President Trump is working fast to remake the nation's capital to fit his vision. Major construction

projects include demolishing the east wing of the White House for his proposed ballroom and a planned 250-foot-tall arch that would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial.

But that's just the start. The administration has launched a dizzying array of other

initiatives, ranging from painting the reflecting pool on the National Mall American Flag Blue

to redeveloping a scenic public golf course with views out over the Potomac and getting the

long broken fountains working again

at a popular local park. But to get it all done, the White House has blown past safeguards that are there

to protect the character of the city. President fired all six members of the Commission for Fine Arts

and replaced them with deputies aligned with his policies.

Some are welcoming these changes, like these visitors to the newly repainted reflecting pool.

I needed to come down to see if it was actually referring to me, and it wasn't bright blue.

I'm impressed, to be honest. It reflects beautifully, and I'm not seeing it being American flag blue.

Very happy it opened up in time, not just in time for my trip, but also in time for the

250 celebration. I think it looks beautiful. It looks very dark. It does not look blue, but

maybe it's just the way the sun is bouncing off the water. I was not exactly excited about it in the beginning, but coming here, I'm at least happy that you can still see the memorial and the reflection, which was the whole point of this pool.

So the fact that it's not a swimming pool makes me really happy.

But as the president moves to transform D.C.,

what does the lack of oversight say about transparency and about accountability?

Where is the money for these projects coming from?

I'm Jen White.

And I'm Todd's Willick.

You're listening to the 1A podcast.

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