10 things you need to know today: May 1, 2019

1.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller complained in a letter to Attorney General William Barr in late March that Barr's four-page memo to Congress "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance" of Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference and possible obstruction of justice by President Trump, The Washington Post reported Tuesday after reviewing a copy of the letter. "There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation," Mueller wrote. Mueller asked Barr to release the 448-page report's introductions and executive summaries. A day after Mueller sent the letter, he and Barr spoke by phone, officials said. Mueller expressed concern that media coverage of Barr's memo misinterpreted the investigation. Barr is scheduled to start two days of testimony to Congress on Wednesday. [The Washington Post]

2.

Open clashes erupted in Venezuela between the government and the opposition on Tuesday, after opposition leader Juan Guaido called for an uprising against the South American nation's embattled socialist president, Nicolas Maduro. Guaido appeared in a three-minute video, flanked by military personnel, and urged both civilians and soldiers to join the push to oust Maduro. Guaido's mentor, Leopoldo Lopez, stood beside Guaido. "This is the moment to take to the streets and accompany these patriotic soldiers," said Lopez, who was detained in 2014 for leading anti-government protests. Maduro claimed victory against what he described as a failed coup attempt. He denied U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's claim that Maduro "had an airplane on the tarmac" ready to take him to Cuba, but Russia told him to stay. [The Associated Press, BBC News]

3.

Democratic leaders said Tuesday that they reached an agreement with President Trump to spend $2 trillion on upgrading the nation's roads, bridges, railroads, and other infrastructure. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made the announcement after meeting with Trump. The two sides did not strike a deal on how to pay for the improvements, but White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the meeting was "excellent and productive." Schumer said there was "good will," which he noted "was different than some of the other meetings that we've had." Schumer and Pelosi said they would meet again with Trump in three weeks to discuss funding. [ABC News, NPR]

4.

A British court on Wednesday sentenced WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to 50 weeks in prison for jumping bail seven years ago and taking refuge in Ecuador's London embassy. Assange, 47, had faced up to a year behind bars for the bail violation. Assange sought asylum from Ecuador in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning on sexual assault and rape allegations. He was arrested after Ecuador's government decided he had overstayed his welcome and disrespected his hosts. Assange faces an extradition hearing in London on Thursday linked to U.S. charges that he conspired with former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack a password and steal documents from a classified government computer. [The Washington Post, CNBC]

5.

Japan's new emperor, Naruhito, formally took the Chrysanthemum Throne on Wednesday, a day after his 85-year-old father, Akihito, became the first Japanese emperor to abdicate since 1817. Naruhito, 59, said he felt a "sense of solemnity" as a brief ceremony in which he received sacred imperial regalia formally marked his ascension to the throne. Naruhito is the first emperor born after World War II. He is expected to continue his father's focus on atonement and humanizing the world's oldest monarchy in a country where the emperor was long seen as a living god. "I sincerely hope for the happiness of the people and further progress of the country, and for world peace," Emperor Naruhito said. Japan's emperor is an important national symbol but holds no political power. [The New York Times, Reuters]

6.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has surged to a 26-point lead over his nearest rival for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released Tuesday. Biden had the backing of 38 percent of Democrats and voters leaning Democratic who were surveyed. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was second with 12 percent. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was a close third with 11 percent. A CNN-SSRS poll, also released Tuesday, gave Biden 39 percent, putting him 24 points ahead of Sanders, who was the only other candidate in the crowded field with support in double digits. A new Morning Consult survey also showed Biden surging since his announcement with 36 percent support, giving him a 14-point lead over Sanders, his nearest rival. [The Hill]

7.

House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Tuesday his panel would send the Justice Department a criminal referral arguing that Blackwater founder Erik Prince, an ally of President Trump, "willingly misled" the committee during 2017 testimony. "The evidence is so weighty that the Justice Department needs to consider this," Schiff said. Nine days before Trump took office, Prince met in the Seychelles with a Russian financier linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prince testified the meeting was a chance encounter, and that he was not representing Trump. Special Counsel Robert Mueller called that account into question, determining the meeting was scheduled in advance, and that Prince promised to relay information to Steven Bannon, then Trump's chief strategist. [, CNN]

8.

A gunman armed with a pistol fatally shot two people and wounded four students at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Tuesday, according to police. Three of the four injured were rushed to a hospital in critical condition, UNCC police said. Two or three campus police officers, who had been assembled for a nearby concert, rushed into the building and quickly took a suspect into custody. "He never had time to get out of the room," said Jeff Baker, chief of the UNCC Police and Public Safety Department. Police identified the suspect as Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22. Terrell's grandfather, Paul Rold of Arlington, Texas, said he had never shown any interest in guns. "You're describing someone foreign to me," he said. [The Charlotte Observer, The Associated Press]

9.

As Federal Reserve leaders met to discuss plans on interest rates and other policies, President Trump tweeted that the economy was doing well but would "go up like a rocket" if the Fed would cut interest rates. He said "some quantitative easing" would help, too, referring to the central bank's efforts to boost the economy by purchasing bonds. Trump has said the Fed's four interest rate hikes last year hindered growth, citing China as a country that has given its economy "great stimulus." Trump has considered putting allies on the Fed board to bring it in line. One, former presidential candidate Herman Cain, has withdrawn from consideration. The other, conservative commentator Stephen Moore, has come under pressure for past comments about women. [The Associated Press]

10.

The Tony Award nominations were announced Tuesday, with To Kill a Mockingbird and The Ferryman leading the pack of plays. Jeff Daniels, Bryan Cranston, and Adam Driver earned Best Leading Actor in a Play nods, and Heidi Schreck and Laurie Metcalf are among the six nominees for Best Leading Actress in a Play. The recently premiered musical Hadestown led the overall field with 14 nominations. Those include Best Musical, Best Leading Actress, Best Original Score, and both the Best Featured Actor and Best Featured Actress categories. Ain’t Too Proud —The Life and Times of The Temptations is right behind with 12 nods, and Tootsie follows with 11. James Corden will host the Tony Awards on June 9. [Tony Awards]