Reflecting Pool liner was cut with a sharp knife or razor, National Park Service says

WASHINGTON (AP) — A liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, a top official at the National Park Service says.

The agency reported the June 9 incident to U.S. Park Police, said Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the park service. Lands made the statement in a court document filed late Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization to halt the Trump administration's work on the project.

His statement does not say whether the damage is a suspected case of vandalism or identify anyone who might have been involved.

The police report indicates damage to the pool, "including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,'' Lands said. About 70 fence post tops also were thrown into the pool, he said.

The statements were the first time the Republican administration has offered specifics for when and how the Reflecting Pool may have been damaged after work on the project was substantially completed.

President Donald Trump and other officials have repeatedly blamed, without evidence, unidentified vandals for peeling paint as well as a “350-foot gash” in the liner and other problems. Six people have been arrested, Trump said this week, without providing details.

Trump pledged to beautify the century-old Reflecting Pool before the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations, draining its water and directing the bottom to be painted a color he called “American flag blue.” But since the site was restored, its water has been plagued by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating have appeared to be peeling off the bottom.

His administration faces a self-imposed deadline to complete the renovation before July Fourth. Trump also has said the federal government would release images to substantiate his claim.

Trump said Wednesday that “sick people” had used razors and box cutters to slice portions of the lining.

The U.S. Park Police posted surveillance footage Wednesday evening and asked for help “identifying the individual depicted here in connection with a Destruction of Government Property investigation.” The grainy, 30-second video appears to show a person kneeling down, reaching into the reflecting pool and removing something from the water. Police said it was taken Friday afternoon.

In his statement to the court, Lands said the parks agency plans to begin draining the Reflecting Pool following Independence Day celebrations to conduct repairs, including assessing and repairing any damage to the lining.

The park service completed more than two months of renovations at the Reflecting Pool in early June. The 2,000-foot-long basin was drained and a tinted. A plastic-like rubber lining was installed to waterproof and protect the concrete pool surface, and the pool was refilled with water, Lands said.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation, an education and advocacy group that sued in May to halt work on the project, asked a federal judge to block further renovations.

“It is also not too late to correct course,” the group wrote in a filing Monday. It urged the administration to “engage with experts and the public, and make an informed decision about what is best based on the consultations mandated by the law, instead of once again rushing ahead with half-baked ideas.”

Congressional Democrats have called for formal investigations into the pool renovations, saying no-bid contracts for work on the project were awarded to vendors with previous relationships to Trump.

Ohio-based Green Water Solutions was given a $1.7 million contract to install a water-purification system in the Reflecting Pool, while Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded $14.7 million to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate appropriations panel overseeing the Interior Department's budget, said the pool renovation appears to be a waste of taxpayers’ dollars.

“After railing about waste, fraud and abuse, Donald Trump spent more than $16 million on a renovation of the Reflecting Pool that’s now peeling and chock full of algae,” Merkley said Thursday. He said this is a "massive waste" of tax dollars and the public deserves "swift answers — and a refund.”

Merkley is one of about 10 Democratic senators and House members investigating the pool project.

"Taxpayers deserve a full explanation of how these failures occurred and who will be held accountable for correcting them,'' said another letter, signed by New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich and five other senators.

Heinrich is the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which oversees the Interior Department.

Associated Press writer Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report.

Peeling is seen in the blue coating on the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

The Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool are seen, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

A man with an upside-down U.S. flag is seen near the Reflecting Pool, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

The Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool are seen from the Washington Monument, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Police in Kenya said they detained hundreds of people and fired tear gas on Thursday as families of those killed in anti-government protests two years ago marched to the Parliament building to demand compensation and justice.

At least 60 people were killed when police opened fire outside Parliament in Nairobi in the June 2024 protests that were triggered by tax increases. The victims' families said that they were protesting against a lack of transparency in compensating the victims, after the government promised reparations.

President William Ruto said last week that the protest would be allowed, but that the government would also protect schoolchildren and workers and he warned against any attempts by the demonstrators to “shut down the country.”

Police erected roadblocks on all major highways around Nairobi, blocking motorists from accessing the city. The Parliament building was barricaded and businesses were closed.

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said that 355 “criminals” were arrested in Nairobi and other towns. He said that the measures were necessary to “protect businesses and avert chaos.”

Journalists and witnesses said that many ordinary Kenyans appeared to be among those detained.

Police also fired tear gas at protesters outside Nairobi's main police station who attempted to present a petition.

Opposition leaders backed the protests, calling for transparency in the $15 million government’s compensation program.

During protests on June, 25, 2024, thousands of young Kenyans stormed the Parliament building, urging legislators to vote against a finance bill that had proposed an increase in taxes despite the rising cost of living. Police opened fire outside the building, killing dozens.

Ruto said last week that the government compensation represents “a state acknowledgment that harm occurred,” but was not an admission of guilt. He said that the compensation shouldn't be seen as a “reward for violence or criminality,” in a country where violent protests are common.

Several opposition figures — including former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, former Justice Minister Martha Karua and former Chief Justice David Maraga — marched alongside activists and the families of the 2024 crackdown victims, laying wreaths at the barbed-wire barricades around Parliament.

Edith Wanjiku, whose 19-year-old son Ibrahim Kamau died of gunshots to the neck, said that her family has yet to receive compensation although they had submitted documents to the state-funded Kenya Human Rights Commission.

“Only two out of 10 families whose children were shot that day near Parliament have been compensated and we are wondering what criteria the government is using,” she told The Associated Press.

Gillian Munyao, whose son, Rex Masai, also was killed, said that compensation can't replace justice.

“Arrest the killer cops, that's my message to the government,” she said.

The chair of the compensation panel, Makau Mutua, said on Wednesday that the process was still ongoing and that every verified claim would be paid.

Three police officers have been charged in the deaths of protesters.

Police stand guard around parliament during a demonstration to mark two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government protests that resulted in the storming of the parliament, in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Police officers arrests a protester near the Parliament, during a demonstration marking two years since the 2024 anti-government protests, in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)

Protesters sing and wave Kenyan flags near Parliament during a demonstration marking two years since the 2024 anti-government protests in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)

Police officers arrest a protester near parliament during a demonstration to mark two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government protests that resulted in the storming of the parliament, in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A protester sings while holding a Kenyan flag near parliament during a demonstration marking two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government protests that resulted in the storming of the parliament, in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Police stand guard around parliament during a demonstration marking two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government protests that resulted in the storming of the parliament, in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A protester gestures while holding flowers, during a demonstration marking two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government protests that resulted in the storming of the parliament, in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Kenyan police officers arrest protesters near parliament during a demonstration to mark two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government protest that resulted in the storming of the parliament, Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)

Police officers arrest a motorcycle rider during a demonstration to mark two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government demonstrations that resulted in the storming of the parliament, in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A protester places a flower on barbed wire in front of police officers during a demonstration to mark two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government demonstrations that resulted in the storming of the parliament, in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Protesters sing and wave Kenyan flags near parliament during a demonstration to mark two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government demonstrations that resulted in the storming of the parliament, in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A relative of a person killed during the 2024 anti-government protests holds a sign with writing in Kiswahili reading "It's not a must to finish one term" as she holds a rose during a demonstration to mark two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government demonstrations that resulted in the storming of the parliament, in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Protesters sing and wave Kenyan flags near parliament during a demonstration to mark two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government demonstrations that resulted in the storming of the parliament, as police officers stand behind a razor-wire barricade in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, shakes hands with Kenya's President William Ruto ahead of a working session at the G7 summit, in Evian-les-Bains, France, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP)