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Inside the behemoth Smithsonian museum network drawing fire from the Trump administration

The world’s largest museum complex houses 157 million artifacts while shaping education on campuses nationwide

August 2, 2026 5:00am EDT / Fox News

By Andrew Mark Miller Fox News

President Donald Trump orders warning signs outside the Smithsonian, alleging politicized exhibits that emphasize activism over history. The institution faces scrutiny for promoting racial reparations and for a 2020 infographic criticizing ‘white culture.’ A congressional hearing further ignited debate over the museum’s ‘woke’ displays and their historical accuracy, highlighting the growing tension.

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The Smithsonian Institution, whose museums in Washington, D.C. have come under fire from conservatives and President Donald Trump over what they describe as increasingly left-wing messaging, is the world’s largest museum complex, comprising a sprawling network that spans the country and influences millions of people each year.

Founded in 1846 with funds from the will of British scientist James Smithson, who never visited the United States but left his fortune to establish an institution “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge,” the Smithsonian steadily grew from a single museum into the world’s largest museum, education and research complex.

Today, the Smithsonian owns or leases nearly 700 facilities across eight states, Washington, D.C., and Panama, encompassing roughly 13.6 million square feet of museums, laboratories, archives, warehouses, research stations and support facilities.

The organization now houses more than 157 million artifacts and specimens, operates 21 museums along with the National Zoo and 14 education and research centers, maintains 21 libraries, and partners with more than 200 affiliate museums and cultural institutions nationwide.

TRUMP ORDERS SIGNS OUTSIDE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM AMID ROW OVER ITS DEPICTION OF AMERICAN HISTORY

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is being called out for being ‘ideologically captured’ and presenting woke revisionist history on the weekend of America’s 250th birthday.(Kevin Carter)

Visitors see only a fraction of the Smithsonian’s overall collection. Roughly 99% of the Smithsonian’s more than 157 million artifacts and specimens are kept in storage facilities, laboratories and archives, where they are preserved and studied by researchers.

The Smithsonian as a whole welcomes over 30 million in-person visitors each year, while its educational resources and digital platforms reach millions more. The institution operates on an annual budget of more than $1 billion.

The Smithsonian isn’t just a museum operator, it’s effectively a national education and research institution that has a vast reach across school campuses nationwide as it helps shape the educational experience of the nation’s students.

GOP LAWMAKER DEMANDS ANSWERS AFTER SMITHSONIAN CHIEF URGED MOVING BEYOND ‘AMERICA FIRST MENTALITY’

President Donald Trump speaks during the re-scheduled White House Correspondents Dinner in the Presidential Ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria on July 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.(Eric Lee/Getty Images)

Through initiatives like the Smithsonian Learning Lab and Smithsonian Science Education Center, the institution provides millions of free lesson plans, classroom activities, virtual field trips and other educational resources used by teachers and students nationwide. It also offers professional development for educators and educational programming that extends well beyond its museums.

On college campuses, the Smithsonian is actively involved in partnering with schools across the country on internships, fellowships, research collaborations and joint academic programs which put the organization in touch with thousands of undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students each year.

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People walk on the National Mall near the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C., on May 10, 2021. President Donald Trump has ordered signs installed outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History directing visitors to a White House report criticizing the museum’s portrayal of American history.(MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this month, the White House released a sweeping report warning about an alleged infiltration of leftist politics inside the Smithsonian, a report an expert told Fox News Digital is an example of the “long march through the institutions” that socialist and communist activists have been pushing in the United States for decades.

“That shift from history to activism is clearly documented in this report. Anthea Hartig, NMAH’s director since 2019, has explicitly stated that she sees history as a ‘prime tool of social justice’ and one of her roles as connecting ‘research and scholarship to activism and advocacy,’” the White House report stated.

