Image source, Getty Images

Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Minority Leader at the US House of Representatives, just released a statement on the outcome of the election.

In it, he praises Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz as "remarkable public servants who ran and inspired and positive campaign".

He adds that it has yet to be decided which party will control the House of Representativies, noting that ballots are still being counted in Oregon, Arizona and California.

"We must count every vote," he says.

Republicans so far have clinched the presidency and the Senate majority. But the fate of the House - the lower chamber of Congress - still hangs in the balance. Going into the election, Republicans held a narrow majority in the House - and they have won more seats so far.

Image source, Getty Images

Kamala Harris's running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, is already back in his home state to finish serving his gubernatorial term.

Walz made it clear he would re-shift his focus back to his day job when asked what was next while leaving Howard University after Harris's concession speech on Wednesday. His answer: "Minnesota."

He still has two years left on his term - but the BBC's US partner CBS reports he now faces the prospect of a harder time getting policies through the Minnesota House.

Control of the lower house of the state legislature remains uncertain after the Republicans managed to flip three seats. Several other races are expected to head to a recount.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

I'm still at the White House where there was huge anticipation ahead of Biden's speech.

I expect the other journalists here - and I imagine many Democratic voters - would have liked to hear an explanation of the election results, but that's not what we got.

Biden's speech completely avoided the issue of who or what he sees as responsible for the Democratic loss, but did include a promise that the work he did - which we now know a majority of Americans repudiated at the polls - will be "felt over the next 10 years".

To me, Biden also seemed to acknowledge, as Harris did, the depths of despair and low morale felt by many in the Democratic camp.

"We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up," he said. "We're going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going."

But that doesn't acknowledge the blame game brewing within Democratic circles.

Some in the Harris camp have blamed Biden for not stepping aside sooner and living up to a promise of being a "transitional" leader that paves the way for younger generation.

Biden's most ardent supporters, for their part, are quick to note that Biden beat Trump once - a feat that Harris was unable to repeat.

Ultimately. Biden's 2020 effort to "restore the soul" of the US after the Trump-era ended after one-term and a return to Trump.

Steve Rosenberg
Reporting from Sochi, Russia

In Russia not all big announcements are made in the Kremlin.

Up a mountain above the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, President Putin is expected to make his first public comments on Donald Trump winning back the White House.

Yesterday Putin’s spokesman said he was unaware of any plans by the Kremlin leader to congratulate the Republican candidate on his election victory.

Today’s Russian newspapers have expressed caution over Donald Trump’s return to the presidency. After all, when Trump first became president in 2016, Russian officials had high hopes that he would transform US-Russian relations. It never happened. Cue major disappointment.

Moskovsky Komsomolets highlighted Donald Trump’s unpredictability, with this eye-catching headline: “America’s new president is like an unguided missile. He can fly off in any direction.”

A final projection has come in for the state of Maine.

Kamala Harris has won three of Maine's electoral votes, while Donald Trump has won one.

Maine is one of two states in the country that splits its electoral vote based on its congressional districts.

It gives two electoral votes to the state's popular vote winner - Harris in this instance. It then gives one electoral vote to the popular vote winner in each congressional district, which are split between Trump and the vice-president.

Image source, Reuters

Joe Biden has just wrapped up what was a fairly short speech from the White House Rose Garden.

Missed it? Here's what the outgoing president had to say:

• He told us that he's spoken to both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump
• He praised his vice-president for her "inspiring campaign"
• Biden said that he accepts the choice the country made; "you can't only love your country when you win"
• And, he urged his party and its supporters not to lose hope, saying: "setbacks are unavoidable but giving up is unforgivable"
• The president stressed that he had 74 days left of his term, and he intends to make "every day count"
• He also stressed that the US election system is honest and secure when he addressed the results

The US president then departed with a kiss to the crowd, saying "God bless you and all America".

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Biden's speech was both reassuring for his supporters and conciliatory to his opponents, and that's the point. It is clearly aimed at "lowering the temperature" - as he said - after a contentious election.

Elections, he added, are "contests" with winners and losers. In this case, the Democrats were the losers.

Biden has also promised to help Trump in the transition between administrations, and stressed that the Democrats would accept a peaceful transfer of power - which some might interpret as a jab at his predecessor.

His short speech also included a defence of his administration, and an acknowledgement that the economy may, in large part, have lost Harris the election.

"We're leaving behind the strongest economy in the world. I know some people are still hurting," he said. "But things are better than we found them."

The president did not take questions as he walked away. The questions I heard shouted included "what went wrong?" and "do you worry about democracy?"

Biden says: "We're going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged."

"We need to keep the faith," he says, adding that he is proud to have worked with his cabinet and his team.

"God bless you all and America," he says.

He later blows a kiss to the crowd - with his granddaughter in the front row.

