Germany’s foreign intelligence service secretly monitored the telephone communications of former U.S. President Barack Obama for several years, including calls made aboard Air Force One, according to an investigation by the German newspaper Die Zeit.
The operation was carried out without the knowledge or authorisation of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel and was halted only in 2014.
The German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) intercepted President Obama’s communications while he was travelling on the US presidential aircraft, exploiting technical vulnerabilities in its encryption, the report said. Insiders told Die Zeit that technicians on Air Force One used multiple frequencies for secure calls, some of which were known to and regularly monitored by the BND, though not continuously.
The surveillance is politically sensitive, as it targeted the leader of a close ally and fell outside the BND’s official mandate, which did not include monitoring the United States. According to the report, the operation was not formally authorised by the German government, and it remains unclear whether officials within the Chancellor’s Office were aware of it. Angela Merkel herself was reportedly not informed and would likely have blocked such an operation had she known.
Transcripts of the intercepted communications were handled under strict internal rules. They were stored in a special folder, produced only in single copies, and circulated among a small group of senior intelligence officials, including the BND president and vice-presidents. After being reviewed, the transcripts were to be destroyed, with key findings later incorporated into broader intelligence assessments shared with the Chancellor’s Office.
The operation reportedly came to an end in 2014, after Süddeutsche Zeitung revealed that then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had been wiretapped by German intelligence. Following that disclosure, Peter Altmaier, who was head of the Federal Chancellery at the time, ordered the practice to be stopped, apparently without knowing that the U.S. president himself had also been targeted.
The revelations add a new dimension to the 2013 espionage scandal in which it emerged that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) had tapped Merkel’s mobile phone for years. At the time, the chancellor publicly condemned the practice, declaring that “spying among friends is unacceptable”. Privately, she reportedly likened excessive surveillance to the methods of East Germany’s Stasi and warned that states could collapse under its weight.
It remains unclear when the BND’s surveillance of Obama began, or whether his predecessor, George W. Bush, was also monitored. Neither Merkel’s office nor the BND has commented on the allegations.
Applications Open for 150 Full-Time Jobs at Obama Presidential Center
The Obama Foundation is looking to hire for 150 new full-time positions as the Obama Presidential Center prepares to open its doors this summer, the foundation announced Tuesday.
“When people come here, we want them to feel what makes the South Side so special,” former President Barack Obama said in a social media video announcing the opening of applications. “The mix of warmth and grit, the sense of humor that can brighten any day, the creativity that turns challenges into opportunities, and the joy that shows up in every block, every place of worship and every family reunion.”
Opportunities include work in facility management, guest services, security and groundskeeping.
The employees will serve as the public face of the Obama Presidential Center, located in Jackson Park, helping to support the visitor experience for the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected each year, according to a news release.
The foundation is partnering with four community-based organizations to prioritize hiring local residents for the positions. The organizations — which largely focus on serving the city’s South and West Sides — are Cara Collective, North Lawndale Employment Network, Skills for Chicago and St. Sabina Employment Resource Center.
Applicants do not need to apply through the organizations, according to a news release.
Those interested can apply at obama.org/careers. Applications are open until Jan. 31.
The new staff is expected to start work in late winter, joining more than 325 staff members currently working at the Obama Foundation, according to a news release.
The Obama Presidential Center is expected to open in June. The campus, spanning 19 acres, will feature a garden, a museum, a branch of the Chicago Public Library and an athletic, programs and events facility.
Barack Obama tells House Democrats that party should focus on the midterms, not ideological divides
Former President Barack Obama told House Democrats at an event on Sunday in Los Angeles that as they focus on trying to win control of the House of Representatives, they should not get caught up in ideological differences within the party and can “sort through” them later, according to excerpts of his comments provided to ABC News.
Ideological arguments within the Democratic Party between its progressive and moderate wings came into sharp focus during 2025’s key elections — particularly in New York City, as Democrats debated over the candidacy of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. This past year, Obama campaigned on the ground for the Democratic Party’s Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial candidates and spoke with Mamdani ahead of Election Day.
The party has also been divided over how to handle government funding and the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies. Eight Senators who caucus with Democrats voted in November to end a government shutdown without an extension of the subsidies, sparking criticism from other Democrats who felt they should not have voted to reopen the government without an extension. House Democrats have since shown a largely united front, signing onto a discharge petition led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to force a vote on extending the subsidies for three years.
