Mitt Romney to birthers: Barack Obama was born here.  Period.  —  Mitt Romney forcefully said Tuesday night that he believes President Barack Obama was born in America and that “the citizenship test has been passed.”  —  “I think the citizenship test has been passed.

Left's angst grows over Obama's shift to the political center  —  Anxiety over President Obama's shift to the political center is threatening to alienate the White House's liberal base.  —  As Obama prepares Wednesday to outline his deficit reduction strategy, liberals worry he'll embrace Medicare …

Rand Paul says he's considering filibuster of budget agreement  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that he's considering a filibuster of the budget agreement to fund the government for the remainder of this fiscal year.  —  Paul, who said yesterday that he would vote against the agreement reached …

Lobbyists Won Key Concessions in Budget Deal  —  WASHINGTON — At a quarter till midnight last Friday, with a deal to avert a government shutdown barely an hour old, Senator Harry Reid phoned a fellow Democratic senator, Ron Wyden, at home and startled him with some bad news.

Netanyahu cancels Bieber date over refusal to meet kids affected by Gaza rockets  —  PM was scheduled to host pop star at his Jerusalem office; taking advantage of the PR situation, Netanyahu's advisers invited group of kids from communities near Gaza border to attend.

Ex-Governor Apologizes for Using Song in Ad  —  Some days Charlie Crist is an ally of rock stars, and some days he is their adversary.  —  On Monday, Mr. Crist, the former governor of Florida who, before he left office, helped champion a posthumous pardon for Jim Morrison, the front man of the Doors …

Pawlenty: 'I'm running for president'  —  (CNN) - Former Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty told CNN's Piers Morgan Tuesday he's focused on running for the White House.  —  “I'm running for president,” Pawlenty said in an interview Tuesday on “Piers Morgan Tonight.”

UN document would give ‘Mother Earth’ same rights as humans  —  PHOTOS ( 1 )  —  Bolivia is planning to table a draft United Nations treaty giving “Mother Earth” the same rights as humans.  —  UNITED NATIONS — Bolivia will this month table a draft United Nations treaty giving “Mother Earth” …

PRESIDENT AND MICHELLE OBAMA APPEARING ON ‘THE OPRAH SHOW’  —  President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are heading back to the Windy City later this month to appear on “The Oprah Show.”  —  The first couple will be in Chicago to tape the show on April 27 (while in town to attend …

Children's Lemonade Stand Robbed  —  The seventh-grader at Feagin Mill Middle School says it wasn't too long though before a couple showed up and soured her first business experience.  —  “The man bent down and seen the money jar, and he grabbed it,” Edwards says, recalling what happened Saturday.

Frank Gaffney-Grover Norquist Islamophobia Feud Erupts In Public At Conservative Conference  —  ThinkProgress filed this report from The Awakening 2011 conference in Lynchburg, VA.  —  As the Tea Party continues to its quest to pull the Republican Party further and further to the right …

ThinkProgress Leaves Bachmann Speechless: Doesn't ‘Have An Answer’ On Whether Homosexuality Is A Public Health Hazard  —  Yesterday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) — who is seriously considering launching a campaign for the presidency — appeared before the FAMiLY Leader, an anti-gay social conservative group in Iowa.

Hamas' Powerful New Weapon Alters Strategic Calculations Along the Gaza Strip  —  April 7: A wounded Israeli is treated by medics at the site where an Israeli school bus was hit by a mortar shell fired from the Gaza Strip near the border between southern Israel and Gaza Wednesday.

President Obama doesn't need to be an accountant in chief  —  With his Wednesday address to the nation, President Barack Obama enters the lists in the debate over the nation's deficits.  His path, no doubt, will contrast with the plan offered by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

Equal Pay Day Tips for Working Women  —  Ladies, today we celebrate a great milestone.  As of April 12, 2011, we have officially caught up to what our male counterparts earned in 2010.  It only took us an extra 102 days!  Personally I'm feeling as empowered as a vintage Virginia Slims ad …

US deficit up 15.7% in first half of fiscal 2011  —  WASHINGTON — The US budget deficit shot up 15.7 percent in the first six months of fiscal 2011, the Treasury Department said Wednesday as political knives were being sharpened for a new budget battle.  —  The Treasury reported a deficit …

Bad news for Congressional Republicans  —  PPP's newest national poll finds that after a little more than 3 months in charge House Republicans have fallen so far out of favor with the American public that it's entirely possible Democrats could take control of the House back next year.

Virginia Thomas builds tea party network  —  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's wife Virginia “Ginni” Thomas has a new job in conservative journalism that keeps her involved with the recent focus of her political activism and business dealings - the tea party movement.