According to new reports, US intelligence agencies believe Russia acted covertly to boost Donald Trump in the election race.
The New York Times and the Washington Post reports say the agencies had “high confidence” about Russian involvement in hacking.
However, Donald Trump’s team dismissed the CIA line, saying: “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.”
Russian officials have repeatedly denied the hacking accusations.
On December 9, President Barack Obama ordered an investigation into a series of cyber-attacks, blamed on Russia, during the US election season.
Image source Flickr
The hacks targeted emails at the Democratic Party and John Podesta, a key aide to presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
In October, US government officials pointed the finger at Russia, accusing it of meddling in the campaign.
Now, senior administration officials quoted by the New York Times say they are confident that Russian hackers also infiltrated the Republican National Committee’s computer systems as well as those of the Democratic Party, but did not release information gleaned from the Republican networks.
According to intelligence agencies, the Russians passed on the Democrats’ documents to WikiLeaks, the Times reported.
Democrats reacted furiously when email accounts of the DNC and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, were hacked.
John Podesta’s emails were revealed by WikiLeaks and posted online.
Quoting an unnamed “senior US official”, the Washington Post said “intelligence agencies” had “identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others, including Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman”.
At one point in the campaign, Donald Trump publicly encouraged Russia to “find” Hillary Clinton’s emails, although he later said he was being sarcastic.
Democrats claimed the hacks were a deliberate attempt to undermine Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Barack Obama wanted the investigation carried out on his watch “because he takes it very seriously”.
Hillary Clinton has called for urgent action to stop the proliferation of “fake news”.
The former Democratic presidential candidate said it was an epidemic with “real world consequences” that threatened America’s democracy.
Hillary Clinton urged the private and public sector to combat the numerous false reports, propaganda and malicious stories that had been spread over the past year.
She herself has been the target of fake news, including Pizzagate story.
Pizzagate wrongly stated during the election campaign that a pedophilia ring involving people at the highest levels of the Democratic Party was operating out of a Washington pizza restaurant.
On December 4, a man was arrested after firing a rifle inside the restaurant. The attacker later said he wanted to “self-investigate” the news reports. No-one was injured in the incident.
On December 8, Hillary Clinton told lawmakers on Capitol Hill: “It’s now clear that so-called <<fake news>> can have real world consequences.
“This isn’t about politics or partisanship. Lives are at risk. Lives of ordinary people just trying to go about their days, to do their jobs, contribute to their communities.
“It’s imperative that leaders from the private sector and the public sector step up to protect our democracy and innocent lives.”
Hillary Clinton was speaking at a ceremony for outgoing Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid – one month after losing the presidential elections to Donald Trump.
The White House has reacted to Donald Trump’s claim of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 presidential election, saying that there is no evidence to support the allegations.
Press Secretary Josh Earnest dismissed Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated allegations that millions of people had cast illegal votes.
The president-elect also alleged voter fraud in Virginia, New Hampshire and California, states which Hillary Clinton won.
Josh Earnest deferred to Donald Trump’s team for further comment.
Image source Flickr
“What I can say, as an objective fact, is that there has been no evidence produced to substantiate a claim like that,” the press secretary told reporters at a White House briefing.
Donald Trump, who won the all-important Electoral College count, aired his grievances with the election result in a tweet on November 27.
“In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally,” he wrote.
Donald Trump’s Twitter outburst comes after Hillary Clinton’s camp said it would support a vote recount in Wisconsin initiated by Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
Jill Stein also notified the elections board in Michigan, where Donald Trump’s 16 electoral votes were certified on November 28, that it would seek a statewide recount of the presidential election results.
Her campaign moved to do the same in Pennsylvania.
Donald Trump won by two-tenths of a percentage point out of nearly 4.8 million votes, making it the closest presidential race in Michigan in more than 75 years.
He is the first Republican presidential nominee to win Michigan since 1988.
Jill Stein’s recount effort was driven by the #recount2016 social media campaign, which has raised over $6.3 million.
During her entire presidential run, Jill Stein’s campaign only raised $3.5 million.
Results would need to be overturned in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania to alter the outcome of the November 8 election – something analysts say is highly unlikely.
Donald Trump has asserted he won the popular vote on 8 November “if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally”.
The president-elect, who won the all-important Electoral College count, offered no evidence to back his claim.
It comes after Hillary Clinton’s campaign said it would support a vote recount in Wisconsin initiated by Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein.
Hillary Clinton won about two million votes more than Mr Trump in the popular vote.
However, Donald Trump surpassed the required 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. This was based on the state-by-state contests.
