Daily Briefing: Pope Leo's first mass

Good morning!🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Obsessed with these photos of Alan Jackson, Shaboozey and Kelsea Ballerini at the ACM Awards.

Quick look at Friday's news:

• Pope Leo XIV, a 69-year-old Chicago native, is the first pontiff born in the United States.
• It is unclear whether Trump's trade deal with the U.K. will provide momentum for future trade agreements.
• Pete Buttigieg opened a new conversation about transracial adoption.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Mass with cardinals

Pope Leo XIV marked his first full day Friday as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church by celebrating Mass in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel with cardinals.

Meet the 267th pope: Formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Chicago-born Leo was primarily a missionary in Peru before receiving dual Peruvian nationality and serving as a bishop in Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. He became a cardinal in 2023.

• Leo's selection surprised the Roman Catholic world. After white smoke emerged from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, there was a brief moment of uncertainty when the new pope's name was announced to a huge crowd in St. Peter's Square before people erupted in cheers.
• "Peace be with you all": As cardinal, Prevost attracted interest from his peers because of his quiet style and support for the late Pope Francis, especially his commitment to social justice issues.
• Chicago is beaming. Chicagoans are fiercely proud of their city's working-class reputation and Leo has a reputation in the Catholic Church for sticking up for worker's rights and the disenfranchised, something highly valued in the Windy City.

Photos: See Americans across the country react to the election of the pope from Chicago.

Trump scored his first big trade deal. Now what?

President Donald Trump finally landed a trade deal Thursday with the United Kingdom. Trump has a lot more deals to make, though, and in a relatively short time. They involve much larger trading U.S. partners, such as China, Mexico and Canada — and potentially tougher negotiations. The biggest concerns revolve around China, which still faces 145% tariffs and has responded with big levies of its own on U.S. goods. The first signs of de-escalation are just starting to show between the world's two largest economies. U.S. and Chinese negotiators are expected to meet this weekend.

More news to know now

• The acting FEMA administrator was replaced after contradicting Trump on abolishing the agency.
• Do you hate America's health care system?
• The Gates Foundation looks to close by 2045.
• Diddy defense preview? His lawyer defended a "sex cult" leader in an eerily similar case.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

US military to remove transgender troops next month, memo says

Internal instructions issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth illustrate how President Donald Trump's administration intends to swiftly act to remove thousands of transgender service members after the Supreme Court's ruling Tuesday cleared the way for a ban to take effect. The memo obtained by Reuters orders the Pentagon to start eliminating transgender troops who do not elect to leave on their own by June 6. Transgender rights activists called the move "senseless" and "shameful."

Republicans are laying out red lines for Trump's mega-bill

In early April, House Speaker Mike Johnson made a handful of conservative hardliners a promise: There would be at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years in President Donald Trump's most important second-term bill, or they could kick him out of the speakership. Fulfilling that promise will be no simple feat. As lawmakers draw hard lines over what they will support in the massive bill, it is becoming increasingly clear that not every player's ultimatums will all be met. The question is: Who will be forced to compromise?

Today's talkers

• "Real Housewives" star Teddi Mellencamp shared a divorce update with Edwin Arroyave.
• A Pirates fan described injuries sustained in 21-foot fall at PNC Park.
• This year's NBA playoffs have been defined by massive comebacks
• A Paste BN editor's mom died by suicide. Here's how she learned to talk about it.
• Here are the best photos from the second round of the 2025 NHL playoffs.

Pete Buttigieg got real about transracial adoption. It's making waves.

Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten are raising adopted Black children – something he recently discussed on the "Flagrant" podcast. They're hardly alone: Scroll through TikTok and you'll find wholesome, heartwarming stories about White parents with Black children posting videos perfecting their children's hair. Today, there are plenty of resources for parents who adopt children of a different race, a process known as transracial adoption. But that wasn't always the case. Some now-adult transracial adoptees are determined to share their stories, too, to combat what they say is an overly rosy narrative about adoption. They hope in doing so, the experience of Black adoptees will continue to improve and evolve.

Photo of the day: Blocked!

Hawaii's Rainbow Warriors advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships in Columbus, Ohio, after successfully holding off the Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday. Sign up for our Sports newsletter for updates from across the Paste BN Network.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.