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What leadership change occurred in the U.S. military's Southern Command?
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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. There was a change in leadership of the U.S. military's Southern Command this week. The command is responsible for all U.S. military activity in Central and South America, along with the Caribbean. Navy Admiral Alvin Halsey relinquished his duties Friday after raising concerns about the controversial attacks on Venezuelan boats.
He said the military's work remains important.
That work must continue across the whole of government to deliver at the point of need to respond to shared threats in our neighborhood. The time is now.
The leadership change comes at a critical time as Trump increases pressure on the Venezuelan governments. The Justice Department has filed more lawsuits against mostly Democratic-led states in an attempt to access sensitive data about registered voters.
NPR's Hansi Lowong has more. For months, the Justice Department has been demanding certain states turn over complete copies of their voter registration lists, including any driver's license numbers and parts of voters' Social Security numbers. In court filings, the DOJ says it wants this personal information to check if states are following federal law and keeping accurate voter rolls.
But most states have refused, citing privacy restrictions. Now, the Justice Department is suing Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Nevada. They're the latest among a total of 18 states facing lawsuits. The DOJ has also filed a new lawsuit against Georgia's Fulton County.
The Trump administration is trying to force local election officials to turn over all ballots and other records from the 2020 election that President Trump lost. Anzila Wong, NPR News.
The president of the European Commission is warning President Trump not to meddle with democracy in Europe. NPR's Ruth Sherlock has the latest.
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