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Trump acknowledges ‘no video or proof’ of alleged vandalism to Reflecting Pool


(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump acknowledged on Sunday that there was “no video or proof” of alleged vandalism to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after weeks of claiming that damage to the pool’s surface was the deliberate work of saboteurs. 

Even after acknowledging contractor error and a lack of evidence of vandalism on Sunday, the president still went back to the case against former Olympian David Hearn, whose charges prosecutors moved to drop after new evidence revealed that the section Hearn was alleged to have damaged was already in disrepair when he arrived.

Trump nonetheless again accused Hearn — who pleaded not guilty to a felony destruction of property charge in July and has maintained he didn’t damage the pool — of intentional vandalism.

“There was substantial other damage to the Reflecting Pool, also but, unfortunately, there is no video or proof, other than the damage, itself,” Trump wrote on social media on Sunday.

Trump also said that there was “some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening.” 

The president said that contractors were “working on the Pool, and it will reopen shortly,” but said that “it was a very small area of this massive Pool” which was damaged, calling it “relatively inconsequential.”

“Security cameras have been, and are being, installed,” he added.

On Monday, Hearn’s lawyers said they were “reviewing all legal remedies” for what they described as “continued harassment.”

Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Fund, Mary Dohrmann of Washington Litigation Group and Steve Levin of Steptoe LLP said in a statement, “The government is continuing to attack an innocent man. Our first filing in the case on July 10 included photographic evidence from before Mr. Hearn touched the Reflecting Pool proving that he caused no damage. Our other filings provided even more proof.”

“Finally, the U.S. Attorney’s own motion on July 31 admitted the damage was caused by ‘a botched installation and not vandalism,'” the statement added, describing the continued allegations as “outrageous.”

Going back as early as June, the president has insisted that the damage to the Reflecting Pool — which he ordered resurfaced so the bottom would be “American flag blue” — was purposely destroyed by criminal vandals.

“I can’t help it if somebody goes in with a knife and starts hacking it up. And we also have pictures of it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on June 22. But asked if the president could share the photos, he demurred.

“No, at the right time you’ll see it. You’ll see it in court. You’ll see it in court. But all you have to do is call the Parks Department, call the Department of Interior,” Trump said at the time. But that evidence has not been released publicly.

The Justice Department moved to dismiss the case against Hearn in July, acknowledging the damage to the pool “was the result of flawed installation by the contractor.” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s motion sought to dismiss the case without prejudice, which could still leave Hearn exposed to a future indictment.

Last week, Associate Judge Todd Edelman issued an order granting in part the Department of Justice’s request to dismiss the case. Edelman said he would wait to determine whether to grant the dismissal with prejudice after hearing more arguments from the government and Hearn’s attorneys. 

Trump criticized Pirro after her office moved to dismiss the case, writing in a post to social media on Aug. 1 that while there “may have been some contractor difficulty” in the installation of a new pool liner, “the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”

“I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro,” Trump said in his post.

ABC News’ Alexander Mallin and Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

I Wanna Play with Somebody (Who Loves Me): Whitney Houston Barbie now available

I Wanna Play with Somebody (Who Loves Me): Whitney Houston Barbie now available


It’s the greatest doll of all: The Whitney Houston Barbie is here.

The Whitney Houston Barbie Signature Doll is modeled on Whitney’s look in the video for “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”: She’s wearing a purple tank dress, drop earrings and colorful eye makeup and big curly hair, and she even comes with a microphone stand. It was created in collaboration with Pat Houston, the executor of Whitney’s estate.

The $60 doll was unveiled Aug. 8 at the fifth Legacy of Love Gala, a charity event hosted by the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation. It’s now available at Target stores, and online at Amazon, Walmart, Target and Mattel Creations.

In other Whitney news, there’s a new expanded digital album collecting all of Whitney’s #1 Billboard hits across multiple charts. It features the first ever streaming release of the L.A. Reid & Babyface remix of “My Name Is Not Susan.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill talk possibility of new Fugees music

Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill talk possibility of new Fugees music


Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill are teasing the possibility of new Fugees music.

In an interview with the BBC ahead of their Diaspora Calling! performance on Friday night in Milton Keynes, England, the two say they are in an “amazing place.”

When asked if they would be making new music together in the future, Hill responded, “Absolutely.”

Wyclef continued, “All I can tell you is, man, we’re in God’s hands,” before singing, “I’m back with my bandmate!”

“So we’re in an amazing place,” he said. “I think the energy is very important.”

“There was an incredible healing process that happened with us as a band and as bandmates, and … we just want to showcase that and give some of that energy to the world as well,” Hill added.

Their third bandmate, Pras Michel, is currently serving a prison sentence on 10 criminal counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.

The Fugees’ last album was 1996’s The Score.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

NPS to flush Reflecting Pool pipes as it blames issues on previous administrations

NPS to flush Reflecting Pool pipes as it blames issues on previous administrations


(WASHINGTON) — The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was partially refilled on Friday to flush out what the National Park Service said were clogged pipes that supply water to the monument, marking the latest twist in the Trump administration’s plagued renovation project.

