Washington
UK police special enquiry team to examine role of Washington Post chief in email deletions
A British police special enquiry team is examining allegations that Will Lewis, now the chief executive of the Washington Post, presided over the deliberate destruction of emails at Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspaper business when he worked for the company 13 years ago.
The Met has told the former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown that its standing unit responsible for high-profile cases is reviewing a complaint he had submitted about Lewis after fresh disclosures emerged during civil actions relating to the phone-hacking scandal.
The letter, seen by the Guardian, is signed by the Met’s most senior officer, Mark Rowley, and tells Brown: “Please be assured that the contents of your letter, dated 2 May 2024, is being considered by the Met’s special enquiry team.”
The police chief adds: “The issues you raise are complex and will take time to consider against investigations that have already taken place.”
Brown’s original letter to Rowley had urged him to review new evidence relating to “the concealment and destruction of up to 30 million emails, hard drives and documents” – and police to launch an investigation “into the destruction of evidence” and “the cover-up that followed”.
In response, Brown, writing in the Guardian, questions whether Lewis is an appropriate leader for the flagship US newspaper owned by the billionaire founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos – accusing Lewis of displaying a “lack of ethics” when he worked for Murdoch during the hacking scandal.
“Blazoned across the top of every edition of the Washington Post is the statement, ‘Democracy dies in darkness.’ But what if the publisher himself is a master of the dark arts?” Brown says.
The former PM goes on to accuse Lewis of trying to mislead British detectives investigating phone hacking at the News of the World in the summer of 2011 – by telling police that Brown himself was behind a plot to steal emails of senior executives at the tabloid’s UK owner, Murdoch’s News International.
“I have only recently discovered how Lewis attempted to accuse me of a crime I did not commit,” Brown says. He accuses Lewis of being engaged in a “complete fabrication”.
“While Lewis has always claimed that he was Mr Clean Up, these new allegations point to a cover-up,” he says.
Documents disclosed in high court civil actions this week include a minute taken by the Met police of a meeting detectives had with Lewis on 8 July 2011. Detectives were inquiring into the deletion of emails belonging to senior executives at Murdoch’s newspaper company.
In the meeting, Lewis justified the deletions by accusing Brown of “controlling” a plot with the former Labour MP Tom Watson to obtain the emails of Rebekah Brooks, the then chief executive of News International, through a third party. Lewis was the company’s general manager at the time.
“We got a warning from a source that a current member of staff had got access to Rebekah’s [Brooks’] emails and had passed them to Tom Watson MP,” Lewis told the police, who told officers he went on to meet the individual behind the claim.
“The source repeated the threat,” Lewis continued, according to the police memo. “Then the source came back and said it was a former member of staff and the emails had definitely been passed and that it was controlled by Gordon Brown.”
Brown writes that the police officer who headed the initial hacking investigation, Sue Akers, now regards this explanation as unbelievable, citing comments she made to the New York Times earlier this month. “Gordon Brown was obviously one of the victims,” she said. “The thought that he would do that is ludicrous.”
A spokesperson for the Washington Post said that Lewis declined to comment. He has consistently denied allegations of wrongdoing.
Lewis has enjoyed a high-flying career before and after the hacking scandal. He remained at News International until 2014, then moved on to another senior role in the Murdoch empire, as chief executive of Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal, until 2020.
Lewis was picked by Bezos to become chief executive of the Washington Post last year, and he caused controversy at the US paper by trying to appoint an old ally, the Briton Robert Winnett, as editor. After a furore, Winnett eventually decided not to take up the job.
In June, Bezos sent a memo to staff at the newspaper, defending Lewis: “Team – I know you’ve already heard this from Will, but I wanted to also weigh in directly: the journalistic standards and ethics at The Post will not change.”
Brown said he now he believed the Met police memo demonstrated that Lewis “gave the game away” because “his explanation conceded that the emails were destroyed to prevent them being seen”.
The email archives of a handful of senior executives at Murdoch’s UK operation, including those of Lewis and Brooks, had been deleted a few months earlier in January 2011, during a period in which allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World were growing.
Brown writes: “The destroyed emails that the police wanted were likely to have revealed much more of News Group’s intrusion into the private lives of thousands of innocent people, not least ordinary families hit by tragedy, and almost certainly would have added to what I have only recently discovered about what happened to me.”
Back in July 2011, Lewis told police that Brooks was anxious about her emails becoming public, because of her professional relationship with Tony Blair, Brown’s predecessor as prime minister. “She was a Tony Blair supporter whilst she was editor of the Sun,” Lewis told officers.
“They were very good friends. There was potential for that to be used against her in a negative way,” Lewis said.
