Reflecting Pool Project Falls Apart!

Summary

The Parnas Perspective

Episode: "Reflecting Pool Project Falls Apart!"

Host: Aaron Parnas

Date: June 19, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the controversy surrounding the failed renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, casting it as a case study in Trump-era nepotism and government mismanagement. Host Aaron Parnas unpacks breaking news about no-bid federal contracts awarded to Trump donors—particularly the disastrous decision to hand over the pool’s filtration upgrades to Greenwater Services, resulting in visible failures and taxpayer waste. The episode further contextualizes this story in the broader political climate, touching on Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict, his public statements on Israel, and the ridicule facing Vice President J.D. Vance for statements about the administration’s relationship to Christianity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reflecting Pool Debacle

• Breaking News Analysis ([01:31]):

  • The New York Times reports a $1.7 million, no-bid contract to Greenwater Services, a newcomer to federal contracting and company owned by John J. Cafaro, a Trump donor with a history of federal offenses.
  • Despite claims of expertise, the pool’s water is visibly green with algae, contradicting Trump's promise of flag-blue water.
  • Selection sidestepped the competitive bidding process, and Cafaro’s company has little proven experience.
  • Second no-bid contract ($14.7 million) also awarded to a different company to apply blue waterproofing; results have been peeling and unsatisfactory.
  • Aaron Parnas mocks the result, emphasizing lack of oversight and apparent cronyism.

• Notable Moment:

  • “This is your taxpayer dollars at work, folks. Your taxpayer dollars. And well, this is what happens when you give a no bid contract to someone who doesn't really have much federal contracting experience.” – Aaron Parnas ([04:55])

• Visual Evidence ([04:30]):

  • Photojournalist Andrew Lydon's video shows blue paint peeling and algae proliferation, reinforcing the mismanagement.

2. Political Fallout and Broader Context

Trump's Foreign Policy:

• Iran Conflict ([06:59]):

  • Trump’s military engagement in Iran is escalating with even right-leaning commentators questioning his approach.
  • Newsmax hosts admit the situation is spiraling and express concern about rising gas prices as a result of Straits of Hormuz instability.

• Israel and Netanyahu ([07:16]):

  • Trump on his relationship with Israeli PM Netanyahu:
    • "It's good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane." ([07:24])
    • "They do as I say." ([07:34])
  • Israel subsequently attacks Lebanon, with Trump’s remarks underlining a claimed control over Israeli actions.

Vice President J.D. Vance Ridiculed for Religious Rhetoric ([08:55]):

• Discussion segment on the administration’s (hypocritical) relationship to Christianity and policy toward religious conservatives.
  • Criticism that Trump’s administration is “functionally post-Christian”:
    • “There is a tone of aggressive uncharity to people who aren't on board with the administration's policies. So I would describe those as three areas where the administration has felt functionally post Christian to me, and I'm curious what you think.” – Guest ([09:32])
• Aaron Parnas’s dry commentary on this rhetoric:
  • “I don't think I can find many clips of Donald Trump doing things that are inherently Christian. If you can, let me know in the comments below.” ([11:04])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Aaron Parnas on Greenwater Services:
  • “The owner of the company is a major Trump donor who happens to have been convicted of several federal criminal offenses in the past, including bribery related charges and campaign finance related charges.” ([01:41])
• On Taxpayer Waste ([04:55]):
  • “This is your taxpayer dollars at work, folks... what happens when you give a no bid contract to someone who doesn't really have much federal contracting experience.”
• Trump on Netanyahu ([07:24]):
  • “It's good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane.”
  • “They do as I say.”
• Newsmax Segment ([07:54]-[08:27]):
  • Admits uncertainty and expresses frustration with Trump’s Iran war and its economic impact.
• Commentary on Administration’s 'Christian Tone' ([09:32]):
  • “There is a tone of aggressive uncharity to people who aren't on board with the administration's policies...”
  • Aaron punctuates the discussion with skepticism and sarcasm.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Reflecting Pool Contract Details & Cafaro’s Background – [01:31]-[04:55]
• Video Evidence of Pool Failure – [04:30]
• Context: Second No-Bid Contract – [03:50]
• Trump on Israel & Iran – [07:16]-[08:46]
• Newsmax Discussion on Iran War – [07:54]-[08:27]
• V.P. J.D. Vance Response on Christianity – [08:55]-[11:04]
• Host’s Recap & Community Callout – [11:04]-[11:15]

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Episode Tone & Approach

• Aaron Parnas maintains a sharp, irreverent, and sarcastic tone throughout, skewering government incompetence and Trump-era patronage with pointed humor and insider’s precision.
• The episode blends investigative reporting with commentary, using both external news reports (New York Times) and on-the-ground visuals to underline its argument.
• Listeners are frequently engaged with calls to comment, share, and subscribe, reflecting the show’s interactive and community-driven style.

