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Pope vs. Trump: 'Not Christian' to only build border walls ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Thrusting himself into the heated American presidential campaign, Pope Francis declared Thursday that Donald Trump is "not Christian" if he wants to address illegal immigration only by building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump fired back ferociously, saying it was "disgraceful" for a religious leader to question a person's faith. The rare back-and-forth between pontiff and presidential candidate was the latest astonishing development in an American election already roiled by Trump's free-wheeling rhetoric and controversial policy proposals, particularly on immigration. It also underscored the popular pope's willingness to needle U.S. politicians on hot-button issues. Francis' comments came hours after he concluded a visit to Mexico, where he prayed at the border for people who died trying to reach the U.S. While speaking to reporters on the papal plane, he was asked what he thought of Trump's campaign pledge to build a wall along the entire length of the border and expel millions of people in the U.S. illegally. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," he said. While Francis said he would "give the benefit of the doubt" because he had not heard Trump's border plans independently, he added, "I say only that this man is not a Christian if he has said things like that." ___ Big tech companies belatedly join Apple in encryption fight SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Leading tech companies are rallying behind Apple — some belatedly — in its fight against a court order requiring the company to help investigators break into an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino mass shooters. A U.S. magistrate ordered Apple to produce software that would give investigators access to the iPhone at issue. Apple has until next Tuesday to challenge that ruling, setting the stage for a legal clash that could determine whether tech companies or government authorities get the final say on just how secure devices like smartphones can be. CEO Tim Cook decried the order on Tuesday, saying it would degrade iPhone security and make users more vulnerable to spies and cyberthieves. "We stand with @tim_cook and Apple (and thank him for his leadership)!" Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey wrote in a tweet Thursday afternoon. In a statement late Thursday, Facebook said it condemns terrorism and also appreciates the essential work of law enforcement in keeping people safe. But it said it will "fight aggressively" against requirements for companies to weaken the security of their systems. "These demands would create a chilling precedent and obstruct companies' efforts to secure their products," the statement said. ___ 10 Things to Know for Friday Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Friday: 1. WHY THE POPE AND DONALD TRUMP DISAGREE Francis says Trump is "not Christian" if he wants to address illegal immigration by building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The GOP candidate says it's "disgraceful" for a religious leader to question someone's faith. 2. THE LATEST ON BERNIE'S BIG NEW HAMPSHIRE WIN Since then, Hillary Clinton has picked up endorsements from convention superdelegates, which dwarf Sanders' total. ___ Cameron faces off with 27 EU leaders in 'battle for Britain' BRUSSELS (AP) — Prime Minister David Cameron faced off Thursday against the 27 other European Union leaders, telling them to grant his country a new deal to settle the festering issue of their relationship or face a possible divorce as soon as this summer. Pressure mounted for a deal Friday at the end of a two-day summit, after initial talks dragged through the night and highlighted differences across the continent. Cameron said he was "battling for Britain" at a Brussels summit - and for a less intrusive EU that would benefit other countries, too. But French President Francois Hollande warned that no individual leader should be allowed to stop closer European cooperation. "It's the EU in question, not just one country in the EU," Hollande said as he arrived. "I want Britain to stay in the EU. But I hope most of all that Europe can advance, can be stronger." Cameron is seeking changes to the U.K.-EU relationship that will let him urge Britons to vote "yes" to continued membership in a referendum that could come as early as June. ___ GOP closes ranks around McConnell's stance on Obama nominee WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans worked to close ranks Thursday around their leader's opposition to President Barack Obama picking a new Supreme Court justice, arguing they would be well within their right to refuse to confirm a nominee in Obama's final year in office. A day after signs of splintering emerged within the GOP, Republicans mounted a display of unity in the form of a joint op-ed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley of Iowa. Other Republicans walked back earlier comments that had opened the door to granting a hearing and possibly a vote to Obama's choice to replace Justice Antonin Scalia. The series of apparent U-turns illustrated the turmoil in the Republican Party about how to handle the unexpected death of Scalia, a conservative stalwart. Obama and Democrats are hoping an overreaction by Republicans will prompt a political backlash that could galvanize support for Obama's nominee and also invigorate Democratic voters in the November elections. "No one disputes the president's authority to nominate a successor to Scalia," McConnell and Grassley wrote in The Washington Post. But they argued that inconvenient as it may be for Obama, "the Constitution grants the Senate the power to provide — or as the case may be, withhold — its consent." Tellingly, the senators didn't say whether Obama's nominee should at least get a hearing — just that they'd be justified in refusing an up-or-down vote. ___ Facing tight race, Clinton questions Sanders' party ties LAS VEGAS (AP) — Just days before Nevada's caucuses, Hillary Clinton took one of her toughest shots at rival Bernie Sanders, questioning the long-time independent's devotion to the Democratic Party he's running to lead. Clinton accused Sanders of attacking the two most recent Democratic presidents — President Barack Obama and her husband, former President Bill Clinton — both of whom