President Donald Trump ordered an all-of-government effort to protect the District of Columbia’s water supply and slammed Maryland Gov. Wes Moore as a sewage pipe interceptor rupture in Cabin John has released an estimated 240 million gallons into the Potomac River. 

The break was first noticed on security cameras off the Clara Barton Parkway just north of the District line Jan. 19, and within several days, crews from DC Water were able to segregate much of the spill into the paralleling Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, according to local reports.

The pipe takes wastewater from several towns in the John F. Dulles International Airport area all the way to Washington, where it is processed farther downstream at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Anacostia, D.C.

«There is a massive ecological disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the gross mismanagement of local Democrat leaders, particularly, Governor Wes Moore, of Maryland,» Trump said in a Truth Social post late Monday.

TRUMP SAYS HE COULD SEND THE NATIONAL GUARD TO MARYLAND TO ADDRESS CRIME

«This is the same Governor who cannot rebuild a bridge. It is clear local authorities cannot adequately handle this calamity,» Trump said, referring to the newly elongated timeline and reported projected multi-billion-dollar cost-projection overruns for the rebuilding of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on the Baltimore Beltway.

The catastrophe affects the region’s other Francis Scott Key Bridge in Georgetown, D.C., as Trump alluded to the explosion in e.Coli counts downriver from the spill.

«I am directing Federal Authorities to immediately provide all necessary Management, Direction, and Coordination to protect the Potomac, the Water Supply in the Capital Region, and our treasured National Resources in our Nation’s Capital City,» Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social. «While State and Local Authorities have failed to request needed Emergency Help, I cannot allow incompetent Local ‘Leadership’ to turn the River in the Heart of Washington into a Disaster Zone.» 

Moore spokesperson Ammar Moussa blasted Trump in response, saying he has his «facts wrong — again.»

«Since the last century, the federal government has been responsible for the Potomac Interceptor, which is the origin of the sewage leak. For the last four weeks, the Trump Administration has failed to act, shirking its responsibility and putting people’s health at risk,» Moussa said. «Notably, the president’s own EPA explicitly refused to participate in the major legislative hearing about the cleanup last Friday.»

«Apparently the Trump administration hadn’t gotten the memo that they’re actually supposed to be in charge here,» Moussa said. 

Trump also cited the Palisades fire in California, saying that Democratic officials have a «war on merit» with «real consequences.»

He also noted that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is currently subject to a partial government shutdown affecting Department Homeland Security. 

«FEMA, which is currently being defunded by the Democrats, will play a key role in coordinating the response,» he said, as many of those workers may go unpaid.

BRIDGE COLLAPSE AID BECOMES ECONOMIC WEAPON IN ESCALATING TRUMP-MOORE FEUD

Sewage in the Potmac, left; Workers try to fix a pipe in Cabin John, Md., right. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Maryland state Del. Linda Foley, D-Potomac, whose district is just upstream from the spill, said at an Annapolis hearing that it has been characterized to her as «one of the worst ecological disasters in the eastern part of the United States.»

Moussa said that Maryland, by contrast, has taken action — pointing to the shellfish fishery closure downstream to the Nice Bridge — and told Fox News Digital that Annapolis sent personnel «within hours» to help coordinate the response and protect drinking water in Montgomery County.

«The Potomac isn’t a talking point, and the people of the region deserve serious leadership that meets the moment.»

Moore’s Department of the Environment did issue an emergency closure for shellfish harvesting downstream of the spill, as ecological effects are being felt all the way at the Harry Nice Bridge where U.S. 301 crosses between Bel Alton, Maryland, and Dahlgren, Virginia, nearly 60 miles south of Washington.

Rather than most cases where a state line runs down the center of a waterway, Maryland controls nearly all of the Potomac — save for the part where the District of Columbia briefly covers the Old Line State’s historical boundaries.

MARYLAND BRIDGE REBUILD COSTS SOAR TO $5.2B, MORE THAN DOUBLE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE OFFICIALS PROVIDED

The unique boundary is also why eccentricities like Lady Bird Johnson Island, on the «Virginia side» of the Potomac near the Pentagon are actually in the District of Columbia.

David Gadis, CEO of DC Water, wrote in an open letter that the Potomac River is a «shared treasure» and that «any event that threatens its health understandably causes concern, frustration, and a sense of loss.»

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«Our immediate priorities have been containment, environmental monitoring, and stabilization – working closely with federal, state, and local partners to assess water quality, ecological impacts, and necessary remediation,» he wrote. 

A shocking scene unfolded inside Hong Kong International Airport’s Terminal 1 on Monday when a man was seen pushing over check-in kiosks and trying to smash them with a metal pole.

Footage of the incident went viral and showed the man dressed in a black jumper, blue jeans, and wearing a cross-body bag striding toward a row of automated check-in kiosks in the departure area.

Without hesitation, he began forcefully pushing the machines over one by one.

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The kiosks toppled to the ground in quick succession, crashing loudly onto the terminal floor.

Not satisfied with knocking them down, the man then grabbed a nearby metal stanchion — one of the poles used to guide passengers in queue lines — and used it to smash the machines repeatedly.

Stunned travelers and airport staff were seen watching with no one intervening.

The rampage reportedly resulted in damage to around 10 kiosks, as well as metal barriers, nearby counters and even a glass panel.

