CNN's GUT CHECK | for February 28, 2013 | 5 p.m.
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BREAKING: OBAMA ADMINISTRATION URGES HIGH COURT TO OVERTURN GAY MARRIAGE BAN IN CALIFORNIA… The Obama administration has formally expressed its support of same sex marriage in California, saying in a legal brief Thursday that gay and lesbian couples there have the same "equal protection" rights to wed, and that voters in the state were wrong to ban it, according to an administration official. An appeal in the so-called Proposition 8 case will be formally filed later Thursday with the Supreme Court, which will hear the issue next month. – Bill Mears

SENATE PASSES VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT: Struggling again with an issue important to women and minority groups, House Republicans on Thursday failed to pass their version of a new Violence Against Women Act and then split over a Senate version that won approval with unanimous Democratic support. The measure now goes to President Barack Obama, who said in a statement that it was "an important step towards making sure no one in America is forced to live in fear.” – Tom Cohen

POPE NO MORE: The papacy of Benedict XVI is over, ending a pontificate in retirement rather than death for the first time in nearly 600 years. The Throne of St. Peter is vacant. The Catholic Church has no pope.

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for February 27, 2013 | 5 p.m.
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‘BE READY TO TALK SOLUTIONS’: An Obama administration official tells CNN that President Barack Obama spoke briefly with House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He said they need to be “ready to talk solutions” at their White House meeting on Friday.

DEADLINE: The president is required by law to issue the sequestration order by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 1, an official from the Office of Management and Budget told CNN’s Jessica Yellin. OMB would transmit the order to Congress.

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for February 26, 2013 | 5 p.m.
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CABINET TAKING SHAPE…

HAGEL CONFIRMED: The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Chuck Hagel as defense secretary after a bruising political fight. The final 58-41 vote fell nearly down party lines, with only four Republicans voting yes – Senators Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Richard Shelby of Alabama. Hagel, a former Nebraska senator and a Republican, will succeed Leon Panetta at the Pentagon.

LEW ON THE VERGE: The Senate Finance Committee approved the nomination of former White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew to be treasury secretary. The full Senate could vote on his nomination as early as tomorrow.

DIPLOMACY, HILL STYLE: BOEHNER SAYS SENATE SHOULD GET OFF ITS ‘ASS’... “We have moved a bill in the House twice. We should not have to move a third bill before the Senate gets off their ass and begins to do something,” House Speaker John Boehner said at a Capitol Hill news conference.

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for February 25, 2013 | 5 p.m.
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BREAKING: Former Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop died in his home in Hanover, New Hampshire. He was 96. Koop served as surgeon general from 1982-1989, under then-Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He was outspoken on public health issues and did much to elevate the office of the surgeon general.

FORCED BUDGET CUTS WATCH: ‘THESE CUTS DO NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN,’ OBAMA SAYS… In his latest push to pressure Congress before automatic, government-wide spending cuts kick in on Friday, President Barack Obama is bringing state governors into the conversation. The president spoke on Monday before the National Governors Association at the White House, where he urged the state executives to weigh in on the matter. – Ashley Killough

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for January 22, 2013 | 5 p.m.
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AIR SCARE: LAHOOD WARNS OF 90 MINUTE FLIGHT DELAYS... Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood at Friday’s White House Press Briefing: “Over $600 million of these cuts will need to come from the Federal Aviation Administration the agency that controls and manages our nation's skies. As a result of these cuts the vast majority of FAA's nearly 47,000 employees will be furloughed for approximately one day per pay period until the end of the fiscal year and in some cases as many as two days. … Flights to major cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco and others could experience delays of up to 90 minutes during peak hours because we have fewer controllers on staff. Delays in these major airports will ripple across the country.”

CHANGE HE CAN BELIEVE IN: PAUL RYAN CHANGES COURSE ON DREAM ACT? As some prominent Republicans change their position on immigration, look no further than tweaks to Rep. Paul Ryan's website for examples of the evolving stance. While the House Budget Committee chairman's congressional site previously displayed clear opposition to the DREAM Act, it now states that immigration reform must include "finding a way forward" for children brought to the country illegally.

LEGACY WATCH: OBAMA SPLIT ON LOCATION OF PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY… On Wednesday, President Barack Obama said he's still not sure which location – Chicago or Honolulu – would be the home of his presidential library. “Honolulu is my birthplace,” Obama said in an interview with Honolulu station KITV. “It's the place where I grew up and I've got so many friends and fond memories and it helped to shaped me. I'd like to find a way after my presidency that connection remains, but I live in Chicago now and that's where I grew up professionally.” – Kevin Liptak

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for January 21, 2013 | 5 p.m.
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JUST IN: OBAMA CHARGES GOP IS ‘DUG IN’ ON RAISING TAXES… Seeking to rally the Democratic base, President Barack Obama said the ball is now in the GOP’s court. “Whether or not we can move Republicans at this point to do the right thing is what we are still trying to gauge,” Obama said in an interview on Al Sharpton’s radio program.

