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Selasa, 03 November 2020

US presidential election: What time results are expected and which states to watch - The Straits Times

To become the next president of the United States, President Donald Trump or former vice-president Joe Biden will have to win at least 270 electoral votes out of a total of 538, whether or not they win the nationwide popular vote.

Most states have a history of voting Democrat or Republican, so the election will come down to a few crucial states that could swing either way.

Nov 4, 8am-11am Singapore time: Which way will toss-up states fall?

Polling will close in Florida, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina and Ohio between 7pm and 7.30pm (8am and 9am Singapore time).

In Iowa, polling stations will close at 9pm (11am Singapore time).

Mr Trump and Mr Biden have a 50-50 chance of winning most of these states, even though the President won them by comfortable margins in 2016.

No Republican president has won the White House without Florida - which has 29 electoral votes - in 100 years, and losing Florida will be very hard for Mr Trump to come back from.

Democrats believe that even Georgia (16 electoral votes) and Texas (38), which lean Republican, are in play for them this election.

If Mr Biden flips states like Georgia, Iowa (six), Ohio (18) and Texas, he may be headed for a decisive victory.

9am-10am: Will the Midwest keep faith with Trump?

Polls close in Michigan and Pennsylvania at 8pm (9am in Singapore), while in Wisconsin, polls close at 8pm (10am Singapore time).

Mr Trump famously won the three "blue wall" states of Michigan (16 electoral votes), Pennsylvania (20) and Wisconsin (10) by 77,000 votes in total in 2016, dashing the presidential hopes of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

If Mr Biden flips Florida blue, a victory in one or more of these states could seal the presidency for him. Winning all three of these Midwestern states could also be a path to the White House for Mr Biden.

If Mr Trump holds onto them or the contest remains close, prepare for a long drawn-out night.

10am-11am: Will they stay with Biden?

At 7pm (11am Singapore time), polls close in Arizona and Nevada, while in Minnesota, it will close at 8pm (10am Singapore time).

The two Sun Belt states of Arizona (11 electoral votes) and Nevada (six) lean Democrat at the moment, but the Trump campaign is gunning for them. Minnesota (10) has voted Democrat since 1972, but Mrs Clinton won it by a narrow 1.5-point margin in 2016.

If Mr Trump wins these states, or comes close to winning them, it may signal trouble for Mr Biden's campaign.

However, RealClearPolitics' polling average as of Nov 2 showed that Mr Biden is leading in the three states by between 0.9 and 4.3 percentage points.

From 11am: Is the contest close?

Ordinarily, major TV networks and news outlets will call the race based on exit polls before an official announcement is made. The winner has been called as early as 9am, though 2004, 2008 and 2012 this happened around or just past noon. In 2016, Mrs Clinton called Mr Trump to concede around 3.45pm.

This year, experts say it can take days or even weeks to count all the ballots. Processing and counting mail-in ballots takes time, and some states cannot start until after polls close. Other states accept ballots after Nov 3, as long as they are postmarked on Election Day. Absentee voting rules may be contested in court, lengthening the wait before the winner is finalised.

If either candidate appears headed for a big victory, the chances that the result will be disputed will be lower.

But if the contest is close, and if ballots counted later swing the race in favour of Democrats, this could prompt calls from Mr Trump that the election is rigged.

The President has also declined to say he will accept the result of the election, leaving a question mark hanging over how Election Night will turn out.

Sources: Cook Political Report ratings

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2020-11-03 08:18:00Z
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Twitter, Facebook flag Trump posts on US election eve - CNA

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Twitter Inc late on Monday flagged a tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump in which he called a Supreme Court decision on voting in Pennsylvania "very dangerous."

People holding mobile phones are silhouetted against a backdrop projected with the Twitter logo in this illustration picture taken in Warsaw September 27, 2013. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/Files

03 Nov 2020 10:16AM (Updated: 03 Nov 2020 03:25PM)

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REUTERS: Twitter and Facebook late on Monday both flagged posts by President Donald Trump that claimed a U.S. Supreme Court decision on mail-in voting in Pennsylvania would lead to "rampant" fraud and was "very dangerous."

Twitter hid the president's tweet, sent the day before the U.S. presidential election, behind a label which said the content was "disputed" and "might be misleading."

Trump and his Republican allies have repeatedly said, without evidence, that mail-in votes are prone to fraud, although election experts say that is rare in U.S. elections. Trump's tweet also said the Supreme Court's decision would "induce violence in the streets."

Social media companies are under pressure to curb misinformation on their platforms ahead of the U.S. election. Twitter has labeled or put warnings on tweets from Trump multiple times this year for violating its rules.

Twitter also prevented users from retweeting or replying to the post, allowing only 'quote tweets.' It said the tweets will also not be algorithmically recommended by its systems.

The Election Integrity Partnership, who tweeted that Twitter took action about 40 minutes after Trump's tweet was sent, said would "be wise" to pick up the pace.

"Twitter’s action effectively stopped the tweet’s spread. However, it had already been retweeted 55K+ times and favorited 126K+ times. This is as much or more reach than most other tweets put out by @realDonaldTrump today," the research group tweeted.

The U.S. Supreme Court last week allowed extended deadlines for receiving mail-in ballots in Tuesday's election in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, states pivotal to Trump's re-election chances.

The decision let stand a ruling by Pennsylvania's top court allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day and received up to three days later to be counted.

Facebook added a disclaimer to Trump's post, which had been shared 4,200 times, saying that voting by mail and voting in person have a "history of trustworthiness" in the United States, with voter fraud being extremely rare.

Facebook also labeled a Fox News video posted by Trump in which he talked about "cheating" in Pennsylvania with the same message.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford in Birmingham, England Kanishka Singh and Bhargav Acharya in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lincoln Feast.)

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2020-11-03 07:18:45Z
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Senin, 02 November 2020

Gunmen kill two in 'terror attack' in Vienna, manhunt launched - CNA

VIENNA: Gunmen attacked six locations in central Vienna on Monday (Nov 2) starting outside the main synagogue, killing two people and injuring at least 14 in what Austria called a "repulsive terror attack" while hunting one or more assailants on the loose.

Witnesses described the men firing into crowds in bars with automatic rifles, as many people took advantage of the last evening before a nationwide curfew was introduced because of COVID-19. Police shot and killed one assailant.

Police sealed off much of the historic centre of Vienna, urging the public to shelter in place. Many sought refuge in bars and hotels, while public transport throughout the old town was shut down and police scoured the city.

Gunfire exchanges in Vienna — Police officers aim their weapons on the corner of a street after exchanges of gunfire in Vienna, Austria on Nov 2, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Lisi Niesner)

"It is the hardest day for Austria in many years. We are dealing with a terror attack the severity of which, thank God, we have not experienced in Austria in many years," Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told a news conference.

Austria's capital had so far been spared the kind of deadly militant attacks that have struck Paris, London, Berlin and Brussels, among others, in recent years. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the "repulsive" act was "definitely a terror attack", but he could not say what the motive was.

Oskar Deutsch, the head of Vienna's Jewish community, which has offices adjoining the synagogue on a narrow cobbled street dotted with bars, said on Twitter that it was not clear whether the temple or offices were targeted but that they were closed at the time.

Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister told London's LBC radio he was living in the compound of the synagogue. "Upon hearing shots, we looked down (from) the windows and saw the gunmen shooting at the guests of the various bars and pubs," he said.

"The gunmen were running around and shooting at least 100 rounds or even more in front of our building," he said.

Border checks were being reinforced, the Interior Ministry said, and children would not be required to attend school on Tuesday. Although people were urged to stay indoors Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig told broadcaster ORF the city would run normally on Tuesday, albeit with a tougher police presence.

Police officers were checking people in central Vienna for weapons after the shootings AFP/ROLAND SCHLAGER

MANHUNT

"According to what we currently know, at least one perpetrator is still on the run," Nehammer said.

"We have brought several special forces units together that are now searching for the presumed terrorists. I am therefore not limiting it to an area of Vienna, because these are mobile perpetrators," Nehammer earlier told ORF.

Kurz said the army would protect sites in the capital so the police could focus on anti-terror operations. Speaking to ORF, he said the attackers "were very well equipped with automatic weapons" and had "prepared professionally".

Videos circulated on social media of a gunman running down a cobblestone street shooting and shouting. One showed a man gunning down a person outside what appeared to be a bar on the street housing the synagogue. Reuters could not immediately verify the videos.

Authorities gave no indication of the identity of the assailants or reason for the attack.

"We really can't say anything about the background yet," Kurz told ORF. "Of course an anti-Semitic background cannot be ruled out."

Armed police control a passage near the opera in central Vienna on Nov 2, 2020, following a shooting near a synagogue. (Photo: AFP/Joe Klamar)

In 1981, two people were killed and 18 injured during an attack by two Palestinians at the same Vienna synagogue. In 1985, a Palestinian extremist group killed three civilians in an attack at the airport.

In August, authorities arrested a 31-year-old Syrian refugee suspected of trying to attack a Jewish community leader in the country's second city Graz. The leader was unhurt.

