The White House has announced that President Obama has canceled a scheduled visit to Kansas in order to attend an interfaith service in Boston on Thursday. The service will take place at Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross, where the president will meet survivors and families of the victims of the recent Boston Marathon bombings. During his presidency, he has visited four different cities (the most recent was Newtown, Conn.) following tragedies for interfaith vigils. Last night, local residents came together for several candlelight services to remember the victims of the attacks … Discuss

First Justin Bieber started a conflict with Germany over monkey-smuggling allegations, now another pair of pop stars is at the center of an international incident. Rapper Jay-Z is calling out lawmakers who questioned his recent trip to Cuba in his new song “Open Letter”. The hip-hop mogul and his wife, Beyoncé, made international headlines when they went to the communist country to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary—a country that the U.S. prohibits tourism travel to. The couple had reportedly received special travel approval for "educational purposes" from the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

In the song, Jay-Z insinuates that President Obama helped him get permission for the trip: "Hear the freedom in my speech ... Obama said, 'Chill, you gonna get me impeached. You don't need this ... anyway, chill with me on the beach”. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that despite the song lyrics, the White House had nothing to do with the trip: "I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury. Because Treasury offers and gives licenses for travel and the White House has nothing to do with it" ... Discuss

Kid President, the inspirational persona of viral video star 9-year-old Robby Novak, got to meet he real president this week. President Obama even gave his young counterpart a tour of the White House.

Novak started his Kid President videos—in which he answers fan mail, conducts interviews and gives inspirational speeches about making the world a more awesome place—six months ago with the help of his brother-in-law. Since then, his videos have been a fixture on Rainn Wilson’s SoulPancake YouTube channel. If you ask us, Kid President looked pretty natural in the Oval Office. Who knows, maybe Kid President has a future as Grown-up President one day … Discuss

Instead of mentioning any headline-grabbing political issue or international conflict, President Obama used his weekly address to give an Easter and Passover greeting. In the brief message, President Obama said on Easter Sunday, he is reminded of the example of Christ and His commitment to serve others:

As Christians, my family and I remember the incredible sacrifice Jesus made for each and every one of us–how He took on the sins of the world and extended the gift of salvation. And we recommit ourselves to following His example here on Earth. To loving our Lord and Savior. To loving our neighbors. And to seeing everyone, especially ‘the least of these', as a child of God'.

He also said that similar values unite “all faiths” and that all Americans should have a belief that “as part of something bigger than ourselves, we have a shared responsibility to look out for our fellow citizens” … Discuss