10 things you need to know today: May 2, 2019

1. Barr defends handling of Mueller report

Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday defended his decision to clear President Trump on obstruction of justice after Special Counsel Robert Mueller explicitly declined to do so. Barr testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that he had not misrepresented Mueller's report in a summary he sent Congress, even though Mueller wrote in March complaining that Barr "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance" of his findings. Barr said Mueller's letter was "a bit snitty," but that in a subsequent phone conversation the special counsel had said Barr's summary was accurate. Democrats accused Barr of "misleading" Congress by testifying last month he knew of no complaints from Mueller's team. Some said he should resign. Republicans defended Trump and called on Barr to investigate Hillary Clinton.

The Washington Post The Associated Press

2. Trump requests $4.5 billion to address border needs

The Trump administration on Wednesday asked Congress for $4.5 billion in emergency funds to address what President Trump has called a humanitarian crisis on the southern border. The money would not go toward Trump's proposed border wall, but toward housing facilities, medical treatment, food, and infant care for immigrants detained at the border, where conditions have been criticized by politicians and human rights groups alike. Congress and Trump have clashed over border funding due to resistance against Trump's demand for money to build his promised wall. House Appropriations Committee Chair Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) said the committee would work with the White House "where possible."

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USA Today

3. Barr says he won't appear before House committee

Attorney General William Barr has decided not to testify as scheduled at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday. The Justice Department said in a statement that committee Chair Jerrold Nadler's (D-N.Y.) plan to have staff attorneys question Barr was "inappropriate," calling conditions Democrats were imposing "unprecedented and unnecessary." It added that Barr was "happy to engage directly with members on their questions regarding" Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election interference and whether President Trump tried to obstruct justice. Nadler issued a statement confirming that Barr would not testify a day after he appeared at a Senate hearing. He said Barr was "terrified" at the prospect of being questioned by skilled staff attorneys. Nadler also said Barr would have another "day or two" to provide Mueller's unredacted report or face a possible contempt citation.

CNBC The Washington Post

4. UNCC shooting victim hailed as hero

Witnesses on Wednesday praised the heroism of one of the two people killed by a gunman at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte a day earlier, saying Riley Howell, 21, was killed as he rushed the gunman and knocked him down. "He's an athletically built young man and he took the fight to the assailant," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Kerr Putney said. "Unfortunately, he had to give his life to do so but he saved lives doing so." "He did such a heroic thing," Howell's aunt, Morgan Howell Moylan, said. "He was everybody's protector. You felt safe when you were with Riley." Another student, 19-year-old Ellis Parlier, also was fatally shot.

CNN

5. Teen migrant dies in U.S. custody

A 16-year-old unaccompanied migrant has died after falling ill in federal custody in Texas, Trump administration officials said Wednesday. Ten days ago, Immigration and Customs Enforcement transferred the boy, who was not identified, to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the part of the Department of Health and Human Services that houses migrant children. "No health concerns were observed" by health officials at the shelter when the boy arrived, HHS spokeswoman Evelyn Stauffer said in a statement to NBC News. The next morning, however, he "became noticeably ill including fever, chills, and a headache," Stauffer said. The teen then was sent to a children's hospital where he died several days later.

NBC News Brownsville Herald

6. Trump administration asks court to strike down the entire ACA

The Trump administration on Wednesday filed a formal request in a federal appeals court to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act. Previously, the administration had said parts of former President Barack Obama's signature health law, including the Medicaid expansion, should remain in place. But in late March the Trump administration shifted its position, and the appeals court filing seeks to have all of ObamaCare struck down as unconstitutional. The filing came in a challenge to ObamaCare by Texas and 17 other states led by Republicans. In December, a federal judge in Texas found the law unconstitutional, but California and 20 other Democrat-led states appealed. The appeals court hears oral arguments in July.

The New York Times

7. Carolina teachers protest low pay

Thousands of teachers walked out of schools in the Carolinas on Wednesday to protest low pay. The demonstrations in North and South Carolina followed similar actions over the last three months in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Colorado, and California. Teachers in some places have staged sick-outs, while those in others have marched or protested in picket lines. In South Carolina, where the pay of many teachers has not kept up with inflation since 2003, teachers took personal days so they could protest. "We know it is a sacrifice for educators to be out of their classrooms," the teachers' advocacy group SC for Ed said. "However, not participating in this event will only allow the cycle of detrimental education policy to continue."

U.S. News & World Report CNN

8. Florida passes bill to let school districts arm teachers

Florida lawmakers on Wednesday passed a bill seeking to let teachers carry guns in the classroom. The state's House passed the measure 65 to 47 just days after the state Senate approved it. The bill, which Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is expected to sign, would let school districts arm teachers, expanding the voluntary Guardian program established to arm some trained school staff members in the wake of last year's Parkland school shooting. The program initially excluded teachers who "exclusively perform classroom duties." School districts aren't obligated to participate in the program. President Trump and the National Rifle Association have pushed arming teachers as a way to stop school shooters. Critics say this could endanger students' and teachers' lives due to accidents.

Reuters The Miami Herald

9. Fed sees no looming reason to change rates

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday concluded a two-day policy meeting by leaving its benchmark interest rate unchanged and saying it saw no strong reason to raise or lower interest rates in the near future. The patient approach reflects signs of a healthy economy, such as strong job growth, offset by unusually low inflation. "We think our policy stance is appropriate at the moment; we don't see a strong case for moving it in either direction," Fed Chair Jerome Powell said after the meeting. President Trump has called on the Fed to cut rates to boost the economy, but the decision to hold rates steady was widely expected. Still, Powell's statement appeared to disappoint investors. The three main U.S. indexes gave back early gains and closed down by 0.6 percent or more.

Reuters The Associated Press

10. Guaidó admits lack of military support as Venezuela standoff continues

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó conceded Wednesday that this week's anti-government protests did not yet have the backing of enough military defectors to oust President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro has accused President Trump of orchestrating Guaidó's Tuesday "coup d'etat attempt." He called for supporters to show "utmost loyalty" and take to the streets to defend his socialist government. Maduro called for two "days of action" this weekend. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Russia of propping up Maduro, and said the U.S., which backs Guaidó as the South American nation's leader, was leaving all options on the table, including military action. Russia said the U.S. was spreading false information in an "information war."

CNN The Associated Press