INTERNACIONAL
Obama center opens after years-long saga as locals warn ‘monstrosity’ could price them out
Obama Presidential Center slammed as ‘architectural abomination’
‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ co-hosts express strong disapproval of the Obama Presidential Center’s design and execution. They label the Chicago-based project an ‘architectural abomination’ and the ‘ugliest monstrosity’ seen, highlighting local residents’ initial opposition.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Obama Presidential Center is opening to the public on Friday morning following an expensive and controversy-laden construction history.
Former President Barack Obama’s presidential center was initially estimated to cost $350 million; however, after a slate of setbacks and delays, the price of the project has more than doubled to a staggering $850 million. As construction was ongoing in Chicago, the center faced an array of controversies, including opposition from locals, anger over the use of tax dollars to support surrounding infrastructure, critiques of the building’s design, alleged failure to pay contractors and even a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination.
Unlike a traditional presidential library, the Obama Presidential Center is designed as a broader civic campus, with a museum, public plaza, forum, Chicago Public Library branch, recreation space, gardens and community programming.
«It’s a monstrosity. It’s over budget, it’s taking way too long to finish and it’s going to drive up prices and bring headaches and problems for everyone who lives here,» one Chicago resident who grew up in the area near the campus’ location told the Daily Mail. «It feels like a washing away of the neighborhood and culture that used to be here.»
CHICAGO RESIDENTS CALL OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER A ‘MONSTROSITY,’ FEAR THEY’LL BE DISPLACED: REPORT
The Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side will open this week. (Fox Flight Team)
One of the most prominent lines of criticism levied against the new presidential center was that its construction materially harmed those it was seeking to serve.
Beyond its museum exhibits and planned displays of presidential records and artifacts, the Obama Presidential Center features prominent exhibits on slavery, racism, the civil rights movement and African American history. Additionally, the Obama Foundation wanted the center to be a boon for the local community, billing it as an «economic engine for South Side residents.»
To accomplish this, the center prioritized locals for contracting and staffing while also promising to provide workforce development services to surrounding communities.
These moves, however, were not enough to assuage the concerns of some residents that the racial justice-infused center would ultimately displace many predominantly Black American locals by increasing the value of nearby lots, thereby raising rents and driving up property taxes.
Former President Barack Obama reacts as he leaves 10 Downing Street in London following a meeting with Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on March 18, 2024. (Adrian Dennis/Getty Images)
OBAMA’S LEGACY PROJECT OFFERS LITTLE HOPE FOR CHICAGO’S SOUTH SIDE RESIDENTS
«What we got was a lease saying you have to pay $2,450 a month to stay in your home,» a lifelong resident of a neighborhood near the center told the Chicago Sun-Times, recounting how his rent had gone up after construction began. «My home that they had let fall into disrepair, my home that they had decided wasn’t worth caring for. So we had to move … our beautiful Black beach neighborhood was no longer ours to enjoy.»
Numerous residents have shared similar stories with the press, prompting Chicago to set aside $6 million to develop affordable housing in the area and providing residents with property tax relief.
Further complicating the Obama Presidential Center’s mission of racial justice was a lawsuit filed by a local subcontractor against one of the firms managing its construction in early 2025.
OBAMA LIBRARY, BEGUN WITH LOFTY DEI GOALS, NOW PLAGUED BY $40M RACIALLY CHARGED SUIT, BALLOONING COSTS
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama join Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Sept. 28, 2021. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
One African American-owned concrete and rebar company working on the project alleged that the company overseeing structural engineering and design on the Obama Presidential Center unfairly singled out black-owned firms for errors.
The lawsuit alleged that those in charge of the presidential library’s construction «directly undermined the Obama Foundation’s DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) goals and commitments and mission to bring transformative change to the construction industry and local community,» a claim that was strongly denied by management.
Management argued that many of the subcontractors were «questionably qualified» and that they regularly underperformed or displayed inexperience, factors that contributed to the presidential library’s ballooning costs. The Obama Foundation emphasized hiring black-owned businesses when seeking out subcontractors for its center.
