By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone )

NOTABLES

• ROMNEY PORTRAYS HILLARY CLINTON AS 'CLUELESS': Mitt Romney spoke about poverty in a speech in the nation's poorest state last night while directly taking aim at Hillary Clinton, saying she "cluelessly pressed a reset button for Russia." At Mississippi State University, Romney outlined an early line of attack he may employ if he again runs for president, ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE notes. "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cluelessly pressed a reset button for Russia, which smiled and then invaded Ukraine, a sovereign nation," Romney said. "The Middle East and much of North Africa is in chaos. China grows more assertive and builds a navy that will be larger than ours in five years. We shrink our nuclear capabilities as Russia upgrades theirs." According to reporters who attended the speech, Romney joked about his wealth while also getting in a jab at Clinton, saying, "I'm not even thinking about the speaking fees I can earn. … As you no doubt heard, I'm already rich." http://abcn.ws/1zcAqJl

• AWKWARD POWER LUNCH: Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston confirms to ABC News that the Romneys and Clintons are expected to attend a New York City lunch together tomorrow to benefit the Ann Romney Center for Neurological Disorders. Chelsea Clinton's husband Marc Mezvinsky is on the board of the center. The lunch was first reported by The New York Times.

• WHY MITT MAY HAVE A MANSION PROBLEM (AGAIN): Romney's lavish homes, especially the beachfront property in La Jolla, California, were steady targets of Democratic criticism during the 2012 presidential campaign, ABC's ALI WEINBERG and RICHARD COOLIDGE note. And as Romney now appears to be edging toward a third presidential bid, he's reportedly considering selling the La Jolla mansion, which he's currently in the process of renovating. http://abcn.ws/1yzBCTh

• A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROMNEY'S REAL ESTATE: On a recent weekend, ABC News caught Romney and his wife Ann inspecting the house's construction site, walking through the framework of the second floor before descending a ladder to get down to the first. WATCH: http://abcn.ws/1EQgRIQ

• WORD FROM ROMNEY WORLD: A Romney aide would not comment on the former and potentially future presidential candidate's real estate plans, but did send a statement dinging Hillary Clinton: "It's going to be hard for Hillary Clinton to make Mitt Romney's wealth a fruitful line of attack, with her multi-million dollar mansions in Georgetown and Chappaqua and her jet-setting lifestyle of the rich and famous."

• ON THE CALENDAR: New Hampshire doesn't want to be outdone by Iowa, so the New Hampshire GOP will hold its own "cattle call, the "First in the Nation Republican Leadership Summit," in Nashua on April 17 - 18. Meanwhile, today Mike Huckabee will continue his book tour today making stops in North Carolina, as well as first in the South state, South Carolina. -Shushannah Walshe

ANALYSIS

ABC's RICK KLEIN: Say this for Mitt Romney: If he chooses to launch a third presidential bid, he'll know exactly what he's getting in to. That's not just based on long memories. On Wednesday, on the same day he was scheduled to give a speech in Mississippi, two national newspapers did separate stories about enormous Romney houses - different enormous houses. In Romney's appearance came nods to his mistakes from last time, along with some extremely familiar jokes (complete with "wildest dreams"). It was a more relaxed Romney on display, attacking Hillary Clinton in part by saying he wouldn't run again to boost speaking fees: "As you no doubt heard, I'm already rich," Romney said. We're getting hints of his frustration with the way campaigns are covered along the way, and reminders of the awkward humor that fed that coverage so often. What's more apt to change: Romney himself, or the whirlwind of media that surrounds his campaign?

THE BUZZ

with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI

ATTENTION FUTURE PRESIDENTS - AIR FORCE ONE IS GETTING AN UPGRADE. Future U.S. presidents will be flying on a new set of wings, and they'll be made by Boeing. The Air Force announced Wednesday that the Boeing 747-8 aircraft has been chosen as the upgrade for Air Force One from the current VC-25 model, which is also manufactured by Boeing, ABC's STEPHANIE EBBS reports. "The presidential aircraft is one of the most visible symbols of the United States of America and the office of the president of the United States," Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said in a statement. "The Boeing 747-8 is the only aircraft manufactured in the United States when fully missionized meets the necessary capabilities established to execute the presidential support mission, while reflecting the office of the president of the United States of America consistent with the national public interest." http://abcn.ws/1HffgkM

SENATOR TO AG NOMINEE LORETTA LYNCH: 'YOU'RE NOT ERIC HOLDER, ARE YOU?' That question, posed to Loretta Lynch nearly two hours into her confirmation hearing to be the next attorney general, seemed to encapsulate what every Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee was likely thinking. "No, I'm not," Lynch assured Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, with a wry smile. "I will be myself. I will be Loretta Lynch [if confirmed.]" Some of the most contentious moments of the hearing focused on whether Lynch believed undocumented immigrants inside the United States have a right to work. Lynch at first didn't offer a clear response, but by the end of the hearing she insisted: "There is no right to work for an undocumented immigrant." According to ABC's MIKE LEVINE, over and over, Lynch vowed to be an "independent and objective" attorney general, pointing to her long record as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. And, she pledged, when she and lawmakers inevitably disagree on an issue, she will hear their concerns and "be open to discussion." http://abcn.ws/1yP6Tqg

WHO'S TWEETING?

@DavidMDrucker: Repubs optimistic they can beat Hillary Clinton. Optimism real, but what else R they going to say? Please fund my losing campaign?

?@politicoalex: Some of the threats more serious than others, but it shows that divisions in GOP still deep at '16 doorstep http://politi.co/1zg8YKR

@mlcalderone: US now classifying how money is spent in Afghanistan: http://nyti.ms/1yDgMT5

@llerer: former Romney backer on his latest rebrand: "I don't want him to be like Brett Farve." http://ow.ly/I91PP

@Alex_Roarty: Nobody is talking about challenging John Boozman. But he's dillegently preparing for re-election anyway. http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/meet-the-gop-s-doomsday-preppers-20150128 …