CNN's GUT CHECK for June 27, 2013

CNN's GUT CHECK | for June 27, 2013 | 5 p.m.
– n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

BREAKING: SENATE PASSES SWEEPING IMMIGRATION BILL… The Senate gave final approval Thursday to an overhaul of U.S. immigration laws that would create a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants while increasing security along the Mexican border. After passing 68 – 32, the measure now goes to the Republican-controlled House. – Alan Silverleib

YET… DOA IN HOUSE? GOP HOUSE LEADER CALLS SENATE IMMIGRATION BILL A ‘PIPE DREAM’… “Apparently some haven't gotten the message: The House is not going to take up and vote on whatever the Senate passes. We're going to do our own bill - through regular order - and move the legislation that reflects the will of our majority and the will of the American people,” House Speaker John Boehner told reporters. – Deirdre Walsh

SNOWDEN GETS A PRESIDENTIAL SMACKDOWN: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AT A PRESS CONFERENCE: “I'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29 year old hacker.”

THE QUOTE EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT: TEXAS GOV. RICK PERRY COMMENTING ON STATE SEN. WENDY DAVIS’ LIFE… “The fact is, who are we to say that children born into the worst of circumstances can't grow to live successful lives. In fact, even the woman who filibustered in the Senate the other day was born into difficult circumstances. She was the daughter of a single woman. She was a teenage mother herself. She managed eventually to graduate from Harvard Law School and serve in the Texas Senate. It's just unfortunate that she hasn't learned from her own example, that every life must be given a chance to realize its full potential and that every life matters.”

MARKET WATCH: U.S. stocks extend rally for third straight day. Dow adds 115 points. NASDAQ rises 0.8%, S&P gains 0.6%.

TRAIL TRIVIA
(Answer below)
President John F. Kennedy arrived in Ireland on this day in history. In what town did the president meet with members of his extended family?

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

For 13 hours on Tuesday, Democratic Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis stood in the Senate chamber and filibustered a law that would have banned abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and tightened standards on abortion providers. Over one-hundred thousand people watched her filibuster online via live streaming video, and social media catapulted her story to national prominence.

Some who sympathize with Davis labeled the once unknown state senator a hero. Others, like Texas Gov. Rick Perry, said she hijacked the Democratic process.

“I'm all about honest, open debate," Perry said at a national "Right to Life" convention in Dallas. “Parliamentary tactics are certainly nothing new. But what we witnessed Tuesday was nothing more than the hijacking of the Democratic process. And this is simply too important a cause to allow the unruly actions of a few to stand in its way.”

Perry’s comments about the filibuster get to this point: one person’s hijacking of the democratic process is another person’s effective use of Senate procedure.

Norm Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, tells Gut Check that “the view someone has of the filibuster really depends on where you sit. If you are sitting in the majority, you view it differently than you sit in the minority.”

Of course, Perry’s Republican Party is in the majority in Texas and the governor has already called for another special session of the legislature in order to get the abortion bill passed. Ornstein, who has watched legislatures for decades, cautioned Perry against being too outspoken against the procedure.

“It is true, as a matter of human nature, that people tend to focus on immediate things rather than the longer arc of theoretical ideas,” Ornstein said.

His point: when Republicans next use a filibuster tactic to block legislation, we will be quick to trot out Perry’s “hijacking” quote.

the LEDE
Did you miss it?

Leading CNNPolitics: Same-sex marriage rulings complicate path forward for GOP
The court's rulings Wednesday were met with something less than unbridled enthusiasm by the GOP political class. “My interest in weighing in on this topic approaches zero,” said one veteran Republican working on a 2014 Senate race when asked to opine on the cases. – Peter Hamby

Leading Drudge: Double Murder Cover-Up?
Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, already facing charges in a murder last week in North Attleborough, is also being investigated in connection with a July 2012 double murder in Boston, according to two law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation. – Maria Cramer for The Boston Globe

Leading HuffPo: He Went There
While many have called Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) a hero for standing on her feet for 11 hours to filibuster an anti-abortion bill, Gov. Rick Perry (R) couldn't resist taking a jab at her for having been a teenage mother. – Laura Bassett

Leading Politico: Twists and turns stand to deflate power of IRS case
Democrats spent the week trying to create a new narrative in the tea party targeting scandal: Progressives were scrutinized too. Now the debate is shifting again — this time to the question of which groups were scrutinized the most. – Rachel Bade and Lauren French

