Amy Held

Some 4,000 sailors are on board, joining thousands of U.S.

service members already there.

Military exercises are scheduled.

The

U.S.

strikes have killed dozens aboard alleged drug-smuggling boats.

It is not clear whether the military will be used against Venezuela.

Still, Venezuela's leader, Nicolas Maduro, is readying his military and rallying supporters, accusing the U.S.

of pursuing a criminal war.

He put his message to music at a rally this weekend, calling for peace and singing John Lennon's Imagine.

The U.S.

has long pushed for regime change in Venezuela, offering a $50 million award for Maduro's arrest.

This week, the House will vote whether to order the Justice Department to release documents about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

NPR's Mara Liason reports.

In an unusual move, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the State Higher Education Coordination Board.

Texas Public Radio's Jerry Clayton has more.

This is NPR News.

The latest federal immigration operation in a Democrat-led city enters its second day in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Sometimes masked, Border Patrol agents have made multiple arrests.

The Department of Homeland Security calling it Operation Charlotte's Web and says it's surging agents to ensure safety.