As it happened: Biden seeks to poach votes in Republican South

1. Joe Biden campaigned in the key state of Georgia, which Democrats hope to wrest from Republicans
2. Meanwhile President Trump was holding rallies in Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska on Tuesday
3. Biden leads Trump in most national polls, but the race in key states is close ahead of the 3 November election
4. First Lady Melania Trump made her first campaign appearance since recovering from Covid

That's all for the moment

We're pausing our US election live coverage as Trump holds his second rally of the day in Wisconsin, a midwestern a state that he won in 2016 but where he is now trailing Biden in the polls.

He kicked off the day with a rally in Michigan and will end it with another one in Nebraska later this evening.

Here's a shot from our correspondent, Anthony Zurcher, who has been traveling with the president for his whirlwind day.

In other election related news:

• Joe Biden was in Georgia - a Republican leaning state that rarely gets Democratic presidential candidates as visitors. "It's go time," he told voters at a drive-in rally in Atlanta
• In Orlando, Florida, former Democratic President Barack Obama (aka Biden's old boss) held his second in person rally for Biden, where he accused Trump of being "jealous of Covid's media coverage"
• In his closing online advert before polls close, Trump warned Biden would usher in "a socialist nation, or even worse"
• Melania Trump held her first campaign event for her husband, where she defended him against Democrat
• A judge in Michigan has allowed voters to openly display their guns at polling stations on election day

Catch up on all the latest here:

Biden hits new battleground, Trump blitzes Midwest

Trump team tries turning Pope's words against Biden

The Trump campaign has released a clip going after Biden for using a quote that comes from the Pope.

The selectively edited clip shows Biden saying: "Why am I doing this? Why? What is my real aim?” as if he has suddenly forgotten what has motivated him to run for president.

What "@TrumpWarRoom" neglected to mention is that Biden was quoting Pope Francis' questions that he says all leaders should ask themselves when they seek office.

A Biden spokesman accused the Trump campaign of “attacking Joe Biden’s faith". (If elected, Biden would be only the second Catholic president in US history after John F Kennedy).

For those who missed the full speech, Biden's quote was followed by these words:

"Pope Francis asked the questions that anyone who seeks to lead this great nation should be able to answer. And my answer is this: I run to unite this nation. And to heal this nation."

Watch: How the US and China's break-up could affect the world

Both candidates in the US presidential election have vowed to be tough on China - but disentangling the world’s two biggest economies is very complicated.

The BBC’s Zhaoyin Feng is from China, but has lived in the US for years.

She investigates how rivalry between the two countries is affecting the rest of the world.

How US and China's break-up could affect the world

Canadian senator 'illegally donated to Trump'

A Canadian senator who has twice been suspended from parliament for behaviour deemed racist has been caught making an illegal contribution to the Republican National Committee, according to Vice.

Lynn Beyak, listed her home address as Dryden, New York, rather than Dryden, Ontario, (where she actually resides) when she donated $300 (£230) to Trump in May. The former real estate agent also listed her occupation as "retired" despite being a sitting senator.

It is illegal under US election law for non-Americans to give money to any political campaign. Foreign nationals are, however, allowed to volunteer for campaigns.

A spokesperson for Beyak told Vice that the "donation was made in error and is being returned in its entirety, simply because it was erroneous".

But the news outlet reports that the donation has not yet been returned by the Republican National Committee.

WATCH: Trump's pitch to women

President Trump has made no secret of his desire to win over women (especially suburban women) this election. He is 15 points behind Biden in support from female voters, according to the latest Economist/YouGov poll and 23 points back by the New York Times' count.

Campaigning in Michigan earlier today, he had a surprising pitch to get their vote.

President Trump: 'We're getting your husbands back to work'

Who’s ahead in the polls?

BBC

With just seven days to go until the election, Joe Biden is leading Donald Trump in the national polls.

The latest data puts Biden about 10 points ahead of Trump.

While national polls are a good guide as to how popular a candidate is across the country as a whole, it’s important to remember that the election could come down to results in just a few key states.

At the moment, polls in the battleground states also look good for Biden.

They suggest he has big leads in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - three states his Republican rival won by margins of less than 1% to clinch victory in 2016.

You can read more about the latest polls here

Michigan judge allows 'open carry' near polling sites

Getty Images

A judge in Michigan has blocked a ban on the open display of guns near polling locations on election day.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a directive earlier this month banning people from openly carrying guns within 100 feet of polling sites.

