Image source, Reuters

As we've reported previously, voting is well under way in states which allow people to cast their ballots before election day on 5 November.

Millions of Americans choose to vote early, rather than wait for election day. They can do it in person or through the post, depending on individual state rules.

Just over a million people had already voted in North Carolina as of Sunday, according to the state's Board of Elections.

In 2016, more than 58 million ballots were cast ahead of the election.

Four years later, that figure ballooned to over 101 million - around two-thirds of all votes - after states changed rules due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Image source, Getty Images

Trump getting behind the counter at a McDonald's earlier might look like a fairly tame campaign stunt - but there is a bitter background to it.

The former president has repeatedly accused Kamala Harris of lying about working in a California branch of the fast food restaurant during her college years, an experience the Democratic candidate has described as an informative one.

Without providing any evidence, Trump claims she is making the whole thing up.

As he served fries to journalists in Pennsylvania, Trump referred to his opponent as "lying Kamala" and said that his 15-minute stint meant he had worked at McDonald's for longer than she ever had.

The Harris campaign said Trump is "desperate" and "all he knows how to do is lie" - but the former president seems to believe he can use it to cast doubt on the vice-president's trustworthiness.

It's one of this race's stranger sub-plots. You can read more about it here.

Image source, Reuters

After his town hall rally in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Donald Trump was seen watching Pittsburgh Steelers play the New York Jets.

A spokesman for the Steelers said he was invited to the football game by "an individual suite holder".

The Jets are owned by Woody Johnson, a Trump ally who briefly served as his ambassador to the UK.

The former president arrived about midway through the first quarter and was greeted by a small crowd of supporters wearing Steelers jerseys who carried a banner that read “Trump Nation”.

During the match, he pumped his fist and waved to supporters from his suite. Earlier, he posted an AI-generated image of himself in a Steelers jersey.

It's not the first time Trump has visited a sporting event during his campaign: last month, he watched a college football match in Alabama, where he received a rapturous reception.

Image source, BB

Our live coverage of the race for the White House continues here but we have plenty of other material for you to read too.

Our reporter Bernd Debusmann Jr has been reporting from Pennsylvania today, one of the states which will likely decide this election. He's been watching as both candidates ramp up personal attacks against each other in the run-up to polling day.

Elsewhere, we've been looking at Elon Musk's daily cash giveaways designed to help Trump - which one prominent Democrat describes as "deeply concerning".

Finally, get sped up on the latest from the opinion polls with our tracker and sign up to our US Election Unspun newsletter for regular analysis.

Thanks for joining us so far and stay tuned for more.

Image source, Reuters

With 16 days to go until polling day, Kamala Harris says she'll do everything she can to combat any misinformation put out by her opponents.

She was responding to a question from Al Sharpton on MSNBC, who suggested she was viewed as "Kamala the cop" by some - a reference to her time as a public prosecutor. He said that image could be harmful in the eyes of some black voters distrustful of law enforcement.

Harris said there are "all sorts of people who are going to throw a bunch of things out that will include mis and disinformation, with the intention to dissuade certain people from voting".

"That is why I’m spending time in all communities to make sure that they hear directly from me, so they can judge for themselves in a way that is unfiltered... yesterday, I was in Michigan. Tomorrow, I’ll be in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, and I’m leaving nothing on the field," she added.

Image source, EPA

Speaking earlier in Pennsylvania, Trump said he thought all presidential candidates should have to undergo a cognitive test, while also insisting on his own mental fitness for office.

Referring to Kamala Harris, he said: "I have no cognitive problem - she may have a cognitive problem."

The 78-year-old told a town hall in Lancaster: "I actually call for a cognitive test for all people wanting to run for president. Not based on age. I'm not 80, and I'm not that close to 80.

"In the Biden case, he's 81 or 82 and, you know, that's okay".

Trump continued: "We've had some of the greatest leaders in world history that are in their 80s. I've done cognitive tests twice and I aced both of them. The doctor in one case said, 'I've never seen anybody ace them'."

Trump says he was told mandatory cognitive tests would be unconstitutional.

The Harris campaign has repeatedly cast doubt on Trump's cognitive health and criticised him for refusing to release his medical records.

