does something he calls the day in gun violence. a woman in florida shot and killed her ex-boyfriend who she happened to run into at a post office. a 14-year-old boy upset over being grounded pulled out a revolver. he emptied the chambers. in oregon, a convicted felon gunned down his grandparents. they threw him a welcome home party to celebrate his release from prison. he shot and killed them after the party. listen to this part, detectives learned from a search of computer data, he researched gun shows in washington and nevada before or just after they were killed. at some gun shows, some sellers are not required to conduct background checks or sale records as gun shops do. the loophole, not requiring a

background check is what congress has its sights on. a bill to require universal background checks. it's headed to a full vote in the senate. that bill, importantly, didn't get one vote from republicans on the committee. it passed with only democratic support. there's news tonight there may be a political breakthrough coming. nbc news is reporting tonight the nra, which long stood in the way of universal background checks will not oppose them as long as private dealers are not mandated to maintain records of the checks. they balking at that demand but the fact the nra is giving ground on the background check issue, that could be a very big deal. that is the first glimmer of something happening on this issue as a result of the days and weeks and months of mounting political pressure. as we saw, real world pressure as well.

this story that cannot move appears to be moving as well tonight. stay tuned. good thursday morning. right now on "first look," a humble man of the poor from argentina becomes the catholic church's 266th pope. what does he stand for and how will he change the church? well, they are behind the 47% video that changed mitt romney's political fortunes forever. straight ahead, you'll hear from him for the first time. plus, florida's lieutenant governor hastily resigns after a $300 million gambling scandal is revealed. samsung releases its new galaxy smartphone today. and senator claire mccaskill lets the department of defense have it. good morning. i'm mara schiavocampo. catholics around the world are waking up to a new pope, a man of many firsts for the church. he was born in buenos aires, the son of italian immigrants, and this morning he's the first pope

from the americas and the first jesuit to lead the world's 1.2 billion catholics. the man formerly known as cardinal jorge bergoglio is now pope francis. this morning, snupz arounewspap the world are spreading the news. the new pope signals a new time for the catholic. 350,000 people waited in st. peter's square to see who would emerge on the balcony. they found out around 8:00 p.m. local time when the 76-year-old stepped outside to greet the faithful. and in francis's home country of argentina, crowds took to the streets to celebrate the election of their native son. nbc's lester holt takes a look at the life of the new pontiff. >> reporter: jorge mario bergoglio is an argentine-born son of italian immigrants, one of five children. he lost a lung to an infection when he was a teenager but went on to become a priest in 1969. he joined the jesuit order, embracing an austere lifestyle. even as a cardinal and

archbishop of buenos aires, he shunned the prixls and trappings that usually come with the job. >> he took the tram to work. he lived in a small apartment rather than in the archbishop's pala palace. he's not a man of a lot of fuss, pomp and circumstances. >> reporter: in 2005, bergoglio was runner-up behind joseph ratzinger to replace the late pope john paul ii. he is regarded as a strong defender of catholic doctrine, described by his biographer as a balancing force. he earned a reputation in argentina as a fierce advocate for the poor. >> this is a man of god, a man of the new evangelization, a man who is a great defender of democracy in a country where democracy is under real stress right now in argentina. >> reporter: his election has sparked excitement in latin america, both out of cultural pride and the recognition of the growing importance and influence of that part of the world. >> bergoglio brings latin america to rome and to the world.

>> well, the man chosen to lead the roman catholic church has a busy first day. he's set to meet with his predecessor, the former pope benedict this morning, and then celebrate mass this afternoon. nbc's claudio la vantagea is at the vatican this morning. claudio, good morning. what's the mood like where you are? >> reporter: well, mara, cardinal bergoglio has only been pope for a few hours, but already has an early start. he's already visited one of the biggest sanctuaries here in rome, st. mary major, and he has prayed for about half an hour alone on the ato orltaraltar. then this afternoon later in the day, he's going to go back into the sistine chapel to hold a mass with his former cardinal electors, those who elected him pope yesterday, of course. but we are also told by cardinal timothy dolan of new york, and this is unofficial because the vatican hasn't confirmed it yet, that he may go to castel