PROTESTERS RAGED, CRITICS MOCKED — NOW OBAMA SAYS HIS LIBRARY’S ACTUALLY OPENING
An Obama Foundation banner is displayed at the Obama Presidential Center construction site in Jackson Park, Chicago, Illinois, on Oct. 18, 2022.
In yet another snag, many subcontractors who worked on the center are claiming that they have yet to be paid for their work on the Obama Presidential Center.
A Fox News Digital investigation previously identified multiple firms that say they haven’t received payments, with outstanding invoices ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to tens of millions.
«I haven’t had eight hours or six hours sleep in over a year,» one African American subcontractor told Fox News Digital. «I’m cooked emotionally. I feel like an aluminum can that’s been thrown in front of a steamroller. We’re crushed. And I have to fight for my company and for my people.»
When pressed by Fox News Digital, the Obama Foundation passed the blame onto Lakeside Alliance, its primary contractor, stating that it was responsible for handling payments to subcontractors. Lakeside Alliance, meanwhile, said projects of this size are complex matters and that it is working to resolve all loose ends.
«That’s a bad signal to put out the fact that seven to eight to maybe 10 of our contractors in our community are going to be eliminated from doing business because of the debt that they incurred on this particular project,» Omar Shareef, the president of the African American Contractors Association, previously told Fox News Digital. «If they would have known it was a Trojan horse or a Pandora’s box, I don’t know if they would have raced as much as they did to be a part of it.»
Fox News Digital could not independently verify claims that firms had been forced to shutter due to their work on the Obama Presidential Center.
OBAMA CENTER TAKES HEAT AS CRITICS CRY FOUL OVER ID RULES FOR FREE ENTRY — WHILE DEMS BLAST VOTER ID LAWS
A view of the Obama Presidential Center from a nearby roadway in Chicago. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
While most of the Obama Presidential Center’s rocky history was privately funded, taxpayers were on the hook for the infrastructure surrounding it.
Illinois has so far spent over $120 million on infrastructure improvements in South Chicago to accommodate the presidential center, with the total public cost estimated to reach around $200 million.
Even with roughly $1 billion spent on its construction and design, the appearance of the Obama Presidential Center has proven controversial, drawing comparisons to everything from a maximum security prison to a garbage can.
OBAMA DRAGGED FOR ‘HEADACHE’-INDUCING PRESIDENTIAL CENTER UPDATE THAT HAS VISITORS SQUINTING
Work continues on the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Jan. 13, 2026, featuring former President Obama’s speech marking the 50th anniversary of «Bloody Sunday» inscribed on the building’s side. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
«The building has an ominous presence, its mostly windowless heft recalling a menacing sci-fi headquarters,» The Guardian’s architecture critic wrote of the structure.
One person dubbed it the «Obamalisk.»
Some, however, have pushed back on these critiques.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
«Today’s punchline may become tomorrow’s civic treasure,» Justin Kaufmann, writing for Axios Chicago, said. He pointed to the center’s blending of modern architecture with the design language of classic civic buildings.
The Obama Presidential Center did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.
chicago, barack obama, housing, taxes, illinois
INTERNACIONAL
Reporter’s Notebook: How Trump’s surprise move on DNI confirmation upended key Senate deal on FISA
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
They didn’t know what to do.
Just before 4 a.m. ET on Wednesday, President Trump blindsided everyone in the U.S. Senate. In a post on Truth Social, the president declared he was «cancelling the Senate hearing» for his Director of National Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton. Moreover, the President said he would withhold Clayton’s nomination from «going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be U.S. Attorney.»
If confirmed, Clayton would vacate his post as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. That’s the slot for which the President is nominating McDonald.
TRUMP SAYS SENATE HEARING ON DNI NOMINEE IS CANCELED UNTIL US ATTORNEY REPLACEMENT CONFIRMED
Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks next to Jessica S. Tisch, New York Police Department commissioner, during a press conference at NYPD headquarters following the arrest of suspects charged with igniting IEDs near Gracie Mansion, the home of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in New York City on March 9, 2026. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
So what would happen with the hearing?
