Attorney General, Venezuela, U.N.C. Charlotte: Your Wednesday Briefing

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Good morning,

We’re covering the growing rift between the special counsel and the attorney general, the mass protests in Venezuela, and a fatal shooting at a university in Charlotte, N.C.

Mueller objected to Barr’s view of Russia inquiry

Robert Mueller, the special counsel, wrote a letter to Attorney General William Barr in March, objecting to Mr. Barr’s early description of the conclusions in Mr. Mueller’s report, according to the Justice Department and three people with direct knowledge of the communication between the men.

It was unclear what objections Mr. Mueller raised, although a Justice Department spokeswoman said on Tuesday that he “expressed a frustration over the lack of context” in Mr. Barr’s presentation of the findings on obstruction of justice.

Why it matters: The letter adds to the growing evidence of a rift between the two men. The four-page summary that Mr. Barr submitted to Congress created the impression that the special counsel’s team had found no wrongdoing, and President Trump declared he had been exonerated. When the redacted report was released, it showed that Mr. Mueller believed that significant evidence existed that Mr. Trump had obstructed justice.

What’s next: Mr. Barr is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee today at 10 a.m. Eastern. We’ll have live coverage.

On Tuesday, thousands of antigovernment demonstrators clashed with forces allied to Mr. Maduro. At least 69 people were wounded. The Trump administration, which has backed Mr. Guaidó since he first challenged Mr. Maduro’s authority more than three months ago, immediately came out in support of the opposition.

Background: Since January, Mr. Guaidó has run what amounts to a parallel government, counting on support from more than 50 countries. But he has failed to depose Mr. Maduro or solve shortages of food, medicine and power for Venezuela’s 30 million people.

Related: President Trump has threatened to punish Cuba after accusing the country of aiding Mr. Maduro’s government.

Gunman kills 2 on North Carolina campus

A man with a pistol fatally shot two people and wounded four others in a classroom at the University of North Carolina Charlotte on Tuesday, the authorities said. Three of the wounded were in critical condition.

The police took a suspect into custody, identifying him as Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22. They declined to elaborate on a possible motive.

The details: The shooting occurred on the last day of classes at U.N.C. Charlotte, a public university with an enrollment of about 30,000.

How your diet affects climate change

About a quarter of the greenhouse gases generated by humans is produced by the world’s food system. That’s the raising, harvesting, processing, packaging and shipping of everything we consume.

We answered your questions about how to shop, cook and eat, and what those choices mean for our warming planet.

See for yourself: How do your food choices compare with those of other Americans? Take our quiz.

Another angle: It’s often difficult for wine drinkers to find information about producers’ environmental practices, but they can start by asking about one tangible thing: the bottle.

If you have 18 minutes, this is worth it

Reading between the tree rings

Trees, it turns out, are giant recording devices. The circles etched into the trunk tell stories about past climate, civilizations, ecosystems and even galactic events.

Jussie Smollett: Fox has said there are “no plans” for the actor’s character to return to its hip-hop drama, “Empire,” which has been renewed for a sixth season. Mr. Smollett was accused of faking a hate crime attack in January, but charges were dropped.

ESPN, out of print: The sports media giant is eliminating the money-losing print version of its namesake magazine, which debuted in 1998.

Late-night comedy: Jimmy Kimmel critiqued Joe Biden’s campaign motto. “Make America Moral Again is a nice sentiment, but it is an absolutely terrible hat. It’s Joe ‘MAMA,’” he said.

What we’re reading: This piece in The Guardian. Stephen Hiltner, who’s been writing some of our briefings, says: “This characteristically brilliant essay by one of my favorite nature writers, Robert Macfarlane, asks us to consider the world’s oft-neglected underground spaces — and what they might tell us about our planet’s future.”

Now, a break from the news

Watch: Anthony Jeselnik says he can say very dark things because audiences understand that he’s not a monster — his character is. His new special is now on Netflix.

Go: Collages and Polaroids by Dash Snow, Barbara Ess’s surveillance photographs and Jeffrey Gibson’s geometrically patterned garments. Find these and more in our guide to New York’s art galleries.

Smarter Living: Are you always too busy? There’s a way out of the madness. Taking regular breaks to do nothing improves productivity. Sitting still might be uncomfortable at first and could take practice — just like exercise. Keep devices out of reach, and play with open-ended toys like kinetic sand.

And if you have a pet, bring this list of questions for your veterinarian.

And now for the Back Story on …

Honoring workers

In many countries, today is observed as International Workers’ Day. The date memorializes a conflict that became a critical moment in the organized labor movement around the world.

In 1886, on the fourth day of national protests in the U.S. calling for an eight-hour work day, police officers responded to a homemade bomb in Chicago’s Haymarket Square with gunfire. Within minutes, seven officers and four protesters were dead. Eight labor organizers were arrested, tried and convicted.

Socialist and Communist groups meeting in Paris a few years later chose to remember the Haymarket Affair by making the date the protests began, May 1, a labor holiday. But some U.S. politicians feared following suit.

The country eventually followed the lead of a handful of states and Canada, which had been observing a holiday for workers in September since the early 1880s.

In 1894, the U.S. made Labor Day a national holiday, to be celebrated each year on the first Monday in September.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Chris

Thank you
Inyoung Kang helped compile this briefing. Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and Kenneth R. Rosen provided the break from the news. Stacy Cowley, a business reporter, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at [email protected].

P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is about the end of Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s rule of Sudan.
• Here’s today’s mini crossword puzzle, and a clue: Singer who’s part of the celebrity couple “J-Rod” (3 letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• The Society of Professional Journalists recognized The Times for “Lost in the Storm,” a Magazine article following one family through Hurricane Harvey, and a follow-up “Daily” episode.