At Thursday’s ceremony marking the beginning of the Obama Presidential Center’s opening weekend, the master of ceremonies began with a left-wing «land acknowledgment ritual,» for which the entire event was promptly mocked. 

Valerie Jarrett, the former senior advisor to Obama when he was president and the current CEO of the Obama Foundation, kicked things off.

«We’d also like to take a moment to recognize the original inhabitants of the land upon which we are gathered today,» she said. «We honor the Anishinaabe, the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, the Odawa and the Potawatomi nations.»

Land acknowledgments have been mocked as performative left-wing routines completed to commemorate the Native Americans who once lived on the land where an event is happening.

OSCARS FEATURES INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ROASTED AS ‘PERFORMATIVE NONSENSE’ ON SOCIAL MEDIA 

They are an extension of the belief that the United States exists on «stolen land.»

But as many keen online observers noted, Democrats hosting the Obama Presidential Center’s grand opening have no intention of returning the land to the people they believe are its rightful owners. 

«Wouldn’t they prefer you just give them their land back?» conservative commentator Steve Deace asked sarcastically.

Barack Obama speaks during the dedication of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

CARVILLE REBUKES DNC OVER WOKE ‘LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT’ LAMENTING TREATMENT OF NATIVE AMERICANS

«Land acknowledgements are funny because the real message is ‘I want to say I care, but I don’t really care or I wouldn’t have built this on land which I just said is yours,’» said Beth Anne Mumford of Americans for Prosperity.

«So you just went ahead and built on that land anyway, huh,» said conservative commentator Stephen Miller 

Townhall senior strategist Siraj Hashmi weighed in with a reference to infamous Chicago rapper Chief Keef.

REWARDING RACISM: HOW TRIBAL POLITICS IS TEARING AMERICA APART

«Pretty disrespectful for the Obama Presidential Center to not acknowledge the current tribe leader of the South Side of Chicago: Chief Keef,» he quipped.

Musician Bruce Springsteen performs during the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in the Jackson Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, on June 18, 2026. (Talia Sprague/Bloomberg)

An anonymous user balked at the logic, or apparent lack thereof, of building «a communist monument» on «stolen land» that the new owners refused to give back.

«The mental hurdles are Olympics level,» the user said.

OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER’S $470M SAFETY NET UNDER SCRUTINY AS SUBCONTRACTORS SAY THEY’RE OWED MILLIONS

Thursday’s event featured high-profile Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, along with A-list performers like John Legend, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen who put on a concert.

Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, David Letterman and others were also present.

The presidential center itself, which cost nearly $1 billion to build and has been embroiled in controversy, will officially open on Friday. It was initially estimated to cost about half that amount.

A view of the Obama Presidential Center from a nearby roadway in Chicago. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)

Despite the explicitly stated goal that the center would help uplift minority-owned contracting businesses by hiring them to work on high-profile projects, some claim they’ve been stiffed and are facing financial ruin, according to a Fox News Digital investigation. 

One subcontractor says his firm is owed $4 million for work it completed on the center.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The project was announced in 2015, and the site — Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side — chosen in 2016, but the groundbreaking was delayed until 2021 due to bureaucratic red tape. The project required numerous local and federal approvals to build on the location, which is a historic preservation site, multiple environmental reviews and was subject to several lawsuits.

After construction began, the price tag on the project continuously skyrocketed. The center was scheduled to open in March 2025, but was delayed for another year

Un oscuro escándalo de corrupción sacude a un aliado político clave del presidente brasileño Luiz Lula da Silva a solo tres meses y medio de las elecciones generales en las que buscará su reelección por otros cuatro años.

El senador Jaques Wagner, líder del gobierno en el Senado, está en el centro de una investigación por un esquema ilegal vinculado al proceso de liquidación del Banco Master.

El también exministro de Defensa y exjefe de la Casa Civil (jefe de gabinete) durante la presidencia de Dilma Rousseff (2011/2016) está acusado de recibir “ventajas económicas indebidas” para favorecer a esa entidad bancaria. Según la denuncia, habría recibido dinero, un departamento y dádivas como el uso de aviones privados.

El monto que investiga la justicia en concepto de pagos irregulares supera el millón de dólares.

“Aunque Lula no esté directamente involucrado en el escándalo, Wagner es el líder de su gobierno y un hombre de confianza estratégica, además de ser candidato al Senado por Bahía” en las elecciones generales del 4 de octubre, dijo a TN el analista brasileño Marco Teixeira, del la Fundación Getulio Vargas, de Río de Janeiro.

Wagner fue además gobernador de ese populoso estado del nordeste del país.

El impacto del caso en la campaña

Los asesores de Lula buscan ahora minimizar la denuncia cuando el foco de este escándalo estaba puesto en su principal rival, el candidato de la derecha Flavio Bolsonaro, hijo del expresidente Jair Bolsonaro, por sus supuestos vínculos con el dueño del banco denunciado, Daniel Vorcaro.

En un audio revelado por la prensa local en las últimas semanas se escucha al postulante presidencial de la derecha brasileña solicitarle dinero a Vorcaro para financiar una película biográfica sobre su padre, hoy encarcelado y condenado a 11 años de prisión por golpismo.

