A New York Times scoop yesterday adds some perspective to D.C.’s exultation over restored fountains in places like Malcolm X Park: It turns out that the fix-it jobs were underwritten by at least $67 million in entrance fees paid by visitors to national parks around the country. Thanks, America!

Up to now, just what caused the sudden repair of derelict fountains has been a matter of debate. Was this the slow completion of long-planned upgrades? Did Donald Trump’s July 4 obsession light a fire under the bureaucracy? Following the money may be the better explanation.

For local D.C., it has a kind of Nixon-to-China aspect. As various wags pointed out on social media, if Barack Obama had steered park admissions fees to fixing Washington parks — and given no-bid contracts to companies doing the speedy work — there would have been a furious backlash on the MAGA right.

A little of that has happened this time. In the Times, one advocate blasted the decision “to divert millions of dollars to projects that President Trump can see out his window.” But among Trump supporters, more energy has gone to praising the renovations — and accusing Democrats of letting D.C.’s fountains wither.

At any rate, we’ll take it!

Mount Pleasant Confrontation. An activist group circulated a disturbing video that appears to show U.S. Marshals drawing guns on residents in Mount Pleasant. It all evokes last summer’s federal takeover — but it might be a sign of things to come: At one point, a marshal explains to an angry bystander that “a whole surge that’s coming out of the president’s office” explains their presence.

NDAs in the DMV. The Trump administration plans to require all federal employees — that is, a quarter of D.C. workers — to sign nondisclosure agreements as part of an anti-leak push. Unlike several states, the District does not have local laws restricting workplace NDAs. Councilmember Charles Allen’s 2018 effort to limit their use stalled. Lawyers for federal workers said it’s about squelching first amendment speech said the administration’s new effort will be challenged in court.

Fighting Fire With Contractors. D.C. paid more than $1 million to hire contractors to manually watch for fire in a city office building, Washington City Paper reports. The human monitors were in place while D.C. spent 11 months — and another half-million dollars — repairing faulty fire alarms. Buried detail: An employee also testified to having seen roaches fall from the ceiling.

WaPo Blasts JLG (Again). The newly conservative Washington Post editorial board devoted still more space to Janeese Lewis George, blasting her for saying she might “leverage” billions from pension funds to finance affordable housing. It’s the second anti-JLG editorial in a week. The piece notes that pensions are supposed to be off-limits to risky investments, warning that the mayoral candidate could cause a D.C. fiscal crisis. (Lewis George put out a statement saying that pension funds’ “decision-making structures should not change.”)

McDuffie Touts Curfew (Again). Kenyan McDuffie, meanwhile, called again for a teen curfew that takes effect immediately — something Lewis George has helped block. McDuffie’s campaign is increasingly oriented around dinging his opponent on crime. This time, he explicitly tied to it maintaining home rule: “Every week that this Council allows curfew authority to lapse, it hands the White House and its allies fresh evidence for that narrative and justification for federal intervention.”

Porcupette Sounds. The National Zoo has a new porcupine — the fourth child of Beatrix and Quillbur. No name or sex disclosed yet. And now you know: Baby porcupines really are called porcupettes.

Vanilla Ice to the Mall! Axios got the jump on the performance slate for the Great American State Fair. Highlights include the Commodores on June 27 and Flo Rida on July 2. There are also some unlikely names: Vanilla Ice headlines a June 26 “I Love the 90s” show; Bret Michaels, frontman for 80s hair-metal legends Poison, plays July 3. The fair, which includes a giant ferris wheel, runs from June 25 to July 10 on the Mall. Perennial D.C. question: What will it do to your commute? City officials say street closures will be announced later.

Finally: John Eaton, RIP. D.C. jazz legend John Eaton, the longtime leader of the house band at Blues Alley and a champion of the Great American Songbook, died this week at 91. According to a Washington Post obituary, Eaton began performing at the Smithsonian in the 70s, part of the Smithsonian’s move into more fun, public-facing programming that continues today.

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