THEY TALKED: SPEAKER BOEHNER AND PRESIDENT OBAMA TALKED ON THE PHONE TODAY... No readout was given of the phone call.

"ASHAMED" OF HIS COUNTRY: RUSH LIMBAUGH ON HIS NATIONALLY SYNDICATED RADIO SHOW… “Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in my life, I am ashamed of my country. Seriously man, here we get worked up over $44 billion. That’s the total amount of money that will not be spent that was scheduled to be spent this year. … We have the media playing along with all of this. The ruling class – both parties play along with all of this. It’s insulting. I don’t know how else to describe it. I’m in my 25th year. Nothing ever changes. We just keep spending more money. We create more dependency. We get more and more irresponsible, one crisis to the next — all of them manufactured, except for the real crisis which nobody ever addresses, which is we can’t afford any of this.”

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for January 20, 2013 | 5 p.m.
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BREAKING: A TWEET FROM THE TAMPA BAY TIMES… @PoliticsTBTimes: Sources: @FLGovScott to endorse Medicaid expansion at 5pm announcement.

ANATOMY OF A SMEAR? NY DAILY NEWS REPORTER DAN FRIEDMAN ON HOW HE STARTED THE RUMOR THAT HAGEL SPOKE TO “FRIENDS OF HAMAS”… Friedman writes: "Here’s what happened: When rumors swirled that Hagel received speaking fees from controversial organizations, I attempted to check them out. Hagel was in hot water for alleged hostility to Israel. So, I asked my source, had Hagel given a speech to, say, the 'Junior League of Hezbollah, in France'? And: What about 'Friends of Hamas'? The names were so over-the-top, so linked to terrorism in the Middle East, that it was clear I was talking hypothetically and hyperbolically. No one could take seriously the idea that organizations with those names existed — let alone that a former senator would speak to them. Or so I thought." – Dan Friedman

THE TOLL? HAGEL UNFAVORABLES DOUBLE IN A MONTH… “Unfavorable opinions of Chuck Hagel have increased over the past month as he has faced a bruising confirmation battle to become President Obama’s secretary of defense, according to a new national survey from the Pew Research Center. The survey, conducted Feb. 14-17 among 1,003 adults, finds that 22% have a favorable opinion of Hagel while 28% have an unfavorable view; 50% express no opinion about the former Nebraska GOP senator.”

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for February 19, 2013 | 5 p.m.
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BIDEN: THE SECOND AMENDMENT HAS LIMITS… Vice President Joe Biden during a Facebook Town Hall: "How can I say this politely? The law does, the Constitution does allow the government to conclude that there are certain types of weapons that no one can legally own. Now, if that were not the case then you should be able to go buy a flamethrower that the military has. You should be able to go, if you are a billionaire, buy an F-15 loaded with ordnance. You should be able to buy an M1 tank. You should be able to buy a machine gun. You should be able to buy a grenade launcher. You can’t do those things."

BUT WHAT DOES HE TELL HIS WIFE? See below…

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for February 18, 2013 | 5 p.m.
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DEVELOPING: RETIREMENT WATCH CONTINUES, as Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) adds his name to the list of senators not seeking re-election in 2014:

DEMOCRATS – Not running for re-election in 2014:

Sen. Jay Rockefeller – West Virginia – announced 1/11/13
Sen. Tom Harkin – Iowa – announced 1/26/13
Sen. Frank Lautenberg – New Jersey – announced 2/14/13

REPUBLICANS – Not running for re-election in 2014

Sen. Saxby Chambliss – Georgia – announced 1/25/13
Sen. Mike Johanns – Nebraska – announced 2/18/13

JUST IN: HAGEL LETTER TO SENATORS GRAHAM AND AYOTTE DISAVOWING A COMMENT ATTRIBUTED TO HIM IN 2007 ON ISRAEL... Read the letter, which was obtained by CNN’s Kevin Bohn, for yourself.

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for February 15, 2013 | 5 p.m.
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DEVELOPING: DETAILS EMERGE IN REP. JESSE JACKSON JR. PLEA DEAL… Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and a co-conspirator admitted to concealing about $750,000 in campaign funds for their personal use, court documents showed Friday. Jackson released a statement Friday: “Over the course of my life I have come to realize that none of us are immune from our share of shortcomings and human frailties. Still I offer no excuses for my conduct and I fully accept my responsibility for the improper decisions and mistakes I have made. To that end I want to offer my sincerest apologies to my family, my friends and all of my supporters for my errors in judgment and while my journey is not yet complete, it is my hope that I am remembered for things that I did right.”

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