US elections 2020: Biden leads in polls going into Election Day but battlegrounds tight

Biden backers make final plea for delivery of mail ballots

Down to the wire with the threat of court battles looming, supporters of former US vice president Joe Biden scrambled on Monday to rally swing-state voters to drop off ballots, visit precincts in person and ensure that their votes are counted.

The market experienced a fairly quiet session with no sudden shifts ahead of the finale of a contentious US presidential contest.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average led the major indices, advancing 1.6 percent to finish the day at 26,925.05.

Dow ends up 1.6% ahead of US presidential election

Wall Street stocks climbed Monday on the eve of the pivotal US election, winning back a fraction of last week's rout that marked the worst week and month since March.

Judge rejects GOP effort to throw out 127,000 Houston votes

A federal judge on Monday rejected another last-ditch Republican effort to invalidate nearly 127,000 votes in Houston because the ballots were cast at drive-thru polling centers established during the pandemic.

Trump promises court fight over Pennsylvania absentee votes

President Donald Trump and his reelection campaign are signaling they will pursue an aggressive legal strategy to try to prevent Pennsylvania from counting mailed ballots that are received in the three days after the election. The matter could find its way to the Supreme Court, especially if those ballots could tip the outcome in the battleground state. The three-day extension was ordered by Pennsylvania's top court. The Supreme Court refused to block it, but several conservative justices have indicated they could revisit the issue after the election.

In Florida, Biden has a one-point lead over Trump, according to the RCP average of state polls. In Pennsylvania, Biden has a 4.3-point lead, according to the RCP average of polls in the Keystone State, which has 20 electoral votes. Biden is up by 5.1 points in Michigan, which has 16 electoral votes, and by 6.6 points in Wisconsin, which has 10 electoral votes. Biden has a one-point lead in Arizona, which has 11 electoral votes, while Trump leads by 0.6 points in North Carolina, which has 15 electoral votes.

Trump or Biden? Billions of dollars at stake as betters lay money down

The 2020 US election is shaping up to be the biggest betting event of all time, with one player placing a record-breaking one million-pound bet on a victory for Democratic challenger Joe Biden, betting companies say. People were still rushing to place bets on the eve of Tuesday's election and Matthew Shaddick, Head of Politics Betting at Ladbrokes Coral Group, said it estimated about one billion pounds would be wagered globally across the industry. US President Donald Trump's chances of re-election gained slightly over the weekend, but Biden remained a clear favourite in online betting markets. Betters on British exchange Smarkets give Biden a 65% chance of winning, while Trump's prospects improved to 35% from 34%. UK-based internet Betfair Exchange said it also saw Trump's odds improve on the same level.

US President Donald Trump will hunt for support in four battleground states on Monday while Democratic rival Joe Biden focuses on Pennsylvania and Ohio during the final day of campaigning in their race for the White House. Trump, aiming to avoid becoming the first incumbent president to lose re-election since fellow Republican George HW Bush in 1992, will hold rallies on Monday in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and two in Michigan. He won those states in 2016 against Democrat Hillary Clinton, but polls show Biden is threatening to recapture them for Democrats.

US President Donald Trump is suggesting that he will fire Dr. Anthony Fauci after Tuesday's election, as his rift with the nation's top infectious disease expert widens while the nation sees its most alarming outbreak of the coronavirus since the spring. Speaking at a campaign rally in Opa-locka, Florida, Trump expressed frustration that the surging cases of the virus that has killed more than 231,000 people in the United States this year remains prominent in the news, sparking chants of "Fire Fauci" from his supporters.

Indian-American supporters of Donald Trump held a car rally in the Houston city of Texas to show their support for his re-election as US President. The line of cars stretched for miles on Sunday as supporters caravanned through the city, wearing masks, holding decorated cards with patriotic colours, American flag and placards saying, “keep Texas Red”, “Trump-Keep America Great"; "I stand with Trump" and "Indian Americans for Republicans".

With the US Presidential Election just a day away, Democratic Nominee and former US Vice President Joe Biden's campaign -- Biden for President -- launched a GOTV [Get Out The Vote] video that featured an all-star cast of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) who have assembled to urge the AAPI community to vote in the final few days before November 3.

Covid-19: Devotees not allowed to pray, pay tribute in Chennai cemeteries on All Souls Day

Amid Covid-19 pandemic, devotees were not permitted to pray or pay tribute to their loved ones on All Souls Day in Chennai on Monday. All Souls Day is celebrated on November 2 every year in which Christians pray and pay tribute in cemeteries to their lost relatives and friends.

Harris seeks decisive mandate from Americans

Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has sought a decisive mandate from Americans so that no amount of legal battle can overturn the poll results.US President Donald Trump on Sunday denied that he is planning to prematurely declare victory after the presidential polls are over on Tuesday, but hinted that he is gearing up for a legal battle in the counting of mail and absentee votes post the election.He criticised the decision taken by the Supreme Court to allow ballots to be received after Election Day in several battleground states.“Well, first of all, we plan to decisively win this election so I don't, I don't think we're going to need to get to that point,” 56-year-old Harris told reporters during a day of hectic campaigning with stops in this North Carolinian city and in Georgia.Over the past few days, polls indicate that the November 3 presidential election is getting tighter, even though Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden continues to maintain substantial lead over Republican incumbent President Donald Trump.“We have been travelling all over the country and it is because we truly know that the people in these various states have so much at stake in the outcome of the election and they deserve to literally be seen and heard and so we've been all over the country, and, and each state is important,” Harris said.“I think it's very important that everyone be able to vote without any hinderance, without any intimidation, without any obstacles,” Harris told reporters, a point she emphasised in both her speeches in the two battleground states of Georgia and North Carolina.

FBI probing Trump caravan confrontation with Biden campaign bus in Texas

The FBI said on Sunday it was investigating an incident in which a convoy of vehicles flying flags in support of President Donald Trump's re-election bid surrounded a bus carrying campaign staff for Democratic challenger Joe Biden on a Texas highway.Friday's incident - captured on video that was retweeted by Trump on Saturday with the message, "I LOVE TEXAS!" - prompted the Biden campaign to cancel at least two of its Texas events as Democrats accused the president of encouraging supporters to engage in acts of intimidation.Video footage showed a swarm of pickup trucks and SUVs bearing pro-Trump flags surrounding the Biden campaign bus as it traveled north along Interstate 35 between San Antonio and Austin.The Biden campaign said the Trump caravan tried to force the bus to slow down and to run it off the road.One video clip aired on CNN showed a Trump-flagged pickup swerve into the side of another vehicle traveling just behind the bus. The Texas Tribune newspaper reported that the sideswiped vehicle was being driven by a Biden campaign staffer.According to the Biden campaign, staff aboard the bus called emergency-911 to report the incident, and local law enforcement responded to the calls and assisted the bus in reaching its destination.

Americans are all set to make a choice between President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden, two candidates who have vastly different views on nearly every issue, right from policies impacting India to Covid-19 pandemic. While campaigning will halt and voters will have their say on November 3, here is a brief look at the policies of both the candidates and their stand on some key issues

US presidential campaign enters its final day

The US presidential campaign enters its final day Monday with a last-minute scramble for votes by Donald Trump and Joe Biden, drawing to a close an extraordinary race that has put a pandemic-stricken country on edge.But while campaigning will halt and voters will have their say on Tuesday, many questions remain over how soon a result will be known due to a flood of mail-in ballots and possible legal challenges.Those factors, along with an unprecedented convergence of social justice protests, coronavirus precautions and President Trump's fear-mongering campaign, have led to apprehension over whether unrest could erupt.Taking no chances, businesses in some cities have boarded up windows, while across the country the harsh political climate has led to fierce debate, in some cases even dividing families.As proof of how much Americans have been galvanized -- and perhaps frightened by the pandemic -- a record of more than 93 million people have cast early ballots, including in-person and mailed votes, according to the nonpartisan US Elections Project.

Explainer: Why the US election result may be delayed

President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested a slower-than-typical result is a sign of trouble. “I think it's terrible that we can't know the results of an election the night of the election,” he said on Sunday. “I think it's a terrible thing when states are allowed to tabulate ballots for a long period of time after the election is over." It's unclear what the president thinks is a long period. But it's standard practice to continue tabulating votes after Election Day. Read full story