13 hours ago
Jimmy Fallon spent a portion of Monday's Tonight Show celebrating Trump's defeat in the ongoing Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool saga.
The shallow pool was recently refurbished with a shade of dark blue and outfitted with "advanced nanobubbler technology" to tackle algae blooms that have long plagued the landmark — but algae returned shortly after the multi-million-dollar renovations were complete, and the new sealant started to peel off in chunks that bubbled to the surface.
Late last week, Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro moved to dismiss criminal charges against former Olympian David Hearn — one of several people arrested on suspicion of vandalizing the monument — after the Trump administration admitted that the damage to the recently installed blue liner was "the result of flawed installation by the contractor."
Fallon, 51, weighed in on the president's defeat, saying, "Trump is upset because his own Justice Department admitted the reflecting pool damage wasn't caused by vandalism, like he said. It was just a result of shoddy construction work.
"Trump claimed someone used a knife to quickly cut the pool liner the length of three football fields. I can barely use a knife to cut open my Amazon box," the late night host quipped.
#Trump #defeat #algae
The shallow pool was recently refurbished with a shade of dark blue and outfitted with "advanced nanobubbler technology" to tackle algae blooms that have long plagued the landmark — but algae returned shortly after the multi-million-dollar renovations were complete, and the new sealant started to peel off in chunks that bubbled to the surface.
Late last week, Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro moved to dismiss criminal charges against former Olympian David Hearn — one of several people arrested on suspicion of vandalizing the monument — after the Trump administration admitted that the damage to the recently installed blue liner was "the result of flawed installation by the contractor."
Fallon, 51, weighed in on the president's defeat, saying, "Trump is upset because his own Justice Department admitted the reflecting pool damage wasn't caused by vandalism, like he said. It was just a result of shoddy construction work.
"Trump claimed someone used a knife to quickly cut the pool liner the length of three football fields. I can barely use a knife to cut open my Amazon box," the late night host quipped.
#Trump #defeat #algae
19 days ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The newly drained Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's bottom surface has noticeably faded since it was lined with a protective coating in a color President Donald Trump called "American flag blue" this spring.
An **** ociated Press reporter and photographer viewed the fenced-off Reflecting Pool on Wednesday from the top of the Washington Monument. The new liner appears grayer than when the pool was repainted and refilled with water in early June. Debris that had been visible earlier this week after the pool was drained is now largely gone, after work crews removed it.
Trump's problem-plagued effort to revamp the landmark has stretched well past his initial goal of having the Reflecting Pool ready by July 4 for the nation's 250th birthday.
The president at first suggested his renovations would cost $1.5 million, but the bill ballooned to more than $16 million by June.
Trump had said the repairs would last a century, but within days of the project's initial completion last month, the water was beset by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating appeared to be peeling off the bottom.
An **** ociated Press reporter and photographer viewed the fenced-off Reflecting Pool on Wednesday from the top of the Washington Monument. The new liner appears grayer than when the pool was repainted and refilled with water in early June. Debris that had been visible earlier this week after the pool was drained is now largely gone, after work crews removed it.
Trump's problem-plagued effort to revamp the landmark has stretched well past his initial goal of having the Reflecting Pool ready by July 4 for the nation's 250th birthday.
The president at first suggested his renovations would cost $1.5 million, but the bill ballooned to more than $16 million by June.
Trump had said the repairs would last a century, but within days of the project's initial completion last month, the water was beset by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating appeared to be peeling off the bottom.
29 days ago
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration will not seek new bids to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Sunday as he faced new questions about the troubled project and the taxpayer money involved.
Like President Donald Trump, Burgum said he was 100% sure that vandals caused the damage to the century-old Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. Trump has charged that a 350-foot gash was cut into the pool's liner in the midst of recent renovations, while Burgum described it as multiple cuts adding up to that figure. He also said the pool would have to be at least partially drained in the coming week to finish the repairs.
The repairs will not be opened up to new contractors, he said.
"We'll use the same company, because they did a fantastic job," Burgum told CNN's "State of the Union." "Thankfully, the vandalism was small. It was bad. I mean, it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair, so then it could fall into a felony ... just like damaging any other government property could. But the job that was done to fix the Reflecting Pool was done extremely well."
Trump this spring pledged to beautify the Reflecting Pool before the nation's 250th birthday celebrations on July Fourth. Water was drained and the Republican president directed that the bottom be painted a color he called "American flag blue." But after the site was restored, the water was plagued by an algae bloom for more than a week, and pieces of the new coating have appeared to be peeling off the bottom.
Like President Donald Trump, Burgum said he was 100% sure that vandals caused the damage to the century-old Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. Trump has charged that a 350-foot gash was cut into the pool's liner in the midst of recent renovations, while Burgum described it as multiple cuts adding up to that figure. He also said the pool would have to be at least partially drained in the coming week to finish the repairs.
The repairs will not be opened up to new contractors, he said.
"We'll use the same company, because they did a fantastic job," Burgum told CNN's "State of the Union." "Thankfully, the vandalism was small. It was bad. I mean, it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair, so then it could fall into a felony ... just like damaging any other government property could. But the job that was done to fix the Reflecting Pool was done extremely well."
Trump this spring pledged to beautify the Reflecting Pool before the nation's 250th birthday celebrations on July Fourth. Water was drained and the Republican president directed that the bottom be painted a color he called "American flag blue." But after the site was restored, the water was plagued by an algae bloom for more than a week, and pieces of the new coating have appeared to be peeling off the bottom.
1 month ago
Several months before blue strips started floating to the surface of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a company involved in its last renovation more than 15 years ago was approached with an opportunity to do this remodel as well. But the company said no.