In a tweet, the president-elect wrote: “In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.”
In his follow-up tweets, Donald Trump wrote: “It would have been much easier for me to win the so-called popular vote than in the Electoral College in that I would only campaign in 3 or 4 states instead of the 15 states that I visited.
“I would have won even more easily and convincingly (but smaller states are forgotten)!”
Donald Trump also alleged “serious voter fraud” in Virginia, New Hampshire and California – states won by Hillary Clinton – accusing media of not reporting on that issue.
On November 27, Donald Trump reminded Hillary Clinton that she had already admitted defeat, and published remarks from the presidential debates in which she had urged an acceptance of the poll results.
At the time, Hillary Clinton was reacting to Donald Trump’s refusal to respect the outcome.
The Republican narrowly beat the Democratic candidate in Wisconsin, where a recount of the votes was initiated last week by Jill Stein.
Jill Stein also wants recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania, citing “statistical anomalies”.
The Green Party nominee reportedly wants to be sure computer hackers did not skew the poll in favor of Donald Trump.
Concerns over possible Russian interference had been expressed in the run-up to the vote.
The US government has said Russian state actors were behind hacks on the Democratic National Committee (DNC), a claim denied by Moscow.
Results would need to be overturned in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania to alter the outcome of the November 8 election – something analysts say is highly unlikely.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign has said it will participate in Wisconsin’s recount.
Donald Trump has attacked Hillary Clinton over her campaign’s support for a recount of votes in Wisconsin.
The president-elect reminded his Democratic rival that she had already conceded, and published remarks from the presidential debates in which she had urged an acceptance of the poll results.
Hillary Clinton was then reacting to Donald Trump’s refusal to respect the outcome.
The recount in Wisconsin was initiated by Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein.
Wisconsin was narrowly won by Donald Trump.
Photo CBS News
Jill Stein also wants recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania, citing “statistical anomalies”.
She reportedly wants to be sure computer hackers did not skew the poll in favor of Donald Trump.
Concerns over possible Russian interference had been expressed in the run-up to the vote.
The US government has said Russian state actors were behind hacks on the Democratic National Committee (DNC), a claim denied by Moscow.
Results would need to be overturned in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania to alter the outcome of the November 8 election – something analysts say is highly unlikely.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign has said it will participate in Wisconsin’s recount.
Posting on Twitter, Donald Trump said the recount decision was “sad”.
“So much time and money will be spent – same result!” he said.
The president-elect had earlier accused Jill Stein of trying to “fill her coffers with money” on the pretext of asking for donations towards a recount.
Jill Stein’s website says more than $6 million has already been raised toward a $7 million target. It says this is enough to fund the recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
The deadline for the petition for the recount in Wisconsin was November 25, while Pennsylvania’s deadline is November 28, and Michigan’s is November 30.
Donald Trump has described the Wisconsin vote recount as a “scam”.
The president-elect, who narrowly won Wisconsin, said the results “should be respected instead of being challenged or abused”.
Green Party’s Dr. Jill Stein had initiated the recount. She also wants recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania, citing “statistical anomalies”.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign has said it would participate in Wisconsin’s recount.
Results would need to be overturned in all three states to alter the outcome of the November 8 presidential election.
In a statement released by his transition team on November 26, Donald Trump accused Jill Stein of trying to “fill her coffers with money” on the pretext of asking for donations towards a recount.
Photo AP
“The people have spoken and the election is over,” the statement said.
Jill Stein defended her recount initiative, telling CNN that “the point to drive home here is that having a secure elections process benefits us all”.
The Green Party’s candidate also suggested that she was open to looking at recounts in other states – not just Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton campaign’s general counsel, Marc Elias, said the camp and outside experts had been “conducting an extensive review of election results, searching for any signs that the voting process had been tampered with”.
Marc Elias said there was no evidence to conclude the election had been sabotaged, but “we have an obligation to the more than 64 million Americans who cast ballots for Hillary Clinton to participate in ongoing proceedings to ensure that an accurate vote count will be reported”.
He noted that the number of votes separating Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in the closest of the three states – Michigan – “well exceeds the largest margin ever overcome in a recount”.
However, Marc Elias said the campaign would join in “on principle” in the Midwestern states if Dr Stein followed through on her promise.
Jill Stein reportedly wants to be sure computer hackers did not skew the poll in favor of Donald Trump.
Concerns over possible Russian interference had been expressed in the run-up to the vote.
The US government has said Russian state actors were behind hacks on the Democratic National Committee, a claim denied by Moscow.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission said it had received recount petitions, and the process would begin after Jill Stein’s campaign had paid the fee, which the commission was still calculating.