Vorcaro se encuentra en prisión desde marzo.

El Banco Master fue liquidado por insolvencia en noviembre pasado. Se estima que presentaba deudas por más de 7000 millones de dólares a unos 800.000 inversores (reembolsados por el fondo de garantías).

El audio tuvo un fuerte impacto en la campaña de Bolsonaro. De hecho, el escándalo frenó su fuerte repunte en los sondeos. En los últimos meses, el candidato conservador había recortado una desventaja de hasta 10 puntos con Lula y se había colocado en un empate técnico.

Leé también: Rusia pierde otro aliado estratégico: Armenia mira a Europa y Putin lanza sanciones bajo la sombra de Ucrania

Sin embargo, este escándalo volvió a poner a Lula en primer lugar, con una leve ventaja de hasta cuatro puntos, según Datafolha. Pero todo podría cambiar con el caso Wagner.

La causa tuvo un fuerte giro este jueves cuando la policía realizó 18 allanamientos en tres estados de Brasil. Wagner es uno de los objetivos, según fuentes policiales.

El legislador, de 75 años, está acusado de defender los intereses del Banco Master en el Senado. Según la investigación, tramitó una enmienda constitucional -que finalmente no prosperó- para aumentar el límite del fondo de garantía del sistema bancario brasileño con el fin de salvar a la entidad de la quiebra.

En concreto se lo investiga por corrupción pasiva, corrupción activa y lavado de dinero.

Para Teixeira, el gobierno “perdió su oportunidad. Pudieron haber destituido a Wagner del liderazgo del Senado mucho antes, cuando orquestó de forma deficiente la (rechazada) nominación del Abogado General de la Unión Jorge Messias (amigo de Lula) al Supremo Tribunal Federal”, el máximo tribunal de Justicia.

“Wagner convenció al gobierno de que podían enviar la nominación al Senado y que Messias sería aprobado. Fue un fracaso político y una clara muestra de la incapacidad de Wagner para expresarse con claridad, lo que significó que no podía continuar como líder del gobierno» en el Senado, indicó.

Teixeira dijo “el gobierno está pagando ahora un precio más alto por el escándalo, por no haber actuado a tiempo y no haberlo sustituido” antes.

Según el analista, este escándalo ahora “le da munición al propio Flávio Bolsonaro” que “ahora intenta volver a poner en tela de juicio el problema de la corrupción en el gobierno y en el propio PT (el oficialista Partido de los Trabajadores)”.

Además, Bolsonaro “pasó al ataque y está intentando revivir” su campaña con propuestas de seguridad pública radicales.

En ese excenario, el candidato de derecha presentó este jueves su plan “Brasil sin Miedo” que incluye conformar un “paredón” militar en la frontera, castración química para violadores y unidades penitenciarias inspiradas en el modelo del salvadoreño Nayib Bukele.

A tres meses y medio de las elecciones, la campaña está abierta.

“Nadie sabe qué deparará el futuro. Así, el caso Volcaro es una caja de sorpresas, un enigma que, cada vez que se remueve, afecta a alguien. Y este es un caso típico en el que no tiene afiliación ideológica. Puede derrotar a cualquier líder político importante de cualquiera de los dos bandos en la contienda presidencial”, concluyó Teixeira.

Democrats, among them some of the most recognizable names in politics, have accepted millions of dollars in campaign contributions from top employees at firms the Pentagon recently designated as «Chinese military companies» operating in the U.S.

The Department of War on June 8 designated Alibaba, Baidu and BYD as «Chinese military companies,» meaning that the three firms, in the eyes of the U.S. government, are providing assistance to the People’s Liberation Army through its military-civil fusion strategy or other means. Senior employees at these companies, including executives, have donated roughly $2.6 million to Democratic political committees since 2020, a Fox News Digital review of campaign finance filings has found.

Notable individuals and organizations that received contributions from top staffers at these firms include Sen. Adam Schiff, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, former President Joe Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic National Committee. 

Donors to Democratic committees from the trio of firms include executives, top-level lawyers, lobbyists and, to a much lesser extent, rank-and-file employees working in areas such as engineering or management. The staffers made some contributions to Republicans as well, though the overall sum was far lower than what Democrats received.

PLATNER’S ANTI-CORPORATE CRUSADE HITS AWKWARD SNAG AS RECEIPTS TELL ANOTHER STORY 

The review included direct contributions, earmarked contributions and donations to joint-fundraising committees reported in campaign finance filings. It did not identify corporate donations from Alibaba, Baidu or BYD to the federal committees.

«American politicians should no longer accept campaign cash from any Chinese companies. Politicians who have been taking campaign cash from companies like Baidu, Alibaba and BYD now realize they were supported by blacklisted Chinese Military Companies,» Michael Lucci, CEO of the national security organization State Armor, told Fox News Digital. «The reason the Pentagon’s list of sanctioned CCP companies keeps expanding is because the Chinese Communist Party imposes a ‘civil-military fusion’ mandate upon all Chinese companies, forcing them to assist in modernizing China’s military with the goal of defeating America.»

