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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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” …

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.

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 …

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 …

Civil War still divides Americans  —  Washington (CNN) - It has been 150 years since the Civil War began with the first shots at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, and in some respects views of the Confederacy and the role that slavery played in the events of 1861 still divide the public, according to a new national poll.

AOL, Arianna Huffington Hit with Class Action Suit  —  Jonathan Tasini.  Image via Wikipedia  —  Huffington Post bloggers who think they ought to get paid for their volunteer writing have been litigating their case in the court of public opinion.  Now they're taking it to a real one.

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 …

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.

The Myths We Need  —  It's worth listening to this episode of The Takeaway on black Confederate soldiers.  I like The Takeaway.  A lot.  I've appeared on the show a few times.  But they really should have called a few historians before they did this show.  A quick Nexis search may have revealed the following:

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.

Syrian troops shot by security forces  —  Witnesses claim soldiers who disobeyed orders in Banias were shot by security services as crackdown on protests intensifies  —  Syrian soldiers have been shot by security forces after refusing to fire on protesters, witnesses said, as a crackdown on anti-government demonstrations intensified.

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.”