Caitlin Wilson
US live editor

Image source, Reuters

After a gruelling months-long election campaign, we are now three days out from the US polling day, with Donald Trump and the Republicans projected to win the White House and the Senate.

It's still not entirely clear which party will take control of the House of Representatives, though it appears likely that could narrowly go to the Republicans too - giving them control of the levers of nearly all parts of the federal government.

There are still votes being counted in several of those races throughout the country, including in California and Ohio. Check out which contests to keep an eye on.

We're going to pause our live coverage on this page while we wait for a call on the House - but don't worry, we'll still be monitoring the progress and will re-boot this page to bring you the latest as soon as we know anything definitive.

In the meantime, you can stay up to date on all of the results from Tuesday's election with our interactive maps and graphics.

And take a look at our other reporting on how Trump and the Republicans won, Kamala Harris and the Democrats lost, and what Trump's second term could look like:

• Who's in the frame to join Trump's new top team?
• Divided Arizona contends with Trump's sweeping border plan
• Trump tariffs could cost UK £22bn of exports
• Democrats had bet on women showing up in force. They didn’t
• How small gains delivered Trump a big win

We'll be back on Saturday to keep you in the loop on all the news on the election outcome, including the contest for control of the House and Trump's presidential transition plans - follow our fresh live coverage here. Thanks for joining us.

Special Counsel Jack Smith may soon find himself no longer playing a prosecution role, but instead running defence.

The federal prosecutor's criminal case against Donald Trump for alleged election interference is on pause in court as he works out how wind it down now that Trump will be in president again - and therefore in charge of the Department of Justice, which oversees Smith's office. He is also expected to discontinue by Inauguration Day his other prosecution of Trump for alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Meanwhile, House Republicans are demanding that his office maintain any and all records regarding both investigations. In a letter to Smith, they gave him until 22 November - two weeks from now - to hand over documents, communications, electronic information and metadata relating to the cases.

"With President Trump's decisive victory this week, we are concerned that the Office of Special Counsel may attempt to purge relevant records, communications and documents," wrote House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Barry Loudermilk.

If he declines to cooperate, lawmakers loyal to Trump - many of whom believe Smith should have never conducted these investigations or brought such charges - could demand answers from Smith, possibly via subpoena to testify.

Image source, Getty Images

With a little over two months left in his position following the election of Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his staff in an email on Friday about the state department's plans for a "smooth, efficient and professional" presidential transition.

Such a process is an "essential element of any democracy" and "vital" to national security, Blinken said in the email obtained by the BBC, noting that the department works "all over the globe to encourage free, fair and peaceful elections".

"I do not have all the answers - the incoming administration will decide its policies and priorities," he said.

In the meantime the department will continue to do its work "on the many critical issues facing our nation and the world" for the rest of the Biden administration, Blinken added.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
US reporter

After Donald Trump's presidential victory, undocumented migrants living in the US say they have been left with a feeling of uncertainty and fear about the former and future president's promise of mass deportations once he takes office.

The latest figures from the Department of Homeland Security and Pew Research indicate that there are around 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the US, a number that has remained relatively stable since 2005.

Among them is Gabriela, a native of Bolivia who asked that she only be identified by her first name.

She's lived in the US for years after successfully sneaking across the border in the boot of a smuggler's car in California.

Now working as a cleaner on the East Coast, Gabriela says she's "terrified" by Trump's hard-line immigration stance.

"Most of us that are here without papers are," she tells me. "He has said very clearly what he would like to do. I think they may come grab people at workplaces."

The day before Americans headed to the polls, I also met Armando Jimenez, a 38-year-old Mexican who has lived in the US since he was a child and is a "Dreamer" - a recipient of the Daca programme, which protects migrants who came to the US as children from deportation.

"I've been fortunate, but I'm still in limbo," he told me. "[Trump] could come and take it all away."

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says the party is "prepared to deliver" the "mandate" given by the American people in this week's election "on day one".

"With Republicans in control, we will secure the border, grow our economy, restore American energy dominance, and end the radical woke agenda," he says in a post on X.

As we've reported, the Republican Party is currently narrowly short of a majority in the House of Representatives, as ballot counting continues. The BBC's US partner CBS currently projects the Republicans will win at least 215 House seats and the Democrats 208 as counting continues. A party needs 218 for a majority.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
US reporter

In the wake of Donald Trump's US election victory, we've been hearing a lot about Latino voters' shift to the political right in relation to previous cycles.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the historically Democratic stronghold of South Texas, where Republicans successfully "flipped" a number of border areas such as Cameron and Hidalgo counties, the two most populous of the Rio Grande Valley.

Voters in the area told the BBC that perceptions that the border is "out of control" and that the economy is bad helped propel the Republicans to victory.

"We were in great danger," says Rolando Rodriguez, a Republican who lives in Hidalgo County and who travels the country campaigning for Trump. "We had to put a stop to it. It won't be easy, the damage [in border] communities is very deep."

