1. HEARTLESS

Trump Proposal to Evict Undocumented Immigrants From Public Housing Could Displace 55,000 Kids: HUD

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has acknowledged that a proposed rule that would bar families with mixed-immigration status from public housing would displace over 55,000 children who are legal residents or citizens. According The Washington Post, the rule—proposed by White House senior adviser Stephen Miller—would require every member of a household to have “eligible immigration status” in order to receive public housing benefits rather than just one member. If the new rule comes into effect, 25,000 households—or 108,000 people—would become ineligible for the benefits. “HUD expects that fear of the family being separated would lead to prompt evacuation by most mixed households,” HUD’s analysis of the rule stated. “Temporary homelessness could arise for a household, if they are unable to find alternative housing.” HUD recommended the administration change the policy to allow current mixed-status families to stay in order to lessen the “adverse impact of the transition on eligible children.”

2. EMPTY-HANDED

U.S.-China Trade Talks End With No Deal

Trade talks between the U.S. and China ended with no deal on Friday, hours after the U.S. raised tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, The New York Times reports. In addition to the tariffs that went into effect on Friday morning, President Trump said his administration is prepared to impose tariffs on another $325 billion worth of imports. “Tariffs will make our Country MUCH STRONGER, not weaker. Just sit back and watch!” Trump tweeted Friday, adding that the Chinese should not “renegotiate deals with the U.S. at the last minute.” Later Friday, Trump wrote on Twitter that the discussions between the two countries were “candid and constructive,” saying future talks would “continue.” “In the meantime, the United States has imposed Tariffs on China, which may or may not be removed depending on what happens with respect to future negotiations!” the president wrote.

Negotiators for the two countries held talks into late Thursday, but that was not enough to halt the U.S. doubling its tariffs. China’s commerce ministry said it “deeply regrets” the decision by the U.S., and vowed to “take necessary countermeasures.” Just last week, Trump was claiming that an “epic” trade deal was in the works—but talks reportedly broke down over the weekend.

3. SPRING SAVINGS

Give Your Wardrobe a Jolt of Inspiration With This 30% Off Sale at J.Jill

Get The Beast in your Inbox
Our newsletters are delivered twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
Daily Digest
The best stories from our journalists
Cheat Sheet
Everything you need to know today, from a variety of sources

By Subscribing I have read and agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

4. RESTLESS

MyPillow Lays Off 150 Workers Months After CEO Credited Trump Tax Cuts for Economic Boom

MyPillow is laying off about 150 workers, according to a statement from CEO Mike Lindell. Lindell has been a vocal supporter of Trump, and credited the president’s tax cuts with creating a new economic boom only six months ago. In an October op-ed for Alpha News, Lindell wrote that MyPillow was able to give 5 to 10 percent raises to all its employees due to Trump’s tax cuts. “Thanks to President Trump, hope has turned into confidence for business owners and their employees in Minnesota and across the country,” Lindell wrote.

The company, based out of Minnesota, is reportedly changing the layout of its facilities as Lindell prepares to start a new business venture. According to the statement, he plans on launching an “online store for entrepreneurs and inventors to sell their products,” called MyStore.com. “I value each and every one of my employees so this is a difficult decision, however this is what is best right now for the future of MyPillow and to prepare for the launch of MyStore.com,” he said. MyPillow laid off 140 workers about two years ago at a different plant.

5. KEEPING UP WITH THE KIDS

‘He’s Here!’: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Welcome Son

Kim Kardashian, 38, confirmed on Twitter Friday that she and her husband, Kanye West, 41, have welcomed their fourth child, a son, via surrogate. “He’s here and he’s perfect!” Kardashian West tweeted. “He’s also Chicago’s twin lol I’m sure he will change a lot but now he looks just like her,” she added, talking about the couple’s 1-year-old daughter. The news of the imminent birth was announced by Kardashian’s sister, Kourtney, during a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “So, my mom doesn’t even know this, but Kim’s surrogate went into labor,” she told the host on Friday. Kardashian carried both North, 5, and Saint, 3, to term, but opted for surrogacy after describing the pregnancies as “difficult.”

