
• One dead, at least four injured after gunman opens fire in LA
• Voting has ended in some states, including those critical to Donald Trump
• Trump says he will accept election result depending "how it plays out"
• Trump to win Kentucky, Indiana, West Virgina and Clinton to win Vermont -- no surprises
• Battleground state of Ohio expected to fall to Trump



Hillary Clinton is leading Republican rival Donald Trump by two Electoral College votes, according to media reports, while the Republicans are expected to retain control of the house of representatives.

With voting complete in more than half of the 50 US states, the race was too close to call in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Virginia.

They are all states that could be vital to deciding which contender wins the presidency.

Both candidates scored early victories in states where they were expected to win.

Florida is emerging as the state to watch.

Shortly after 11am, Donald Trump had a lead of about 63,000 votes in Florida.

Mr Trump captured conservative states in the South and Midwest, while Mrs Clinton swept several states on the East Coast and Illinois in the Midwest.

There are 270 Electoral College votes needed to win.

FOLLOW THE LATEST VOTING IN OUR INTERACTIVE BELOW
• Trump team fails in lawsuit over late voting in Nevada
• Did Donald Trump check on how his wife voted?
• When will we know who has won?

Shooting leaves one dead, four injures near polling station

ONE person has been killed and at least four people have been injured after an active shooter opened fire near a polling station in Azusa, a suburrb of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles county sheriff captain Jeff Scorggin said authorities were dealing with one suspect who was heavily armed.

At least of the victims was headed to the polling station to vote, a law enforcement source told The Times.

Under a hail of gunfire, officers took cover and returned shots at the man, who retreated into a home in the 500 block of Fourth Street, said the source, who requested anonymity because the case was ongoing.

No officers were injured in the shooting.

The shooting took place in a residential neighbourhood about 2pm local time, and police said that four gunshot victims were being treated for their injuries.

The extent of their injuries is not known as police said the situation was not "contained".

Officer Jerry Willison of the Azusa police department said the situation as "very volatile and critical".





 As shots rang out, people started to run inside the polling station at the Memorial Park and Slauson Middle School before officials closed the doors.

Elizabeth Hopkinson told NBC that she and her 9-month-old son were locked down at Slauson Middle School nearby, and that she was going to vote when the shooting happened.

She said she heard, "pow, pows, then a rain of fire."

She was one of 25 people locked in the gym, as well as a group of children. The shots did not happen inside the polling station.

Another female voter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told CNN that she was inside the polling station when she heard shots ring out.

"At first, I thought it was construction but people came running into the room saying they see a guy with a bulletproof vest and a white shirt.

"As of right now, they just have us in the voting room and are trying to keep us calm."

A helicopter has transported at least two victims to hospital.

It remains unclear if police have been able to "contain" the gunman.

Trump to win Indiana, Kentucky; Clinton set to take Vermont.

The earliest states are being called after voting booths on America's east coast closed.

Donald Trump is predicted to win Indiana and Kentucky. Pollsters Five Thirty Eight predicted he was more than 97% likely to win the states.

Both were widely predicted to stay in the hands of Republicans, and are considered safe states.

Ohio was considered a battleground state -- one that could fall to the Democrats if the swing against Mr Trump was powerful enough. Ohio was however considered a "must-win" for Republicans if they were to have a shot at the White House.

Vermont is expected to stay with Hillary Clinton. No surprises there.

THE first polls have closed in the US election, and these are must-win states if Donald Trump is to have any hope of upsetting the polls that are widely predicting a decisive win for Hillary Clinton.

The important states to watch are the swing states of Florida, New Hampshire and Virginia.

He is widely predicted to North Carolina and Florida, but if either of those red states turn blue, his chances of taking the presidency fall to close to nil.

As of 9.40am AEST, Mr Trump has 53% of the vote so far in New Hampshire and 75% of the votes counted so far in Kentucky.





 As North Carolina, Florida and Ohio counting begins, we could soon be given an early indication of how Mr Trump's campaign is going.

Early voting numbers and turnout figures, however, bode less well for Mr Trump.

Mr Trump's policies on Mexican immigration, the building of a border wall and the plot to deport potentially millions of illegal immigrants may have galvanised the influential Hispanic community in the US.

If early numbers on Hispanic voter turnout play out consistently, it could deliver a heavy blow to Mr Trump's campaign fortunes.