Another voter in the Rio Grande Valley, Oscar Ramirez, told me that he believes the Democrats missed obvious signs that the area was slipping right.

"Everyone's been talking about the border, and expensive groceries. For the entire time of this administration," says Ramirez, who voted for Harris. "I'm not sure why people seemed surprised."

Image source, Reuters

Former House Speaker and Democratic heavyweight Nancy Pelosi has suggested that if US President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election earlier, then her party would have fared better in Tuesday's vote, according to the New York Times.

“Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” Pelosi said during a podcast interview the New York Times reports, external. “The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary."

An open primary would have involved numerous candidates campaigning and debating over months to become the nominee. Because parties typically do not hold primaries when they are in control of the White House, Democrats did not consider any other candidates once Biden announced he would seek re-election.

When Biden dropped out four months before Election Day, following a disastrous debate against Donald Trump, the party rapidly came to a consensus around making Vice-President Kamala Harris its nominee. Pelosi in the interview criticised Biden for endorsing Harris quickly after leaving the race, as well, saying that too had foreclosed the possibility of a primary.

While Pelosi said she believed that Harris "would have done well" in a primary contest and come out of it in a stronger position, the comments also implied she thought there were other Democrats who might have made good nominees.

Other Democrats have blamed Biden for Harris's election loss, but none has the political sway of Pelosi, who played a major role in pushing him out of the race.

Image source, Reuters

The situation for Tim Walz post-White House run will be very different than the one for his running mate Kamala Harris.

Harris will leave office as vice-president on January 20, when Donald Trump and JD Vance are sworn in. She will then be a private citizen, not head back to her former California Senate seat.

But Tim Walz still has the rest of his term as governor of Minnesota to serve. He was re-elected to the office in 2022, so still has two years left in his second term.

The state has no term limits for governors, so he could run a third time in 2026 if he chooses - or for some other office.

We've just heard from Kamala Harris’s running mate Tim Walz, who delivered his first remarks since losing the election. Walz was speaking to a crowd of supporters in Minnesota, where he is governor.

Here is a look back at the key lines:

• Walz thanked Harris for placing her faith in him and for running a "powerful and joyful" presidential campaign
• Speaking of their defeat, he said "it's hard to lose" and difficult to understandwhy so many Americans "chose the other path"
• Walz also reflected on his time on the campaign trail, saying everywhere people wanted "freedom" to live their lives as they saw fit

• He added that he was one of the many people who were worried about the next four years, vowing to fight the moment Republicans bring what he calls a "hateful" agenda to his state
• But Walz also urged his supporters to find common ground with the other side, adding that he would try to keep an open mind
• He ended on an optimistic note, telling his supporters to "keep fighting for the things we believe in, with compassion, with dedication and with joy"

"I still believe with all my heart that American can be a place where no child is left hungry, no community gets left behind and no one is told they don't belong," Walz says.

He adds the reason he believes this, is because he is seeing it happen in Minnesota.

Walz then ends his speech by telling his supporters and constituents to "keep fighting for the things we believe in, with compassion, with dedication and with joy" adding that he is not done fighting, "not by a long shot".

Walz says he knows a lot of people are worried about the next four years, saying he is one of them.

He says the country has already seen what can happen when a president is in power who "is in it for himself" and not for the country.

"We know what is coming down the pipe" he says, "because they told us", referring to Republican policy proposals.

Walz says the moment Republicans try to bring a what he calls a hateful agenda to Minnesota, he will stand up and fight for the way they do things there.

Minnesota is always going to be there to provide shelter from the storm, Walz adds.

He goes on to say that being quick to judge people who voted for the other side, to assume they did it out of cruelty or self-interest, is not "helpful right now".

Walz says it's important to swallow a little pride and find common ground.

"Maybe when we get a little break, we'll be able to see neighbours, not enemies," he adds, saying he would try to keep an open mind and open heart to people who do not agree with him.

"We have refused to scapegoat immigrants in this state," Walz goes on to say, referencing policy points that were part of the Harris-Walz campaign and that he has championed in Minnesota.

He adds: "We were the first to establish an iron-clad right to reproductive freedom."

He says accomplishing these things was not easy, but "simple".

"We had a set of leaders that when we finally built the political capital we needed to get it done, we didn't bank it, we burned it on improving lives", he adds, repeating a common refrain for the governor.

He says nothing about the outcome of Tuesday night "changes anything of that", but that "we're going to have to fight a little harder" going forward.

"Thank you Minnesota for giving me such an incredible story to tell fellow Americans in other states," he says.

Image source, US Pool

"I have never felt more fired up about what can happen in this country," Walz now says, adding he had seen a lot of the country over the last few months.

He says everywhere he went, "people wanted the same basic things out of an American life."

He says that translates into meaningful work, safe neighbourhoods and good schools, but also just "security".