NPS wrote in a sign posted outside the Reflecting Pool that more than half of the 58 supply ports were “deemed nonfunctioning” due to buildup and needed to be cleared.

The posting blamed the clogged lines on “years of neglect by previous administrations,” echoing attempts by President Donald Trump to pin the Reflecting Pool’s ongoing troubles on his predecessors. 

Leaks and cracks in the piping have long afflicted the pool, which was constructed in the 1920s.

President Barack Obama undertook a $35 million renovation in the 2010s, installing a treatment plant to purify water piped in from the Tidal Basin, but it did not eliminate the leaks from both the pipes and between the slabs of the pool itself.

President Trump has long fixated on the leaking pipes installed during the Obama renovation. When he announced the renovation project in April, he said the pool was “filthy dirty” and had “leaked like a sieve for many years.” The administration’s spring renovation, however, was limited to repainting the bottom of the pool and installing a new filtration system, leaving the pipes untouched. 

Issues have plagued Trump’s $16 million renovation project since it was unveiled earlier this summer. In mid-June, algae blooms turned the pool a murky green and the newly-installed liner appeared to peel off.

Trump has attributed the problems to vandalism. But charges brought against several visitors accused of damaging the pool have not held up in court.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who originally brought the charges, moved to drop four of the cases last week, saying publicly that evidence indicated the damage was caused by a flawed renovation, not intentional sabotage. 

Pirro explained her decision to dismiss the most high-profile charge — a felony indictment against former Olympian David Hearn — in a revelatory 20-page filing last Friday, calling the renovation “hasty” and “botched.” She said she brought the case before she was provided internal Department of Interior documents proving that concerns about the peeling pool liner predated the alleged vandalism. 

The public about-face drew Trump’s ire, who continues to attribute the damage to vandalism, and led to questions about Pirro’s future as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, Hearn is seeking to dismiss the case with prejudice to ensure charges cannot be revived against him. His lawyers have not ruled out further legal action of their own. 

The pool, which remains fenced off and empty alongside the sides, was drained for repairs in mid-July. Trump claimed at the time that the repairs would “fix the scars and damage that was done by the Vandals” and promised it would be “refilled and put back into service soon.”

The National Park Service posting warned on Friday that the “flushing may temporarily discolor the water as buildup in the pipes is cleaned out.” The Department of Interior provided a similar explanation when algae first discolored the pool, saying it was residual growth from reactivated supply lines.

 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

New Music Friday: FLO, Inspectah Deck and more

New Music Friday: FLO, Inspectah Deck and more


FLO has released their sophomore album, Therapy at the Club, along with a music video for the track “Cry Ugly.” The trio said the album is “super personal” for them, adding, “For us, the club is more than just a night out, it’s like therapy. I mean, where else do you feel more understood than in a girls bathroom on a night out…that’s the vibe!”

Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck has dropped a new solo album called Dragon’s Breath. “Dragon’s Breath was designed to bring the culture and the true hip-hop experience of beats and rhymes back to the listener,” Deck says. “It is also a testament to the OG’s [sic] and the legacy artists who have been told to hang up the gloves. Inspectah Deck is still spitting fire 30-years later.”

Ravyn Lenae is out with her third studio album, Blue Island. The track list features Dominic Fike on “Reputation” and Doechii on “Babygirl.”

North West, the 13-year-old daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, has released the music video for her song “Aishite.” The song’s title translates from Japanese to “love me.” It’s a single off her debut EP, N0rth4evr, released in May.

Pooh Shiesty debuted a new surprise album, All Eyes on Shiest, featuring the bonus track “MANE” with GloRilla and “FDO.” Fans who purchase on iTunes will get an exclusive extra bonus track: the seven-minute freestyle “Contraband 2.5.”

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Senate approves Russia sanctions bill named after Sen. Lindsey Graham

Senate approves Russia sanctions bill named after Sen. Lindsey Graham


(WASHINGTON) — The Senate on Friday approved a long-awaited Russia and Iran sanctions bill named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

The bill was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 86-11.

Sen. Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister who is currently filling his seat in the chamber and running for a full six-year term this November, gaveled down the vote.  

The package would impose primary and secondary sanctions on Russia and other countries that support Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

The sanctions target Russian political officials and oligarchs, banks and financial institutions, and the Russian shadow fleet, according to a release from a bipartisan group of senators who unveiled the legislation.

This bill still needs to head to the House of Representatives, which is currently on recess until the end of the month.

House Speaker Mike Johnson previously stated he supports sanctioning Russia, but it’s unclear whether the bill will have the support it needs in the lower chamber.

Graham, who died suddenly last month at the age of 71, was a champion of the bill.

A foreign policy hawk, Graham was one of the Republican conference’s most outspoken Ukraine allies and had a strong relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Graham had made his 10th visit to Ukraine shortly before his death.

Zelenskyy attended Graham’s funeral services in Washington, D.C., and was on Capitol Hill last week when the Senate first advanced the Russia sanctions bill, celebrating it as important pressure on Russia.

“It’s not only about money, how to stop how to finance this war, but it’s also a big signal to Europe, big signal to Ukraine, big support of our people,” Zelenskyy said at the time.

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