Most Hispanic voters live in states that are set in stone for either Democrats or Republicans -- California, Texas and New York -- but there are key populations in the swinging states of Florida, Nevada and Colorado.

If this group proves a powerful force in this election, it could change the way both parties campaign, and will deliver more influence to the Hispanic community.

Donald Trump will accept election result on one condition

DONALD Trump Jr has said that his father will accept the result of the election - with one big caveat.

As long as the voting is "legit and fair", he said, his father will accept that he has lost.

With polls suggesting Mrs Clinton had a narrow lead before election day, Donald Trump Jr said his father would concede defeat if he loses, provide the result is "legit and fair".

He told MSNBC: "All we've wanted is a fair fight.

"If he loses and it's legit and fair, and there's not obvious stuff out there - without question, yes."

Although the candidate himself is not so sure.

He told Fox news earlier today that he would not necessarily accept the result of the election, unless he wins of course.

It will depend on "how things play out", Mr Trump said.

"Hopefully they'll play out well and hopefully we won't have to worry about it, meaning hopefully we'll win.

"We will see how they play out.

"I want to see everything honest."

Barack Obama has said that he still has faith in the American people after a bitter election campaign.

Asked whether he was feeling nervous about the presidential election outcome, Obama said "I think we'll do a good job" as long as the American people vote.

Lines were long in some areas as voters chose between Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump and some third-party candidates.

Obama said he hopes everyone has "voted early. If not, get out there."

Obama supports Clinton and voted early last month in his Chicago hometown.

He spoke while walking from the White House residence to the Oval Office, following his Election Day tradition of playing basketball with friends. 



The probabilities are moving slightly towards a Trump win - but not enough to make a difference.

Bookmaker Paddy Power said Clinton's chance of taking the White House dipped slightly to 81.8 percent on Election Day from 83.3 percent, while Trump's probability improved to 22 percent from 20 percent.

"The flow of money is relatively even with it slightly favoring Trump," said a Paddy Power spokesman.

He said Paddy Power has seen at least 20 four- and five-figure bets placed on Tuesday. Different bookmakers and exchanges have different closing times for placing bets.



 Republicans are going to do well in House

Much as the presidential election is spectacular, the House is likely to be both closer and ultimately just as important. It's looking like the Republicans are going to do well.

Republicans seemed on track to secure two more years of House control in Tuesday's elections but with erosion of their historic majority, leaving hard-line conservatives with added clout to vex party leaders.

With Donald Trump rousing opposition in many suburban and ethnically diverse districts, Democrats were hoping to gain a dozen seats or more.



Chief targets included GOP incumbents in Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, Nevada and California.

But both sides anticipated that Democrats would fall short of the 30-seat pickup they'd need to take command of the House for the first time in six years. Democrats have gained that many seats in just five of the 35 elections since World War II, including only once - in 2006 - since the 1970s.

One prized pelt would be eight-term Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who dogged President Barack Obama with probes into the 2012 killings of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, and IRS mistreatment of conservative groups.

Another would be Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., from New York City's suburbs, under fire for reports he'd objected to contributing money for gay GOP congressional candidates.

Key pollster says Clinton victory most likely

Nate Silver, the renowned pollster who has seriously talked up the chances of Donald Trump winning today's election, has released his final forecast.

And it is good news for Hillary Clinton, with Silver's model now giving her a 71.4 per cent chance of victory compared to Mr Trump's 28.6 per cent.

Silver's FiveThirtyEight project had come in for some criticism in the last week after it gave Mr Trump a chunky 35 per cent chance of becoming president.

With Ms Clinton only a 65 per cent favourite, that was seen as an outlier compared to other models.

HuffPost Pollster was giving Ms Clinton a 98 per cent chance of winning, while The New York Times' model at The Upshot had her at 85 per cent.

Releasing his final forecast, Silver noted that there was a gap between the Electoral College and the national vote, with Ms Clinton 81 per cent likely to get the overall majority of votes in the latter.

Silver has justified giving Mr Trump such high chances in the past on the basis that, with the polls all pretty tight, many different scenarios remain possible.

But he tweeted as his final forecast came out that "show Clinton winning pretty much the same states as everyone else".

Significantly, Silver said the key swing states of Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and Maine (2) had "flipped narrowly to her in the past 48 hours".

"However, we continue to believe that other forecasts overstate [certainty]," he added.</s>Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has tweeted his shock at Donald Trump's US Presidential election win.

On Wednesday morning Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States after defeating the Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton.

