♪ brent: this is "d.w. news" live from berlin. still, no victor in the u.s. presidential election but in the last hour, a projected win for challenger joe biden in wisconsin, one of the key battleground states, still to be declared. v.p. biden: it ain't over until every vote is counted, every ballot is counted. pres. trump: frankly, we did win this election. brent: without the authority to do so, president donald trump has claimed victory and says he'll ask the supreme court to

stop the vote count. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and to all of you around the world, welcome. it has been 24 hours since voting ended in the u.s. presidential election and there remains no clear winner. democratic challenger joe biden and president donald trump along with america and the rest of the world are waiting for results as ballot counting continued in a few key battleground states. this election is demanding patience from everyone but the u.s. president has already claimed victory and he's alleging voter fraud without presenting any evidence. joe biden, he's calling for patience, but his supporters are confident that he is on track to win. let's take a look at the results, where the vote counting stands right now, in just the last hour.

our figures show biden currently on 248 electoral college votes right there with donald trump right now at 214. the magic number needed, 270, to win. our figures indicate that he has just won the state of wisconsin and the 10 electoral votes that go with it, as you see right there. likewise, our data show that biden has taken arizona. those two states are not confirmed officially so that would mean biden needs 22 more electoral college votes to win the white house. biden is currently leading the count in michigan which has 16 votes, as you see right there. the vote there still too close to call but a win in michigan would leave him chasing only six more electoral college votes and that leads us then to the other states in which biden is currently leading, out west in

nevada, with six votes on offer. if joe biden maintains his lead in those states, until the end of counting, that would give him enough electoral college votes to become the next president of the united states but -- and we have to say this is a big but -- the count is ongoing and the race is still wide open. we're going to take this story to washington to my colleague covering things for us. good evening to you, sumi. let's talk about the latest numbers coming in showing joe biden taking the state of wisconsin. are we getting closer towards a final result here? sumi: we might be, brent. it might be so and you mentioned wisconsin as one of these key battleground states that both candidates really were battling it out over. 10 electoral college votes there and that would be a big boost for joe biden on his way to 270. that magic number needed to win

the electoral college, to win the presidency. you might notice, i keep saying maybe and would be. the reason for that is because it is not all over in wisconsin yet. even though the state has been called and d.w. is calling it, according to associated press reporting, those are the numbers we follow. we also know that earlier today president trump's campaign said they would seek a recount in wisconsin. the president's campaign manager said the following. "there have been reports of irregularities right now and they're raising serious doubts about the validity of the results." now, i should say, brett, there has been no proof of irregularities and we saw wisconsin election officials speaking to media earlier saying that vote counting has gone smoothly there but we also know that president trump's team has indicated they will fight this every step of the way. it would be a long and bumpy road. you looked at some of the states up for grabss right now, some are still too close to call,

pennsylvania, michigan, for example. something we are keeping an eye on at this hour, joe biden is expected to speak in delaware some time soon and we heard from his campaign manager, jennifer o'malley dillon, speaking to media, expressing confidence, she believes joe biden has a clear path to victory. >> we expect, as i said, to see over the course of today, as more of michigan comes in, as more of georgia comes in, these races in these states finalized. we think most of them are close to being called although we know with pennsylvania that could take time into tomorrow but if we carry the states that we're leading today that we talked about, we would get to 270 without pennsylvania. brent: sumi, we know if the numbers are not looking good for president donald trump, he has threatened to trigger all kinds of legal chaenges and he's been threatening that on twitter.

in two of his latest tweets, we want to read those for you, this is what he said. they are working hard to make up 500,000 vote advantages in pennsylvania disappear asap. likewise michigan and others. in the other tweet he says "they are finding biden votes all over the place, in pennsylvania, wisconsin, in michigan. so bad for our country." now, obviously, these are claims that have no evidence to go along with them. this does not sound as if trump is going to accept a biden victory at all. um isy: it does not. what we heard from president trump on election night is that he would take this to the supreme court. he will not back down. that's the indication so far. however, we have to say, we're talking about ballots that we understand have been cast lawfully and it's not clear that the president would actually have any grounds on which he could challenge these baltslo.

