Not a yank but I know the details.

The American kid is Otto Warmbier. Tragic case, he stole a North Korean poster, and was arrested. Eventually released to the states in a vegative state, and succumbing to his injuries at 21.

The paint chips refer to people being charged with felonies due to removing debris from the reflecting pool. Still early days yet, so no deaths in custody related to it afaik.

Trump paid one of his goons $14 million to paint the bottom of the Washington Monument's reflecting pool a dark blue color. The guy's company did a shitty job leaving globs of paint barely sticking to the concrete. The pool was then refilled with swamp water which caused an algae bloom turning it green. The Orange Fuhrer then ordered to fill the pool with hydrogen peroxide and bleach in an effort to kill the bloom which only sped up the detachment of the paint as giant floating chips.

The cops in the area were ordered to arrest anyone who comes by to even so much as pluck one of those chips. Dictators have a very strict way of dealing with anyone who hurts their feelings.