President Trump and Joe Biden return to the campaign trail after a calmer final election debate
Biden outlines his plan to tackle the crisis if elected, saying it would include free vaccines for all
The coronavirus crisis was one of the main clashing points at the debate in Nashville
He has accused Trump of downplaying the risk - Trump says his approach has saved lives
Trump attacked his rival's plans at the first of two rallies in the battleground state of Florida
There are now just 11 days to the US election. Trump trails Biden in most national polls
More than 50m voters have already cast their ballots
Image source, Biden campaignMarking a stark difference from his opponent, Biden cautions patience on the vaccine, and when it will become accessible to Americans.
"It will still be many months before a vaccine is widely available," Biden says.
But when a "safe and effective" vaccine is ready, we have a big promise from the Democratic candidate: "it has to be free to everyone".
Next, Biden says he'll have a plan for providing enough personal protective equipment for all Americans, and "make sure we can manufacture critical supplies right here at home".
Fourth on his list? He promises to provide consistent, reliable guidance on re-opening safely, and the resources to make it happen.
Once all these steps are in place, Biden says, "then, we can get our kids back to school safely, our businesses growing, and our economy running again without wasting another minute".
"I'm not going to shut down the economy", he says, repeating a debate line, "I'm going to shut down the virus".
Biden says he will put a national testing plan in place if elected president.
His administration will have the goal of testing as many people each day, as the US is currently testing each week - a sevenfold increase.
"I believe in testing, Donald Trump does not," Biden says. "i believe in science."
It's a pointed and relevant attack - Trump this week criticised the nation's most trusted disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, and insulted Biden by saying that he "wants to listen to Fauci".
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First, he says, he'll go to every governor and mandate mask wearing in their states.
"And if they refuse? I'll go to county executives and get local masking requirements in place, nationwide."
He also says he'll mandate masks on all federal buildings and interstate transit, "because masks save lives, period".
Biden had been previously unclear on if and how he would mandate mask wearing as president.
Image source, Biden CampaignSpeaking in a somber, measured tone, Joe Biden takes on Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus response. Biden references last night's debate, where Trump said he woudn't change "much" about his approach to the pandemic.
"Not much?" Biden says. "If this is success, what does failure look like?"
Vice-President Joe Biden has begun his address on the pandemic, recalling how "dangerously incompetent" President Trump had been.
Andrew is an undecided voter leaning toward Joe Biden.
What moment stood out to you in the debate?
At the beginning it looked like they were going to do much better. But Trump seems like he just wants people to like him, it's so pathetic. He seemed like someone who has such a huge disconnect with reality.
Did Trump or Biden do enough to win your vote tonight?
Trump appealed to me on only one issue, and I still don't like his personality. I have enough information now. Biden is who I'm going to go for, although he's not my favourite choice.
One word to describe Trump and Biden tonight?
Trump - incomprehensible; Biden - better.
Read what other members of the BBC's Voter Panel thought of the debate.
With 11 days to go until the election, both candidates have called on Americans who are still eligible to register to vote.
Friday is the deadline to register for Nebraskans planning to cast their vote in person and both Trump and Biden addressed voters via Twitter, directing them to websites with information on registration and voting rules by state.
In Utah, meanwhile, Friday is the final day to register to vote online - although it will still be possible to register in-person until and including election day.
More than 50 million people have already cast their ballots in the US, either by post or through early in-person voting.
So one of the main points in Thursday's debate was the pandemic. And as we await the appearance of Joe Biden, here's a reminder of where the two contenders stand on how to handle this crisis.
President Trump set up a coronavirus task force at the end of January which he says has now shifted its focus to "safety and opening up our country". The president is also prioritising the speedy development of coronavirus treatments and vaccines, directing $10bn towards such projects.
Biden wants to set up a national contact-tracing programme, establish at least 10 testing centres in every state, and provide free coronavirus testing to all. He supports a nationwide mask mandate, which would require face coverings to be worn on federal property.
The approaching election is taking up a lot of our time - and our headlines - but in the meantime, the coronavirus continues to spread across the US.
The country has the highest death toll world wide, with more than 223,000 dead so far.
Though daily cases slowed in August, they are climbing rapidly again. On Thursday, more than 75,000 cases were recorded in the US - the second-highest daily total since the pandemic started.
More than 41,000 people are currently in hpspital with the virus, according to the New York Times, a 40% rise in the past month.
In North Dakota, now in the throes of an uncontrolled outbreak, Covid-19 patients are swamping rural hospitals. The surge is forcing some patients to be transferred hundreds of miles away, in some cases outside the state.
To date, more than 8.4 million Americans have been infected.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is expected to set out how he plans to tackle the coronavirus pandemic when he delivers a speech in his home state of Delaware shortly.
During Thursday night’s debate he repeated his criticism of President Trump’s response to the health crisis, and promised to improve access to testing and listen to the advice of health officials and scientists.
Image source, Republic RecordsAriana Grande's new video has been seen more than 10 million times on YouTube
With 11 days left until election day, here's a reminder of some of the day's most interesting stories:
About 51.5m votes have been cast so far, according to the US Election Project website,, external in places like Georgia and Florida - and from Earth's orbit, where astronaut Kate Rubin just cast her vote at the International Space Station. Just like other absentee voters, as this Nasa release explains,, external an astronaut has to fill in an application to say they intend to vote from afar.