Obama told the lawmakers to “focus” on winning back the Republican-controlled House in the 2026 midterm elections, indicating that after that the party could work more through those ideological divisions.
“Because I promise, when that gets done, we have enormous talent, and we are then going to be in a position, as the next presidential campaign ramps up, to sort through some of the differences,” Obama said, according to excerpts of his remarks obtained by ABC News.
Obama spoke in a conversation with Jeffries at the event, which was hosted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to support House Democrats. The event was attended by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, around a dozen members of the House, and other party supporters.
Obama said the Democratic Party’s “differences aren’t that big” — but “sometimes they get magnified because that’s the nature of social media.”
But, Obama said, more progressive Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, and moderates such as Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and the “Blue Dog” Democrats “actually agree in making sure that people have a living wage, they can support a family,” and on issues such as people having health care and not being discriminated against.
ABC News has reached out to the offices of Ocasio-Cortez, Schumer, Sanders and Jeffries about Obama’s remarks.
While some Democrats have “tactical differences,” he added, “that shouldn’t be our primary concern because we’re fighting a bigger fight.”
“Our job is to focus like a laser on this upcoming election. That’s the short term,” Obama said, according to the excerpts.
He also told House Democrats that while the short-term goal is to win back the House, the longer-term goal is to “tell a story” to “bring [Democrats] back in.” But, he added, they won’t be able to bring those people back in “if we don’t win the House of Representatives.”
Obama told lawmakers that the party’s wins in 2025, while not surprising for him, have reenergized the party and show a path forward for discussing issues such as affordability and health care.
“If we bring energy and clarity and commitment to talking about things like affordability and making sure people have health care when they need it, and that they have the ability, if they work hard, to be able to support a family and create a better future for their children and their grandchildren … when we deliver that message, it resonates with people, and we have to have confidence in that,” Obama said, according to the excerpts of his remarks.
The challenge ahead, he told lawmakers later, is how the party strategizes toward the future and what it should do if it does win the House in 2026.
“With that as a bulwark, we’re now able to block some of the worst impulses that are coming out of this White House,” he added, according to the excerpts of his remarks. “We have a platform now to highlight some of the damage that’s already been done, and we can make an argument about how we’re going to deal with some big, long-term problems.”
Fans Beg Barack and Michelle Obama to ‘Come Back’ After Holiday Message Sparks Nostalgia
Barack Obama and Michelle Obama needed only a single holiday photo to remind followers why their presence still looms so large in American public life. Their glamorous Christmas message, shared across social media, quickly turned into a referendum on nostalgia, with fans flooding the comments to praise their warmth, style, and composure and to vent a broader longing for steadier political days.
While the loudest reactions focused on Michelle Obama’s striking black lace dress and the couple’s easy affection, the subtext in many responses was unmistakable. For a segment of the online audience, the Obamas’ holiday greeting became a canvas for yearning for a different tone in national leadership and for what they see as a lost sense of normalcy in politics.
The Obamas’ Holiday Photo That Lit Up Social Media
The spark for the latest wave of Obama nostalgia was a Christmas selfie of the couple that quickly circulated across platforms. In the image, Michelle Obama leans against a piano in a lacy black dress while Barack Obama stands beside her in a tan suit, the two of them relaxed and smiling in a way that felt both intimate and carefully composed. The shot, shared on Instagram, captured the former White House pair in a setting that suggested a private celebration but was clearly meant for a very public audience.
On Christmas Day, the same image was highlighted again as part of a broader look at Michelle Obama’s life and public persona, which noted that on Christmas Day she and Barack posted a “swoonworthy” selfie on Instagram that underscored how rock solid their relationship appears despite years in the spotlight. The combination of holiday cheer, visible affection, and high fashion set the stage for an outpouring of reaction that went far beyond a standard seasonal greeting.
“Merry Christmas” And A Carefully Calibrated Message
The visual was only part of the story. Barack Obama paired the image with a simple written message that kept the focus on the season rather than politics. In a post on X, he wrote, “Merry Christmas! Michelle and I hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with light and joy,” signing it with his name. The language was deliberately inclusive and nonpartisan, a reminder of how the former president often frames public holidays as moments for shared reflection rather than partisan sparring.
