Carrying out a decades-old White House tradition, President Barack Obama spares a turkey named Courage from a "terrible and delicious fate" the day before Thanksgiving. He says his daughters persuaded him not "to eat this sucker."

President Barack Obama plans to lay out his new strategy for Afghanistan in a Tuesday night address from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He's expected to announce his decision to deploy more than 30,000 troops to the war-torn country.

President Barack Obama's critics are going biblical. "Pray for Obama Psalm 109:8" has suddenly appeared on bumper stickers, T-shirts and online message boards. It's a hot Web search term. And what appears to be a statement of support turns out to be just the opposite.

President Barack Obama took some time away from politics during a trip through Asia to meet with his half brother, who lives in China with his wife. Mark Ndesandjo, left, is the son of Obama's father and his third wife. "I'm still over the moon on it. I am over the moon," Ndesandjo says of the brotherly visit.

On the tail end of a high-profile trip to China meant to show U.S. re-engagement with the region, President Barack Obama visits the country's manmade wonder, the Great Wall. "It's magical," he says of the structure. "It reminds you of the sweep of history and our time here on earth is not that long. We better make the best of it."
Also See: Obama Meets Half Brother in China

During a visit to Beijing, President Barack Obama joins his Chinese counterpart in emphasizing areas of cooperation between the two countries, such as climate change and energy. But divisions over human rights and trade policies remain, underscoring that tensions wouldn't be erased by his first high-profile trip there.