The business mogul ran a hugely controversial campaign and used racist and offensive rhetoric at times on his way to the White House.

And City defender Kompany has slammed the stupidity of the result and compared Trump's election to a reality television series.

The Belgian tweeted: "Let's put all the idiots around the world in power and see what happens. Next gen reality TV. #SadWorld" after the the result became apparent."

The 30-year-old is not the only Manchester City player to react to the surprise result however.

City women and England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley tweeted a gif of a facepalm while Tosin Adarabioyo retweeted a photo showing how The Simpsons appeared to have correctly predicted the election result back in 2000.

Kompany, who has struggled with injuries of late for City, was recently called up to the Belgium squad by Roberto Martinez but will only be used sparingly for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.</s>Donald Trump captured crucial victories over Hillary Clinton Tuesday night in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina, showing remarkable strength in three of the nation's most fiercely fought battleground states in an unexpectedly tight race for the presidency.

Clinton carried Virginia, Colorado and California. Her campaign had expected easy victories there, but the states took on new urgency as Trump picked up votes elsewhere.

With a handful of other battleground states still undecided, neither candidate had cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.

The uncertainty sent Dow futures and Asian markets tumbling, reflecting investor concern over what a Trump presidency might mean for the economy and trade.</s>Republican Donald Trump won the key battleground state of Ohio on Tuesday and led Democrat Hillary Clinton in a series of other states that were too close to call, including Florida and North Carolina, in a surprisingly close race for the White House.

The U.S. dollar sank and stock markets slammed into reverse in wild Asian trade on Wednesday as early results pointed to a nail-biter and investors stampeded to safe-haven assets.

Sovereign bonds and gold shot higher while the Mexican peso went into near free-fall as investors faced the possibility of a Trump win. Investors worry a victory by the New York businessman could cause economic and global uncertainty.

With voting completed in 44 of the 50 U.S. states, the race was tight in Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, leaving the race for the White House on a knife’s edge.

Trump’s win in Ohio, with 18 electoral votes, and his edge in Florida and North Carolina gave him an early advantage in the state-by-state fight for 270 Electoral College votes needed to win.

Clinton had more options to reach 270, with Trump needing a virtual sweep of about six toss-up states to win. But a Trump win in all those three states would leave Clinton needing to win the remaining battlegrounds including Pennsylvania, Michigan and either Nevada or New Hampshire.

Both candidates scored victories in states where they were expected to win. Trump captured conservative states in the South and Midwest, while Clinton swept several states on the East Coast and Illinois in the Midwest.

After running close throughout the night in Virginia, Clinton pulled out the swing state that is home to her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine.

At 8:55 p.m. EST (0155 GMT on Wednesday), Clinton acknowledged a battle that was unexpectedly tight given her edge in opinion polls going into Election Day.

She tweeted: “This team has so much to be proud of. Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything.”

With 95 percent of the vote counted in Florida, Trump led Clinton by about 130,000 votes out of 9 million cast. In North Carolina, Trump led by about 100,00 votes out of 3.9 million cast.

As of 10:35 p.m. EST (0335 GMT on Wednesday), Trump had 167 electoral votes to Clinton’s 131, with U.S. television networks projecting the winner in 31 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Before Tuesday’s election, Clinton led Trump, 44 percent to 39 percent in the last Reuters/Ipsos national tracking poll. A Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation poll gave her a 90 percent chance of defeating Trump and becoming the first woman elected U.S. president.

Also at stake on Tuesday was control of Congress. Television networks projected Republicans would retain control of the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats were up for grabs.

In the Senate, where Republicans were defending a slim four-seat majority, Democrats scored their first breakthrough in Illinois when Republican Senator Mark Kirk lost re-election. But Republicans Rob Portman in Ohio and Marco Rubio in Florida won high-profile Senate re-election fights.

In a presidential campaign that focused more on the character of the candidates than on policy, Clinton, 69, a former U.S. secretary of state, and Trump, 70, accused each other of being fundamentally unfit to lead the country.

Trump again raised the possibility on Tuesday of not accepting the election’s outcome, saying he had seen reports of voting irregularities. He gave few details and Reuters could not immediately verify the existence of such problems.</s>Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania in the 2016 Presidential election.
• VIDEO: 2016 Presidential Election coverage presented by the Society for Collegiate Journalists

Pennsylvania is worth 20 electoral votes. Winning the state is very important for the two presidential candidates.

