July 10, 2026:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Crews are draining the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool again as President Donald Trump’s problem-plagued effort to renovate the site pushes past his initial July 4, 2026, deadline. The president initially suggested his renovations would last a century. But, within weeks of the project originally reaching completion last month, the water was beset by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating appeared to be peeling off the bottom. Trump has blamed the peeling on vandals, though critics allege it’s from shoddy repair work. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told a conservative podcaster that the draining was planned and that the water might still contain debris from the Independence Day fireworks display over the National Mall.
June 25, 2026:
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top official at the National Park Service says a liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project. The park service reported the June 9 incident to U.S. Park Police. Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the park service, said about 70 fence post tops also were thrown into the pool. Lands made the statements in a court document filed late Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization to halt the administration’s work on the project.
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