Connect with us

Published

on

Millions of Americans are voting in an historic election that could put Donald Trump back into the White House or make Kamala Harris the first woman to become US president.

The two candidates are neck and neck in the polls after bitter campaign that saw two assassination attempts against Republican Mr Trump as well as the shock withdrawal of President Joe Biden.

In around 100 days, Ms Harris has found her feet and mounted a fierce challenge to her opponent.

With just hours left before polls close, the election has come down to the wire and could be decided by a handful of crucial battleground states.

Follow live: Harris makes surprise stop in Washington

Voting on Tuesday appears to be smooth, with only scattered reports of delays from extreme weather, long lines or technical problems.

The FBI reported that there had been “non-credible” bomb threats to several states, some of which it said came from Russian email domains.

More on Donald Trump

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

How the vote works

As well as those lining up at polling booths on Tuesday, tens of millions of Americans cast early ballots – voting by post or in person before today.

To become president, the winning candidate needs 270 electoral votes or more, with each state carrying a different number of votes.

If the polls predicting a close race are correct, the election will likely come down to a few battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The first ballots cast on Tuesday mirrored the national divide. Overnight, the six registered voters in the tiny hamlet of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, split their votes between the two candidates in voting just past midnight.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Key issues for American voters

Read more:
An easy guide to the US election
What Trump or Harris victories would mean for UK

Trump or Harris

Former President Mr Trump, 78, voted in Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago club.

Wearing his trademark red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, he said at the polling station that he was feeling “very confident”.

“I hear we’re doing very well,” he said. “It looks like Republicans have shown up in force.”

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and Trump donor, said he will watch results unfold with the former president.

In the meantime, Ms Harris, the 60-year-old Democratic vice president, did radio interviews in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina.

Melissa Fehl votes, next to a cat named "Skye", in the 2024 U.S. presidential election on Election Day, at the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 5, 2024. REUTERS/Quinn Glabicki
Image:
A cat seen at a polling booth in battleground state Pennsylvania. Pic: Reuters

What do the polls say?

Many polls are too tight to call and, with a large margin of error, most experts are refusing to predict the outcome.

Georgia could be among the first battleground to declare, with polls there closing at 7pm local time (midnight UK time). State election officials told Sky News they could have a result as early as 10pm (3am UK time).

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

North Carolina could also give an early indication of how the vote is going.

Even so, it could be several days before the US has a definitive result.

An exit poll by conducted today by Sky News’ sister outlet NBC News and other US outlets suggests that democracy is the top issue on the minds of voters as they cast their ballots.

Some 35% of people said it was their most important issue, closely followed by the economy on 31% and with abortion ranked third at 14%.

Voters are not just selecting a president. A number of seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate are up for grabs. In addition, 10 states will hold abortion-related ballots, half of which would overturn existing restrictions.

Continue Reading

US

American Airlines forced to ground all US flights

Published

on

By

American Airlines forced to ground all US flights

American Airlines was forced to ground all flights in the US on Christmas Eve due to an unspecified technical issue.

The airline did not immediately say why it was stopping all flights, but social media was quickly abuzz with travellers worrying about getting to their loved ones for the holiday.

A groundstop notice was lifted not long after it was issued, but the possibility of disruption remains with so many flights needing to make up time.

Earlier on Tuesday, the airline said on social media: “An estimated timeframe has not been provided, but they’re trying to fix it in the shortest possible time.”

The Federal Aviation Agency said American Airlines was reporting “a technical issue and has requested a nationwide ground stop”.

In an update on Tuesday afternoon it said: “American Airlines reported a technical issue this morning and requested a nationwide ground stop. The ground stop has now been lifted.”

Air traffic control notice
Image:
The groundstop notice that was later rescinded

Passengers on social media reported having their flights stuck on the runway at various airports and being sent back to the gate.

American Airlines operates thousands of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries.

It comes months after a faulty CrowdStrike software update led to worldwide flight cancellations.

Continue Reading

US

Former US president Bill Clinton in hospital with fever

Published

on

By

Former US president Bill Clinton in hospital with fever

Former US president Bill Clinton is in hospital in Washington DC after developing a fever.

Mr Clinton, 78, has been admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital for “testing and observation”.

Angel Ureña, the 42nd president’s deputy chief of staff, told Sky’s US partner network NBC News he is in “good spirits and grateful for the care he is receiving”.

Another source close to Mr Clinton said the situation is “not urgent”.

“The former president will be fine,” the source added. “He developed a fever and wanted to be checked out. He is awake and alert.”

Mr Clinton was active on the campaign trail in support of vice president Kamala Harris this year and has also been promoting his book Citizen.

The former president, who served two terms from January 1993 until January 2001, also addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer.

Read more from the US:
Matt Gaetz paid girl, 17, for sex – report
Biden reduces all but three federal death sentences

Since leaving office, Mr Clinton has undergone two heart operations in New York – having a quadruple bypass operation in 2004, and two stents inserted into a coronary artery in 2010.

He was also in hospital for six days in 2021 with a urological infection that spread to his bloodstream.

Continue Reading

US

Matt Gaetz: Ex-Trump attorney general pick paid women for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, US House report says

Published

on

By

Matt Gaetz: Ex-Trump attorney general pick paid women for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, US House report says

Matt Gaetz, who was briefly Donald Trump’s nominee for US attorney general, paid women for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, and used drugs while he was a member of Congress, a committee has said.

The House Ethics Committee’s report concluded there was “substantial evidence” that the former Florida congressman violated House rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct banning prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, and obstruction of Congress.

And the committee accused the 42-year-old of accepting gifts of luxury travel in excess of permissible limits with a trip to the Bahamas in 2018.

The House of Representatives panel wrote: “From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.”

The Republican, who denies any wrongdoing, had sought a restraining order against the committee in a bid to halt the release of its report summarising its investigation.

The filing accused the committee of an “unconstitutional” attempt “to exercise jurisdiction over a private citizen through the threatened release of an investigative report containing potentially defamatory allegations, in violation of the committee’s own rules”.

Last month, Trump ally Mr Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to be the next US attorney general – the country’s top legal official.

Mr Gaetz said his selection was “unfairly becoming a distraction” to the transition of Mr Trump’s administration into the White House.

Donald Trump and Matt Gaetz in Augusts 2023, Pic: Reuters
Image:
Donald Trump and Matt Gaetz in August 2023. Pic: Reuters

The Florida Republican had faced scrutiny over previous sex trafficking allegations which were investigated by the department he had been picked by the president-elect to lead.

Mr Gaetz was re-elected to the House of Representatives in November this year but resigned after Mr Trump nominated him as attorney general.

The 37-page House report said: “From at least 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him.

“In 2017, Representative Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl. During the period 2017 to 2019, Representative Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions.”

‘Sex with 17-year-old girl’

The ethics panel received testimony that Mr Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl, described in the report as Victim A.

It said: “Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex.

“Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.”

Mr Gaetz was investigated by the Justice Department for three years over sex trafficking allegations. No criminal charges were brought.

The ethics panel said there was not enough evidence that Mr Gaetz violated the federal sex trafficking statute.

All of the women who testified said the sexual encounters with Mr Gaetz were consensual.

‘I feel violated’

However, one woman told the committee that the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have “impair[ed their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent”.

Another woman told the committee: “When I look back on certain moments, I feel violated.”

Continue Reading

Trending