President Donald Trump on Sunday once again blamed vandalism for the botched renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool – but also made a startling confession about the evidence.

Or, rather, the lack of evidence.

“There was substantial other damage to the Reflecting Pool, also but, unfortunately, there is no video or proof, other than the damage, itself,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.

Trump has not only blamed vandals for supposedly damaging the Reflecting Pool, but repeatedly insisted that he had proof.

“We have photographs, or tapes, like moving cameras, right?” he said just days ago.

Trump made similar claims multiple other times, including in June.

“We also have pictures,” he told reporters.

When pressed to show those images, he said they would come out in time.

“At the right time you’ll see it,” Trump said, per CBS News. “You’ll see it in court.”

Trump was livid last week when Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox News host who is now US attorney for the District of Columbia, dropped criminal charges against former Olympic athlete David Hearn, who had been accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool.

Hearn had insisted all along that he was innocent, and last week, Pirro released a statement admitting that the damage was caused by a botched installation and not vandalism.

In his post on Sunday, however, Trump insisted that “a highly credible witness” who works for the National Park Service saw Hearn “violently” rip the “somewhat delicate coating.”

That also flies in the face of other Trump claims.

In May, for example, Trump said the lining was “so strong, so powerful” that it couldn’t be cut with a knife. He even drove his motorcade across it while it was being installed to inspect the work.

Trump admitted that “there was also some contractor error done,” but insisted it “was relatively inconsequential.”

Trump had the Reflecting Pool renovated in the spring in an attempt to restore it before the Independence Day celebrations over the summer. However, the project was almost immediately plagued by problems. In addition to the lining coming loose and peeling off, the pool turned green with algae only days after reopening.

Trump blamed vandals for the algae as well.

On Sunday, he said the Reflecting Pool would reopen “shortly.”

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Former Strictly Come Dancing stars James and Ola Jordan have announced that they have split up after more than 25 years together.

In a statement, their representatives confirmed (as reported by The Independent): “It is with great sadness that I can confirm that James and Ola began a trial separation some time ago.

“Their shared priority remains co-parenting their daughter, Ella, and they are committed to putting her wellbeing first. They would greatly appreciate your understanding as they navigate this difficult time.”

James and Ola were already both competitive dancers when they met at an industry contest in 1999, before marrying four years later.

They were both then cast as Strictly professionals in 2006, with James remaining part of the BBC dance show until he left under something of a cloud in 2013, following numerous controversies during his stint.

Ola – who won the show in 2009, when she was paired with sports presenter Chris Hollins – lasted slightly longer, parting ways with Strictly after the 2015 season.

In 2020, the couple welcomed a baby, a daughter named Ella.

Following their respective departures from Strictly, the pair continued to make appearances on reality TV, both as a pair and as individuals.

James twice competed on Celebrity Big Brother, making it to the final during his first stint.

He later finished in second place on the 2019 season of ITV’s now-defunct celebrity skating show Dancing On Ice.

Ola, meanwhile, had been booked to compete on the infamous winter sports contest The Jump in 2014, but was one of several stars who had to withdraw due to injury.

Following her Strictly exit, she was cast on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!, and served as a judge for two seasons of the Polish version of Strictly Come Dancing.

As a couple, James and Ola were judges on the BBC dance series Dancing On Wheels in 2010 (which was won by the Caroline Flack and her partner) and also appeared on Celebrity Coach Trip, Celebrity Through The Keyhole and Let’s Sing And Dance For Comic Relief.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) argued on Sunday that US President Donald Trump hasd already lost the war on Iran.

Last week, the Trump administration said it was approaching an Iran deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping chokepoint for global oil, but negotiations have remained stymied. Iranian leadership declared on Saturday that they won’t reopen the waterway unless the US meets its sweeping demands, including war reparations.

“Donald Trump has lost this war,” Murphy said. “America is weaker. Iran is stronger. The price to reopen the strait increases by the day. The supposed deal that’s on the table right now would pay Iran $100 million, excuse me, $100 billion a year, in order to reopen the Strait. That is one-third of Iran’s entire economy.”

Murphy described the latest deal as a “victory for Iran” because at the end of the war, they will “get paid to reopen the Strait” and receive funding to rebuild their military.

NBC’s Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker asked Murphy if there was any deal that could be negotiated between the U.S. and Iran that he would support in order to “declare victory and move on.”

“Yes, I will support a deal to end this war and reopen the strait. I am prepared to support a bad deal to end this war and reopen the strait because the only deal that is available at this point in time is a terrible bad deal.”

Murphy then discussed the stress that Americans were experiencing as the prices of gas and food continued to rise.

“But the war needs to end because every day that the war continues, America gets weaker, Iran gets stronger, and people here in the United States get screwed, as prices go up and up and up,” he said.

