America's coin-flip election ends today, following a year of political and cultural whiplash unlike any in history, Axios' Noah Bressner writes.

• Why it matters: The relentless pace of epic events has tested America and democracy — with new peril ahead, as half of a polarized United States will have to digest losing.

⚡ An Axios analysis of Google Trends data (charted above) shows the dramatic peaks and valleys of America's attention span since January.

• Routinely since May, the election has found a way to demand the near-constant attention of a populace wary of former President Trump, President Biden and Vice President Harris — all historically unpopular.

⚖️ Zoom in: Trump became the first former American president convicted of felony crimes. The sentencing is scheduled for three weeks from today, putting his freedom in jeopardy if he loses tonight.

• He then survived two assassination attempts, narrowly escaping a close call at a rally in Butler, Pa., when a bullet grazed his ear.
• He's sold Trump Bibles, Trump sneakers and Trump NFTs.
• Just in the past week, Trump has said he "shouldn't have left" the White House after losing in 2020 ... said he wouldn't mind if reporters were shot at ... and encouraged a supporter who insulted Harris as a prostitute.

Following Biden's debate debacle, he dropped out of the race with a shove from fellow Democrats, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and George Clooney.

• His vice president replaced him on the ticket. Her folksy way of talking about coconut trees became an improbably popular meme among young Americans.
• Her campaign became associated with "Brat," the wildly popular green-hued album by pop star Charli XCX.

🧮 By the numbers: Five search terms generated the biggest election-adjacent Google spikes this year.

1. Trump, which peaked after the first assassination attempt in July.
2. Harris, hitting a high the day Biden withdrew.
3. Biden, peaking on the same day as Harris.
4. Israel, which reached a high in April during a wave of campus protests.
5. Debate, which got the most interest in September when Trump and Harris faced off in Philadelphia.

📱 Also hot on our '24 screens:

• Elon Musk, who already drew high online interest, got even more when he threw his money and voice behind Trump.
• Madison Square Garden and Puerto Rico have seen serious spikes since a comedian called the island "garbage" at Trump's Manhattan rally.

Share this story.

About 80 million voters have already cast ballots, tens of millions more will line up today, and it's all likely to come down to seven swing states, Axios' Dave Lawler and Erica Pandey write.

• Why it matters: We may or may not know the winner by sunrise.

But key counties will give you a sense of where we're headed:

• The Harris campaign expects near-complete results tonight from three swing states — Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina — along with most of Wisconsin's results by tomorrow morning.
• Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada will likely be counting ballots through tomorrow and beyond.

👓 Between the lines: If it's as close as the polls suggest, we might not know who won for up to a few days. That may be frustrating, but it's not a sign of fraud.

• Former President Trump will likely declare victory before daybreak, regardless of the pace of results.

State-level results can only tell you so much while they're still trickling. So we've spotlighted 13 key counties (mapped above) to watch, based on analysis by Cook Political Report's Dave Wasserman. Three to watch extra closely:

1. Saginaw County, Mich., flipped to Trump in 2016 before Biden won it by 303 votes in 2020. It's a good barometer for Harris' chances of holding the "Blue Wall" and winning over working-class white voters.
2. Baldwin County, Ga., went to Biden by just 1.3 points in 2020. The primarily rural county over-indexes with Black voters and college students.
3. Northampton County, Pa., is a classic bellwether with a significant Puerto Rican population.

The other 10 ... Ariz.: Maricopa County ... Nev.: Washoe County ... Wis.: Sauk County, Ozaukee County ... Mich.: Muskegon County ... Pa.: Bucks County, Cumberland County ... N.C.: Cabarrus County, Nash County ... Ga.: Fayette County.

• Your Axios cheat sheet.

Vice President Harris concluded her campaign at the Philadelphia Museum of Art's "Rocky" steps (above), where she declared: "The momentum is on our side."

• Harris never publicly mentioned her opponent Sunday or yesterday.

Oprah introduced Harris in Philly.