Last week, President Trump ordered his administration to install signs outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History directing visitors to what the White House describes as “accurate” information about the nation’s past, guaranteeing that the controversy over the Smithsonian’s cultural influence will remain a topic of conversation for months to come.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402199531112

OPEC+同意9月提高产量配额 每日18万8000桶

2026年8月2日 17:36 / 联合早报

由沙特阿拉伯和俄罗斯领导的七个成员国，同意9月将集体目标提高每日18万8000桶。 （路透社档案照片）

石油输出国组织及盟友（OPEC+）成员国批准最新一轮小幅增产，此举将在中东战争结束后为进一步增产提供空间。

彭博社报道，OPEC+在星期天（8月2日）的视频会议后说，由沙特阿拉伯和俄罗斯领导的七个成员国同意9月将集体目标提高每日18万8000桶。

尽管伊朗战争导致该地区供应受限，OPEC+在冲突期间仍持续按月上调配额。彭博社上周报道称，OPEC+目前计划在9月份增产后，将今年剩余时间的配额维持不变。

这次增产目前仅具有象征意义，但一旦波斯湾的石油运输恢复正常，可能为沙特提高实际产量提供空间，从而帮助补充全球已被消耗的库存。由冲突引发的供应紧张正推高汽油和柴油等燃料成本，加剧市场对通胀再次飙升的担忧。

OPEC+未来一旦增加供应，可能重现上月美伊停火期间出现的短暂供应过剩。一些预测人士预计，这种过剩将在今年稍晚回归。

阿联酋今年5月因长期不满OPEC+的限产政策而退出，也引发外界猜测该组织未来或将陷入争夺市场份额的竞争。

OPEC+将继续每月举行一次会议，下一次会议定于9月6日举行。

另据新华社报道，土耳其和伊拉克星期六（1日）签署协议，确保原油继续通过伊拉克至土耳其的基尔库克-杰伊汉输油管道输送。这项协议为期一年。

土耳其指出，在霍尔木兹海峡危机的背景下，基尔库克-杰伊汉输油管道正发挥越来越重要的作用。

OPEC+同意9月提高产量配额 每日18万8000桶

2026-08-02 17:36 / 联合早报

由沙特阿拉伯和俄罗斯领导的七个成员国，同意9月将集体目标提高每日18万8000桶。 （路透社档案照片）

石油输出国组织及盟友（OPEC+）成员国批准最新一轮小幅增产，此举将在中东战争结束后为进一步增产提供空间。

彭博社报道，OPEC+在星期天（8月2日）的视频会议后说，由沙特阿拉伯和俄罗斯领导的七个成员国同意9月将集体目标提高每日18万8000桶。

尽管伊朗战争导致该地区供应受限，OPEC+在冲突期间仍持续按月上调配额。彭博社上周报道称，OPEC+目前计划在9月份增产后，将今年剩余时间的配额维持不变。

这次增产目前仅具有象征意义，但一旦波斯湾的石油运输恢复正常，可能为沙特提高实际产量提供空间，从而帮助补充全球已被消耗的库存。由冲突引发的供应紧张正推高汽油和柴油等燃料成本，加剧市场对通胀再次飙升的担忧。

OPEC+未来一旦增加供应，可能重现上月美伊停火期间出现的短暂供应过剩。一些预测人士预计，这种过剩将在今年稍晚回归。

阿联酋今年5月因长期不满OPEC+的限产政策而退出，也引发外界猜测该组织未来或将陷入争夺市场份额的竞争。

OPEC+将继续每月举行一次会议，下一次会议定于9月6日举行。

另据新华社报道，土耳其和伊拉克星期六（1日）签署协议，确保原油继续通过伊拉克至土耳其的基尔库克-杰伊汉输油管道输送。这项协议为期一年。

土耳其指出，在霍尔木兹海峡危机的背景下，基尔库克-杰伊汉输油管道正发挥越来越重要的作用。

‘We are knifing each other’: Trump and Thune showdown splinters GOP unity ahead of midterms

2026-08-02T10:30:26.242Z / CNN

House Speaker Mike Johnson sometimes can’t get President Trump off the phone. The calls can come in the middle of the day — or the dead of night — or even after hourslong meetings at the White House, the Louisiana Republican often tells associates.

But across the Capitol, the same can’t be said for the other top GOP leader: Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

It can be days, if not weeks, that Thune doesn’t hear from the president. Thune instead mostly learns about Trump’s latest grenade roiling the GOP agenda or the broadsides directed at the Senate majority leader himself from Truth Social and the media.

During the latest high-stakes stretch in the Senate, with Trump’s own Cabinet nominee in trouble, the president’s election-year agenda teetering and a huge Iran funding bill in doubt, Thune told CNN he hadn’t spoken to the president in nearly two weeks. The split between the two has only widened since Trump moved to take out fellow Republican, Sen. John Cornyn, in his primary in May, and as the president has loudly insisted that the Senate nuke the filibuster — a demand the GOP leader has repeatedly rejected.

“With me, it’s more on an as-needed basis,” Thune told CNN when asked about his conversations with the president as of late.

Now, the increasingly apparent dissonance between the two men is fueling anxiety for many of Thune’s fellow Republicans in Congress, who are defending fragile majorities that are both in play this November.

While the two have never been personally close, with the mild-mannered Thune far different in style than the mercurial and combative president, they were in much more frequent communication at the start of Trump’s second term, according to senators and people who know both. Trump would frequently praise Thune’s leadership as the Senate GOP leader ushered through his agenda and often bit his tongue when he disagreed with the president, whether it was about an incendiary social media post or a policy like sweeping tariffs that hurt his constituents in South Dakota.

Yet in their private talks, Thune uses a very direct approach with Trump, bluntly explaining what can and cannot be accomplished in the Senate, GOP sources say, far different than other Republicans who tend to follow the president’s orders, no matter how implausible.

Tensions have grown in recent weeks, as Trump has publicly taken shots at Thune’s stewardship of the chamber. Trump riled up MAGA Republicans to direct their ire at the GOP leader to pass the president’s “SAVE America Act” — even though the Senate has already rejected the voting restrictions bill.

And Trump has consistently blindsided Thune, whether it was pulling the plug on a signing ceremony for a housing bill that Republicans were eager to champion in an election year dominated by affordability concerns or blowing up efforts to renew key surveillance powers. Trump temporarily sidelined his own nominee for director of national intelligence and even threw a wrench into plans for the Senate to quickly approve tens of billions for immigration enforcement by announcing a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, an issue that still complicates the GOP agenda.

The result has been a circular firing squad that has persisted for months, with roughly a dozen MAGA-aligned Republicans siding squarely with Trump, most other Senate Republicans in Thune’s corner, and many perplexed that the infighting is making a difficult midterm election environment even more challenging.

“I would say we’re all longing for a relationship with the White House where we work more in harmony,” said Sen. John Curtis, a Utah Republican.

“The infighting is not really productive,” said GOP Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia, making clear that he supports the president’s agenda, but acknowledging the limits of a narrowly divided Senate. “There’s no point in going round and round and round.”

And if the leaders can’t get on the same page, Justice warned: “If you don’t watch out, you’re gonna make things much, much, much worse because we’re gonna lose seats and that will make it worse for the president.”

The gulf is only set to widen with the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, an ally and confidant of both men, according to GOP senators. Graham, a golf partner of Trump’s and a very close friend of Thune’s, was a “linchpin” between the two, one of the senators said.

“We need to be talking up the wins, talking about how crazy Democrats are, and instead we are knifing each other,” the senator said.

The relationship between the two men is poised to hit an inflection point as the Senate stares down a five-week recess beginning at this week’s end. Trump has demanded that his “SAVE America Act” pass before senators leave. But even setting up a certain-to-be-doomed vote would eat up precious floor time as the chamber scrambles to finish other big-ticket items, such as Graham’s Russia sanctions bill and a stopgap funding measure to keep the government open until December.

Complicating matters the most: Trump’s demand to move his agenda through the unwieldy budget process, a move that would allow him to advance a larger package of billions for the Iran war and election restrictions along straight party lines. Yet there remains sharp disagreement among Senate Republicans on what the proposal should look like, meaning it also lacks 50 votes to pass the Senate, according to Thune.

Thune’s chief priority this week is keeping the government open past September 30. But Trump and his inner circle are far more intent to pass the rest of his agenda using that budget maneuver – despite the objections of many in their own party.

Senior White House officials, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and budget director Russ Vought, have been pressing senators to advance a budget resolution this week. But in a closed-door lunch with Vought last week, several GOP senators pushed back at the White House’s demands, according to sources in the room.

Many Republicans side with Thune, especially since the cumbersome process would require a marathon series of votes – known on Capitol Hill as a “vote-a-rama” – on politically charged issues that vulnerable senators are eager to avoid.

