tonight at ten, the world looks on as america's polling stations prepare to close in the stormy contest for the us presidency. donald trump, seeking a second term, has struggled to defend his record, on fighting the pandemic. you know, winning is easy. losing is never easy. not for me, it's not. the democratic challenger, joe biden, who's 77, has been taunted for months that he doesn't have the energy for thejob. it ain't over till it's over, and when it's over, we're going to win pennsylvania because of you. we'll be reporting from the key battle ground states, including pennsylvania, where the race for the white house will be settled. this is a state donald trump barely

won in 2016 by less than 1%. joe biden is feeling confident but it could all depend on turnout. and we'll be live in washington, with the latest on the mood in the rival camps, as the voters' verdict is awaited. among the politicians there is apprehension and amongst the voters there is capitation, over what comes next, whoever wins, whoever loses —— there is trepidation. we'll have all the news and the latest pointers after a campaign overshadowed by the impact of the pandemic. also tonight... following last night's terror attack in vienna, when four people were shot dead, the uk's terror threat level is raised to "severe". and, as lockdown approaches in england, coaches and parents say the decision to stop grassroots sports will damage physical and mental health. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news... we'll have all the latest reports and features from the bbc sports

centre. good evening. in two hours' time, polling stations on the east coast of the united states will start to close, marking the end of the most divisive presidential campaign of modern times. the republican candidate, president donald trump, and his democratic challenger joe biden, know that 100 million people have already taken part in early voting, breaking all records, and the high turnout reflects the intensity of the debate about america's future. we have reports from the campaigns and some of the key battle grounds, in florida, which the experts say donald trump must win if he's to get a second term, in pennsylvania, taken by mr trump four years ago, but at the top of the list of democratic targets, in delaware, joe biden‘s home state

where he'll be watching the nationwide results unfold, and in washington, where mr trump is waiting for the outcome of america's voters, after a turbulent first term which has been overshadowed by the effects of the pandemic. and that's where we start tonight, in the nation's capital, so let's join our north america editorjon sopel. if you are a lover of democracy, surely it is a cause for celebration that so many people have gone out to vote, the turnout will be at a record high and people have queued 110w record high and people have queued now for hours, but there is also nervousness, anxiety, trepidation, but what happens next. the white house has been reinforced, shops and offices boarded up, workers told not to come to work tomorrow for fear of social unrest. let's hope that does not happen, but in the meantime, the two campaigns are straining every sinew to get every last vote.

a pandemic, a president hospitalised in the midst of the campaign, racial unrest, an economic shutdown, billions of dollars spent by the two candidates, and now today, finally, the sun is rising on polling day. america's exhausting, seemingly endless election has reached its climax. unprecedented numbers — over 100 million voted early, but big numbers are turning out today as well. i voted for the greatest president in history, donald] trump. trump is doing nothing for us. he's going down today. # young man, there's no need to feel down. ..# at his marathon of rallies yesterday, donald trump was firing on all cylinders. only in pennsylvania. you know, we win pennsylvania, we win the whole deal, you know that, huh? but today at republican party headquarters, it was a weary sounding, a more downbeat president as he contemplated the day and night ahead. no, i'm not thinking about concession speech

or acceptance speech yet. hopefully we'll be only doing one of those two, and you know, winning is easy, losing is never easy. not for me, it's not. joe biden was also in pennsylvania today, returning to his childhood home of scranton. he took his megaphone all over the state. make no mistake, pennsylvania is absolutely key to this election. and by the way, folks, if you haven't gotten everybody out, get them out! make sure they vote! it ain't over till it's over, and when it's over, we're going to win pennsylvania because of you! a quirky tradition of us elections is that the first place to vote is the small village of dixville notch, in the mountains of new hampshire. at midnight, the polling station opened. it closed a few minutes later. all in favour? aye. polls are closed! i'm a lifelong republican,

voting forjoe biden for president. and that, in a nutshell, will decide this election. how many people feel like that. one can put one here, and one can put one here. in the oldest political slogan in the book, is it time for a change, orfour more years? but divided america is bracing for unrest. whether here in the nation's capital, the chi—chi shops of rodeo drive in beverly hills, or the financial centre of new york, this is a nation that's not at ease with itself. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. at 77, joe biden, if he wins, will become by some margin the oldest man to be elected president of the united states. donald trump, who's now 7a, has sought to portray mr biden as someone who's unfit, too old and tired, in effect, to occupy the oval office. but within hours, the world will get the first indications of america's choice.

