NATIONAL NEWS

Springsteen, Bono and Stevie Wonder will help the Obamas open their presidential museum

Jun 17, 2026, 9:07 PM | Updated: Jun 18, 2026, 1:50 pm

Former President Barack Obama stands on stage with former first lady Michelle Obama at a stakeholde...

Former President Barack Obama stands on stage with former first lady Michelle Obama at a stakeholders event at the Obama Presidential Center, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)
Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Pool via AP

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)

Former President Barack Obama is getting a little help from his friends in celebrating the opening of his presidential museum in Chicago.

The guestlist for Thursday’s dedication ceremony includes Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera and Bono, along with former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are expected to give remarks. The invite-only celebration will be livestreamed and kicks off a weekend of events centered around the Obama Presidential Center, which opens to the general public on Juneteenth.

President Donald Trump is not among the announced guests. He called the $850 million center a “total disaster” in a social media post in February.

The Thursday celebration “will reflect a spirit of inspiration and joy, with a big boost from the performers who are sharing their talent with us,” said Valerie Jarrett, the Obama Foundation’s chief executive and former Obama top adviser. “We hope to inspire people everywhere to believe in their power to bring change home.”

Other celebrities slated to appear on Thursday include Common, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Vedder, John Legend, Marc Anthony and The Roots.

General admission tickets for the center are sold out through the end of October. But tens of thousands of people have already been offered a sneak peek of the nearly 20-acre campus on Chicago’s South Side in Jackson Park.

The center, located near where Obama lived and began his political career, is expected to attract more than 1 million visitors annually. It is adjacent to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in the lakefront park, and not far from the University of Chicago.

The campus includes a towering museum that covers the political and personal realms of the nation’s first Black president, while public spaces include a branch of the Chicago Public Library, a playground and athletic center, basketball courts and a picnic area with grills.

National News

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Britain's...

Associated Press

When global diplomacy is done, it’s time for American football

ATLANTA (AP) — Order of operations: foreign policy, then football. Fresh from chairing a meeting of top diplomats from the Group of 20 wealthiest nations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio planned to host his foreign minister counterparts on Saturday afternoon at a quintessential American sporting event. Rubio and a number of his colleagues were expected […]

56 minutes ago

Former Vice President Kamala Harris shakes hands on the rope line during a campaign event on the ca...

Associated Press

Kamala Harris urges a ‘too big to rig’ turnout for the midterms and tees off on Trump

ATLANTA (AP) — Two years after Kamala Harris lost the presidential election to Donald Trump, she still delights Democratic donors and activists with jabs against him, saying the Republican is “callous, corrupt and incompetent” and calling him the “decorator in chief” for his White House renovations and gold adornments. But the former vice president also […]

1 hour ago

This image provided by Barbara Weigand shows Weingand, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in North Canton, Ohio...

Associated Press

Rising health costs and coverage changes are big concerns for older adults as Election Day nears

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barbara Weigand could not have prepared more for retirement. She stayed healthy and saved diligently for years. This year, though, a shoulder surgery and a bladder cancer diagnosis have really tested her finances. She recently withdrew $4,000 from her retirement account to cover medical expenses associated with her cancer treatment. “On my […]

4 hours ago

This photo provided by NASA shows an overhead crane raising the Swift spacecraft, wrapped in a prot...

Associated Press

NASA telescope is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An aging NASA telescope is barely clinging to space after a failed rescue effort left it tottering lower and lower. The U.S. Space Force predicts the Swift Observatory will come crashing down on or around Friday. Most of the 1 ½-ton telescope is expected to burn up in the atmosphere. […]

4 hours ago

In this photo taken with a smartphone Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., speaks to Jo Ellen Simmons at t...

Associated Press

Alabama Republicans thought they had drawn a safe US House seat. A Black congressman had other ideas

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — When the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act this year, U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures knew he was going to be targeted. Alabama’s Republican-controlled Legislature soon after redrew the 2nd Congressional District, one of only two in the state represented by a Democrat, to make it easier for the GOP […]

5 hours ago

Associated Press

Shooting leaves 1 dead and 6 wounded at Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California police say

A shooting on Friday night at a mall in Fairfield has left one person dead and six wounded, California police said. Police said they responded to a shooting at around 8:30 p.m. inside Solano Town Center at the Spirit Halloween store. They said on Facebook that there were seven confirmed victims with gunshot wounds, one […]

9 hours ago

Springsteen, Bono and Stevie Wonder will help the Obamas open their presidential museum