Former President Trump held his final rally (above) in Grand Rapids, Mich., where he also finished his campaigns in 2016 and 2020.

• He savored the moment, stopping every few steps as he made his way onstage, soaking in an explosion of applause. A few in the crowd waited nearly 18 hours, at times in the rain, for a rally that began after midnight and ended after 2 a.m. (AP)

Megyn Kelly appeared onstage with Trump in Pittsburgh, at his second-to-last rally, just as Joe Rogan was endorsing Trump on X.

The New York Times' top campaign photogs — Doug Mills covering Trump, and Erin Schaff on the Harris beat — picked out these shots as two of their favorites this year.

• Why it matters: Mills, who's photographed every president beginning with Ronald Reagan, says in a video posted by The Times he's "just trying to find that one moment that when I get out of there I know that, OK, that was it."

Above: Former President Trump — aboard his plane, after a rally in Charlotte, N.C. — watches President Biden address the nation from the Oval Office after he stepped aside as Democratic nominee in July.

• Mills said it was the "first time I've ever witnessed anything like this where a presidential candidate watching the other one drop out live on television. ... I definitely felt the gravity."

This picture, chosen by Schaff, shows Vice President Harris waiting to speak at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans in July — less than one week after Biden's disastrous debate performance.

• "It was the first time that I had seen the vice president in just an intimate, quiet moment. The image kind of symbolizes her waiting in the wings," Schaff said.

Watch the video.

A victory by Vice President Harris is likely to mean new life for the Biden administration's careful approach to AI regulation, Axios managing editor for tech Scott Rosenberg writes.

• Former President Trump hasn't said much about AI. But if he wins next week, Elon Musk wins, too.

🔬 Zoom in: A new Harris administration would likely pursue a middle-of-the-road AI agenda in the vein of Biden's 2023 executive order.

• A Harris White House will also face pressure from Silicon Valley giants to back off from the more aggressive regulatory stance of the Biden era.
• Reid Hoffman, a Harris supporter and donor, called on her in July to replace FTC chair Lina Khan.

A second Trump term would lay out a much more volatile scenario for AI:

• Trump's pattern of rewarding loyalty, punishing critics and embracing the ideas of the last person who talked to him makes it hard to foresee the twists and turns AI policy would face in a new Trump administration.
• We know one thing: Elon Musk, who is raising billions for his xAI startup, would gain massive new sway.

Go deeper: What to know about election threats.

The vast majority of America's largest newspapers aren't endorsing a presidential candidate this year, marking a stark departure from previous election cycles, Axios' Sara Fischer writes.

• Why it matters: Papers are grappling with growing polarization and fears of retribution.

The only two endorsements former President Trump received from the top 100 newspapers by print circulation were from the New York Post and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, both owned by Trump allies.

• Keep reading ... Get Axios Media Trends.

American ingenuity: It's technically illegal to offer freebies in exchange for an "I Voted" sticker. So businesses get around that by offering Election Day bargains to all, Axios' Kelly Tyko writes:

• Uber and Lyft are both giving 50% off rides to polls, up to $10.
• Lime is giving free scooter rides to and from polling locations with promo code VOTE2024.
• Krispy Kreme is offering one free glazed doughnut per guest — and is even throwing in "I Voted" stickers "for those who voted early and want a fresh sticker along with their fresh doughnut."
• At Johnny Rockets, get a free shake with an in-store purchase by mentioning the ballot bargain.

More deals.

As the first election results roll in tonight, a huge audience will be watching ESPN instead of CNN, Axios' Ross Terrell writes.

• The first College Football Playoff rankings are scheduled to be released at 7 p.m. ET.

Why it matters: The CFP is entering a new era. This season will be a 12-team format for the first time since a playoff was introduced in 2014.

• More teams will have a shot at competing for a national championship as the field is expanded beyond the traditional four-team setup.

📣 The rankings will be released each Tuesday leading up to the final list on Dec. 8.

• Keep reading ... AP poll.