Jill Stein’s campaign needs to raise millions of dollars to cover the fees for the vote recount in all three states.
Her website says nearly $6 million has already been raised toward a $7 million target. It says this is enough to fund the recounts in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
The deadline for the petition for the recount in Wisconsin was November 25, while Pennsylvania’s deadline is November 28, and Michigan’s is November 30.
Michigan is yet to declare its final results.
Wisconsin provides only 10 electoral votes in the crucial Electoral College that gave Donald Trump victory in the November 8 election.
Wins there for Hillary Clinton, as well as in Michigan (16 electoral votes) and Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes), would have clinched the presidency for the Democrat.
Wisconsin Elections Commission has received a request for a recount of the votes in the state narrowly won by Donald Trump on November 8.
The request was filed by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.
Dr. Jill Stein has also pledged to file vote recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
However, a win by Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin alone would not overturn Donald Trump’s lead – it provides only 10 votes in the crucial electoral college that gave Trump victory.
If Hillary Clinton wins in Wisconsin, Michigan (16 electoral votes) and Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes) would have clinched the presidency for the Democrat.
“The Commission has received the Stein and Del La Fuente recount petitions,” Wisconsin Elections Commission tweeted.
Image source Flickr
It added that details would be released shortly.
Meanwhile, Jill Stein tweeted that Wisconsin recount would begin next week. November 25 was the deadline for the request.
Her campaign needs to raise millions of dollars to cover the fees for the vote recount in all three states.
Jill Stein’s website says nearly $5.3 million has already been raised toward a $7 million target. It says this is enough to fund the recounts in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Voting rights lawyers who urged candidates to request recounts, John Bonifaz and J. Alex Halderman, have said the results need to be closely analyzed.
The fact that the results in the three states were different from what polls predicted was “probably not” down to hacking, J. Alex Halderman said. Concerns over possible Russian interference had been expressed in the run-up to the vote.
“The only way to know whether a cyber-attack changed the result is to closely examine the available physical evidence ,” he wrote.
Pennsylvania’s deadline is November 28, and Michigan’s is November 30.
According to officials, there was no evidence of election tampering in the three states where Donald Trump had razor-thin victories over Hillary Clinton.
The Republican’s camp has made no public comments on the recounts issue.
Donald Trump won 290 electoral votes in the November election, while Hillary Clinton had 232 votes.
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein looks likely to spur a last-minute recount of part of the result of the election.
Donald Trump narrowly beat Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin, but two voting rights experts say the result needs to be more closely analyzed.
Jill Stein says she has gathered enough money to fund a recount in Wisconsin.
There is no indication Donald Trump’s win was down to cyberhacking, one of the experts said on November 23.
One election official in Wisconsin said they are preparing for a possible recount.
On November 22, New York Magazine first reported that a group of experts, led by voting-rights lawyer John Bonifaz and J.Alex Halderman, the director of the University of Michigan Center for Computer Security and Society, had contacted Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Image source Flickr
The experts urged Hillary Clinton’s campaign to request recounts in two states narrowly won by Donald Trump – Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – as well as Michigan, where he has a small lead.
In a Medium post on November 23, J. Alex Halderman repeated concerns he has voiced in the past over the vulnerabilities of paperless voting machines.
The fact that the results in the three states were different from what polls predicted was “probably not” down to hacking, Halderman said. Concerns over possible Russian interference were expressed in the run-up to the vote.
“The only way to know whether a cyberattack changed the result is to closely examine the available physical evidence ,” he wrote.
There is a deadline for any candidates to demand a recount, and they need to pay fees to file a request.
The deadline for Wisconsin is November 25. Pennsylvania’s is November 28, and Michigan’s is November 30.
This is where Jill Stein comes in – on her website, the Green Party candidate wrote that recounts were needed “to attempt to shine a light on just how untrustworthy the US election system is”.
By yesterday, Jill Stein had raised, through a crowdfunding campaign, more than $2.5 million, enough to fund a recount request in Wisconsin. The campaign estimates that up to $7 million may be needed to pay for recounts in all three states.
Unofficial results from Wisconsin showed Donald Trump won by only 27,000 votes, media in the state say.
Jill Stein won only 1% of the votes in Wisconsin.
Before then, Wisconsin had gone with the Democrats for seven elections running.
A Clinton victory in Wisconsin alone would not have been enough to overturn Donald Trump’s lead – it provides only 10 votes in the crucial electoral college that gave him victory. But wins in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania would have clinched the presidency for the Democrat.
The Wisconsin State Journal quoted the state’s election commission director Michael Haas as saying that the organization had not seen “any reason to suspect that any voting equipment has been tampered with”.
The commission was now preparing for a recount, Michael Haas told the Journal, adding that such a move would be “unprecedented”.
Kanye West has told an audience in San Jose he would have opted for Donald Trump if he had voted.
“I told you I didn’t vote,” the rapper said.
“But I didn’t tell you… if I would’ve voted, I would’ve voted on Trump.”
Angry fans responded by booing Kim Kardashian’s husband and throwing items on stage.
Photo Getty Images
Kanye West said he had “loved the debates” between Donald Trump and rival Hillary Clinton and that his “approach was absolutely genius because it… worked”.
He also asked for people to “stop focusing on racism”, saying: “This world is racist, okay. Let’s stop being distracted to focus on that as much. We are in a racist country – period.”
However, Kanye West said his preference did not mean he was any less supportive of women’s rights and the Black Lives Matter movement.
In footage uploaded on social media, Kanye West can be heard saying: “That don’t mean I don’t believe in these things because that is the guy I would’ve voted for.”
Kanye West, 39, was performing in San Jose, California, on November 17 as part of his Saint Pablo tour. His next concert will be held in Sacramento, California, on November 19.
At 2015 MTV Music Video Awards, Kanye West announced that he planned to run for president in 2020.
In her first public appearance since losing presidential election last week, Hillary Clinton has laid bare her disappointment at her defeat to Donald Trump.
Hillary Clinton said she had wanted to “curl up with a good book and never leave the house again”.
However, in a speech at the Children’s Defense Fund, Hillary Clinton urged the audience to fight for American values and “never give up”.
The Democratic candidate won the popular vote but was beaten to the presidency in the all-important states.
“Now I will admit coming here tonight wasn’t the easiest thing for me,” Hillary Clinton said as she was honored by the charity.
Hillary Clinton continued: “I know many of you are deeply disappointed about the results of the election. I am, too, more than I can ever express.
“I know this isn’t easy. I know that over the past week a lot of people have asked themselves whether America is the country we thought it was.
“The divisions laid bare by this election run deep, but please listen to me when I say this.
“America is worth it. Our children are worth it. Believe in our country, fight for our values and never, ever give up.”
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has blamed her surprise election loss on interventions by the FBI director, James Comey.
James Comey had revived the inquiry into her use of email while secretary of state shortly before Election Day had stopped her campaign’s momentum, Hillary Clinton said.
She was speaking to top party donors in a phone call, which was leaked to the media.
Protests are continuing against Donald Trump’s win.
In New York, about 2,000 marchers headed for the skyscraper where the president-elect lives, shouting “not my president”.
Anti-Trump activists have held daily protests in US cities since his election victory was confirmed on Wednesday.
Donald Trump seems to be rowing back on some of his campaign pledges. Having promised to scrap President Barack Obama’s Affordable Act – ObamaCare – he now says he is open to leaving intact key parts of the act.
The Republican is due to be sworn in on January 20, taking over from President Obama, who will have completed two terms in office.
Hillary Clinton, who served as Barack Obama’s secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, has been keeping a low profile since conceding victory.
On October 28, James Comey informed Congress that the FBI was examining newly discovered emails sent or received by Hillary Clinton, thus reviving an investigation which had been completed in July.
Then, on November 6, two days before the election, James Comey announced in a second letter that he was standing by his original assessment – that Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges.
“There are lots of reasons why an election like this is not successful,” Hillary Clinton told the donors on a farewell conference call on November 12.
“But our analysis is that Comey’s letter raising doubts that were groundless, baseless, proven to be, stopped our momentum. We dropped, and we had to keep really pushing ahead to regain our advantage.”
Hillary Clinton added that James Comey’s later recommendation that she should face no charges had energized Donald Trump’s supporters.
Her campaign team said that despite Hillary Clinton being cleared of criminal behavior, the move only revived Donald Trump’s claim that the Democratic candidate was being protected by a rigged system.
Donald Trump has praised protesters’ “passion” after a new night of demonstrations against his election victory that included rioting in Portland, Oregon.
The president-elect tweeted: “Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country.
“We will all come together and be proud!”
Donald Trump had previously blamed the unrest on “professional protesters”.
He is in New York, believed to be discussing his future cabinet.
“Busy day planned in New York,” he tweeted.
Image source U.S. Marine Corps
“Will soon be making some very important decisions on the people who will be running our government.”
Donald Trump is due to be inaugurated on January 20, taking over the White House from Democrat Barack Obama, who served two terms.
President Barack Obama, one of Donald Trump’s most withering critics during the election campaign, said his priority was to “facilitate a transition that ensures our president-elect is successful”.
However, Harry Reid, the Democrats’ outgoing leader in the Senate, said Donald Trump’s victory had “emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry”. It “does not feel like America”, he added.
Protests have taken place across the US on both nights since the result of the election, which Hillary Clinton lost for the Democrats despite enjoying a lead in most opinion polls.
Only on November 10, Donald Trump had tweeted: “Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!”
About 4,000 demonstrators gathered in the centre of Portland, the largest city in Oregon, which voted in favor of Hillary Clinton.
Some protesters smashed shop and car windows, threw firecrackers and set rubbish alight. Objects were thrown at the police, who responded with pepper spray and rubber baton rounds.
Police declared a riot and made 26 arrests.
In Oakland, California, police made 11 arrests after anti-Trump protesters lit fires on streets and in rubbish bins, smashed windows and sprayed graffiti.
Donald Trump is edging closer to the White House after a string of shock swing state victories over Hillary Clinton.
The republican won Florida, Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina, while Hillary Clinton took Virginia and Nevada, ABC projects. Pennsylvania is too close to call.
New Hampshire, Michigan and Wisconsin – which were meant to be part of the Clinton firewall – are deadlocked, too.
Markets lurched as Hillary Clinton’s path to victory began to narrow.
The US dollar and Mexican peso plummeted while the Dow futures dropped 800 points.
Donald Trump’s Ohio win was a big boost to him, as no Republican has ever taken the White House without winning the Midwestern bellwether.
Iowa last voted for a Republican in 2004.
The mood is dark at Hillary Clinton’s election night party in New York City.
Supporters were crying and staring stony-faced at the big screens showing election results.
At Trump headquarters across town, his fans were cheering and chanting about Hillary Clinton: “Lock her up!”
Donald Trump earlier racked up wins in the Midwest and South, while Hillary Clinton swept the Northeast, ABC News projects.
As expected, Donald Trump was victorious in the Republican strongholds of Utah, Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina, Nebraska, Indiana, West Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas, ABC projects.
He also took Georgia, Missouri, Montana, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho and Wyoming – all solidly conservative states.
Hillary Clinton won the Democratic heartlands of California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Vermont, Delaware, Illinois, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Washington and District of Columbia, as well as New Mexico and Colorado.
A candidate must secure 270 of the 538 electoral college votes to declare victory.
Asian markets have tumbled after results from the American presidential polls suggested a victory for Donald Trump looked increasingly likely.
All major markets in the region are now lower, with money flowing into safe haven stocks, gold and currencies including the yen.
Meanwhile the Mexican Peso has hit an all-time low against the dollar.
As traders had expected a comfortable Hillary Clinton win, even a tight race is enough to spark volatility.
Image source Flickr
Japan’s Nikkei 225 is down by 5.2% while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong is 3.8% lower and the Shanghai Composite has lost 1.6%.
Australia’s ASX 200 dropped by 2.1% while the Kospi in South Korea is 3.1% lower.
Earlier, American and European markets closed higher – but US stock futures fell sharply with the Dow Jones index expected to lose more than 4% – 800 points – when trading resumes on Wall Street on November 9.
The Mexican peso has seen some of the most notable fluctuations, falling more than 10% against the dollar.
The peso’s movements are seen by many as a good indicator of the election’s likely outcome, with an upward movement suggesting Hillary Clinton is ahead.
Mexico is expected to suffer if Donald Trump was elected because of his pledges to build a wall along the US border with the country and renegotiate their trade agreement.
Meanwhile the Japanese yen is viewed as a safe haven currency in situations of international volatility, so a strengthening yen suggests traders see a Hillary Clinton victory as less likely.
All the 50 states and Washington DC voted across six different time zones to elect the 45th US president.
Many of the polling stations have closed. So far:
Image source U.S. Marine Corps
Donald Trump has projected wins in Ohio, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Mississippi, West Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas, N Dakota, S Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Arkansas, Montana, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Florida.
Hillary Clinton has New York, Connecticut, Vermont, DC, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware, Illinois, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Colorado, California.
Ohio is a bellwether swing state that has backed the winner at every presidential contest except one since World War Two.
Donald Trump spent much of the end of his campaign claiming the election would be rigged – but at the moment, the New York Times is predicting he has a better chance of winning than his rival.
It also suggests Donald Trump could win enough electoral college votes to become president but lose the popular vote.
American voters are heading to the polls to choose a new president after one of the most rancorous election campaigns the US has seen.
