Joe Biden's campaign projected confidence Wednesday that he will maintain his narrow leads in several key states -- which are enough to hand him the presidency -- and could also overtake President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and Georgia.
"Joe Biden is on track to win this election and he will be the next president of the United States," Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon told reporters in a briefing. "We believe we are on a clear path to victory by this afternoon."
Biden plans to address the nation later Wednesday, O'Malley Dillon said, though it's not yet clear exactly when and where that speech will come.
Biden currently leads in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, and with largely mail-in votes -- which have favored Biden, compared to votes cast in person on Election Day favoring Trump -- remaining to be counted in those states, O'Malley Dillon said the campaign believes those leads will hold.
If Biden wins those states, in addition to the 227 electoral votes CNN has already projected he will win, it would hand him the 270 electoral votes he needs to win the presidency.
But Biden's campaign argued it could go beyond 270 electoral votes. In Pennsylvania and Georgia, mail-in ballots in urban areas are still being counted, which means Biden is all but certain to narrow Trump's current leads.
O'Malley Dillon conceded that North Carolina, though, is leaning in Trump's favor.
Biden's campaign also used the briefing to respond to Trump's claim in an early Wednesday morning speech at the White House that he would take the election to the Supreme Court.
Biden adviser Bob Bauer pushed back forcefully against any potential case going before the Supreme Court.
"If at some point he arrives before the Supreme Court with a novel proposition that ballots that were lawfully cast by eligible voters, but not yet counted by the time Donald Trump wanted them counted -- that somehow they don't count anymore, he will be in for one of the most embarrassing defeats a president ever suffered before the highest court of the land," Bauer said.

Spending all day following the US election? Your boss may not be too happy about that, but there are ways you can stay on task on a day that is filled with headlines and breaking news and notifications.
Jarrod Haar, Professor of Human Resource at AUT, joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss the options - from encouraging workers to focus on the news, or going the other direction and "seize the day".
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A man who had previously tried to join the Islamic State group rampaged in Vienna armed with an automatic rifle and a fake explosive vest, fatally shooting four people before he was killed by police, Austrian authorities said Tuesday.
Witnesses described dozens of screaming people fleeing the sounds of gunshots Monday night in a nightlife district crowded with revelers enjoying the last hours before a coronavirus lockdown.
Others barricaded themselves inside restaurants for hours until they were sure the danger had passed. Video that appeared to be from the scene showed a gunman, dressed in white coveralls, firing off bursts seemingly at random as he ran down the Austrian capital’s dark cobblestone streets.
While the attack lasted just minutes, authorities said only on Tuesday afternoon that there was no indication of a second attacker — adding to tension in the capital as residents were urged to stay home.
Two men and two women died from their injuries in the attack — including one German woman, according to Germany’s foreign minister. Authorities said a police officer who tried to get in the way of the attacker was shot and wounded, along with 21 other people.
The suspect was identified as a 20-year-old Austrian-North Macedonian dual citizen with a previous terror conviction for attempting to join the Islamic State group in Syria. Police searched 18 properties as well as the suspect's apartment, detaining 14 people associated with the assailant who are being questioned, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said.
“Yesterday's attack was clearly an Islamist terror attack," Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said. “It was an attack out of hatred — hatred for our fundamental values, hatred for our way of life, hatred for our democracy in which all people have equal rights and dignity.”
The attacker, identified as Kujtim Fejzulai, was armed with a fake explosive vest, an automatic rifle, a handgun and a machete, according to Nehammer. Before the attack he posted a photograph on a social media account showing him posing with the rifle and machete, Nehammer said.
Fejzulai was sentenced to 22 months in prison in April 2019 but was granted early release in December.
“The fact is that the terrorist managed to deceive the judicial system's deradicalization program” to secure his release, Nehammer said, adding that the system should be reevaluated.
He also said that an attempt to strip Fejzulai of his Austrian citizenship had failed for lack of enough evidence.
The Islamic State group on Tuesday claimed credit for the Vienna attack, calling the perpetrator a “soldier of the Caliphate.” The claim of responsibility was published through the militant group’s media arm, Aamaq. It didn't elaborate on the attacker’s ties to IS and had similar wording to past, opportunistic claims by the group.
IS also released a video through Aamaq of what is said was the attacker, Fejzulai, whom it called Abu Dujana al-Albani — apparently a nom de guerre — showing him pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group. It wasn't clear when the video was filmed.
In North Macedonia, police said a list of suspects sent by Austria included two others with dual Austrian and North Macedonian citizenship.
 

Some 1000 police officers were on duty in Vienna on Tuesday morning. Photo / AP
 
In Switzerland, police in the city of Winterthur said an 18-year-old and a 24-year-old were arrested in consultation with Austrian authorities. Investigators are now trying to determine the nature of the two men's contact with the Vienna suspect.
Some of the circumstances of the Vienna shooting are reminiscent of the case of Usman Khan, who stabbed two people to death in 2019 in central London. Khan had been sentenced to 16 years in prison after being convicted for his role in a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange. He was released in December 2018 after serving half his sentence, as are most...

The first polls are closing as millions of Americans vote on the electoral fates of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, who offered sharply divergent visions for the future amid a Covid-19 pandemic that shows no sign of abating.
Voting has closed in eastern Kentucky and parts of Indiana at the start of an election night in which more than 100 million early and mail-in ballots have already been cast.
At the end of what has been a remarkably stable race, the President crossed the finish line after a frenetic sprint across the battleground states, during which he continued to undermine the integrity of the election by falsely raising the specter of cheating in the possible tipping point state of Pennsylvania. He painted a dark portrait of what America could look like under a Biden administration, claiming that the former vice president would trigger an economic collapse with extended lockdowns to stamp out the virus.
After months of refusing to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and repeatedly lodging false claims about widespread voter fraud -- when there is no evidence that it exists -- the President gave a more muted interview to "Fox & Friends" Tuesday morning, predicting that he had a "very solid chance of winning" and said he would declare victory "when there's victory, if there's victory," adding there is no reason to play games. He later visited Republican National Committee offices in northern Virginia and predicted a "great night ahead," but also reflected the uncertainty of Election Day, saying he had prepared neither a victory speech nor a concession speech.
"Hopefully we'll be only doing one of those two and you know, winning is easy. Losing is never easy. Not for me it's not," he said.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Biden reminisced about the lessons he has learned over nearly five decades in politics and said that he was hopeful about the changes he has seen in race relations and political engagement. In response to Trump's efforts to undermine the election, he underscored his view that a president cannot determine the outcome of an election -- only the voters can.
Biden ended his final day of campaigning on a more optimistic note, promising to unite the country and calling it the "beginning of a new day." On Tuesday morning, he sought to remind Americans of his blue-collar roots with a visit to his childhood home in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he was surrounded by supporters on the street outside who chanted "Scranton loves Joe."
Inside on one of the living room walls where he grew up, he wrote: "From this House to the White House with the Grace of God," signing his name and the date "11.3.2020," before heading to Philadelphia where the campaign is hoping to drive up turnout in the final hours.
Historic amount of early votes
Across the country, officials were counting the more than 100 million votes that were cast before Election Day, according to a survey of election officials by CNN, Edison Research and Catalist. Those early votes represent more than 47% of registered voters nationwide and six states crossed their 2016 threshold of ballots cast. Signs of an extraordinarily engaged electorate continued on Tuesday.
In an unprecedented move, which could indicate some mail-in votes are in danger of not reaching their destination in time to be counted, a federal judge in Washington ordered the US Postal Service to start sweeping all processing facilities by 3 p.m., including in parts of battleground states Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas, New Hampshire and Florida. Democrats had previously criticized the US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump donor, for introducing reforms in the agency that they said could slow down the delivery of mail-in ballots.
Democrats are nervous about widespread slowdowns within the Postal Service system after budget cuts and staff shortages, which has led to intense scrutiny of DeJoy's...

Aaron waited three hours to vote.
"Three hours?!" I said. "That's ridiculous."
Aaron shrugged. Three hours, he noted, is not that bad by American standards. It's not uncommon for people to spend twice as long waiting to cast a ballot. Many voters will consider taking a day off work if they want their voice to be heard.
Not every polling place has those kind of queues, but voters who must wait in line know that doing so is much riskier than in a normal year.
On several days this week, the US posted new daily records for confirmed cases of Covid-19. A new case every second.
There will be people voting today who know that doing so is to risk their own life. It's likely there will be Americans whose trip to the ballot box ends up killing them. Democracy in action.
But can you even call a country a democracy if it ignores the will of the people?
Even though Aaron successfully cast his vote, there's no guarantee it will be worth anything.
Legal challenges will likely mean thousands (if not millions) of votes are ruled invalid. The postal voting system has sustained months of attacks.
For years now, Democrats and Republicans alike have cynically manipulated congressional boundaries to suit their own political interests.
 