Image source, EPA

At his event earlier in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Trump pledged to "immediately" address issues at the southern border if he wins the election.

Trump - whose first run for the White House was partly fuelled by his promise to "build a wall" - has sought to turn immigration into a key dividing issue at this election.

When asked by the moderator how quickly he thought he could implement changes, Trump replied: "Almost immediately."

Joe Biden's efforts to pass legislation on the border have been frustrated by Trump, who has used his influence over the Republican Party to urge lawmakers to oppose the president's bipartisan efforts to pass a bill.

Trumps describes those proposals as a "disaster" and "horrible", claiming they would have allowed "millions of people" to enter the US.

Opinion polls have consistently shown that issues around immigration are among those that voters care most about at this election.

Image source, Reuters

Republican vice-presidential JD Vance candidate has been in Waukesha, Wisconsin, today for a "faith rally” targeting Catholic voters.

The Ohio senator, who is Catholic, mostly stuck to his normal talking points about immigration and the economy - but he also accused the Democrats of having a disdain for faith.

He criticised Harris for not attending the Al Smith dinner last week, which raised money for Catholic charities. He also hit out at Michigan's governor Gretchen Whitmer for a video she made as part of a social media trend where she placed a chip on a podcaster's tongue.

Whitmer later apologised, saying she "would never do something to denigrate someone's faith".

Vance said in response: "Whether you're a Christian, a Catholic, or any other faith, or no faith at all, when you see an American leader, when you see a surrogate of Kamala Harris, insulting people of the Christian faith, I think that we should say to every single one of those people: You're fired."

US Senator Lindsey Graham appeared on NBC's Meet the Press to defend Donald Trump's recent comments about his political opponents.

Trump stirred controversy last week when he told Fox News that America was threatened by an "the enemy within", in reference to the "radical left".

Graham justified Trump's comment by pointing to the case of an Afghan man arrested for allegedly plotting an election day attack.

"The Democratic agenda, they're going to push for this country turns our country upside down," Graham said.

The host asked if this type of rhetoric was the way to win over undecided voters, or disaffected Republicans.

"We're winning and going to win not because of what Donald Trump's saying, but because of what they've [the Biden administration] done for four years," Graham replied.

A little while ago, before Harris and Trump began speaking, Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz addressed a church in Saginaw, Michigan.

The Minnesota governor told the Victorious Believers Ministries congregation his family was plunged into medical debt when he was young because his father had lung cancer.

He said: "So what Kamala knows is so many times people tell us, 'Oh, pull yourself up by your bootstraps.' We didn't have any boots. Once we got the boots, glad to do it."

Walz also hit out at Trump over his visit to a Pennsylvania McDonald's on Sunday afternoon.

"This guy spent decades stiffing workers' pay, cut overtime benefits for millions of people, and opposed any effort to raise the minimum wage," he wrote on X.

Image source, Getty Images

It wouldn't be an election year at the long-running US sketch show Saturday Night Live (SNL) without some political lampooning.

This week's episode featured Maya Rudolph playing Vice-President Kamala Harris, in a sketch parodying her Fox News interview last week.

Playing her interviewer Bret Baier was surprise guest Alec Baldwin, who once played Donald Trump on SNL in a role that won him an Emmy.

The sketch parodied the at-times testy interview, with Rudolph's Harris quipping: "The pleasure is neither of ours."

Baldwin has made frequent appearances on SNL over the years, though he has mostly shunned the spotlight since he inadvertently fired a prop gun on a movie set in 2021, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Baldwin pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges and the case was ultimately dismissed in July.

Image source, MSNBC

We can now bring you a few more lines from Harris's interview with MSNBC host Al Sharpton, including on the situation in the Middle East, Trump's insults and her legacy.

Asked about the violence in Israel and Gaza - which has been a difficult topic for her campaign, especially among young progressive voters - Harris said: "We have got to get this war over with. We have to get the hostages out."

She said the killing last week of Hamas's top leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, "has removed an obstacle to that end", though she acknowledges any path forward is "going to be difficult".

Sharpton also asked Harris about Trump's use of a profanity at a rally on Saturday night to describe the job she has done as vice-president. Harris said his words "demeans the office" of the presidency.

"He has not earned the right," to be president again, she says.