0ur north america correspondent nick bryant is with the biden camp in delaware, and hejoins us now. i've just been speaking to one of joe biden‘s most senior advisers and they are so confident, they are making no attempt to conceal their confidence, and they are talking about winning states like georgia, no democrat has won there since 1982, and they think they stand a chance in texas. jimmy carter was the last democrat to win texas in 1976. four years ago donald trump w011 1976. four years ago donald trump won by painting himself as the anti hillary clinton and the anti—0bama, and joe biden has become a natural anti donald trump and his campaign is sought to emphasise the difference, what they see as empathy against ego, civility against ceaseless confrontation, and his personal —— genial personality has helped, it is hard to make him a

hate figure. and also his personal story of grief finds an echo in sorrowful times. they think they are going to win this covid election. nick, many thanks. so, let's recap briefly on the way a us president is elected, and when we're likely to get a result. the crucial thing to remember is that a candidate can win a majority of the nationwide votes, as hillary clinton did in 2016, and still go on to lose the election. that's because the us constitution established what's called an electoral college to determine the result. to become president, a candidate must win at least 270 votes in the electoral college. each of the 50 states is allocated a number of electoral college votes, based mainly on population size, and these are allocated to one of the candidates.

the state with the biggest population, california, has 55 votes in the electoral college, and always tends to back the democratic candidate. while a state such as tennessee, with a smaller population and only 11 electoral college votes, tends to vote republican. this means that the outcome depends heavily on the so—called swing states, marked here in purple. one of the biggest battle grounds is pennsylvania, with 20 votes in the electoral college, and that's where we join my colleague clive myrie tonight. if you look at the electoral map, it is pretty clear that most of the roads to victory forjoe biden and donald trump run through the streets of pennsylvania. this will be a keenly watched state this evening, not least by the lawyers, and the problem is with 2.5 million absentee

ballots left to be counted and many will not start counting for another day, it could be some time before either candidate finds out whether 01’ either candidate finds out whether or not they have actually won. america is unnerved... ..but energised. the mining of votes by the campaigns is now over, on this election day. and norb dotzel, who helps run a family quarry business in rural pennsylvania, is adamant his voice will be heard. he'll vote in person. he doesn't want to risk a mail—in ballot. despite coronavirus. how you doing? not too bad. good, good. bottom line is you just don't trust them? i don't trust them, no. i don't trust them. no. and i'm not a conspiracy theorist or anything like that. ijust wanted to know... i'm going to do it the way i always did it. they have safety protocols in place, six feet, wear a mask.

if they are so sure that works, why shouldn't i be sure it works? studies show republicans are more likely to want to vote in person than democrats. their worries about covid—19 have seen an extraordinary rise in mail—in votes. your voice matters, and it will only be heard if you vote. whatever the method, the exhortation to voters to do their duty has been heard loud and clear. in an election that pits two very different ideas of what a future america looks like. but for some, despite the enthusiasm, there is a darkness over this exercise of democracy, with threats of lawsuits to try to invalidate the votes of many. hi, jacqueline. hi. jacqueline victor is 23 and voted by mail last week. a democrat, she believes

donald trump in saying without evidence that postal votes are susceptible to fraud, is trying to steal the election. i think he wants his people to turn out in big numbers and he's afraid of people like me, of younger people, you know, voting, or maybe people who weren't able to get to the polls on election day. he wants to delegitimise those people. i do think he is trying to take away people's voice. norb dotzel and his 84—year—old father make their way to the polls, like millions of others today, in what is a sign of america's democratic strength. but lawyers on both sides are watching closely, especially in crucial swing states like this. a sign that weakness might also look at the heart of the american idea. clive myrie, bbc news, in pennsylvania. just to pick up on that same... —— on that theme.