Sasha Jacquez tests university student Ariona Gill for coronavirus in El Paso, Texas. Photo / AP
 
For those who believe every vote should be of equal value, the electoral college system is egregiously unjust.
Millions of people in the state of New York might vote for Donald Trump, but their votes will effectively count for nothing. Millions of people in Louisiana or Missouri might vote for Joe Biden, but unless their candidate wins the state, their votes will be similarly worthless.
Smaller states wield power disproportionate to their populations. California has an elector for every 718,000 residents. Wyoming has an elector for every 193,000 residents.
There is an entirely feasible scenario in which Joe Biden wins the popular vote by more than the entire population of New Zealand, but Donald Trump wins the presidency.
American media is a disaster. Cable news and Facebook have created a handful of completely distinct and polarised thought ghettos, in which Americans are pitted against each other. The depth of the tribalism makes these groups a ripe target for foreign interference.
As the President has undermined science and apolitical expertise, his media supporters have legitimised and amplified his message. Oppositional media frequently condescends to his supporters and cannot resist the pull of the President's daily outrages. Donald Trump rates.
This week, I spent an afternoon in Maryland talking to suburban voters in America's largest African American-majority county. The next day, I drove to West Virginia and a county where 90 per cent of voters backed Donald Trump in 2016.
These voters live just three hours apart - Auckland to Tauranga - but their lives and experiences couldn't be more different. Everyone in Maryland wore a face covering. Almost no one in West Virginia was similarly cautious.
A quarter of a million Americans are dead, but wearing a mask or otherwise is considered a political statement.
Who will win the presidency? America is too vast to trust an anecdote or a vibe. The data that is available suggests Joe Biden is the favourite. He is likely but not certain to win.
I will not be surprised to see Donald Trump prevail. It's very likely we won't know the result tonight.
A contested result is quite possible. A contentious result is certain. Supporters on both sides are capable of violence. Rioters and militia.
The authority that handles background checks for gun buyers records eight of the highest-demand weeks of all time have been recorded in 2020. America's capital city has been boarded up.
These are not merely signs of a divisive campaign or of controversial...

So yes today's the big day... the biggest day in 4 years for Americans, and many are calling it in fact the election of their lifetime.
Today's the day they go to the polls... well those who haven't already voted of course.And early votes have been astonishing - more than 100 million Americans cast early votes, which is more than 70 percent of total ballots cast in 2016.
People are politically engaged and that's a good thing.
How to read into that and which way it may go? Some say Democrats are coming out in force early, we won't know that for sure until later today. The polls begin to close midday our time, but results could take awhile if things are close.
The race has been intense and it’s highlighted the true tribalism that encapsulates America right now. The very divisive factions of Democrats v Republicans. Trump’s support base is loud, posturing and seemingly omnipresent... whereas Biden’s support base is running a huge social media campaign, they have celebrities sewn up, all urging their millions of followers to vote for Biden, and he’s stayed focused on pivotal swing states and used his most powerful PR tool of all... Obama. That’s been a bit of a backfire in that Obama is so enigmatic and such a great orator that it sort of shows up the fact Biden isn’t. No one wants to come on stage after an act like Obama, and poor old Joe has had to do that over and over again.
But by comparison Trump is a one man show – he has run exhaustive rallies all over the place, from early in the morning until past midnight, he’s got energy in spades, turning up in freezing temperatures and snow, to preach to his acolytes in the MAGA hats and defend his record on running the place. Or just attack Joe Biden. But will it be enough to defy the polls which have Biden leading?
I know from friends living in America that they're worried either way what the outcome may mean.They fear for the reaction of amped up supercharged voters... that a volatile Trump base could go berserk if he loses, that angry engaged Democrats fed up already with four years of Trump, could equally go berserk if he wins.
It's a scary time for them – something we probably can’t even comprehend here.
Although we’re a tribal bunch and elections fire us up... it’s nothing like what happens over there.The investment emotionally this time round seems on a grand scale... when we were there in 2016 the raw shock of blistering defeat inside the Hilary camp was palpable. I doubt they’ve recovered from that four years on.. I’m sure it’s part of the extreme drive by Democrats pushing everyone to vote vote vote – and it may well explain those early voters. It’s certainly Biden’s to lose, but only a crazy person would ever try to predict what Americans may do.. and it would take an even crazier one to completely rule out Donald Trump.

