Obamas Announce Joint Project As Divorce Rumors Swirl
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have announced a new joint project as speculation about their marriage continues online. The couple will co-produce a Broadway revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Proof” through their production company, Higher Ground.
The play, written by David Auburn, centers on the daughter of a mathematician who discovers a notebook containing significant findings after his death. Actors Don Cheadle and Ayo Edebiri are set to make their Broadway debuts in the production, Variety reported.
The revival is scheduled to open in April and run for 16 weeks. Tony Award winner Thomas Kail will direct and produce alongside Mike Bosner and the Obamas.
“To bring this landmark play back to Broadway with Ayo, Don, Tommy, and Mike at the helm is an extraordinary privilege, and we couldn’t be more proud to be part of this production,” the Obamas said in a statement obtained by The Independent.
“Proof is exactly the kind of story Higher Ground was built to champion, a play that asks profound questions about brilliance, doubt, and what we inherit from the people we love most,” they said.
Rumors about the Obamas’ marriage have circulated online over the past year. Neither Barack Obama nor Michelle Obama has confirmed any separation.
The speculation intensified in early 2025 after Michelle Obama did not attend the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter or the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Barack Obama attended both events.
Political commentator Meghan McCain addressed the rumors during an appearance on journalist Tara Palmeri’s podcast in 2025. “I have been hearing this rumor that the Obamas are getting a divorce by reputable people,” McCain said.
“I’m not talking about TMZ, I’m not talking about Perez Hilton, although I love him, he’s my friend,” she said. “I’m talking about like very serious journalists telling me that they’re hearing that the Obama divorce rumors are true.”
“We’ve heard that for a long time,” Palmeri said. “Like I just heard that they live separate lives.”
Michelle Obama launched her podcast, “IMO,” in 2025. Barack Obama appeared on the podcast in July, where both addressed the rumors.
“There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting my man,” Michelle Obama said. “And we’ve had some really hard times. So we had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I’m married to.”
“These are the kinds of things that I just miss, right?” Barack Obama said. “So I don’t even know this stuff’s going on. And then somebody will mention it to me and I’m all like, ‘what are you talking about?’”
The Broadway production marks the Obamas’ latest venture through Higher Ground, which has produced film, television, and podcast content since its launch. The play’s opening is scheduled for April.
Former first lady Michelle Obama has frequently been called a racist by her detractors and others, and she appears to have earned that label again. In a video that has since gone viral online, Obama claimed unabashedly that she tries to avoid buying clothing brands from white-owned companies.
“If I hear of someone whose fashion I like, and I hear they’re a person of color, I try to make it a point” to patronize them, she said during the discussion, which featured only black women. “You know, I think we can all do some work to think about that balance in our wardrobes. What does our closet look like, and who’s in it?
“Who are we supporting in it?” she added, as the other ladies nodded in approval and smiled. “I think if you have the money to buy Chanel, then you have the money to buy everybody.”
Trump ‘Briefed With Options’ Amid Stalled Iran Talks
The Trump administration on Wednesday continued to express optimism about negotiations with Iran, even as Iranian officials insist that no direct talks have taken place, according to reports.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister said no face-to-face meeting had occurred in Doha and that no direct negotiations with the United States were currently planned.
Despite Tehran’s position, President Donald Trump described the discussions as “very good,” apparently referring to indirect contacts involving U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicating through third-party intermediaries.
Vice President JD Vance struck a firmer tone the same day, warning that the United States could escalate its response if Iran refuses to cooperate or takes actions that further destabilize the Middle East.
His remarks underscored the administration’s message that while it remains open to a diplomatic resolution, additional measures remain on the table if negotiations fail.
“If Iran attempts to rebuild its nuclear program, threaten its neighbors and support terrorism, President Trump has options to deal with it,” Vance noted, without elaborating.
Earlier, a Wall Street Journal report claimed that Trump had been briefed on several military options, including “all-out war,” but Trump said he wanted to give diplomacy more time.
Vance additionally stated that the US “dropped bombs on Iran because it fired on ships, and we used leverage to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”
He went on to suggest that the U.S. could take that course of action again.
Vance also said the current talks are “to discuss the details and flow of maritime traffic.”
The vice president, addressing U.S. military personnel at a naval base in Virginia on Wednesday, also said that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back decades.
“If you look at what our own intelligence says about their nuclear program, they are further away from developing a nuclear bomb than they have ever been since basically the last 20 or 30 years,” Vance said, though he stopped short of Trump’s claim that the program had been “totally obliterated.”
“What the president asks you to accomplish is to destroy the defense industrial base of that country, so that if they ever decided to rebuild their military, or if they ever decided to rebuild that nuclear program, they would be harmless to do it. You did that exactly as well,” Vance added, per the Times of Israel.
The VP went on to say that Trump is now “negotiating from a position of strength because of you.”
“If the Iranians try to rebuild the nuclear program, the President’s got options. If the Iranians try to threaten their neighbors or fund terrorism, we’ve got options,” Vance continued.
“But what we must never do is drop bombs just for the sake of dropping bombs. And that is what the president will never ask you to do,” Vance added.
“He’ll ask you to go to war, yes. But when he asks you to go to war, he’ll tell you exactly what you’re going for,” the veep noted further.
“And I think that is what you should expect out of your political leadership.”
“What I noticed about the people who are attacking the administration for negotiating is that they are the very same people who, for example, encouraged us to just go a little bit further and just drop a few more bombs in places like Afghanistan,” he said.
“If you go back to the mistakes that were made, those very same people refused to say what we were dropping bombs for,” he added.
“We dropped some bombs a couple of days ago… Because the Iranians were shooting at commercial ships… We applied some leverage, and we’ve had free commercial transit for the last three days,” Vance told the naval personnel.
UPDATE: House Passes Key Bill In Nod To Trump Admin
Washington — In a closely watched vote, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved the SPEED Act, legislation aimed at accelerating federal permitting for large-scale artificial intelligence data centers and supporting power projects.
The bill passed Friday by a narrow 218-to-213 margin, highlighting sharp partisan divides even as lawmakers on both sides recognize AI’s critical role in national security and economic competitiveness.
The SPEED Act targets reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. It would shorten environmental reviews that have stalled major construction projects for years and cut the statute of limitations for related lawsuits from six years down to just 150 days.
Supporters argue these changes are essential to meet exploding demand for data centers and reliable energy as AI technologies advance rapidly.
Republican lead sponsor Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas called the measure a national imperative: “The expansion of AI computing power for both civilian and military use is a national imperative.” He stressed the need for the U.S. to maintain its technological edge, especially against China.
The legislation drew public support from major tech players including OpenAI, Micron, and Microsoft.
Passage came after last-minute drama. Some conservative Republicans pushed for amendments protecting prior executive actions on offshore wind and other green energy limits. Democrats largely opposed the final version, with Rep. Scott Peters of California warning it codifies a “broken permitting status quo.” He said a more bipartisan approach may need to come from the Senate.
The House action pairs with a new Trump administration initiative: the U.S. Tech Force. This two-year program will recruit about 1,000 engineers and technical experts to modernize federal AI systems in partnership with companies like Amazon Web Services, Apple, Google, Nvidia, Oracle, and Palantir.
Together, the SPEED Act and Tech Force aim to address two major bottlenecks for American AI leadership: regulatory delays and specialized talent shortages. The bill now heads to the Senate, where further negotiations are expected.
This development intensifies the national debate over balancing rapid AI growth with environmental safeguards and partisan priorities in the race for global technological supremacy.
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