The Note: Clinton Clears Out Of Iowa
— -- NOTABLES
--CLINTON FOUNDATION TO END DONATIONS FROM SOME FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS: In light of the recent concerns about The Clinton Foundation's acceptance of money from foreign governments, the foundation has updated its policies and will now only accept money from six countries - Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the U.K., according to ABC's LIZ KREUTZ. All other countries -- including Saudi Arabia -- will no longer be allowed to donate. The Foundation is going ahead with its Morocco event in May, but has cancelled an event in Athens in June.
--WHAT THE CLINTON FOUNDATION IS SAYING: "While it's common for global charities to receive international support, it's rare to find an organization as transparent as the Clinton Foundation. Our current policy already goes above and beyond what's required by voluntarily disclosing our more than 300,000 donors on our website for anyone to see."
--CLINTON SHIFTS POSITION ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE -- SLIGHTLY: Hillary Clinton's campaign Wednesday says she hopes same-sex marriage will become a "constitutional right. This is a slight shift from her previous position on the issue, which was that it should be left to the states, ABC's LIZ KREUTZ notes. "Hillary Clinton supports marriage equality and hopes the Supreme Court will come down on the side of same-sex couples being guaranteed that constitutional right," Adrienne Elrod, spokesperson, Hillary for America. Last summer, in a testy interview with Terry Gross, Clinton said the issue of same-sex marriage "had always been a matter left to the states." Yesterday's statement was first reported by Buzzfeed News. It was provided to them after reporting that Clinton had not yet said whether she supported the Supreme Court's upcoming case - to determine whether all states must allow gay people to marry.
--CLINTON MEETS WITH IOWA DEMOCRATIC LEADERS: Yesterday, Hillary met with Democratic lawmakers from Iowa at the Iowa State Capitol in downtown Des Moines. Clinton traveled here directly following her meeting at the fruit production company. According to some of the meeting's attendees, including some Iowa state senators in the caucus, Clinton touched on immigration reform and called for universal Pre-K. One attendee described this particular meeting a "love fest," but also said this was like "a job interview" for Clinton. Not everyone is convinced yet, ABC's LIZ KREUTZ reports.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES: THE SECRET LIFE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS.
THE SECRET LIVES OF THE GLOBETROTTING WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS (IT'S NOT AS GLAMOROUS AS YOU THINK). Covering the White House is an amazing honor and privilege and, sometimes -- as a recent trip to Panama for the Summit of the Americas proved -- a mad, harried scramble. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at what it's actually like to be part of the traveling press corps on a major international trip with President Obama from ABC's MARY BRUCE and HANK DISSELKAMP: http://abcn.ws/1CNSvgu VIDEO: http://abcn.ws/1GOseVz
THE BUZZ
with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
CHRIS CHRISTIE CALLS NORMALIZING RELATIONS WITH CUBA A 'NATIONAL DISGRACE. A day after the Obama administration recommended that the U.S. government reverse its long-standing policy designating Cuba a state sponsor of international terrorism, Chris Christie called the move a "national disgrace." In an appearance Wednesday at a town hall meeting in Londonberry, New Hampshire, Christie took aim at President Obama's diplomatic warming with the Communist nation, according to ABC's MARYALICE PARKS. "It is a national disgrace that the president is engaged in those conversations and even considering taking that country off the terrorist watch-list," Christie said. He said he would make his final decision to run in "late spring, early summer." http://abcn.ws/1FVoilR
GYROCOPTER LANDS ON WEST FRONT OF US CAPITOL, PILOT ARRESTED. The pilot of a small helicopter that landed on the West Front lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building was arrested Wednesday, nearly a year and a half after his plot to land an aircraft near the Capitol or White House was investigated by the Secret Service. U.S. Capitol Police said charges against Doug Hughes, a 61-year-old Postal Service worker from Ruskin, Florida, were pending under Title 49 of the U.S. Code, which deals with transportation. Hughes flew a gyrocopter, which he described in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times as a "flying bicycle," onto the Capitol lawn on Wednesday afternoon. Law enforcement sources said he wanted to draw attention to the issue of campaign finance reform. ABC's JOHN PARKINSON and ERIN DOOLEY has more. http://abcn.ws/1FU4yfA
NOTED: US MILITARY UNAWARE GYROCOPTER VIOLATED DC AIRSPACE. The United States military says it was unaware that an aircraft had flown into restricted airspace over Washington, D.C., Wednesday and was only alerted of its presence after it landed. Just before 2 p.m., Douglas Hughes was arrested after landing his gyrocopter on the West front of the United States Capitol building, said U.S. Capitol Police. The United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the military organizations responsible for protecting the capital region airspace, say they never saw it. "There was no NORAD involvement," said spokesman Michael Kucharek. He deferred questions about who may have detected it first to the U.S. Capitol Police and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ABC's JUSTIN FISHEL reports. Kucharek said the military has MH-65 helicopters on standby at all times in Washington, D.C., for the specific purpose of intercepting slow-moving aircraft, yet none were sent. http://abcn.ws/1DIXF17
WHO'S TWEETING?
@GovernorOMalley: Tonight at 6PM, I'll be laying out my agenda for an economy that works for everyone to @JFKJrForum. Watch live: https://forum.iop.harvard.edu/content/building-economy-works-everyone …
@dcexaminer: George W. Bush: @JebBush would make a 'damn good president' http://washex.am/1azNHn6
@postpolitics: Lincoln Chafee accuses Hillary Clinton of diplomatic clumsiness, says 'America loves an underdog' http://wapo.st/1DLsDG7
@nickconfessore: Somewhat incredibly, deep-red Montana passed a bipartisan bill forcing disclosure on political non-profits. http://huff.to/1cyXD1H
@matthewjdowd: for all those making fun of the gyrocopter guy, what would we say if a bunch of folks gathered today to dump tea into a major harbor?