How old were you when you read your first novel?
Former British boy band member Tony Mortimer is in the news this week after revealing that lockdown meant he finally got around to reading his first novel at the age of 50.
And he liked it so much, he's since read 64 more.
It has raised questions about whether Kiwi men are in a similar position.
Juliet Blyth, CEO of Read NZ, told Kate Hawkesby that we shouldn't be surprised by how many men aren't reading.
"Research that we conducted in 2018 showed that half a million Kiwis didn't read a book in the last year, and we also found that fewer men were reading books."
She says that unless people have someone championing them or urging them to read, they won't keep going with it after they become adults. 
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Johnny Depp has lost his highly publicised libel case against the publisher of Britain's The Sun newspaper, whose claim that he was an abusive husband sparked a courtroom showdown between the Hollywood star and his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, earlier this year.
Depp sued News Group Newspapers and Dan Wootton — The Sun's executive editor — over an article that claimed the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star was violent toward Heard while they were together.
But the UK's High Court ruled in the publisher's favor on Monday.
Citing evidence, including photos, audio recordings and Depp's own text messages, lawyers for the newspaper group argued in court filings that Depp "beat his wife Amber Heard, causing her to suffer significant injury, and on occasion leading to her fearing for her life."
Depp had admitted long-term problems with drugs and alcohol during the trial but said the tabloid's claims that he was violent toward Heard were "completely untrue."
However, Judge Andrew Nicol said in his 129-page judgment Monday that the paper's claims had been shown to be "substantially true."
"I have reached these conclusions having examined in detail the 14 incidents on which the defendants rely, as well as the over-arching considerations which the claimant submitted I should take into account," the judge said.
The blockbuster trial included days of tense testimony in July from Depp, Heard and several of their acquaintances, with Heard telling the court that Depp threatened to kill her "many times."
In their evidence, lawyers for the publisher detailed 14 separate alleged incidents of physical abuse by Depp, which took place in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Australia, and other locations between 2013 and 2016, according to the trial judgement. Depp has denied all incidents of abuse.
In the first alleged incident in early 2013 in Los Angeles, the paper's lawyers claimed that Heard laughed at something Depp had said, and the actor responded by "repeatedly slapping Ms Heard across the face," and knocking her to the floor.
The lawyers said Depp told Heard "he snaps sometimes into something he called 'the monster.'"
Depp's lawyers said the actor didn't recall the specific conversation with Heard but "expressly denied" ever slapping or hitting her, according to the judgement.
It remains unclear how severely the trial will damage the reputation of Depp, one of Hollywood's most recognizable and bankable stars.
In a statement, Depp's law firm, Schillings, indicated he would contest the ruling, saying "the judgment is so flawed that it would be ridiculous for Mr Depp not to appeal this decision."
It remains unclear how severely the trial will damage the reputation of Depp, one of Hollywood's most recognizable and bankable stars.
In a statement, Depp's law firm, Schillings, indicated he would contest the ruling, saying "the judgment is so flawed that it would be ridiculous for Mr Depp not to appeal this decision."
The Sun, which is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., said in a statement following the verdict: "The Sun has stood up and campaigned for the victims of domestic abuse for over 20 years. Domestic abuse victims must never be silenced and we thank the judge for his careful consideration and thank Amber Heard for her courage in giving evidence to the court."
Heard's lawyer added in a statement to PA Media: "For those of us present for the London High Court trial, this decision and judgment are not a surprise."
2018 article prompted legal action
The case, which hinged in part on the veracity of testimony from Heard and several people close to the couple, shed light on the stars' volatile relationship and was covered intensely by international media.
It centered around a 2018 column in The Sun that criticized author JK Rowling for supporting the casting of Depp in the "Harry Potter" spin-off film "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of...

Trump merchandise is flying off the shelves -- just one day out from the election.
The US president is still trailing in the polls behind Democratic rival Joe Biden.
More than 95-million Americans have voted so far -- two thirds of them being mail in ballots.
The ABC's Michael Rowland told Kate Hawkesby one of Washington's biggest souvenir centres is seeing Donald Trump merch sell like hotcakes.
He says there are Trump masks, fake news stamps, and even a Trump talking pen where you can hear the President say he's "really rich" and "the greatest president God ever created".
 
