CNN's GUT CHECK | for May 6, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

MENTOR VS. MENTEE: IMMIGRATION REFORM PITS DEMINT VS. RUBIO… On Friday, Sen. Marco Rubio described former Sen. Jim DeMint as a “great man” and a “mentor.” On Monday, DeMint ran roughshod over the Senate immigration reform effort in part spearheaded by Rubio. – Ashley Killough

LATEST FROM BOSTON: A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation tells CNN that investigators believe that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was the one accessing Inspire magazine on the computer that came from the Cambridge apartment that he and his wife – Katherine Russell – shared. The official confirmed not only that the computer had Inspire magazine and other materials of interest on it, but that the Inspire materials included instructions on bomb-making. – Carol Cratty

MARKET WATCH: S&P closes at a record high of 1,618. NASDAQ adds 0.4%, while the Dow slips 4 points.

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for May 2, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

DEVELOPING: TENTH STATE SET TO MAKE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LEGAL… Rhode Island was set to become the tenth state in the nation, and the last in New England, to legalize same-sex marriage Thursday as final legislation cleared procedural hurdles in the state legislature. Gov. Lincoln Chafee, an independent, has pledged to sign the bill immediately following its final passage.

REPEALED: O’MALLEY SIGNS DEATH PENALTY REPEAL… Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, signed legislation into law today that ends his state’s use of the death penalty. In those cases in which the state has filed a notice to seek a death sentence, "the notice shall be considered withdrawn and it shall be considered a notice to seek a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole under specified circumstances," according to O'Malley’s office.

MARKET WATCH: U.S. stocks rally on positive jobs data at home and a rate cut abroad. NASDAQ adds 1.3% to close at 12-year high.

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for May 1, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

JUST IN: CUTBACK CIVIL LIBERTIES TO FIGHT TERROR? Although worries about terrorism have edged up following the Boston Marathon bombings, only four in ten Americans say they are willing to give up some civil liberties to fight terrorism, according to a just released CNN/Time/ORC International survey. FULL POLL

LATEST FROM BOSTON: THREE MORE ARRESTS IN BOSTON ATTACK... Two classmates of Boston Marathon bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and a third person face federal charges in connection with the April 15 attack, federal law enforcement sources said Wednesday. They were expected to appear before a federal judge Wednesday afternoon, U.S. government sources said. For the latest, go to CNN.com.

MARKET WATCH: May begins with a nearly 1% drop in U.S. stocks as investors react to weak economic data. Dow drops 138 points.

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for April 30, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

DEVELOPING: Standing behind the podium Tuesday, President Barack Obama confidently discussed the first 100 days of his presidency and promised that his administration will get things done in Washington despite an atmosphere he described as divided and politically dysfunctional.
The questions at the news conference ranged from the administration’s policy on Syria to a hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay. If you missed his remarks this morning, we have excerpted some of the highlights below in What Caught Our Eye.

ONE THE RISE: Home price rise continues to pick up speed… The S&P Case-Shiller index of home prices in 20 major markets posted a 9.3% rise over the last 12 months. That's up from the 8.1% rise in January. It's the biggest 12-month gain in the index since May 2006. – Chris Isidore

MARKET WATCH: S&P 500 ends April at record high. Dow closes up for 5th straight month. NASDAQ at highest level since Nov. 2000.

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for April 29, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

DEVELOPING: Pentagon steps up planning for potential military intervention in Syria… “There is intensified planning in the works as more precise information comes in on the Syrian regime's potential use of chemical weapons and the body of evidence grows,” a senior administration official said. The official, who has direct knowledge of the effort, declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation. If President Barack Obama were to order action, it could involve thousands of U.S. troops. But all of the options face serious military challenges. – Barbara Starr

FROM CONVENTION HOST TO TRANSPORTATION HEAD: President Barack Obama tapped Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx on Monday to head the Transportation Department. If confirmed by the Senate, Foxx would replace Ray LaHood. – Kevin Liptak

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for April 26, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

FAA FURLOUGHS TO END: The House on Friday approved a measure already passed by the Senate to end air traffic control furloughs that have caused widespread flight delays. The legislation gives the FAA flexibility to deal with budget pressures stemming from government-wide spending cuts that took effect in March. President Barack Obama will sign the legislation.

