The polls have closed in most states, and projections have been released in the U.S. presidential election.
Before 8:30 a.m. in Israel, Fox News called the battleground state of Pennsylvania for Trump, and then the entire election for him. The candidates need 270 electoral votes in order to secure the presidency.
At the Harris headquarters at Howard University in Washington, a campaign co-chair announced after midnight on Wednesday that Harris would not address the crowd overnight, but would return in the morning and address her supporters and the nation. the announcement comes as Trump retains a lead in vote tallies in the five battleground states that have not been called.
According to exit poll data, self-identified independents accounted for a larger share of voters in Tuesday's U.S. presidential election than Democrats and were tied with Republicans, Edison Research ereported. It was the first time since Edison began exit polling in 2004 that independents' share of the vote has exceeded one of the two major U.S. political parties. The independent share stood at 34% in the latest update of Edison's exit poll, compared with 34% for Republicans and 32% for Democrats.
In the first projections, Kentucky was awarded to Donald Trump, and Vermont goes for Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump is also the projected winner in Indiana.
By 8 p.m. in the eastern U.S., Trump also appeared to secure Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Oklahoma; and Massachusetts, Maryland and the District of Columbia were called for Harris.
South Carolina and Arkansas also were also called for Trump, while President Joe Biden's home state of Delaware was called for Harris.
Trump later picked up the states of South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming and Texas, as well as Mississippi and Louisiana.
Rhode Island's 4 electoral votes were called for Harris, as well as the state of Illinois. After 4:30 a.m., Harris also picked up the state of New York with its 28 electoral votes. Shortly after, Trump wins the state of Ohio with its 17 electoral votes.
After 5 a.m., Kansas, Montana and Utah were called for Trump, giving him 19 states so far. Shortly after, Colorado was declared for Harris, and Iowa for Trump. Trump also has picked up 3 of the 5 electoral votes for the state of Nebraska, and Harris one vote so far. Alone with Maine, it is the only state that allocated its electoral votes by districts. Meanwhile, Harris won the state of California, where she previously served as senator, and Trump won the conservative state of Idaho.
The states of Washington and Connecticut were called for Harris at around 6:30 a.m. and soon after that the states of Virginia and Hawaii.
Trump claimed the first battleground state of the night, winning North Carolina. The battleground state of Georgia and its 16 votes were later also called for Trump.
At 8 a.m., New Mexico was called for Kamala Harris.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning, the Associated Press reported that Republicans won a majority in the U.S. Senate after Tuesday's election, seizing control of the chamber for the first time in four years. Early in the night, Republicans flipped one seat in West Virginia, with the election of Jim Justice, who easily replaced retiring Sen. Joe Manchin. Democratic efforts to oust firebrand Republicans Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida collapsed. Cruz's victory came after Democratic efforts to salvage their Senate majority evaporated when Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio lost his reelection to Republican Bernie Moreno, a wealthy Trump-era newcomer.
Brown's loss to Moreno, an immigrant from Bogota, Colombia, who built a fortune as a luxury car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur, puts the Democrats on the edge of losing Senate control. A three-term senator, he is the first incumbent to lose reelection. The Ohio race between Brown and Moreno, who was backed by Donald Trump, is the most expensive of the cycle, at some $400 million.
With control of Congress at stake the contests for the House and Senate will determine which party holds the majority and the power to boost or block a president's agenda, or if the White House confronts a divided Capitol Hill.
Democrats deployed celebrities to keep their voters fired up while waiting in long lines to cast their ballots. Paul Rudd handed out water to students at Temple University in Philadelphia. Jennifer Garner, Josh Gad, Mark Cuban and Demi Lovato communicated with voters via FaceTime in various battleground states.
Republicans have also encouraged their voters to stay in line, even after polls close. "Hi, Republicans. We're doing really well," Donald Trump said in a social media video. "If you're in line, stay in line."
Meanwhile, anonymous actors have tried to sow distrust in the election results. The FBI is warning that several fabricated videos are misusing its name and insignia to promote false claims of problems at the polls. A written statement purported to come from the FBI urges media and bloggers not to publish information about attacks at polling stations, saying dissemination of stories about violence could cause such incidents to increase.
The FBI says that statement is false and did not come from the bureau. One fabricated video that impersonates the FBI and a federal government agency urges schools to suspend educational activities through November 11 because of the risk of violence, shootings and riots. Another claims the FBI received 9,000 complaints about malfunctioning voting machines. The FBI says neither video came from the bureau and the contents of both are false.
