10 things you need to know today: May 4, 2019

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1. Trump, Putin discuss Mueller report, don't address election interference
2. House Democrats threaten Barr with contempt proceedings
3. North Korea fires 'short-range projectiles'
4. Strong April job gains help bring unemployment to 49-year low
5. Dozens dead after Cyclone Fani makes landfall in India, Bangladesh
6. Tensions escalate between Israel, Hamas
7. Ebola death toll in DRC nears 1,000
8. Boeing 737 skids off the runway in Jacksonville, all on board safe
9. Avengers: Endgame expected to break new weekend box office records
10. Game Winner the favorite for 145th annual Kentucky Derby

published 4 May 2019

1. Trump, Putin discuss Mueller report, don't address election interference

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone for more than an hour on Friday, the White House reported. Their conversation touched on Venezuela, North Korea, and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election interference. Trump and Putin discussed the report "very, very briefly" and "in the context that it's over," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Trump told reporters Putin "smiled" when they discussed Mueller's findings, because "he knew there was no collusion whatsoever." When asked if he told Putin not to meddle in the next election, Trump responded, "We didn't discuss that."

House Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is giving Attorney General William Barr until Monday to hand over an unredacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report, or Democrats will "move to contempt proceedings," Nadler said Friday. Barr skipped a hearing with the committee on Thursday, and Nadler said he'd give Barr "a day or two" before moving to contempt. Barr has offered a less-redacted version of Mueller's report to 12 bipartisan lawmakers, but in his Friday letter, Nadler said he'd like that privilege extended to "all members of Congress and appropriate staff." Nadler also said he wants Barr to give the Judiciary Committee "investigative and evidentiary materials specifically cited in the report." Nadler issued a subpoena for the full Mueller report two weeks ago.

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South Korea's military confirmed that North Korea fired multiple "unidentified short-range projectiles" into the sea on Saturday. South Korea initially described the projectiles as missiles, but later offered a more general description of what was launched. The projectiles reportedly traveled between 43 and 124 miles. Analysts believe the launch, which comes on the heels of North Korea's April test of what it called a tactical guided weapons system, is an attempt to pressure the United States into offering more concessions in negotiations surrounding North Korea's denuclearization process. Talks between the two sides stalled in February following a meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. South Korea urged its northern neighbor to cease testing its weapons.

The Labor Department reported Friday that the U.S. economy added 263,000 jobs in April, exceeding expectations that ranged from 190,000 to 217,000. The gains helped reduce the unemployment rate from 3.8 percent to a 49-year low of 3.6 percent. A sharp, 490,000-person drop in labor force participation also contributed to the decrease in unemployment. The average hourly earnings of American workers rose 0.2 percent, to $27.77 an hour, slightly less than expected. The government revised March's job gains to 189,000, down from an initial report of 196,000. February's gain was adjusted from 33,000 to 56,000. Employment gains firmed up in the last two months after an erratic start this year, with a huge 312,000-job increase in January followed by February's weak gains after the government shutdown.

Cyclone Fani made landfall in India's eastern state of Odisha on Friday as the worst tropical cyclone to hit the country in 20 years. It reached Bangladesh on Saturday. At least 16 people were killed in India and a dozen in Bangladesh. Wind gusts of up to 127 miles per hour were recorded in Odisha where the cyclone came ashore in the beach resort city Puri. Authorities evacuated an unprecedented 1.2 million people from low-lying areas of Odisha. The storm has lost some of its power, however, and authorities say the fear of a major disaster is mostly over.

An Israeli air raid on the northern Gaza strip killed one Palestinian and wounded four others on Saturday. The raid was reportedly launched in retaliation for Hamas firing more than 100 rockets from the Gaza strip into southern Israel. Israel's aerial defense system, the Iron Dome, intercepted dozens of the rockets, the Israel Defense Forces said. There were no immediate reports of Israeli casualties. Saturday's back-and-forth strikes follow violence on Friday that left two Hamas militants and two other Palestinians dead, while two Israeli soldiers were wounded by sniper fire. An Israeli Police spokesperson said there is now heightened security and increased patrols in Israel's southern cities.

The death toll from an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo passed 1,000 on Friday, the World Health Organization reported, marking a grim milestone since the virus began spreading last summer. The WHO is working to expand vaccinations by using an unlicensed vaccine as another "tool in the toolbox," said Michael Ryan, director of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme. "We are anticipating a scenario of continued intense transmission," he said. There were 27 new Ebola cases confirmed in the DRC on Sunday alone, a new single-day high, and 1,429 confirmed cases in total. The epidemic is the second deadliest in history, and has been exacerbated by violence in the country.

A chartered Boeing 737 airplane carrying military personnel and civilians skidded off the runway at the naval air station in Jacksonville, Florida, and into the St. John's River on Friday evening after flying in from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Navy security and emergency response personnel were on the scene. All 143 on board were rescued, though 21 were transported to local hospitals to treat minor injuries. The captain of the plane, Michael Connor, described the safe landing as a miracle. Officials did not immediately say what caused the plane to leave the runway, but an investigation is currently underway.

Avengers: Endgame is continuing to shatter box office records and on Friday became the fifth highest-grossing movie ever made. The Marvel blockbuster has moved up five slots on the global top 10 list just since Tuesday. Its worldwide total has reached $1.7 billion, putting it ahead of Jurassic World and the first two Avengers movies. Only Avengers: Infinity War, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Titanic, and Avatar have made more at the global box office. Endgame looks likely to surpass Titanic to become the second highest-grossing movie ever made, and is also likely to achieve the biggest second weekend of all time.

The 145th annual Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisivlle, Kentucky. Post time is 6:50 p.m. with coverage beginning on NBC at 2:30 p.m. A horse named Game Winner has the highest odds in the field at 9-2, though two others, Roadster and Improbable, sit at 5-1. The Kentucky Derby is the first of the three Triple Crown races and will be followed by the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Last year saw just the second Triple Crown winner since 1975 when Justify emerged victorious in all three races.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.