Whatever happens at President Donald Trump’s first meeting with Pope Francis later this month, it probably won’t include the passionate embrace one artist recently conjured up.

A life-size mural depicting the pontiff ardently kissing the U.S. president appeared on a wall near the Vatican on Thursday, Reuters reported. The pope is illustrated with a saintly halo and a crucifix around his neck. Trump appears with a gold watch, a pistol and devil horns sprouting out of his head.

The two men are locked in a steamy, mouth-to-mouth kiss.

A caption written on the sash of the pope’s cassock reads “The Good Forgives the Evil.” The piece is signed “TVBoy,” believed to be Italian street artist Salvatore Benintende, who has done a number of kiss-related murals in the past.

Francis and Trump are scheduled to meet at the Vatican on May 24 while the president is on a tour of Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy and Belgium. It will be the first time the men meet in person after trading insults on social media and in interviews over the last year.

TVBoy imagined the meeting going something like: “Angel Francis forgives the Devil Trump in Rome just before the G7,” the artist wrote on Instagram, referring to the summit of world powers the president will attend in Italy.

Perhaps, TVBoy. Perhaps.

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It’s been a chaotic week for American politics. And an even busier week for President Donald Trump’s Twitter presence.

It might seem like the leader of the free world has a full plate ― what with people questioning the future of health care, the former FBI Director James Comey’s firing and the general state of infrastructure in the U.S., to name just a few concerns ― but no.

Somehow, he still has time to tweet about public enemy No. 1 Rosie O’Donnell AND flex his seemingly obscure idiom skills in yet another reference to his defeat of Hillary Clinton.

“Russia must be laughing up their sleeves,” he wrote, “watching as the U.S. tears itself apart over a Democrat EXCUSE for losing the election.”

”Laughing up their what?” the American people collectively asked.

The particular assortment of word salad is actually a real phrase, though. According to Merriam-Webster, universal guardian of language, it means “to be secretly happy about or amused by something (such as someone else’s trouble).”

Oxford Dictionaries concurs, defining it as being “secretly or inwardly amused.”

It sounds like a perfect idiom for Trump’s America, to be honest. Who, these days, isn’t laughing up their sleeves about one thing or another? Take, for example, Merriam-Webster’s use of the phrase in a sentence: “The mayor’s critics were laughing up their sleeves when news of the scandal was first reported.” 

Tweaked slightly it becomes: “Hillary Clinton was laughing up her sleeve when Donald Trump first won the GOP nomination.” 

So, while you might have become accustomed to guffawing at the 140-character declarations slung by our commander-in-chief, this one’s real.

The dictionary-in-chief has spoken.

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The New Yorker held nothing back in its depiction of the latest scandal engulfing Washington, D.C. The May 22 cover drawing, titled “Ejected,” shows former FBI Director James Comey being dragged off a United Airlines flight by none other than Attorney General Jeff Sessions, depicted as a police officer. President Donald Trump, dressed as a pilot, looms behind him.

Trump fired Comey on Tuesday. He had been leading an FBI investigation into whether the Trump campaign had colluded with Russia, thereby influencing the outcome of the 2016 election.

Sessions had recused himself from the Russia investigation in March after it was revealed that he’d been in contact with Russian officials during the campaign ― information he didn’t disclose during his confirmation hearings. Yet he still “made a recommendation” to the president about Comey’s firing, Trump said in an interview with NBC News that aired Thursday.

“It’s probably a bit of a leap,” illustrator Barry Blitt said. “James Comey is six feet eight — he probably would have been happy to give up his seat in a cramped cabin.”

The illustration is a powerful nexus of two major news stories. It’s also a nod to the recent United Airlines controversy in which passenger David Dao was violently dragged off a plane. Disturbing video of the incident went viral, creating a public relations nightmare for the airline. Dao and United eventually settled for an undisclosed amount. Dao said he suffered a concussion, two broken teeth and a broken nose. 

The cover inspired mixed emotions immediately after it went live:

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This Brazilian woman is not letting anyone define what beauty is for her.

Mariana Mendes was born with a birthmark on her face. But even as a young girl, she believed the mark didn’t take away from her appearance but rather enhanced it. 

“I don’t want to seem stuck up, but I feel beautiful, and part of the reason is because I have the birthmark,” the 24-year-old stylist assistant told Brazilian newspaper O Globo, in a piece published Monday. “It makes me special, more beautiful. The birthmark gives me self-esteem and I think that, because of that self-esteem, some people also like it.”

