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Trump says he’ll renovate ‘filthy’ reflecting pool on National Mall

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Trump says he’ll renovate ‘filthy’  reflecting pool on National Mall


President Donald Trump touted plans Thursday to coat the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in an “American flag blue” hue, one of the president’s latest construction efforts to refashion government buildings and monuments in Washington, D.C.

Trump said he was inspired to oversee renovations after a friend visited from Germany and noted its decay.

“He said, ‘it’s filthy, dirty. The water is disgusting looking. It’s not representative of the country,’” Trump recalled during a White House event Thursday on drug prices.

Trump posted a video speaking about the renovation of the over 2,000-foot-long pool on Truth Social, shortly before his White House event with reporters.

Donald Trump speaks while seated in the Oval Office.
Trump said the renovation will take two weeks and cost $1.5 million.Will Oliver / EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“Right now, it’s got no water in it because it was in terrible shape. It was filthy, dirty, and it leaked like a sieve for many years,” Trump said in the video. “So I actually went over, went with Secret Service and a group of people, and I took, took a look at it.”

The president said there were initial plans to remove the granite in the pool and replace the stone, but that process would have cost $300 million and taken more than three years to complete.

Instead, Trump said he contacted his own private contractors to clean the stone and then coat it in a new color, which he described as “American flag blue.”

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“We scrubbed the surface of the existing granite that’s been there since 1922. We then grouted all of the granite, fixed it up,” Trump said in the video. “It took about two weeks, and now we have a nice, clean surface on which we’re putting an industrial grade swimming pool topping.”

Trump said the project is expected to cost between $1.5 and 2 million dollars and will be completed “long before July 4” for the country’s 250th celebration.

“In another couple of weeks, we’re going to have the most beautiful reflective pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial that you’ve ever seen,” Trump said at the White House.

Trump has pledged to overhaul the pool in the past. The president said in a post on Truth Social last month that he and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum were “working on fixing the absolutely filthy Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.”

The pool, the site of historical events such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech, had its last major renovation in 2012 in a $34 million project that lasted almost two years.

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Trump’s efforts to revamp the reflecting pool come alongside a number of other construction projects spearheaded by the president across Washington, D.C., including his plans to build a $400 million ballroom and military bunker in the East Wing of the White House and a major renovation of Kennedy Center.



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Gregory Barbaccia and Amy Gleason among senior federal speakers at Washington D.C. conference

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Gregory Barbaccia and Amy Gleason among senior federal speakers at Washington D.C. conference


By Richard Johnstone on 18/05/2026 | Updated on 18/05/2026

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The Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where Government Service Delivery 2026 will be held. Photo by APK via Wikimedia Commons under CC 4.0

Senior leaders from across the US federal government will come together in Washington, D.C. this June for Government Service Delivery 2026, a conference focused on improving how government delivers services through technology, data and digital transformation.

The event, hosted by Global Government Forum, will bring together federal CIOs, senior officials and international government leaders to share practical insights on how public services can become more efficient, secure and user-centred.

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Confirmed speakers include:

  • Gregory Barbaccia, Federal Chief Information Officer, Office of Management and Budget (subject to final approvals)
  • Amy Gleason, Acting Administrator, U.S. DOGE Service (USDS) and Strategic Advisor, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (subject to final approvals)
  • Michael Lynch, Deputy Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration

The conference, taking place on June 11 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, will provide a rare opportunity for federal leaders to share insights directly with an audience of government practitioners.

Government Service Delivery 2026: Find out more and register here

Sessions will explore key challenges and priorities across government, including:

  • Implementing artificial intelligence in public services
  • Strengthening cybersecurity and resilience
  • Improving the use of data in government decision-making
  • Delivering greater efficiency in IT procurement
  • Tackling fraud and risk across public services
  • Building a workforce equipped for digital government

Additional speakers from across US federal government include:

  • Brian Epley, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • Sonny Bhagowalia, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • Pavan Pidugu, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Transportation
  • Dawn Zimmer, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Energy
  • David Shive, Chief Information Officer, U.S. General Services Administration
  • Eric Sidle, Chief Information Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development

The conference will also feature international perspectives from senior leaders including:

  • Dario Genua, Secretary of Innovation, Science and Technology, Argentina
  • Katarzyna Zajkowska, Director of Digital Transformation, Ministry of Digital Affairs, Poland
  • Emily Middleton, Interim Director General for Digital Transformation, Government Digital Service, UK
  • Gulsanna Mamediieva, Adviser to the Vice Prime Minister, Ukraine
  • Elsa Pilichowski, Director for Public Governance, OECD

View the full list of speakers here

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Storm Team4 Forecast: Near-record heat expected to start off week

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Storm Team4 Forecast: Near-record heat expected to start off week


4 things to know about the weather:

  1. Hot Monday
  2. Potentially record heat Monday and Tuesday
  3. Dry start to the week
  4. Showers, then milder end of week

After a hot end to the weekend, the heat continues to crank up for the start of the new workweek. Highs on Monday and Tuesday will be near record levels, possibly tying or beating them. Temperatures will elevate to the mid to upper 90s.

Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.

Wednesday will also be hot, but a cold front will come and bring showers and storm chances, then knock temperatures down for the end of the week. Highs will be in the 60s by Friday.

QuickCast

TONIGHT:
Few clouds
Wind: S light
LOW: Mid 60s

MONDAY:
Sunny
Wind: S 5-10 mph
HIGH: Mid 90s

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TUESDAY:
Mostly sunny
Wind: SW 5-10 mph
HIGH: Upper 90s

WEDNESDAY:
Shower & storm chance
Wind: W 5-10 mph
HIGH: Mid 90s

SUNRISE: 5:53 a.m.          SUNSET: 8:16 p.m.
AVERAGE HIGH: 77°         AVERAGE LOW: 59°

Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.



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Man pulled from Anacostia River near Southeast DC boat club

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Man pulled from Anacostia River near Southeast DC boat club


A man was hospitalized late Saturday night after emergency crews rescued him from the Anacostia River near a boat club in Southeast D.C.

According to the D.C. Fire and EMS Department (DCFEMS), crews were called around 10:46 p.m. May 16 to the 1300 block of Water Street, SE, for a report of a person missing in the water near a dock.

Land units and fireboats responded to the scene near the District Yacht Club.

Around 11:23 p.m., DC Fire and EMS said divers found a man and hauled him from the water.

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SEE ALSO | Feds to charge parents in DC teen takeovers as US attorney steps in

He was taken to a nearby hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries, officials said.

DCFEMS said their personnel worked with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Harbor units during the rescue.

MPD confirmed its Harbor units were on scene and would take the lead on the investigation.

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This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.



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