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NPS to flush Reflecting Pool pipes as it blames issues on previous administrations

August 7, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was partially refilled on Friday to flush out what the National Park Service said were clogged pipes that supply water to the monument, marking the latest twist in the Trump administration’s plagued renovation project.

NPS wrote in a sign posted outside the Reflecting Pool that more than half of the 58 supply ports were “deemed nonfunctioning” due to buildup and needed to be cleared.

The posting blamed the clogged lines on “years of neglect by previous administrations,” echoing attempts by President Donald Trump to pin the Reflecting Pool’s ongoing troubles on his predecessors.

Leaks and cracks in the piping have long afflicted the pool, which was constructed in the 1920s.

President Barack Obama undertook a $35 million renovation in the 2010s, installing a treatment plant to purify water piped in from the Tidal Basin, but it did not eliminate the leaks from both the pipes and between the slabs of the pool itself.

President Trump has long fixated on the leaking pipes installed during the Obama renovation. When he announced the renovation project in April, he said the pool was “filthy dirty” and had “leaked like a sieve for many years.” The administration’s spring renovation, however, was limited to repainting the bottom of the pool and installing a new filtration system, leaving the pipes untouched.

Issues have plagued Trump’s $16 million renovation project since it was unveiled earlier this summer. In mid-June, algae blooms turned the pool a murky green and the newly-installed liner appeared to peel off.

Trump has attributed the problems to vandalism. But charges brought against several visitors accused of damaging the pool have not held up in court.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who originally brought the charges, moved to drop four of the cases last week, saying publicly that evidence indicated the damage was caused by a flawed renovation, not intentional sabotage.

Pirro explained her decision to dismiss the most high-profile charge — a felony indictment against former Olympian David Hearn — in a revelatory 20-page filing last Friday, calling the renovation “hasty” and “botched.” She said she brought the case before she was provided internal Department of Interior documents proving that concerns about the peeling pool liner predated the alleged vandalism.

The public about-face drew Trump’s ire, who continues to attribute the damage to vandalism, and led to questions about Pirro’s future as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, Hearn is seeking to dismiss the case with prejudice to ensure charges cannot be revived against him. His lawyers have not ruled out further legal action of their own.

The pool, which remains fenced off and empty alongside the sides, was drained for repairs in mid-July. Trump claimed at the time that the repairs would “fix the scars and damage that was done by the Vandals” and promised it would be “refilled and put back into service soon.”

The National Park Service posting warned on Friday that the “flushing may temporarily discolor the water as buildup in the pipes is cleaned out.” The Department of Interior provided a similar explanation when algae first discolored the pool, saying it was residual growth from reactivated supply lines.

Senate approves Russia sanctions bill named after Sen. Lindsey Graham

August 7, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Senate on Friday approved a long-awaited Russia and Iran sanctions bill named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

The bill was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 86-11.

Sen. Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister who is currently filling his seat in the chamber and running for a full six-year term this November, gaveled down the vote.

The package would impose primary and secondary sanctions on Russia and other countries that support Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

The sanctions target Russian political officials and oligarchs, banks and financial institutions, and the Russian shadow fleet, according to a release from a bipartisan group of senators who unveiled the legislation.

This bill still needs to head to the House of Representatives, which is currently on recess until the end of the month.

House Speaker Mike Johnson previously stated he supports sanctioning Russia, but it’s unclear whether the bill will have the support it needs in the lower chamber.

Graham, who died suddenly last month at the age of 71, was a champion of the bill.

A foreign policy hawk, Graham was one of the Republican conference’s most outspoken Ukraine allies and had a strong relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Graham had made his 10th visit to Ukraine shortly before his death.

Zelenskyy attended Graham’s funeral services in Washington, D.C., and was on Capitol Hill last week when the Senate first advanced the Russia sanctions bill, celebrating it as important pressure on Russia.

“It’s not only about money, how to stop how to finance this war, but it’s also a big signal to Europe, big signal to Ukraine, big support of our people,” Zelenskyy said at the time.

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, in emotional announcement, says he will vote for Todd Blanche to be attorney general

August 7, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy announced Friday he will vote for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to lead the Department of Justice, likely clearing the way for Blanche to be narrowly confirmed.

All eyes were on Cassidy after two other Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announced their opposition to President Donald Trump’s nominee.

Cassidy, in a speech on the Senate floor, said that he is supporting Blanche because he sees him as more favorable than potential alternatives.

“Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this. But the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche. It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general, who may not run the department effectively under President Trump, and who indeed may not be as good as Mr. Blanche,” the senator said. “This puts at risk the progress made fighting violent crime, human and drug trafficking and fraud. And this does not serve the American people well.”

Cassidy, who is leaving office in January after losing to a Republican primary challenger and who has clashed with Trump several times in recent months, appeared to grow emotional as he stated his case.

“This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche and very specific circumstances. All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche. I’ll be criticized for this vote. What’s new?” Cassidy said, taking a long pause and choking up before he continued. “But people of Louisiana can be assured that I work hard to understand the issue, and to make the right decision.”

