WHITE HOUSE

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle paid an effective tax rate of about 20.5 percent in 2011, but would like to be paying more in order to make the U.S. tax system more fair.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden released their 2011 tax returns, a personal turn in the debate about tax policy.

Cuba’s absence from the summit may be a point of contention.

US President Barack Obama may have many fans. However, without doubt, his biggest fan is from Columbia. Silvio Carrasquilla, an Afro-Colombian and former mayor of the northern town of Turbaco, has converted his home into the White House with the hope of inviting Obama when he attends a summit in nearby Cartagena this weekend. And guess what? This diehard fan also has planned a surprise gift for the President.

When Hilary Rosen appeared on CNN on Wednesday to talk about the war on women, she said that Ann Romney has never worked a day in her life. Those words from the Democratic strategist immediately set off a reaction from Ann Romney, wife of GOP presidnetial candidate, Mitt Romney, who took to Twitter for the first time to note that raising her five boys was hard work and that she made the choice to stay home and be a mother.

North Korea may wake on April 15 to find a present for the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kim Il-sung: the country's first functional satellite. And North Koreans may not have long to wait for another big event, as the regime prepares what may be a third nuclear test.

Beyonce is currently relaxing on the beaches of St. Barts with husband, Jay-Z, and daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, but the pop diva took time out of her vacation to pen an open letter to First Lady Michelle Obama.

The Buffett Rule is a plan that would raise taxes on America's most wealthy, requiring those making $1 million or more per year to pay a minimum federal tax rate of 30 percent on all income. The idea is sparking heated debates, and that merits a closer look at how U.S. taxes are structured now, what sorts of changes Obama is pushing, and why exactly he's pushing them.

Florida Representative Allen West (R) thinks that 70 to 81 House Democrats are communists. There are currently 190 Democrats in the House.

Rick Santorum may have suspended his campaign, but he hasn't put on the brakes when it comes to raising money.

Mitsui Fudosan, the world's largest property owner by value, plans to expand its presence in Europe by initially targeting London's strong real estate market as part of a 500 billion yen ($6.14 billion) global expansion.

The president, seeking to bolster his message of economic fairness, is advocating a plan that would raise income taxes on Americans earning more than $1 million to a minimum of 30 percent.

Republicans have accused President Barack Obama of using the so-called Buffet Rule to score political points at the expense of sound policy.

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff said she used an official visit to President Obama to press her concern that monetary policy pursued by the U.S. and Europe was inhibiting Brazil's economic growth.

The White House has been silent ahead of the 2012 election on an executive order proposed last year that would require federal contractors to publicly disclose their political contributions.

President Obama will host Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff on Monday in an effort to strengthen ties between two of the world's largest economies.

The Russian government criticized the United States for it so-called unjustified decision to sentence alleged international arms dealer, Viktor Bout, to 25 years in prison. The Kremlin has vowed to bring the Russian national, known in the United States as the Merchant of Death, back to his home country.

Political priorities for women, the president stressed, are also family issues, they are economic issues, they are growth issues, they are issues about American competitiveness.

On April 5, the famous blonde doll, Barbie, announced that she will be running for President in 2012. It's official, dolls, she announced on her Tumblr. Welcome to my official glam-paign headquarters.

Friday's job report for March showed 121,000 hires -- the first figures in five months showing job growth under 200,000.

While Easter is one of two important religious holiday celebrations in Christianity, Easter egg hunts are arguably the best part about celebrating the Easter tradition, aside from the chocolate bunnies, of course, that doesn't involve religion whatsoever. View the slideshow to see photos of Easter Eggs Hunts and Rolls celebrated around the world leading up to Easter 2012.