the u.s. election is in full swing and businesses are bracing for potential chaos with the prospect of a drawn out vote count and a civil unrest. fears of which are driving americans to gun shops in droves leading to an historic boom in firearm sales. and as the familiar claims of foreign meddling hang over the trump biden clash we hit the streets of moscow to find out who russians are rooting for. the famous. i can see. who's here. but i don't see biden.

or broadcasting live direct from our studios in moscow this is r t international i'm sean thomas glad to have you with us on this election day in the united states in fact polls have already closed in 2 states that would be indiana and kentucky will be with you through the night in archie america but right now let's talk about what's happening ballots are being cast across the u.s. in arguably the most diverse of divisive presidential battle in the country's modern history it is the most expensive election of all time and is happening in the midst of a pandemic that has claimed almost a quarter of a 1000000 american lives and these are the latest pictures from polling stations in 2 of the key swing states wisconsin and north carolina 4 years ago donald trump won both and taking wisconsin was considered a tipping point for the president giving him a crucial lead in the electoral college count but things could be very different this time around with. the polls pointing to narrow victories for joe biden in

those 2 states. for more on the election we can cross live to our g.'s kilmartin who is in new york caleb but 1st polls are closing now in indiana and kentucky as i just mentioned how has the vote gone so far today. well here in new york the polls remain open for the next few hours but will be closing in just a bit and so far in new york voting has gone pretty pretty ok there hasn't been a lot of tension there haven't been the long lines that we've seen in some other states due to the fact that early voting took place all throughout the state and many people voted before the official election day today now there has been a report from the new york post about people who showed up in new york city to vote . to vote in the place of people who were deceased and that would be electoral

fraud now those reports have surfaced however it's pretty clear that new york state's electoral votes will be going to joe biden so that shouldn't impact the results overall but this is one report from the new york post of some some incorrect activity taking place now a federal judge recently ordered the u.s. postal service to inspect some processing facilities in swing states so that inspections going to take place one of the key places that will be affected is pennsylvania now pennsylvania there will be a major major postal processing facility where ballots are being sent and processed that facility is being inspected so as a result we won't be getting our results of from this postal facility for up to a few days there will be a delay in pennsylvania's results and pennsylvania is a key swing state now donald trump has already weighed in on this during his scheduled visit to the republican national committee annex he said that this ruling

and this decision by a federal judge that it essentially undermines the transparency of the election this is donald trump. winning is easy losing is never easy enough for me it's you have to have a date and a date. principally november 3rd and we should be entitled to know who won on november 3rd and if somebody comes along and puts a ballot in wally which a very dangerous decision for this country what they did with pennsylvania. now pennsylvania was a key state in securing donald trump's 2016 victory and it's where joe biden just ended his campaign recently so at this point many people are nervous about how soon results will come in people anticipating exit poll results and other information now it is also a concern at this point that that here in new york which is a stronghold 'd of the democratic party and support for joe biden we actually took

to the streets and we asked people if they could tell the difference between trump and biden when it came to policy what were the major policy differences between the 2 major candidates now we got some interesting answers take a listen. very little more. from from the other here in your. government experience. for them for it has a near 0.0 so you just put them in the work so if we want most is your party let me see as opposed to. being troops is. really. i would sit by. and i'm going to say don trump but it could be provided.

now at this point we understand the clashes and confrontations between protesters and police have already broken out in washington d.c. near the white house now in anticipation of protests a very special fence a strong fence was put around the white house in anticipation of protests here in new york there's a very visible presence by the new york city police department on the streets a lot of police are out in manhattan and brooklyn and the bronx and other places and many people are anticipating some kind of confrontation if one candidate or other is victorious now already we have seen a number of store windows boarded up and at this point there's a lot of tension in the air people are very nervous about the fact that this election could potentially open the door to a big explosion in the united states with with feeling on both sides of that the other side may not concede the vote feeling that somehow this could be

a contested election with a long drawn out result so many people are quite nervous about what could happen as we approach results in the 2020 presidential election here in the united states all right he's come up and there for us in new york it could be an interesting night brace yourself buddy and stay with us all right in a sign of growing anxiety business owners are boarding up their windows preparing for the worst and there are widespread fears of a disputed result with some security experts predicting street rights in washington d.c. many offices and stores have ramped up security and he spends one reports now from the capitol. this is the scene all across downtown washington d.c. from the white house fanning out for miles if you have a shop or a business it's getting boarded up that is what is happening across the city and it's basically every business this is a wells fargo bank but we're talking banks we're talking restaurants we're talking to office buildings if it has glass windows or glass doors it seems like there is