The ban was announced days after the FBI said it had thwarted a plot to abduct and overthrow Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and amid concerns over voter intimidation and violence.

Gun-rights groups argued that Benson, a Democrat, had overstepped her authority and had failed to observe the formal rule-making process required by law to pass the ban.

Judge Christopher Murray sided with them on Tuesday.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has vowed to appeal against the ruling.

Trump makes his closing advert pitch

"Everybody in Washington knows that Joe Biden is weak," begins Trump's latest video tweet.

With seven days left until election day, Trump and Biden have each released political adverts that are sure to play frequently until 3 November.

While a pair of Biden hits talk about the candidate as a choice for decency, the Trump direct-to-camera advert warns that Democrats are lawless socialists who are "bad for our country".

"We're calling them out and we're calling out the radical left," he says.

"Go out and vote. We will not have a socialist nation, or even worse. It could be worse than a socialist nation, and you know what that means," he continues.

"Vote early and in person. Don't let them take your vote away. The most important election we've ever had."

Trump 'works his ass off' for re-election

Anthony Zurcher

BBC North America reporter

Getty Images

A cold rain mixed with ice fell as Trump spoke in Lansing, Michigan

If Donald Trump loses the White House next week, it won’t be for a lack of effort on the campaign trail down the stretch.

He has kicked off a three-day, multi-state swing across the country with a stop in Lansing, Michigan.

Despite a temperature hovering just above freezing as light rain mixed with ice pelted the airfield, a crowd of several thousand waited for hours to see the president.

“I’m working my ass off,” Trump told the cheering throngs of people.

The president went on to speak for more than an hour, mixing in his normal stump-speech attacks on Joe Biden with some more focused riffs on immigration and trade in the automotive industry-dominated state.

Michigan was perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2016 election, as Trump narrowly carried it over Hillary Clinton despite polls before the election showing him behind, sometimes by large margins.

The polls aren’t encouraging for the president this time around either, but another Michigan surprise would go a long way toward unlocking a path for the president to re-election.

Biden tells Atlanta: 'It's go time!'

Reuters

Biden was speaking to a drive-in rally in Atlanta

Biden is speaking at his second Georgia event of the day.

"Hello, Atlanta," he says, as he comes to the stage to music by local rap group Outkast.

"My name is Joe Biden, and I'm Kamala Harris' running mate," he says as cars beep their horn in approval at this drive-in rally.

He thanked the audience for "helping to create the change that you know is possible" and thanked rapper Common who introduced him.

"Folks, I think we're gonna surprise the living devil out of everybody this year," he said.

"I can't tell you how important it is that we flip the United States Senate," he continued, calling for the normally Republican southern state to send two Democrats to Washington next year "to fight for your interest, not for Donald Trump's interests".

Acknowledging that we're now in the final stretch before election day, he tells Atlanta: "Folks, it's go time."

Biden channels FDR in Georgia

Getty Images

Roosevelt frequently visited Warm Springs

Joe Biden is due to appear in Atlanta, Georgia for his second campaign stop of the day in the state, but earlier, he drew on the memory of former US President Franklin D Roosevelt as he campaigned in Warm Springs.

FDR, the Democrat who led the US during the Great Depression and through World War Two, retreated to the town to seek treatment for polio.

Biden spoke of the significance of the small town (population 400). "This place represented a way forward," he said. "A way of restoration, of resilience, of healing".

It "is a reminder that though broken, each of us can be healed… That as a people and a country, we can overcome a devastating virus. That we can heal a suffering world. That, yes, we can restore our soul and save our country.”

Biden also quoted a speech FDR drafted before his death.

“To live together and work together. That’s how I see America. That’s how I see the presidency, and that’s how I see the future,” he said.

Georgia has not backed a Democrat in a presidential election since 1992. But polls suggest a close race this year and Biden says he has a "fighting chance".

Getty Images

Socially distanced supporters in Warm Springs, GA

Harry Styles latest celebrity to back Biden

PA Media

British pop star Harry Styles might not be eligible to vote in the upcoming election but that hasn’t stopped him from endorsing Democrat Joe Biden.

Taking to Twitter, the former One Direction singer wrote: “If I could vote in America, I’d vote with kindness."

The post was accompanied by a video from Biden’s campaign.

The tweet quickly got hundreds of thousands of likes and re-tweets.

Other celebrities including Taylor Swift, Madonna, Cardi B, Tom Hanks and George Clooney have also thrown their support behind the Democratic ticket.

Trump, meanwhile, has the backing of rapper Lil Pump, actress Kirstie Alley and musician Kid Rock.