gandolfo today to visit pope benedict xvi to pay his homage. pope emeritus is still at the residence and has been there since retirement february 28th. while he's been pope only for a day, he's not wasting any time. mara? >> all right, thanks so much, claudio. well, the head of the tsa will be on capitol hill today facing questions over the controversial decision to allow passengers to carry small knives on commercial airlines. the flight attendants union and at least three major airlines oppose the change, saying it makes air travel less safe. some prominent lawmakers have voiced their concerns as well, and now one is drafting a measure to stop the tsa from reversing course. administrator john pistole says the agency confiscates more than four tons of small knives each month, but he didn't think they pose a "catastrophic threat." well, it was a recording that may have been a game-changer in the 2012 presidential election, mitt romney's "47%" comments. >> 47% who are with him, who are

dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they're entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. and so, my job is not to worry about those people. >> after the video released, romney said it was a very unfortunate statement and it was not what he meant. now for the first time, the man who shot the infamous 47% remarks is speaking out. he spoke exclusively with msnbc's ed schultz about why he shot and released that video. >> i think it defined him at a critical point, you know, and it defined him exactly for who he was. and you know, i thought, you know, kind of job well done, because it's exactly what i had hoped. at least everybody can make their own judgment on whether they believe what he's saying to be true or not, but at the very least, the people heard, all the people that couldn't afford the $50,000 to be there, the

midwest, regular people like myself have heard what he really believes. and that was the important part of it and that's what happened, for sure. >> now, prouty says he wanted people who could not afford that $50,000 for the campaign dinner to hear what mitt romney had to say. by the way, "the ed show" is moving to weekends soon, but you can still catch it tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. and now here's your "first look" at this morning's "dish of scrambled politics." president obama's meeting with republicans on capitol hill to talk about the budget was private, but some photos were tweeted from inside. as he left, the president spoke to reporters who wanted to know if after the white smoke for the pope any white smoke could be expected in washington. >> is there white smoke here, per se? >> you're straining the analogy. >> no, but you know what i mean. >> thank you, guys. >> a new worldwide gallup poll shows a drop in approval for u.s. leadership during president obama's first four years. in 2012 it was down eight points to 41% approval compared to 49% in 2009.

well, some white house tours might resume as president obama says he's working with the secret service to allow school kids visiting washington during upcoming spring break vacation to see the people's house. in an interview with "vogue" magazine, first lady michelle obama said she and the president don't socialize that much in washington because their daughters, sasha and malia, are the number one priority, but the president said now that the kids are getting older and have less time for their parents, "who knows? maybe you'll see us out in the clubs." that would be a sight to see. and students at texas a&m showed up for country line dancing at a flash mob for former president george h.w. bush. he was visiting the bush school of government and public service. he said he loved the surprise performance. and that's your morning's "dish of scrambled politics." and turning now to the weather, dylan dreyer is here with the forecast. how could you not love a flash mob of country line dancing? >> oh, i know. >> that would make anybody happy. >> i wonder how many people had to quick learn the line dance. >> they're pretty easy. >> that's true.

follow the person in front of you. don't be in the front row. we are going to see some chilly air hang tough across the northeast, even down into the northea southeast this morning. we'll see a rebound somewhat this afternoon, but we are starting off well down around freezing in parts of georgia, so we had freeze warnings posted last night for this morning. we also have some snow showers approaching minneapolis and also some light snow extending from central and northern new england, right through pennsylvania and down into west virginia, too. we are going to see perhaps up to one to three inches across portions of west virginia. the snow in minneapolis is pretty light, but it's still there, could create some troubles on the roadways, but it shouldn't really create too many airport delays at minneapolis/st. paul. we're going to be about 15 degrees below average in the northeast all through the rest of this week and this weekend, and we are looking at warm temperatures out west, about 15 to 20 degrees above normal with temps today in phoenix around 93 degrees but only 37 in minneapolis, 39 today in chicago. and then tomorrow that cool air moves into the northeast with

highs from boston right down into new york city only in the 40s. so, well below average. we should be closer to about 50 this time of year. mara? >> i wish winter would hurry up and go. thanks, dylan. coming up, 60 charged in a massive gambling operation that also takes down florida's lieutenant governor. the conservative c pack begins today in washington. and how a 6-year-old girl escaped a vicious dog attack in new york city. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. conservative. very logical thinker. (laughs) i'm telling you right now, the girl back at home