CHAOTIC VIDEO SHOWS PASSENGERS TRADING BLOWS MIDAIR AS PLANE FORCED TO DIVERT: REPORTS

Viral footage shows the man using a metal stanchion to smash fallen check-in machines as travelers watched. (ViralPress)

The South China Morning Post reported that the man was later identified as a 35-year-old British tourist who had been trying to buy a plane ticket before the violent episode began. 

The exact trigger for his outburst was unclear.

Airport authority personnel and airport security responded by rushing to the scene and warning him to stop further vandalism.

Officers then arrested the traveler and launched an investigation into his airport meltdown, according to Viral Press.

CHAOTIC VIDEO SHOWS PASSENGERS TRADING BLOWS MIDAIR AS PLANE FORCED TO DIVERT: REPORTS

Inbound passengers walk through the arrivals hall at Hong Kong International Airport. (Li Zhihua/China News Service via Getty Images)

When the man was detained, officers reportedly found that he was carrying four Viagra pills without a prescription.

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«Airport Authority personnel and airport security immediately arrived at the scene, warned the man to stop further vandalism, and called the police. Officers then arrested him and are continuing their investigation,» an Airport Authority spokesperson said, according to the Telegraph.

Israel desplegará miles de agentes policiales en la Ciudad Vieja de Jerusalén para supervisar el mes sagrado del Ramadán, que comienza este fin de semana, en medio de crecientes tensiones por las restricciones de acceso que las autoridades israelíes mantienen sobre la Explanada de las Mezquitas. El operativo, anunciado este lunes por el comandante de la policía del Distrito de Jerusalén, Avshalom Peled, incluirá efectivos de la Policía Fronteriza y unidades de refuerzo trabajando día y noche en los lugares sagrados y rutas utilizadas por los fieles musulmanes.

La policía israelí informó que miles de agentes estarán de servicio durante las oraciones de los viernes, que concentran las mayores multitudes en la mezquita de Al Aqsa, tercer lugar más sagrado del islam. Peled enfatizó que el objetivo es “garantizar que todos los musulmanes puedan rezar en el Monte del Templo”, la denominación judía para el recinto. Sin embargo, la gobernación palestina de Jerusalén denunció que las autoridades israelíes volverán a limitar los permisos para palestinos de Cisjordania ocupada a hombres mayores de 55 años y mujeres mayores de 50, siguiendo los criterios aplicados durante el Ramadán de 2025.

El alto oficial policial Arad Braverman indicó que la policía había recomendado emitir 10.000 permisos para residentes de Cisjordania, quienes necesitan autorización especial para ingresar a Jerusalén, aunque precisó que el número final y las restricciones de edad serán decididos por el gobierno de Benjamin Netanyahu. Durante el año pasado, Israel impidió a palestinos de entre 12 y 55 años —50 en el caso de las mujeres— acceder a la Explanada durante los viernes de rezo, justificando las medidas en razones de seguridad.

Las autoridades palestinas también acusan a Israel de obstaculizar los preparativos habituales del Ramadán. Según la gobernación de Jerusalén, funcionarios israelíes impidieron que el Waqf Islámico —organismo administrado por Jordania y encargado de gestionar el recinto desde 1967— realizara instalaciones esenciales como toldos para sombra y clínicas de atención médica temporal. Una fuente del Waqf confirmó que 33 de sus empleados fueron impedidos de entrar al recinto en la semana previa al mes sagrado.

El Waqf islámico gestiona la administración cotidiana de la Explanada bajo custodia jordana desde la Guerra de los Seis Días de 1967, cuando Israel ocupó Jerusalén Este. El tratado de paz entre Israel y Jordania de 1994 reconoce “el papel especial del Reino Hachemita en los lugares sagrados musulmanes de Jerusalén”, aunque Israel mantiene el control de seguridad y acceso al sitio. Esta división de responsabilidades ha generado tensiones recurrentes, especialmente durante el Ramadán, cuando cientos de miles de palestinos acuden a rezar a Al Aqsa.

Israel siempre ha justificado las restricciones argumentando que durante el Ramadán aumentan los “intentos de terroristas para incitar al desorden o cometer cualquier tipo de violencia”. Sin embargo, desde el inicio de la ofensiva israelí en Gaza en octubre de 2023, el gobierno de Netanyahu no solo prohibió el acceso de gazatíes a Jerusalén, sino que ha aplicado restricciones más estrictas para los palestinos musulmanes que residen en Cisjordania.

El contexto para este Ramadán es particularmente tenso. Cisjordania vive desde comienzos de 2023 su mayor escalada de violencia en dos décadas. Según datos de Naciones Unidas, más de 1.000 palestinos han muerto en el territorio desde octubre de 2023 por operaciones del Ejército israelí y ataques de colonos. Durante 2024 se registraron cerca de 500 fallecimientos palestinos, y en lo que va de 2026 las cifras ya superan las 210 víctimas.

La Explanada de las Mezquitas, conocida como Monte del Templo para los judíos, es el primer lugar sagrado del judaísmo y el tercero del islam. El recinto ha sido foco constante de enfrentamientos entre las autoridades israelíes y la población palestina, especialmente durante el mes de Ramadán, cuando las tensiones históricas se intensifican. Con este nuevo operativo policial, Israel busca mantener el control sobre un espacio que condensa décadas de conflicto religioso, político y territorial en Tierra Santa.