“I don’t believe that it is realistically possible to do it,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican, when asked about voting on the budget resolution. “I’m not sure that a late-night vote-a-rama with a lot of political hot buttons is what a lot of members who are up this year are really looking forward to. So, I question the political wisdom as well.”

Trump’s frustration with Thune and his GOP leadership team are shared by the MAGA wing in Congress, which is planning to force a vote this week that would prevent the Senate from adjourning for the summer. Roughly a dozen Republicans support it, according to one person briefed on the discussions.

Trump-aligned senators, like Senate Budget Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, warn Thune that it would be an “enormous mistake” to adjourn without acting on Trump’s demand to move his agenda through the budget process.

“Our supporters wouldn’t take kindly to it,” Johnson told CNN.

But most senators recognize that canceling the August recess wouldn’t get more of Trump’s agenda done, since Republicans don’t have the votes to accomplish what the president wants.

Many of Thune’s allies believe Trump is setting him up to be the fall guy if Democrats rout in the midterms and flip the Senate.

Asked by CNN on Thursday whether he thinks Trump is trying to make him a scapegoat, Thune simply shrugged his shoulders: “I don’t know.”

But it was just a day earlier when Trump pointedly refused to give Thune a vote of confidence when asked whether he’s still the man for the job.

“Well, we’re going to find out and I’ll let you know,” the president said.

Thune responded with his own retort: “He doesn’t vote in our elections.”

The White House declined to comment on Trump’s relationship with Thune, instead referring back to the president’s prior critical comments about the Senate GOP leader.

GOP senators say there’s another big reason for the fallout. Thune is forced to express the views of many in his conference who disagree with the president but are afraid to speak out over fears of reprisal. Those issues include Trump’s demands to eliminate Senate traditions and rules that give power to the minority party, such as the filibuster and the so-called blue slips to grant it a say on certain lower court nominees and US attorney picks.

Thune, backed by many Senate Republicans, has told the president they won’t do it — particularly over the filibuster, a tool they say they’ll need one day in the Senate minority to block Democratic bills.

“It’s just a fact, we’re not going to nuke the filibuster,” Thune said of the stall tactic that requires 60 votes to overcome.

And Trump’s decision to go after two Senate Republicans exacerbated tensions, especially since Cornyn’s Texas seat now is at risk of flipping with Trump’s controversial pick of Ken Paxton as the nominee.

Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma chalked up Trump’s frustrations to his fast-paced nature as a long-time business executive.

“He’s not content with anything. ‘I can make a better golf club, I can make a better hotel,’” Lankford said. “He’s always pushing.”

But asked if it’s productive for the two party leaders to be in disagreement, Lankford said: “Thune and the president can work out the differences on that. The hard part is, the president wants to be able to move fast like an executive can move. But we’re a legislative branch, we don’t move that fast.”

CNN’s Morgan Rimmer, Alison Main and Adam Cancryn contributed to this report

摩洛哥国王以特朗普命名高速公路 表达感激之情

2026年8月2日 18:32 / 联合早报

摩洛哥国王穆罕默德六世（中）确认，连接提兹尼特（Tiznit）和西撒哈拉城市达赫拉（Dakhla）、全长1055公里的高速公路，将被命名为“唐纳德·J·特朗普高速公路”。 （法新社档案照片）

摩洛哥国王穆罕默德六世说，他决定将一条耗资10亿美元（约12亿8300万新元）、横跨争议地区西撒哈拉的高速公路，以美国总统特朗普的名字命名，以此表达对这位美国领导人的“深切感激”。

据摩洛哥国家通讯社MAP报道，穆罕默德六世在7月2日的一封信中确认，连接提兹尼特（Tiznit）和西撒哈拉城市达赫拉（Dakhla）、全长1055公里的高速公路，将被命名为“唐纳德·J·特朗普高速公路”。

穆罕默德六世盛赞特朗普在2020年对摩洛哥统治西撒哈拉的“历史性承认”，并称这“将永远铭刻在摩洛哥人民的记忆中”，也“为两国关系注入了前所未有的动力”。

他也写道：“为了纪念这份友谊与和平，并表达我个人的深深感激之情，决定将一条最重要的公路以您的名字命名。”

