INTERNACIONAL
Obama knocks Founders at presidential center debut before America’s 250th: ‘Fell terribly short’
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Former President Barack Obama said during the dedication of his presidential center in Chicago on Thursday that America’s Founders fell «terribly short» of the Declaration of Independence’s promise, while casting the nation’s story as one of generations coming together to make the union «more perfect.»
«The success of this experiment was never a given,» Obama said in his speech, referring to the nation’s founding just days before America celebrates its 250th anniversary on the 4th of July.
«In forming our union, the founders fell terribly short of the Declaration’s promise, leaving slavery intact, allowing states to restrict the franchise to white men who owned property. But in drafting a Constitution and a Bill of rights, they did have the foresight, the genius, to provide us with a framework that allows each generation to make our union more perfect.»
The 44th president devoted much of his speech Thursday to outlining the work he believes America still has ahead, echoing themes he has emphasized in past appearances on the campaign trail and during his time in the White House.
BIDEN CLAIMS CONSTITUTIONAL SAFEGUARDS ARE BEING ‘TRAMPLED ON’ AHEAD OF AMERICA’S 250TH
Barack Obama speaks during the dedication of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)
While the Obama Presidential Center officially opens to the public Friday, the dedication featured a slew of former diplomats, officials and celebrities, such as former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, Oprah Winfrey, Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, Steven Spielberg, Hillary Clinton, and former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Joe Biden.
«And over more than two centuries, through petitions and protests, marches and strikes, moral appeals from the pulpit and conversations at the family dinner table – men and women from all walks of life, of every color, every faith, every region took up the cause of democracy and made it their own. Until, we the people, came to include not just some of us, but all of us. And that’s why the story we tell in this building begins not with Michelle’s origins or my origins, but with our nation’s,» he continued.
Obama also used the speech to champion what he described as shared American values and the importance of finding common ground across the political spectrum.
«Every president here today, as different as we are, has tried our best to uphold the values that John McCain and Mitt Romney believed in no less than I did,» said Obama, naming the two Republicans.
«It is our greatest inheritance. The story of America at its best, because it reflects a basic faith in the decency of our fellow citizens and the possibility that, despite all of our differences, we can see each other and understand one another and make common cause together. That’s what I hope every visitor to this center takes away from their experience,» he said.
TOM HANKS, OPRAH, STEVEN SPIELBERG TURN OBAMA’S PRESIDENTIAL CENTER OPENING INTO HOLLYWOOD’S HOTTEST TICKET
Oprah Winfrey arrives at the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. (Kamil Krzaczynski / AFP via Getty Images)
The presidential museum features an Oval Office replica, along with America’s founding and civil war artifacts.
Among the historical artifacts featured in the museum are a print of the Declaration of Independence, a pen and ink stand used by Frederick Douglass, Lincoln’s Bible, and a pamphlet by journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells.
The center’s opening Friday follows a decade of planning and construction while facing scrutiny over rising costs, construction delays and public infrastructure spending.
Taxpayers footed hundreds of millions of dollars in public infrastructure costs for Obama’s museum that constructed roads, transit, and utility updates around the campus.
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An aerial view shows the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side. The center includes a museum tower, public gathering spaces, athletic facilities and offices for the Obama Foundation. (Fox News Flight Team)
Overall construction costs were reported to be $830 million in 2021 and have likely climbed past the $1 billion mark.
A recent Fox News Digital investigation identified multiple construction firms claiming losses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to tens of millions.
barack obama, infrastructure across america, museums exhibits, constitution, america 250
INTERNACIONAL
Russia launches ballistic missile attack on Kyiv hours after Zelenskyy warns of major strike
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Russia launched a ballistic missile attack on Ukraine’s capital early Thursday, with multiple explosions reported across Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to seek shelter as blasts rocked the city. Reuters, citing a witness, reported hearing multiple explosions.
The Ukrainian Air Force also said Russia was targeting the capital with ballistic missiles.
RUSSIA UNLEASHES NEARLY 600 MISSILES AND DRONES ON KYIV IN DEADLIEST STRIKE SINCE MAY
An explosion lights up the sky over the city during a Russian missile and drone strike amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, July 2, 2026. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters)
Klitschko later said several non-residential sites caught fire following the strikes. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The attack came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia appeared to be preparing a major overnight assault.
