US elections: What you need to know right now in 500 words

As the United States awaits a winner in the presidential election, returns overnight put Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden ahead in Georgia and Pennsylvania by slim margins, adding to his advantage in the Electoral College.

With nearly five million votes counted in Georgia, Biden leads by just 1,096 votes. If it holds, it would flip the historically Republican state.

A win for Biden in Pennsylvania give him more than 270 votes in the Electoral College –  enough for the presidency.

With counts of mail ballots nearing an end, Americans and the world may know on Friday who the apparent winner is. But it will not end there.

Recounts appear inevitable as President Donald Trump is planning court challenges in several key states. He has already attacked the entire process as rigged on Twitter and in a White House appearance on Thursday night.

Biden’s campaign is also assembling lawyers to protect his electoral lead in the courts and is asking online donors for money, saying “the fight is not over”.

The heavily Democratic city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania is emerging as a hotspot in the dispute as mail ballot counts sliced President Trump’s early lead from in-person voting.

Biden still leads continuing counts in Arizona and Nevada, two southwest states that combined, could also give Biden an overall win. Trump leads in North Carolina.

In statements from the White House and on Twitter, Trump attacked the integrity of the election process in which in-person votes gave him an early lead which was later clipped by mail ballots.

Trump tweeted at 2:22 am EST [07:22GMT] the votes still being counted are “illegal”. Twitter flagged the president’s tweet as “disputed” and potentially “misleading”.

I easily WIN the Presidency of the United States with LEGAL VOTES CAST. The OBSERVERS were not allowed, in any way, shape, or form, to do their job and therefore, votes accepted during this period must be determined to be ILLEGAL VOTES. U.S. Supreme Court should decide!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2020

Some US television networks cut away from live coverage of Trump’s remarks from the White House on Thursday night in which he claimed the vote counting was illegal.

Republicans have been divided by Trump’s rhetoric. In a message picked up by other House Republicans, Representative Adam Kinzinger tweeted Trump’s claims were “getting insane”.

We want every vote counted, yes every legal vote (of course). But, if you have legit concerns about fraud present EVIDENCE and take it to court. STOP Spreading debunked misinformation… This is getting insane.

— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) November 6, 2020

Trump’s allies joined the president’s accusations that Democrats were trying to “steal” the election.

Senator Lindsey Graham announced on Fox News on Thursday night he will donate USD $500,000 to Trump’s legal fund to challenge the ballot counting and urged Fox viewers to contribute.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called this moment a “genuine, deep crisis” of the American system and called Democrats in Philadelphia “corrupt”.

A federal judge in Philadelphia dismissed a lawsuit by Trump’s campaign over how many observers it could allow in the room during counting after an agreement was reached.

Philadelphia police detained two people driving a military-style Hummer vehicle with QAnon symbols and a weapon who were suspected of planning to attack the building where election workers were counting votes.

In a federal court filing on Friday in Washington, DC, the US Postal Service said it had found 1,700 ballots in Pennsylvania not yet delivered to election officials.