Obama Presidential Center’s grand opening celebrations to begin in June
Workers finish installing words from President Barack Obamaâs speech marking the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march, on the exterior of the Obama Presidential Center Museum building on Feb. 17, 2026, in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
(CHICAGO) — The Obama Presidential Center’s grand opening celebrations will begin in June, almost five years after its groundbreaking in Chicago, the Obama Foundation announced.
The center — a museum and public gathering space in honor of former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama — will be dedicated on Thursday, June 18, and the campus will open to the public the next day, the foundation said in a press release.
The celebrations will run through June 21 “with a series of events that bring together the changemakers, community members, volunteers, and supporters who made the Obama presidency a reality and that welcome visitors to celebrate the power of hope and change,” the foundation said.
“It is easy to look around right now and feel like the challenges we face are simply too big,” President Obama said in a video posted to social media. “But hope is not about ignoring the hard stuff. It is that thing inside us that insists something better awaits if we are willing to work for it. Here on the South Side of Chicago, hope is getting a permanent home.”
The presidential center had sparked some controversy with community organizers expressing concern that development in the historic Jackson Park neighborhood of Chicago’s South Side could lead to gentrification of the neighborhood, while park preservationists challenged the construction in court, citing environmental concerns.
President Obama told “Good Morning America’s” Robin Roberts ahead of the groundbreaking in 2021 that he’s “absolutely confident” that the center will benefit the local community.
Rep. Tony Gonzalez, R-TX, speaks during press conference of members of US Congress delegation on July 1, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Text messages appear to show Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales pursuing a relationship with his former staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles — more than a year before she died by suicide.
The messages were provided to ABC News by Santos-Aviles’ widower.
In a series of texts from May of 2024, Gonzales, a married father of six, repeatedly requests “sexy” photos from Santos-Aviles. The aide seems initially hesitant, writing, “you don’t really want a hot picture of me.”
Gonzales continues, saying, “I’m just such a visual person” and “Sorry.”
He also appears to ask Santos-Aviles about her sexual preferences. Santos-Aviles replies to the request by saying, “This is going too far boss,” but appears to engage in flirtation, saying, “how long have you thought I was this hot?”
A final text dates from June of 2024 in which Santos-Aviles’ husband, Adrian Aviles, texts Gonzales and several staffers from Regina’s phone, telling them that he is filing for divorce due to the discovery of her messages with Gonzales, texting the group thread: “[S]he’s been having an affair on [him] with your boss Tony Gonzales.” The recipients of those texts include several current staffers, though ABC News has redacted their names and contact information.
The Gonzales campaign has not responded to ABC News’ requests for comment regarding the newly obtained text messages.
Gonzales has denied allegations he engaged in an extramarital affair with a congressional aide who died by suicide last fall — calling on the Uvalde police department to release its report on her death despite objections from her family.
Santos-Aviles, 35, died on Sept. 14, 2025, after she doused herself with an accelerant and set herself ablaze at her home in Uvalde, Texas, Bexar County officials determined.
Adrian Aviles’ lawyer Bobby Barrera told ABC News that his client did not share the text messages with congressional investigators, who are prepared to send a report to the House Ethics Committee as soon as next week.
ABC News has confirmed that Gonzales has been under investigation by the Office of Congressional Conduct, which has already completed its probe. Due to its rules, the OCC may not transmit a report against a member of Congress 60 days prior to an election. Gonzales is in a primary contest on March 3, so the report is expected to be transmitted to the House Ethics Committee the following day.
Last week, Gonzales told ABC News that “Ms. Santos-Aviles was a kind soul who devoted her life to making the community a better place.”
The controversy is now attracting the attention of Gonzales’ Republican colleagues. This afternoon, Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert called on Gonzales to resign. She was later joined by Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina. Texas Republican Brandon Gill and Florida Republican Anna Paulina Luna called on Gonzales to drop his bid for reelection.
When asked about their statements by reporters, House Speaker Mike Johnson said that he doesn’t think “it’s time to call for resignation” and that “you have to allow investigations to play out and all the facts to come out.” The Speaker currently has a one-vote majority.
The DOJ alleged the stepbrother “sexually assaulted and intentionally killed” Kepner. The Florida high school senior died from “mechanical asphyxiation,” officials said.
The boy was initially charged as a juvenile, prosecutors said. He’s now been indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse.
Kepner’s family said in a statement last year that the 18-year-old “loved being around people” and “drew you in with her smile and the way she carried herself.”
She was set to graduate from high school this May and was interested in joining the military, her family said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
: In this aerial view, salvage crews continue to remove wreckage from the Dali six weeks after the cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge May 08, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(BALTIMORE) — The federal government indicted two foreign companies Tuesday in connection with the cargo ship crash that collapsed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024.
A shoreside superintendent of the M/V Dali, the vessel involved in the crash, was also charged by federal prosecutors.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