«I received a report from Air Force Commander Anatolii Kryvonozhko,» Zelenskyy wrote on X Wednesday, saying Russia had prepared a «massive attack several days ago» and that there was a «high probability» it would be carried out overnight.
ZELENSKYY SAYS PUTIN ‘LOST THE INITIATIVE’ AS UKRAINE’S TECH INDUSTRY RESHAPES THE WAR
People take shelter inside an overcrowded metro station during a Russian missile and drone strike amid Russia’s attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, July 30, 2026. (Alina Smutko/Reuters)
«It is important that our partners fully understand what is happening and that the protection of lives directly depends on their readiness, or lack thereof, to help us with air defense missiles,» Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president made the appeal after returning from the United States, where he met with President Donald Trump.
Trump recently announced at the NATO summit in Turkey that the United States would license Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defense systems, according to The Associated Press.
«First and foremost, this concerns the United States and those partners that have Patriot missiles and can provide them to support our defense,» Zelenskyy wrote.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump at the White House during his visit to Washington, D.C., July 28, 2026.
«Every partner knows what is needed and fully understands the consequences of marking time.»
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey and Reuters contributed to this report.
world, ukraine, volodymyr zelenskyy, russia
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s chances of confirmation were derailed Wednesday, less than 24 hours before a pivotal vote in the Senate.
It’s another chapter in the troubled saga that has followed Blanche since he was tapped to replace former Attorney General Pam Bondi and one that boils down to issues among Blanche, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and two key Republicans who control his fate in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senators John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., are demanding that the DOJ provide explicit, written proposals to modify the settlement deal reached between the IRS and President Donald Trump and his family earlier this year.
TRUMP AG PICK TODD BLANCHE FACES SENATE TEST IN FIRST MAJOR CONFIRMATION FIGHT SINCE GRAHAM’S DEATH
Todd Blanche, nominee for U.S. deputy attorney general, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12, 2026. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had hoped a deal could be struck and allow for the confirmation to move forward, eying next week as the major floor vote to formally confirm Blanche as Bondi’s replacement.
«I think that that’s an issue between, right now, the White House and Senators Cornyn and Tillis,» Thune said. «But, yeah, I would encourage them to sit down, which I think they are, and try to come to a resolution there so that the markup can continue tomorrow, and we can get Todd Blanche ready for the floor.»
The DOJ had until 4 p.m. Wednesday to get the lawmakers what they wanted, but the agency fell short, and Blanche’s bumpy carriage ride to confirmation turned into a pumpkin.
Without a guarantee that Cornyn or Tillis would vote to confirm Blanche, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, opted to postpone the hearing until a later date.
Their targets are the now-defunct, nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund and the president’s audit immunity. Republicans and Democrats alike railed against the fund, particularly over concerns that the funding would go to people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots on Capitol Hill.
Trump’s audit immunity has similarly ruffled feathers. Blanche, in his announcement of the settlement deal earlier this year, outlined that, as part of the agreement, the IRS would not be allowed to audit Trump, his family or affiliated companies.
DEMS REJECT TRUMP’S TOP SPY PICK AFTER DEMANDING REPLACEMENT, LEAVING COUNTER-TERROR TOOL IN AIR
Cornyn has proven the most resistant until his demands are met. He’s used his newfound freedom to extract concessions from the Trump administration in recent weeks.
His push for an explicit end to the audit language in the settlement agreement is another such example. The longtime lawmaker, who will exit the Senate at the end of this year after being ousted by the Trump-backed Ken Paxton, was set to meet Blanche Wednesday morning.
But the confab was called off, and Blanche continued making the rounds in the Senate throughout the day, capping off his visit to the Capitol with Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo. He declined to comment to reporters on his way out.
Cornyn said it was «made clear from the outset that we expected some written proposals to modify the release that was signed in the tax dispute with President Trump and his organization.»
«We need to conform the actual document to what Todd Blanche testified under oath as the president’s acting attorney general,» Cornyn said. «We’ve had two meetings scheduled that have now been canceled because they have not been responsive in providing those written documents.»
TRUMP AG PICK HANGS BY A THREAD AS KEY GOP SENATORS REFUSE TO COMMIT
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, departs a meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., June 4, 2026. (Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump, when asked about the holdup in the Senate for Blanche, portrayed himself as a president at an arm’s length from the situation and said he heard his attorney general pick was «going through quite nicely.»
