Donald Trump has acknowledged that a hastily executed renovation project on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool led to a ‘contractor error.’ However, he maintains that the damage inflicted on this historic monument was ultimately caused by a vandal.

On Sunday evening, Trump used his Truth Social platform to emphasize witness statements from an employee of the National Park Service (NPS). The worker alleged witnessing former Olympian canoeist David Hearn tampering with the pool.

Hearn found himself entangled in legal troubles, facing felony property destruction charges. He was accused of reaching into the water and removing parts of the pool’s lining back in June.

However, these charges were dismissed last Thursday by Jeanine Pirro, a long-standing ally of Trump, after the Department of Justice concluded the damage was actually caused by contractors.

In his post, Trump conceded that he had expedited the $16 million renovation process.

‘As with many jobs, there was also some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening, but it was a very small area of this massive Pool, and was relatively inconsequential,’ Trump said.

He insisted the ‘highly credible’ career employee with the NPS, ‘saw David Hearn (ActBlue) in broad daylight vandalize the Reflecting Pool by “violently” ripping and tugging at the Pool’s somewhat delicate coating.”

He claimed an ‘acid like material’ was used on the grass near the pool where the phrase ’86 47′ was spotted emblazoned on the lawn. The Trump administration has claimed the term calls for violence against the president.

‘There was substantial other damage to the Reflecting Pool, also but, unfortunately, there is no video or proof, other than the damage, itself,’ the president continued. ‘We are working on the Pool, and it will reopen shortly.’

The president added that security cameras are being installed at the pool, which will reopen soon.

The DOJ moved July 31 to dismiss a criminal case against Hearn, saying evidence prosecutors had recently received refuted the idea that vandals were to blame.

Its 20-page filing from US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said that additional documents provided by the Interior Department since Hearn’s indictment show that the damage was the result of a botched installation by a contractor as well as ‘the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the American 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026.’

Judge Todd Edelman in Washington dismissed the case Thursday.

Charges have also been dropped against three other people, Justin Carreno, Cameron Thiers and Sophie Dennison-Gibby, charged in the same DC court with misdemeanors for allegedly removing pieces of paint from the pool, according to online court records.

Trump has rebuked Pirro’s move and maintained that vandals are responsible, saying that she ‘choked’ and ‘folded like an umbrella.’

The White House previously said that Trump was not aware ahead of time that Pirro’s office would drop the charges against Hearn.

Lawyers for Hearn, in their 28-page motion to dismiss the charges, argued that the poor condition of the pool was ‘plainly visible’ for weeks and was publicly documented through photographs, video and news reports. 

The contractor, Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings, ‘publicly acknowledged, before Mr Hearn was indicted, that portions of the project required repair,’ the lawyers said. 

The firm was awarded a $14.7 million no-bid contract to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor but the cost has exceeded this initial budget.

Regardless, Trump has continued to insist that the pool was vandalized and has defended the contractors.

‘They did a beautiful job,’ Trump said of the contractors last week. ‘There were a couple of little things, but that was not a big deal. And everybody saw the vandalism. All you have to do is look at the tape.’

The president said that Pirro was ‘totally wrong.’ Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has backed Trump’s claims that vandals damaged the pool.

Hearn has said he was on a bike ride June 19 when he reached in to examine the pool’s newly peeled coating and briefly touched a chunk attached to the side of the pool. But he said he obeyed a park worker who told him to let go of it.

He faced up to ten years in prison if convicted on the property damage charges which were later dropped. 

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been a thorn in the president’s side ever since he took personal oversight of the renovation, which included adding an ‘American flag blue’ liner.

It was one of several ‘beautification’ projects around the capital that Trump had ordered ahead of the July 4 celebration.

But problems soon arose, with the coating peeling off and algae turning the pool’s water a mucky green.

The Daily Mail has approached Hearn’s lawyer, Norman Eisen, for comment. The White House referred the Mail to Trump’s post on Truth Social.

In Kentucky, a middle school educator is under severe scrutiny as criminal charges unfurl against her following claims of misconduct with a student that reportedly blurred serious ethical boundaries, authorities revealed.