postal votes typically take longer to count as they have to go through a verification process, checking signatures and addresses. but some states, such as florida, allow this process to start weeks before election day, which means we might get a result from this key state fairly early on. 0ur correspondent nomia iqbal is in miami with the latest on the situation there. more than 9 million people have already voted in florida and more people are still voting for the next couple of hours, when the last polished ocean —— polling station will close, and the first lady milani stump voted this morning. —— milani stump voted this morning. —— milani trump voted this morning. we are likely to get an early sense of how the presidential race will shape up. this will be a tight race, this is such a crucial swing state, because it has the most electoral couege because it has the most electoral college votes, and president trump has a mansion here, he votes here, and unless he wants to retire here

injanuary, and unless he wants to retire here in january, he and unless he wants to retire here injanuary, he needs the 29 electoral college votes that florida has to offer. it is more straightforward forjoe biden. if he turns the state blue this evening it is more or less guaranteed that he will have the keys to the white house. many thanks once again. the latest there in florida. we'll have more from the us election before the end of the programme, and don't forget our us election special programme, starting at 11.30pm on bbc one, the news channel and iplayer. there will also be results coverage on bbc radio. in vienna, 1a people have been arrested in connection with last night's gun attacks in the city. four people were killed in the shootings, and another 22 were injured when a gunman, described as an islamist terrorist by the authorities, fired into crowds of people at six different locations. the attack took place in the city centre where people were enjoying a last night out in restaurants and cafes

before a coronavirus lockdown. 0ur correspondentjenny hill is in vienna with the latest. i , this city has for so long enjoyed a reputation as a safe place, a p pa re ntly a reputation as a safe place, apparently immune from the kind of islamist terrorism that has torn through so many other european capitals. last night, all that changed. austria is now observing three days of national mourning, following the attack which targeted the very heart of this city. violence, confusion on the streets of vienna. people fled as shots were fired, and armed police raced to secure the city. it was the eve of a coronavirus lockdown. many had gathered for a last night out — in a city with a reputation for safety. just heard shots everywhere,

and police helicopters were flying around us, and we got really afraid, so we decided to hide ourselves in the restaurant. caught on camera, a man thought to be the perpetrator. gunshots this rabbi told us he looked out of his window to see him shooting, apparently at random. i saw the attacker with a long weapon, rifle or a gun, running around shooting at people, targeting people sitting outside the bars and pubs which are lined along the street. just days after terror attacks in france, another country mourns its dead. among the victims, an elderly man and woman, a young passer—by, and a waitress. others are in hospital, critically injured. the hunt for suspects continues.

detectives have made several arrests, but attention‘s focused on the 20—year—old gunman shot dead by police last night. the shooter was born in austria, he has a migration background from northern macedonia, and he was in prison because he's a supporter of the islamic state. but of course we will have to find out the details in the next days. vienna's streets, quiet today — fear and corona have brought the city centre to a near standstill. but moritz, a doctor, told us he felt compelled to do something. it's really hard to show that you are grieving, because nobody should be outside. and i want to grieve, i want to show sympathy. as you'd expect, there is shock here, there's disbelief, but there's also a sense of resignation. this has become a depressingly familiar scenario for europe —

city—centre streets which felt safe transformed in a matter of minutes. the question for austria now is this — will last night's attack change the country and, if so, how? for now, though, a quiet defiance. last night, as violence raged outside, members of the city's philharmonic orchestra were trapped in their concert hall. they chose, quite simply, to play on. jenny hill, bbc news, vienna. in response to the attacks in europe, both in austria and in france, the home secretary has raised the united kingdom's terror threat level from "substantial" to "severe". so the uk is now on the second—highest threat level, and an attack is thought to be highly likely. ministers said people should be alert but not alarmed. 0ur security correspondent frank gardner is here.

