politics
Algae in Reflecting Pool Leads to Arrests
Six people have been arrested for vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after President Trump ordered cleaning ahead of national events. Broadcast networks devoted more than 400 minutes to the story over five days.
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The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was drained and refilled with blue water in mid-June 2026 as part of maintenance before the United States 250th anniversary and the World Cup. Algae returned within days. U.S. Park Police arrested six individuals for vandalism and received 14 police reports related to the pool.
An analysis by the Media Research Center found that major broadcast and cable networks aired 411 minutes of coverage on the reflecting pool between June 14 and June 22, averaging more than 45 minutes per day. CNN accounted for 215 of those minutes. " Swimming or wading in the pool has been prohibited since its completion in 1922.
News polling showed 78 percent of respondents believe the American dream is out of reach, compared with 45 percent who said the same in a 1986 Roper survey. Twelve percent of 2024 Kamala Harris voters described themselves as extremely proud to be American.
Rep. Debbie Dingell stated that algae at the reflecting pool was the main topic of conversation over the weekend. The pool lies between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall.
