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PABLOMARTINEZMONSIVAIS—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks in Washington. ByKenThomasand Julie Pace The Associated Press WASHINGTON Hillary Clinton will end months of speculation and launch her highly anticipated 2016 presidential campaign on Sunday, skipping a flashy kickoff rally in favor of conversations with voters about the economic needs of middle class families and the next generation. Clinton, the former first lady and secretary of state who lost the 2008 nomi- nation to Barack Obama, will begin this time by courting voters in living rooms and cafes in early voting states. If victori- ous in 2016, she would be- come the nation's first fe- male president. The first official word of her candidacy will come in a video posted on so- cial media and to support- ers online, according to two people familiar with her plans. She will then turn to states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, looking to connect directly with vot- ers in small, intimate set- tings. The people familiar with her plans spoke on condi- tion of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly. Clinton has offered glimpses in recent speeches of why she will again seek the White House. Another preview came Friday in the epilogue to the paperback version of her 2014 book, "Hard Choices." "Becoming a grand- mother has made me think deeply about the responsi- bility we all share as stew- ards of the world we in- herit and will one day pass on," Clinton writes in the new chapter, according to a preview published by The Huffington Post. "Rather than make me want to slow down, it has spurred me to speed up." The Sunday announce- ment will mark Clinton's formal return to politics following a two-year leave from government. Kicking off her campaign with straight-up retail pol- itics, where she can talk to voters one-on-one, would be a departure from how Clin- ton jumped into her first presidential campaign. In late January 2007, she de- clared at a large, boisterous rally in Des Moines, "I'm running for president, and I'm in it to win it." This time, the emphasis will be making a personal connection, rather than touting herself. Clinton al- lies say they hope the inti- mate settings will let people see a more nurturing, em- pathetic side, along with her sense of humor. Re ad y to r un , Cl in to n to announce 2016 bid Sunday POLITICS By Jim Kuhnhenn and Josh Lederman The Associated Press PANAMA CITY President Barack Obama and Cu- ban President Raul Castro moved toward a ground- breaking meeting on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas Friday in what would be a remark- able display of reconcilia- tion between two nations with the leadership of the Western Hemisphere gath- ered around them. The powerful symbol- ism of a face-to-face ex- change Saturday between the two leaders could sig- nal progress even though both sides are still work- ing through nettlesome issues that would lead to the opening of embassies in Washington and Ha- vana, the first stage in a new diplomatic relation- ship. "The two leaders will be able to address and take stock in any discussion they have over where we are in the process of nor- malization, where we are in the discussions around the establishment of embassies and where we continue to have differences," White House deputy national se- curity adviser Benjamin Rhodes said. The White House was coy over the status of the State Department's recom- mendation to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror. Removal is a top issue with Castro because it would not only eliminate Cuba's status as a pariah, but also ease Cu- ba's ability to conduct sim- ple financial transactions. Nevertheless, the pace of activity over the terror list suggested that even if Obama did not make an announcement Saturday, one would come soon. Indeed, the U.S.-Cuban outreach has entered a new, accelerated stage in recent days, with Obama speak- ing with Castro by phone Wednesday and U.S. Sec- retary of State John Kerry holding a lengthy meeting with Cuban Foreign Min- ister Bruno Rodriguez late Thursday. The Cubans also put an optimistic face on the de- velopments. The Cuban foreign ministry issued a brief account of the Kerry- Rodriguez meeting, saying that for nearly three hours they discussed the reestab- lishment of diplomatic re- lations and the opening of embassies in a "respect- ful and constructive atmo- sphere." "Both parties agreed to continue discussing other matters," the ministry said. It was the highest-level, face-to-face contact be- tween officials from the two countries since the Dec. 17 announcement that Washington and Havana would move to restore dip- lomatic relations that were severed in 1961. For Obama and Castro, their conversation Wednes- day was the first since they spoke Dec. 17. The flurry of diplomacy ahead of and around the seventh Summit of the Americas was recognition of the historic nature of the new relationship, one in- tended to end five decades of American presidents ei- ther isolating or working to overthrow Fidel Castro's government. Officials were hoping to make the most of the exchange between the two men. Obama was already get- ting praise from allies in the Americas. "President Obama is go- ing to leave a legacy the way he is supporting His- panics in the United States, and also his new policy for Cuba for us is very impor- tant," Panamanian