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Summary

“Reflecting Pool Project Falls Apart!” is a quintessential episode of The Parnas Perspective—combining incisive reporting on political cronyism and government waste with a wry, engaging delivery. Through the concrete example of the reflecting pool debacle, Aaron Parnas illustrates the perils of no-bid contracts and insular power networks, while deftly weaving in the latest political flashpoints from Washington and abroad. The episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to understand not just what went wrong with a national monument, but what such stories reveal about the broader political era.

Transcript

[A]

Seriously, why aren't Democrats in Washington doing more to stop Trump?

[B]

I know. Have you heard about Phil Weisner in Colorado, though?

[C]

No.

[A]

Is he different?

[B]

Yeah. A.G. weiser sued the Trump administration 65 times. He's beating Trump in court again and again. Things like protecting Obamacare against Trump's illegal tariffs and he even won against Ticketmaster.

[D]

So he actually gets results exactly as

[B]

Governor Phil will fight for Colorado.

[A]

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[D]

this afternoon regarding Donald Trump's reflecting pool. Just when you thought the jokes couldn't write themselves. Well, they are the company that got the $1.7 million contract to do the water filtration systems in this reflecting pool. It's named Green Water Services, not Blue Water. Green Water and while the water is now green. But that's not all. The owner of the company is a major Trump donor who happens to have been convicted of several federal criminal offenses in the past, including bribery related charges and campaign finance related charges. At the same time, Trump's war in Iran is blowing up to the point where even news max hosts are saying this is too far for us. JD Vance is facing ridicule for remarks he made about Christianity, so it's just another Friday afternoon in the year of our Lord 2026. As always, make sure to like, comment, share and subscribe. Subscribe to my substack link below to support my work. We hired our first full time employee today and and we're doing it because of you and your support. So if you can subscribe today, I want to begin by showing you this report from the New York Times that came out minutes ago, a business tie to A longtime supporter of President Trump was given a no bid contract to install a water purification system in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool earlier this spring. Now that work has come under intense scrutiny because algae blooms have come back and turns the Washington iconic pool into a vibrant shade of green rather than the American flag blue that Trump claimed he chose. Well, here's the thing. The contract shows that the National Park Service bypassed the competitive bidding process that is typically required and gave a $1.7 million contract to the firm. The firm is called Greenwater Services of Brookfield, Ohio. The owner of Greenwater Services is this guy right here on the right. I believe that may be Kelly Dodd on the left, can't confirm. But the guy on the right, he is a major Trump donor. His name is Joseph Caruso and, well, sorry, John Caffaro. And while he, according to federal contracting records, showed that the firm's ultimate owner is the JJ Cafaro Investment Trust, led by John J. Cafaro, a donor to Trump and a neighbor to Mar A Lago, the president's private club in Florida. The water treatment company also listed Cafaro's Palm beach mansion as its address in Florida corporate records and listed his investment trust phone number and email and Ohio lobbying records. Cafaro, a longtime Republican donor who Trump has described as a, quote, unquote, fantastic man, was once involved in a high profile bribery scandal. On Thursday, when a photographer for the New York Times visited pool, half the water remained green as workers sought to vacuum out the algae. And while it gets worse, the connection of Greenwater Services, also known as GreenWater Solutions, to Mr. Cafaro is first being reported by the New York Times. Neither Greenwater Services nor Caffaro responded to requests for comment. The chief executive of Greenwater Services previously declined to comment. This company was selected because they had expertise, workforce and materials. That's what the spokesperson for the Interior Department said. But here's the thing. The reflecting pool is water. Well, it's circulated via underground pipes to a nearby building full of filters and water purifiers. The Park Service had planned for years to upgrade the system by adding a nanobubble device that killed algae with tiny bubbles of ozone gas. And while multiple firms had expressed interest, but they gave it to Greenwater Services, a company that federal records show had received only one other federal contract. Another no bid contract of $14.7 million has been awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings for the same reason of urgent need. That was to put the blue waterproofing material on the pool's concrete floor. But I want to show you what the results of Greenwater Services work looks like today. Andrew Lydon, a photojournalist in D.C. went to the pool. I was there with the ducks yesterday. Ducks weren't swimming, went to the pool and put his camera under the water. Take a look. As you can see in this video, the camera goes underwater. This is not from the Everglades. This is not a swamp. This is not a river. This is the reflecting pool in Washington D.C. those flaps, that is essentially the blue paint that was installed peeling off. And it gets bad to worse. I mean, the more you watch this, you see green algae everywhere. This is your taxpayer dollars that works, folks. Your taxpayer dollars. And well, this is what happens when you give a no bid contract to someone who doesn't really have much federal contracting experience. Now, before I continue, this video is sponsored by a company named Saily. I love Saily. I use them. I want you to watch this. So here's Saily.

