The acknowledgement of covert action in Venezuela comes after the U.S. military in recent weeks has carried out a series of deadly strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean.

During the speech last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lectured senior military officials on the "warrior ethos," focusing on fitness and grooming standards, and calling out "fat generals."

The federal government is currently shut down. The NPR Network is following the ways the government shutdown is affecting services across the country.

They're framing it as a way to share data and messages about threats, emergency preparedness and public health policy at a time when the federal government isn't doing its job in public health.

The court is looking at the last standing part of the Voting Rights Act called Section 2.

Furloughed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worker Peter Farruggia is concerned about paying his bills if the government shutdown continues much longer. His last paycheck was last Friday.

NPR's Michel Martin asks Michigan Rep. Lisa McClain, the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, about the ongoing government shutdown and the prospects for a resolution.

A Supreme Court case over Louisiana's congressional map could determine the future of Voting Rights Act protections against racial discrimination and allow Republicans to draw 19 more House seats.

Conspiracy theories about health fill a vacuum created by the lack of doctors in many rural communities. Meanwhile, doctors in these areas say patients have become increasingly distrustful and sometimes hostile.

The government shutdown is on its 15th day, and as the public increasingly begins to feel the effects, it remains unclear which party on Capitol Hill will blink first.