"COWARDLY ACT"

Condolences poured in from around the world, with top officials from the European Union, France, Norway, Greece and the United States expressing their shock at the attacks.

President Emmanuel Macron of France, which has seen two deadly knife attacks in Paris and Nice in recent weeks, issued a statement expressing shock and sorrow.

"This is our Europe," he said. "Our enemies must know with whom they are dealing. We will not retreat."

Germany's foreign ministry tweeted that the reports from Austria were "horrifying and disturbing". "We can't give in to hatred that is aimed at dividing our societies," the ministry added.

Czech police said they had started random checks on the border with Austria.

"Police are carrying out random checks of vehicles and passengers on border crossings with Austria as a preventive measure in relation to the terror attack in Vienna," Czech police tweeted.

Robert O'Brien, President Donald Trump's national security adviser, said Americans were praying for the people of Vienna.

"There is no justification for hatred and violence like this. We stand with Austria, France, and all of Europe in the fight against terrorism,” O'Brien said.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden condemned what he called a "horrific terrorist attack," adding, "We must all stand united against hate and violence."

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2020-11-03 03:11:15Z
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Gunmen kill two in 'terror attack' in Vienna, manhunt launched - CNA

"The gunmen were running around and shooting at least 100 rounds or even more in front of our building," he said.

MANHUNT

"According to what we currently know, at least one perpetrator is still on the run," Nehammer said.

Authorities gave no indication of the identity of the assailants or reason for the attack.

"We really can't say anything about the background yet," Kurz told ORF. "Of course an anti-Semitic background cannot be ruled out."

In August, authorities arrested a 31-year-old Syrian refugee suspected of trying to attack a Jewish community leader in the country's second city Graz. The leader was unhurt.

"COWARDLY ACT"

President Emmanuel Macron of France, which has seen two deadly knife attacks in Paris and Nice in recent weeks, issued a statement expressing shock and sorrow.

"This is our Europe," he said. "Our enemies must know with whom they are dealing. We will not retreat."

EU Council chief Charles Michel tweeted that the bloc "strongly condemns this cowardly act".

And Germany's foreign ministry tweeted that the reports from Austria were "horrifying and disturbing".

"We can't give in to hatred that is aimed at dividing our societies," the ministry added.

Czech police said they had started random checks on the border with Austria.

"Police are carrying out random checks of vehicles and passengers on border crossings with Austria as a preventive measure in relation to the terror attack in Vienna," Czech police tweeted.

Czech Interior Minister Jan Hamacek said in a tweet Czech police were in touch with Austrian colleagues following the "dreadful news from Vienna".

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also "strongly condemned" the shootings.

"There is no room for hatred and violence in our common European home," he said on Twitter in Italian and German.

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3 killed in Vienna 'terror attack'; at least one gunman still at large - CNA

VIENNA: Three people have been killed after multiple gunmen opened fire across central Vienna on Monday (Nov 2), and at least one attacker remained on the run after what Chancellor Sebastian Kurz described as a "repulsive terrorist attack".

Interior Minister Karl Nehammer warned people to stay away from the centre of the city, adding that border checks were being reinforced and that children would not be required to attend school on Tuesday.

Police said on Twitter that at least one person had been killed and that the injured included a police officer. Vienna mayor Michael Ludwig told ORF that 15 people were being treated in Vienna hospitals, and that seven were in a serious condition. He said later that one of the wounded, a woman, had died of her injuries.

Police also said they had shot dead one of the attackers.

Nehammer said all six locations in the attack were near the street housing the central synagogue.

Jewish community leader Oskar Deutsch said on Twitter it was not clear whether the Vienna synagogue and adjoining offices had been the target and said they were closed at the time.

"The gunmen were running around and shooting at least 100 rounds or even more in front of our building," he said.

Videos circulated on social media of a gunman running down a cobblestone street shooting and shouting. Reuters could not immediately verify the videos.

ATTACKERS' IDENTITY UNKNOWN

The attack happened hours before a partial lockdown was due to go into place due to the rising spread of the coronavirus, with restaurants, cafes and hotels shuttered and restrictions on movement at night.

Authorities gave no indication of the identity of the assailants or reason for the attack.

"We really can't say anything about the background yet," Kurz told ORF. "Of course an anti-Semitic background cannot be ruled out."

In August, authorities arrested a 31-year-old Syrian refugee suspected of trying to attack a Jewish community leader in the country's second city Graz. The leader was unhurt.

"COWARDLY ACT"

Austria had until now been spared the sort of major attacks that have hit other European countries.