still, president trump's campaign manager reinforced the president's message again today saying they will move ahead with efforts to make sure no illegal votes are counted, casting doubt over these votes. we know this has been going on for months. legal experts here say that even before the election started it was the most litigated election ever. there have been hundreds of court cases over mail-in ballots, over when you can mail your ballot, when it can be received and that's been something we have been seeing for months so perhaps not much of a surprise that we're seeing this continue on after election day. brent: and these mail-in ballots have been used for a long time in the united states. this election, we've seen an unprecedented number of the postal ballots. talk to me about how that has complicated this election. sumi: brent, it's been massively complicated for many states. around 100 million people cast ballots early and many by mail because, of course, the

pandemic. people wanted to make sure they could cast votes safely. there are simply far more arduous to process. you have to make sure the signatures check what's on registration records, that the outer envelopes are closed properly. they're more vulnerable to mistake and it takes longer to tally these votes. some states didn't start counting them until election day and you add to that the fact that there is no central election administration. each jurisdiction might have its own technology, its own rules. all of that slows things down. it really has been a mammoth effort for election workers and you have to say with all the spotlight and pressure on voting and the record number of votes cast by mail, it is remarkable that it has, until now, appeared to go pretty smoothly. brent: it's quite a feat that they've been able to carry out every election without any big claims of fraud. we're looking at it on this side of the atlantic, lots of people stunned, shocked, speechless when they see what's going on.

what are you hearing there in the united states? what are americans saying about their own electoral process? sumi: well, i think a lot of the same emotions are felt here by americans. there was so much anxiety, brent. i've never felt so much anxiety surrounding an election here going into election day and i think there was a lot of fear that we could end up right where we are now, a place where we don't have a clear winner and we don't know when this process might end. there is also a lot of frustration with just how polarized and toxic the debate has become between trump supporters -- donald trump supporters and his opponents and how bitter this fight could get over the coming days and weeks and because there's no clear outcome at this point, there is frustration and anxiety and some dread, i would say, brent, as we look ahead to what could be a long battle. brent: we want to remind our viewers, sumi, too, we are expecting joe biden to give a statement any moment now and no one's expecting him to claim

victory or anything like that. we're expecting him to say, basically what he said last night, we're on track to win. sumi: that's right, brent. that very much would echo what we heard from joe biden last night. he was extremely cautious saying we cannot claim victory, we cannot say where we are at this point but we feel good about where we are and because we heard that from his campaign earlier today, i am expecting joe biden to echo that message that with wisconsin now called for him, they feel good about the direction in which this is heading yet it is too early to call any results and of course there is that stark contrast to what we've seen from the president and his team, prematurely declaring victory, disputing many results. again, going back to joe biden, i think we are going to see him show a positive front and say his campaign is exactly where it wants to be but that they're waiting for final results.

brent: there's been a lot of criticism of what the u.s. president said last night, his former national security adviser john bolton today saying his behavior was unprecedented and unpresidential. there's a lot of fire going towards donald trump right now. sumi: there really is. you can see from every constitutional lawyer and expert here who's been discussing the subject, that this is really considered a dangerous and unprecedented move by the president. and there is, understandably so, been a lot of criticism from democrats, of course, saying this is not the approach that president trump should be taking in such an contested and tight election where so much is at stake but also there's been criticism from republicans today, brent. mitch mcconnell, senate majority leader, an ardent supporter of donald trump, said that we should wait until votes are actually counted before talking about any sort of legal challenge. so it's hard to say where the president really is going to find a base of support for this

approach that he's taking but he has a strong team behind him with his campaign manager and with his core team in the white house that seems to be pushing this narrative forward despite the fact there is no proof of fraud or of ballots going missing or of ballots being overcounted at this point. brent: it is interesting, last night, the president said his attorneys were going to be on this case, they were going to take it today to the u.s. supreme court. we've had reports that no attorneys for the president have arrived at the u.s. supreme court today. so maybe we're talking about more bluster from donald trump. what's your take? sumi: brent, the reality is that you wouldn't be able to tak this directly to the supreme court anyway. if you look at the pattern of what we saw in the leadup to the election, that is, from what i've heard from constitutional

lawyers here, that is the way any legal dispute would proceed. in a state like wisconsin where so many mail-in ballots were received or in pennsylvania where they're still counting ballots right now, those ballots would be at the heart of a dispute on a state level first between election administrators there, republicans, democrats on a state level there. it could, then, proceed to courts. it could then proceed down the road to the supreme court but it first would likely be litigated on that level so there's no indication that the president's words that this could immediately be taken to the supreme court, is actually valid, that that approach would actually be valid and it doesn't seem to be that anyone believes that could happen in the coming days. brent: we are monitoring, sumi, to remind our viewers, waiting for joe biden to speak any moment now, monitoring the monitors as well as you. let's talk about this blue wall that has come into american parlance here about what joe

