Trump's $16 million reflecting pool renovation has failed, and instead of owning the botched job his administration is blaming a mystery woman — bad news for taxpayers and a worrying sign for protesters facing harsh charges.

• The newly painted pool is peeling, full of algae, and even had a dead duck in it, and now needs more money to drain and fix.
• Experts say the failure was self-inflicted — the job was rushed for a July 4th deadline and the coating never properly bonded to the pool.
• The contractor used a truck-bed lining material not tested for pools, and a presidential motorcade was driven through the pool during the work, likely causing the damage.
• Trump claims vandals put chemicals in the water, but the only "evidence" is footage of a woman dipping her hand in, and she is now under federal investigation.
• The bigger worry: people are facing long prison sentences for minor protest acts, and tourism to DC is already dropping.

Outlook: The pool will cost even more to repair, and the woman caught on camera faces a government probe despite no real proof of wrongdoing.