By Damian Paletta
Good morning. There are PLENTY of questions still unanswered about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Who exactly has been arrested? Have they been charged? How much planning went into this whole "sealing" operation? How was the company vetted? What is it going to take to fix it?
Like probably a lot of other Americans, I actually have a history with this body of water. It's where my wife and I had our wedding photos taken in 2005. And where we've taken pictures of our children every December since 2009, something of a yardstick for their youth.
So Monday afternoon I walked down 17th Street NW to see for myself.
For those who haven't seen it, the reflecting pool is an awe-inspiring monument in DC. It connects the Lincoln Memorial to its west, the World War II Memorial to its east, the Vietnam War memorial to its north, and the Korean War memorial to its south.
Yes, it's been in plenty of movies ("Forrest Gump") and served as the setting for truly historic moments (the "I have a dream" speech). But it's also one of the most tranquil places in town.
I walked the circumference of it and saw probably 50 tourists milling about, taking selfies (I took a selfie too, so not judging).
There was plenty of security and law enforcement, but it all seemed a bit disconnected. There were roughly 20 National Guard troops, walking in groups. I saw two officials in sheriffs uniforms, one of whom was from Nebraska. There was someone in a U.S. Marshal Fugitive Service uniform too.
The water? Well, I'd say I saw probably 10 different colors of water. At some points, the water is clear-ish, but there is plenty of sediment from nearby trees. Near the Lincoln Memorial, the water is milky green. There are at least three hoses pumping a white liquid into the water. Toward the middle of the pool, it's definitely green. I saw at least a dozen spots where the painted seal on the bottom had chipped away. I didn't see anything that looked surgical, like it had been cut. Rather, asymmetrical rips and flakes.
Mallard ducks and Canada geese have long made the reflecting pool home and paraded their young'uns through it in the spring and summer. Little ramps along the reflecting pool help the mallards walk out. And I've seen companies hired that bring in dogs to chase the Canada geese away because, well, they can leave quite a mess.
I saw just one family of ducks on Monday. A mother mallard with her six little ducklings. They were sitting on the edge of the reflecting pool (have never seen this before), seemingly uncertain of what was going on. Little ducks. Join the club.
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People and Policies I'm Watching
Primary elections: Primaries are being held in New York, South Carolina, Maryland and Utah.
U.S.-Iran: The U.S. cleared the way for Iran to sell oil in dollars, including to U.S. buyers, a reversal that came as Vice President JD Vance said Tehran had agreed to allow nuclear inspectors to return as early as this week.
Mark Rutte: The NATO secretary general is to arrive in Washington, D.C., for meetings ahead of the alliance's summit in Turkey next month.
Alan Greenspan: The former Federal Reserve chairman who served under four presidents died, aged 100.
Trump's Tuesday: The president is to deliver remarks at Mack Trucks, in Macungie, Penn., at 2 p.m. ET.
What I'm Following
From regime change to opening the Strait of Hormuz -- how Trump's war aims evolved. At the start of the war against Iran, the president listed his goals for the military operation. He encouraged Iranians to overthrow their government, vowed to destroy Iran's missiles and the factories that make them and to remove Tehran's option of developing a nuclear bomb. Last week's agreement between the U.S. and Iran shows that he has settled for less.
ABC launched an on-air campaign against the FCC. The Disney-owned network broadcast ads highlighting the Federal Communications Commission's review of broadcast licenses and a separate probe into ABC daily show The View. The ads urged viewers to register their opposition to the FCC's investigations.
The U.S. will speed up early drug research in a bid to compete with China. Federal Health officials are working to shave six months to a year off the time it takes companies to do early-stage studies of experimental drugs. The move comes as U.S. pharma companies are increasingly buying assets from China, where development takes far less time.
What Else Is Happening
-- A generational battle is playing out in the Democratic Party's primaries,
putting incumbents on the defensive against a younger crop of candidates
to their left.
-- The president signed two executive orders on quantum computing, one
outlining plans for a government computer powerful enough to conduct
scientific research by 2028.
-- The Supreme Court is about to decide four cases that are central to how
Trump has tried to define presidential power.
-- Defense CEOs have been summoned to the White House amid concerns over low
U.S. missile stockpiles.
What I'm Reading
-- County Leaders' Distrust Could Undermine Midterms (Arizona Republic)
-- San Diego's Budget Crisis Reflects Skyrocketing Lawsuit Payouts,
Liability Insurance Premiums (San Diego Union-Tribune)
-- Hillary Clinton Calls Electoral College an 'Abomination' in New Netflix
Docuseries (Variety)
About Me
I'm Damian Paletta, The Wall Street Journal's Washington coverage chief. I've covered Washington for 22 years as a reporter and editor. I've covered the White House, Congress, national security, the federal budget, economics and multiple market meltdowns.
WSJ Politics brings you an expert guide to what's driving D.C., every weekday morning. Send your feedback to politics@wsj.com (if you're reading this in your inbox, you can just hit reply). This edition was curated and edited in collaboration with Alistair Dawber and Michael Connolly. Got a tip for us? Here's how to submit.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 23, 2026 07:03 ET (11:03 GMT)
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