The Senate has not yet agreed when they will hold a full vote on Blanche’s nomination.

While Murkowski said she would “oppose” Blanche’s nomination, it remains unclear whether she will cast a “no” vote or use a procedural pairing arrangement with absent Sen. Mitch McConnell that would allow her not to vote while maintaining the balance of the Senate.

Murkowski said in a statement released Friday morning that she had “numerous constructive meetings” with Blanche and described him as “decent and capable.” She also praised his efforts to learn about Alaska and said that, as acting attorney general, he had made “several noteworthy decisions” that would benefit the state and the nation.

“Ultimately, however, I will oppose his nomination,” Murkowski said in a statement, citing concerns about what she described as the politicization and “weaponization” of the Justice Department.

“The politicization — even weaponization — of the Department did not start with this administration but has accelerated during it,” Murkowski said.

Among the issues she cited were the handling of the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, what she called “sweeping immunity protections” granted to the president, his family and their businesses, statements made to anti-abortion groups, and what she described as the repeated targeting of individuals ranging from former administration staff to sitting U.S. senators.

“The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration,” Murkowski added. “I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.”

Earlier this week, Collins said in a statement that she would vote no on Blanche’s nomination.

“While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political,” Collins said in a statement. “Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation.”

DOGE’s claim of $110B in savings was vastly inflated and riddled with errors: GAO

August 7, 2026 by WDNY Radio

DOGE’s claim of 0B in savings was vastly inflated and riddled with errors: GAO

DOGE’s claim of $110B in savings was vastly inflated and riddled with errors: GAO — Tesla CEO Elon Musk is seen in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025, in Washington, DC. Musk served as an adviser to Trump and led the Department of Government Efficiency. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — When Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency launched its effort to slash federal spending last year, it also created a website to show how much money it said it was saving taxpayers.

A new review by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found the site’s claim of $110 billion in taxpayer savings was vastly inflated and unreliable.

The report found DOGE could not provide enough information to verify 96% of its reported savings from canceled grants.

Despite its pledge of transparency, the report found DOGE did not use its stated methodology to calculate about half of the savings it reported.

“Because U.S. DOGE Service officials did not respond to requests for information, GAO could not determine the reasons why DOGE did not disclose data quality issues and limitations when the website first went live or at any time since then,” the report said.

The report also found DOGE failed to terminate some of the contracts it claimed to have canceled. According to the report, $27.4 billion in claimed savings was never executed, and DOGE did not provide identifying information for another $7.2 billion in claimed savings.

DOGE also claimed $1.7 billion in savings from an IT services contract for the Defense Department’s Defense Health Agency, but the report said no changes were ever made.

The report also said DOGE claimed savings from millions of dollars in leases that had already been identified for termination.

Musk has since left DOGE. ABC News reached out to Musk and the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Although DOGE formally ended on July 4, its “Wall of Receipts” remains online, claiming a total of $215 billion in taxpayer savings.

Appeals court blocks construction of White House ballroom

August 7, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A federal appeals court has issued a ruling blocking the construction of President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom, concluding that congressional approval is needed for the project.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy announces he will vote for Todd Blanche to be attorney general

August 7, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy announced Friday he will vote for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to permanently lead the Department of Justice.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Lake Mead, nation’s largest reservoir, reaches its lowest water level on record

August 7, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The water level at Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir by storage capacity, hit a record low on Thursday.

Lake Mead’s pool elevation hit the new low at 1,040.50 feet, breaking the previous record of 1,040.58 feet set in July 2022, according to data published by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Friday.

The reservoir, formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, is located in Nevada and Arizona and supplies water to millions of U.S. residents.

Prolonged drought conditions and exceptionally low snowpack have contributed to the significant declines in water levels at several Colorado River Basin reservoirs this year.

Elevation at the nation’s second largest reservoir, Lake Powell, was measuring at 3,521.43 feet as of Thursday, according to the Bureau of Reclamation — nearing the previous record low of 3,519.92 feet set in April 2023 and the critical level needed for the reservoir to produce hydropower. A new record low at the Utah-Arizona reservoir could also be reached this month, projections show.

The Colorado River basin is a critical system for residents in the western U.S. and Mexico. The basin provides water for up to 40 million people and hydropower to the seven basin states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

Since the beginning of the year, hydrologists have been warning about the potential for water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell to hit critical levels as a result of record-low snowpack over the winter months.

Much of the western U.S. entered the winter already grappling with drought conditions from lack of rain. But warmer-than-normal temperatures during the winter prevented snow from accumulating, which led to a lack of snowmelt flowing into watersheds once spring came.

Jobs report shows US unexpectedly lost jobs in July

August 7, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. economy unexpectedly lost jobs in July, demonstrating a wobbly labor market as shoppers continued to withstand a surge of inflation set off by the Iran war.

The U.S. lost 23,000 jobs in July, according to the federal government’s monthly jobs report, which marked a decline from 57,000 jobs added in June.

