US Elections

Mystery robocalls urge US voters to 'stay home'

Millions of voters have reportedly received automated calls telling them to "stay safe and stay home".

Americans are voting in one of the most divisive presidential polls in decades, pitting incumbent Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Joe Biden.

The origins of the calls remain unclear, and some have not specifically mentioned voting.

"There's a little bit of confusion about this one across the industry," Giulia Porter, vice president at RoboKiller, a company that fights robocalls, told the Reuters news agency.

US Election 2020: Results show tight Trump-Biden race in key states

With more than 90% of votes counted in Florida, Mr Trump, the Republican incumbent, was three points ahead of Mr Biden, the Democratic challenger.

But it is too early to project who won in other key states, including Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina.

The vote caps a long and bitter campaign amid the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 100 million people had already cast their ballots in early voting.

The US appears on course for its highest turnout in a century.

US Election 2020: Americans choose between Trump and Biden

Polls have opened in the east of the country after a long and bitter campaign amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Some 100 million people have already cast their ballots in early voting, putting the country on course for its highest turnout in a century.

Both rivals spent the final hours of the race rallying in key swing states.

National polls give a firm lead to Biden, but it is a closer race in the states that could decide the outcome.

Trump and Biden duel in critical state of Florida

Mr Biden told supporters: "You hold the power. If Florida goes blue [Democratic], it's over."

Celebrating soaring economic figures, Mr Trump, a Republican, said of his rival: "He's going to lock you down."

With just five days to go until election day, Mr Biden has a solid lead nationally in opinion polls.

But his advantage looks less assured in the battleground states, such as Florida, that will decide who ultimately wins the White House.

Trump in three-state campaign blitz after casting vote

He hopped between rallies in North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin on Saturday as he sought to make up ground against his Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

Mr Biden, who holds a steady lead in national polls, campaigned in Pennsylvania, another key state.

Some 57 million votes have already been cast, a record spurred by the pandemic.

The Republican president has continued to hold packed rallies despite a new surge in coronavirus infections that is particularly affecting the Midwest - home to several electoral battlegrounds that could decide the election.

Trump won't commit to peaceful transfer of power

"Well, we'll have to see what happens," the president told a news conference at the White House. "You know that."

Mr Trump also said he believed the election result could end up in the US Supreme Court, as he again cast doubt on postal voting.

More states are encouraging mail-in voting, citing the need to keep Americans safe from coronavirus.

Flynn seeks immunity for testimony

"Gen. Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit. ... No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch-hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution," Robert Kelner, Flynn's lawyer, said in a statement late Thursday.

Russian hacking and the 2016 election, explained

But another Republican, President-elect Donald Trump, is rejecting out of hand any suggestions of Russian influence in the US election, soon after the CIA reportedly concluded Russia acted to help Trump win.

So why is Trump so quick to dismiss intelligence agencies' findings even as leaders of his own party express concerns about Russia's role in the 2016 election? And how conclusive are the US intelligence community's findings?

 

Let's dig in.

What does the US believe Russia did to interfere in the 2016 campaign?

Bipartisan group of senators calls for probe of Russian role in 2016 US elections

The group -- two Republicans and two Democrats -- called for an investigation into American intelligence agencies' conclusion that Russian hacking was intended to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton.

Donald Trump takes aim at US intelligence community on Russia

In a stunning response to widening claims of a Russian espionage operation targeting the presidential race, Trump's camp risked an early feud with the Intelligence community on which he will rely for top secret assessments of the greatest threats facing the United States.

"These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," the transition said in a terse, unsigned statement.

"The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It's now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again.'"