Trump Touts Reflecting Pool Makeover on Eve of Midterm Elections

With less than 24 hours remaining before polls open across the country on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, national party leaders delivered closing midterm arguments from Washington, D.C., to New York, Iowa, and Michigan on Monday, alongside national consumer and retail updates.

Trump Touts Lincoln Reflecting Pool Renovation Ahead of 9 GOP Telerallies

According to the Associated Press via ABC7 News, President Donald Trump made his final public appearance before Election Day at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool—where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 1963 speech—before participating in 9 Republican phone telerallies:

• Reflecting Pool Reopening & Vice Presidential Stops: Trump highlighted the resurfacing of the pool after summer algae blooms and peeling blue liner chunks (over which the Justice Department briefly charged and then cleared former Olympian David Hearn). Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance campaigned in Rome, New York alongside Republican House candidates Kailee Buller and Anthony Constantino.
• Iowa & Michigan Closing Rallies: In Iowa—which has not elected a Democratic governor in 2 decades (20 years)—Democratic nominee Rob Sand campaigned with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear against Republican Zach Lahn with roughly 30 hours left before polls close. In Michigan's U.S. Senate race, Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed campaigned in Ypsilanti with Rep. Debbie Dingell and Sen. Elizabeth Warren after his former primary rival, Rep. Haley Stevens, appeared Sunday with Republican nominee Mike Rogers.

Martha Stewart Apologizes for Halloween Post; Police Probe $18,000 Bucks County Theft

Two additional national stories drew widespread attention on Monday:

• Martha Stewart Issues Two Sunday Statements: As reported by NBC Bay Area and ABC7 News, 85-year-old entrepreneur Martha Stewart—named in August 2026 to Forbes' list of 250 greatest self-made Americans—issued 2 statements on Sunday apologizing after the 3rd slide of a since-deleted Instagram carousel promoting her QVC candles showed her dressed as a "hungry" homeless person. Calling the outfit "insensitive and not funny" in her 2nd statement, Stewart acknowledged economic hardship nationwide; federal U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) figures released in May showed more than 745,000 people were homeless on 1 night in January 2025, a 27% overall increase and 36% unsheltered increase since 2013.
• $18,000 Gold Chain Theft at Aly Jewelers: In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, ABC7 News reported that the Middletown Township Police Department released surveillance video Monday of suspects who fled Aly Jewelers on Friday with a gold chain valued at approximately $18,000, asking tipsters to contact Officer Jim Moratti at 215-949-1000.