LATEST FROM BOSTON: Investigators are searching a New Bedford landfill specifically looking for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's laptop, a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN’s Susan Candiotti. The landfill is near the suspected Boston Marathon bomber’s UMass-Dartmouth dorm room, where he was spotted after the April 15 attack. - Ben Brumfield and Greg Botelho

MONEY FOR BOSTON. NOT FOR TEXAS: Disaster donations: Texas lags way behind Boston… As millions of dollars flood into relief efforts for the Boston bombing victims, donations to devastated West, Texas, are lagging far behind. More than $26 million has been raised in the wake of the April 15 Boston blasts. And it appears that donations for West total is well under $1 million. – Blake Ellis

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for April 25, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

THE OTHER PLOT: Boston bombing suspects planned Times Square blasts, NYC mayor says… The surviving suspect in the Boston bombings has told investigators that he and his brother planned to bomb Times Square, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday. The two came up with the plan spontaneously after the Boston bombing, as they talked in a car they hijacked. – Ben Brumfield and Josh Levs

RED LINE? U.S.: Intelligence points to small-scale use of sarin in Syria… The United States has evidence that the chemical weapon sarin has been used in Syria on a small scale. In a letter sent to lawmakers, the White House said that intelligence analysts have concluded “with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin.” – Michael Pearson

TOMORROW: Secretary of State John Kerry will deliver a classified briefing on Syria Friday to House members, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said today.

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for April 24, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

WHO IS MAILING RICIN? FBI searches for clues in ricin investigation… FBI agents on Wednesday searched the former martial arts studio of a Tupelo, Mississippi man in connection with the investigation into ricin-tainted letters sent to President Barack Obama and other officials, the man's lawyer, Lori Basham, told CNN. Agents in hazardous materials suits had searched James Everett Dutschke's home on Tuesday, the same day prosecutors dropped charges against another man arrested last week on suspicion of sending the letters.

HOW WILL HISTORY REMEMBER GEORGE W. BUSH? The view of George W. Bush's presidency has improved with time, according to a CNN/ORC International Poll. Forty-two percent now say his presidency was a success, up 11 points since a CNN poll in January 2009, during his final days in office. Fifty-five percent of those questioned say Bush's presidency was a failure, down 13 percentage points since 2009. – Paul Steinhauser

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CNN's GUT CHECK | for April 23, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

DEVELOPING: Ricin letter suspect released… Paul Kevin Curtis, charged with sending Ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and other officials, was released suddenly from custody Tuesday, said the U.S. Marshal’s office in Mississippi. Chief Deputy Jeff Woodfin did not know the circumstances of the release, only that Curtis was no longer in federal custody. – Bill Mears

CAUSE: A false tweet heard around the web… A tweet by the nation’s largest newswire about a catastrophe at the White House was nearly immediately shot down as false on Tuesday. The Associated Press message read, “Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured.” The group Syrian Electronic Army, behind previous hacks of the BBC and CBS News, claimed responsibility for the false message on its website.
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CNN's GUT CHECK | for April 22, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

BREAKING: Two men arrested and charged Monday were part of an al Qaeda-supported plot to derail a passenger train, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said. The suspects, Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser, are accused of conspiring to kill people on a VIA train, police said. Officials said that the suspects had the capacity to carry out an attack but that the public was never in imminent danger. The two men were receiving support "in the form of direction and guidance" from al Qaeda elements in Iran, police said. They are not Canadian citizens.

DEVELOPING: BOSTON BOMBER MAY FACE DEATH PENALTY… Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been charged with use of a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death, the Justice Department said. The case is death penalty eligible. Tsarnaev had his initial court appearance from his hospital room before a magistrate and was represented by a public defender. It was not an arraignment and another court date was set for May 30.

CRIMINAL COMPLAINT

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