Ardern says she'll work with whoever wins US elections

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she would work with whoever wins the US presidential elections, as ballot counting continued on Thursday. Ardern told reporters in Auckland that democracy should run its course and reach an outcome. "Obviously as votes are still being counted I think the whole world waits for the final outcome in the United States. But of course, we continue to have faith in those institutions, as I'm sure they do," Ardern said.

Democrat Joe Biden was pushing closer to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to carry the White House, securing victories in the "blue wall" battlegrounds of Wisconsin and Michigan, and narrowing President Donald Trump's path. With just a handful of states still up for grabs, Trump tried to press his case in court in some key swing states.

It was unclear if any of his campaign's legal maneuvering over balloting would succeed in shifting the race. Two days after Election Day, neither candidate had amassed the votes needed to win the White House. But Biden's victories in the Great Lakes states left him at 264, meaning he was one battleground state away, any would do from becoming president-elect.

(Image Credits: AP)