Trump on Saturday called Harris a "[expletive] vice-president", during a rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where the crowd also shouted out the same profanity.

Closing the interview, Sharpton asked Harris - who turns 60 on Sunday - how she would like to be remembered 50 years from now.

Harris says she wants her life to have been about "fighting for the dignity of people" and "work that uplifts... all people".

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Image source, Getty Images

Back in Pennsylvania, the questions so far have largely focused on economics, including Trump's vow to end taxes on tips.

This is no surprise. Polls suggest that economic issues - such as inflation - are top concerns for voters, both here in Pennsylvania and across the country.

Trump has now pivoted, showing a graph on undocumented migrant detentions in the country.

The crowd likes that - it's the same chart that Trump was gesturing towards when he was shot in Butler on 13 July.

"If you look at the polls, the biggest thing is the economy," he said. "But I think this [the border] is bigger than the economy."

Trump clearly sees these two issues - the economy and the border - as primary motivators for his base.

"I think it's the number one thing that people want to talk about," he added.

We can now turn to bringing you some of what Kamala Harris said in her interview with Al Sharpton.

The civil rights activist mentions the parallels of her campaign with the 1972 presidential campaign of black congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, adding that many black male elected officials declined to support her at the time.

He asks about polling that suggests that black men are not supporting Harris in the same numbers that they have done for previous Democratic candidates.

Harris says she has "an emotional reaction" to the question about Chisholm, whose legacy she says helped inform her political career.

Harris responds by saying she has the support of "countless black men who are in elected positions".

"There is this narrative about what kind of support we are receiving from black men that it's just not panning out in reality," she adds.

She says that she gets "frustrating" questions on this topic from many journalists, which she says implies an assumption that black men will automatically support her.

"I think that's actually an uninformed perspective - because why would black men be different than any other demographic of voter?" she asks.

Black men "expect that you earn their vote" like any other voter, she continues, noting that her policies are "for all Americans".

• Read more:Harris courts black and Latino voters as polls suggest Trump gains

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Lancaster, Pennsylvania

As promised, I'm now bringing you the updates from Trump's town hall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania while my colleagues in Washington DC are keeping an eye on Harris's TV interview.

Trump began speaking just a few minutes ago by recounting his afternoon visit to McDonald's, saying he worked "mostly on fries".

"To me they're big people," he says of McDonald's employees.

He seems to be in a joking, jovial mood. That's no surprise. This is an area which he handily won in 2020, a success he hopes to repeat this year.

He wished his opponent Harris a happy birthday but was met with a loud boo from the crowd.

Questions are beginning, so stick with us.

Image source, Getty Images

As is often the case in the final weeks leading up to an election, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are both set to appear at campaign events around the same time on Sunday - Trump at a town hall in Pennsylvania before heading to an NFL game and Harris in an interview on MSNBC.

But don't worry - we'll be keeping across the movements of both candidates and will bring you updates from both campaigns.

In the meantime, let's take a look at the man set to question Harris, the Reverend Al Sharpton.

Sharpton was born in Brooklyn and founded the National Action Network, an organisation which promotes "a modern civil rights agenda".

Sharpton has run for office several times and lost. He has helped to organise several large-scale protests in New York and around the US. Since 2011, he has hosted a weekly programme on liberal-leaning cable news network MSNBC.

Earlier on Sunday, Sharpton posted a a glitzy video showing him boarding a private plane to travel to meet the vice-president.

"A friend allowed me use his plane to ensure I could preach this morning and get to Georgia in time to do tv and meet with VP Harris," he wrote on Instagram, external.

Fact-checking Kamala Harris's recent 'media blitz'published at 21:56 British Summer Time 20 October

21:56 BST 20 October

by Lucy Gilder

Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is set to appear on the liberal-leaning network MSNBC on Sunday in an interview with civil rights activist Al Sharpton, part of an extended media tour the vice-president has been on in recent weeks - after months of criticism accusing her of avoiding press questions.

BBC Verify has examined some of her claims made as part of this media blitz:

Is US unemployment at an historic low?

CLAIM: "We now have historic low unemployment in America.”

VERDICT: The current rate of unemployment is not at its lowest level in US history and it was lower at one point under Donald Trump.