biden is trying to rebuild. that's those states in the upper midwest of the united states, that have traditionally been havens for democrats. sumi: that's right, the upper midwestern states like pennsylvania, wisconsin and michigan. and these are states that joe biden's campaign spent days and several hours in the last few days campaigning, knowing they're crucial states, particularly pennsylvania. for viewers unfamiliar with the electoral college vote count, pennsylvania has 20 votes, a crucial state for both candidates to win and really as you said, joe biden was trying to pick back -- take back these states for the democrats. these were in the past traditionally democratic states but in the last election went for donald trump. i have to say that even though joe biden's team would be happy to say that wisconsin has been called in his favor, this isn't, brent, the result or the

election they were looking for. let's be honest about that. they were hoping for a far larger win, a far larger lead at this point. and they were hoping that voters would go to the polls and cast their ballots in a referendum on president trump to rebuke his policy, as they would call mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic, his rhetoric, divisiveness yet we're seeing a 50/50 race at this point essentially and that is not what joe biden's team was hoping for. what many democrats might have expected with how polarizing president trump really is. brent: excellent analysis there as we wait for joe biden to speak. sumi, thank you very much. leading in to the election, polls indicated that the economy was the biggest election issue for american voters with millions out of work because of

the coronavirus pandemic, many are hoping the next president will restore jobs and deliver a much needed stimulus package. >> jubilation among trump supporters in florida. cuban-americans are reliable republican voters and many of them are especially pleased with the president's handling of the economy. >> i'm here to support our president. i think he's done a fine job, despite the pandemic, despite it all. he's done an incredible job. he's bringing back the economy, he's brought back jobs. reporter: an exit poll conducted by nbc news found that was the issue that mattered most to voters. coming in far ahead of other hot-button topics like racial injustice, the coronavirus pandemic, crime and safety and healthcare policy. trump's tax cuts and deregulation have been popular at home. >> quite a few people in the u.s. think that trump is better for the economy.

domestically, that is probably correct for some sectors. those which would otherwise be regulated, especially with a green tilt. but internationally, the outlook is probably different. reporter: while americans seem to be happy with trump's handling of the economy, his policies in international trade have raised hackles and worries abroad. >> of course, for germany, for europe, president biden probably would be easier. he probably would be less confrontational, but he may also be more clever in pursuing american interests, in particular on trade. reporter: trump's campaign has generally been light on policy pronouncements so there's no real hint as to whether he'll double down on his confrontational course or not. it will be days before we find out if he'll get the chance.

brent: european leaders have been reluctant to say much about the presidential election until they know what sort of u.s. administration they'll be dealing with for the next four years. a biden victory might perhaps be the preferred outcome here in europe but most governments are saying only that they have faith in american democracy. >> it's difficult to predict what the final result will be. no one should claim victory when there's no data to support that. everyone needs to be patient or very patient because this won't be clear in a matter of hours. counting will continue all day. the german government has confidence in the u.s. democratic tradition and its institutions based on the rule of law. what we can say is that counting continues and so as the french government spokesman, i can repeat what i said yesterday, france will of course work with whoever's elected u.s. president.

>> i'm sure it will be tense and a lot of biting fingernails depending on which side you are in the u.s. but we'll wait for the definitive result and we have full faith in the american system to produce one. it may take days rather than hours. brent: teri schultz is on the story for uses in brussels. good evening to you. you know there are growing calls here in berlin from german lawmakers to decouple germany from the united states, if they're looking at another four yearsave trump administration. what would a second term for president trump, what would that mean for europe and transatlantic relations? teri: they may not have a choice if there's a second trump administration because that, of course, has been something that president trump has done himself during his first four years. certainly making germany seem like an enemy of the united states, as part of the european union, which he also terms a foe.

so i think that european leaders, as you showed there, are very much holding their tongues, corresponds that -- concerned that there may be a second trump administration on its way. we've seen his wrath at european leaders and nobody wants to bring for -- of that upon themselves so everybody is just saying they're waiting for the system to do its work, waiting for voters' voices to be heard but i think there is a lot of worry about what another trump four years would mean. biden would be a much more comfortable choice for europeans. brent: would a biden presidency necessarily be a better choice for europe? teri: i think many would say that it couldn't be much worse. president trump has attacked the multilateral institutions that europeans love and in which europeans participate -- the w.h.o., the climate accord which

today the u.s. formally withdrew from. president biden has promised he would immediately attend to shoring up european ties including the paris climate agreement. however, as we see now, if joe biden were to squeak out a victory here, he may have domestic issues to tend to first so i think that here in europe, leaders, as they have been during the first trump administration, are very much having to look at what they're going to do to consolidate themselves, to get themselves all on the same page and decide what issues they can work on as europeans that would not be dependent on the united states and that comes in terms of trade and security issues, as well. brent: teri, you've been covering nato for many years. there has been talk about a re-election of donald trump meaning the beginning of the end of nato. what are you hearing?

teri: i don't so much that it would be the end of nato. we have, of course, heard that president trump may want to end u.s. participation in nato but remember that he can't do these things all by himself even if he thinks he can and there is a very, very strong bipartisan support for nato on capitol hill and that doesn't matter, that will not change regardless of the senate or house races. when president trump started threatening in a serious tone to pull the u.s. out of nato, there were bills drawn up on capitol hill to say that that would be -- that that would not be allowed to happen. so he can't do that but what he can do is create a lot of insecurity inside the alliance and that, by its very nature, undermines the entire principle of nato which is to provide security for all based on the principle of mutual defense. he has openly said that he may

not be willing to send the united states to defend an an ally, which is required by article five so he can create a lot of unstability for nato even if he doesn't pull the united states out. so i think everyone in nato is concerned about what a second trump administration would mean. brent: d.w.'s teri schultz in brussels tonight. here in germany, the chair of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, norbert röttgen, has said that berlin is not prepared for four more years of working with donald trump. it's a sentiment shared by many in the political establishment here. earlier today we spoke to the green party's foreign policy spokesperson and asked him whether it's appropriate for german leaders to take sides in a foreign election. >> it's not about taking sides but we are highly concerned of what's going on in the united states. we are driving massive

-- massively into a constitutional crisis of the united states. this is the most important partner we have outside of europe and we are highly concerned and this is not about me only, not only about defense minister only, this is about entire class and population of this country, i think, we are highly concerned of a time of weeks or months of instability in the united states which to be honest, a few years ago was not imaginable. it's absolutely none of our business who is at the end of the day being elected by the american people. this is their choice but for the last four years we had some kind of bizarre and strange experiences and we saw a president who was not ready to build a reliable bridge in relations to germany. we had a president of the united states who was trash talking about germany when it came to campaigns and he did it in the last campaign and did it during this campaign. of course, it's bad for our

image and of course we have to talk about it. no, this is not about taking sides. this is about defending ourselves and if we could have a president named trump for the next four years who behaves not radio l are are are another way towards us, we could live with that. but the experience of the last four years is not that hopeful. brent: austria admitted that the gunman behind monday's artist -- terrorist shooting in vienna tried to buy ammunition in slovakia in july. the government says the agency failed to act on that information. video evidence of the incident in which four people were killed confirms that the attacker acted alone. the european union is preparing sanctions against the president of belarus, alexander lukashenko was not on the first list of belarusian officials sanctioned over the elections in august,

elections which the e.u. says were rigged. the new list of sanctions against lukashenko and 14 other officials is set to be adopted this week. china has criticized u.s. plans to sell military hardware to taiwan. the u.s. state department has approved the sale of four sophisticated armed drones. china views taiwan as a breakaway province. ethiopia's prime minister has order the army into tigray state. abiy ahmed says the deployment folls a rebel attack on a military bas the tigray people's liberation fronlong dominated ethpian politics and the move has fueled fears of civil war. this is "d.w. news" live in berlin. here's a reminder of our top story tonight. there is still no winner in the u.s. presidential election. supporters of democrat challenger joe biden claim that their candidate is on track to win as the final votes are being counted.

in an extraordinary intervention, president trump has claimed victory and he's alleged voter fraud even before the counting has finished. results from a handful of remaining battleground states will decide this contest. you're watching "d.w. news." after a short break, i'll be back to take you through the day. tonight we'll have extensive coverage of the u.s. election 24 hours later and still no resolution. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org.] news unfold on france 24 and

france .4.com.n france 24 and -- france24.com. mark: these are the headlines. threats and anger in the u.s. election. biden has gained wisconsin. a major get for the democrats. the final results still not insight. meanwhile, trump says he will sue to stop account. we will have much more than this to come. italy has been to combat with increasing racing covid-19 infection. the vienna investigation confirms the 21 -- 28-yearld