UPDATE, 1715 GMT:
Networks have now called Nevada for Joe Biden.
UPDATE, 1700 GMT:
Joe Biden has been elected as the 46th President of the USA.
Biden passed the threshold of 270 electoral votes with the 20 from Pennsylvania, reaching 273.
Networks called the Keystone State after the latest count of mail-in and early votes expanded Biden’s lead to almost 35,000. That passed the 0.5% threshold, in margin between two candidates, for an automatic recount.
UPDATE, 1200 GMT:
We have posted a feature on Trump’s biggest media allies deserting him and his disinformation campaign to cling to power.
Game Over? Trump’s Media Allies Desert Him
ORIGINAL ENTRY: On the cusp of victory in the US Presidential contest, Joe Biden assures Americans, “Democracy works.”
Ahead in four key states and needing only one or two to clinch an Electoral College majority, Biden stopped short of claiming triumph. But alongside running mate Kamala Harris, he told supporters in Wilmington, Delaware: “The numbers tell a clear and convincing story: We are going to win this race.”
He spoke of preparations for action on critical issues, including the Coronavirus pandemic that has killed almost 240,000 Americans: “[Voters] have given us a mandate for action on Covid, the economy, climate change, systemic racism. They made it clear they want the country to come together – not continue to pull apart.”
And he reached out to bridge divisions, as Donald Trump continued to push conspiracy theories and falsehoods about the vote:
The purpose of our politics, the work of the nation, isn’t to fan the flames of conflict, but to solve problems, to guarantee justice, to give everybody a fair shot, to improve the lives of our people.
We may be opponents – but we are not enemies. We are Americans.
Biden’s Lead Expands
Biden has 253 of the 270 electoral votes needed for victory. Throughout Friday, his advantage solidified in three of the four key states, while he retained a notable margin in the fourth of Arizona:
Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes): With the influx of early and mail-in votes from largely-Democratic areas, Biden overtook Trump on Thursday and now holds a lead of 28,833 with 4% of the ballots to be counted.
The lead is expected to expand with further tallies, taking Biden beyond the 0.5% margin which allows for a recount.
Georgia (16): Biden, who finally overhauled Trump’s once-large lead on Thursday, now leads by 4,430 with about 1% of ballots outstanding. There will be a recount.
Arizona (11): Trump has cut Biden’s advantage to 29,861 from about 50,000 on Thursday. However, there is only 3% of the count remaining.
Nevada (6): Biden’s lead expanded from less than 8,000 to 22,657 on Friday, with 93% of the vote tallied. Most of the remaining ballots are from Democratic-leaning Las Vegas and Clark County.
Btw, for all Scott Lucas’ dismissal of “social media disinformation”, he has a double standard with Iran. There, social media is absolute truth.
Remind me again how the Iran presidential election of 2009 was “rigged” but this one was not? Where’s the evidence?
I do recall the claim made by yourself that we couldn’t know the results were authentic until all the forms (Form 22) used to certify the election were published.
Just to remind you, professor, that Biden only becomes president-elect on Jan 6th IF he wins the votes cast by the electoral college and counted by Congress. Until then, he is just a projected winner and Trump can still challenge and have the results overturned state by state.