Civil actions relating to alleged phone hacking have been running in the English courts for more than a decade. Murdoch’s News Group has paid out hundreds of millions and settled more than 1,300 lawsuits relating to hacking at the now-closed News of the World, but always rejected allegations of wrongdoing at the Sun.
Brown writes in the Guardian he already knew that the Sunday Times had, among other things, “accessed information about my mortgage from my building society, had reverse engineered my telephone number, had faked my voice to secure personal information about me from my lawyer, and had paid an investigator to break into the police national computer to find out what personal information about me was available.”
But he claims he now knows the intrusion went much further than that.
“More recently, I have been given information that the Murdoch group also paid investigators to break into other personal accounts of mine – including bank, gas and electricity – suggesting that nothing was out of bounds.” Brown explains.
Murdoch’s goals were political and commercial, the former prime minister argues. The media mogul wanted to take full control of Sky television, buy control of ITV, “neuter the BBC” and “control much of the highly profitable UK telecoms industry, all of which the Conservatives were ready to go along with”.
A spokesperson for Murdoch’s News UK said that Brown had only seen “partial information” from the civil cases and “does not have access to all material including detailed statements served by the defence”.
They added: “He is seeking to persuade the Met to take sides in a public debate.”
It was “strongly denied” that News International “sought to impede or worse conceal evidence from the Met” by deleting emails, the spokesperson added.
They cited a Crown Prosecution Service statement from December 2015, which said: “There is no evidence to suggest that email deletion was undertaken in order to pervert the course of justice.”
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Washington’s National Mall is set to be drained again for repairs after algae and peeling paint appeared just weeks after a US$14.7 million renovation, while President Donald Trump threatened prison time for anyone caught damaging the pool.
The DC Water authority issued a permit to drain the 609-metre rectangular pool, it said on Monday, while the repair company said it would fix the pool as part of its warranty.
Peeling paint and algae growth have been visible in the pool since soon after Trump declared the renovation project complete on June 6. Critics have raised concerns about the no-bid contract to recoat the pool before the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations next month, as well as for the ducks that use its water. Workers from the National Park Service earlier this week poured hydrogen peroxide into the pool to combat the algae.
Trump, without evidence, has blamed vandals for the state of the landmark. On Monday, he echoed a weekend threat by US Attorney Jeanine Pirro to prosecute people accused of attempting to destroy the pool.
“Please remember that there is a 10-year prison sentence for the destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things – Which will be fully enforced!” Trump earlier wrote in a social media post. Destruction of federal property can carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
It was not immediately apparent what criminal or civil violation someone might commit reaching into the pool.
Half a year can be an eternity in the NBA.
Seven months ago, as Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks headed toward a divorce, Young’s value within the league had never been lower.
On Monday, Young and the Washington Wizards agreed to a new four-year, maximum-salary contract worth approximately $212.9 million, according to a league source. The fourth year of the contract will be a player option.
Young’s first-year salary is estimated to be $49.5 million, which amounts to 30 percent of the projected 2026-27 salary cap of $165 million. During the 2029-30 season, the final year of the contract, Young will earn $56.9 million if he accepts his player option.
Wizards officials would love it, of course, if Young can return to the form that made him an All-NBA Third Team player during the 2021-22 season. But at the very least, they place significant value on knowing that their team’s offense will start with him on most occasions, and that he will be around to shoulder a large portion of the scoring load while the team’s young players, who comprise the team’s long-term nucleus, continue to improve.
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That Young will receive such large annual salaries no doubt will come as a shock to many observers, especially after Young’s reputation took a beating toward the end of his Hawks tenure. The NBA rumor mill, which is often inaccurate, predicted months ago that any new deal between Young and the Wizards would average no more than $40 million annually.
But in recent weeks, Wizards decision-makers became convinced that, with the NBA’s new anti-tanking measures compelling more teams to compete, Young was going to command maximum-salary contract offers from other franchises through either a straight free-agent signing or a sign-and-trade proposal.
Because the Wizards hold Young’s Bird rights, the Wizards had the latitude to offer Young up to a five-year contract with 8 percent annual raises. But Young’s new four-year deal instead features 5 percent year-over-year raises, the maximum year-over-year raise that any other team could have offered Young as a non-Bird free agent. For Washington, the difference between signing Young to 5 percent raises instead of 8 percent raises will amount to a total savings of $8.9 million over four years.
Wizards officials are not concerned that Young’s new contract will age poorly and prevent them from making future moves to improve their roster. Anthony Davis, who is due to earn $58.5 million in 2026-27, and Young are now Washington’s highest-paid players on its young roster, but the person with the third-largest salary is big man Alex Sarr, who will be paid the relatively small sum of $12.3 million this season. At the earliest, the Wizards do not expect to approach the dreaded first apron until the 2028-29 season, when any new rookie-scale contract extensions for Sarr and Kyshawn George would go into effect.
