action taken on lawsuits yet? A: In Georgia, a state judge dismissed a lawsuit over a claim that 53 mail-in ballots were not receivedmore

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Trump Backers, Biden Supporters Duel as Vote Count Continues

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Supporters of President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden faced off in largely peaceful demonstrations Thursday and early Friday in battleground states, where votes in the U.S. presidential election were still being counted.Both sides were energized by Trump’s aggressive challenge to the vote-counting process, which has shown Biden slowly building an Electoral College lead over Trump.In the closely contested state of Arizona, backers of the two candidates scuffled briefly Thursday outside the Maricopa County Elections Department in the city of Phoenix. The fracas occurred after several heavily armed right-wing groups gathered at the site while election workers were countingmore

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Biden Takes Lead in Pennsylvania, Georgia

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Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden has gained razor thin leads over President Donald Trump in Georgia and Pennsylvania, as vote counting continues Friday.The Trump campaign continues to dispute the results, however, saying in a statement Friday the “this election is not over,” and claiming the president will ultimately win after expected recounts in close state races. The Trump campaign has also filed legal challenges over unsubstantiated allegations of vote fraud and irregularities. Biden currently leads in the popular vote as well as the Electoral College count, 253-214, with a majority of 270 needed to claim the presidency for a four-year term.     Biden has moved ahead ofmore

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Trump Campaign Files Another Lawsuit Despite Legal Setbacks

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U.S. President Donald Trump’s embattled reelection campaign continued its legal challenges to vote counting Thursday even as it suffered a pair of setbacks in two battleground states key to winning the election.In Nevada, a Democratic-leaning state where former Vice President Joe Biden maintained a slight advantage over Trump in the vote count, the Trump campaign and the state Republican Party announced a lawsuit claiming at least 10,000 nonresidents had illegally voted and that their votes were being counted.“It is unacceptable in this country to have illegal votes counted, and that is what’s happening in the state of Nevada,” Trump’s formermore

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Fears Rise for Safety of Election Workers in Battleground States

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Tensions over the still undecided U.S. presidential election are prompting some state and local officials to increase security for those charged with counting the remaining votes. Supporters of Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden have increasingly focused their attention on states like Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania, where slim margins have made calling the race nearly impossible. And the tensions have grown as allegations of irregularities in the vote-counting process have sparked protests outside buildings where the tally is going on. “I am concerned for the safety of my staff,” said Joe Gloria, registrar of voters in Clark County, Nevada, onmore

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US Presidential Election Remains Undecided

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The U.S. presidential election remained unsettled Thursday, with Democratic challenger Joe Biden nearing an Electoral College majority and President Donald Trump demanding that the vote count be stopped. Republicans are filing lawsuits alleging vote tabulation irregularities. Biden leads in the Electoral College count 253-214, with a majority of 270 needed to claim the presidency for a new four-year term. But vote counting is still under way in four states that will decide the election — Georgia and Pennsylvania in the eastern part of the country, and the adjoining Western states of Arizona and Nevada.  Where things standTrump is ahead in Georgia and Pennsylvania, and Biden is leading inmore

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No Matter Who Wins US Vote, Paris Wants a Reset

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As people wait to see who will be confirmed the winner of the U.S. presidential election, politicians and analysts in France discuss the ongoing process and outcome of the vote, but especially its future impact on the relationship between the two countries.The U.S. election is all over the news in France and, since Tuesday, the French media have been covering the vote extensively.     The uncertainty around the outcome is widely commented on, especially since final results were still pending more than 24 hours after polling stations closed.   Jean-Claude Beaujour, a lawyer and vice president of France-Ameriques, anmore

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No Systemic Problems With US Election Day Proceedings, Foreign Observers Say

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Despite the pandemic, the lawsuits and the acrimonious political rhetoric, foreign election observers had good news. They did not find systemic irregularity or wrongdoing by either major party. Ursula Gacek, who headed a foreign team of observers that arrived in the U.S. in late September to study the conditions leading up to election day,  noted there were isolated cases of irregular behavior – what she called “small incidents – personal, human incidents,” a couple of which were described in detail in footnotes to the report. “But nothing,” she said, “that would impact and really fundamentally shake the confidence in themore

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No Winner Yet, But Biden’s Lead Grows in US Presidential Election

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U.S. news organizations on Wednesday projected former Vice President Joe Biden as the winner in the battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin, putting him almost within reach of victory in the U.S. presidential election.“I’m not here to declare that we’ve won. But I am here to report that when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners,” Biden said Wednesday afternoon.Biden could reach the 270 Electoral College vote threshold needed to win the election if in addition to Michigan and Wisconsin, he holds on to his leads in Arizona and Nevada. All but Nevada went for Donaldmore

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Another Night of Uncertainty as Americans Wait for Election Result

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A day after voting ended, Americans continued to wait for the final vote tally in the presidential election. All eyes are now on a few battleground states where partial results are close and which may determine victory between Democratic nominee Vice President Joe Biden and incumbent Republican President Donald Trump. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the latest. Producer: Barry Unger …

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Protests in Several US Cities as Presidential Vote Remains Undecided

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Protesters turned out in multiple U.S. cities Wednesday to call for a complete count of presidential election votes, while smaller pro-Trump groups rallied outside vote-counting centers in Michigan and Arizona.Police in New York arrested dozens of people Wednesday night after what had been peaceful demonstrations. Officials say a small group of people “attempted to hijack” the protest by setting trash fires and clashing with officers.Protesters also marched in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and San Diego. In addition to calling for the votes to be counted, the demonstrators also highlighted racial inequality, the subject of numerous protests throughoutmore

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What Divides the US?

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Many Americans are surprised that the U.S. presidential election has been so closely fought, reflecting the deep divide within the country. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee hears from two different realities in America. Camera: VOA    Producer: Elizabeth Lee …

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US Youth Vote of Color Highest for Democrats

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While the 2020 U.S. presidential election remains undecided, data show that the youth vote— specifically youth of color — in most states widely supported Democratic candidate Joe Biden.Citing data compiled by the National Election Poll exit polls and AP VoteCast data from the Associated Press, the youth vote in key states the morning after Election Day was:Pennsylvania: Youth made up 14% of the vote and supported Biden by +23.Michigan: Youth made up 15% of the vote and supported Biden by +29.North Carolina: Youth made up 16% of the vote and supported Biden by +16.Georgia: Youth made up 21% of themore

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US Voters Weigh In on a Variety of Ballot Initiatives

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Americans voted on a variety of ballot initiatives during the 2020 elections, in addition to president and members of Congress.     According to CBS News, at least 120 initiatives were on the ballot in 32 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.   Ballot initiatives offer voters a chance to directly change state laws or a state constitution.     The highest profile initiative was in California, where Proposition 22 determined if app-based companies like Uber, Lyft and others could continue classifying workers as independent contractors instead of company employees. Fifty-eight percent voted in favor of the proposition.more

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