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US election: Michigan Republicans seek to delay vote certification US election: Trump camp's lawsuit struck down in Pennsylvania
(about 3 hours later)
"The campaign, which I won, by the way": Trump falsely claims election win"The campaign, which I won, by the way": Trump falsely claims election win
Republican officials in Michigan have written to the state's electoral board to request a two-week adjournment. A judge in Pennsylvania has dismissed a lawsuit from the Trump campaign that sought to invalidate millions of mail-in votes in the battleground state.
They have called for an audit of the presidential vote in the largest county, home to Detroit, after it was contested by President Donald Trump. Judge Matthew Brann said the suit, which rested on allegations of irregularities, was "without merit".
However, the Michigan Department of State has quickly objected to the idea, saying delays and audits are not permitted by law. The move paves the way for Pennsylvania to next week certify Joe Biden's win - he leads by more than 80,000 votes.
Democrat Joe Biden was projected as the state's winner earlier this month. It is the latest blow to Donald Trump, who is trying to overturn his loss in the 3 November presidential election.
The Michigan electoral board, made up of two Democrats and two Republicans, is set to meet on Monday and certify election results. He has refused to concede and made allegations of widespread electoral fraud, without providing any evidence.
Their decision has to be signed off by Michigan's secretary of state and then the governor, both Democrats and so unlikely to support any changes, without substantiated reasoning. The lack of a concession has upended the process that normally follows a US election.
The state department has called claims of widespread fraud, repeated by President Trump and the local Republicans, "wholly meritless".
Can Trump overturn the election result?Can Trump overturn the election result?
Five US election fraud claims fact-checkedFive US election fraud claims fact-checked
Mr Trump took the unusual step of meeting members of the Michigan state legislature's Republican leadership at the White House on Friday, reportedly putting pressure on them to disregard Mr Biden's win in the state. Mr Biden is projected to defeat President Trump 306 to 232 in the US electoral system, which determines who becomes president - far above the 270 he needs to win.
The White House said earlier it was "not an advocacy meeting" and simply part of the president's routine meetings with state lawmakers across the country, although he has conducted very few engagements since the election. The Trump campaign has lost a slew of lawsuits contesting results from the election, and their latest efforts focus on stopping the swing states that handed Mr Biden his win certifying the results - an essential step for the Democrat to be formally declared victor.
Afterwards two Republican legislators pledged to follow "normal process" in validating the vote, saying they haven't seen any evidence that would change the result. What did the Pennsylvania judge say?
In the ruling Judge Brann wrote that the Trump campaign had tried to "disenfranchise almost seven million voters".
He said his "court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations".
"In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state," the judge wrote.
The Trump campaign argued that the state had violated the US Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law as some, Democratic-run counties allowed voters to fix errors on their ballots while Republican-run counties did not.
How to move on after the US electionHow to move on after the US election
Yet, in the letter on Saturday, the Michigan Republican Party called for the full audit of votes in Wayne County, where the majority-black city of Detroit heavily leans Democrat. But in his ruling Judge Brann dismissed the claim, saying "like Frankenstein's Monster" it had been "haphazardly stitched together". He said even if it was the basis for a case then the Trump campaign's solution went too far.
The letter, signed by Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Michigan Republican Party head Laura Cox, cited allegations of "irregularities" in the county, which have not been substantiated. What's the situation in other battleground states?
The Republican president has refused to recognise the overall national win by his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, who is now the president-elect and is set to take over on 20 January. On Friday, Georgia dealt the Trump campaign a major blow by certifying Mr Biden's win after a by-hand recount.
The normal transition process has been derailed by Mr Trump's hold-out, with Mr Biden unable to get hold of office space, funding and staff to ease him into position, because a Trump appointee has not confirmed him as the election winner. The Trump campaign has two business days to request another recount.
On Saturday, social media company Twitter confirmed it would hand over control of the official presidential account (@Potus) to Mr Biden on 20 January. Mr Trump mostly tweets from his personal account, and Twitter has implied that his access to this account could be restricted when he becomes a private citizen again, if he breaks their rules. In another swing state won by Mr Biden, Michigan, Republican officials wrote to the state's electoral board to request a two-week delay in certifying the results.
They called for an audit of the presidential vote in the largest county, home to Detroit, after it was contested by the Trump camp.
But the Michigan Department of State said delays and audits were not permitted by law.
