Michael Barbaro (host)

Good luck to you.

Thank you.

Same to you.

Oh, yes.

We're doing a quick interview photo.

Yes.

No, no, no, no.

No, no, no, no.

Later tonight, Zoran Mondani will participate in the first general election debate of the mayor's race, where he'll face off against Andrew Cuomo, now running as an independent, and Curtis Sliwa, a Republican.

The debate begins at 7 p.m.

The Times reports that the Trump administration has secretly authorized the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela, a major escalation in its campaign against the country's authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro.

The U.S.

military has already been destroying boats off Venezuela's coast that it claims are transporting drugs.

And in private conversations, U.S.

officials are now making it clear that their end goal is to drive Maduro from power.

And in oral arguments on Wednesday, the Supreme Court's conservative majority appeared ready to challenge a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by prohibiting state lawmakers from using race as a factor in drawing election maps.

If the court decides that race may not be used in such maps, it could allow Republican legislatures to eliminate at least a dozen Democratic-held House seats across the South.

Today's episode was produced by Aasla Chaturvedi, Mary Wilson, Jessica Chung, and Mujzadi.

It was edited by Paige Cowan and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Contains music by Alishaba Itub, Dan Powell, and Marian Lozano.