Watch Murphy’s appearance on “Meet the Press” below. Skip to the 5:53 mark to hear his comments about the war in Iran:

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This article contains discussions of self-harm.

Perez Hilton’s family has given an update on the celebrity blogger following his recent hospitalisation.

Last week, police officers were called to Perez’s home in Miami in the wake of a TikTok livestream in which he appeared to be self-harming.

The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate – whose legal name is Mario Lavandeira – was then taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment where he has remained since.

In a statement posted on his blog over the weekend, his loved ones said that his condition remains “serious but stable”, noting that he has a long recovery ahead as a result of the injuries he sustained during what they previously described as a “severe mental health crisis” that resulted in him “harming himself”.

“Perez’s condition remains serious but stable,” they wrote. “He experienced significant blood loss and sustained additional injuries that will require surgery in the coming days.

“His treatment and recovery will be a long process. We are grateful that Perez was able to spend time with his mother and sister yesterday.

“As our family remains focused on Perez’s treatment and recovery, we also need the space and privacy to care for everyone affected by this situation.”

The family noted that Perez’s “communication has been extremely limited and confined to immediate family, medical providers, and others directly involved in his care” insisting he “has not communicated with the media or issued any public statements”.

At the end of their statement, they reiterated that there is “absolutely no reason for members of the media or the public to remain outside the family’s home” requesting “members of the media to leave the home and surrounding area, stop following family members, and cease photographing Perez’s children”.

It was also pointed out that Perez’s own blog has “maintained a ‘no kids policy’” for the last decade, requesting privacy for his own three children, who are aged 13, 12 and eight.

Before that, the family’s most recent statement had said that their “highest priority right now is helping the children begin to heal from what they experienced” following what was referred to as the “livestream incident”.

They noted that his children, niece and sister had been at his home before the livestream got underway, but “immediately fled to protect the children from witnessing any further trauma” when it “became clear that Perez was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and harming himself”.

Perez first rose to notoriety in the mid-2000s thanks to his celebrity news blog, where he frequently generated controversy due to his blunt, and often disparaging, commentary on the public figures he covered.

In the 2010s, he insisted that he’d be changing the tone of his reporting, telling Ellen Degeneres on her daytime show that he wanted to “be part of the solution and not part of the problem”, after being called out by numerous celebrities for “bullying”.

He later claimed to the New York Times: “What’s important for me is not being liked, but it is that people think I am no longer toxic to the world.”

Since the beginning of this year, Perez has experienced a number of health struggles, having been hospitalised with severe sepsis back in March.

In the months that followed, he shared that he’d been hospitalised for a second time due to deep vein thrombosis.

• Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
• Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
• CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
• The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
• Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.

Andy Burnham is to announce a crackdown on “rip off discounts and subscription traps” to help hard-pressed Brits deal with the cost of living crisis.

The prime minister will unveil a raft of “everyday fixes” to save people money as he tours the country throughout the rest of August.

Burnham said people are “sick and tired” of shops claiming to have slashed their prices when in reality they haven’t.

New measures to make it easier for people to cancel online subscriptions will also be introduced, potentially saving customers across the UK a staggering £1.6 billion.

The PM said: “I know people are sick and tired of rip-off discounts and subscription traps.

“Westminster has got used to telling people that everyday hassles like this are just part of life. I don’t think that’s right, especially when the cost of living continues to weigh heavily on so many people’s lives.

“I’m determined to pull every single lever we can to provide people with some room to breathe on the cost of living.”

Under the plans, retailers will be banned from claiming prices in their shops have been discounted when they have not been in an attempt to trick customers into thinking they are getting a bargain.

New rules will also come into force in January 2027 forcing companies to provide clearer information on the cost of subscriptions, and making it much easier to exit contracts.

A new 14-day cooling-off period will also let consumers cancel when a trial subscription ends, or long-term contract renews.

Burnham said: “We’re putting an end to phoney bargains. If something is advertised as half price, it should actually be half price. We’re also making it as easy to leave a subscription as it is to join.

“These are just two of the everyday fixes we’re going to be rolling out – today is just the start. We want to put more money in people’s pockets and give people hope that politics really can work for them and their everyday lives.”

Sue Davies, head of consumer rights policy at Which?, said: “It’s great news that the government intends to tighten up the law and explicitly ban misleading pricing practices, while putting an end to subscription traps.

“The government must implement these rules swiftly to give consumers much-needed protection against sneaky pricing tactics and hold businesses to account with tough enforcement, including fines, if they fall short.”

Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “For too long consumers have been tricked into paying for products or services they don’t use – or didn’t even want to begin with – costing millions of pounds each year.

“So we really welcome the government’s move to speed up action on subscription traps and look at banning other tactics firms use to catch consumers out.”

Burnham’s government has already removed VAT from electricity bills, capped bus fares at £2 outside London and slashed business rates on hospitality businesses by 20%.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.