CNN's GUT CHECK for June 7, 2013

CNN's GUT CHECK | for June 7, 2013 | 5 p.m.
– n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

DOMESTIC MONITORING: OBAMA: NO ONE LISTENING TO YOUR CALLS… “Nobody is listening to your telephone calls,” President Barack Obama said Friday as he tried to reassure Americans who have had to digest a dizzying array of revelations in the past few days. All the revelations about U.S. surveillance programs in recent days have put the government on the defensive, set privacy advocates howling for reform, and left millions of Americans somewhere in the middle, wondering what the news means to them and what, if anything, they should do about it. – Michael Pearson

EVERY MEMBER OF CONGRESS: “The programs that have been discussed over the past couple of days in the press, are secret in the sense that they are classified but they're not secret in the sense that when it comes to telephone calls, every member of congress has been briefed on this program,” Obama said on Friday.

FOR MORE: Scroll down to Trail Moments for more on Obama’s statement on domestic monitoring.

MARKET WATCH: Stock rally on jobs report pushes all three major U.S. indexes to first weekly gain in three weeks.

TRAIL TRIVIA
(Answer below)
Who was the first British monarch to visit the United States?

MARK (@PrestonCNN) & DAN (@DanMericaCNN)
What caught our eye today in politics

Neither New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie nor former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have given any concrete indication that they plan to run for president in 2016.

But that hasn’t stopped widespread speculation from political pundits, interested Americans and the media.

Clinton enjoyed sky high approval ratings while she was in office. Although those approval numbers have fallen since she left in February 2013, she remains one of the most popular Democratic leaders and the prohibitive front runner for her party's nomination in 2016.

Christie, a, tough-talking Republican representing a reliably blue state, has received a great deal of bipartisan praise for his leadership. Just take a look at these headlines: “New Jersey voters give Christie thumbs up” and “Christie's approval continues to soar, but with a few limits.”

Both Clinton and Christie have been in the news this week. After the death of 89-year old New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Clinton eulogized her former Senate colleague – calling him someone who always stood for his principles. Meanwhile, Christie appointed the deceased senator's successor – New Jersey Attorney General Jeff Chiesa – the governor's close friend and confidant as a temporary replacement until the voters choose a successor in October.

Assuming that Clinton and Christie run for the White House and secure their parties nomination in 2016, who would likely win the presidency – the no-nonsense New Jersey governor or the former secretary of State?

We reached out to our Gut Check devotees on Facebook, Twitter and via email and the majority of people foretold a very close election.

Ted Rogers: Clinton (I hope), but it would be scary close. The only Republican that would come close to giving her a run for the money.

Vijay Reddy: Close race. I'd say Hillary though.

W Roger Angles: Christie has a record of proven cost reductions, school/education policies which enhanced academics. He runs to and conquers problems so he has won my vote if this is the race candidates.

Timothy Moore: Chris Christie . I don't see how Clinton gets it given all the scandals going on recently.

Clayton Caldwell: Christie in my OP. is the only REPUB that (MIGHT) beat the HILL.....

Patrick Daly: Hillary would crush Christie...

Jeffery Baxter: If Hillary goes in, she'll win all the rounds. She'll win amongst the Democrats. Then will be the nominee. In the Presidential round she'll beat whoever the Republican nominee is. Basically the 2016 presidency will be hers hands down to become the first woman President. HILLARY 2016!!!!!

AZ Mark: Clinton in a landslide

Raul Salazar: My faith in politics has collapsed since Ron Paul announced his retirement

the LEDE
Did you miss it?

Leading CNNPolitics: Woman arrested in Texas ricin case
Shannon Rogers Richardson, an actress also known as Shannon Rogers Guess, has been arrested in connection with allegedly ricin-tainted letters that were mailed last month to President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, federal law enforcement sources said Friday.

Leading Drudge: 'Nobody Is Listening To Your Telephone Calls'
At a press conference in California, President Obama declartively said, “When it comes to telephone calls, nobody is listening to your telephone calls. That's not what this program is about.” – Daniel Halper

Leading HuffPo: All Over The Place: Republicans At Odds Over Obama Challenge
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been signaling he may pick a fight on filibuster reform this summer, and a major litmus test will be whether Republicans block a handful of President Barack Obama's key nominees in the coming weeks. But for now, Republicans can't even agree on how to proceed. – Jennifer Bendery

Leading Politico: Obama: 'Right balance' on surveillance
President Barack Obama defended his administration’s data-gathering programs Friday, calling them necessary for national security and well within the bounds of the law, and saying he believed his administration had “struck the right balance” between privacy and security. – Josh Gerstein and Jennifer Epstein

Leading The New York Times: U.S. Surveillance Brings Privacy and Security to the Fore
The morning after secret surveillance programs were revealed, lawmakers sought to balance their public expressions of concern about privacy with the need to combat security threats. – Charlie Savage, Edward Wyatt, Peter Baker and Michael Shear

TRAIL MOMENTS
The political bites of the day

- Obama: ‘Modest encroachments’ help prevent terrorism -
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IN REMARKS ABOUT DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE: “My assessment and my team’s assessment was that they help us prevent terrorist attacks. And the modest encroachments on privacy that are involved in getting phone numbers or duration without a name attached and without looking at content, that on net it was worth us doing.”