The unemployment rate fell slightly from 4.2% in June to 4.1% in July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said. Unemployment remains low by historical standards.

The lackluster figure recorded in July departs from largely resilient performance for the labor market so far in 2026, despite a historic oil shock that has driven up fuel prices and hiked supply-chain costs for a host of other goods.

A government report issued last week showed a steeper slowdown in gross domestic product than expected over three months ending in June, however, suggesting strain in the underlying economy over the early months of the war.

The U.S. added an average of 92,000 jobs per month over the first half of 2026, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed. That pace marks an improvement from an average of about 7,000 jobs lost per month over the second half of 2025.

The Iran war drove up gasoline prices and catapulted inflation to a three-year high in May. A preliminary peace agreement in June offered up some relief, but a burst of on-again, off-again fighting in recent weeks caused crude prices to rise again.

The combination of elevated inflation and a resilient labor market has raised the chances of an interest rate hike, futures markets show. Investors peg the odds of a quarter-point rate hike next month at about 56%, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool, a measure of market sentiment.

The Fed opted to hold interest rates steady at its meeting last week, but central bankers appeared divided over the move. Three of the 12 members on the Fed’s policymaking board voted in favor of a rate hike, marking the largest number of dissenters casting ballots in the same direction since 2016.

A rate increase, however, could risk a slowdown in hiring and economic growth over the coming months as corporations face the prospect of higher borrowing costs.

The benchmark rate stands at a level between 3.5% and 3.75%. That figure marks a significant drop from a recent peak attained in 2023, but borrowing costs remain well above a 0% rate established at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who took the helm of the central bank this summer, has repeatedly vowed to dial back inflation.

“The committee remains resolute — you’ve heard this before — that we will deliver price stability,” Warsh told reporters in Washington, D.C., last week.

Sen. Mitch McConnell announces he has been discharged from rehab facility

August 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, after weeks of in-patient care following a fall in mid-June, announced via a statement from his office on Thursday that he has been discharged from a rehabilitation center and will continue his recovery at home.

“Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home,” McConnell said in a statement. “Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I’ve received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff.”

“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” McConnell added.

McConnell was first hospitalized on June 14 for reasons that were initially undisclosed by his office.

While his office has released two photographs of McConnell since his hospitalization, the Kentucky senator has not been seen in public.

Late last month, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called on McConnell to either “verbally” show proof to Kentuckians that he can still serve in the Senate or to resign from Congress.

In a statement issued on July 12, nearly a month later, McConnell said he was hospitalized due to a fall that left him briefly unconscious. He also said he had to deal with a “mild case of pneumonia.”

In that same July 12 statement, McConnell said he had been moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility to recover.

The former Republican leader has not been seen on Capitol Hill since June 11.

McConnell has said he intends to finish his term, which expires in January. The seven-term senator has already said he does not intend to seek reelection in January.

The Senate is expected to recess until mid-September in the coming days. McConnell’s statement suggests he won’t be seen in the Capitol until at least then.

Before departing for recess, the Senate is expected to take up acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to permanently lead the Department of Justice. With McConnell’s absence, Blanche can only afford to lose two Republican votes.

Michigan health officials say people can resume regular lettuce-eating habits as new cases of cyclosporiasis slow

August 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Michigan health officials said on Thursday that people can resume regular lettuce- and salad greens-eating habits as new cases of cyclosporiasis slow.

It’s one of nine states in a multi-state outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at some Taco Bell restaurants.

The iceberg lettuce was supplied by Taylor Farms and sourced from central Mexico. Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.

The state has seen more than 12,400 cases since June, including 279 hospitalizations and two deaths, health department data shows.

Taco Bell also said it is no longer using lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico at any of its restaurants.

The update from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) said the majority of contaminated produce is “likely” no longer available to consume.

Additionally, new cyclosporiasis cases and related emergency department visits are declining, MDHHS said. Most exposures occurred in late June or early July, the department noted.

“Since the start of this outbreak, MDHHS has remained committed to providing timely, transparent information and clear recommendations to Michigan residents,” Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive, said in a press release. “As new data has emerged, our guidance has evolved to reflect the best available evidence, helping ensure that prevention recommendations are accurate, actionable and responsive to the changing situation.”

The recommendation to avoid bagged salad mixes is no longer in effect, the department said.

“Residents may resume their usual food handling practices and make choices based on their individual risk tolerance,” the release from MDHHS added.

Consumers should continue avoiding any recalled food products, health officials noted, as well as continuing to rinse fruits and vegetables and washing hands and surfaces often.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has previously said it is investigating other outbreaks and illnesses of cyclosporiasis nationally that are unrelated to the nine-state outbreak.

Since May 1, cases of cyclosporiasis have topped 22,000 in 47 states, according to data updated by the CDC on Tuesday.

There are at least 10,468 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, including 423 hospitalizations, the CDC data shows. The agency is also aware of at least 12,255 additional cases that have not yet been laboratory confirmed or require further investigation and analysis.

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