plywood going up over it there are dozens of these crews all around downtown washington d.c. putting up plywood in anticipation of what well in intice a patient of violent protest as a result of selection now got into a couple of these businesses and asked the store owners and the shopkeepers what are you guys expecting why are you boarding up now keep in mind most of these folks don't own these buildings are owned by landlords but they're telling me they are boarding up in anticipation of in their words quote whatever happens in anticipation of whatever happens now keep in mind we have in this country 200 years plus of peaceful transition of power that takes place so this is a very unusual sight to see that during a u.s. presidential election that washington d.c. would literally be boarded up in anticipation of possible violence but of course the other question that's coming up here does this become the new normal the new normal of when there is a presidential election buildings board up in anticipation of protests against

whatever the outcome might ultimately be i did talk to one store owner who is a liquor store owner he told me that during the george floyd protest his business was broken into his windows were smashed so he's putting up the boards himself most of this work is being done by professional crews but i did ask him what do you think any of this has to do with the election and he said your guess is as good as mine over at the white house there is another set of our cautions being put up so aside from the plywood being designed to stop protesters and unscalable fence that's what it's being called unscalable fence has been set up here at the white house to protect the president and the white house from any protesters who may try to get over this initial fencing and the multiple layers of security what makes this fence different than these others is actually made of mesh and so there's a. no room for fingers or toes to be able to climb up it by the way some media organizations have been mislabeled in it claiming it's a white fence on the other side of the white house made of wood it is not it is this mesh fence that has been confirmed for us by the secret service today the big question surrounding all this really comes down to the question of is this is the

new normal for elections hard to believe but with more than 200 years of peaceful transitions of power we're now talking about possible massive protests on the night of election night and again new layers of security at the white house it's also about what happens in the next 4 years 8 years and into the future. meanwhile gun sales have surged to record numbers in the u.s. since spring following a protest for racial justice in california customers were seen lining up at a gun store near los angeles the shop owner says the demand is soaring. so are our 1st time purchasing is probably 50 percent about half of the people that come into our shop are 1st time buyers and that's a big deal you know they fear the worst to come after you do you like and you have it people are going to do you know riots and stuff like that after the election i think it's going to get probably even worse you know and people once they start breaking down houses and the mobs get bigger you got to be able to protect yourself

there's a lot of people getting whatever they can in their hands. there has been an online campaign urging people to vote against trump even if they are not particularly keen on the alternative and it has a catchy slogan subtle for biden our team is going our team is going underground spoke to us comedian jimmy door explains why the left isn't really sold on the democratic contender. joe biden is going to move to the right he's already said but promised he's bought out he's going to veto medicare for all even if it passes the congress and 80 to 90 percent of the people in the country are for it is already vowed to do that and why did he bother to do that because it's in the pocket of wall street and the health insurance companies his record is not ever being able to be moved to the left is record is he moved to the right and then farther to the right he's not moving to the left before he has your vote the idea that he's going to move to the left after you voted for him is as just nuts it's him it sure it's ridiculous and we've got to snap americans out of this idea because once joe biden

gets elected we just have another problem to fight you know what they're saying is it's the equivalent does i'm going to go buy a car after i give the car dealer all my money then i'm going to negotiate the price and he's going to give me some of my money back that never happens this is which is why joe biden is never going to move to the left which is why these people have trumped arrangement syndrome to think that joe biden is anything but an exact warmongering fascist neil liberal who's going to workers and take care of the billionaire class at least 100000000 americans have already made their choice using in person early voting and mail in ballots that figure is twice as high as in the last election and as those votes take longer to count it is likely to mean significant delays in some states mail in ballots cannot be opened until election day and into pennsylvania and north carolina they can even. be accepted several days after the voting has officially ended donald trump has claimed the system is

vulnerable to fraud and suggested that he might not recognize of the result and the democrats are hinting the same. the only way we're going to lose this election is if the election is rigged to remember the it's the only way we're going to lose and so look for joe biden should not concede under any circumstances because i think this is going to drag out and eventually i do believe he will win whenever the end count is but on the election that occurs on tuesday he will be elected on january 20th he will be inaugurated president of the united states are to has done a quarter has more on the complexity and potential pitfalls of america's electoral process. for as long as anyone can remember washington's been helping people around the world fight wars change regimes influence elections all in the name of democracy but in 2020 america itself seems to have a crisis of democracy on its hands this is going to be

a fraud like you've never seen our democratic institutions threatened like never before i think the choice in this election is whether america remains america is our democracy and dangerous this is a democratic emergency talk of democracy being in danger has become normal for both democrats and republicans and there's more than just one reason as to why we could start with the fact that the actual popular vote doesn't even determine election outcomes we're the only democracy in the world that doesn't kill the popular vote and the bitter irony of america's winner takes all system in which the outcome could literally be the opposite of what most people voted for is that it's called the electoral college.

so no matter who you vote for it's unlikely to make much of a difference unless of course you live in a swing state and these states the popular vote is usually up in the air meaning they almost always determine the election outcome to give you an example no republican has ever become president without the critical swing state of ohio iowa michigan minnesota and north carolina are among those no less important swing states it's created a political situation where candidates will go to any length to please these specific voters i will be calling on the florida attorney general to launch an investigation into mike bloomberg. potentially engaging in bribery and vote buying in the state of florida bloomberg raised over $16000000.02 pay the legal fees of nearly $32000.00 black and hispanic felons in florida the democrats know how important a swing state is but so did the republicans at

a recent florida rally trump demanded votes from the residents of the nearby island of puerto rico i'm not going to say the best but i'm just about the best thing that ever happened to puerto rico you better vote for you but unfortunately for trump he clearly didn't know they can't vote the caribbean island still has the political rights of what many consider to be a 900 centuries call of puerto rico's 3200000 u.s. citizens aren't the only ones who can vote for the country's president american samoa the northern mariana islands and u.s. virgin islands are also vote lists u.s. territories even many people who live on the mainland have the right to vote but faced serious obstacles something human rights groups are calling a mockery. now we are moved to exercise it because they're all these barriers not enough centers missing from voter guides that are complicated to say you don't live in a territory and voting booths are accessible to you it's not like there's much of

a choice everyone knows 2 parties run the show in american politics and even if a 3rd one does end up on the ballot it's not like it would have much of a chance to compete the polls show that about 2 thirds of the american people would like to see another major already an alternative to the 2 major parties that we have now and despite all these problems with america's electoral system washington still claims the country is the world's beacon of democracy. barricaded means that protected long lines of police vehicles have been filmed outside trump tower amid fears of post-election unrest. right and for more on this entire situation and the election united states we're joined by daniel shaw professor of latin american and caribbean studies at the city university of new york we are seeing tensions arise as we. as we wait for

protesters have already clashed with police near the white house that have a little bit of technical issues in my ear can we expect more. i want to reset in town for a 2nd but there are protesters have already clashed with police near the white house can we expect more violence before we receive the final results in the final tally you know it is a new. absolute distrust in this american political system. absolute disgust with this electoral college. 100000000 people already voting before today 3 fourths of the total number of voters from 2016 it seems like people who've never voted before are seeking is so serious this fascist white supremacist existential threat that more people than ever are coming into the voting booths and coming into the streets is definitely here in new york city it is and are a there's a feeling of fear of incredible anxiety the gay community the latino community

immigrants feel like anything could happen is if there's going to be some type. of new york city all these stores are boarded up but i think people are just exercising precautions whenever in an arm to young black men like william wallace so we saw iraq kevin pietersen killed in washington. yesterday yes the communities extremely angry they're sick of seeing more and more george floyds and that's why they rebel but to just say that these are political riots is ridiculous this is an historical rebellion against why supremacy against stroke against police brutality. are now with social unrest and economic damage from the crown of virus who do you think american voters will choose for the next 4 years. yes really a toss up in this point it's difficult to make those predictions because if you watch fox news you read the daily news you get one diagnosis and if you listen

to c.n.n. and if you listen to n.p.r. this is a completely different diagnosis this country is extremely polarized trump has in a very unprecedented way at least in modern times brought white supremacy uncivil in fascism and his rhetoric that he's the greatest thing that's happened to put to her equal in the greatest thing that's happened so black america one wonders whether he in his own family in would could even believe the propaganda that he spews people are extremely angry one 4th of renters can no longer pay their rent they're facing eviction is an alarming statistic of 56000000 americans who have been hungry in the past few months yes it is every 2nd there was a new case of 19 so the country is definitely in crisis which would seem to loom well for joe biden against the incumbent because trump has to take responsibility

for all of these percolating social issues. you bring up some of the minority vote democrat have traditionally gotten the biggest share of minority votes but during this election race we've seen some micro-targeting specifically in florida on the hispanic level specific different hispanic groups and also increase the black support for donald trump do you think that that will have an impact on this election. this term minorities is curious too because when you put together the immigrant book the latino will to blackball women this will poor people's will dell to be cheap to vote then you have the vast majority of the 99 percent of this this country now comics talk a lot about when the collison minority in the treat us like a minority we begin to internalize that so it's it is interesting to look at the different demographics in the vote certainly latinos and african-americans the vast vast majority would steward's 90 percent if not much higher our voting democrat because of these issues of police brutality immigrant rights voting instructors of