The accused, 25-year-old Sadie M. Flores of Mayfield, found herself in handcuffs on Friday afternoon, charged with grooming a minor. This charge emerges as a Class D felony, newly enforced under Kentucky law just since July 15.

The investigation led by the Graves County Sheriff’s Office points fingers at Flores, who is employed at Graves County Middle School, for allegedly engaging in an illicit relationship with a student enrolled within the district.

The disturbing allegations came to light after reports reached the administration of Graves County Schools. In an immediate response, school officials alerted the Graves County Sheriff’s Office, catalyzing a thorough criminal investigation.

Detectives said the investigation included the seizure of electronic records, interviews and other investigative measures. Flores was interviewed Friday afternoon before being taken into custody around 3:30 p.m.

She was booked into the Graves County Restricted Custody Center before later being transferred to an out-of-county detention facility.

Sheriff Jon Hayden said the investigation remains ongoing.

Graves County Schools Superintendent Matt Madding said district leaders immediately contacted law enforcement after learning of the allegations.

“District administration was made aware of an allegation involving a teacher at Graves County Middle School. School officials immediately reported this information to the Graves County Sheriff’s Department for investigation,” Madding said in a statement.

“We have since been informed that, as a result of that investigation, charges have been filed against this teacher.”

Because the investigation and personnel matter remain ongoing, Madding said the district is limited in what it can publicly discuss but emphasized that student safety remains its top priority.

“We take any allegation involving the safety of a child or the professional conduct of an employee extremely seriously and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement and the appropriate authorities,” he said.

The grooming charge stems from a Kentucky law that took effect July 15, creating a new felony offense aimed at adults accused of cultivating inappropriate relationships with minors before sexual abuse occurs.

Authorities have not released additional details about the alleged relationship, the student’s age, or whether additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues.

The New York Yankees faced yet another setback as they fell to the Atlanta Braves in a tight 2-1 defeat that stretched into extra innings on Sunday. This loss only highlighted the team’s ongoing struggles, which began after star player Aaron Judge was benched due to a fractured rib at the end of May.

Since Judge’s absence, the team’s performance at the plate has been concerning. The Yankees have managed the fourth-fewest runs in the league, coupled with the lowest batting average and on-base percentage. Their strikeout rate has unfortunately soared to the highest in Major League Baseball.

Ahead of Sunday’s matchup, hitting coach James Rowson opened up to The Post about the team’s difficulties at bat. Despite the lackluster statistics, Rowson maintained that the situation was not as dire as it might appear.

“When you consider our direction, it’s all about focusing on securing wins,” Rowson stated. “Our ultimate goal isn’t to amass hits, but to outscore our opponents, however that might look—be it a 3-2 victory or a 9-3 triumph. Staying concentrated on winning games and not allowing offensive slumps to become a hindrance will ultimately serve us well.”

Morgan Freeman, celebrated for his Oscar-winning performances, has surprised fans by branching into the music scene with a fresh venture.

At 89, the iconic actor, who viewers may currently watch in Taylor Sheridan’s “Lioness,” has both narrated and produced a blues album. This new offering is called “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience.”

The album became accessible for purchase on Decca Records’ site starting Friday, August 7, and will be available for streaming and digital consumption on August 14.

Featuring a rich 12-song lineup that journeys through a century of blues history, the release includes celebrated musicians like Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, and Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell, alongside the renowned Chineke! Orchestra.

Freeman shared with the Daily Mail that his connection to the blues music dates back to his childhood, recalling, “The blues has been part of my life since I first heard it on my grandmother’s porch in Mississippi.”

‘This album is my way of honoring that music and the stories it carries.’

‘I heard the blues for the first time on my grandmother’s porch in the Mississippi Delta, and it has never left me,’ Freeman also said in a press release, per Rolling Stone. 

‘Having Taj Mahal kick off this album with a cover of Son House’s classic Death Letter Blues strikes the perfect tone for the introduction of this album.’

The cover Death Letter Blues from the new album was released on Juneteenth, and the actor expressed it ‘is not just symbolic – it is the truth of where this music comes from and who made it. I hope people listen and remember.’ 

The song was first released in 1965 and recorded by Delta blues musician Son House.

Other tracks on the LP include Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground and Cadillac Assembly Line.

A three-date tour in support of the album also kicked off on August 7 with a show in Houston. 

Additional stops include a performance in Memphis on September 26 as well as a concert in Gulfport, Mississippi on October 17. 

Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Freeman for comment. 

‘The blues. It’s come from the most basic, visceral expression of humanity,’ Freeman said during an interview with CBS Mornings. ‘It comes from a field holler.

‘African Americans, those people whose closer connected to the origins in Africa, they have their own way of working and it’s a rhythm thing.’ 

Freeman also pursues his passion for blues music as a co-owner of the blues club Ground Zero in Mississippi. 

‘I was raised primarily in Mississippi with a few excursions outside, but the best of my growing up was spent in Mississippi in the Delta – Greenwood, Mississippi, to be exact,’ he said last year at his Chautauqua Lecture Series, per the Chautauqua Daily.

‘My association with the blues is really not an association at all,’ the Million Dollar Baby star explained at the time. 

‘It’s just there in the air. You start hearing it at a very young age, because there are a lot of guys going around plucking on guitars and singing sad songs.’

He added, ‘The blues has this beginning with African Americans because working in the fields, they had a work holler, as it were.’

Along with the new album release, Freeman has been featured on other songs in the past. 

The actor previously appeared on the song Bombs Away by B.o.B. in 2012, and was a narrator on Metro Boomin and 21 Savage’s 2020 album titled Savage Mode II. 

Freeman has been keeping busy on the screen as well. 

He recently reprised his role of Edwin Mullins in the Paramount+ series Lioness. The third season recently premiered on August 2. 

The spy thriller was created by Taylor Sheridan and the cast also includes Nicole Kidman, Zoe Saldana as well as Michael Kelly. 

Freeman recently opened about starring on the show and applauded Sheridan’s writing.

The actor expressed to The New York Times earlier this month that his writing ‘has to do more with the human experience, what people are actually going through, emotionally, in a lot of cases.’ 

Elsewhere during his conversation with the outlet, the star opened up about choosing which projects he takes on. 

‘If somebody offers you a job, it’s very nice if they’re offering you also an exciting script, but in reality, two or three things come into play.’ 

He continued, ‘What are they going to pay you? If they’re going to pay you enough, then you overlook some of the glitches in the script that happen to be there.

‘Sometimes you can mention things that are in the script that don’t quite work out for you and by and large, that gets worked out.’ 

Freeman is also known for his roles in The Shawshank Redemption, Driving Miss Daisy and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy.  

Israel has firmly rejected a 15-point proposal for Gaza presented by the Board of Peace. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israeli forces will remain in the enclave until Hamas completely relinquishes its weapons.

“Israel stands firmly against the 15-point Gaza document introduced by the Board of Peace,” Netanyahu stated during Sunday’s Cabinet meeting. “The Israel Defense Forces will not proceed with any withdrawal until Hamas is thoroughly disarmed.”

Ongoing dialogues between Israel and the United States focus on the disarmament of Hamas, with Netanyahu emphasizing that any forthcoming agreement must ensure the complete dismantling of the group’s arsenal.

“Disarmament must be authentic, not just superficial,” Netanyahu remarked, underscoring the need for tangible action.

“When I say Hamas is disarmed, that means the heavy weapons, the less heavy weapons, all the weapons,” he added.

Hamas remains committed to a Gaza roadmap agreed with mediators and representatives of the Board of Peace in Cairo 10 days ago, senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters.

Hamas expects mediators and the United States to “press Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap,” he added.

Trump had teased a disarmament of the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza as a landmark step toward peace, but there remained skeptics, including Israel’s Netanyahu, whose Sunday comments put him at odds with the latest Board of Peace proposal as the Trump administration seeks to move forward with a broader plan for Gaza following the ceasefire reached last year.