Specifically, it balked at two requirements – the Trump administration wanted it done by July 4, and the pool bottom had to be blue, according to two employees with the New Jersey-based Sika Corporation, which provided the concrete construction and sealing products for a 2010 renovation project to the Reflecting Pool.
According to the two employees, who spoke to CNN on the condition they not be identified, both demands made the job "unfeasible."
Ultimately, Rhino Linings, which is most popular for its truck bed linings but also says on its website it can be used for water facilities, was chosen to provide materials for the latest Reflecting Pool renovation.
Now, less than a month after it was applied, the material from the bottom of the Reflecting Pool appears to be peeling off, causing a massive Washington brouhaha, with President Donald Trump blaming radical left vandals and contractors promising to fix what they say are isolated problem areas. Meanwhile, algae has turned the water various shades of green despite the renovation that was supposed to clear that up.
Specifically, it balked at two requirements – the Trump administration wanted it done by July 4, and the pool bottom had to be blue, according to two employees with the New Jersey-based Sika Corporation, which provided the concrete construction and sealing products for a 2010 renovation project to the Reflecting Pool.
According to the two employees, who spoke to CNN on the condition they not be identified, both demands made the job "unfeasible."
Ultimately, Rhino Linings, which is most popular for its truck bed linings but also says on its website it can be used for water facilities, was chosen to provide materials for the latest Reflecting Pool renovation.
Now, less than a month after it was applied, the material from the bottom of the Reflecting Pool appears to be peeling off, causing a massive Washington brouhaha, with President Donald Trump blaming radical left vandals and contractors promising to fix what they say are isolated problem areas. Meanwhile, algae has turned the water various shades of green despite the renovation that was supposed to clear that up.
2 months ago
The cost to repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has ballooned to more than $14.65 million -- exceeding the original estimated cost of the no-bid contract by more than $4 million, according to federal contract data.
In addition to the repainting by Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the National Park Service paid $1.74 million to Green Water Solutions, an Ohio-based company, earlier this year to install a "nano bubble" system to kill algae, using a similar no-bid contract to speed up the work in time for Fourth of July celebrations.
Between the two companies that received separate contracts for the resurfacing and filtration systems, the project is set to cost more than $16 million. The status of the payments to the contractors was not immediately available in the federal government's contract database.
The Interior Department said in a statement via X, "The advanced nanobubbler technology very effectively killed the algae that has plagued every Lincoln Reflecting Pool reopening—most infamously Obama's reopening—since 1922. The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool—just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf."
Trump has repeatedly defended the project, though the new paint job -- described in the contract documents as a "seamless, monolithic, waterproof, antimicrobial, and anti-algae system suitable for continuous submersion" -- and appears to be peeling, and an algae bloom has overtaken the reflecting pool.
In addition to the repainting by Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the National Park Service paid $1.74 million to Green Water Solutions, an Ohio-based company, earlier this year to install a "nano bubble" system to kill algae, using a similar no-bid contract to speed up the work in time for Fourth of July celebrations.
Between the two companies that received separate contracts for the resurfacing and filtration systems, the project is set to cost more than $16 million. The status of the payments to the contractors was not immediately available in the federal government's contract database.
The Interior Department said in a statement via X, "The advanced nanobubbler technology very effectively killed the algae that has plagued every Lincoln Reflecting Pool reopening—most infamously Obama's reopening—since 1922. The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool—just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf."
Trump has repeatedly defended the project, though the new paint job -- described in the contract documents as a "seamless, monolithic, waterproof, antimicrobial, and anti-algae system suitable for continuous submersion" -- and appears to be peeling, and an algae bloom has overtaken the reflecting pool.
2 months ago
Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday mocked President Donald Trump for a $14 million Reflecting Pool makeover that ultimately didn't change much of anything.
"Not even a week later, it's already completely green," Kimmel said as he showed footage of the pool, which Trump ordered painted "American flag blue," now green with algae.
"Experts are saying that when Trump had it painted dark blue, he made the problem worse, because the darker color retains more heat and algae thrives in warmer water," Kimmel pointed out. "You know, he promised he would drain the swamp. Instead, he spent 14 million of our dollars building a new one."
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The late-night host voiced surprise that Trump, of all people, allowed this to happen.
"Not even a week later, it's already completely green," Kimmel said as he showed footage of the pool, which Trump ordered painted "American flag blue," now green with algae.
"Experts are saying that when Trump had it painted dark blue, he made the problem worse, because the darker color retains more heat and algae thrives in warmer water," Kimmel pointed out. "You know, he promised he would drain the swamp. Instead, he spent 14 million of our dollars building a new one."
Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost.
The late-night host voiced surprise that Trump, of all people, allowed this to happen.
9 months ago
Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
It used to be thought that sea urchins only had a primitive nervous system, but new research has found that they are far more complex than that.
The entire body of a sea urchin is what researchers are now calling an “all-body brain,” with neurons that function as a brain throughout its anatomy.
Sea urchins are also covered in light-sensitive cells, so they have their own way of seeing even without eyes.
Behold the sea urchin. Spiny and slow-moving, it creeps over ocean rocks with hundreds of tiny tube feet, scraping off algae or the occasi
It used to be thought that sea urchins only had a primitive nervous system, but new research has found that they are far more complex than that.
The entire body of a sea urchin is what researchers are now calling an “all-body brain,” with neurons that function as a brain throughout its anatomy.
Sea urchins are also covered in light-sensitive cells, so they have their own way of seeing even without eyes.
Behold the sea urchin. Spiny and slow-moving, it creeps over ocean rocks with hundreds of tiny tube feet, scraping off algae or the occasi
