Biden urges backers to 'stay patient' as US waits for results from key states.
US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's campaign is expressing optimism at the ultimate result of the election but is warning supporters to "stay patient and stay calm" as vote counting continues.
Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon said on Thursday on a briefing call with reporters that "the story of today is going to be a very positive story" for their campaign but cautioned that as the counting continues, "we need to allow it to get done and get done well".
"Be patient, folks. Votes are being counted, and we feel good about where we are," Biden said in a tweet.
O'Malley Dillon also charged that legal challenges by President Donald Trump's campaign to halt vote counting in some states and seek a recount in Wisconsin are a "flailing strategy" that are an "attempt to distract and delay" from the results of the election.
As News Not Noise journalist Jessica Yellin explains "multiple state officials have said the president either has no path for a legal challenge or they've called his lawsuits 'frivolous.'
In fact, a judge in Michigan has this morning dismissed Donald Trump's lawsuit to stop counting postal ballots in the state.
Neither candidate has secured the 270 electoral college votes needed for victory, and early Friday morning AEST several key states are too early to call - Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and Nevada.
If Biden can hold a lead in Arizona, any other state coming in for him will likely push his campaign over the line. He currently sits at 264 to Trump's 214.
Trump is growing more and more furious with every inch towards a Biden victory, releasing an all capitalised statement overnight that reads: IF YOU COUNT THE LEGAL VOTES I EASILY WIN THE ELECTION! IF YOU COUNT THE ILLEGAL AND LATE VOTES, THEY CAN STEAL THE ELECTION FROM US!
It follows a series of tweets in all capitals on Thursday morning local time, many censored or marked with a warning by Twitter.
As the country waits, protests - some violent - are continuing.
Many Trump supporters armed with guns have descended on election counting centres where mail-in ballots continue to be tallied up.
Pressure on Andrews over Vic virus rules.
Comparisons with NSW continue to dog the Victorian government ahead of the premier confirming new coronavirus rules.
Victoria recorded its sixth consecutive day of no new COVID-19 cases or deaths on Thursday, with just 20 active infections left in the state.
By comparison, NSW has reported six locally-acquired cases in the past week, with 68 COVID-positive people being treated including a patient on a ventilator in intensive care.
Premier Daniel Andrews will announce the further relaxation of restrictions on Sunday, including an end to the 25-kilometre travel radius limit and the border between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien pointed to diminishing active cases as a reason for the premier to realign rules closer to those enjoyed north of the border.
"Whether it's weddings, whether it's going to a pub, whether it's sporting events, whether it's having people over - NSW have demonstrated that they can live safely with coronavirus with very low numbers," he told reporters.
"Victoria has got even lower numbers and yet our lives are so much more locked down."
The comments came as Victoria notched another major milestone, confirming its final active case in aged care was cleared late on Wednesday.
It is the first time since June 15 that there have been no active cases in any facility across the state.
NSW drunk driver jailed for 15 years.
A drunk driver travelling at a "ridiculous speed" who killed a heavily pregnant woman with her unborn twins and teenage girl in a Sydney car crash has been jailed for at least 10 years.
Richard Moananu, 31, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and one count of aggravated driving causing grievous bodily harm in the District Court at Penrith, and asked Judge Mark Buscombe to take a number of other matters into account.
Judge Buscombe described Moananu's conduct as "disgraceful and appalling" and that he was speeding with four times the legal limit of alcohol in his system showed a total disregard for all road users that day.
"To drive in his state of intoxication and over such distance... meant that it was almost inevitable that a tragedy such as what occurred, occurred," he said during his sentencing on Thursday.
Bronko Hoang is the sole survivor of the collision after his wife Katherine and a 17-year-old learner driver died when Moananu's car ploughed into theirs in Orchard Hills, western Sydney, in September 2018.
His twins were due to be born the following week.
When Mr Hoang awoke from a coma in hospital, he said the nurses had to "tie him down" as they continually reminded him of what happened.
"You decided to be judge, jury and executioner, decided to play god... the end result... you had to take people's happiness, hope and future away," he told the court earlier.
Moananu was sentenced to a maximum term of 15 years in prison and will be first eligible for parole in September 2028.
Sydney's Mardi Gras 2021 moved to SCG.
Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will go ahead next year with a COVID-safe celebration at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with spectators seated for a scaled down parade.
A maximum of 23,000 spectators will be allowed into the SCG, as the parade moves away from the traditional large floats and instead focuses on the "outlandish pageantry of costumes, puppetry and props".
Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger said it was important that Mardi Gras give the community a creative platform to express their pride to the world after COVID had severely impacted so much art and culture.
"The 2021 parade may look different to how it has been in the past, but we feel very lucky to be able to give this opportunity to our communities during these times," he said.
"The team at Mardi Gras have worked tirelessly with NSW Health to develop a COVID Safe event plan to ensure the parade can go forward and we're excited by the prospect of staging the event at the SCG.
"Not only is the SCG close to our spiritual home of Oxford Street, but it also provides the safest venue for us to hold the event and meet requirements of physical distancing and contact tracing."
The ticketed event will take place on March 6.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said Mardi Gras would look different in 2021 but it would give people the opportunity to come together safely and celebrate.
"I commend the organisation for adapting to the challenges presented by COVID-19," she said.
Tickets for the parade will go on sale on Monday and SBS will broadcast the event live.
High Court to hand down Palmer WA decision.
The High Court is set to decide on billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer's battle against the validity of Western Australia's border closure.
The full bench will announce its decision on Friday morning after two full days of hearings earlier this week.
States and territories have used border closures as part of their coronavirus response this year, and the decision could have broad consequences in the midst of the pandemic.
Mr Palmer launched his legal bid after being refused entry to Western Australia in May.
His legal team argues the border closure, which is due to come down on November 14, is overreach.
They have argued while the border closure was okay to begin with, issues arose when it was not revoked once circumstances improved.
The case goes to whether the hard border breaches freedom of interstate movement enshrined in the constitution.
Western Australia argues the border is reasonably necessary to reduce the risk of coronavirus entering and spreading through the state, saying there is no more serious reason than the coronavirus pandemic.
NSW residents now free to visit Tasmania.
NSW residents can now freely travel to the Apple Isle after Tasmania opened its border to Australia's largest state for the first time in more than seven months.
The change, which came into effect at 12.01am on Friday, removes the need for people travelling from NSW to quarantine.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday ramped up the pressure on her interstate counterparts in WA and Queensland to follow suit in order to avoid the "devastating impact" of job losses next year.
This followed her announcement that from November 23, NSW will be open to people from Victoria.
"I worry about the June quarter next year unless we take action now," Ms Berejiklian told ABC TV.
"Yes, we're all residents of a state but we have a national economy which we all have to support.
"If we don't, the consequences for our citizens will be devastating, not just here in NSW but across everywhere."
Around the world.
- A resurgence of coronavirus cases has prompted the Greek government to impose a three-week lockdown.
- Germany has marked another record number of daily coronavirus infections, announcing 19,990 cases in the last 24 hours.
- Indonesia has raised the danger level for the volatile Mount Merapi volcano on the densely populated island of Java and ordered a halt to tourism and mining.
- With AAP
Feature image: Chris McGrath/Getty/Facebook/James D. Morgan/Getty