Plus, Wizards officials reason that Young, who will turn 28 years old in September, will remain in his prime years through the end of his contract. The onerous large contracts that age the worst — potentially Jimmy Butler’s current deal with the Golden State Warriors and Paul George’s current deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, for example — tend to be contracts in which players already are past their primes at the start of their contracts.
Young is by no means a perfect player. Undersized at 6 feet 1, and undeniably more focused on the offensive end of the floor, he tended to be a significant defensive liability throughout his Hawks tenure. That trend could worsen if he begins to lose a step (or two) over the next several years.
At the same time, though, Wizards officials have always known that their lineups would have to feature enough positional size and enough defensive-oriented players to compensate for Young’s shortcomings — in the same way that the defensive liabilities of LaMelo Ball, Jalen Brunson, Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell (and others) are compensated for by their respective teams.
The Wizards’ decision-makers believe Davis and youngsters Bilal Coulibaly, Davis, George, Sarr and whomever they pick first overall in Tuesday night’s draft will develop into strong enough defenders to help Young.
Young appeared in only five games for Washington last season after his trade from Atlanta for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. That was a large enough sample size to demonstrate how his gravity and his passing skill could create open shots for his new teammates. George, Tre Johnson and others should receive more wide-open 3-point looks when Young directs the offense, and Sarr and Davis should feast on lobs from Young in pick-and-rolls.
Only 16 players in NBA history have averaged at least 20 points and 10 assists per game in the same season, according to Basketball Reference. Young is one of those players, and he has done it three times, during the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. The only other players who have had at least three seasons of at least 20 points and 10 assists per game are James Harden (four times), Kevin Johnson (three times), Magic Johnson (three times), Oscar Robertson (five times), Isiah Thomas (four times) and Russell Westbrook (five times).
The franchise expects Young to make Washington’s offense more efficient and, because opponents will have to take the ball out of their net more often, give Washington’s defense more opportunities to set itself.
July 6 is the first day when new free-agent contracts may be signed and made official.
President Trump did not provide evidence that vandals damaged the Reflecting Pool. The $14 million renovation marked the latest in his efforts to beautify Washington, D.C.
(Courtesy CNN)
Courtesy CNN
(Courtesy CNN)
Courtesy CNN
(Courtesy CNN)
Courtesy CNN
(Courtesy CNN)
Courtesy CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump claimed Saturday, without providing evidence, that vandals damaged the algae-plagued Reflecting Pool on the National Mall and that the water will need to be drained for repairs.
Trump said police arrested “many additional people” for the vandalism, though one told CNN he was merely touching a piece of partially detached blue material from the recent renovation.
A senior administration official said police arrested five people for vandalism and issued federal citations to five others. The official said there were 14 police reports over vanadlism including for an alleged incident where a more than 250-foot section was cut with a blade.
“The Reflecting Pool was never so beautiful as it was just one week ago,” Trump said, adding that it will repaired quickly. Trump’s recent renovation, totaling $14 million, marked the latest in the president’s efforts to beautify Washington, DC, with architectural changes that have included building a White House ballroom and refurbishing run-down fountains.
Now, what was meant to be a straightforward task to return the century-old pool to its intended glory ahead of America’s 250th anniversary has become a spectacle, drawing tourists and locals to the pool for the wrong reason.
Three-time US Olympian David Hearn told CNN that police arrested him Friday after he said he touched a flap of blue material partially detached from the bottom of the pool. Hearn, who says he has a background in material science, told CNN he checked it out following a bike ride after reading reports of algae in the water and paint or sealant peeling off the bottom.
Hearn said he was curious about a partially attached blue flap he saw at the bottom of the Reflecting Pool. Upon reaching into the water, Hearn said he “sort of felt the end” and “bent it around a little bit.”
Hearn said a US National Park Service staffer instructed him not to reach into the water. After Hearn returned to his bike, he said was soon encountered by National Guard members and eventually arrested by the US Park Police. He said he was charged with destruction and defacing government property and disobeying a government employee.
The Olympic canoeist denied vandalizing the Reflecting Pool and said his actions were that of a “curious citizen.”
“There’s nothing about the Reflecting Pool that was in any different condition after I left there than it had before I went by there yesterday. I didn’t remove anything. I didn’t break, tear, peel, or rip, or destroy anything,” Hearn said Saturday.
He is set to appear in court on July 9. CNN has reached out to the US Park Police and the National Park Service to ask about Hearn’s account and for information on any other arrests.
