It's now 07:15 in the UK and 03:15 Thursday morning in Washington DC.

If you're just joining us, the Trump campaign spent most of Wednesday trying to keep the Biden gaffe - in which he appeared to refer to the former president's supporters as "garbage" - in the news cycle, culminating in a rally stunt involving a high-visibility outfit.

Biden has said the remark was a condemnation of the language used by Tony Hinchcliffe - the comedian who referred to Puerto Rico as "a floating pile of garbage" at a Trump rally on Sunday - rather than a criticism of the former president's voters collectively.

Speaking in Green Bay earlier, Trump appeared on stage in a bright orange garbage collector's vest, and declared that the millions of Americans who voted for him in the last two election cycles "are not garbage".

All through Wednesday into Thursday, high ranking Republicans compared the comment to Hillary Clinton's infamous "basket of deplorables" remark, which drew backlash in 2016.

Harris has continued to distance herself from the controversy, telling reporters she "strongly" disagrees with "any criticism of people based on who they vote for".

As you've probably heard, the polls could not be tighter - but the reality is, we pretty much know who will come out on top in most US states.

While nothing is certain of course, there are only a small group of states which both campaigns realistically think they have a chance of beating their opponent to.

Those seven "swing states" are where it looks like this election will be won or lost - and both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will be racing across them in the coming days.

They are: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

A candidate needs to gain 270 or more of the 538 electoral college votes to win the presidency, and these states make up 93 of them.

Neither Trump or Harris needs to win all of them to become president - but win none of them, and it's over.

To read more about these crucial battlegrounds have a look at our analysis Seven swing states set to decide the 2024 US election.

If you're just getting caught up on the US election, here is what happened on Wednesday while Europe was asleep.

• Trump tried to keep the focus on Joe Biden appearing to call his supporters "garbage" a day earlier. Biden denies that is what he meant to say
• Harris sought to distance herself from the remark, and told reporters she would "strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for"
• Trump appeared in North Carolina and Wisconsin in the same sort of high-visibility vest refuse collectors in the US wear
• The vice-president held rallies in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Her speeches were interrupted several times by protesters opposing US support for Israel

• Meanwhile, Elon Musk has been ordered to attend court on Thursday over his pro-Trump cash giveaway to voters in swing states

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

On Wednesday, the US got one of the last big pieces of economic data due to be published before the election. It showed the economy expanding at a solid 2.8% annual rate over the three months to September, driven by accelerating consumer spending.

The healthy data is hard to square with economic sentiment in the US, which remains resolutely downbeat. For many, a 21% jump in prices over the last four years has overshadowed other positive news.

What these statistics will mean for the election is anyone’s guess, given how much a person’s political leanings tend to influence their opinions of the economy.

A recent AP-NORC poll found 61% of Democrats believed the economy was “good”, compared to just 13% of Republicans. Voters were evenly split on which candidate they trusted more to handle issues such as jobs and grocery prices.

“Exit polls will show that people were concerned about the economy but I don’t know that it will always match up with who they vote for," says Marjorie Connelly, senior fellow at the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs. "The economy will be a factor, but ... I think partisanship will be the biggest factor.”

Image source, Clark County

Officials in Clark Country, Washington, say they have been able to salvage hundreds of ballots that were damaged when an incendiary device was placed in a ballot box on Monday.

Election staff said they had saved 488 ballots that were burned in the incident, though others were destroyed.

"Elections personnel were unable to identify six of the ballots. Other ballots may have been completely burned to ash, and therefore, unidentifiable," the office of the Clark County Auditor said in a statement.

Another ballot box was set alight in Portland, Oregon. Both attacks are being investigated by the FBI and investigators are looking for a white male between 30 and 40 years old.

Mike Wendling
Reporting from Wisconsin

It’s something of a pattern that we’ve seen among partisans across the country. The polls are close but Donald Trump voters tend to be confident, while supporters of Kamala Harris seem very nervous.

The reasons are complex and perhaps have something to do with people knowing how much the polls underestimated Trump in both 2016 and 2020.

However, while talking to Trump voters in Green Bay, Wisconsin, earlier, I found another doubt creeping into the mix: Republican die-hards who fear Democrats "stealing" the election.

The claims are more or less the same as in 2020 – when no evidence of large-scale fraud was found – and are being driven by Trump himself. Several voters here said they are worried about non-citizens voting, or their own votes not being properly counted.

“We’ve already seen things happening, for instance in Pennsylvania,” said Green Bay resident Brad Miller, referring to an announcement by officials in Lancaster County, who are investigating a small number of potentially fraudulent voter registrations.

Several voters told me they have little faith in the electoral system. “I’m just hoping he [Trump] gets so many votes that cheating doesn’t change the results,” Miller says.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from Dearborn, Michigan

I've been in Dearborn, Michigan, today, which is home to the largest Arab-American population in the US.

They were once a solidly Democratic voting bloc - but this year, the war in the Middle East could change that.