Lawmakers and aides scrambled as they woke to the news Wednesday morning. After all, Trump is the president. He doesn’t have the authority to cancel a Senate hearing.
«Yeah. I don’t think that’s his call,» said Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., a member of the Intelligence Committee.
One senior source told Fox News they presumed that Clayton’s confirmation hearing would forge ahead. Another told Fox the fate of the hearing was «undetermined.»
On one hand, lawmakers and aides had to first digest what was happening. Was the President withdrawing Clayton’s nomination? Was he saying he just wasn’t allowing Clayton to testify? Did the head of the executive branch really believe he could bigfoot a congressional hearing? Or was this the president flexing his political muscle, testing Senate Republicans to see how compliant they might be with his intimation — and potentially cancel the hearing on their own?
So was Clayton’s hearing on or off?
«Are we going to have an Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing today?» yours truly asked panel Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., as he slid behind a backdoor to a hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Silence from Cotton.
SCOOP: TOP GOP SEN. COTTON TO MEET WITH EMBATTLED TRUMP DEFENSE NOMINEE AS DOUBTS SWIRL
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., arrives for a vote in the U.S. Capitol on April 30, 2025, stating the war with Iran will continue for weeks as the U.S. limits their offensive capabilities. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
«Do you know the answer?» I followed up.
«Do you think the President overstepped his bounds, saying he was canceling the hearing?» I continued.
By that point, Cotton was well behind the doorway and it closed.
«I have never seen anything quite like this,» said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., one of the longest-serving members on the Intelligence Committee in Senate history. «Everybody else is going to have to keep guessing for a while.»
It was Washington whiplash.
«Things change around here pretty quick, Chad,» quipped Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.
But a bit later, Cotton finally weighed-in when he posted on X that the hearing would proceed. The Arkansas Republican then materialized again in the hallway, heading for an elevator bank.
«To be clear, you will proceed with the hearing and you expect Jay Clayton to be there despite what the President said?» I asked.
A steel-faced Cotton stared straight ahead at the green elevator door.
«Chad, you have our statement,» said a terse Cotton.
But an hour later, Cotton ditched the hearing after the President blocked Clayton from testifying.
«It’s regrettable that the President has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today,» said Cotton in a new statement on X. «While today’s hearing is now unfortunately postponed, I look forward to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future.»
The stunning reversal left everyone trying to grasp what happened. And what might be next.
SPRINT TO CONFIRM TRUMP NOMINEES KICKS OFF IN JANUARY
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a morning work meeting to «revive balanced, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth for the benefit of all» in the presence of the G7 countries, partner countries, the International Monetary Fund, and the OECD, as part of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 17, 2026. (Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images)
«I am not sure whether Jay Clayton has simply been postponed or withdrawn,» mused Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the Vice Chairman of the Intelligence Committee. «I wonder whether Jay Clayton knows whether he has been postponed or withdrawn.»
Democrats and Republicans brokered a fragile agreement weeks ago to renew FISA Section 702. The intelligence community argues that program is the powerful tool in the American arsenal to track and combat potential terrorism. Congress repeatedly punted a full renewal for months.
But with both bodies on the precipice of reauthorizing the program, President Trump announced he would install housing czar Bill Pulte as interim DNI. Democrats balked at Pulte, noting he had no intelligence experience. Plus, they viewed him as a political hack who would run roughshod over America’s intelligence apparatus.
So Democrats pulled their support from the FISA compromise.
Most Republicans weren’t exactly enamored with Pulte, either. And those worried about the nation’s security pushed to block Pulte from entering the DNI’s office. That’s why Cotton scheduled Clayton’s confirmation hearing so quickly. It was thought that the Senate might be able to pivot after the hearing and confirm Clayton on the floor late this week or early next.
Rapid confirmation of Clayton was essential. Such a scenario would unlock Democrats’ votes to reauthorize FISA Section 702 after the program’s congressional blessing expired a week ago.