As a child, Mendes underwent several laser sessions to remove the birthmark, known medically as a Congenital melanocytic nevus. By the age of 6, however, she told her mother she didn’t want to do anything to get rid of it. 

“My mom was worried,” Mendes, who currently lives in Juiz de Fora, added. “She didn’t want me to suffer any bullying, but I don’t remember ever having any problems in school. When I was 6, she asked me if I wanted to continue with the birthmark removal procedures that I did in Sao Paulo. I told her no.”

Mendes says she makes it a point not to pay attention to any negative comments about her birthmark, though she knows not everyone likes it as much as her. Still, she hopes embracing her own birthmark will inspire others to do see the beauty in what makes them different. 

“When people don’t know me they just stare and ask what it is, but the people who know me say that they don’t even realize I have the mark, to them it’s just another part of my body,” she told Metro UK. “I find living with a facial nevus very easy because I like it a lot and I want others to feel as confident as I do about their nevi.” 

Mendes told O Globo that despite the fact that she stopped the procedures to remove the birthmark, she still makes sure to go to the doctor to monitor it in case there are any changes that could point to serious skin conditions. 

“I haven’t had any changes, yet,” she said. “And the birthmark doesn’t affect my health. If it’s stable it’s because there’s no sign of risk.”  

There’s nothing more beautiful than self-love. 

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Tiny journalism enthusiasts, rejoice!

The New York Times announced on Thursday that it will be offering a special section for kids on Mother’s Day. Offering a mix of stories related to news, arts, science, travel sports, opinion, and food, it will appear in the Sunday, May 14 edition of the print newspaper.

According to the press release announcing the the special section, “Readers will not only have fun, but will learn some new tricks, including how to write a newspaper story; how to win an argument with your parents; how to make the best homemade slime imaginable (written by a 13 year-old!); how to bake a chocolate chip cookie pizza; how to nail the spelling bee; how to go big with a 16-year-old aspiring Olympic snowboarder; how to design your own superhero (with help from Marvel); how to make a killer paper airplane (with help from NASA); how to make your own crossword puzzle (with help from Will Shortz), and much more.”

There’s also an article called “How Did You Get Your Cool Job” featuring Misty Copeland, Kamala Harris and more. Additionally, the Kids section will include a child-friendly version of the newspaper’s “Truth is Hard” brand campaign.

The kids’ section is the third special print-only section following the “Puzzle Spectacular” in December and the excerpt of The Underground Railroad that ran in in August. 

While the content is aimed at kids ages nine to 12, many adults on Twitter are pretty pumped about the announcement. 

Enjoy, kids (and kids at heart)!

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Warning! Spoilers below for “13 Reasons Why.”

Over the weekend, Netflix revealed their hit series “13 Reasons Why” will return for a second season. 

The show tells the story of teenager Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford), who leaves behind 13 tapes for her classmates, explaining her decision to take her own life. The first season ended with Hannah’s suicide ― in a graphic and controversial scene ― so many are wondering what Season 2’s storyline will include. Well, showrunner Brian Yorkey spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the new episodes and what fans can expect.

First off, Hannah will be present as the show continues to weave through time frames. But Yorkey wants to make sure the focus shifts a bit to those who impacted her decision in one way or another. 

“We saw Hannah’s version of events unfold, but there’s a lot more to be told also about those characters,” Yorkey said.

He continued, “I think one of the things that is still hanging out there is this question of is someone responsible for Hannah’s death? Is the school responsible? Who is responsible, if anyone is? One way we’ll explore that question is through the trial and also through all of these kids reflecting on where they are a few months down the road and what other secrets are being uncovered. That’s going to take us into the past, into Hannah’s story. We’re going to get some new context for events we already know about and we’re going to see a lot of things we hadn’t even heard about yet that fill in some really interesting gaps in our understanding of who Hannah Baker was and what her life was.”

The trial Yorkey is referring to above is the one concerning Hannah’s parents vs. the school. Still, a lot of viewers want to see Bryce Walker (Justin Prentice) brought to justice for what he did to both Hannah and Jessica (Alisha Boe) ― and he might face some consequences in Season 2. 