Trump has been using anger with the Biden-Harris administration to court voters here, securing endorsements from the mayor of Dearborn Heights and Hamtramck, a small city near Detroit.

The former president’s face was plastered on a billboard alongside the words "for peace” in Arabic and English next to the highway.

However, both candidates may be struggling to get their message across. Outside an early voting booth, one young woman motivated by Palestinian rights told me she wouldn't be voting for either the Democratic or Republican candidate.

Rowan Bridge
North America correspondent, Washington DC

If you watch the rallies of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump - and I’ve watched quite a few in recent weeks - it can start to feel like you’re watching a band do its greatest hits tour.

At their separate appearances in Wisconsin on Wednesday evening, both sides played to what they see as their strengths and disparaged the other side.

Among Donald Trump's promises were to: "rapidly defeat inflation"; "drill baby drill", his shorthand for expanding fossil fuel production in the US; "massively cut taxes" for workers and small businesses; crack down on illegal immigration.

“Kamala, you’re fired,” he said at one point, using his catchphrase from the reality show The Apprentice.

Kamala Harris focused on abortion rights and appealing beyond just Democrats, saying she pledged “to seek common ground and common sense solutions to the challenges you face", adding: "I am not looking to score political points.”

She also took a dig at Donald Trump: “I don't believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I'll give them a seat at my table."

There are few things both sides seem to agree on but they both know getting out their vote - especially in the seven states will decide the result - is crucial.

Those states are where their efforts will be focused and why they were both were in Wisconsin. Expect to see them back there again before voting ends on 5 November.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington

Foreign adversaries are using unprecedented "sophisticated techniques" to try to gain access to US election infrastructure but have so far been unsuccessful, according to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa).

In a live conversation with the Washington Post earlier on Wednesday, Jen Easterly said most election machines are not hooked up to the Internet, making them very difficult to hack into by foreign actors.

However, she warned "foreign adversaries are absolutely going to try make us believe that they have".

Easterly said there is "information coming at the American people and a lot of that information is bring spread and amplified by our foreign adversaries who are trying to undermine American confidence in election".

So far, however, no evidence of successful foreign penetration of election systems has been recorded.

"Just to be very clear, if we do see that activity, we will absolutely put out information," Easterly added.

Image source, @Nickyjam / Instagram

Nicky Jam, a popular recording artist of Puerto Rican descent, has U-turned on his previous endorsement of Trump, after a comedian at the former president's Madison Square Garden rally referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage".

It is the latest fallout over the remarks for Trump, who hopes to capture a larger share of Hispanic and Latino voters at this election.

Nicky Jam had previously appeared at a rally alongside Trump last month in Las Vegas to endorse him.

On Wednesday, the musician rescinded that endorsement in an Instagram video.

Image source, Getty Images

Vice-presidential Democratic candidate Tim Walz was also on the campaign trail today, visiting the city of Asheville in the swing state of North Carolina.

Asheville was severely impacted by Hurricane Helene last month, and debris was piled in the streets outside the venue where the Minnesota governor was speaking.

"You demonstrated that the spirit of Asheville is the spirit of this country. Tough, tenacious and never going down without a fight," Walz said.

One month after the hurricane smashed into western North Carolina, many residents of Asheville still do not have access to clean tap water.

Wisconsin is one of seven key battleground states that Trump and Harris are devoting a lot of time, money, and attention to.

Like Pennsylvania and Michigan, it is a so-called blue wall state that reliably voted Democrat in presidential elections for decades.

That all changed in 2016 when Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in all three, winning 44 electoral college votes - and ultimately the White House.

In 2020, Joe Biden flipped them back, a hattrick of wins that was key to his victory.

For Harris, these states provide one of her clearest paths to securing the 270 electoral college votes needed to clinch the presidency.

The last two races have come down to razor thin margins in Wisconsin:

• Trump beat Clinton 47.8% to 47% in 2016
• Biden beat Trump 49.6% to 48.9% in 2020

During this election cycle, the polling has mostly remained within a few percentage points, well within the margin of error.

That suggests Wisconsin is poised to deliver another nail-biting finish.

You can read more about what factors could be decisive in the Midwestern swing state here.

Rowan Bridge
North America correspondent, in Washington DC

Image source, Getty Images

A week out from the election, who would have thought "garbage" would be the fulcrum of the campaign?

At the weekend the Harris campaign were quick to jump on and amplify the comments of comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, after he called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" at a Trump rally. They saw it as a wedge that would drive Puerto Rican-heritage voters to them.

Then Joe Biden appeared to use the word to describe Trump supporters - though the president later said he was referring to Hinchcliffe.

Now the Trump campaign clearly see "garbage" as a wedge they can use themselves.

Ever the showman, Donald Trump boarded a garbage truck before his evening rally, and then cast off his usual uniform of a dark blue suit jacket for a safety vest.

Donald Trump used to be a reality TV star on the US version of The Apprentice - and he knows better than anyone the power of the image.

