Summary

  • Candidates criss-cross battleground states in final hours of campaign

  • Clinton promises an "inclusive" America - Trump vows to purge "corrupt" system

  • BBC poll of polls puts Democratic candidate ahead by four points

  • More than 45 million early voters have already cast their ballots

  1. Chinese perspective on electionpublished at 17:44 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    The division between America's left and right in this year's election has also become the talk-of-the-town among Chinese communities both inside and outside China. 

    The BBC's Vincent Ni, external has been speaking to voters in Washington DC's China Town, including a visitor who outlines why she wishes she could vote Trump.

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  2. Vignettes from a Trump rallypublished at 17:35 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    The agencies have filed a few photos of the Republican nominee's morning rally in Sarasota, Florida...

    Trump supporters at his rally in Sarasota, FloridaImage source, AP
    Image caption,

    Trump supporters at his rally in Sarasota, Florida

    Trump supporters at his rally in Sarasota, FloridaImage source, AP
    Trump supporters at his rally in Sarasota, FloridaImage source, AP
    Trump supporters at his rally in Sarasota, FloridaImage source, AP
    Trump supporters at his rally in Sarasota, FloridaImage source, AP
  3. Drain. The. Swamp.published at 17:25 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Donald Trump is showing remarkable - for him - message discipline in the final stages of campaigning, writes the BBC's Paul Wood in Washington. He is sticking carefully to his stump speech. Gone are the days of random 3am tweets deflecting his campaign's communications strategy. His speech and performance in in Sarasota, Florida, where's he's just got off the stage, was typical of the new, more regimented Trump, a tight, focused delivery of his remarks from a teleprompter, not the rambling discourse of earlier in the campaign.

    He led the crowd in a chant of "Drain the Swamp." He told the rally: "I want the entire corrupt Washington establishment to hear the words, when we win tomorrow, we are going to: Drain. The. Swamp." This was a line given to him by his speechwriters, which he didn't like at first, but which has caused such enthusiastic reaction that it's become a campaign slogan. It is symbolic of what at times is a classic outsider's campaign, running against Washington. He said: "You have one, magnificent chance to beat this corrupt system and deliver justice... Do not let this opportunity slip away. We are fighting for every citizen who believes that government should service the people and not the donors and the special interests." 

    Trump tossed away the mask of his face after complimenting itImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Trump tossed away the mask of his face after complimenting it

    Of course, Trump has gone beyond classic anti-Washington rhetoric in his claims about the whole system being corrupt – and in the rancour of his language directed at Clinton: "The most corrupt person every to seek the office of president of the United States... Hillary Clinton is being protected by a totally rigged system and now it's up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box tomorrow." There were a few departures from the script. Someone handed Trump a rubber mask of...Trump. "Look at this mask, looks just like me," he said. "Nice head of hair, I'll say that."  

  4. Iran not impressed by US democracypublished at 17:20 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting with a group of students, in Tehran, Iran.Image source, AP
    Image caption,

    Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the American election “a spectacle for exposing their crimes and debacles".

    Iran's ultra-conservative state television broadcasted live all three US presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the New York Times reports, external

    Iran typically controls information about the US, pushing anti-American sentiment and propaganda.

    But in what has been described as a strange election year, Iran appeared to have let the candidates speak for themselves. 

    Last week, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the US election "a spectacle for exposing their crimes and debacles".  

  5. Clinton maintains narrow lead over Trumppublished at 17:12 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    The BBC's opinion poll tracker shows Clinton with a four-point lead over Trump, just hours before the election. 

    The BBC's latest poll tracker shows Hillary Clinton ahead of Donald Trump with 46% compared with 43%.
  6. Florida's swing county in a dead heatpublished at 17:06 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan, external has been meeting with voters near Tampa, Florida.

    She's finding that so far, supporters of Clinton and Trump are evenly split in that key region of Florida.

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  7. Family FaceTime breakpublished at 17:03 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Hillary Clinton, who is a grandmother to a two-year-old girl and a five-month-old boy, has taken a precious few minutes off from the final hours of campaigning to FaceTime with her family. 

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  8. Trump tells Obama to get back to workpublished at 16:57 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a rally in the Robarts Arena of the Sarasota Fairgrounds on November 7, 2016 in Sarasota, FloridaImage source, Getty Images

    Trump sharply attacks Obama about the fight against the Islamic State and the military operation to reclaim the Iraqi city of Mosul, telling the audience: "Wouldn't it be nice if we just shut up, did the job, had a news conference a week later" and said it was successful? 

    "And tell this president to stop campaigning and go back to work," he said, referring to the President's rallies for Clinton (Obama holds a joint rally later with her in Philadelphia). 

    Trump also appeals to Florida's Hispanic voters, telling them: "You will have a true friend and champion in Donald Trump. Whether you vote for me or not, I'm with you." 

  9. The Clintons in Haitipublished at 16:53 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Former US president Bill Clinton (centre R) and his wife, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (centre L), pose with workers at the grand opening ceremony of the new Caracol Industrial Park in Caracol, Haiti, in 2012.Image source, Getty Images

    Trump has referred to the Clintons and Haiti at least twice while speaking in Florida. But what really happened?

    The BBC takes a look.

  10. Trump: Washington 'stupid'published at 16:48 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump arrives for a rally in the Robarts Arena of the Sarasota Fairgrounds in Sarasota, Florida.Image source, Getty Images

    "We're tired of being led by stupid people. They're stupid," the Republican candidate tells the Florida crowd. 