Image source, Reuters

Biden continues: "It's been a historic presidency."

"We're leaving behind the strongest economy in the world," he says.

"Now we have 74 days to finish the term, our term, let's make every day count", he says, and adds that this is their responsibility as government.

"Set backs are unavoidable but giving up is unforgivable," he adds.

We all get knocked down, he says, but the "measure of our character" is how we get back up.

"We lost this battle, the America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up."

Biden goes on to say that respect should be restored for all election workers, and that they should be thanked.

"Many are volunteers who do it out of love for country," he says.

He goes on to say there will be a peaceful transfer of power on 20 January, adding: "I will do my duty as president."

Biden says for some people it's a time for victory, for others it's a time of loss.

"A country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country makes," he says.

"You can't love your country only when you win. You can't love your neighbour only when you agree."

Biden begins his remarks by saying that for over 200 years, the US has carried out the "greatest experiment of self government in the history of the world", where the people vote and choose their own leaders and do it peacefully, "where the will of people always prevails".

He says he spoke with President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory and to help him with an orderly transition of power.

Biden says that he has also spoken with Kamala Harris, and stresses that she had been "a partner and a public servant".

He compliments Harris's "inspiring" campaign, praises her "backbone", and says she should be proud of her work.

Image source, Reuters

President Biden has entered the Rose Garden outside the White House, where he is met with applause. He is about to deliver his speech.

We're poised to bring you all the key lines here from the news desk.

You'll be able to follow along in our page or you can watch yourself by clicking Watch Live above.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

We've just been let into the Rose Garden, where a podium has been set up in front of rows of chairs and attendees - including White House staff.

Dozens of reporters are set up behind them.

It's extremely quiet while the attendees wait. The only quiet talking seems to be coming from reporters. I mostly hear the sound of cameras.

President Biden is expected momentarily.

We're about to hear from Biden any moment. Here's the podium on the White House grounds where he will be speaking.

Image source, EBU

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

I and dozens of other journalists are still waiting to get into the Rose Garden for Biden's remarks.

There is plenty of speculation about what Biden's speech may focus on.

It's very possible, for example, that we will hear him respond to the growing criticism that he harmed Democrats' chances by deciding to run for re-election.

It's unclear whether that would have changed the election's outcome, but there's been a lot of self-evaluation and sniping in the Democratic camp in the wake of Harris's loss.

It's also possible we hear him repeat his warnings about Donald Trump. He has frequently warned that his predecessor has authoritarian tendencies, and that the country faces a historic "inflection point" in this election.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've reported, President Biden will soon speak at the White House about the US presidential election and Trump's victory.

This will mark Biden's first televised address since his party lost. He is scheduled to speak at 11:00 EST (16:00 GMT).

This morning Biden wrote on X that he would discuss both the election result and the transition.

Stay with us - we'll bring you the key lines and analysis in this page or you'll be able watch the livestream by clicking Watch Live above.

Anna Foster
Reporting from the White House

President Biden is preparing to address the nation from the Rose Garden, essentially completing this phase of an electoral process that took many people by surprise with the speed of its result.

Outside these manicured grounds, several shops and cafes are still boarded up, a reminder of the fear of unrest which was felt just a few days ago, before Donald Trump won a definitive victory.

Joe Biden is expected to echo Kamala Harris’s concession speech message, that he and his team will do whatever necessary to ensure a smooth and peaceful transition of power.

That process will last for the next two and a half months, until Donald Trump is officially inaugurated as the next US President on January the 20th.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

There are a lot of reporters at the White House today ahead of Joe Biden's address to the nation scheduled for 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT).

The atmosphere is relatively subdued, however. In the press area, staffers are working to process accreditation requests from visiting journalists.

There are few familiar faces here. Many are still returning from the campaign trail, and those that are here are clearly tired. One man was briefly dozing off in a briefing room seat.

The staffers, for their part, also seem to be a bit exhausted with this week. There's none of the joking or banter of "normal" days.

I casually asked one staff member how he was doing earlier.

"Tired, man," he told me. "Really tired."

Image source, Reuters

We're expecting to hear from Biden at around 11:00 EST (16:00 GMT). It will be the president's first address to the American people since the election.

We have had some reaction from Biden already - he released a statement describing his admiration for Harris after her speech yesterday.

Biden, who ended his re-election campaign in July amid mounting criticism of his poor debate performance against Trump, had endorsed Harris as the best person to replace him in the race.

"Under extraordinary circumstances, she stepped up and led a historic campaign," Biden said, adding that picking her as his vice-president was "the best decision" he made.

The statement did not mention the election result or the transition to come, but earlier today he posted on social media to say he would address those topics in his remarks to the nation from the White House.

We also know that Biden has already called Trump to congratulate him on his victory and invited him to the White House to discuss the transition.