Earlier, Trump spoke in Green Bay, Wisconsin, after being introduced by legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre.

“I have to begin by saying, 250 million Americans are not garbage," he said, referencing President Biden - who appeared to call Trump supports "garbage" on Tuesday.

Biden denies that's what he meant, and instead says he was criticising one comedian who spoke at a Trump rally on Sunday.

Trump wore a high-visibility orange safety vest throughout his rally, and rode on a rubbish lorry ahead of the event.

He also launched his usual attack on Harris, tying his opponent to Biden's remark and calling her a low "IQ individual.”

Image source, Getty Images

A Pennsylvania judge has ordered Elon Musk to attend an emergency hearing on Thursday morning over his awarding of $1 million prizes to registered voters in the state.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sued Musk and his political group America PAC on Monday to stop the contests.

He had asked the judge to move up the hearing on an immediate injunction blocking the prizes from Friday to Thursday, writing in a filing about an "avalanche" of hostile social media posts - including antisemitic ones directed at him - pouring in from Musk followers after he filed the lawsuit. Krasner also requested extra security for the hearing.

Musk announced in October that he would randomly award prizes to people in battleground states - Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina - every day until 5 November.

Registered voters must release personal identifying information, like addresses and phone numbers and sign a pledge that says they support the US Constitution.

The US Justice Department had warned Musk in a letter that the giveaway may be illegal. US law forbids paying people to register to vote, but it remains unclear whether the sweepstakes breaks any laws.

Rowan Bridge
North America correspondent, Washington DC

When James Carville helped shape Bill Clinton’s election campaign thirty years ago, one of his favourite sayings was "it’s the economy, stupid".

Three decades on, his saying still holds true. It’s one of the biggest issues of this election too.

Inflation is causing many Americans to feel worse off than they were four years ago, even if by many indicators the economy is doing well.

It was something Kamala Harris addressed head on at her rally. She said: “At the top of my list is bringing down your cost of living. That will be my focus every single day."

She ran through a check list of her proposals, including a federal ban on price gouging, help with housing and support for small business.

They may be popular ideas but she also knows that people are feeling the cost of living now.

Many tie that to the current administration - one that she is part of.

Image source, Getty Images

Harris has wrapped up her rally in Wisconsin tonight with a direct message to first-time voters, who Democrats see as crucial to their path to victory next week.

"I love your generation, I just love you guys," she says.

"You all are rightly impatient for change. You, who have only known the climate crisis, are leading the charge to protect our planet and our future.

"You, who grew up with active shooter drills, are fighting to keep our schools safe.

"You, who now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers, are standing up for freedom.

"And what I know about you is that these issues are not theoretical... this is your lived experience... and I see you, I see your power."

She ends her speech by telling the Wisconsin crowd: "Your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power".

Image source, Getty Images

Harris is projecting a confident message on stage, telling her supporters: "We will win."

The vice-president turns to a theme we've heard a lot from her in recent days: the threat she says Trump poses to democracy.

"On day one Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemies list... when I am elected I will focus on a to-do list.

"And at the top of my list is bringing down your cost of living," she continues.

Harris cycles through some of the key policy areas we've heard her target, including abortion and healthcare more broadly.

"My plan will lower the cost of child care, cut taxes for small businesses, lower healthcare costs - because I believe access to healthcare should be a right and not just a privilege for those who can afford it," she told a Wisconsin rally.

On abortion, she again sought to frame the issue as a "fight for freedom".

Harris says: "Because ours is a fight for the future and it is a fight for freedom, like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do."

Image source, Harris campaign

Harris takes to the stage in Wisconsin to Freedom by Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar, and deafening applause.

She's starting her speech by calling on the people of Wisconsin - a must-win battleground state - to get out and vote next week.

Harris is interrupted by a protester who was chanting "ceasefire now" through the opening section of her speech

"We all want the war in Gaza to end ," she says, and tells the crowd she will do "everything in her power" to secure that.

"We all have the right to be heard," she tells the protester, before adding sternly: "But right now now I'm speaking."

The crowd cheers loudly and the protester goes quiet. Harris is now continuing with her speech.

Image source, Reuters

Trump is joking with the crowd and telling them about being picked up from the airport earlier in a garbage truck emblazoned with his campaign logo.

He tells the crowd about his fear over making a mistake while climbing into very large white truck, which he says was lifted far from the ground.

"One little mistake with these guys and your political career is over," he says, pointing to the press who recorded Trump climbing into the truck.

He says he thought: "Man, if I don't get up there, this is going to be very embarrassing".

He says he drove "about two feet" in the truck and then got into another car to get to the rally.

His campaign staff asked if he could wear the hi-vis safety vest on stage, he tells the crowd.

"I said no way!" he says as the crowd cheers. But then, he says his team told him: "But if you did, you know it actually makes you look thinner."

"They got me. I said I want to wear it on stage," he says to the laughing crowd. "I may never wear a blue jacket again."