- Privacy vs. security -
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IN REMARKS ABOUT DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE: “I think it is important to recognize that you can’t have 100% security and then also have 100% privacy and zero inconvenience. You know, we are going to have to make some choices as a society.”

- Finding the right balance on domestic surveillance -
DEMOCRATIC SEN. MARK UDALL IN AN INTERVIEW WITH CNN’S DANA BASH: “And when we've overreached historically, whether it was the Alien and Sedition Acts… Suspending habeas corpus or interning Japanese Americans all in the name of increased national security. We've come to regret it. And I think that we've overreached. I think that we ought to have this discussion and we can find the right balance.”

- Immigration debated on the Senate floor -
REPUBLICAN SEN. JEFF SESSIONS OF ALABAMA IN A SPEECH ON THE SENATE FLOOR: “The legislation that's been offered by the Gang of Eight says they've fixed it. Don't worry. We've taken care of all that is need. You've got a plan that will be compassionate to people who've been here and we've got a plan that will work in the future and end the illegality. Well, it won't do that. That's the problem. It will definitely give amnesty today. It will definitely give immediate legal status to some 11 million people today. But the promises of enforcement in the future, the promises that the legislation will focus on in a way that enhances the success rate of people who come to America is not fulfilled in the legislation.”
DEMOCRATIC SEN. BILL NELSON IN A SPEECH ON THE SENATE FLOOR: “The art of legislating is respecting the other fellow's point of view, reaching out trying to bridge the differences with the goal that you want to achieve a result. Now there are some here who don't want to achieve that result. And they're going to try to torpedo it. They're going to try to put poison pills that are so seductive as amendments that will kill the bill.”

- The queen meets with the BBC -
QUEEN ELIZABETH ON A FRIDAY TOUR OF BBC: “It is a great pleasure to visit the BBC today and to see it in its new home. I remember first coming to Broadcasting House with my father, the king, and my mother and sister shortly before the war. I came again with the Duke of Edinburgh just before the coronation in 1953. I was struck then as I am now by the sheer pace of change, which has transformed your industry over the past 60 years – years during which broadcasting has enriched our lives in so many ways. I hope this new building will serve you well for the future, and I am delighted to declare it open today.”

- Jay’s advice for Holder -
JAY LENO ON HIS LATE NIGHT COMEDY SHOW: “Attorney General Eric Holder said despite all these controversies he has no intention of stepping down. Hey Eric, I didn't either… Sometimes it just happens. Welcome to the show business.”

Gut Check DVR: On Sunday, State of the Union with Candy Crowley have an exclusive interview with Patriot Act supporter Senator John McCain (R-AZ) who wants to know if the current data-mining program has enough oversight. And then, Senator Mark Udall (D-CO), who says he did "everything short of leaking classified information" to stop what he considers government overreach. Watch State of the Union with Candy Crowley on Sunday at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. ET.

TOP TWEETS
What stopped us in 140 characters or less

TRIVIA ANSWER from @DanMericaCNN

When King George VI of England crossed the Canadian-U.S. Border at Niagara Falls, New York on this day in 1939, the king became the first British monarch to visit the United States.

After crossing the border, George and the British delegation visited New York City and Washington, D.C. The primary goal of the trip was direct: advocate for more U.S. involvement in the war in Europe.

When the monarch visited D.C., large crowds lined the streets to greet the king and queen when their train arrived at Union Station. On the night of June 8, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt White House put on a formal dinner in honor of the royal couple.

While in D.C., the monarch also spent time on the presidential yacht and laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery.

It was on this same trip that George and his wife Queen Elizabeth visited Roosevelt's home in Hyde Park, New York. This meeting, where the royal couple and the first couple interacted in an informal setting, was retold in the 2012 move Hyde Park on Hudson.

GUT CHECK WINNER’S CIRCLE
(why aren’t you in it)

Congrats to Allen Kenyon (@giddywithglee) for correctly answering today’s Gut Check trivia question. Happy Friday, all.

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