“When people intimate that Jessica’s story is done, I find that a horrific thought because Jessica is just beginning the process of recovering from her rape, and we have a rapist who has not in any way been brought to justice. To leave those two things hanging out there in the world would be upsetting,” Yorkey told EW. “I want to see how that at least starts to play out and I want to do Jessica’s story the deserved justice of following her as she goes back to school, as she tries to begin to recover from what happened to her, because it’s something that millions of young women go through,” he said, adding, “And also [I want to] see somebody punch Bryce in the face.” 

The showrunner also confirmed that a lot of the burning questions from Season 1 will be answered, but he hopes that, rather than just resolving those cliffhangers, the new episodes will allow fans of the show to better understand each character’s journey.

As for the tapes, well …

“The tapes are still obviously on people’s minds,” he said, “but there is a different sort of analog technology that plays a hugely important role in season 2. So the cassette tapes aren’t at the center of it — those two boxes of tapes are still hanging around and matter to people — but there will be a new piece of technology for 13-year-olds to Google and try to understand what it was.” 

A premiere date for Season 2 of “13 Reasons Why” has yet to be announced.

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We know that celebrities inspire popular baby names, from Audrey (Hepburn) to (John) Lennon. But celebrities also choose famous names for their children, with actors and musicians paying homage to legendary stars with their name choices.

Our report on this trend from a few years back highlighted picks like Mariah Carey’s Monroe and guitarist Slash’s Cash.

The trend hasn’t slowed down one bit! Those names remain in the headlines, but there’s a whole new class of celebrity baby names inspired by stars.

Bowie

Baby name Bowie made our original list, thanks to Rebecca Minkoff’s daughter, Bowie Lou. Since then, Zoe Saldana has welcomed a son named Bowie, as have Tess Holliday, and Dane DeHaan and Anna Wood. One reason for the acceleration? The early 2016 passing of music legend David Bowie has put this musical surname in the same class as Marley and Hendrix.

Presley

Jackson Rathbone’s younger child carries a doubly musical name: Presley Bowie. The middle is both a family name and a tribute to the late singer. Rathbone noted that Presley combines their family’s Southern heritage with a rockabilly vibe. After all, when the “Twilight” star isn’t acting, he’s also a musician. They’re not the first family to name a baby after Elvis: nearly 2,000 newborn Presleys entered the world in 2015 alone.

Etta

Carson Daly and Siri Pinter welcomed daughter Etta in 2012, just a few months after legendary singer Etta James passed away. Jazzy and sophisticated, Etta makes a logical successor to favorites Emma and Ella. It’s currently right outside of the U.S. Top 1000 list, but has risen steadily over the last few years.

Arlo

Legendary folk singer Arlo Guthrie’s unusual given name has become a rising favorite with plenty of parents. Leighton Meester and Adam Brody gave the name to a daughter; so did Johnny Knoxville. But we like this best for a boy, as chosen by actress Toni Collette, and more recently, English musician Charlie Simpson.

Axl

Fergie’s name for her young son came to her in a dream. The singer imagined herself watching legendary Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose perform at a festival. When she awoke, she and husband Josh Duhamel instantly knew it was the name for their son. Traditional Scandi Axel has history galore, but lately rock ‘n’ roll Axl is trending, too.

Greta

Count Greta as an early starbaby example of the trend – Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates gave name to a daughter years ago; so did David Caruso. But Ty Burrell of “Modern Family” puts Greta on the list of recent celebrity baby name picks. It brings to mind screen legend Greta Garbo, fitting right in with girls called Audrey and Ava.

Harlow

Nicole Richie chose a glam girl name when she and Joel Madden welcomed their daughter in 2008. Harlow comes from Jean, the original Blonde Bombshell of the 1930s silver screen. Plenty of other parents followed her lead, sending the name soaring. In 2015, “American Idol” alum Kimberly Caldwell welcomed a daughter with a double dose of blonde ambition: Harlow Monroe.

Hemingway

Parents love literary Harper and Holden. No surprise we’re looking for similar inspiration. Ben Hollingsworth of “Code Black” chose a little-used literary surname for his son last year: Hemingway, as in Ernest. The author is remembered for his writing, but also for his love of travel and sense of adventure. It makes a powerful combination for a child’s name.

Dusty

Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo have yet to confirm the reasons behind their daughter’s distinctive name ― though we know that Ellen DeGeneres suggested Dusty. Could it be inspired by 1960s icon Dusty Springfield, who recorded hits like “I Only Want to Be With You” and “Son of a Preacher Man”? It’s a fitting choice for the daughter of a singer and a supermodel.