Trump said last month that there had been a breakthrough in efforts to advance the peace process and that Hamas had agreed to lay down its weapons. Hamas controlled Gaza for nearly two decades before carrying out the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel that triggered the war.

Israel has continued carrying out strikes in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect last October, while the future disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli forces remain central issues in negotiations over the territory.

Netanyahu made clear Sunday that Israel would resist provisions in U.S.-backed proposals that his government considers unacceptable.

He also reiterated his opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state in either Gaza or the West Bank.

“As long as I am prime minister, there will be no Palestinian state, not in Gaza and not in Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu said. “Neither ‘Fatahstan’ nor ‘Hamastan.’”

The Israeli leader’s rejection of the 15-point proposal underscores the hurdles facing efforts to turn the ceasefire into a lasting settlement, particularly over the sequence of Hamas’ disarmament and an Israeli military withdrawal.

Netanyahu indicated Israel would continue working with Washington but said the government would hold firm on its security demands, particularly its insistence that Hamas be fully stripped of its weapons before Israeli troops leave their positions in Gaza.

Netanyahu also used his remarks Sunday to address Israeli operations elsewhere in the region, saying the military had recently acted “forcefully” in Lebanon and carried out what he described as “very important activity.”

On Iran, Netanyahu said Tehran has refrained from striking Israel because “it knows what a powerful blow we will deal it if it does,” while praising Trump and the U.S.-Israel alliance over efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“I greatly appreciate President Trump,” Netanyahu said.” He is the greatest of our friends in the White House. I greatly appreciate the historical partnership with the U.S. against Iran’s attempts to acquire nuclear weapons.

“And I wish to emphasize once again: With or without an agreement, as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. Because the existence of our precious country, the country of all of us, the existence of Israel, is not up for negotiation.”

California families are facing a hefty price tag as they gear up for the back-to-school season, with parents spending close to $175 on basic school supplies this year. This increase adds pressure to many already tight household budgets.

According to research from Groundwork Collaborative and The Century Foundation reported by Times of San Diego, the cost of a standard set of 21 essential classroom items has jumped to $173.45, marking a 7.7% rise compared to last year’s prices.

Some school supplies have experienced even higher price hikes. Notebooks have soared by around 23%, while the cost of loose-leaf paper has risen 20%, and index cards are up by 22.2%.

Lunch boxes have seen nearly a 27% increase. Meanwhile, parents find themselves paying roughly 8% more for essentials like dry-erase markers and glue sticks.

Additionally, the prices of other staples, including No. 2 pencils, crayons, colored pencils, and binders, have climbed between 5% and 7%, contributing to the overall cost burden on families.

The increases can become especially painful for households buying supplies for multiple children while also contending with high rents, rising utility bills and increasing costs for everyday necessities. They are being driven by a combination of higher manufacturing costs, inflation and spiking prices for imported goods, where many of these items are made.

“Everything goes up but the paycheck,” Mark Davis, a San Diego father of five, told NBC 7.

“I have to pay for gas, rent, bills, and food [for all of us]. It’s a struggle day-to-day, but you gotta get up and make it,” he said.

Davis was among families who sought assistance at a back-to-school event in Encanto Saturday ahead of the San Diego Unified School District’s return to classes Monday.

The event was organized by California state Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, who told the outlet: “I know the cuts that are coming as a result of some of the legislation, and it’s important for people to know where they can go if certain things are no longer accessible for them,”

Food costs are another concern for struggling households in San Diego County, where officials estimate more than 93,000 people will lose their CalFresh benefits this year.

The county has funded a Safety Net Bridge program that includes food assistance, with families receiving groceries at a distribution in Chula Vista Saturday.

For father-of-four Jose Miranda, whose family relies on multiple sources of assistance, making ends meet requires both him and his wife to work.

“Just making minimum wage both [me and my wife] gotta work. We find different resources by calling 2-1-1, and sometimes we gotta find activities like this,” Miranda told the outlet.

The county plans additional food distributions and funding to help residents access health care services through the fall.

Many Southern California and major urban districts, including LAUSD and ABC Unified, are scheduled to begin classes Monday, August 12.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters