Lawyers representing David Hearn, the former Olympian whose felony charges over alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool were dismissed, have accused the Trump administration of continuing to target their client despite the dropped case. The statement came after Donald Trump reasserted on Truth Social over the weekend that Hearn was still guilty, even though the Justice Department had already dismissed all charges and pointed to a botched renovation as the actual cause of the pool's peeling lining.
Hearn's legal team said they are "reviewing all legal remedies, including for this continued harassment."
What is the background to the reflecting pool dispute?
The pool at the center of the controversy was first drained in June 2026 after algae growth and paint deterioration appeared following a renovation, with Trump publicly blaming vandalism and threatening legal action against a broadcaster over its reporting. The following month, Hearn was indicted on felony charges connected to the alleged damage to the pool, which had recently undergone a renovation reported to cost roughly $14 million. Prosecutors ultimately dropped the case at the start of August, after new evidence emerged suggesting the damage stemmed from a flawed contractor installation rather than intentional destruction.
The dispute has since widened beyond Hearn's case. A preservation nonprofit, the Cultural Landscape Foundation, filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt the repainting and resurfacing of the pool, arguing the work is unlawful and should be stopped until required review procedures are completed, according to a national broadcaster's report. The suit contends the administration bypassed the Section 106 review process required under the National Historic Preservation Act, which mandates consultation before alterations are made to historic properties, the same report noted. Separately, federal records cited by the BBC put the project's projected cost at $13.1 million, far higher than the under-$2 million figure Trump had previously cited.
Who is Todd Blanche and why does his swearing-in matter?
Todd Blanche was formally sworn in as attorney general in a closed-press ceremony, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt filming the oath as Trump stood beside him in the Oval Office. Blanche secured confirmation last week after Republican Senator Bill Cassidy cast the deciding vote that preserved his nomination.
Ahead of the ceremony, NAACP president Derrick Johnson criticized Blanche's record, saying he earned the post through loyalty rather than merit.
His record is clear: he's attacked voting rights, abandoned civil rights enforcement, targeted Trump's political enemies, and he's looked the other way when civil rights are threatened. The Department of Justice should be of justice, not a shield for political corruption. Once again, this Senate has let us down.
What does Trump's executive order on the MMR vaccine involve?
Trump is due to sign an executive order splitting the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate single shots. The move follows a vote last year by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) — restructured by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to include several vaccine skeptics — recommending individual shots for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox instead of the combined formulation.
ACIP chair Kirk Milhoan had signaled earlier this year that changes to the childhood vaccine schedule were likely, telling the New York Times in January that the committee was "reevaluating all of the vaccine products including risks and benefits," though not necessarily moving to make all vaccinations optional. Public health experts have warned that dividing the shots could raise the risk of missed appointments and lower overall immunization rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded the highest number of U.S. measles cases in 35 years during 2026.
Separately, in Charleston, South Carolina, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the region's main airbase had been renamed in honor of the late Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who served three decades in the U.S. military and retired with the rank of colonel.
It now falls to us to continue Senator Graham's work, of building up our military, the hard work of defending this nation.
Why won't the RNC call on Max Miller to drop his campaign?
Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters declined to call on Ohio Congressman Max Miller to abandon his re-election bid, despite Miller facing a wave of domestic abuse allegations. Many of the accusations surfaced through custody battle filings involving his two-year-old daughter with ex-wife Emily Moreno, who is the daughter of Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, also a Republican.
I always tell people that there's not many things worse than divorce. Nobody's a winner.
Miller did not withdraw before the deadline for Ohio Republicans to select a replacement nominee for the GOP-leaning seat. Gruters said the committee would back its nominees regardless.
We need to make sure we hold the majorities. Max, I'm sure, is on that side. Everybody has to prove that they're capable of winning, and then we're gonna look at our resources and make the decisions. I can't tell you right now … I hope that he can. We hope we can hold that seat in Ohio. It's an important seat, but we're going to be watching that race very carefully.
What compensation is Trump seeking from Iran?
Trump said he will demand compensation from Iran in future negotiations, after Tehran linked reopening the Strait of Hormuz to receiving payment for damage from the conflict launched by the U.S. and Israel at the end of February. Iran has sought war reparations from Washington since early in the conflict; in April it initially demanded compensation, later revising the figure to $400 billion before both sides settled on a $300 billion investment fund and other economic recovery measures, which Trump has said will be funded by private and Gulf state investment rather than U.S. taxpayer money.
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, hardened Tehran's position over the weekend by tying the strait's reopening explicitly to financial compensation. Trump responded on Truth Social:
I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict (started because, THEY WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON), even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings! But it is an interesting idea because now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts, for which they are famous, as led initially by General Soleimani, including the families of those killed on the USS Cole, and thousands of others killed in combat. Additionally, compensation should be paid to the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protestors that Iran has killed over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 that have been killed in the last five months. I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.
Who is replacing David Warrington as White House counsel?
Trump named White House staff secretary Will Scharf as the incoming White House counsel and assistant to the president, replacing David Warrington, who is moving to the private sector. Scharf, who previously served as general counsel for Trump's 2024 campaign and represented him in multiple criminal and civil cases, including before the Supreme Court, will also step down from his role chairing the National Capital Planning Commission, where he helped secure approval for the $400 million White House ballroom project.
Announcing the move on Truth Social, Trump said Scharf would begin the new role on 1 September.
I know Will well! He previously represented me in numerous cases, including at the Supreme Court, during the Biden Administration's corrupt and illegal campaign of Weaponization. Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart! He also loves our Country, and respects the Law. Will Scharf will do a great job as White House Counsel!
What did the Kurdish detainee describe about his force-feeding?
Gabar Choli, a Kurdish filmmaker and activist now living in Canada after being deported, spoke publicly for the first time about being force-fed for eight months while on hunger strike in U.S. immigration detention, describing lasting physical and psychological harm.
It just broke me, mentally broke me. It came to a point that I decided to write my body an apology letter.
Choli said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials force-fed him at the Port Isabel federal detention center in Los Fresnos, south Texas, from late May 2025 until his deportation in January, after he began the hunger strike to protest detention conditions and push for resolution of his asylum case, which had been denied. He described guards physically restraining him while medical staff inserted a feeding tube through his nose and into his stomach, often twice daily. A recent investigation found the administration had sought court orders to subject at least ten hunger strikers in ICE custody to similar treatment.
What happens next in the reflecting pool legal fight?
The Cultural Landscape Foundation has asked a federal judge to immediately halt further work on the pool while its lawsuit against the Department of the Interior proceeds, according to the national broadcaster's report cited above. Judge Carl J. Nichols has already raised questions about whether any unlawfully completed work could realistically be reversed should he ultimately rule against the administration, a concern noted in coverage of the case. Meanwhile, Hearn's lawyers say they continue to weigh further legal options in response to what they describe as ongoing public attacks on their client.
A broader look at the administration's current legal and political challenges — spanning the reflecting pool case, Blanche's confirmation fight and the Iran negotiations — is examined in this analysis of pushback facing Trump from allies on key issues.
Key Facts
- David Hearn's felony charges over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool were dropped after evidence pointed to a botched renovation rather than vandalism.
- The Cultural Landscape Foundation has sued the Interior Department, alleging required historic preservation review was skipped before pool repainting began.
- Federal records put the pool project's cost at $13.1 million, well above Trump's earlier estimate of under $2 million.
- Todd Blanche was sworn in as attorney general after Senator Bill Cassidy's deciding confirmation vote.
- Trump is set to sign an order splitting the MMR vaccine into three separate shots amid the worst U.S. measles outbreak in 35 years.