At the same time, Russian disinformation aiming to reduce trust in the U.S. election received some last-minute help from China, according to research from the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab. Investigators identified several videos linked to Russia that made false claims about voting. Some of the videos mimicked legitimate U.S. news outlets and featured fake audio clips of law enforcement officials supposedly acknowledging widespread voter fraud. The researchers found the videos were being amplified by a network of fake social media accounts that originated in China. The accounts had spread pro-China propaganda in the past and shifted their focus to the U.S. election only recently.
The U.S. presidential election has taken place against the backdrop of the ongoing Gaza war, which played a central role in the campaigns of both major parties. Candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump each emphasized their support for Israel while pledging to end the war.
Supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are hoping for a Trump victory, fearing potential friction between Netanyahu and Harris if she wins. Trump's popularity remains high in Israel compared to the rest of the world, with billboards supporting him appearing in Tel Aviv, including one that paraphrased his campaign slogan: "Make Israel Great Again."
As polls began closing in some U.S. states, a gathering of over 50 pro-Palestinian demonstrators has quickly formed in Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House, effectively blocking the street. The group is vocally advocating for justice and Palestinian freedom, with chants of “No Justice, no peace” and “free free Palestine.” Among the signs, one reads, “No Trump, No Kamala.” A speaker addressed the crowd, declaring, “There’s not one political party in this system that represents our interests. The Democrats are just as aligned against our interests as Republicans. This election is a referendum on genocide. It is a referendum on genocide, whether we will accept genocide or whether we will fight back.”
Meanwhile, an exit poll conducted by Edison Research found that 31% of voters nationwide said U.S. support for Israel is too strong; 30% said it's not strong enough; and 31% said it's about right.
The accusations against Russia of interfering in the U.S. presidential election are nothing but "malicious slander," the Russian state RIA news agency reported, citing the Russian embassy to the U.S. as saying on Wednesday. "All insinuations about 'Russian machinations' are malicious slander, invented for use in the domestic political struggle of the United States," RIA reported, citing a statement from the embassy.
Ahead of poll closures in Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening, Trump said on his social media platform that there was "talk about massive cheating in Philadelphia" and said law enforcement was on the way. He did not provide details, and there was no immediate indication of what he was referring to, and his spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment about what he meant.
Election Day voting had proceeded relatively smoothly across Pennsylvania, with a few counties reporting problems with ballot tabulators. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner issued a statement responding to Trump's post, saying the only suggestion of cheating was coming from the Republican presidential nominee. "There is no factual basis whatsoever within law enforcement to support this wild allegation,"Krasner said. "We have invited complaints and allegations of improprieties all day. If Donald J. Trump has any facts to support his wild allegations, we want them now. Right now. We are not holding our breath."
U.S. Capitol Police arrested on Tuesday a man attempting to enter the Capitol Visitor Center carrying a flare gun and emitting a strong smell of gasoline. He was stopped during security checks, and an investigation has been opened.
Voters arriving at a polling place in Jacksonville, Florida, were diverted to another voting location for a short time after a suspicious package was found outside. Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland said in an email that about 20 voters were sent to other locations for about 40 minutes before operations at the polling place resumed. The package ended up being the personal belongings of a homeless person, he said.
Authorities in the Denver area are investigating after election officials discovered "discrepancies" with signatures on several mail ballots sent from an adult day care facility in the city, according to Denver clerk and recorder Paul Lopez in a statement. Election workers in Colorado check the signatures on mail ballots against voter signatures on file to make sure they're submitted by the voter the ballot was sent to. Lopez said his office notified law enforcement and the Denver district attorney's office was investigating. He also said law enforcement in nearby counties were also investigating but did not explain why. Colorado overwhelmingly votes by mail.
Donald Trump will watch the election results from his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, surrounded by a small group of family and friends, including tech billionaire Elon Musk.
CNN reported that Trump’s campaign is discussing the timing of his departure from Mar-a-Lago to deliver a public statement. Campaign officials are preparing for a tight race against Kamala Harris, which, according to polls, could remain undecided by the end of the night.
However, Trump expressed confidence earlier Tuesday, telling voters at a Florida polling station that he expects a large victory, claiming that the race against Harris "won’t even be close."
The FBI issued a warning on Tuesday about three fake videos circulating online, falsely claiming to be from the bureau, which warn of terror threats and urge voters to avoid polling stations and vote remotely. Another video falsely claims the FBI is warning of vote rigging in prisons in several swing states.
The U.S. presidential race is unfolding under the shadow of warnings from the American government about foreign interference, particularly from Russia, attempting to influence the election results. In recent months, U.S. intelligence agencies have cautioned the public about disinformation campaigns on social media aimed at undermining trust in American democracy.
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First published: 23:58, 11.05.24