This is a significant win for because Pennsylvania has the fifth largest amount of electoral votes. This will be an advantage for Trump because Pennsylvania is one out of the six states Clinton had to win to gain the upper-hand.

With Trump’s win in Florida, Iowa and possibly Wisconsin, a win in Pennsylvania is good for Trump’s campaign. Clinton needs to win Michigan and New Hampshire and Maine to get back in the race.

For more updates on the 2016 Presidential Election, visit the Pennsylvania Department of State and the Allegheny Election Bureau.</s>Will Google Stock Gain from Trump's Policies?The stock markets are in turmoil the world over as Donald Trump has emerged as the unexpected winner in the U.S. presidential election. The sentiment across the globe is quite negative at the moment, as there is no clarity on his trade and finance policies.However, there is one area where Donald Trump has been pretty consistent, and that is his preference for lower taxes. Trump had proposed reducing the business tax rate from 35% to 15% and also called for a repatriation holiday of 10% for companies with.</s>Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump ended their presidential campaigns with visits to battleground states in a final bid to energise supporters.

Mr Trump finished his last rally of the gruelling campaign in Grand Rapids, Michigan, just four minutes before Mrs Clinton wrapped up her final event in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The candidates had campaigned late into the night in a frenzied end to a bitter election year that has laid bare the nation’s deep economic and cultural divides.

Mrs Clinton opened the day buoyed by FBI Director James Comey’s announcement on Sunday that he would not recommend criminal charges against her following a new email review.

The inquiry had sapped a surging Clinton momentum at a crucial moment in the race, though she still heads into election day with multiple paths to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to become the nation’s first female president.

She called on voters to reject Mr Trump’s “dark and divisive” vision and said there is no reason why “America’s best days are not ahead of us”.

Her Raleigh campaign featured Lady Gaga and Jon Bon Jovi, and she told cheering supporters that their “work will be just beginning” after election day.

Mrs Clinton spent the final hours of her presidential campaign offering a more positive vision for the country, trying to strike a stark contrast with Mr Trump.

She was joined in her final events by her husband, former president Bill Clinton, and confidants, including embattled aide Huma Abedin.

Mrs Clinton planned to end her campaign by greeting supporters at the Westchester airport, in New York, where she was expected to land after 3am local time.

Mr Trump told his Grand Rapids rally: “Today is our Independence Day. Today the American working class is going to strike back.”

He had been expected to hold his last rally in New Hampshire - but added one last event to his calendar as his team made an 11th-hour push into traditionally Democratic states.

The tycoon said he does not need superstars like Jay Z, Beyonce or Lady Gaga to draw crowds like Mrs Clinton, adding: “All we need is great ideas to make America great again.”</s>
• One dead, at least four injured after gunman opens fire in LA
• Voting has ended in some states, including those critical to Donald Trump
• Trump says he will accept election result depending "how it plays out"
• Trump to win Kentucky, Indiana, West Virgina and Clinton to win Vermont -- no surprises
• Battleground state of Ohio expected to fall to Trump



Hillary Clinton is leading Republican rival Donald Trump by two Electoral College votes, according to media reports, while the Republicans are expected to retain control of the house of representatives.

With voting complete in more than half of the 50 US states, the race was too close to call in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Virginia.

They are all states that could be vital to deciding which contender wins the presidency.

Both candidates scored early victories in states where they were expected to win.

Florida is emerging as the state to watch.

Shortly after 11am, Donald Trump had a lead of about 63,000 votes in Florida.

Mr Trump captured conservative states in the South and Midwest, while Mrs Clinton swept several states on the East Coast and Illinois in the Midwest.

There are 270 Electoral College votes needed to win.

FOLLOW THE LATEST VOTING IN OUR INTERACTIVE BELOW
• Trump team fails in lawsuit over late voting in Nevada
• Did Donald Trump check on how his wife voted?
• When will we know who has won?

A TEXAS man has been arrested for trying to cast more than one vote in the US election.

The man was picked up by police in Fort Bend County.

He told police he was "testing the system" and was working for Mr Trump

Shooting leaves one dead, four injures near polling station

ONE person has been killed and at least four people have been injured after an active shooter opened fire near a polling station in Azusa, a suburrb of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles county sheriff captain Jeff Scorggin said authorities were dealing with one suspect who was heavily armed.

At least of the victims was headed to the polling station to vote, a law enforcement source told The Times.