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welcome back. some stories making news this morning. florida's lieutenant governor, jennifer carroll, resigned amid a probe into an allegedly corrupt veterans charity. the first-term republican stepped down a day after answering questions from investigators about her role in the organization. investigators say it was a front for a $300 million gambling operation. nearly 60 other people have already been charged in the scandal. the annual gathering of conservatives known as cpac gets under way today in washington. day one speakers include three

possible 2016 presidential candidates, senators marco rubio and rand paul as well as texas governor rick perry. well, things got heated wednesday on capitol hill during a senate hearing on sexual assaults in the military. one case in particular centers around an air force general who overturned a military jury's verdict that convicted a top combat pilot of assaulting a woman at his home. well, that decision is creating an uproar among many. here's senator claire mccaskill. >> i question now whether that unit that that man returns to, whether there's any chance a woman who is sexually assaulted in that unit would ever say a word, because what that general just said is that jury's decision didn't matter. chavez will be no lenin. venezuela apparently waited too long to embalm the body of former president hugo chavez. the country's acting president says it's unlikely chavez's body will be put on permanent display because officials didn't start the preservation process soon

enough. whoops. and this is one cheese you can cut. wisconsin's matured gouda has been named the nation's top cheese after winning the championship cheese contest. who knew it existed? it beat out almost 1,700 other cheeses in running. turning to business, the rumors are swirling, many started by samsung, but the speculation all ends today at the times square unveiling of its new galaxy s-4 smartphone. yesterday, apple's marketing chief was already on the defensive, calling into question whether samsung's new device will operate on the latest android-operated software. meanwhile, ceo tim cook has been ordered to testify in a government suit against apple over an alleged e-book price-fixing scheme. on the housing front, realty track reports foreclosure starts in february were up 10% over the previous month. still, there are 25% less homes in the beginning stages of foreclosure than there were in january 2012. more good news, the federal reserve says the income-to-debt ratio of american households is at the lowest level since 1980.

on wednesday, investors welcomed news that americans spent more at retailers in february. that's despite smaller paychecks and likely thanks to an improving job market. bad news for fans of the google reader rss feed. the company will do away with the service july 1st as part of a broader "spring cleaning." not a fan of march madness? well, comcast, the parent company of this network, is offering its xfinity customers streaming access through the month. if you are a fan of fast food, you'll be glad to hear mcdonald's is offering a lighter version of the egg mcmuffin with white cheddar cheese and 50 less calories than the original. well, wes welker trades tom brady for peyton manning, and kobe bryant goes down for the count. plus, it's that time of year again when teens get to learn age-old lesson about spring break do's and dont's, next. ots that start off white, it yellows over time.

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you'll have the knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. let's get started at capella.edu. has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does! wow. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy. two big political stories getting a lot of attention this morning include cpac excluding two powerhouse governors, and also, the man behind the 47% romney video that changed the presidential election. joining me now is syndicated columnist bob franco. bob, thanks for being here. >> good morning. >> before we get to those other two topics, let's start with the op ed john boehner wrote in "washington post," where he addresses obama's leadership in trying to reach a budget deal. what do you make of that piece? >> it's interesting, mr. obama,

the president went to house republicans yesterday and the best that can be said is there was no food thrown. but after the outreach, which is the word of the week in washington, after the president's outreach, the next morning in "the washington post," we see an op ed from house speaker john boehner saying that the president has to go beyond the same proposals and democratic dogma. that does not sound like conciliatory language to me. >> let's go back to scott prouty. he's the bartender who recorded mitt romney's 47% remarks. he's speaking out now for the first time. how did he bring mitt romney down? how significant was that video to mitt romney's campaign? and do you think it will affect the way that politicians conduct themselves at fund-raisers in the future? >> well, i think that the whole idea that you can count on being taped just about anything you do is going to affect a person's willingness to be candid, whether it's in politics or otherwise. the irony is, here we have mitt romney being brought down by a

