CNN's GUT CHECK | for March 18, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

BLOOMBERG TACKLES TOBACCO: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said his latest push to keep tobacco products out of sight is an attempt to de-glamorize the appeal of the product for kids and teenagers. “Smoking is going to kill these kids,” he said Monday on CNN's “The Lead” in an interview with Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper. “It's going to leave them with not the great career prospects that you'd like, not the education that you'd like.” They mayor said they're trying to dissuade customers from viewing cigarettes as "normal." – Ashley Killough

OBAMA APPROVAL DOWN: A CNN/ORC International poll indicates that President Barack Obama's job approval rating has dipped below 50% for the first time since September, with half of the public saying they disapprove of the job he's doing in the White House. – Paul Steinhauser

GOP APPROVAL DOWN, TOO: According to the poll, 54% of Americans have an unfavorable view of the Republican Party, with less than three in ten saying they view the GOP in a favorable light.

MARKET WATCH: Stocks fall for 2nd straight day. Worries about Cyprus keep investors on edge. Dow falls 61 points.

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for March 15, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

DEVELOPING: Maryland legislature votes to end death penalty… By an 82-56 margin, the Maryland House of Delegates voted Friday to ban the death penalty in that state. The bill now goes to Gov. Martin O'Malley's desk. “To govern is to choose, and at a time where we understand the things that actually work to reduce violent crime, when we understand how lives can be saved, we have a moral responsibility to do more of the things that work to save lives,” O'Malley said at a news conference. – Mark Morgenstein

‘A CHANGE OF HEART’: CNN Exclusive: One conservative's dramatic reversal on gay marriage... Sen. Rob Portman has been a leading Republican voice on economic issues for four decades. Now, the prominent Ohio conservative will be known for something else: reversing his hard-line position against gay marriage. "I'm announcing today a change of heart on an issue that a lot of people feel strongly about that has to do with gay couples' opportunity to marry," Portman told CNN. It has to do with another revelation, one deeply personal. His 21-year-old son, Will, is gay. "I've come to the conclusion that for me, personally, I think this is something that we should allow people to do, to get married, and to have the joy and stability of marriage that I've had for over 26 years. That I want all of my children to have, including our son, who is gay," said Portman. – Dana Bash

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for March 13, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

OBAMA ON THE HILL – DAY THREE: President Barack Obama went to Capitol Hill for the third straight day on Thursday, where he met with both Senate Republicans and House Democrats. The meeting with Republicans was “surprisingly positive,” a source told CNN’s Dana Bash, because the president heard Republicans out on things like entitlements and tax reform and then gave thoughtful and candid responses.

“It was a great conversation,” Obama told reporters walking out of the meeting with Senate Republicans. “Always good to be back in the Senate.”

GUNS: WEAPONS BAN HEADS TO SENATE… A ban on semiautomatic firearms modeled after military assault weapons won approval Thursday from a Senate committee, sending the legislation to the full Senate for consideration as part of a package of gun measures being studied after the Connecticut school shootings last December that killed 20 first-graders. – Tom Cohen

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for March 13, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

HABEMUS PAPAM: Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina has been elected the next pope. He is the first non-European pope of the modern era. The decision came after the fifth ballot cast by the 115 cardinals since the papal conclave began Tuesday. The new pope succeeds Pope Benedict XVI, who became the first pope to resign in hundreds of years. He stepped down February 28, citing advanced age. The new pope becomes the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

“Please pray for me,” the new pope said as he finished his first public appearance as pope on Wednesday night. “Tomorrow I’m going to go pray to the Virgin Mary. Good night, thank you and have a good rest.”

POPE FRANCIS: Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the new pope, has chosen the name Francis, after Francis of Assisi.

BIDEN GOING TO ROME: A White House official confirms Vice President Joe Biden will lead the United States delegation to the installation of Pope Francis.

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for March 12, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

OBAMA ON THE HILL: President Barack Obama met with Senate Democrats on Tuesday afternoon and stressed the importance of compromise, according to senators in the meeting. “He says working together with the Republicans in terms of getting a grand bargain or a major dent in this issue is critically important,” Sen. Carl Levin told CNN’s Ted Barrett. “Compromise is essential, but he hasn’t seen enough from them yet. But he is also going to continue trying.” Obama’s meeting with Senate Democrats is the first of three visits to Capitol Hill this week for talks with legislators.

IS THE CHARM OFFENSIVE GENUINE? After National Journal’s Ron Fournier reported that an anonymous “senior White House official” told him Obama’s Capitol Hill meetings are “a joke” and a waste of “the president's time,” White House press secretary Jay Carney sharply rejected the statement. “I have no idea who said that," Carney said in response to a question from CNN’s Jim Acosta. “But I can tell you that opinion has never been voiced in my presence, in the president's presence, in the West Wing. It does not represent the president's view, it does not represent the White House's view, and it does not represent the administration's view.”

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