let's explain to viewers what is behind the change of level. yes, pretty much from the moment the attack started to unfold last night, jtac, thejoint attack started to unfold last night, jtac, the joint terrorism analysis centre which sits inside m15 headquarters but is separate from them, started to think about what that would mean for the safety of british nationals both here and abroad and they look to the pattern of attacks we have seen in europe in the past three weeks, three deadly jihadist attacks in france followed by what is called a marauding terrorist firearms attack in vienna last night, a gunman walking around heavily armed and picking people off. they concluded that was enough to push the threat level up from where it had been, substantial, meaning an attack was likely, too severe, highly likely. in practice, we are not going to notice a great deal of difference. remember as well that we are about to go into lockdown which is going to make it much harderfor anyone lockdown which is going to make it much harder for anyone planning lockdown which is going to make it much harderfor anyone planning a terrorist attack, should they be so, and there is no indication at the moment that anybody is, it makes

them harderfor them to moment that anybody is, it makes them harder for them to execute it. but it does mean that an awful lot of people are going to be online, communicating, plotting, planning and possibly fa ntasising. communicating, plotting, planning and possibly fantasising. there are still more than 3000 subjects of interest that m15 and the police are following with suspected terrorist sympathies in this country. frank gardner, our security correspondence, thank you. —— correspondent. the latest government figures show there've been 20,018 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. and 397 deaths were reported, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 117,250. the chief scientific adviser sir patrick vallance, and chief medical officer for england, professor chris whitty, have both been challenged by mps about the evidence behind the latest lockdown in england. in particular, they were asked about some modelling scenarios, which suggested there could be

as many as 4,000 deaths a day without appropriate measures. 0ne mp accused them of "frightening a lot of people", but sir patrick said it was based on an assumption, to try to get a reasonable worst—case scenario. 0ur science editor david shukman has more details. it's the risk of the health service being overwhelmed that suddenly changed government policy, a decision based on scientific projections for how many thousands the virus might kill in the coming months. but looking at this official graph, what are the real chances of the worst scenario being right? the chief scientific adviser... that is the question mps raised today, putting the government's top advisers on the spot. you don't think that you are just frightening people who don't have your scientific background and understanding of models...? i hope not. i mean, i think... i hope not and that is certainly not the aim. it is very difficult to project

forward in a way that doesn't inevitably lead to a problem of, you know, is that real? well, no, it's not real, it is a model but it is what we need to understand, because this is a disease that is spreading, like all epidemics, in a way that will affect us in weeks to come but isn't felt today. some of the projections for future deaths were made before the regional three—tier system had any effect, and like any computer models, they are meant to be a guide to what might happen rather than a firm prediction. so is there a clear sense of the impact of the virus? today, we got the latest figures from what are called excess deaths, that is deaths above average, shown on this line here, based on data over the last five years. back in april, losses were massively above that average line, and nearly all of them were because of covid—19. and looking more recently, there are signs of another increase in deaths above average,

and the main cause is covid. the number of hospital admissions is the key indicator of what is happening right now, and whatever the arguments over future scenarios, there is a warning that things are mostly going the wrong way. the rates are still steadily tracking up, in all the data that i have seen, in the older age groups, who are the ones who are likely to translate into hospitalisations, intensive care cases and deaths. the reality is that on average, someone who is infected is spreading the virus to more than one other person, and the hope is that the new restrictions will help to reverse that. david shukman, bbc news. everyone who lives or works in liverpool will be offered a rapid coronavirus test, whether they have sypmtons or not, from friday. military personnel will help deliver the pilot scheme, and if it's successful, it could be rolled out across the uk. 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes reports from liverpool.

but what did the wars do...? like so many others across the country, pupils at st margaret's academy in liverpool are making up for time lost during the first lockdown. the imagery tends to be a bit more positive here. the threat to their education from the coronavirus remains. especially from those who are asymptomatic, who don't yet have symptoms but can still infect others. it's hard for people to come out of work and school and we've been affected so badly already... but what do these sixth—formers think about the plan for citywide testing? you've got to factor in all the people that don't want to get tested, because you can't force people to get tested. people aren't being safe. especially in liverpool, there's been a few cases where people just aren't sticking to isolation rules and stuff. so i think i can see from that point of view why they want to do that. people do live in fear about the coronavirus. it would settle a lot of people's minds if they knew a definite yes or no whether they've got it. it's an opportunity to drive down the r rate... the school's principal is stephen brierley.