That was the plan. At least until the president initiated the firestorm over Clayton’s confirmation hearing this week.
«Another Trump victory gets upended by an impulse,» vented Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. «It’s frustrating.»
WHY TRUMP PICKED BILL PULTE TO LEAD US INTELLIGENCE AS CRITICS QUESTION HIS QUALIFICATIONS
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., spoke to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2025, before the weekly Republican Senate policy luncheon. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
But wait. There’s more.
President Trump inserted another chestnut — or hot potato — into his pre-dawn Truth Social screed. Especially if you thought the president was going to make it easy for Congress to hastily re-up FISA as soon as the Senate confirmed Clayton.
«To add a slight bit of intrigue but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it,» Trump said.
He added that his plan was for Pulte to «remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence» and declared that «Republicans fell into a trap.»
The SAVE America Act is the touchstone of President Trump’s 2026 legislative agenda. It requires proof of citizenship to vote. However, the bill has never garnered even 50 yeas in the Senate on two previous test votes.
«We’ve got to pass the SAVE America Act and conditioning passage of FISA on the prior passage of SAVE America would be a great thing,» said Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
Other Senate Republicans were more realistic, based on the legislative history of the SAVE America Act.
«You can’t always get what you want,» said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. «I mean, I want a Porsche for my birthday. I’m not going to get it.»
TRUMP, THUNE CLASH ON VOTER ID ULTIMATUM AS GOP REMAINS DIVIDED ON PATH FORWARD
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said a classified briefing reinforced his view that Iran’s leaders would use a nuclear weapon if they obtained one during a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C. (Elizabeth Frantz / Reuters)
Democrats seethed about national security as Republicans squirmed.
«We had a path forward as of yesterday (on FISA) and today we don’t,» said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. «This has become a complete debacle and now it’s up to the White House to figure out a path forward here.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
No one knows what’s next for Clayton. Or McDonald. Or FISA. And there’s high skepticism anything happens on the SAVE America Act. So it’s all in a cryogenic Congressional freeze.
Regardless, Clayton’s confirmation hearing never happened. Such hearings are the responsibility of the legislative branch. But by the end of the day, there was no question who canceled it.
hearings, national security, donald trump, senate elections, democrats senate, politics
INTERNACIONAL
Evacuan de emergencia a la presidenta Laura Fernández tras fuerte explosión en Crucitas, Costa Rica
Un fuerte estruendo, descrito preliminarmente como el sonido de una explosión, obligó este viernes 19 de junio, activar los protocolos de emergencia y a evacuar de forma inmediata a la presidenta de la República, Laura Fernández, junto a una comitiva de ministros y diputados que realizaban una gira oficial en la zona de Crucitas de Cutris, en San Carlos, con el objetivo de abordar la problemática de la extracción ilegal de oro.
La mandataria fue retirada rápidamente del sitio por su equipo de seguridad y escoltada en un vehículo oficial como medida estrictamente preventiva. El estruendo encendió las alertas e informó que los cuerpos policiales ya ejecutan un rastreo profundo en la montaña para ubicar a las personas que habrían provocado la detonación.
Imágenes del tenso momento en que la presidenta de la Asamblea Legislativa de Costa Rica, Laura Fernández, es evacuada de emergencia por su cuerpo de seguridad durante una visita a la conflictiva zona de Crucitas, tras escucharse detonaciones.
Minutos después de ser puesta a salvo, la presidenta Fernández ofreció sus primeras declaraciones oficiales a los medios de comunicación presentes, confirmando que toda la comitiva se encuentra bien, pero lanzó una dura advertencia sobre la situación en la zona.
“Nos han pedido suspender esta conferencia de prensa porque el área va a tener que ser evacuada. Sin embargo, tomé la decisión, por respeto al pueblo de Costa Rica de que hagamos una declaración y le reportemos al país lo que está pasando aquí”, expresó la mandataria.
“Todos estamos bien, habíamos preparado un trayecto de alrededor de siete kilómetros inicialmente, pero después se redujo a una distancia menor por la seguridad, pero evidentemente esto está totalmente salido de control. Es muy doloroso decirlo, pero está salido de control”.