Leading The New York Times: Bill to Expand U.S. Database to Verify Hires
The immigration overhaul making its way through the Senate contains an employment eligibility rule that could one day affect every American who takes a new job. – Julia Preston and Ashley Parker

HOT SOTS
The political bites of the day

- Obama responds to a big news day from Senegal -
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON THE SUPREME COURT’S DECISION IN A PRESS CONFERENCE IN SENEGAL: “I believe in the root of who we are as a people, as Americans is the basic preset that we are all equal, under the law. We believe in basic fairness and what I think yesterday's ruling signifies is one more step towards ensuring that those basic principles apply to everybody.”
ON NELSON MANDELA: “He is a personal hero but I don't think I'm unique in that regard, I think he's a hero for the world and if and when he passes from this place, one thing I think we will all know is his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the ages.”

- “Grave” pressure on Ecuador about Snowden -
PATRICK VENTRELLI, ACTING STATE DEPARTMENT DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON, ON WHAT WOULD BE “GOOD” FOR THE ECUADORIAN PEOPLE VIS A VIS EDWARD SNOWDEN: “What would not be a good thing is them granting Mr. Snowden asylum. That would have grave difficulties for a bilateral relationship. So taking the lines back a little bit, if they take that step, that would have grave repercussions.”

- Perry pledges to ban abortions after 20 weeks -
TEXAS GOV. RICK PERRY IN A SPEECH AT THE NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE CONVENTION: “The laws we will pass in the coming weeks will build on that legacy of life. We will ban abortion after twenty weeks.”

Gut Check Full Service: Perry renews Texas abortion battle with special session… Perry said the Legislature would convene July 1 in special session to take up the abortion bill, which was declared dead before dawn Wednesday. The bill failed after a night of drama in Austin during which a lone lawmaker talked for more than 10 hours in an attempt to run out the clock on a special session. – Matt Smith and Joe Sutton

- Impeachment for boots on the ground in Syria? -
REPUBLICAN REP. WALTER JONES OF NORTH CAROLINA AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON CAPITOL HILL: “If Congress sends one troop - if one of our troops goes to Syria and is killed, I will introduce articles of impeachment against the President.”

- One congressman’s moving tribute to his father -
REPUBLICAN REP. CHUCK FLEISCHMANN OF TENNESSEE IN A SPEECH ON THE HOUSE FLOOR: “What a man. He loved this country. He served this country. He never forgot the greatest generation who gave so much for this country and he was a good guy. He was honest to the core and he got to live to see me elected to this great House. Y’all see – sometimes we get ratings – six percent, 10%, 11%. He loved to watch this House. He really liked it when I got to sit in the chair. He’d call all the relatives – `my son is presiding over the House today.’ But ladies and gentlemen we have a great country, a wonderful country, he knew that. Only in America could you do something like this – come from last to first. So, I just wanted to say today thank you to my dad Staff Sergeant Max Fleischmann, Jr. You did well. God bless you.”

TOP TWEETS
What stopped us in 140 characters or less

SOCIAL WATCH

Michelle Obama, the first lady of the United States, joined Instagram today. Using the handle @michelleobama, the first lady has already posted a few pictures – and a video – from her trip to Africa. In just a few short hours, the first lady has also garnered over 25,000 followers. Check out her new account here.

TRIVIA ANSWER from @DanMericaCNN

When John F. Kennedy landed in Ireland on this day in 1963, he came to the island nation as a politician cum cultural icon, the first Catholic president of the United States whose Irish heritage helped define his family.

Although foreign policy was a primary reason of the visit, Kennedy's pride in his Irish roots made the trip particularly interesting.

During the trip, Kennedy visited his ancestral home of Dunganstown, County Wexford, where he was greeted by throngs of flag-waving Irish men and women. During that visit, Kennedy met with members of his extended family.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential library describes the Dunganstown meeting as a “family affair,” where distant relatives met, some for the first time. During tea time, according to the library, Kennedy offered this toast: “We want to drink a cup of tea to all the Kennedys who went and all the Kennedys who stayed.”

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

Congrats to Matthew Gilbertson (@MattRGilbertson) for correctly answering today’s Gut Check trivia question.

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