CNN's GUT CHECK for September 13, 2013

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

UP FOR DISCUSSION: ENDING SYRIA’S CIVIL WAR: TALKS CONTINUE BETWEEN KERRY and LAVROV… Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart announced Friday that while negotiating a solution to the crisis over Syria's chemical weapons, they also would try to restart parallel talks on the broader issue of ending the Syrian civil war. The mind-numbing prospect of yet another round of negotiations in the next few weeks signaled a potentially bigger endgame for the United States and Russia in the hastily arranged meeting they began on Thursday in Geneva and continued Friday. – Tom Cohen and Laura Smith-Spark

TEEING UP…: Touting the success of the Violence Against Women Act, Vice President Joe Biden described those in Congress who slowed the renewal of the measure as a "Neanderthal crowd." – Paul Steinhauser and Steve Brusk

… FOR SOME FRIED STEAK: Vice President Joe Biden will be in Iowa on Sunday for the annual steak fry put on by longtime Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. Biden's attendance at the quintessentially Iowa event – with its rich history of attracting presidential hopefuls – will once again trigger speculation he may make a run for the White House in 2016. – Paul Steinhauser

MARKET WATCH: Dow ends best week since January, adding 3%. S&P rises 2%, NASDAQ gains 1.7%.

TRAIL TRIVIA
(Answer below)
When was the first time the United States defaulted on its debt?

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

The Washington Post reignited the conversation over the words we use today when they came out – again – against the use of the moniker “Redskin” to describe Washington's football team.

"We hope, too, that Mr. Snyder finally understands that the team’s name — no matter its storied tradition or importance to many fans — is a racial slur of Native Americans so offensive that it should no longer be tolerated," the Post Editorial Board wrote about the Redskin’s owner. "Imagine, as we wrote in 2006 advocating a name change, Mr. Snyder, or anyone else for that matter, sitting in a room with Native Americans and calling them 'redskins.' Not likely."

To be clear, this is not a new debate. The Post denounced the name in 2006. Smaller papers around the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia area have come out against the name - some have even promised to not use it in stories.

Earlier this summer, the Redskins name became the talk of Capitol Hill for a day after Democratic Delegate Eni Faleomavaega of American Samoa spoke out against the name.

"I rise today to denounce the disparaging name by the National Football League’s Washington, DC, franchise the Redskins which I will refer to as the ‘R-word,'" he said. “The Native American community has spent millions of dollars over the past two decades to fight that racism which is perpetuated by this slur."

This is not a one way debate, though. Redskin's owner Dan Snyder has made it clear that he will not change the name. What’s more, two-thirds of Washington area sports fans said the name should not be changed in a June 2013 Post poll.

the LEDE
Did you miss it?

Leading CNNPolitics: McCain says he's 'probably' in last term, or not
Sen. John McCain on Friday sought to clarify some comments he made about his political future. "I've long said I'll wait a few yrs before thinking about whether to seek reelection in 2016. Focused on our present challenges," McCain tweeted. – Ashley Killough

Leading Drudge: 'Wall Of Water' Hits Boulder
A "wall of water," predicted by the National Weather Service flattened out early Friday morning. But the flash flood warning for Boulder County continues until 6 a.m. and more rain is expected during the night. – Yesenia Robles

Leading HuffPo: 'Watch The Meltdown'
Another down-to-the-wire fight, potentially more toxic than usual, is rapidly shaping up in the U.S. Congress as conservatives prepare to exploit looming fiscal deadlines to derail President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform law. – Richard Cowan and David Lawder

Leading Politico: Left revokes Obama's liberal card
Now many liberals feel sure: Barack Obama was not the one they’d been waiting for. The man who won the presidency in part due to his opposition to the Iraq War was suddenly leading a charge to use military force against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Republican refusal to go along was to be expected. The liberal backlash, though, was particularly intense. – Edward-Isaac Dovere

Leading The New York Times: Broader Peace Talks Broached During Meeting on Arms Plan
Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday cautioned that the prospects for a peace conference would hinge on efforts to secure Syria’s chemical weapons. – Michael Gordon and Steven Lee Myers

Gut Check DVR: The high-stakes negotiations between Russia and the U.S. and deep divisions over setting a timetable for diplomacy to play out in Syria. On State of the Union, Candy Crowley will talk to the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Mike Rogers (R-MI), and a panel of lawmakers: Congressmen Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Adam Schiff (D-CA). State of the Union airs Sunday at 9 a.m. ET.