西撒哈拉是一片资源丰富的地区，面积与英国相仿。自1975年殖民统治者西班牙撤出以来，摩洛哥和阿尔及利亚支持的独立运动一直存在争议。联合国将这个地区列为非自治领土。

特朗普在第一任期即将结束时，承认摩洛哥对西撒哈拉的统治权，这是他与以色列重建外交关系协议的一部分。摩洛哥是美国的重要盟友。

US companies win billions in African data center deals in direct competition with China

A $6.2B hydropower and AI data center deal in Lesotho marks the largest transaction in that country’s history

August 2, 2026 6:00am EDT / Fox News

By Paul Tilsley, Fox News

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

JOHANNESBURG:The U.S. is beating China in a high-tech trade war over data centers in a fierce battle being waged across Africa.

Major new deals have been engineered in a public-private partnership between the Trump administration and U.S. companies in Africa, while States across the U.S. clamp down on the centers over their massive reliance on electricity.

The administration’s Bureau of African Affairs has reported it has worked on 37 commercial transactions that have closed since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term — representing $25.67 billion in total value, with more still being reported.

RESOURCE-RICH NATION PRAISES US TIES AMID WASHINGTON-BEIJING CRITICAL MINERALS RACE

A rendering of BESS battery storage facilities, to be constructed in Lesotho by U.S. company Convalt Energy, as part of a $6.2 billion deal with the government of Lesotho facilitated with the assistance of the U.S. government.(Convalt Energy)

Data centers are at the heart of today’s global economy — fueling the massive demand for AI and hosting everything from video streaming to housing cloud networks.

In Lesotho, with U.S. help, an American company has won a $6.2 billion deal for a data center and hydropower plant. It is the largest transaction in this Southern African country’s history.

In Gabon, the U.S. Embassy helped win $600 million in business for American companies in 2025. And this year, the embassy in this central African country has assisted in securing a $100 million contract to supply two data centers and a gas-to-power plant, in the face of strong competition from China.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, told Fox News Digital, “Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States is assisting U.S. companies to find new markets and flourish in Africa.”

The main strategic competitor in Africa is China. While American goods traded with Africa last year were valued at $83.4 billion by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Beijing’s General Administration of Customs claimed bilateral trade between China and Africa reached $348 billion for the same period.

But Garcia called out China for giving African countries a raw deal, saying “there are others (notably China) that trap, coerce and undermine. The choice to me is clear — partner with the United States for prosperity.”

Rendering of the Kobong, Lesotho Pumped Hydro project, which is to be constructed in Lesotho by U.S. company Convalt Energy, as part of a $6.2 billion deal with the government of Lesotho facilitated with the assistance of the U.S. government.(Convalt Energy)

To drive this initiative, the State Department, through the Bureau of African Affairs, launched the Commercial Diplomacy Strategy in early 2025, with Garcia telling Fox News Digital the U.S. “is working worldwide to advance a level playing field for U.S. companies and address disparities in trade practices.”

The playing fields in Lesotho are not level: Geographically because this is a mountain kingdom. Financially because China is historically deeply entrenched in life there. Beijing has dropped all tariffs on Lesotho’s exports. Payments between the two countries have been simplified, with Lesothans able to bank directly with the State-owned Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

Beijing has canceled debt on major projects in Lesotho, and among other major projects is building a new fire station, a solar power plant and even completed a police fingerprint examination laboratory.

CHINA IS BUILDING AN AI WAR MACHINE. WASHINGTON MUST WAKE UP BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

This makes it all the more remarkable that, with the administration’s help, primarily through the local embassy, U.S. company Convalt Energy has secured a $6.2 billion agreement with the government of Lesotho.

Garcia told Fox News Digital that the “project includes a 1,200MW pumped-storage hydropower facility and a 900MW AI data center, increasing Lesotho’s electricity generation capacity by approximately 1,600% and transforming the country into a net exporter of electricity. The project is expected to generate approximately $2 billion in U.S. energy equipment exports.”

Convalt Energy’s President & CEO, Hari Achuthan, is standing in Lesotho at the site of where the new data center and pumping station will stand. July 29, 2026.(Convalt Energy)

Convalt Energy’s President & CEO, Hari Achuthan, told Fox News Digital how U.S. companies such as his are beating China on their traditional turf “American companies can compete successfully by innovating faster, integrating hardware and software, and remaining intensely focused on the needs of the end customer.”