or against this this wall of bigotry as you know phobia the trunk has tried to construct along the border with mexico. so the country is more divided than ever and definitely charged is trying to have a strike a preemptive blow by saying preemptive blow by saying that no matter what happens he's going to contest the result and he's not going to concede that brings up a really good point in trump says that he will he's actually said that if he doesn't win it is fraud why have there been so much concern that the democratic process in this election could be undermined and asking to go down the rabbit hole just a little bit with me. how likely is the possibility a fraud. it seems extremely likely to be a constitutional crisis and that the fried i mean the electoral college is for to begin with if any other country cuba venezuela dominican republic use this electoral college this antiquated inheritance from flaming of millions of africans

if any other country has the electoral college the 82nd airborne would immediately invade and occupy that country clamoring for democracy so it's an incredible double standard that we still have this d.d. system. trump is going to try every trick up his sleeve and his plan a of course is to win the popular vote in the electoral college because of his ego and is not a citizen his plan b. is to use the supreme court he's already said his lawyers are ready to go and his plan c. is to create as much havoc as he can and to call his defacto militias into the streets across this country do you expect to any. post election day legal action from either the 2 candidates and harken back to the 2000 election where we see any recount. yes sure seems like the supreme court is already involved in nevada in pennsylvania. of course now with 6 republican justices injustices versus the

3 democratic justices are injustices. things things could go terribly bad if for the democrats if they didn't 2000 in in florida in trump is counting on that they're already shining contest votes in texas the governor of texas is done everything to make sure there's not enough ballot boxes in the lead up still it was really heroic that $100000000.00 people 3 fourths of the total vote in 2016 already participated so that in difference that we felt in 2016 when over 100000000 people didn't participate you had trouble 65 you had hillary clinton 64000000 votes trumping the range of. just over 60000000 but then 100000000 because of there any difference in their apathy and their absolute disgust with the system who didn't even participate it doesn't seem like that's going to repeat it so this year. daniel schorr professor of latin american and caribbean studies at the city university of new york interesting to hear thoughts and good conversation on this

election day sorry about the confusion at the beginning little technical issues on my part. but thanks for being with us. they sure. aren't according to mainstream media it is very important to know which candidate is preferred and moscow are trying to take a tongue in cheek look. big bucks being splashed on campaigns the electoral college swing states none of this matters as long as the american vote is being decided. right there by. bob schieffer he. will never be able to find out how exactly it works behind these red walls but the fact that it's russia that's deciding can easily be felt outside the kremlin too. so i start walking down the are about street in the heart of moscow and the 1st

thing i see pretty much. stealing the u.s. election deciding instead of the americans you want to see what it looks like this is what it looks like. the famous but the office i can see trump potence here too but i don't see biden. by a little bit. but you're a fool for you but more sufficient now that's something that makes a difference right. i mean can you still don't meddling when you see this joe biden's wife showing up in the same dress as the one our t's editor in chief was wearing while interviewing. so it's time to hear the rush total bullshit of a. full. 59 you wish. to

. look at them but actually it didn't work for them but if we can. even the globe was. trying to be pure for the united states jason statement. when the night falls is the scheming put on hold and now. go to issue number. one for the empty seats for anything. but if you're going to we're going to. foist 6 of us from the scene of the game to the live picture of the good. night or day rushes taking over town. but let me be serious for a 2nd i'll tell you what most russians barely know when the american vote is happening and to be honest with you most people don't care at all i was going to

get a little bit of some fool. like you is a libertarian you could show up with bands accompany them to the sound of it and. the muppets play probably a series about me down a few of these of. the mums these below months. but also those lines are good i mean if we're going to be doing. something else something to somebody will share in the community you know. that's all for now from us here in moscow at the top of the hour to america begins their special 2020 election day coverage so with us. now look forward to talking to you on. that technology should work for people. i robot must obey the orders given by human beings except where such orders would

conflict with the 1st law show your identification for should be very careful about artificial intelligence and the point over use the. trust. me with artificial intelligence will something to. protect its own existence. join me every thursday on the alex salmond show and i'll be speaking to guest of the world of politics or business i'm show business i'll see you then.

the following program contains material that may be disturbing including references to illegal sex drugs and drug use if you were discretion is advised. you were going on the ground a show that will likely have more viewers from around the world this week of dr headline making interview with white house current a virus advisor professor scott atlas the mainstream media reaction and his subsequent apology for his appearance hasn't stopped one month from going on the show as voters elect the president of the united states president all trumps personal lawyer and former mayor of new york city rudy giuliani joins me now via skype from washington d.c. rudy welcome to going underground especially for the election why have you called today's election the most important in your life. well i think there's such a stark difference between the directions in which the 2 candidates would take the country. would take it in the direction of sri enterprise continued growth in

oregon i mean which he brought to.