Por su parte, el jerarca de Seguridad detalló cómo se activaron los protocolos tácticos tras el estruendo e informó que las unidades policiales persiguen a sospechosos en la montaña.
“Ya en la parte final, cuando veníamos de regreso, creo que todos escuchamos una explosión y la acción de los cuerpos policiales. El reporte que tengo hasta este momento es que se está haciendo todo un barrido perimetral con las unidades tácticas”.
“Me dicen que vieron gente por el sector donde veníamos, a unos doscientos metros; es la que estamos tratando de encontrar, pero sí es algo preocupante. Gracias a Dios contamos con los protocolos de seguridad. Nadie sufrió ninguna lesión, pudimos evacuar”, expresó el funcionario.
El origen de la crisis: De la minería legal al descontrol clandestino
La extracción de oro en Crucitas de San Carlos pasó de ser un antiguo proyecto corporativo a convertirse en una de las peores crisis ambientales y de seguridad vial en la historia reciente de Costa Rica. En la década de 2000, el Estado otorgó los permisos de explotación a cielo abierto a la empresa canadiense Industrias Infinito.
Sin embargo, tras intensas batallas legales, fuertes protestas civiles y denuncias por irregularidades, el país prohibió la minería metálica y logró ganar un arbitraje internacional definitivo.
El abandono del proyecto original dejó un vacío que fue rápidamente aprovechado por redes del crimen organizado. Miles de mineros clandestinos, conocidos como “coligalleros”, invadieron los terrenos abandonados, desatando un desastre ambiental sin precedentes debido al uso indiscriminado de mercurio y cianuro para procesar el material.
Hoy en día, la problemática ha escalado a un fenómeno transfronterizo altamente complejo, donde el oro extraído ilegalmente en suelo costarricense es trasladado de forma ilícita hacia Nicaragua para su procesamiento industrial.
Fue precisamente la gravedad de este escenario marcado por la degradación ecológica profunda, la vulneración de la soberanía nacional y la violencia en la frontera lo que motivó la visita de la presidenta Laura Fernández este viernes.
La mandataria, acompañada por ministros y diputados, planeaba recorrer en persona las fincas afectadas para evaluar de primera mano los daños y coordinar nuevas estrategias de intervención policial. No obstante, la detonación registrada a escasos 200 metros de la comitiva oficial no solo interrumpió la gira, sino que terminó de confirmar el crudo diagnóstico que la propia gobernante dio ante los micrófonos: la situación en la zona norte se encuentra totalmente fuera de control.
Luis Caputo insultó a Florencia Peña tras su error sobre la salud de Jorge Messi
Reporter’s Notebook: How Trump’s surprise move on DNI confirmation upended key Senate deal on FISA
El comunicado de la U de Chile sobre la salud de Fernando Gago
La Justicia investiga si Adorni hizo más compras para su casa del country y analiza chats entre su secretaria y el contratista Tabar
La foto retro que publicó Sol Pérez antes de comenzar un nuevo desafío profesional: “Acá empezó todo”
Evacuan de emergencia a la presidenta Laura Fernández tras fuerte explosión en Crucitas, Costa Rica
Patricia Bullrich: “El Presidente considera que Adorni dio una explicación razonable”
El Gobierno envía señales de que Adorni tiene las horas contadas para evitar que sesione el Senado
La secuencia del golazo de Messi para Argentina ante Argelia en el debut en el Mundial 2026 y los récords que rompió
El Gobierno modificará por decreto el sistema de selección de jueces de la Corte Suprema de Justicia
POLITICA2 días agoPatricia Bullrich: “El Presidente considera que Adorni dio una explicación razonable”
- POLITICA2 días ago
El Gobierno envía señales de que Adorni tiene las horas contadas para evitar que sesione el Senado
- DEPORTE3 días ago
La secuencia del golazo de Messi para Argentina ante Argelia en el debut en el Mundial 2026 y los récords que rompió