bartender of all things, but it was probably the most significant event in the campaign. >> now, let's move on to the conservative confab taking place in d.c., the cpac. bob mcdonnell and chris christie were not invited. what do you make of that? >> well, apparently, they're considered rhino these days, rino being republicans in name only, which will surprise a lot of people. chris christie is remembered bitterly for many republicans for speaking out for president obama in the last stages of the race against mitt romney. interestingly, mitt romney is being invited. he's somebody who's never been a favorite of the conservatives, the ultra conservatives. i suspect he's getting sort of a pity waiver to be there. >> all right. bob franken, thanks for joining us this morning. appreciate your insights, as always. now here's a look at other news going on around america. frightening security video from new york captures a pit bull viciously attacking a young girl over the weekend. she was walking with her grandmother when the dog ran up and locked on to the girl and

started whipping her back and forth. several people ran up and pried the dog off. the girl suffered only minor puncture wounds to her arm and leg. a california daycare worker faces child endangerment charges after she allegedly spiked sippie cups with sleep medicine. the 59-year-old has since been fired from her job and the cups were confiscated before any kids had a chance to take a drink. a michigan middle schooler shocked teachers and classmates when she showed up packing $20,000 cash in her backpack. police were alerted after the 12-year-old girl began handing out hundreds to classmates. she was apparently generous, a little robin hood. she claimed she received the money from a neighbor. all the cash has since been recovered. spring break partiers in florida had a rude awakening when police broke up their fun. while some tried to argue, most took their punishment in stride. handcuffed and shackled, these teens still giggled their way to county lockup. an alarming number of stranded sea lion pups in southern california have many marine biologists seriously

concerned. they're hungry, sick and malnourished. these sea lion pups are turning up left and right, so much so, the pacific marine mammal center has declared a state of emergency. we certainly wish them well. turning now to sports, the miami heat are now the fourth team in nba history with 20 straight wins. lebron james and dwyane wade combined for 48 points against philadelphia and made some crucial baskets in the final minutes to pull out a 98-94 victory over the sixers. the heat would have to win most of their remaining games to beat the lakers' all-time record of 33 straight. in atlanta, the lakers' kobe bryant twisted his ankle and was down on the court in obvious pain. according to "the los angeles times," it's a severe sprain and kobe is out indefinitely. the hawks beat the lakers 96-92. in college basketball, number 19 syracuse took a big lead in the second half against seton hall in the big east tournament. 75-63 orange victory advances them to the quarterfinals to face pittsburgh this afternoon. one of the top receivers in the nfl, wes welker, is leaving the new england patriots.

he reportedly turned down $10 million from the pats to sign a $12 million deal for two years with the denver broncos. despite a horrific crash last month, american skier lindsey vonn won her sixth straight world cup downhill title. after the last race of the season was canceled because of fog. vonn is rehabbing her knee after surgery. american surfer kelly slater had some amazing rides on waves in australia to win the 2013 quiksilver pro gold coast competition. and the pope wasn't the only one drawing crowds in rome. former nba star dennis rodman is in italy. oh, gosh. he's saying he hopes to win the new pontiff and spread what he called his message of peace and love. yes, we need him to spread that message. just ahead, look what miranda lambert found on the side of the road. what a cutie. and what's going on with the cast of "the mary tyler moore show"? entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. rs. how? by building custom security solutions that integrate video,

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pr people are working overtime. hundreds of fan letters addressed to swift were left unopened in a tennessee dumpster, prompting major damage control. swift's representative says the letters were likely misplaced. fans of the 23-year-old are upset that all of their bedazzled letters were not read. actor ed asner was hospitalized after having trouble speaking during his one-man show. his reps say the 83-year-old is simply exhausted. cult hit tv show "veronica mars" canceled in 2007, is coming back in the form of a movie. on wednesday, the show's creators opened a kick-starter campaign for the film, and it raises over $2 million in just a few hours. that smashed previous kick-starter records. speaking of coming back f