A new data center, Achuthan believes, is not only at the heart of the project, but is essential for any country’s growth. “The next major cycle of economic growth will increasingly be driven by artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and the energy systems required to support them. AI cannot scale without physical infrastructure. Every data center requires reliable power, water, fiber connectivity, land, cooling systems and resilient transmission infrastructure.”

“The Trump administration’s emphasis on trade and private-sector investment, rather than relying primarily on grant funding, is closely aligned with our approach in Africa,” Achuthan continued. “In Lesotho, we are pursuing a commercially sustainable infrastructure platform built around long-term investment, bilateral trade with a durable, sustainable operating business.”

“At the same time,” Achuthan added, “the project can create meaningful economic benefits in the United States. Convalt’s U.S. manufacturing facilities are being developed to serve domestic customers as well as international markets, particularly Africa, where demand for power, manufacturing capacity and digital infrastructure is growing rapidly.”

Rendering of U.S. company Cybastion’s projected data center in the Ivory Coast, West Africa. The U.S. Embassy in Abidjan helped facilitate a $170m contract with the government of the Ivory Coast which includes the provision of the data center. Image credit:(Cybastion)

The construction of two data centers is part of the $100 million deal Assistant Secretary Garcia says administration officials have helped American company Cybastion secure. Garcia added, “notably, the U.S. company prevailed over Huawei (a Chinese company) in a direct competition for the project.”

Cybastion CEO Dr. Thierry Wandji believes U.S. companies can and are now coming to the fore. Earlier this month the U.S. embassy in the Ivory Coast confirmed an even larger deal for Cybastion. The $170 million contract will bring a data center, government digitalization platform and a cutting-edge border surveillance system to this West African country.

Wandji told Fox News Digital, “We believe we are the better option compared to other global competitors. Cybastion brings a unique understanding of the African context and local business environments.”

A recent site visit to the construction zone for a new data center in the Ivory Coast, which is part of a $170m contract facilitated by the U.S. Embassy for development by the U.S. company Cybastion.(Clement Djakey for Cybastion)

“Africa has some of the world’s fastest-growing economies,” Wandji continued. “Across the continent, countries are prioritizing sovereign data centers, modernizing their government services through digitalization, and digital workforce development as part of their national development plans.

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“The U.S. tech sector offers global competitiveness unparalleled to any country in the world,” Wandji added. “We deliver innovation, transparency and accountability in our business offerings, while creating new markets for U.S. companies.”

Convalt’s Achuthan told Fox News Digital what’s working for U.S. business in Africa, “American companies must clearly communicate the value of quality, transparency, safety, responsible business practices and long-term community partnership. Competing solely on price is not enough going forward. Companies from the United States should compete on performance, reliability, innovation, institutional trust and the ability to create sustainable local economic benefits.”

Paul Tilsley is a veteran correspondent who has reported from four continents for more than three decades. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, he can be followed on X @paultilsley.

摩洛哥国王以特朗普命名高速公路 表达感激之情

2026年8月2日 18:32 / 联合早报

摩洛哥国王穆罕默德六世（中）确认，连接提兹尼特（Tiznit）和西撒哈拉城市达赫拉（Dakhla）、全长1055公里的高速公路，将被命名为“唐纳德·J·特朗普高速公路”。 （法新社档案照片）

摩洛哥国王穆罕默德六世说，他决定将一条耗资10亿美元（约12亿8300万新元）、横跨争议地区西撒哈拉的高速公路，以美国总统特朗普的名字命名，以此表达对这位美国领导人的“深切感激”。

据摩洛哥国家通讯社MAP报道，穆罕默德六世在7月2日的一封信中确认，连接提兹尼特（Tiznit）和西撒哈拉城市达赫拉（Dakhla）、全长1055公里的高速公路，将被命名为“唐纳德·J·特朗普高速公路”。

穆罕默德六世盛赞特朗普在2020年对摩洛哥统治西撒哈拉的“历史性承认”，并称这“将永远铭刻在摩洛哥人民的记忆中”，也“为两国关系注入了前所未有的动力”。

他也写道：“为了纪念这份友谊与和平，并表达我个人的深深感激之情，决定将一条最重要的公路以您的名字命名。”