Under a hail of gunfire, officers took cover and returned shots at the man, who retreated into a home in the 500 block of Fourth Street, said the source, who requested anonymity because the case was ongoing.

No officers were injured in the shooting.

The shooting took place in a residential neighbourhood about 2pm local time, and police said that four gunshot victims were being treated for their injuries.

The extent of their injuries is not known as police said the situation was not "contained".

Officer Jerry Willison of the Azusa police department said the situation as "very volatile and critical".





 As shots rang out, people started to run inside the polling station at the Memorial Park and Slauson Middle School before officials closed the doors.

Elizabeth Hopkinson told NBC that she and her 9-month-old son were locked down at Slauson Middle School nearby, and that she was going to vote when the shooting happened.

She said she heard, "pow, pows, then a rain of fire."

She was one of 25 people locked in the gym, as well as a group of children. The shots did not happen inside the polling station.

Another female voter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told CNN that she was inside the polling station when she heard shots ring out.

"At first, I thought it was construction but people came running into the room saying they see a guy with a bulletproof vest and a white shirt.

"As of right now, they just have us in the voting room and are trying to keep us calm."

A helicopter has transported at least two victims to hospital.

It remains unclear if police have been able to "contain" the gunman.

Trump to win Indiana, Kentucky; Clinton set to take Vermont.

The earliest states are being called after voting booths on America's east coast closed.

Donald Trump is predicted to win Indiana and Kentucky. Pollsters Five Thirty Eight predicted he was more than 97% likely to win the states.

Both were widely predicted to stay in the hands of Republicans, and are considered safe states.

Ohio was considered a battleground state -- one that could fall to the Democrats if the swing against Mr Trump was powerful enough. Ohio was however considered a "must-win" for Republicans if they were to have a shot at the White House.

Vermont is expected to stay with Hillary Clinton. No surprises there.

THE first polls have closed in the US election, and these are must-win states if Donald Trump is to have any hope of upsetting the polls that are widely predicting a decisive win for Hillary Clinton.

The important states to watch are the swing states of Florida, New Hampshire and Virginia.

He is widely predicted to North Carolina and Florida, but if either of those red states turn blue, his chances of taking the presidency fall to close to nil.

As of 9.40am AEST, Mr Trump has 53% of the vote so far in New Hampshire and 75% of the votes counted so far in Kentucky.





 As North Carolina, Florida and Ohio counting begins, we could soon be given an early indication of how Mr Trump's campaign is going.

Early voting numbers and turnout figures, however, bode less well for Mr Trump.

Mr Trump's policies on Mexican immigration, the building of a border wall and the plot to deport potentially millions of illegal immigrants may have galvanised the influential Hispanic community in the US.

If early numbers on Hispanic voter turnout play out consistently, it could deliver a heavy blow to Mr Trump's campaign fortunes.

Most Hispanic voters live in states that are set in stone for either Democrats or Republicans -- California, Texas and New York -- but there are key populations in the swinging states of Florida, Nevada and Colorado.

If this group proves a powerful force in this election, it could change the way both parties campaign, and will deliver more influence to the Hispanic community.

Donald Trump will accept election result on one condition

DONALD Trump Jr has said that his father will accept the result of the election - with one big caveat.

As long as the voting is "legit and fair", he said, his father will accept that he has lost.

With polls suggesting Mrs Clinton had a narrow lead before election day, Donald Trump Jr said his father would concede defeat if he loses, provide the result is "legit and fair".

He told MSNBC: "All we've wanted is a fair fight.

"If he loses and it's legit and fair, and there's not obvious stuff out there - without question, yes."

Although the candidate himself is not so sure.

He told Fox news earlier today that he would not necessarily accept the result of the election, unless he wins of course.

It will depend on "how things play out", Mr Trump said.

"Hopefully they'll play out well and hopefully we won't have to worry about it, meaning hopefully we'll win.

"We will see how they play out.

"I want to see everything honest."

Barack Obama has said that he still has faith in the American people after a bitter election campaign.

Asked whether he was feeling nervous about the presidential election outcome, Obama said "I think we'll do a good job" as long as the American people vote.

Lines were long in some areas as voters chose between Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump and some third-party candidates.

Obama said he hopes everyone has "voted early. If not, get out there."

Obama supports Clinton and voted early last month in his Chicago hometown.

