Pope had message of love for Mexico, tough love for powerful

Obama planning historic trip to Cuba to cement warmer ties

Obama planning historic trip to Cuba to cement warmer ties WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will pay an historic visit to Cuba in the coming weeks, senior Obama administration officials said Wednesday, becoming the first president to step foot on the island in nearly nine decades. The brief visit in mid-March will mark a watershed moment for relations between the U.S. and Cuba, a communist nation estranged from the U.S. for half a century until Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro moved to relaunch ties in 2014. Since then, the nations have reopened embassies in Washington and Havana and moved to restore commercial air travel, with a presidential visit seen as a key next step toward bridging the divide. Obama's stop in Cuba will part of a broader trip to Latin America that the president will take next month, said the officials, who requested anonymity because the trip hasn't been officially announced. The White House planned to unveil Obama's travel plans Thursday. Though Obama had long been expected to visit Cuba in his final year, word of his travel plans drew immediate resistance from opponents of warmer ties with Cuba — including Republican presidential candidates. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, whose father fled to the U.S. from Cuba in the 1950s, said Obama shouldn't visit while the Castro family remains in power. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, another child of Cuban immigrants, lambasted the president for visiting what he called an "anti-American communist dictatorship." ___ Pope had message of love for Mexico, tough love for powerful CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — Pope Francis wrapped up a five-day visit to Mexico with a message of love and compassion for the people of Mexico and the migrants who pass through it on their way to the United States. For their political and religious leaders, the trip was more a lesson in tough love. The pontiff used his time here to criticize Mexico's ruling class for failing to protect people from predatory criminal gangs and rampant corruption, and he lectured bishops to get closer to their flock and ease their suffering. He also visited some of the country's poorest and most violent areas to shine a spotlight on residents' harsh reality. The final day on Wednesday was the most symbolic and politically bold moment of Francis' trip, with hundreds of thousands gathering for Mass at a Ciudad Juarez fairground while an estimated 30,000 more watched via simulcast at a football stadium across the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. Francis also aimed a message north of the border at a time of increasingly tough presidential campaign rhetoric on immigration in the United States. The pope appealed for governments to open their hearts to the "human tragedy" of forced migration. "No more death! No more exploitation!" he implored. ___ 10 Things to Know for Thursday Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Thursday: 1. WHY POPE SOUNDED TOUGH NOTE DURING MEXICO VISIT Observers say the pontiff clearly feels both the church and the government have failed Mexico's people. 2. OBAMA EXPECTED TO VISIT CUBA NEXT MONTH Word of the trip comes as the two countries continue their efforts to normalize relations. ___ Republican feud escalates; SC Gov. Haley backs Rubio CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) — A three-way feud among the GOP's leading White House contenders escalated Wednesday, with Republican Ted Cruz daring Donald Trump to sue him and dismissing Marco Rubio's charges of dishonesty just days before South Carolina's high-stakes primary. Yet it was Rubio who may have scored the day's biggest win as he secured the coveted endorsement of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. The popular governor said she was tasked with identifying the best candidate as she surveyed the crowded GOP field. "If we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day in America," she said alongside the Florida senator during an evening rally in suburban Columbia. While a major development, Haley's endorsement did little to quiet the intensifying clash between Cruz, Trump and Rubio over alleged ethical violations in the days leading up to Saturday's South Carolina contest. Cruz, the Texas senator, has been trying to beat back charges of dishonesty from Trump and Rubio for weeks. He shifted his defense to the next level during an afternoon news conference that highlighted Cruz's extensive legal training. ___ Hospital paid 17K ransom to hackers of its computer network LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles hospital paid a ransom of about $17,000 to hackers who infiltrated and disabled its computer network because paying was in the best interest of the hospital and the most efficient way to solve the problem, the medical center's chief executive said Wednesday. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid the demanded ransom of 40 bitcoins — currently worth $16,664 dollars — after the network infiltration that began Feb. 5, CEO Allen Stefanek said in a statement. The FBI is investigating the attack, often called "ransomware," where hackers encrypt a computer network's data to hold it "hostage," providing a digital decryption key to unlock it for a price. "The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key," Stefanek said. "In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this." Ransomware attacks can happen to everyone from individuals to large institutions. ___ Cracks emerge in GOP refusal to consider Supreme Court pick WASHINGTON (AP) — Concerted Republican opposition to considering President Barack Obama's pick for the Supreme Court showed early signs of splintering on Wednesday as a handful of influential senators opened the door to a possible confirmation hearing. One Republican even suggested the president should nominate a candidate from his state. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, did not rule out a committee hearing on Obama's forthcoming nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, went a step further and said she'd support such a move. "I do believe that the nominee should get a hearing," Murkowski, who's running for re-election this fall, told reporters in Juneau, Alaska. "The question then becomes, we have a hearing on a nominee. But that doesn't necessarily mean that that ends up in a vote." Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said chances of Senate approval were slim but added that Obama should "use this opportunity to put the will of the people ahead of advancing a liberal agenda" on the high court. "But should he decide to nominate someone to the Supreme Court, who knows — maybe it'll be a Nevadan," Heller said. ___ South Korea mulls next steps against nuclear-armed North SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Furious about North Korea's recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch, South Korea vows to hit back hard and says the shutdown of a jointly run factory park in the North will only be the start. But what's next for Seoul as it looks to make its nuclear-armed northern neighbor hurt? Some experts say South Korea's leverage began shrinking when it shut the industrial complex in Kaesong, North Korea, the last major symbol of cooperation between the rivals. But other ways South Korea can pressure the North are being discussed. A look at some of them: ___ Fight over gunman's locked iPhone could have big impact WASHINGTON (AP) — An extraordinary legal fight is brewing with major privacy implications for millions of cellphone users after a federal magistrate ordered Apple Inc. to help the FBI hack into an iPhone used by the gunman in the San Bernardino mass shootings. The clash brings to a head a long-simmering debate between technology companies insistent on protecting digital privacy and law enforcement agencies concerned about losing their ability to recover evidence or eavesdrop on the communications of terrorists or criminals. On Wednesday, the White House quickly disputed the contention by Apple's chief executive officer, Tim Cook, that the Obama administration is seeking to force the software company to build a "backdoor" to bypass digital locks protecting consumer information on Apple's popular iPhones. The early arguments set the stage for what will likely be a protracted policy and public relations fight in the courts, on Capitol Hill, on the Internet and elsewhere. "They are not asking Apple to redesign its product or to create a new backdoor to one of their products," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. "They're simply asking for something that would have an impact on this one device." ___ Q&A: A look at the Apple vs Justice Dept. court fight WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. magistrate judge has ordered Apple to help the FBI break into a work-issued iPhone used by a gunman in the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. Apple CEO Tim Cook immediately objected, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal fight between Silicon Valley and the federal government. Here's a look at the case so far: ___ WHAT DID THE JUDGE DECIDE? Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym, a former federal prosecutor, ordered Apple Inc. to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone used by Syed Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in December in the worst terror attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001. The phone was provided to him by San Bernardino County, where he worked as a government health inspector. Prosecutors say they don't know whether anything relevant is on the phone but can't access the information because they don't know the password and Apple won't cooperate. ___ Explosion in Ankara kills at least 28, wounds 61 others ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A car bomb went off in the Turkish capital Wednesday near vehicles carrying military personnel, killing at least 28 people and wounding 61 others, officials said. The explosion occurred during evening rush hour in the heart of Ankara, in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters and lodgings. Buses carrying military personnel were targeted while waiting at traffic lights at an intersection, the Turkish military said while condemning the "contemptible and dastardly" attack. "We believe that those who lost their lives included our military brothers as well as civilians," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said. At least two military vehicles caught fire and dozens of ambulances were sent to the scene. Dark smoke could be seen billowing from a distance. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Kurtulmus pledged that authorities would find those behind the bombing. He said the government had appointed seven prosecutors to investigate the attack, which he described as being "well-planned."

AP News in Brief at 12:03 a.m. EST