西撒哈拉是一片资源丰富的地区，面积与英国相仿。自1975年殖民统治者西班牙撤出以来，摩洛哥和阿尔及利亚支持的独立运动一直存在争议。联合国将这个地区列为非自治领土。

特朗普在第一任期即将结束时，承认摩洛哥对西撒哈拉的统治权，这是他与以色列重建外交关系协议的一部分。摩洛哥是美国的重要盟友。

特朗普称伊朗要求停止袭击 伊朗媒体：纯属谎言

2026年8月2日 18:34 / 联合早报

美国总统特朗普称，德黑兰和其他中东国家要求他暂停新的袭击。不过，伊朗媒体对此予以否认。 （路透社档案照片）

美国总统特朗普称伊朗要求美国停止袭击，伊朗梅尔通讯社对此予以否认。

法新社报道，伊朗梅尔通讯社（Mehr news）星期天（8月2日）引述军方官员报道称，特朗普这一指控“纯属谎言”，并称伊朗武装部队“高度戒备，随时准备应对任何突发情况”。

伊朗法尔斯通讯社也引述一名接近伊朗谈判代表的消息人士报道称，只要美国继续采取敌对行动，霍尔木兹海峡就将继续关闭。

特朗普星期六（1日）说，美国“准备对伊朗采取行动”，但德黑兰和其他中东国家已要求他暂停新的袭击。

他称，他已暂缓袭击，但前提是与伊朗达成协议，包括立即、全面、彻底地开放霍尔木兹海峡，并终止伊朗的核威胁。

特朗普称伊朗要求停止袭击 伊朗媒体：纯属谎言

2026年8月2日 18:34 / 联合早报

美国总统特朗普称，德黑兰和其他中东国家要求他暂停新的袭击。不过，伊朗媒体对此予以否认。 （路透社档案照片）

美国总统特朗普称伊朗要求美国停止袭击，伊朗梅尔通讯社对此予以否认。

法新社报道，伊朗梅尔通讯社（Mehr news）星期天（8月2日）引述军方官员报道称，特朗普这一指控“纯属谎言”，并称伊朗武装部队“高度戒备，随时准备应对任何突发情况”。

伊朗法尔斯通讯社也引述一名接近伊朗谈判代表的消息人士报道称，只要美国继续采取敌对行动，霍尔木兹海峡就将继续关闭。

特朗普星期六（1日）说，美国“准备对伊朗采取行动”，但德黑兰和其他中东国家已要求他暂停新的袭击。

他称，他已暂缓袭击，但前提是与伊朗达成协议，包括立即、全面、彻底地开放霍尔木兹海峡，并终止伊朗的核威胁。

What a new Justice Department filing says about the ‘botched’ Reflecting Pool renovation

2026-08-02T11:25:39.399Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/02/politics/reflecting-pool-renovation-problems-what-we-know

The Justice Department on Friday said the rush to complete President Donald Trump’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool led to “hasty and botched work,” shedding new light on the problems behind the Washington landmark’s $14 million facelift.

In delivering a sharp contradiction to weeks of claims from Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that vandals destroyed the Reflecting Pool, DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro attributed the bungled installation to bad weather, testing failures and shipment setbacks.

Trump and Burgum, meanwhile, continue to blame alleged vandals for the deteriorating pool lining, algae blooms and green water that appeared after the renovation.

“I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool. I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM,” Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social. Burgum also dismissed the findings in a social media post, saying that “The evidence is clear, vandals have repeatedly caused damage to the Reflecting Pool.”

The new details come from the DOJ’s Friday filing announcing it was dropping the case against former Olympian David Hearn, who was accused of vandalizing the landmark.

Here’s what we know about what went wrong with the Reflecting Pool:

Trump set out in late March to renovate the Reflecting Pool, which he described as “absolutely filthy” and vowed to make it “look gorgeous.”

In the weeks that followed, Trump expanded the scope of the project and ordered cosmetic changes, including painting the bottom of the pool “American flag blue.” The paint change immediately sparked a lawsuit from a nonprofit group, which argued the project violated federal laws requiring the Interior Department to complete a consultation process before beginning the work.