6. CALLING OUT YOUR ‘MATE’

London Mayor: We Shouldn’t Be ‘Rolling Out the Red Carpet’ for Trump During State Visit

London Mayor Sadiq Khan told a British radio station that President Trump is not in the “same class” as former President Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Regarding Trump’s planned state visit to the U.K. next month, Khan said Trump shouldn’t get any special treatment. “Of course we should have a close relationship with the president of the United States, but we shouldn’t be rolling out the red carpet; we shouldn’t have a state banquet,” Khan told LBC, according to The Hill. Khan then referred to two presidents who have come to the U.K. on state visits—Obama and Bush—and asserted that Trump was “not in the same class as those two.” Khan also described the U.S. and U.K. as being “close mates” who have the responsibility to call each other out. “The standards that you expect from them are higher, and I think we should say to President Trump when he’s here... ‘You know what, you’re wrong.’” Trump is reportedly slated to visit the U.K. from June 3 to 5.

7. UP TO A JURY

A.J. Freund’s Parents Plead Not Guilty to Murdering 5-Year-Old Son

The parents of A.J. Freund, the 5-year-old Illinois boy whose body was found last month in the woods, pleaded not guilty Friday to multiple charges, including murdering their son. JoAnn Cunningham, 36, and Andrew Freund Sr., 60, entered their not guilty pleas at McHenry County court one day after they were indicted by a grand jury on 20 charges each. The charges include three counts of murder and one count of concealing a death for the April 15 slaying of their son, whom they reported missing a week before authorities discovered his body wrapped in plastic and buried in a shallow grave about seven miles away from his Crystal Lake home.

During the hearing, the parents also requested a jury trial and a judge granted a motion seeking a psychological evaluation. Cunningham and Freund were arrested on April 24, hours after officers found Andrew’s body. An autopsy found Andrew died as a result of “craniocerebral trauma” caused by “multiple blunt force injuries.” Police said he was forced to stand in a cold shower for 20 minutes and then beaten to death as punishment for urinating in his underwear.

8. TAKING OVER

Rihanna Becomes First Woman to Create Original Fashion Line at LVMH

Rihanna is about to become the first woman ever to create a brand under the world’s largest luxury group, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Rihanna will also become the first woman of color at the top of an LVMH brand, and her line, called Fenty, will be the first new house created by the group since 1987. The singer, actress, and business mogul will now join the ranks of celebrated luxury brands like Dior, Givenchy, Celine and Fendi. The creation of Rihanna’s brand marks a change in approach for LVMH, signaling that the company is open to embracing new designers instead of revamping its existing names. Her brand, set to launch soon, will be based in Paris and will feature ready-to-wear items, including shoes and accessories. Fenty “is centered on Rihanna, developed by her, and takes shape with her vision,” according to a statement from LVMH. “Designing a line like this with LVMH is an incredibly special moment for us,” Rihanna said in the statement. “Mr. Arnault has given me a unique opportunity to develop a fashion house in the luxury sector, with no artistic limits... I’m ready for the world to see what we have built together.”

9. PRECOCIOUS

12-Year-Old Crime Reporter Gives Commencement Address at West Virginia University Media School

Hilde Lysiak, a 12-year-old crime reporter, gave a commencement speech at West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media on Friday, making her possibly the youngest person to ever address a college graduating class. This accomplishment is nothing new for the preteen journalist, who began reporting hard news before she had hit double digits. Lysiak first came to national attention when she covered a homicide in her hometown of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, for her own newspaper, the Orange Street News. She went viral a couple of years later, after she stood up to a police officer in Arizona who threatened to arrest Lysiak for filming him while he was on duty. The town later issued her an apology.

During her speech Friday, Lysiak quickly addressed the elephant in the room: her age. “Let me address a few thoughts that I’m sure are going through your head right now: ‘I’m $80,000 in debt and my school can’t even afford a full grown human to give the commencement speech,’” Lysiak joked. With that out of the way, her speech moved on to some of the journalism lessons she’s learned throughout her young career. Lysiak reminded graduates to “keep your ledes tight... talk to real people,” and “trust no one.” “And most importantly of all, stay laser focused on the truth,” Lysiak said. “If you do these things, I believe that history will look back on this moment not as the last dark days before the profession of journalism died, but as the new beginning.”

10. FORCED TO FLEE

Violence Forced 10 Million More People From Their Homes in 2018, Says Report

Conflict forced more than 10 million additional people to leave their homes and live in other parts of their country in 2018—bringing the total number of so-called internally displaced people due to violence to a record high of 41 million, an all-time high. The numbers come from a new report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). The most-affected populations came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Nigeria, according to the study. Among those, 6.1 million are displaced within Syria. “It is really a mind-boggling figure,” said NRC Chief Jan Egeland. “It takes extreme violence and fear of disasters to force a family out of their home, their land, their property, their community.” If the number of people displaced from their homes by natural disasters is included, a total of 28 million people were displaced internally in 2018, according to the figures from the report.