Election day; Trump in Grand Rapids; Harris Rally: NPR

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Today's top stories

Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump have concluded their presidential campaigns in what is expected to be a close race. Trump spent his final day in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while Harris wrapped up her campaign in Philadelphia. Nobody knows what will happen after this wild election season ends. Here's what we're paying attention to today.

Left: Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Thursday, September 12, 2024. Right: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens during a campaign rally at Santander Arena on Monday , November 4, 2024, in Reading, Pennsylvania (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Jacquelyn Martin/AP; Evan Vucci/AP

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP; Evan Vucci/AP

• 🎧 If this is Trump's last campaign, it will be the end of an eratells NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben First up. No one will be able to successfully reproduce his unique style. If he loses, the Republican Party will have to redefine its identity without him. On his final day of campaigning, he stayed true to his message, promising mass deportations and saying tariffs were a great solution for the economy.
• ➡️ If Trump is re-elected, he would be the second president in US history to win non-consecutive terms. Grover Cleveland was first. Check out how Cleveland made it happen.
• 🎧 NPR's Deepa Shivaram says it's significant that Harris spent her final day entirely in Pennsylvaniaa state with 19 electoral votes. Most voters there don't cast their votes until election day. Harris encouraged people to vote and motivated those around her to do the same. Her message focused on who she is and made no mention of Trump, except for a reference to “the other guy.”
• ➡️ Harris is one of many vice presidents who successfully won their party's nomination for president. It was more difficult to actually win the election.
• ➡️ About eight in 10 people from both the Republican and Democratic parties name politics on their list of top stressors. Dr. Joshua Stein, a psychiatrist in Minnesota, agrees Morning edition with advice for reducing election-related stress.
• ➡️ NPR is partnering with The Associated Press to report election results. This is how the race calling process works.

NPR will have live coverage of election calls, ballot measures, the presidential election vote count and more. Stay up to date wherever you get your news:

The Israeli government announced that it would terminate its agreement with UNRWAthe main United Nations agency providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Israel claims the agency, which employs 13,000 people in Gaza, was infiltrated by Hamas. UNRWA laid off nine staff. The United Nations investigative panel says these nine personnel may have been involved in attacks on Israel, but has not been able to verify the information Israel used to support its allegations.

• 🎧 The US is concerned about legislation passed last week banning contact between Israel and UNRWAsays NPR's Aya Batrawy. The outcome of the presidential election will influence the further development of this situation. With less than 90 days until the law takes effect, Israel has not submitted an alternative plan to UNRWA. “In short, people will suffer because there is already hunger and starvation throughout the Gaza Strip,” Batrawy said.

Today's listening

This piano from Stuart and Sons features a veneer made from 2,000-year-old tree trunks and an ebony surround.

Courtesy of Stuart and Sons

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Courtesy of Stuart and Sons

A nearly 200-year-old manuscript of a waltz by composer Frédéric Chopin was recently discovered at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York. Curator Robinson McClellan found it while searching a collection donated to the library. Initially unsure whether the manuscript was actually by Chopin, he enlisted the expertise of music history professor Jeffery Kallberg to confirm its authenticity.

Life advice

Many pills scattered on a blue background. A question mark made of pills. Fake medicines. Empty area to insert text

Kirill Greshnov/Getty Images

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Kirill Greshnov/Getty Images

How sure are you that what you buy online is real? There's a good chance you've been misled at some point. According to a 2023 study from Michigan State University, nearly 70% of consumers unknowingly purchased counterfeit products online in the past year. Counterfeit items such as medications, skin creams, vitamins and safety products such as brake pads, life jackets and dog leashes can pose a serious threat. Here are some warning signs to look out for on e-commerce platforms:

• 🚩 You can buy medicine cheaply in an online pharmacy without a prescription.
• 🚩 You don't know the name of the seller you are buying from. Sites like Amazon and Walmart.com allow third-party or independent sellers to use their platforms to sell goods.
• 🚩 The reviews are all bad – or all good. Illegal companies may post fake reviews or hide bad reviews by reporting or downvoting them.

Here is the complete list what you should pay attention to to avoid buying counterfeit products.

3 things you should know before you go

Striking Boeing machinists demonstrate in front of the company's Renton manufacturing plant in Washington. About 33,000 workers walked off their jobs in September, demanding higher wages and better pension benefits. Union members rejected two previous contract offers from Boeing before Monday's vote.

Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

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Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

1. Boeing's mechanical engineers voted for the approval yesterday a contract offer that ended a strike that had lasted over 53 days.
2. How can you ensure that a child learns something thoroughly? and for a long time? According to a new study from the journal PNAS, they are exceeding their expectations.
3. McDonald's could repair its soft ice cream machines Thanks to a new exception to a copyright law, things are now moving faster.

This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.