But does A-lister backing actually help win votes?

You can find out by reading our analysis here.

WATCH: A campaigning first lady

President Trump's irreverent Twitter use has often earned him criticism.

Even his wife acknowledges she doesn't always agree with his tweets - as she revealed in Pennsylvania earlier today at her first campaign outing since recovering from Covid-19 this month.

Melania Trump: 'Media created picture of my husband I don't recognise'

When will we get a result?

BBC

After polls close in the US presidential election on 3 November, it could take days or even weeks to find out if Joe Biden or Donald Trump has won. Millions more Americans have voted or are still expected to vote by post because of coronavirus, meaning a delay in counting all the ballots is likely.

It was previously common for states to restrict voting by post to certain people - such as the elderly, ill, or those away from home. But the practice is now widely permitted in a majority of states.

An estimated 80 million postal ballots will be cast this time round - more than double the number in 2016.

BBC

Postal votes also take longer to count once they have arrived and different states have different rules over how and when they count them.

Find out more about when we're likely to get a result - and if it could be contested - here.

Trump campaigns for votes in rain-soaked Michigan

Reuters

Donald Trump has begun a busy day of campaigning with a rally in the battleground state of Michigan.

Most polls show Democrat Joe Biden leading in the state, which Trump took narrowly in 2016.

But Trump told thousands of supporters gathered for the rally that he had momentum behind him as the election nears.

“Seven days from now we’re going to win the great state of Michigan,” he said.

"A vote for Republicans is a vote for the American dream," he later said.

It would be hard to argue with Trump's assessment of supporters' enthusiasm. Our correspondent Anthony Zurcher is traveling with the president, and shared this clip of fans rallying despite the cold and dreary weather:

Trump is also set to campaign in Wisconsin and Nebraska on Tuesday.

Obama hits Kushner over remarks on black success

Getty Images

Obama puts his mask back on after leaving the stage in Orlando

Barack Obama has been campaigning for his former VP Joe Biden, and laid into comments from top Trump aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner in Orlando, Florida today.

Kushner told Fox News on Monday that Trump "can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful", referring to African Americans.

That posture is a problem, America's first black president said. "Who are these folks? What history books do they read? Who do they talk to?" Obama asked.

He mocked Trump's claim to be the best president for black people since Abraham Lincoln, the president who ended slavery.

Fox News aired the speech, which Trump was not happy about, which he made known on Twitter.

Joe Biden or Donald Trump? Persuading an undecided voter

US election: Joe Biden or Donald Trump? Persuading an undecided voter

Erica hasn't made up her mind yet on whether she's going to vote for Joe Biden or Donald Trump in the US election.

Her aunt Kay is backing Biden, while her friend Senen is voting for Trump. Watch as they each try to convince her to support their candidate.

Melania Trump's first campaign outing

Speaking in the suburbs of Pennsylvania, First Lady Melania Trump has just made her first solo appearance to support her husband's campaign.

The Slovenian-born ex-model was introduced by Trump's former aide, Kellyanne Conway, who claimed the first lady had "amazing political instincts".

Trump referred to her family's recent brush with the "silent enemy" of the coronavirus. “Like many of you, I have experienced the firsthand effects of Covid-19," she said.

She canceled what would have been her first appearance last week due to a "lingering cough" from the virus.

Reuters

Known to be a reluctant campaigner, she delivered the message her husband is "a fighter" and that Democrats espouse "confusion and fear instead of hope and security".

As she called her husband "tough but fair," someone in the crowd yelled out: "And handsome".

She responded: "I agree".

How would Brits vote if they could?

Getty Images

A cutout of Trump's face at the July semifinal match between Oxford United and Portsmouth FC

A poll from YouGov finds that about 80% of people in the UK say they would vote for Joe Biden if given the chance, while the remaining 20% say they would support Donald Trump.

The poll, conducted for online gambling company Betfair, was taken one week before election day.

It found that 38% of Brits who voted leave during the 2016 Brexit referendum would vote for Trump if they could.

Among Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters, a whopping 99% said they would vote Biden. About 39% of Conservative voters said they support Trump.

In Scotland, the birthplace of Trump's mother, only 12% of people say they would re-elect him. In London, 19% of the city said they support Trump.

YouGov

Older voters were more likely to support Trump

A really simple guide to the election

BBC

Wondering what the electoral college is, what makes a battleground state or what else will be decided on 3 November?

You can find the answers to these questions and more in our election guide.