remain popular political figures among Democratic voters. "I just don't know where all this comes from," she said, at a televised town hall meeting hosted by MSNBC in Las Vegas on Thursday night. "Maybe it's that Sen. Sanders wasn't really a Democrat until he decided to run for office." "Well, it's true. It's true," she exclaimed, amid a sprinkling of boos from the audience. Speaking to reporters on his campaign plane on Thursday afternoon, Sanders described some of President Bill Clinton's biggest achievements, the NAFTA trade agreement and welfare overhaul, as "disastrous." A few hours later, during his separate appearance at the town hall meeting, he said that his critique was prompted by a question from a reporter and that a member of Congress can disagree with a president from his own party ___ Asian shares slip on lingering worries about economy TOKYO (AP) — Asian stock markets slipped Friday on lingering concerns about the slump in oil prices and uncertain prospects for the global economy. KEEPING SCORE: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 2.2 percent to 15,836.23. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 inched down 0.7 percent to 4,955.70. South Korea's Kospi was little changed at 1,907.48. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.6 percent to 19,254.80 and the Shanghai Composite was down 0.7 percent at 2,841.64. Other regional markets also fell, including the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan. ROUGH START: Stock markets have slumped since the beginning of the year as the price of oil dived and investors fretted about a slowdown in global growth. After that mauling, many markets rebounded in the past week but the underlying concerns that stock prices are too high relative to waning world growth remain. THE QUOTE: "The past week saw the rebound in shares and other risk assets continue," said Shane Oliver, chief economist at AMP Capital in Sydney. "Shares have seen a decent rebound from oversold levels which may have further to go. But with global growth worries remaining it's still premature to say we have bottomed." ENERGY: Adding to uncertainty weak oil prices, although there has been a rally over the last few days. Investors are hoping that a round of international talks will lead to a deal that addresses a glut in oil production, but the U.S. government reported that energy stockpiles are still growing. Benchmark U.S. crude was down 36 cents to $30.41 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, fell 34 cents to $33.94 a barrel. ___ Cheered in Havana, Obama's Cuba trip spurs GOP skepticism WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's plans for a history-making trip to Cuba drew hopeful cheers in Havana on Thursday but equally emphatic condemnation from many U.S. lawmakers and Republican presidential candidates, who accused the president of rewarding a "dictatorial regime." Jeb Bush called the plans "appalling." Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, born in Havana, deemed Obama's March 21-22 visit "absolutely shameful." New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez — a member of Obama's party — accused him of ceding U.S. leverage to the communist nation 90 miles south of Florida. "The president is again prioritizing short-term economic interests over long-term and enduring American values," said Menendez, another Cuban-American. He likened Obama's rapprochement with Cuba to his nuclear deal with Iran. Not so, said Obama, who pledged to press President Raul Castro on human rights and other thorny issues during their sit-down in the Cuban capital. The White House said pointedly that it had put Castro's government on notice that Obama would also meet with dissidents and activists —a precondition the president had laid out for a visit. "We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly," Obama said as he announced the visit on Twitter. ___ Pope suggests contraception can be condoned in Zika crisis ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis has suggested women threatened with the Zika virus could use artificial contraception, saying "avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil" in light of the global epidemic. The pope unequivocally rejected abortion as a response to the crisis in remarks Wednesday as he flew home after a five-day trip to Mexico. But he drew a parallel to a decision by Pope Paul VI in the 1960s to approve giving nuns in Belgian Congo artificial contraception to prevent pregnancies because they were being systematically raped. Abortion "is an evil in and of itself, but it is not a religious evil at its root, no? It's a human evil," Francis told reporters. "On the other hand, avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, as in this one (Zika), such as the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear." Francis was responding to a reporter's question about whether abortion or birth control could be considered a "lesser evil" when confronting the Zika crisis in Brazil, where there has been a spike in babies born with abnormally small heads to Zika-infected mothers. ___ Some want to limit justices to 18 years on Supreme Court WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Antonin Scalia's sudden death a month before his 80th birthday and the potential impasse over replacing him is giving new impetus to an old idea: Limiting the service of Supreme Court justices. Scalia had been on the court for nearly 30 years, longer than any of the current justices and all but 14 of the 112 men and women who have served on the court. "I think 30 years on the court is too long for anyone — liberal or conservative. That is just too much power in one person's hands for too long a period," said Erwin Chemerinsky, a liberal legal scholar and dean of the law school at the University of California at Irvine. The Constitution says federal judges "shall hold their offices during good behaviour," which means essentially as they long as they wish. The most talked-about idea has support among both liberals and conservatives. A single 18-year-term would replace lifetime tenure. Going forward, presidents would appoint a justice every two years, ensuring both continuity on the court and two picks for each presidential term. On the right, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry advanced a similar idea during his 2012 Republican campaign for president.

AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EST