The president also wanted the project to be complete before America’s 250th birthday on July Fourth, an expedited timeline that the administration acknowledged drove up the cost — nearly seven times as much as the initial estimate of $1.8 million.

Installation for the Reflecting Pool lining began on May 5 by Virginia-based firm Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the sole contractor for the extensive project, according to the Justice Department filing.

The firm used two coating products — Rhino 406 and Pipeliner 5000 — in the renovation of the nearly 340,000-square-foot pool (that’s about the size of about six football fields).

Construction was significantly stalled due to spring showers, which hindered the expedited installation process the Trump administration had hoped for, at one point requiring crews to pump out the rain water to allow the coating to dry, according to the filing.

Crews continued to spray coats of the lining material, but the delays, largely due to weather, caught the attention of an employee with Brown Construction Services, a contractor charged with monitoring Atlantic Industrial Coatings’ progress. “It appears AIC is significantly behind schedule,” the employee wrote on May 7.

Delays ballooned when AIC ran out of Rhino 406, one of the primary coatings, and a quality control inspector flagged “blistering” in the finished portions of the lining and called for repairs.

Algae blooms and lining peels

On June 9, crews completed a final inspection of the site and refilled the pool. One day after it was filled, CNN first observed the presence of algae — in some areas. It could be seen from the water’s edge on the bottom of the pool. A worker who was vacuuming in the water told CNN the substance was algae.

At the onset of the project, the administration dispatched a company to use a $1.7 million “ozone nanobubbler” to clear the algae, bacteria and other chemicals. The company, Greenwater Services, previously walked CNN through a timeline of its work, revealing some accommodations were needed to meet the president’s July Fourth deadline.

By June 11, a National Park Service engineer’s attention was drawn to peeling of the Reflecting Pool lining. “Only the top layer of liner has peeled. This is very thin and will not impact the strength of the liner,” the employee wrote in an email to NPS and Interior Department personnel, according to the court documents.

The Park Service engineer said the contractor attributed the peeled area as an “overspray” from spraying the perimeter joint with polyurea — a type of elastic coating. The employee flagged his concern that the “overspray” could lead to a 1-to-2-foot strip that is “vulnerable to peeling,” but said the contractor would not confirm whether this was a risk. The area along the perimeter is where Hearn, the former Olympian, was accused of peeling just eight days after the email.

Claims of vandalism

As media reports swirled about peeling liner at the Reflecting Pool, Trump first claimed that the pool’s broader problems were a result of vandalism.

“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, without citing evidence. He said the algae was “75% gone” and that the “vandalized” area would be fixed in late June.

On June 20, Trump said he met with contractors and vowed to repair the damage as quickly as possible, saying vandals used a blade to cut a “250 foot long gash” and poured “corrosive and destructive chemicals” into the pool.

Following July Fourth celebrations, the pool was drained again for repairs. The contractor charged with monitoring AIC’s progress inspected the Reflecting Pool and attributed the peeling to overspraying and the coatings’ inability to bond to the surface, according to the DOJ’s filing. Even AIC said that “99% of anything that was going to fail” would show up within a couple of weeks of finishing the renovation.

Trump doubled down on claims in July, complaining about news reports on the pool and insisting the lining “was slashed with a knife, or a box cutter” and that even the algae blooms were “caused by vandals.”

Burgum, in a July 5 interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said the government could “absolutely” prove the damage was caused by vandals, and that there were photographs supporting the claim. But he dodged a question about whether those photographs showed anyone damaging the pool.

Pirro and her prosecutors say they weren’t able to fully view the extent of the damage until July 17, after the pool was drained and a defense expert inspected the site.

That very day, Trump railed against the alleged vandals on Truth Social, calling them animals. “The Reflecting Pool, so badly damaged by Deranged Vand, has been emptied as the massive slash gets repaired,” Trump said, adding, “The Scum in Court will hopefully be prosecuted to the MAX.”

After requesting more documents on the pool’s renovation, Pirro’s office said that information “indicated a rushed and flawed installation process, with repeated failures of the lining during the installation process, and extensive peeling of the lining throughout the Reflecting Pool.”

Nearly three months from the outset of construction, Trump said Monday the Reflecting Pool is “almost ready to open” once again.

CNN’s Katelyn Polantz contributed to this report.