Voting has begun on the East Coast at 06:00 EST , though some villages in New Hampshire have already polled.
Both candidates criss-crossed America in a hectic last-minute campaign push for votes.
Results should begin emerging late on Tuesday night.
Photo Getty Images
Hillary Clinton urged voters to back a “hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted America” while Donald Trump told supporters they had a “magnificent chance to beat the corrupt system”.
Polls give Hillary Clinton a four-point lead over Donald Trump.
A record number of Americans – more than 46 million – have voted early by post or at polling stations.
There are signs of a high turnout among Hispanic voters, which is believed to favor Hillary Clinton.
The candidates held the final rallies of their campaigns after midnight – Donald Trump in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Hillary Clinton in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Election Day follows a bitter campaign during which the candidates have traded insults and become mired in a series of scandals.
At a star-studded event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton was joined on stage by celebrities Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi as well as her husband Bill, President Barack Obama and the First Lady.
At his rally in Scranton in the same state, Donald Trump insisted the momentum was with his campaign.
He described Hillary Clinton as the “most corrupt person ever to seek the presidency”, referring to an FBI investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was serving as secretary of state between 2009 and 2013.
Election Day voting began just after midnight in the small New Hampshire village of Dixville Notch, where seven votes were cast – four for Hillary Clinton, two for Donald Trump and one for the libertarian Gary Johnson.
Results are expected sometime after 23:00 EST once voting ends on the West Coast. State projections will not be available until polling ends – in most states between 19:00 EST and 20:00 EST.
On the final day before the vote, both candidates will visit several key battleground states.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton will be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before traveling to Allendale, Michigan, later in the day.
She will then return to Philadelphia, also in Pennsylvania, for a rally with President Barack Obama and the First Lady, Bill and Chelsea Clinton and a few more special guests, including Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.
It had been touted as Hillary Clinton’s final rally, but she is now also scheduled to hold a midnight “get out the vote” event in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Donald Trump will once again be dashing across five states in one day as he seeks a route to the presidency.
The Republican candidate will appear in Sarasota, Florida, before traveling to Raleigh and then Philadelphia.
Donald Trump will then travel to New Hampshire, before a final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, close to midnight.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign has drawn upon considerable star power in recent days to boost its appeal.
Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi and Chance the Rapper have all turned out at rallies.
Image source Flickr
On November 6, in Cleveland, it was basketball superstar LeBron James.
Bruce Springsteen will appear with Hillary Clinton on November 7 at her final campaign rally in Philadelphia.
The star will join Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama and the First Lady and Jon Bon Jovi at a rally in Philadelphia, the night before Election Day.
Both Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi will perform at the Independence Hall event in the crucial swing state.
Hillary Clinton will also deliver her last speech to the American people before the Election Day.
FBI Director James Comey says the bureau has found no evidence of criminality in a new batch of Hillary Clinton emails.
In a letter to congressmen, he said the agency had finished its review and found nothing to alter its original conclusion.
In July, James Comey said Hillary Clinton had been careless but not criminal in handling sensitive material on her private email server while secretary of state.
The issue flared up again with the discovery of new “pertinent” emails.
They were reportedly found on the laptop of Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of one of the Democratic presidential candidate’s closest advisers.
James Comey’s original letter late last month to lawmakers, revealing the bureau’s inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s emails had been revived, shook up the White House race and reinvigorated the campaign of Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Photo Getty Images
He had announced that the agency would investigate if the newly discovered messages contained classified information.
In a follow-up on November 6, James Comey wrote: “Since my letter, the FBI investigative team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volume of emails from a device obtained in connection with an unrelated criminal investigation.
“During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State.
“Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton.”
On board Hillary Clinton’s campaign airplane, her team said they were always confident of the outcome.
Communications director Jennifer Palmieri told media: “We’re glad this matter has been resolved.”
However, the Trump team cried foul.
Donald Trump’s adviser Newt Gingrich tweeted: “Comey must be under enormous political pressure to cave like this and announce something he cant [sic] possibly know.”
His campaign manager Kellyanne Conway also tweeted: “If FBI conclusions remain unchanged, that means she still was reckless & careless, still lied about classified info, lied re: # of devices.”
Campaigning in Minnesota on November 6, Donald Trump made no mention of James Comey’s findings.
However, he did say Hillary Clinton “will be under investigation for a long, long time, likely concluding in a criminal trial”.
Donald Trump also renewed his claims that the Democrat was being “protected by a rigged system”.
The FBI has already established Hillary Clinton had classified information on a private email server that was run out of her upstate New York home.
James Comey said in July that her handling of sensitive material during her 2009-2013 tenure as secretary of state was “extremely careless”, but cleared her of criminal wrongdoing.
The revelation that Hillary Clinton handled sensitive information while breaking federal rules by running her own email server has dogged her campaign since last year.
A new NBC/Wall Street Journal opinion poll on November 6 before news broke of the FBI letter suggested a four-point lead for Hillary Clinton.
The latest Washington Post/ABC tracking poll put Hillary Clinton lead at five points.
Today’s campaign stops take Hillary Clinton to Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.
Also on Donald Trump’s itinerary were Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Republican nominee Donald Trump was rushed off the stage by Secret Service during a rally in Reno, Nevada, when a man appeared to rush the stage.
Donald Trump noticed a protestor in the crowd and told event security to remove him.
Security personnel ran to the stage and grabbed him by the shoulders and rushed him behind the curtain.
Images emerged on social media of armed guards encircling someone on the ground.
Security led a bald man out of the convention hall as the crowd cheered and also booed the protestor. Moments later, a rally speaker took to the stage to tell the unsettled crowd that “nobody is going to stop this movement”.
Image source CNN
Donald Trump returned to the stage moments later to continue his speech.
The incident took place about 35 minutes into his speech and he spoke for another 10 minutes after returning to the stage.
The Republican candidate, who didn’t appear unsettled, briefly addressed the incident before jumping back into his speech: “Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped. Never ever be stopped.
“I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic – they don’t get enough credit.”
A few minutes later, he paused to thank his supporters for helping to protect him as the man rushed the stage.
“I want to thank all these people,” Donald Trump said, pointing to the area where the man was stopped.
“I saw what you were doing – that’s a tough group of people right there. I saw that, that was pretty amazing. Nobody messes with our people,” he added.
No weapon was found on the man, according to ABC News. However, shouts from the crowd about a gun elevated the Secret Service’s response.
Donald Trump’s campaign released a brief statement that echoed his appreciation for Secret Service, but did not provide any additional information as to what had occurred.
The incident came during a slew of Donald Trump rallies three days before the election, as the Republican presidential nominee and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton criss-cross the country before Election Day.
Donald Trump has announced he is going to target states seen as Democratic strongholds in the last two days before the Election Day.
The Republican nominee will visit Pennsylvania, Michigan and also Minnesota, which has not gone Republican since 1972.
Donald Trump started off a four-state swing on November 5 in Florida, where rival Hillary Clinton also campaigned.
Hillary Clinton unveiled an advert to run in nearly a dozen states, set to the Katy Perry song, Roar.
Katy Perry will appear with Hillary Clinton later on Saturday at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Image source Flickr
Opinion polls suggest Hillary Clinton is still ahead in key states.
However, the Democratic nominee has seen her lead slip following last week’s FBI announcement that it was looking into emails that may be connected to her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.
A nationwide McClatchy-Marist opinion poll on November 5 gave Hillary Clinton a one point lead, compared to six in September.
A YouGov polling estimate on the same day gave the Democratic nominee a three-point lead.
Some 37 million early voters have already cast their ballots. Reports suggest many more Latino voters are turning out early in key states including Florida, Arizona and Nevada compared to past elections.
Analysts in Nevada say the Democrats appear to have taken a significant lead there because of the early ballots.
Donald Trump told a rally in Tampa, Florida: “We’re going into what they used to call Democrat strongholds, where we’re now either tied or leading. We’re going to Minnesota, which traditionally has not been Republican at all.”
Pennsylvania and Michigan are also both on Donald Trump’s agenda and they too have been tough states for Republicans. Republicans have not won them since 1988.
After Tampa, Donald Trump headed to Wilmington in North Carolina, where he was introduced by his wife, Melania.
Donald Trump turned his fire on the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare.
“Real change begins with immediately repealing and replacing Obamacare,” he said.
Hillary Clinton addressed a rally in a hoarse voice in Pembroke Pines in Florida, telling supporters: “I don’t think I need to tell you all of the wrong things about Donald Trump,” before cutting the speech short amid a downpour of rain.
Florida is an important state, particularly for Donald Trump, with many seeing it as a must-win. Candidates need 270 electoral college votes to win the presidency. Florida is worth 29.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are both campaigning in Florida, a key battleground state that could tip November 8 presidential election.
Florida is the largest swing state and is seen as a must-win for Donald Trump.
Donald Trump will later fly to North Carolina before heading west to Nevada.
Opinion polls in recent days have suggested Donald Trump is gaining support but he still remains behind Hillary Clinton in most surveys.