Pet project for the president
Earlier this year, the president described the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as “absolutely filthy,” vowing to clean up the landmark and make it “look gorgeous, beautiful” so it reflects the federal monuments around it.
But with the Fourth of July and America’s 250th anniversary fast approaching, the pool that sits near the feet of Abraham Lincoln’s statue has instead come to reflect the deep divisions over those beautification efforts — and Trump’s presidency itself.
Trump on Friday first echoed claims that surfaced in right-wing circles that the pool’s broader problems are a result of vandalism, and linked it to the etching of “8647” into the grass on the National Mall days prior, adding that law enforcement is investigating.
“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, without citing evidence. He said the algae was “75% gone” and the “vandalized” area will be fixed early next week.
Tourists and local residents alike have flocked to the site in recent days, shooting video of the murky green water for social media posts that feature either a condemnation of Trump’s presidency or a passionate defense of the effort to clean up DC. Some peeled off strips of the blue material to take as souvenirs. Others filmed federal workers pouring bottles of hydrogen peroxide into the water.
The Interior Department has dismissed the visible signs of algae that have only become more abundant as DC’s warm, muggy weather fosters its growth. In a post on X Wednesday, the department’s press office touted its efforts to clear out the algae and described the water as being “crystal clear.”
CNN has reached out to the Interior Department for comment and additional details on the cleanup efforts.
Trump set out in late March to accomplish the renovation that has eluded previous presidents. In a post on Truth Social, he criticized the Biden administration for not taking on the project after a $34 million reconstruction effort under President Barack Obama proved unsuccessful.
In the weeks that followed, Trump expanded the scope of the project and ordered cosmetic changes, including painting the bottom of the pool “American flag blue.” The paint change immediately sparked a lawsuit from a nonprofit group, which argued the project violated federal laws requiring the Interior Department to complete a consultation process before beginning the work.
The president also wanted the project to be complete before July Fourth, an expedited timeline that the administration acknowledged drove up the cost — nearly seven times as much as the initial estimate of $1.8 million.
Trump made a visit to the site to survey progress, and weeks before it was complete, he began celebrating by posting an AI-generated image to Truth Social of him and some of his Cabinet members smiling while floating in the pool.
‘Residual algae’ woes
But just a day after the reservoir was filled with water, algae was already visible from the water’s edge.
The Interior Department told CNN at the time that the algae was “residual” and a normal part of the early process of restarting water flow.
However, within days, clumps of algae took over the pool, prompting the administration to send in workers to vacuum it out, install a filtration known as the “ozone nanobubbler” and dump in gallons of hydrogen peroxide.
To make matters worse for the Trump administration, earlier this week, blue material at the bottom of pool began peeling off. It is unclear whether the material is paint or sealant or what caused it to come up.
Democrats online were quick to gloat.
“You can’t make this up: after railing about waste, fraud, and abuse, the Trump Administration spent $14 million on a reflecting pool reno that’s now peeling and chock full of algae,” Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said in a post on X. “I’m pressing to get answers for this embarrassing waste of resources.”
Beyond lawmakers, the pool saga has prompted an online debate, filled with false claims and conspiracy theories.
Left-leaning social media users latched onto a clip of a Fox News personality defending the renovation, incorrectly claiming that he was describing the visibly green water as blue. (He was referring to the pool’s bottom.)
Meanwhile, conservative media personality Grant Stinchfield alleged the excessive algae is a product of liberal “sabotage.”
“Is it nefarious? I tend to think so,” Stinchfield told his online viewers from outside the Reflecting Pool.
A video posted by conservative influencer Nick Sortor on Thursday night has also garnered attention. The video appeared to show “8647” traced into the algae at the bottom of the pool. CNN could not independently see that tracing on Saturday. When used as slang, the number 86 can refer to getting rid of or tossing something out. Trump is the 47th president. The phrase has recently been used to signal opposition to Trump.
Outside the pool, a collection of curiosity seekers and social media influencers have also gathered. One woman showed up with a banner painted with a green “Algae” as she chanted, “Algae’s smarter than MAGA.”
Matthew Weimer of California, who was in Washington, DC, to visit friends, applauded the renovation.
“I think it’s pretty great that somebody cared enough to do something about it,” Weimer said. When asked about criticisms over the pool, he said: “The people who are criticizing, what are they doing to make things better?”
Qayla Sykes, who visited from Connecticut for a bachelorette party, made a quick stop at the National Mall to take in the spectacle.
“It looks pretty gross. I’ve taken about like 20 pictures already, especially of the people cleaning it, because I don’t know if I’ll ever see this again in my lifetime,” she said. “Hopefully not.”
The-CNN-Wire
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