«They all end up working to support the PLA. They should all be cut off from U.S. politics,» he added. 

The Pentagon’s Chinese military company designation via its 1260H list does not function as a traditional sanction, as Americans can continue to do business with the company.

Biden-linked committees and joint fundraising vehicles were by far the biggest beneficiaries of the funds, taking in roughly $850,000 from employees at the trio of firms between 2020 and 2024. The DNC, meanwhile, had a haul of around $500,000 while Harris-linked committees brought in roughly $140,000.

TOP CALIFORNIA DEM RUNNING FOR OFFICE TIED TO CHINESE SCHOOL ACCUSED OF US DIPLOMA SCANDAL

Former first lady Dr. Jill Biden gave an update on former President Joe Biden’s cancer on Saturday, saying that the 83-year-old will live with cancer for the rest of his life, he maintains a busy schedule but has slowed down. (Grant Baldwin/Getty Images)

Various state Democratic parties also received five-figure support from employees at Baidu, BYD and Alibaba. Newsom, per state campaign finance records, accepted $50,000 from an executive at BYD, an electric-vehicle manufacturer that his administration later awarded a contract. 

Fox News Digital reached the offices of Biden, Harris, Schiff, Pelosi, Newsom and the DNC on Sunday for comment and has not heard back as of publishing.

Pentagon officials are legally required to release a list of what it determines to be Chinese military companies every year. The first such list was released in June 2021 under President Joe Biden.

The Pentagon’s 1260H list identifies Chinese companies the Defense Department says are «Chinese military companies» operating directly or indirectly in the United States. Required by the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the list is intended to warn U.S. businesses and investors about firms tied to China’s military-civil fusion strategy, though inclusion does not automatically trigger sanctions.

New defense laws, however, have given the list more bite in recent years.

The Pentagon will be barred from directly contracting with companies on the list starting June 30 and is currently banned from contracting with companies who lobby on behalf 1260H-listed firms. In 2027, the ban will be expanded to prevent indirect procurement of goods manufactured by Chinese military companies through supply chain intermediaries.

WALL STREET BANKS HELPED CHINESE MILITARY-LINKED FIRM RAISE BILLIONS DESPITE RED FLAGS, LAWMAKERS FIND

Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during her «107 Days» book tour at the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in downtown Miami. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

While Alibaba, Baidu and BYD only recently earned formal designations as Chinese military companies, their links to the CCP have been widely reported for years.

The Wall Street Journal, for instance, reported in 2017 that Alibaba was assisting the Chinese government in its surveillance efforts against dissidents, and Chinese state media reported in 2018 that the firm had a large CCP presence within it. Some sources within the company told Reuters in 2019 that the firm had developed an app designed specifically to increase ideological alignment with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

Alibaba, however, has come out strongly against its inclusion on the Pentagon’s list of Chinese military companies.

NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS RAISE CONCERNS AFTER MICROSOFT PROGRAM EXPOSED AS POSSIBLE AVENUE FOR CHINESE SPYING

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping represent the world’s two most powerful economies. (Brendan Smialowski – Pool/Getty Images)

«There’s no basis to conclude that Alibaba should be placed on the Section 1260H List,» a company spokeswoman told Fox News Digital. «Alibaba is not a Chinese military company nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy. We will take all available legal action against attempts to misrepresent our company.»

That statement also appears in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing made by Alibaba shortly after it was added to the Pentagon’s list.

«Inclusion in the CMC List will not affect the Group’s ability to conduct business as usual in the United States or anywhere in the world because the Group does not do business related to U.S. military procurement,» the SEC filing adds. «The CMC List does not impose any other export controls or sanctions, nor does it prohibit any persons (other than the U.S. Department of Defense) from business dealings with the Group or transacting in the securities of the Company.»

A person walks past a sign at Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. headquarters in Hangzhou, China, on May 8, 2021. Alibaba is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results on May 13. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

RICKETTS, FETTERMAN TEAM UP FOR CRACKDOWN ON CHINA’S ATTEMPTS TO PURCHASE US FARMLAND

As early as 2015, outlets like Bloomberg News were reporting that the Chinese government was heavily subsidizing BYD. Wang Chuanfu, the founder and CEO of the firm, is a member of the Chinese Communist Party and an ally of Xi. 

BYD did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.

In Baidu’s case, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology named the company as part of the country’s «national team» for AI development in 2017, with it later appointed by the CCP’s National Development and Reform Commission to lead China’s first national lab on deep learning technologies, according to state media. The firm, which primarily operates a search engine, reportedly assists the Chinese government in carrying out censorship.     

«We categorically reject the inclusion of Baidu on the list, and there is no credible justification for adding Baidu to the list,» a Baidu spokesperson told Fox News Digital «The suggestion that Baidu is a military company is entirely baseless. We will not hesitate to use all options available to us to have the company removed from the list.»

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Pentagon has defended its additions to the list.

«After the Department conducted its due diligence, it identified 188 entities that meet the statutory requirement for inclusion on the most recent 1260H List,» a Department of War spokesperson told Fox News Digital.