Photo Getty Images
In Florida, the contest appears to be tight. According to Real Clear Politics’ poll average, Hillary Clinton is ahead, but poll analysis website FiveThirtyEight says Donald Trump has a 52.6% chance of winning the state.
Barack Obama won Florida in 2012 by a margin of just 0.9% over Mitt Romney.
A presidential candidate needs 270 electoral college votes to win the presidency. Florida is worth 29.
Some 37 million early voters have already cast their ballots. Reports suggest many more Latino voters are turning out early in key states including Florida, Arizona and Nevada compared to past elections.
Florida has a significant Latino population, including many Cubans.
Donald Trump told a rally in Tampa: “I say to the Hispanic community living in the inner city, to the African-American community, I say: what the hell do you have to lose?”
He said Cubans supported him. He said he would provide jobs and solve crime for inner-city communities.
After campaigning in South Florida, Hillary Clinton will make an appearance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, alongside Katy Perry.
Hispanics make up 16% of registered voters in Florida this election, the Associated Press reports, up from 13.5% in 2012.
American Hispanics mostly vote Democrat but Florida’s large Cuban population – which make up 31% of the state’s Hispanic vote – have traditionally voted Republican.
Donald Trump recently began to speak out against the US lifting its economic embargo on Cuba in a play for older voters, analysts say.
However, they also point out that as more younger Cubans have settled in Miami, support for warming US-Cuba relations – which Hillary Clinton backs – is growing among the community. Polls now suggest that more Miami Cubans are against the embargo than for it.
Donald Trump’s divisive and insulting comments about immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere have also angered many Latinos.
Both candidates held rallies in Ohio and Pennsylvania on November 4.
In Cleveland, Hillary Clinton ended the day’s campaigning at a concert, where she was joined by Beyonce and Jay-Z.
The Clinton campaign is putting on several events with high-profile figures from the entertainment world as it tries to energize young and minority voters.
Jon Bon Jovi will later appear with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine in St Petersburg, Florida.
On November 4, Donald Trump told supporters in Hershey, Pennsylvania, that he “didn’t have to bring J-Lo or Jay-Z” to draw crowds.
“I am here all by myself. Just me. No guitar, no piano, no nothing,” Donald Trump said.
Donald Trump’s momentum in latest opinion polls forced Hillary Clinton to campaign in states that had been considered safe for the Democrats.
Both teams are now concentrating more on getting their supporters to vote, rather than swaying those undecided.
Thirty-seven million early ballots have already been cast.
Meanwhile, authorities say they are assessing the credibility of information on a possible al-Qaeda terror attack.
New York, Texas and Virginia are believed to be the potential targets mentioned in connection with a possible attack before Election Day on November 8, but a police spokesman said the information “lacks specificity”.
Officials say they regularly assess all possible threats before major events.
Photo CBS News
News of a possible attack came as both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump made final pushes for support in battleground states across the US.
They both held rallies in Ohio and Pennsylvania on November 4, two states that may prove crucial on the Election Day.
Both candidates are due to campaign in Florida on November 5. Florida is seen as a key contest that could tip the election.
In Cleveland, Ohio, Hillary Clinton ended the day’s campaigning at a concert, where she was joined by Beyonce and Jay-Z.
“We have unfinished work to do, more barriers to break, and with your help, a glass ceiling to crack once and for all,” Hillary Clinton said.
Addressing the crowd, Jay-Z explained his support for Hillary Clinton. The rapper said that though he did not have any “ill will” towards Donald Trump, the Republican’s conversation was “divisive”.
“That’s not an evolved soul to me, so he cannot be my president. He cannot be our president,” the rapper said.
The free concert was part of a series of events put on by Hilalry Clinton’s campaign as she aims to encourage greater African-American participation in the election.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, told a crowd of supporters in New Hampshire that his rival wants a “550% increase” on Syrian refugees allowed into the US.
“Her plan would mean generations of terrorism, extremism, and radicalism spreading into our schools and communities,” the Republican nominee said.
Earlier, at a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton said that her opponent was “unfit” for office because of his temperament and disparaging comments about women and minorities.
Donald Trump is currently ahead in Ohio, according to a state polling average by Real Clear Politics (RCP), while Hillary Clinton leads by a small margin in Pennsylvania.
In Florida, RCP’s poll average puts Hillary Clinton ahead, but poll analysis website FiveThirtyEight says Donald Trump has a 52.4% chance of winning the state’s 29 electoral votes.
National polls have suggested that Donald Trump has gained substantial ground on his rival in the last week or so. That momentum also appears to have helped Donald Trump in several key battleground states.
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