 

Everly

The Everly Brothers were among the first class of musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986. Anthony Kiedis, frontman for 2012 inductees Red Hot Chili Peppers, was among the first to use the name, for a son in 2007. But it’s Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan who sent the name skyrocketing, after they welcomed daughter Everly in 2013.

 

Isley

Glenn Howerton of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” fame solved the baby naming puzzle when he heard a song by the Isley Brothers. With singles like “This Old Heart of Mine” and “It’s Your Thing,” the brothers scored a string of hits in the 1960s and 70s. Today, their surname name fits right in with names like Riley, Miles, and even Isaac and Isaiah.

Montgomery

Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen prove that Old Hollywood works for boys’ names, too. The couple named their third child, and first son, Montgomery in 2015. A year later, “The Young and the Restless” actor Greg Rikaart also gave the name to a son. Oscar-nominated actor Montgomery Clift used the nickname Monty; so do these newest little stars.

Ozzie

Max Greenfield is yet another dad to find a name that nods to his musical hero – Ozzy Osbourne. Son Ozzie James arrived in 2015. In an interview, Greenfield joked that it was an appropriate name in case his son turned out to be “a maniac.” Osbourne himself was born the much milder John Michael.

 

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Tina Fey stopped by “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday night, where she confirmed that the highly anticipated stage production of “Mean Girls,” the musical, is indeed happening. What’s more, it’s headed to Broadway.

The musical is based on the iconic 2004 film of the same name, which follows a high school clique of popular girls as they welcome fresh meat a new student into their coveted coterie.

Fey, who wrote the film’s screenplay and starred in it as Ms. Norbury, also adapted the movie for the stage. Fey’s husband, Emmy-winning composer Jeff Richmond, wrote the music, and Tony Award-nominee Nell Benjamin wrote the lyrics. 

Fey told Fallon that the the show has been cast and the actors have been rehearsing for the past month. The level of talent, she ensured, is first-rate. Specifically, Fey described the cast as a bunch of “Baby Timberlakes,” which seems like an appropriately dated metaphor given the subject matter. 

“Mean Girls” is slated to premiere at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., on Halloween night, where it will run until Dec. 3. Fey also noted that the venue is located mere blocks from the White House, adding: “If you work there and get fired, come down, see the show. Twenty-five percent off if you got fired that day.”

For all non-White House employees, tickets for D.C. shows are available here.

Next stop, Broadway! 

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As President Donald Trump has rushed to proclaim as “fake” everything he doesn’t like (see: investigations into his campaign’s ties to Russia, his approval ratings, the media), a surprising new brand of authenticity has emerged ― one that counters the contrived fakeness of Trump with, well, “real.”

Here are a few of the surprising people and groups trying to keep Trump in check:

Merriam-Webster

The famous dictionary’s Twitter account has regularly acted to correct the president’s record (to say nothing of his spelling).

Super Bowl ads

In a Super Bowl full of surprises, for many, the biggest surprise of all was how many advertisers used their costly airtime to take on Trump and his policies.

Scarce were the stereotypical ads of yore featuring scantily clad women and poorly disguised lies about beer. In their place ran numerous, surprisingly emotional spots, ones that highlighted the power of diversity, empowered women, and ― in several instances ― clearly endorsed immigrants and their contribution to the American fabric in the face of Trump’s proposed ban against immigrants from majority-Muslim countries.

Emergency Puppy

The Twitter account Emergency Puppy started as an innocent attempt to fill Twitter users’ timelines with painfully adorable photos. But the account got deeper as Trump took office, pairing those cute pup photos with philosophical quotes about politics, justice and resistance.

More than 640,000 people currently follow the account, which was created in November 2011. 

National parks

National park workers handle everything from bears and alligators to armed suspects trying to hide from the law.

When Trump announced his Muslim travel ban, Death Valley National Park’s official Twitter account also handled some history lessons, helpfully reminding Americans of the shameful Japanese internment camps it once hosted.

Badlands, Redwood and countless other national park accounts have shared facts about climate change throughout Trump’s time in the White House. The administration even asked the National Park Service to temporarily stop using Twitter after its official account retweeted someone’s post comparing the size of the crowd at Trump’s inauguration to that of the crowd at the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Did Trump really think he could silence them by muzzling their Twitter accounts? Instead, he only added more fuel, turning it from a cozy marshmallow-roasting campfire into a raging inferno of dissent.