HOT SOTS
The political bites of the day

- Disasters put governors in focus -
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE OF NEW JERSEY AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY, THE SITE OF A MASSIVE FIRE: “I said to my staff, I really feel like I’m going to throw up. Just how much more are people going to be expected to take? It’s an emotional toll that it puts on everyone, the people who live here, the business owners, the local officials and those of us in the state government who have dedicated most of our lives the last ten months to the rebuilding of the Jersey shore.”
GOV. JOHN HICKENLOOPER OF COLORADO IN AN INTERVIEW WITH A LOCAL TELEVISION STATION AFTER MASSIVE FLOODING ROCKED HIS STATE: “We were very grateful that the rest of the country recognizes when you're, you know, when you need help they're willing to reach out. Again, we're getting - continuing to get calls of support from neighboring states.”

- Peace first, war crimes second -
BAN KI MOON, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL, ON A NEWS CONFERENCE ON SYRIA: “He (Syrian President Bashar al-Assad) has committed many crimes against humanity and therefore I am sure there will be surely a process of accountability when everything is over but at this time, first and foremost, we have to help the fighting stop and dialogue talking begin. That is what I have been saying: Let diplomacy have a chance.”

- Tea Party group supports bill to defund Obamacare… again -
FREEDOMWORKS PRESIDENT MATT KIBBE IN A WRITTEN PRESS RELEASE: “We can fund the government without funding Obamacare. The health care law has undergone over 20 delays and revisions to-date, including exemptions for connected corporations, congressional staff, and the IRS. If the law isn’t ready to be implemented, the American people should not be paying for it. We are very happy to see Tom Graves stepping up and using every option on the table to dismantle this expensive and coercive law.”

- Putin: The Punching Bag -
CONAN O’BREIN ON HIS LATE NIGHT COMEDY SHOW: “Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote an op-ed on the New York Times asking the U.S. to be more civilized. Unfortunately, Putin couldn't go finish it because he had to take his shirt off and arrest gay people… on horseback.”
JAY LENO ON HIS LATE NIGHT COMEDY SHOW: “He wrote an op-ed piece for ‘The New York Times.’ Putin said he wanted to reach the American people directly. That shows you how little Putin knows about America, okay. If you want to reach the American people, you don't put it in the newspaper. You go on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’”

TOP TWEETS
What stopped us in 140 characters or less

Real Kaplan (@real_kaplan)
"Vlad, we need to go to this Security Council meeting." "Cannot do. Must shoot 'video extra' for my Times piece. Then? Coffee with editor."

Marco Rubio (@marcorubio)
Sorry Mr. Putin but in fact #America is exceptional. http://bit.ly/15nNHl1

kitty felde (@kpcckitty)
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher tells me about the time he arm-wrestled Vladimir Putin ... and lost! http://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/2013/09/12/33692/congressman-dana-rohrabacher-i-arm-wrestled-vladim/ … via @kpcc

Erin Ruberry (@erinruberry)
There's a hashtag on the @NYTimes front page today (via @Newseum) pic.twitter.com/PzbqadjGWg

AllThingsD (@allthingsd)
How is Twitter fighting against a potential post-IPO brain drain? By doling out stock grants, of course. http://dthin.gs/19OvNHR

Annie Lowrey (‏@AnnieLowrey)
The @WSJ is hiring a mansion reporter. A straight-up mansion reporter. http://www.gorkanajobs.com/job/28635/the-wall-street-journal-mansion-reporter-ny/ … via @andymboyle

Jake Tapper (@jaketapper)
Internet mourns 1 year anniversary of death of Manti Teo’s fictional girlfriend http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/web_mourns_kekua_death_anniversary/14524804?linksrc=home_rg_head_14524804

TRIVIA ANSWER from @DanMericaCNN

If Congress does not raise the debt ceiling by October 18 of this year, the United States will likely default on their debt - meaning the government would not be able to pay the debt that it has accrued.

Would this be unprecedented? Not really.

The first time the United States defaulted on its debt was shortly after the inception of the country – in 1790.

The default occurred after President George Washington signed legislation that accepted the debt individual states accrued while fighting the Revolutionary War. While economists say the country and its creditors were better off because of this default, the reality is that the United States did not pay foreign or domestic debt until 1801.

After that, the U.S. government has defaulted in 1862, 1934 and 1979.

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

No correct answers to today’s Gut Check trivia question. Happy Friday, all.

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