He spoke while walking from the White House residence to the Oval Office, following his Election Day tradition of playing basketball with friends. 



The probabilities are moving slightly towards a Trump win - but not enough to make a difference.

Bookmaker Paddy Power said Clinton's chance of taking the White House dipped slightly to 81.8 percent on Election Day from 83.3 percent, while Trump's probability improved to 22 percent from 20 percent.

"The flow of money is relatively even with it slightly favoring Trump," said a Paddy Power spokesman.

He said Paddy Power has seen at least 20 four- and five-figure bets placed on Tuesday. Different bookmakers and exchanges have different closing times for placing bets.



 Republicans are going to do well in House

Much as the presidential election is spectacular, the House is likely to be both closer and ultimately just as important. It's looking like the Republicans are going to do well.

Republicans seemed on track to secure two more years of House control in Tuesday's elections but with erosion of their historic majority, leaving hard-line conservatives with added clout to vex party leaders.

With Donald Trump rousing opposition in many suburban and ethnically diverse districts, Democrats were hoping to gain a dozen seats or more.



Chief targets included GOP incumbents in Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, Nevada and California.

But both sides anticipated that Democrats would fall short of the 30-seat pickup they'd need to take command of the House for the first time in six years. Democrats have gained that many seats in just five of the 35 elections since World War II, including only once - in 2006 - since the 1970s.

One prized pelt would be eight-term Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who dogged President Barack Obama with probes into the 2012 killings of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, and IRS mistreatment of conservative groups.

Another would be Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., from New York City's suburbs, under fire for reports he'd objected to contributing money for gay GOP congressional candidates.

Key pollster says Clinton victory most likely

Nate Silver, the renowned pollster who has seriously talked up the chances of Donald Trump winning today's election, has released his final forecast.

And it is good news for Hillary Clinton, with Silver's model now giving her a 71.4 per cent chance of victory compared to Mr Trump's 28.6 per cent.

Silver's FiveThirtyEight project had come in for some criticism in the last week after it gave Mr Trump a chunky 35 per cent chance of becoming president.

With Ms Clinton only a 65 per cent favourite, that was seen as an outlier compared to other models.

HuffPost Pollster was giving Ms Clinton a 98 per cent chance of winning, while The New York Times' model at The Upshot had her at 85 per cent.

Releasing his final forecast, Silver noted that there was a gap between the Electoral College and the national vote, with Ms Clinton 81 per cent likely to get the overall majority of votes in the latter.

Silver has justified giving Mr Trump such high chances in the past on the basis that, with the polls all pretty tight, many different scenarios remain possible.

But he tweeted as his final forecast came out that "show Clinton winning pretty much the same states as everyone else".

Significantly, Silver said the key swing states of Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and Maine (2) had "flipped narrowly to her in the past 48 hours".

"However, we continue to believe that other forecasts overstate [certainty]," he added.</s>WASHINGTON — Donald Trump moved within reach of the White House Tuesday night, capturing crucial victories over Hillary Clinton in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina, a remarkable show of strength in an unexpectedly tight race for the presidency.

Trump also battled for a breakthrough in the upper Midwest, a region that reliably backed Democrats in presidential elections for three decades. His victories left Clinton with a perilously narrow path and no margin for error in battleground states where votes were still being counted.

As the race lurched past midnight, neither candidate had cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. Trump stood at 244 to Clinton's 215.

The uncertainty sent Dow Jones futures and Asian markets tumbling, reflecting investor alarm over what a Trump presidency might mean for the economy and global trade.

As Clinton's team anxiously waited for results to roll in, the candidate tweeted to supporters, "Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything."

Clinton, a fixture in American politics for decades, was hoping to become the first woman to serve as commander in chief. Her race against Trump, a celebrity businessman with no political experience, was among the nastiest in recent memory, exposing and deepening the nation's economic and racial divides.

Exit polls underscored the deep divisions that have defined the 2016 contest. Women nationwide supported Clinton by a double-digit margin, while men were significantly more likely to back Trump. More than half of white voters backed the Republican, while nearly 9 in 10 blacks and two-thirds of Hispanics voted for the Democrat.

If Trump pulls off the stunning upset, he could well find himself governing with a Congress fully under Republican control. Democrats' path to retaking the Senate majority narrowed as the GOP held onto key seats in North Carolina, Indiana and Florida. Republicans also extended their grip on the House.