«Well, all I can say is Todd Blanche is outstanding. And I thought he’s — I thought it was pretty routine because he’s so good,» Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. «You just wouldn’t find a better person. So, I don’t know, maybe John Cornyn is upset with me because I didn’t endorse him. I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem.»
Tillis made clear he doesn’t «have a beef with DOJ or with Blanche.»
«They’re trying to get it done, but still gotta get it done,» Tillis said.
He also noted that the number of hurdles that getting those kinds of written proposals through was more extensive than meets the eye. For example, Tillis said the actual settlement likely was signed by the president’s lawyer and not Trump himself.
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«So there’s, you know, there’s a circle of people that have to go through the loop,» he said. «And I get that, but, you know, if we can get it done or possibly get him reported out on Tuesday, if they schedule a markup, I would support that if we get the language.»
politics, senate elections, todd blanche, justice department, chuck grassley
El subdirector adjunto del Buró Federal de Investigaciones (FBI, por sus siglas en inglés), Andrew Bailey, visitó Guatemala este 29 de julio para reforzar la cooperación bilateral en seguridad y justicia, en una agenda que incluyó una reunión con el presidente Bernardo Arévalo
De acuerdo con la Embajada de Estados Unidos en Guatemala, el viaje forma parte de la estrategia de Washington para combatir organizaciones criminales transnacionales y otras amenazas antes de que alcancen territorio estadounidense.
Por su parte, el presidente guatemalteco informó a través de sus redes sociales que el encuentro está orientado a reafirmar el compromiso de ambos países de fortalecer la colaboración frente al crimen transnacional y de respaldar a las instituciones encargadas de la seguridad.
En un video divulgado por la Embajada de Estados Unidos en Guatemala, Bailey afirmó: “Estoy aquí en la Ciudad de Guatemala para fortalecer la alianza bilateral en materia de seguridad entre Estados Unidos y Guatemala”.
El funcionario estadounidense también vinculó esa cooperación con la línea política del presidente Donald Trump, en la que resalta la prioridad de proteger el territorio estadounidense mediante la desarticulación de organizaciones criminales y la detención de personas que representen una amenaza para la seguridad del país.
“Esto refleja el compromiso del presidente Trump con la política de ‘Estados Unidos primero’ y con la protección de la nación estadounidense, mediante el desmantelamiento de organizaciones criminales y la detención de terroristas antes de que puedan amenazar las fronteras y comunidades de Estados Unidos”, manifestó Bailey en su mensaje.
Andrew Bailey, codirector adjunto del FBI, ofrece un mensaje durante su visita a Guatemala este 29 de julio de 2026. Bailey sostuvo que su presencia buscó fortalecer la alianza bilateral en materia de seguridad entre Estados Unidos y Guatemala.
La Embajada de Estados Unidos señaló que la visita de Bailey se inscribe en la estrategia del Gobierno estadounidense para reforzar el trabajo conjunto con Guatemala contra redes criminales transnacionales. El enfoque, según esa explicación oficial, abarca tanto a esas estructuras como a otras amenazas a la seguridad.
Bailey definió a Guatemala como un “socio confiable y valioso” y sostuvo que la relación bilateral sigue fortaleciéndose sobre la base de intereses compartidos. Esa definición apareció en el video difundido por la sede diplomática durante la jornada.
Arévalo utilizó un tono similar al comunicar su reunión con el funcionario del Buró Federal de Investigaciones. “Guatemala es un socio serio, confiable y comprometido con la seguridad y la justicia. Fue un gusto recibir al señor Andrew Bailey, codirector adjunto del FBI, en una productiva visita a Guatemala”, expresó el mandatario.
La respuesta central del encuentro fue una: Guatemala y Estados Unidos acordaron profundizar la cooperación bilateral en seguridad y justicia para enfrentar amenazas vinculadas al crimen transnacional. Esa fue la definición compartida en los mensajes públicos del presidente guatemalteco y del funcionario estadounidense.
Arévalo afirmó que ambos países reforzarán la colaboración para enfrentar esas amenazas y fortalecer a las instituciones responsables del área. Bailey, por su parte, remarcó que la cooperación busca combatir las redes criminales antes de que lleguen a suelo estadounidense.
“La cooperación y la colaboración se fortalecen para enfrentar juntos las amenazas del crimen transnacional y seguir construyendo instituciones al servicio de nuestros pueblos”, resaltó el mandatario guatemalteco.
Guatemala,FBI,Andrew Bailey,Narcotráfico,Crimen organizado,Estados Unidos
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