In Wisconsin, election officials accused Trump supporters of obstructing the state's recount of votes. They said observers for Mr Trump were in some cases challenging every single ballot to deliberately slow down proceedings.
If the recount is not concluded by 1 December - the deadline for Wisconsin to certify its votes - the way is open for the Trump camp to pursue a lawsuit.
Mr Biden has a lead of more than 20,000 in the state.
Why is election certification important?Why is election certification important?
When Americans vote in a presidential election, they are actually voting in a state contest, not a national one.When Americans vote in a presidential election, they are actually voting in a state contest, not a national one.
They are voting for state electors who will then cast one vote each for president. These electors usually follow the will of the electorate - in Michigan, for instance, they should all vote for Joe Biden because he won the state.They are voting for state electors who will then cast one vote each for president. These electors usually follow the will of the electorate - in Michigan, for instance, they should all vote for Joe Biden because he won the state.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger expressed disappointment his party lost, but said "numbers don't lie"Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger expressed disappointment his party lost, but said "numbers don't lie"
The states get a varying number of votes, equivalent to the number of their representatives in the US Congress - the House and the Senate.The states get a varying number of votes, equivalent to the number of their representatives in the US Congress - the House and the Senate.
What is the electoral college?What is the electoral college?
Mr Biden's victory is projected to have reached a total of 306, as opposed to Mr Trump's 232, which is far above the 270 he needs to win. Mr Biden's lead in the public vote overall stands at more than 5.9 million.
On Friday, Georgia dealt the Trump administration another blow by certifying Mr Biden's razor-thin margin of victory.
Formality or undue significance?Formality or undue significance?
What is typically a mere formality during normal elections - the bipartisan certification of state vote totals - has become the latest battleground in the president's attempts to maintain power for the next four years.What is typically a mere formality during normal elections - the bipartisan certification of state vote totals - has become the latest battleground in the president's attempts to maintain power for the next four years.
Could Trump actually be successful? It's not impossible, but the chances are very, very slim. First of all, the president would have to overturn the results in multiple states, where Biden's leads range from tens of thousands of votes to more than a hundred thousand. This isn't 2000, when everything came down just to Florida.Could Trump actually be successful? It's not impossible, but the chances are very, very slim. First of all, the president would have to overturn the results in multiple states, where Biden's leads range from tens of thousands of votes to more than a hundred thousand. This isn't 2000, when everything came down just to Florida.
What's more, many of the states Trump's legal team is targeting - Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Nevada - have Democratic governors who are not going to sit idly by while all of this takes place. What's more, many of the states Trump's legal team is targeting - Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania - have Democratic governors who are not going to sit idly by while all of this takes place.
That doesn't mean Biden's supporters aren't worried, however. While the odds of this happening are along the lines of the earth being hit by a giant meteor or someone getting struck by lightning while winning the lottery, having victory snatched away at this point would be such a cataclysmic political event that the remote prospect of such a possibility is enough to give Democrats cold sweats.That doesn't mean Biden's supporters aren't worried, however. While the odds of this happening are along the lines of the earth being hit by a giant meteor or someone getting struck by lightning while winning the lottery, having victory snatched away at this point would be such a cataclysmic political event that the remote prospect of such a possibility is enough to give Democrats cold sweats.
Read more on Trump's optionsRead more on Trump's options
What is the president's next move?
After a string of court defeats in his efforts to challenge the election results, Mr Trump's team is hoping to convince legislatures controlled by his fellow Republicans in key states to ignore the outcome and declare Mr Trump the victor, according to multiple US media outlets.
Mr Trump has also expressed interest in inviting legislators from Pennsylvania, another battleground won by Mr Biden, to the White House, a senior campaign official confirmed to the BBC's US partner, CBS News.
But he has no such meetings currently listed on his public schedule for this weekend, and counties in the Rust Belt state, along with Michigan, are due to certify their vote totals on Monday. 
It is seen as highly unlikely that the president's team would be able to flip Michigan and Pennsylvania.
What happens now?What happens now?
What Trump could do after leaving the White HouseWhat Trump could do after leaving the White House
Making history - the first woman vice-presidentMaking history - the first woman vice-president
How is President Trump challenging the result?How is President Trump challenging the result?
What Biden's victory means for rest of worldWhat Biden's victory means for rest of world
Election results in fullElection results in full