Very shortly after yesterday's presidential debate ended, Ariana Grande dropped her new single and accompanying music video which showed her in the White House, surrounded by an all-female team. She is apparently a little bit conflicted because although she seems to have a big role in what looks to be the Oval Office, she also has work to do in the kitchen.
The debate about Joe Biden's comments on oil in Thursday night's debate is still raging. Biden said he would "transition from the oil industry", whereupon Trump countered that the move would not be popular.
Donald Trump has just clocked an unusual endorsement - from Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša.
Joe Biden would be "one of the weakest presidents in history," Janša, a conservative accused of authoritarian tendencies, wrote on Twitter. "When a free world desperately needs a strong U.S. as never before. Go, win @Donald Trump."
Foreign leaders watch US elections closely, but usually stay mum on endorsements - it would not bode well for relations if the other candidate wins. But this one does have a personal angle: Trump's wife, First Lady Melania Trump, was born and raised in Slovenia, moving to the US in 1996.
But Trump doesn't appear to be the favourite for all world leaders. In nearby Croatia, President Zoran Milanovic recently said he considered comparisons to Trump an "insult".
They're not the only leaders eyeing the US results.
First Lady Melania Trump has announced that the White House annual Halloween celebrations will take place this Sunday, but additional health measures have been put in place.
The event will be open to frontline workers, military families and schoolchildren, the White House said. Attendance will be limited and all guests over the age of two will be required to wear a face covering. Social distancing will also be enforced.
The rules are a stark contrast to an event at the White House less than a month ago, when President Trump announced his Supreme Court pick in front of a crowd of about 200 people. No social distancing measures were in place. Within days, Trump and his wife were among at least 11 people to test positive for coronavirus, in what top US virus expert Dr Anthony Fauci described as a "superspreader event". The president spent several days in hospital but later recovered.
Senator Mike Lee, who later tested positive for Covid-19, was seen hugging other guests at the event in September
Lesley was raised in Canada and became a US citizen in 2016. She is an independent, and will vote for Joe Biden.
What moment stood out to you in the debate?
In general, I felt like Trump wasn't answering the questions. The one part that made my eyebrows raise was when he brought up Hillary Clinton. Why can't he get past that and just lead the country?
If your candidate is defeated, what would it mean to you?
As a black person and an immigrant living in this country, things have shifted so much in the last four years. I literally have fear - for my life and people who look like me - if there's another four years of Trump.
One word to describe Trump and Biden tonight?
Trump - predictable; Biden - predictable.
Read what other members of the BBC's Voter Panel thought of the debate.
Image source, Getty ImagesNeither candidate had a runaway win last night, but the Trump campaign says it is celebrating a different type of victory: raising a whopping $26m (£20m) off the back of the performance.
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said it was their biggest online fundraising night ever - exceeding any figure from the president's 2016 campaign.
The cash may give a boost to Trump, who has been lagging behind Joe Biden in national polls and in fundraising. At the end of September, the president's campaign reported $63m cash on hand, less than half of Biden's $177.3m.
Rom is a military veteran who enthusiastically supports the president's re-election.
What moment stood out in the debate to you?
For the most part, it was a dignified slugfest. The one moment that stood out was when Biden said he was going to give a pathway to 11 million people who are in the US illegally. We've got millions of unemployed Americans and I don't think that's going to sell very well.
If your candidate is defeated, what would it mean to you?
I will accept the results, however much I may dislike those results.I will take a dignified route as distasteful as it may be for me.
One word to describe Trump and Biden tonight?
Trump - improved; Biden - rehearsed.
Read what other members of the BBC's Voter Panel thought of the debate.
The vice-president and second lady, Mike and Karen Pence, voted early on Friday in their home state of Indiana.
They voted in the Indianapolis City-County building using abstentee ballots they had requested last month.
The former Indiana governor told reporters: “It’s a great honor and great to be back home again.”
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Robin Levinson King, BBC News
Ladara, 30, from Seattle, Washington, asks: Why is it more difficult to vote this election?
The pandemic has made voting extra difficult this year. There are obvious health risks to crowding together at a polling station, so many states have expanded early voting, either in person or by mail.
But each state has its own rules and regulations about who is allowed to vote early, and how it should be done. In Pennsylvania, ballots must be “clothed” in a privacy envelope. In South Carolina, a witness must verify your ballot.
There are currently over 300 lawsuits in 44 states concerning how absentee votes are counted, who is allowed to vote early and how mail-in ballots are collected.
All these changes and legal battles can make things really confusing to the voter, and exacerbate long-standing issues, like long queues and long drives.
Do you have a question about the US presidential election that you would like our team to answer? If so, submit your question here.
Image source, ReutersThe Trump campaign has been warned after filming ballot boxes in the US state of Pennsylvania.
The campaign had set up video cameras at ballot drop boxes in Philadelphia, in what it said was an attempt to idenitify voting violations, according to the New York Times. In a formal complaint to city officials on 16 October, the campaign said it had recorded several instances of voters dropping off more than one mail-in vote.
However, the officials responded that they could not confirm whether or not the recorded incidents violated Pennsylvania's law, which requires voters to deposit their own ballot in most cases, with exceptions made for people with disabilities or those who require assistance.
Pennsylvania's attorney general, who is a Democrat, said this week that videotaping people depositing their ballots could amount to voter intimidation.
President Donald Trump has frequently claimed that postal voting leads to fraud. But numerous nationwide and state-level studies over the years have not revealed evidence of major, widespread misconduct.