Democrats, as well as some Republicans, expected Trump's unconventional candidacy would damage down-ballot races and even flip some reliably red states in the presidential race. But Trump held on to Republican territory, including in Georgia and Utah, where Clinton's campaign confidently invested resources.

Clinton carried Virginia, Nevada and Colorado. Her fate hinged in part on wins in Michigan and Wisconsin, states where her campaign spent little time during the general election in anticipation of comfortable victories.

The 45th president will inherit an anxious nation, deeply divided by economic and educational opportunities, race and culture. The economy has rebounded from the depths of recession, though many Americans have yet to benefit. New terror threats from home and abroad have raised security fears.

Clinton asked voters to keep the White House in her party's hands for a third straight term. She cast herself as heir to President Barack Obama's legacy and pledged to make good on his unfinished agenda, including passing immigration legislation, tightening restrictions on guns and tweaking his signature health care law.

But she struggled throughout the race with persistent questions about her honesty and trustworthiness. Those troubles flared anew late in the race, when FBI Director James Comey announced a review of new emails from her tenure at the State Department. On Sunday, just two days before Election Day, Comey said there was nothing in the material to warrant criminal charges against Clinton.

Trump, the New York real estate developer who lives in a gold-plated Manhattan penthouse, forged a striking connection with white, working-class Americans who feel left behind in the changing economy and diversifying country. He cast immigration, both from Latin America and the Middle East, as the root of many problems plaguing the nation and called for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

"I see so many hopes and so many dreams out there that didn't happen, that could have happened, with leadership, with proper leadership," he said by telephone on Fox News before casting his own ballot in Manhattan. "And people are hurt so badly."

Seven in 10 Americans who went to the polls Tuesday said immigrants now in the country illegally should be allowed to stay, while just a quarter said they should be deported. More than half oppose building a border wall, according to the exit polls, which were conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research.

The Republican Party's tortured relationship with its nominee was evident right up to the end. Former President George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush declined to back Trump, instead selecting "none of the above" when they voted for president, according to spokesman Freddy Ford.

Trump set both parties on edge when he refused to say in the third and final debate whether he would accept the election's results, citing with no evidence the possibility of a rigged outcome. His statement threatened to undermine a fundamental pillar of American democracy and raised the prospect that his fervent supporters would not view Clinton as a legitimate president if she won.

Asked Tuesday in an interview with Fox News if he would accept the election results, Trump continued to demur, saying "We're going to see how things play out."

Most problems that did pop up at polling places Tuesday appeared to be routine — the kinds of snags that come every four years, including long lines, machines not working properly and issues with ballots or voter rolls.

Even before Tuesday, almost 45 million people had cast ballots for president. Many expressed relief the end was in sight after an election season in which personal attacks often drowned out the issues.

Clinton has denounced Trump for calling Mexican immigrants "rapists" and promoting a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., and for his long line of remarks about women that culminated in an audio in which he bragged about grabbing their genitals. Her campaign was hoping high turnout among Hispanics push her over the top in states like Florida and Nevada.

"I grew up in a Hispanic family, and the way that Donald Trump has referred to illegal immigrants — being from illegal immigrants, I took that to heart," said Angel Salazar, a 22-year-old sanitation associate from Oklahoma City. "I don't like anything that he said. I don't like his views. So I voted for Hillary Clinton because she supports us."

Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey, Bradley Klapper, Vivian Salama, Hope Yen, Jill Colvin and Lisa Lerer and AP Polling Director Emily Swanson contributed to this report.</s>The White House has released an image of Michelle Obama speaking to Melania Trump - hours after the first lady and first lady-in-waiting met.

President Barack Obama has had what he describes as "an excellent conversation" with Donald Trump inside the White House, as the two former bitter enemies met in person for the first time.

Mr Trump, who has described himself as Mr Obama's "worst nightmare," told the president he was "a very, very good man."

On the campaign trail he repeatedly described him as weak, "a disaster," ineffective and "the most ignorant president in our history.”

On Thursday, however, both men struck a conciliatory note after they met to discuss the transition from one administration to the next.

"We want to do everything we can to help you succeed, because if you succeed we all succeed," said Mr Obama.

There circumstances of the meeting were extraordinary. Mr Trump spent years claiming Mr Obama was born outside the US and was therefore not a legitimate president, while Mr Obama savaged him throughout the campaign as irresponsible and dangerous.
Donald Trump is forecast to win the United States presidential election as a result of victories of battleground states.