Harris made this claim in an interview on CBS's 60 Minutes programme.

The current jobless rate is 4.1%, relatively low but higher than the lowest point on record, which was 2.5% in 1953.

It is also higher than its lowest point under Trump, when it fell to 3.5%.

Is there an abortion ban in nearly all southern states?

CLAIM: "Every state in the south, except for Virginia, has an abortion ban."

VERDICT: This claim needs more context as there are differences in abortion restrictions between these states.

Harris spoke about abortion during her appearance on Call Her Daddy - a podcast promoting open conversations about sex and relationships.

Thirteen US states have outlawed nearly all abortions, according to pro-choice research group the Guttmacher Institute. Some have narrow exceptions for cases of rape, incest or the health of the mother.

Most of these are southern states.

But in other southern states, like Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, abortions are only allowed in the first six weeks of pregnancy. And in North Carolina, abortions are banned after 12 weeks.

• Read more: Fact-checking Kamala Harris's 'media blitz'

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Image source, BBC/Bernd Debusmann Jr

The part of Pennsylvania where I now am - Lancaster County - is perhaps best known nationally for its connections to the Amish community which sprung up here in the early 18th century, attracted by religious freedom and rich, bountiful soil.

The community a significant part of the population here, with about 42,000 members in 2021. It's hard not to escape their presence in Lancaster, where signs offer Amish-made food products and furniture across the town.

Generally speaking, the Amish have traditionally shied away from politics, as the devout community largely keeps itself separate from other parts of the population.

The number of Amish voters has grown every recent election cycle, and this year the Republican Party has been actively courting them as an electoral block.

This could be significant. Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by 80,000 votes in 2020, and there are just under 90,000 Amish across the state. If the vote count is tight in the state - as it certainly appears it will be - they could be one of the deciding factors.

Leading the charge for the Republicans as they push for Amish voters is Scott Presler, the founder of Early Vote Action.

In a recent interview with SiriusXM, Presler laid out his argument for Amish voters to cast their ballots for Trump.

"Pennsylvania's Democrat governor Josh Shapiro is waging a war on school choice and religious freedom, and small businesses, and raw milk and farmers," he said. "Every aspect of Amish living is under attack."

Image source, BBC/Bernd Debusmann Jr

As we've been reporting, Trump has been serving fries at a McDonald's near Philadelphia. His campaign staged the appearance in a bid to sow doubts about Harris's story of working at a California branch of the Golden Arches during her college years.

"This is fun. I could do this all day," he said at the outlet in Feasterville-Trevose, which is part of Bucks County.

"This is for the fake news," he said, before passing French fries to reporters through the drive-through window.

"I've now worked [at McDonald’s] for 15 minutes more than Kamala," said Trump, who is fond of Big Macs and Filet-o-Fish sandwiches.

The Harris campaign has reacted to Trump's accusations, with spokesman Ian Sams telling the BBC: "When Trump feels desperate, all he knows how to do is lie."

The campaign added that the vice-president worked on the cash register, ice cream machine and fry machine at the Central Avenue McDonald's in Alameda, California, in the summer of 1983.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Pennsylvania

Image source, BBC / Bernd Debusmann Jr

The vast majority of people I meet at Trump rallies and events across the country have, perhaps unsurprisingly, already made up their minds.

After all, it takes time and effort to attend these events, and people often drive hours just to have a chance to see the former president.

With that in mind, it was a bit of a surprise today when I spoke to an undecided voter who is waiting to hear closing arguments from both Trump and Harris before he makes his choice.

“I truly don’t know yet. I’m not sure something like this would sway my opinion,” said Jordan Ashby, a native of the Lancaster area. “I have family on both sides of the fence. It’s a difficult time right now.”

The political atmosphere, he says, has created tension in communities and dinner tables across the area - a trend he finds “unfortunate”.

“Thanksgiving dinners get interesting,” he remarks. “I try to be in the neutral zone with my family. I’m not against anyone. I’m just glad to be in this country… either way, I’ll be at work on the Monday after the election.”

While Lancaster County voted for Trump by a wide margin in 2020, Ashby says he believes this year will be much more contested.

“I think it’s going to be pretty tight,” he adds. “It’s a hard, hard fought race right now.”