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Even owners won't be allowed to attend this year's Melbourne Cup.
Covid-19 restrictions mean hardly anyone will be there for today's 160th incarnation of the event, despite three days of no new cases in Victoria.
Newstalk ZB's Australia correspondent Donna Demaio will be one of the few attending the Cup.
She told Kate Hawkesby there'll be no breakfast in the carpark,  and neither will there be any crowds stumbling home at the end of the day.
But Donna Demaio says at least the event will still be run.
Here's all you need to know about the race that stops the nation during the pandemic that stopped the world.
For more information on the horses, best bets and expert picks, visit our ultimate Melbourne Cup form guide.
 
Melbourne Cup Day
The Melbourne Cup race is set to kickoff at 5pm, with Sir Dragonet, Anthony Van Dyck, Tiger Moth, Surprise Baby, Russian Camelot and Verry Elleegant among the favourites.
Date: Tuesday, November 3
First race: Darley Maribyrnong Plate, 12.45pm
Feature race: Lexus Melbourne Cup, 3200m, 5pm
Last race: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes, 7.15pm
Entertainment
The Cup Day entertainment line-up is Delta Goodrem, The Rubens, Jon Stevens and his band, Bonnie Anderson and Pete Murray.
Goodrem will perform her song Solid Gold in Sydney, and Stevens, accompanied by his band and an eight-piece string section, will perform the INXS anthem Never Tear Us Apart from the Flemington Club Stand.
Australian Masked Singer winner and Neighbours star Anderson will perform the national anthem.
Performance times are to be confirmed.
How to watch
Follow our live rolling updates from 9am on Tuesday at nzherald.co.nz, and our live blog of the Race That Stops Two Nations from 5pm.
Melbourne Cup Day will be broadcast live on TAB Trackside 1 from 11.30am. There will also be a preview show from 10am.
TAB Trackside 1 is available on Sky TV channel 62. You can also live stream TAB Trackside 1 on TAB's Watch & Bet online streaming service or via Spark Sport.
 

The Melbourne Cup kicks off at 5pm. Photo / Photosport
Melbourne Cup field and odds
Horse — Barrier — Jockey — Trainer — Weight
1: Anthony Van Dyck (IRE) — Barrier 3
Jockey: Hugh Bowman — Trainer: Aidan O'Brien — 58.5kg
Fixed odds: $8 win, $2.80 place
 
2: Avilius (GB) — Barrier 10
Jockey: John Allen — Trainer: James Cummings — 57kg
Fixed odds: $26 win, $8 place
 
3: Vow and Declare — Barrier 4
Jockey: Jamie Mott — Trainer: Danny O'Brien — 57kg
Fixed odds: $34 win, $8.50 place
 
4: Master of Reality (IRE) — Barrier 11
Jockey: Ben Melham — Trainer: Joseph O'Brien — 56kg
Fixed odds: $17 win, $5 place
 
5: Sir Dragonet (IRE) — Barrier 14
Jockey: Glen Boss — Trainer: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace — 55.5kg
Fixed odds: $9.50 win, $3.10 place
 
6: Twilight Payment (IRE) — Barrier 12
Jockey: Jye McNeil — Trainer: Joseph O'Brien — 55.5kg
Fixed odds: $19 win, $5.50 place
 
7: Verry Elleegant (NZ) — Trainer: Barrier 15
Jockey: Mark Zahra — Trainer: Chris Waller — 55.5kg
Fixed odds: $11 win, $3.50 place
 

The Herald's Melbourne Cup sweep chart. Photo / NZ Herald
 
8: Mustajeer (GB) — Barrier 2
Jockey: Michael Rodd — Trainer: Kris Lees — 55kg
Fixed odds: $62 win, $16 place
 
9: Stratum Albion (GB) — Barrier 9
Jockey: Jordan Childs — Trainer: Willie Mullins — 55kg
Fixed odds: $31 win, $8 place
 
10: Dashing Willoughby (GB) — Barrier 19
Jockey: Michael Walker — Trainer: Andrew Balding — 54.5kg
Fixed odds: $61 win, $16 place
 
11: Finche (GB) — Barrier 6
Jockey: James McDonald — Trainer: Chris Waller — 54.5kg
Fixed odds: $15 win, $4.50 place
 
12: Prince of Arran (GB) — Barrier 1
Jockey: Jamie Kah — Trainer: Charlie...