Morning Briefing

In a CBS interview scheduled to air today, Jimmy Carter denounces President Donald Trump’s decision to hire John Bolton as his national security adviser. Trump's "Worst Mistake" yet.

In the news today: Commerce Department says citizenship question will be reinstated in 2020 Census. We reported in January: Catholic organizations oppose adding a question about citizenship to census, saying it will have a "chilling" effect on immigrants with or without documentation.

The Life, the international panel of Catholic sisters discussing issues about religious life, this month talks about education, calling it the highest priority and key to spiritual formation. Six sisters, five countries, four continents.

This reminds me of one of the giants of religious life, Immaculate Heart of Mary Sr. Margaret Brennan, instrumental in forming the organization that would become the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and before that, the Religious Formation Conference. She made it her goal that for every 100 sisters in her congregation, there would be 10 theologians.

And as March, Women's History Month, draws to a close, we'd do well to remember other Catholic women who helped shape the church we are today. Mary Dwan was the best that our Catholic Church can produce, says Fr. Peter Daly. She was a great friend of NCR.

Sally Cunneen: Women's voices meant to speak for all Her 1968 book, Sex: Female; Religion: Catholic, examined the changing role for women members of the church and her 1996 book In Search of Mary: The Woman and the Symbol brought a feminist critique to traditional Mariology.

Interesting developments in Rome: U.S. Papal Foundation announces period of reflection, re-evaluation. The group of "stewards" who pledge to give $1 million over the course of no more than 10 years and has donated more than $120 million in grants and scholarships since 1990 won't have its customary April papal audience.

• Michael Sean Winters wrote about the Papal Foundation in February: LifeSiteNews does harm with stories like 'Vatican financial scandal'
• Members of the foundation figured in stories that Tom Roberts wrote last year, including: Conservative donors aim to shape Catholic narrative for the wider culture
• The foundation also found its way into reporting by Dan Morris Young in 2014: Napa Institute gathers US church's well-heeled and high-ranking devout

National Council of Churches gears up to combat US racism Plans to launch "a multi-year, racial justice truth-telling initiative" on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Shot in his grandmother's backyard. As outrage over Stephon Clark's killing grows, his grandmother asks: 'Why? Why?'

Could it be true? Rumor is that Paul Ryan may resign as U.S. House speaker, Scalise will replace him

Last week you read about the Vatican's communications czar resigning because of the Benedict letter scandal. Well, the fallout is spreading: Benedict XVI criticism of theologian revives image of 'panzer cardinal' Retired pope's letter sparks speculation over what role he is playing at the Vatican during his retirement. (This site may require registration.)