[E]

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[D]

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[D]

I encourage you to use it. I use it now that I travel with a newborn and I'm going international hopefully soon. So please go check it out. All the information is below. At the same time Trump's war in Iran is floundering, here's what Trump said regarding Israel and his ability to control Bibi Netanyahu.

[F]

If it weren't for Donald Trump, Israel would have been eviscerated.

[G]

Your relationship with Netanyahu.

[F]

It's good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane.

[G]

Are you going to be able to to control Israel from attacking Lebanon?

[F]

Yeah, well, may, I mean, no wonder they have a lot of respect for me and they do as I say.

[D]

After that interview, Israel proceeded to attack Lebanon. But not just that. Even Newsmax hosts say Trump's deal, I mean, insane.

[H]

How frustrating is the fact that we're going to see gas prices go up again. We just spoke to an economist before and he said, yes, we saw the prices go down because the Strait of Hormuz and the peace deal was reopened. Now it's closed again. He says we could see those prices jump as early as tomorrow morning.

[I]

Well, I'm a big supporter of President Trump, but again, some sometimes you wonder if we shouldn't let this war go on a couple more weeks. So it was more apparent who won the war and who lost the war.

[J]

Well, I think Iran thinks it is apparent. They are they're broadcasting to anyone who will listen that they're going into this with, with the upper hand and with complete authority. So we'll see how that's handled in the negotiations. Congressman Glenn Grossman, thank you very much for your time. Thank you, California.

[D]

And it's not just, let me tell you, it's not just the war in Iran that's causing the administration problems. It's Also Vice President J.D. vance, he is getting ridiculed for this clip right here.

[G]

Have a longer argument about the economics. But I just want to let's, let's stipulate that the Trump administration has in some way a kind of vision of rebuilding the working class that's connected to Christianity.

[C]

Was that, you don't say, was that hard to say, Ross?

[G]

I'm stipulating for the sake, for the sake of argument that, that you have not given us three hours to have this discussion. We're stipulating it. It also seems to me like the administration has distanced itself in different ways from some other sort of obvious expressions of Christian influence on politics, some of them more sort of liberal coded, some of them more conservative coded.

[C]

Like, what do you mean?

[G]

Like the administration has been more hostile than any prior Republican administration, to say nothing of Democrats in the last 20 years, to the way we do humanitarian aid. It has kept religious conservatives, pro life organizations especially, at arm's length in a way that has led to a lot of criticism. And then, you know, let's be honest, the tone of the administration is not consistently a Christian tone. There is a tone of aggressive uncharity to people who aren't on board with the administration's policies. So I would describe those as three areas where the administration has felt functionally post Christian to me, and I'm curious what you think.

[C]

Well, so on the first point. Well, sorry, the third point, but I

[B]

want to address this.

[G]

You can work backward.

[C]

So on the tone thing, it's very hard to rebut this because it's fundamentally unfalsifiable. Because for every clip that you could show me of me or the president or some cabinet secretary saying something that, in your view is unchristian, I could show you another few clips of us doing something or saying something that is like, very Christian. The nature of political I don't think

[D]

I can find many clips of Donald Trump doing things that are inherently Christian. If you can, let me know in the comments below. As always, like Comment Share Subscribe, Spread the word, get the word out, and I'll see you soon with another update.

[E]

Subscribe hey folks, thanks so much for watching. Feel free to add this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you watch for the latest breaking news and daily

[D]

hits throughout the day.

[E]

Make sure to follow. Subscribe See you soon for more.