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Axios
Axios
Politics

The relentless 2022 news cycle in one chart

Google Google Trends Axios Will Smith America Ukraine
Editor's note: The axis has been corrected to show trends beginning in January 2022, not 2021. Data: Google Trends. Chart: Madison Dong/Axios

Inflation, immigration and the Supreme Court consistently held Americans' interest over the course of a year in which most news cycles — from Will Smith's Oscars slap to monkeypox to the death of Queen Elizabeth — burned hot and fast.

Why it matters: Axios' annual analysis of Google Trends data shows the rise and fall of America's attention in a year of global upheaval.

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