5 things you need to know Friday

Trump returns to a comfortable place: The campaign trail

President Trump visits a Boeing plant in South Carolina on Friday, a day after his combative news conference where he defended his administration and repeatedly bashed the media. Trump's appearance, his first outside the Beltway since taking office on Jan. 20, is part of a two-day series of events that will reignite talk about his 2020 re-election bid.  After the Boeing event, Trump heads to an old-fashioned airport rally in Florida on Saturday — a gathering organized and financed by his campaign organization.

'Biggest storm of winter' to slam Southern California

A major storm — likely the strongest in at least six years — is poised to bring drenching rain, heavy mountain snow and howling winds to Southern California on Friday and Saturday. Floods, mudslides, rockslides, travel delays and power outages are all possible, the National Weather Service warned. While Northern California will miss out on the brunt of the storm, another is lined up to hit that part of the state late Sunday. That could aggravate the situation around the dam at Oroville and other reservoirs that are filled to capacity, AccuWeather said.

Amid controversy, Yiannopoulos to appear on 'Real Time'

Conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos will appear Friday night on Real Time with Bill Maher. Journalist Jeremy Scahill will not. This week, Scahill — a frequent guest on the show — posted on Twitter that he wouldn't appear as scheduled, citing Yiannopolous' "hateful diatribes." Yiannopoulos writes for Breitbart News, considered by many a platform for the “alt-right” movement, an offshoot of conservatism that mixes racism, white nationalism and populism. Earlier this month, a planned speech by Yiannopoulos at the University of California-Berkeley was canceled after violent protests broke out.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

The battle of unlimited data heats up 

Looking for a new data plan? Well, Friday might be your lucky day as three of the major cellphone carriers' unlimited plans go into effect. T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T announced new deals this week in an effort to draw in new customers after Verizon, the last big carrier with no unlimited data plan, unveiled an $80 per month unlimited plan ($180 for four lines) during the Grammy's on Sunday. Comparing unlimited data plans can be complicated, though — you can't read the fine print too carefully, right? Before making your big decision, click here to review the different prices.

'The Great Wall' hits theaters saddled with controversy

Matt Damon’s new film The Great Wall opens Friday amid critics calling it a “blatant white savior narrative.” The action-adventure movie — centered around a 12th-century European mercenary tasked with helping Chinese warriors fight off supernatural creatures — is projected to make just upward of $20 million this weekend, despite huge success in markets such as China, where it has amassed more than $170 million. Experts point to Hollywood’s inability to develop bankable, diverse stars in foreign markets as part of the problem.

Prefer to listen rather than read? Strap on your headphones and catch our 5 Things podcast: