Midterm prediction hits new high, Ohio voting bomb threat, Trump's Vietnam claim, Vance's 'ugly wig'

NJ.com
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Nov 4, 2026
Here are some of the week's biggest political stories from NJ.com.
A polling guru's midterm prediction hits a new high as the final polls land. A bomb threat disrupts voting at an Ohio elementary school on Election Day. A White House reporter fires back after President Trump 'lost control' in the Oval Office. Trump claims he would solve the Vietnam War in a week, but there's one problem. And JD Vance gets trolled for his 'ugly wig' Halloween costume and reveals why he did it.
0:00 Polling guru's midterm prediction
0:46 Bomb threat disrupts Ohio voting
1:43 White House reporter fires back
2:23 Trump's Vietnam War claim
3:05 Vance's 'ugly wig' costume
Read the full stories at NJ.com.
Here's what's making headlines this week.
Polling analyst Nate Silver reported a major shift
in his midterm election forecast Monday,
following the release of the final New York Times-Siena College polls.
According to the Staten Island Advance, citing Mediaite,
those surveys showed Democrats leading
in seven major Senate battlegrounds,
including Texas, Ohio, and Maine.
The results pushed Democrats' modeled chances
of winning Senate control above 80% for the first time.
Silver's house forecast had already been in the mid-90s.
Silver cautioned that polling uncertainty remains,
but said the latest surveys showed consistent
trends across battleground states.
The projections are forecasts, not election results.
Bomb threats were reported Tuesday at four Ohio elementary schools,
including one serving
as an election day polling location in Lucas County.
According to the Toledo Blade,
emergency crews responded to Beverly Elementary School
just before 10 30 a.m. A second threat
was reported 10 minutes later at Monick Elementary.
The Blade reported that both schools were evacuated
and searched by bomb detection K-9s.
Police later determined both threats were not credible.
Lucas County Elections Director Lavera Scott told
The Blade that voting at Beverly Elementary
resumed by 12.15 p.m. after being interrupted for less than two hours.
Police said they did not know whether the two threats were connected,
and both incidents remained under active investigation.
Officials said bomb threats
were also made against two other area schools Tuesday,
neither of which was being used as a polling location.
President Donald Trump clashed with a White House reporter during
a tense exchange in the Oval Office.
According to NJ.com,
Andrew Feinberg of The Independent questioned Trump about his new
whistleblower incentive program
and proposed changes to a Washington golf course.
Trump told Feinberg he had better be careful before asking,
What's wrong with you?
Are you a sick person?
Feinberg responded,
Not that I know of, sir.
The reporter later accused Trump of losing control
and said he was simply doing his job.
The White House and Vice President J.D. Vance's official accounts
also criticized Feinberg on social media.
President Donald Trump is facing criticism after claiming he could
have won the Vietnam War in just one week if he had been president.
According to NJ.com,
Trump made the remarks during a Sunday rally in Iowa,
criticizing former presidents
and their use of Agent Orange during the war.
Trump suggested targeting Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon.
But Saigon was the capital of South Vietnam, America's ally.
North Vietnam's capital was Hanoi.
Hunter Biden criticized Trump's remarks on social media,
pointing to the geographical mistake
and Trump's five military draft deferments.
Other critics questioned his claim while the Iran war continues.
Vice President J.D. Vance
is drawing mixed reactions online after dressing
as Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter for Halloween,
complete with a long silver wig.
According to the Staten Island Advance,
Vance shared a video holding his baby son Alec dressed
as Dobby the Elf while wishing viewers a happy Halloween.
Some social media users mocked Vance's costume,
while others defended him for celebrating
Halloween with his children.
At a Republican campaign rally in New York,
Vance explained he wore the costume because
he lost a bet with his kids.
He joked that the wig was uncomfortable, but said they had a good time.
