MICHELLE OBAMA

With every gloomy economic report, debt crisis and mood swing on Wall Street, President Barack Obama's fight for re-election in 2012 gets a little tougher.

Texas Governor Rick Perry called a prayer meeting in Houston on Saturday. He attended, and prayed for President Barack Obama. Perry is expected to soon announce his bid as a Republican presidential candidate.

Standard & Poor's has downgraded the U.S. debt rating, in a stunning move. More telling is why the agency downgraded the U.S. for the first time ever. S&P cited America's "less stable" political system as a reason for the downgrade.

U.S. President Barack Obama hailed a positive jobs report on Friday but said more job growth is needed and predicted the situation will improve over time.

Kate Middleton officially joined the style elite, ranking on the top of Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed list.

America's unemployment rate improved slightly in July, but the high figure is weighing heavily against President Barack Obama in his re-election bid.

Demand for larger shoe sizes is growing among women -- but big-footed females are ashamed of stepping out in their shoes, according to a survey by British department store Debenhams.

President Barack Obama took steps to strengthen America's policing of war crimes on Thursday, issuing a proclamation that bars some human rights violators from entering the country, and that also sets up a board to try and anticipate imminent mass atrocities.

Emboldened by concessions wrung from their own leadership and President Barack Obama during the debt limit fight, Tea Party-affiliated lawmakers will likely remain a driving force in the Republican Party -- and possibly induce gridlock until the 2012 elections.

President Barack Obama celebrates the big 5-0.

President Barack Obama turned his 50th birthday into a 2012 campaign fundraising bonanza on Wednesday, buoyed by a hometown crowd after what he called a frustrating period locked in a debt battle with Republicans.

Obama receives a lot of love- and campaign contributions- on his birthday.

President Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to end the 12 day long FAA shutdown, as they recessed for the summer. The President remarked that members need not even return to town to resolve the dispute, and that it could be done through a procedural agreement when the debate resumes in September. He stated, "This is a lose, lose, lose situation that can be easily solved...."

They are elegant, they are glamorous and they are the top 10 international best dressed women for the year 2011.

Two top Republican leaders have apologized to President Obama for using racially charged language while criticizing the White House policies.

President Barack Obama will take a three-day campaign-style bus tour through the American Midwest this month, as he tries to refocus attention on jobs seen as vital to his chances of winning re-election in 2012.

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, aged 31, is the king of Bhutan, a tiny kingdom in the Himalayas. He was born February 21, 1980 (when Obama was already in college).

President Barack Obama suffered a defeat in the battle over raising the U.S. debt limit that may have repercussions for his efforts to restore growth to the U.S. economy and win re-election in 2012.

President Barack Obama will be celebrating his 50th birthday Wednesday night at Chicago's classy Aragon Ballroom, and he's looking for a specific type of present for the midlife milestone: campaign contributions.

President Barack Obama will fly to his hometown in Chicago on Wed. to celebrate his 50th birthday party at two fundraisers for Democrats.

President Barack Obama suffered a defeat in the battle over raising the U.S. debt limit that may have repercussions for his efforts to restore growth to the U.S. economy and win re-election in 2012.