The pope

In the past, when conservative policies needed a moral backing, they often found refuge in papal proclamations. Pope Francis has bucked that tradition, instead urging world leaders ― Trump included ― to help the less fortunate by doing things like combating climate change, which he called a “sin,” and to embrace “the “poor, refugees and marginalized.”

“We live in cities that throw up skyscrapers and shopping centers and strike big real estate deals,” Pope Francis said in a video earlier this year that seemed clearly aimed at Trump. “The result of this situation is that great sections of the population are excluded and marginalized: without a job, without options, without a way out. Don’t abandon them.”

Steph Curry

There’s no shortage of people who think athletes should avoid politics and just stick to sports. But we live in a time when NFL quarterback John Elway think it’s appropriate to use Broncos letterhead to endorse a Supreme Court candidate, wo we might have crossed the “sports and politics don’t mix” line a long time ago.

Enter Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, a devout Christian, who has grown more outspoken in calling out Trump. In an interview earlier this year, Curry called Trump an “asset,” but only “if you remove the ‘et.’”

“I don’t get in people’s faces and out in the streets with a bullhorn [spreading my message] that way,” Curry said. “But every opportunity I have to show love, to show respect, to show just that positivity, I feel like that’s my job and that’s what I stand for.”

Pete Souza’s Instagram account

Souza was the official White House photographer for former President Barack Obama. Now, he’s putting his photos to work on Instagram, where he’s made a name for himself by visually contrasting Trump’s conduct with that of his predecessor.

After Trump blamed Democrats for the failure of the GOP’s initial attempt to overturn Obamacare, Souza published a 2010 photo of Obama meeting with Republicans, including Mike Pence:

When Trump declined to throw the opening pitch at opening day of the Washington Nationals game (a tradition that dates back to 1910), Souza was quick to post a photo of Obama getting in a couple warmup throws. And after Trump’s notoriously awkward first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Souza dropped this gem:

Tiffany & Co.

The famous jeweler has always touted the ethical sourcing and responsible mining of its diamonds, but the company took its climate-friendly stance a step further when it issued a direct plea to Trump to keep the U.S. in the Paris Climate Agreement. The company called climate change a “disaster” and a “threat to our planet and to our children.”

“The Big Bang Theory”

The CBS hit comedy has taken hits at the president at the end of some episodes via the vanity card ― a graphic featuring production company logos that typically pops up after a show’s end credits. In addition to a jab at Trump’s former reality show “The Apprentice,” producer Chuck Lorre also used the card to slam Trump’s campaign slogan.

“‘Make America great again’ is a bumper sticker for victimhood,” Lorre wrote on a vanity card in November 2016.

Whoever runs the “House Of Cards” Twitter account

When it first started airing in 2013, the hit Netflix series was no more than a dark political drama, focused on a scheming man with a twisted worldview, obsessed with the pursuit of power. Fast forward a couple years, and it’s turned into an uncomfortable reflection of reality.

That isn’t lost on whoever runs the “House of Cards” Twitter account, which has taken to sharing pithy, dark lines from President Frank Underwood as they become relevant in the real world.

After Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, for instance, “House of Cards” subtweeted Trump with a gif of Underwood smiling.

“When you’re fresh meat, kill and throw them something fresher,” the tweet said.

Even Trump’s Inauguration Day wasn’t spared from the show’s snark.

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While most 14-year-old students are about to enter high school, Carson Huey-You is ready to graduate from Texas Christian University with a physics degree. 

Carson, who also completed a double minor in math and Chinese, enrolled in the school as a freshman at the age of 11 and is set to graduate Saturday.

His mother said he has been interested in math since he was 3 years old and that she realized her son had an eighth-grade comprehension of the subject when he was just a toddler. He went on to skip several grades and graduated high school at the age of 10. 

“It didn’t come easily. It really didn’t,” Carson says in an interview with NBCDFW. “I knew I wanted to do physics when I was in high school, but then quantum physics was the one that stood out to me, because it was abstract. You can’t actually see what’s going on, so you have to sort of rely on the mathematics to work everything out.”

His younger brother Cannan is also a very impressive student. At just 11 years old, Cannan, who wants to be an astronaut, will start classes at TCU this fall at the same age Carson began. He plans to major in astrophysics and engineering. 

Earlier this month, 18-year-old Raven Osbourne also grabbed headlines for her academic excellence. The teen is set to graduate both high school and college in Indiana within a few weeks of each other. 

Congrats to them all! 

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