i think if we've got good, accurate knowledge of who's got it and who hasn't, our schools will be safer, because there will be less asymptomatic people in school. there will be fewer people who are infected, fewer people in schools who are infected, and therefore, more children staying in school, more learning going on. the liverpool pilot will start this week. as well as existing swab tests, there will be what are known as lateral flow tests, which can provide a result within an hour without the need to use a lab. 0rganising citywide testing will be a logistical challenge. the army will once again help, as it did during the first wave of the pandemic. the head of the test and trace programme in england, which has been criticised for only having a marginal impact on reducing infections, says this will be a team effort. this is a programme led by liverpool, for liverpool. we together want to find as many people who have the disease as possible so that we can stop them infecting others, and that is the way we will all get back to work and get back to the lives

we want to live. even a citywide testing programme won't be enough to stop covid in its tracks. the basics — washing your hands, wearing a face covering, maintaining social distance — remain the best way to stop the spread of the virus. and there are big questions about how many people are going to want to self—isolate if they're not showing any symptoms, and how many will be willing to come forward for a test if it potentially means missing out on work and the pay that will bring. in a city that has seen some of the highest number of covid cases in the uk, the big question is whether more testing will help slow, or even reverse, the spread of the virus and help keep places like st margaret's free from infection. dominic hughes, bbc news, liverpool. the wales football manager ryan giggs has denied allegations of assault, after police were called to his home on sunday evening. giggs was arrested and bailed after an alleged row with his girlfriend, kate greville.

the welsh football association has announced that he will not be involved in the side's upcoming international training camp. four former police officers, who were involved in the initial investigation into the murder of the black teenager, stephen lawrence, have been told they could face criminal charges. the 18—year—old was stabbed to death in south—east london in 1993. the officers have been investigated over possible misconduct. by tomorrow night, all grassroots sports in england, for both children outside school and adults, will have to stop. coaches, parents and campaigners say the decision could have a damaging effect on both physical and mental health, but ministers insist the restrictions are necessary to prevent the spread of coronavirus. 0ur sports editor dan roan has the story. enjoying it while it lasts. children making the most of macclesfield's moss rose ground this week as the club opened its doors for training sessions before grassroots

sport comes to a halt. former wales international robbie savage, who also coaches a localjuniors side, told me not giving youth sport an exemption is a mistake. you know, i don't really understand it. for me, it is a huge part of their education, the mental health, the physical well—being of all these youngsters. for this to be taken away from them at this time is, for me, it can be so damaging. the government says pausing sport will reduce transmission from mixing of households, but those involved insist there is minimal risk and want to play on. we do it to play with our team and make new friends. it is just an amazing part of our life, isn't it? yeah. if it goes, everyone is going to be really upset. scenes like this are about to be put on hold on grassroots pitches throughout england for the next month at least, and the fear is that the suspension of youth sport will have a damaging impact on youngsters' physical and mental health at a time when the amount of pe and sport in schools has been reduced because of the pandemic.

despite some confusion within government, today it was confirmed even noncontact sports, golf and tennis, will stop. barbara has been a member at this club for the last 46 years. i feel very sad because it keeps me going. i have a sick husband and this is a way of getting out and this is all going to stop. it is sad because we're all going to be locked indoors once again. indoor sports and gyms will also close. maria found swimming helped her mental health after long—term fertility treatment. she is now a mother and believes passionately in the benefits of being in the pool. everybody says how important health and weight is to fighting covid, and where better to do that and to deal with the oncoming mental health epidemic than in gyms and swimming pools, which are covid—safe? ministers say exemptions risk undermining the rules and that people can have unlimited outdoor exercise for the next month, but stopping grassroots sport is proving controversial. dan roan, bbc news.

the actor and comedian john sessions, best known for his roles on the television shows whose line is it anyway?, spitting image, and 01, has died at the age of 67. he died yesterday at his home in south london from a heart condition. rory bremner said he was simply the best, a man of brilliance. before we go, an update on the main story tonight, the us presidential election. with polling stations starting to close in under two hours' time, our north america editorjon sopel is in washington. you have been following every day of this campaign and indeed the full presidency of donald trump. what about your sense tonight? we had from nick earlier that abide biden camp sounded confident so what is your sense of the trump camp? —— is abide in camp. i think it is matched by nervousness. there is an uneasy

about the way things are going. if you