Walz says Americans across the country want to feel like "their life is built on a solid foundation" and that they are concerned about giving their children "a chance to get ahead".

But mostly he says, "they want freedom". The freedom to live their life the way they want to, even if their neighbour does not agree, he says, the freedom to live your life no matter who you love or how you pray.

We're now hearing from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is addressing a crowd in the state as they chant "Walz".

Walz, who was Kamala Harris’s pick for vice-president, begins by saying, "It's great to be home".

He thanks Harris for the "faith that she placed in me" and the "powerful and joyful" campaign that she ran.

He also thanks his staff, volunteers, and voters.

He goes on to say that it's "hard to lose."

"It's hard to understand why so many of our fellow citizens, people we fought hard for, chose the other path."

He adds if his supporters feeling deflated today, "We get it".

He says he's never felt more fired up for what's possible in the US, and looks back on his time on the campaign trail.

"I've made many new friends, learned a lot of new things and ate way too much local food," he jokes.

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz has now started to deliver his first remarks since Donald Trump won the US election.

He is introduced by his wife Gwen Walz, and starts by thanking the audience and says "I don't know about you but I've had a week" and that it's "great to be home".

You can see him speak by clicking watch live at the top of this page.

The Republicans are within arm's reach of the 218 seats needed to control the House of Representatives, so while the counting continues, let's take a look at some of the key contests to keep an eye on.

In Ohio's 9th congressional district, Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur had a narrow lead over Republican Derek Merrin.

In Arizona's 6th district, the margin is razor-thin between incumbent Republican Juan Ciscomani and his Democratic challenger Kirsten Engel, with just 200 votes separating them - Engel is in the lead.

In California's 13th district, Democrat Adam Gray is hoping to unseat incumbent Republican John Duarte, who is currently ahead in the count.

Likewise in California's 22nd, 27th, 41st and 45th districts where the races are tight, but tallies suggest Republicans will keep their seats, while in the 9th district, Democrat Josh Harder is holding on against Republican Kevin Lincoln.

In Colorado's 8th district, Democrat Yadira Caraveo is holding on against Republican challenger Gabe Evans.

In Oregon's 5th district, Democrat Janelle Bynum may unseat incumbent Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

In Iowa's 1st district, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks is clinging on by 0.2 percentage points over the Democrat's Christina Bohannan.

Republicans have already won the Senate and the White House so winning control of the House could give President-elect Donald Trump significant power to carry out his political agenda.

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz is due to speak shortly, addressing the public for the first time since he and running mate Kamala Harris lost the election.

He's appearing in the twin cities of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, where's he's governor.

We'll bring you the main lines.

Let's bring you an update on our earlier report that an Afghan man - Farhard Shakeri - has been charged over an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump before the election.

Two more people - Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt - have been charged over a plan to murder a US citizen of Iranian origin, who prosecutors said is a journalist and an outspoken critic of the Iran's government who had been targeted in the past, but did not name.

In a post on social media Friday, Brooklyn-based journalist Masih Alinejad said the FBI had arrested two men for attempting to kill her. She said the alleged killers came to the front of her house in Brooklyn.

Rivera and Loadholt appeared in a New York court but Shakeri - who the US government allege is part of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - is still at large and believed to be in Iran.

"There are few actors in the world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran," Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

Image source, Getty Images

Sam Nunberg, a political adviser to Trump's 2016 campaign, says Trump was able to "put his full mind" into the election this time round, making him a "different" candidate to his previous campaign.

"He outperformed the Republican party," Nunberg tells BBC News, and mentions how Trump won the popular vote this year.

"It was really a genius campaign," he adds. When he worked with them in 2016, he had thought "if only he put his entire mind into the process, he would be an exceptional candidate".

Trump complained that his biggest mistake was personnel when he was last president, Nunberg says.

But this time, he "took over the process of the transition" and "recruited" Susie Wiles, who has been appointed as White House chief of staff.

On Wiles, Nunberg says she "has an extremely good relationship with him, the kind I've seen him have with other women".

He says they were "quite surprised" that she was "willing" to join the Trump campaign in 2016.

"This is a no-drama type of White House", he adds.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has just dropped all pretrial deadlines in the major case against President-elect Donald Trump related to the 2020 presidential election, putting the proceedings on pause.

Special Counsel Jack Smith is hoping to unwind his criminal prosecution of the past and future president before Inauguration Day. Trump was indicted in August 2023 for allegedly participating in an unlawful scheme to subvert the transfer of power after losing the 2020 election. He has pleaded not guilty.

The justice department does not prosecute sitting presidents, and the historic case was always expected to be discontinued if Trump returned to the White House.

Because of the unprecedented nature of this case, though, we don't know yet how exactly Smith will end the prosecution.

On Friday, he gave us some clues.

He filed a request to vacate all the deadline so the federal government can take time and "assess this unprecedented circumstance".

He then asked to submit a report on 2 December explaining his next steps in the case, which the judge granted.