    He then reiterates his pledge to renegotiate NAFTA, stand up to China and stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership. 

    While talking about cutting taxes, he interrupts himself to point out a sign that reads: "Blacks for Trump." 

    "Oh I love that sign," he says. "Blacks for Trump." 

    He then says more African-Americans are turning out for him than expected. 

    "We are not going to be a divide nation anymore," he added. "We are a divided nation."

  11. Trump's maskpublished at 16:36 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Trump and his maskImage source, AP

    Trump points to a supporter in the crowd wearing a mask of the Republican candidate, saying it looks just like him. 

    He leaves the podium to grab the mask and holds it up. 

    "Nice head of hair, I'll say that!"

    "Is there any place more fun to be than a Trump rally?" he adds. 

  12. Trump tears into Beyonce and Jay Zpublished at 16:34 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Anthony Zurcher
    BBC North America reporter

    Clinton with entertainersImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Clinton has enlisted loads of celebrity supporters

    Quote Message

    The other day you read where Hillary Clinton called entertainers because she can’t get anybody, nobody wants to go… I don't know how, nobody goes to her rallies, so she got Jay Z and Beyonce, and the language they used was so bad, the language was so bad, and as they were singing - singing, right? Talking? Was it talking or singing? I don't know. Or both. But the language was so bad that many of the people left, right? By the time Hillary got up there was nobody there. But the crooked media – those people back there (crowd boos), the most dishonest media – the crooked media does nothing, they don’t explain it and isn't it amazing when Jay Z and Beyonce used the filthy language that they used in the song, using words that if I ever said those words it would be the reinstitution of the electric chair. I've never seen anything like it in my life, she (Clinton) is such a phony."

    FACT CHECK: It was one of Cleveland’s worst-kept secrets that mega-star Beyonce would be performing at Hillary Clinton’s Friday night rally in Cleveland, and - as my still-ringing ears will attest - the crowd of more than 10,000 stuck around until her very last song. After Mrs Clinton spoke to the throng, the mega-star sang a duet with her husband, rapper Jay Z. It was only then, when the proverbial curtain came down, that the crowd filtered out, despite Trump’s assertions to the contrary.  

  13. 'The ultimate insider'published at 16:24 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Trump is telling the Florida crowd about how he made his decision to run for president, saying: "I went from sort of like an ultimate insider.”

    But, he adds: "It was time. I had to join the other side, which is you. We are going to do things so special."

    Trump frequently talks about how he gave money to "crooked politicians" and the "special interests which I know so well" before beginning his presidential candidacy. 

    "Hillary Clinton is being protected by a totally rigged system. And now it's up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box tomorrow.

    "My contract with the American voters begins with a plan to end government corruption and take back our country."

    Trump in Sarasota
    Image caption,

    Trump in Sarasota

  14. Baseball bat rampagepublished at 16:18 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    The BBC looks at the Anger Room, a place where Americans can relieve stress by smashing objects. 

    In an especially contentious election, the team behind the Anger Room has built models of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and handed Americans a baseball bat to let them take out their frustrations. 

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  15. Trump: 'My only special interest is you'published at 16:16 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Sarasota, Florida.Image source, AP

    "The whole world is laughing at us," Donald Trump tells an audience in Sarasota, Florida.

    At his first rally of the day, he rails against special interests saying the "elites have bled our country dry".

    "It's finally time for us to fight for America," he says as the crowd begins chanting "U-S-A".

    "I’m not a politician - my only special interest is you."

  16. The first black woman to run for US presidentpublished at 16:13 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Media caption,

    Shirley Chisholm - first black woman to run for US president

    Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to US congress, and the first to seek the presidential nomination.

    BBC Africa, external takes a look back at her 1968 candidacy where she said she "met more discrimination as a woman than for being black".

    The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan, external also spoke with the woman politicians who were inspired by Mrs Chisholm. 

  17. Clinton: 'We are not him'published at 16:10 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Here's Clinton's final campaign video, We Are America. It features audio clips of Trump insulting people, layered with sad music and black-and-white images of everyday Americans, concluding: "We are not him."

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  18. BBC on the trail across USpublished at 16:03 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Follow us here and @BBCNewsUS, external for our coverage from every corner of the USA.

    We'll be posting tweets from our reporters and correspondents as they bring you the latest on the 2016 presidential election.

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  19. Obama 'confident' in embattled FBI bosspublished at 16:01 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016
    Breaking

    "The president views Director Comey as a man of integrity, a man of principle," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a briefing aboard Air Force One. 

    "The president's views of him have not changed... he continues to have confidence in his ability to run the FBI."

    FBI Director James Comey has faced intense criticism from both Republicans and Democrats over his two last-minute letters regarding the investigation into Clinton's private email server, which the agency determined was not criminal.

    How the FBI verdict affects the election

    James ComeyImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Both sides have accused the FBI of playing politics in this election

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  20. Trump's final ad called 'anti-Semitic'published at 15:57 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

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    Trump's closing "Argument for America" advert is anti-Semitic, according to a prominent Jewish organisation.

    The Anti-Defamation League has drawn criticism from the Trump campaign since voicing their concern, with one Trump operative telling CBS News that "the ADL should focus on real anti-Semitism and hatred, and not try to find any where none exist".

    In the ad, Trump's voice says "they have bled our country dry", as images - including of famous Jewish bankers - flash on the screen.

    "For those who control the levers of power in Washington and for the global special interests - they partner with these people that don’t have your good in mind," Trump says as images of billionaire George Soros, Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen and Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd Blankfein are shown.

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