Pres- ident Juan Carlos Varela said as he met with Obama. Removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terror would be a ma- jor milestone and likely generate controversy in the U.S., given the polit- ical repercussions of any Cuba opening. The sensi- tivities over Cuba are es- pecially acute in Florida, a key presidential battle- ground, and they are likely to ignite vigorous debate among the presidential candidates. Congress would have 45 days from the day Obama removes Cuba from the list to issue a resolution of dis- approval, but the margin of passage would have to be veto proof. AMERICAS SUMMIT St ag e se t fo r hi st or ic Obama-Castro meeting PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS President Barack Obama, accompanied by Secretary of State John Kerry, speaks during a multi-lateral meeting with Central American Integration System Presidents on Friday in Panama City, Panama. By Erik Schelzig The Associated Press NASHVILLE, TENN. The specter of Hillary Clin- ton's imminent presiden- tial campaign dropped like a gift from the heavens at the National Rifle Associ- ation's annual convention Friday. A succession of poten- tial Republican presiden- tial rivals slung criticism and cracked jokes about the Democratic candidate-to- be, and NRA leader Wayne LaPierre, never given to understatement, predicted doom for the nation if she should win. "Hillary Rodham Clin- ton will bring a permanent darkness of deceit and de- spair forced upon the Amer- ican people to endure," LaPierre said. The NRA ex- ecutive vice president and CEO vowed that the power- ful gun lobby would "stand shoulder to shoulder" to prevent her from becom- ing the next president. Clinton plans to an- nounce her candidacy for the Democratic nomination on Sunday. Many speak- ers at the NRA convention took the opportunity to say something about it. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush decried the "liberal, progressive worldview of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Eric Holder, and all of the other people who want to take the guns out of the hands of the good guys." Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker added Clinton's name to his criticism of the president. "People like Hillary Clin- ton seem to think you mea- sure success in government by how many people are dependent on the govern- ment," he said. "I think we measure success by just the opposite: by how many peo- ple are no longer dependent on the government." GOP CANDIDATES Hopefuls give NRA an earful on Clinton CHARLES KRUPA — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Medical workers aid injured people following an explosion at the finish line of the 2013Boston Marathon in Boston. By Denise Lavoie The Associated Press BOSTON Two words: too soon. That's the overwhelm- ing reaction to actor Mark Wahlberg's plans to pro- duce "Patriots' Day," a fea- ture film about the deadly bombing of the 2013 Bos- ton Marathon. Columnists, pundits and others say that the pain and suffering caused by the attack is still too fresh and too real for the fami- lies of the three killed and the hundreds of people in- jured to think about mak- ing a movie. Wahlberg, who grew up in Boston, is taking a beating. "How does someone who markets himself as 'a Boston guy' not see that it is far too soon, that the city is still far too sad for its trauma to be transformed into mass entertainment?" wrote Eileen McNamara, a former columnist for The Boston Globe who now teaches journalism at Brandeis University. Others questioned the timing of the announce- ment — two weeks be- fore the second anniver- sary of the bombing and in the middle of the federal trial of Dzhokhar Tsar- naev, the 21-year-old who was convicted Wednesday in the attack and could be sentenced to death. CBS Films said the movie will be based on a firsthand ac- count from former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis of the investigation and massive manhunt for Tsarnaev and his brother, who died during a gunbat- tle with police. During the trial, mara- thon spectators gave heart- breaking testimony about losing legs in the explo- sions or watching peo- ple bleed to death on the sidewalk. The father of the youngest victim — 8-year- old Martin Richard — de- scribed making the ago- nizing decision to go get help for his 6-year-old daughter, whose leg had been blown off, after re- alizing his son would not make it. "The trial has served as almost a movie of the events itself, making the concurrent announcement of a fictionalized portrayal feel unnecessary and in- appropriate," wrote Char- lotte Wilder of boston. com. "Maybe one day, even someday relatively soon after the trial, turning the events into a film worthy of the story would help the healing and honor the lives of those affected," she wrote. "But for now, Wahlberg — who plays up his Bos- ton roots whenever he gets the chance — picked the wrong time to break the news." Boston cool to Wahlberg's plan for movie based on 2013 marathon attack TOO FRESH, TOO REAL Thiscouldbeyourluckyday by helping a dog or cat find a loving home from... Ad Sponsorship $ 25 Call Suzy 737-5056 RedBluffDailyNews ELI Paws & Claws TEHAMACOUNTYANIMAL SHELTER 1830 Walnut Street P.O. Box 38 • Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 527-3439 CORNING ANIMAL SHELTER 4312 Rawson Rd. Corning, CA 96021 (530) 824-7054 ADOPT A PET TODAY SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 7 B