• Opponents seek to slow Sanders’ momentum before Super Tuesday
• Bloomberg needs strong showing after last week’s poor performance
• Full story: Sanders braced for onslaught from rivals

1.18am GMT

Asked about his declining support among African American voters, Joe Biden expressed confidence he would win Saturday’s South Carolina primary.

Biden noted polls indicate he still leads the Democratic field with black voters. “I’ve worked like the devil to earn the vote of the African American community,” Biden said.

1.17am GMT

Elizabeth Warren has taken aim at Bernie Sanders tonight. It’s not the first time she’s tried to contrast herself with him, but it’s definitely her sharpest rebuke of the senator yet. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed:

That’s the most direct criticism @ewarren has ever laid at @BernieSanders: “I dug in, did the work, and Bernies team trashed me for it.”

Warren has had to figure out how to deal with Sanders for the entire length of the campaign — contrast without alienating mutual supporters. This answer tonight is the first true, direct attempt at that. This was a huge moment, no question. #DemDebate

Wow. Big moment.

Elizabeth Warren has seemed to drop her truce with Bernie Sanders. She just said she did the work to fight banks and figure out how to pay for Medicare for all and Bernie’s supporters “trashed me for it.”

“I would be a better president than Bernie,” she said.

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Saturday’s vote could be a make-or-break moment for candidates in the first state with a diverse electorate

• Bernie Sanders has invested big in Nevada. Will it pay off?
• Health, heat and deportations: the issues voters care about

8.44pm GMT

At Sparks high school outside Reno, a group of Sanders supporters were the first to arrive hours before the caucus, encouraging voters to back the Vermont senator as they lined up.

Essie Richard, 73, one of the first voters to arrive. Supporting @JoeBiden. “I’m Biden all the way. He was Vice President for eight years. He has the experience.” Protecting social security and Medicare are most important to her: “I’m barely surviving.” pic.twitter.com/Ibb8YF6fVb

Naomi Zamarripa, 18, high schooler voting for first time: “I love his commitment. He’s been around for so long, he keeps fighting + stays true to his beliefs.” @BernieSanders will win, she said: “Nevada is the first state that has a diverse makeup, he appeals to a lot of groups” pic.twitter.com/btVEPFiCV6

8.38pm GMT

As the caucuses get underway, social media streams are starting to fill with “first alignment” results from individual caucus sites. But what about the actual, official results?

Tom Perez, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, told reporters today that results will be released as soon as possible, but that the priority is, “first and foremost, to get it right,” according to the AP.

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