That tone was echoed in coverage of the couple’s seasonal outreach, which described how the former president and first lady sent a warm, low key holiday greeting, with Barack and Michelle Obama wishing families well and adding a simple “Merry Christmas” as they looked ahead to the new year. Their understated approach, highlighted in reporting on their heartfelt wishes, contrasted sharply with the more combative tone that often dominates political feeds, which helps explain why so many followers seized on the post as a reminder of a different era.
Michelle Obama’s Fashion Moment And The “Absolute Goddess” Reactions
Much of the immediate commentary zeroed in on Michelle Obama’s look. Former First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama used the holiday greeting to showcase a fashion forward side, with Michelle in a sheer, plunging black lace dress layered under a long sleeve black turtleneck shrug and Barack in a complementary tan suit. The styling, detailed in coverage of how Michelle Obama stuns in the ensemble, signaled a confident, post White House glamour that still felt in line with her long standing image.
After the photo was shared, numerous Obama fans began weighing in on the mom of two’s dress, with commenters calling her an “absolute goddess” and praising the way she ended 2025 in style. The reaction, captured in a breakdown of how Obama fans responded, underscored how Michelle Obama’s fashion choices still function as cultural events in their own right. Compliments on her appearance often doubled as expressions of admiration for her poise and for the couple’s enduring partnership.
“Bring Class Back To The White House”: Nostalgia In The Replies
Beneath the style commentary, a different theme emerged in the replies: a longing for the kind of leadership many followers associate with the Obamas. One widely shared reaction urged, “Bring class like this back to the White House, please,” a plea that framed the couple’s holiday portrait as a symbol of a more dignified political era. That sentiment, visible in an X post that read “Bring class like this back to the White House, please,” captured how a single image of Michelle and Barack Obama can quickly become shorthand for a broader critique of current norms.
Other reactions followed a similar pattern, using the Obamas’ holiday greeting as a springboard to express nostalgia for their time as President and First Lady and frustration with the current political climate. While the available sources do not document fans literally writing “please come back” or “make America sane again,” the tone of comments that call for “class” to return to the White House and that celebrate the couple’s composure suggests a deeper desire for stability and civility. The holiday post became less about Christmas and more about what some supporters feel is missing from national leadership today.
Holiday Messages, Culture Wars, And The Trump Backdrop
The Obamas’ ability to spark such intense reaction with a relatively neutral greeting stands in contrast to how holiday messages have become flashpoints in the current political environment. Michelle Obama has already experienced how even inclusive seasonal wishes can ignite controversy. In an earlier “Happy Holidays” video, Michelle Obama appeared in front of Christmas trees and Kwanzaa candles and spoke about how the season can be complicated for many families, a message described as part of a world where public figures tread carefully around the holidays. That video, detailed in a piece on how Michelle Obama sparked backlash, showed how even a broad, multicultural greeting can be pulled into the culture wars.
Reporting on that backlash noted that Michelle Obama’s holiday messaging has at times intersected directly with criticism of President Donald Trump. One account described how Michelle Obama indirectly taunted Donald Trump in a post wishing everyone “Happy Holidays,” a move that prompted detractors to accuse her of politicizing the season and supporters to rally behind her. The controversy, outlined in coverage of how Michelle Obama indirectly taunts Donald Trump, underscored how any message from the former first lady is now read through a partisan lens, whether she intends it or not.
Backlash, Mental Decline Claims, And The Limits Of Nostalgia
The political edge to reactions around the Obamas’ holiday posts is sharpened by Michelle Obama’s own recent comments about President Donald Trump. At a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris, Michelle Obama claimed Trump has an “obvious mental decline,” a charge that drew intense criticism from his supporters and conservative commentators. That episode, described in reporting that noted how Michelle Obama sparked backlash, shows how the former first lady is no longer just a nostalgic figure but an active participant in the current political conversation.
Against that backdrop, the warm response to the Obamas’ Christmas selfie and the calls to “bring class back” to the White House reveal both the power and the limits of nostalgia. The Obamas’ holiday greeting, amplified in coverage that described how The Obamas shared heartfelt wishes for a blessed Christmas, offered a brief respite from the daily churn of political conflict. Yet the very intensity of the reaction, and the way fans used the moment to contrast the couple with the current president, underscores how deeply divided the country remains. The longing projected onto a single holiday photo cannot change the present, but it does reveal how many Americans still look to Barack and Michelle Obama as symbols of a more measured, aspirational vision of public life.
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