Today in One Paragraph
Pope Francis inserted himself into the U.S. presidential race, telling reporters that Donald Trump “is not Christian.” The pope also suggested that using contraception to prevent the spread of the Zika virus might be acceptable. President Obama announced that he is visiting Cuba next month—the first sitting U.S. president to do so in decades. And Turkey blamed Wednesday’s deadly car-bombing on a U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish group.
Top News
Pope vs. Trump. Asked about the Republican presidential candidate’s proposal to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, Pope Francis told reporters that “a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.” Trump quickly fired back, calling the pope’s comments “disgraceful.” (Daniel Burke, CNN)
Pope Takes on Contraception. In the same in-flight press conference, the pope also suggested that, in order to prevent the spread of Zika—a virus possibly linked to birth defects—avoiding pregnancy is the “lesser evil” in comparison to abortion. (Emma Green, The Atlantic)
Obama Headed to Cuba. When the president visits Cuba on March 21, he’ll be the first sitting U.S. president to do so since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. In a series of Twitter posts, Obama said he’s traveling to the country “to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people.” He will also be traveling to Argentina. (BBC News)