Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have passed a new

congressional map that likely eliminates the state's only Democratic seat. This is the first state to pass a

new map after the Supreme Court all but struck down the Voting Rights Act. NPR's Ashley Lopez

reports. The newly passed map breaks up a congressional district that includes Memphis

into multiple districts. This dilutes the voting power of the city's mostly black population,

which largely votes for Democrats. Various Republican-led states in the South are weighing,

redrawing districts since the Supreme Court overturned Louisiana's congressional map.

The court's conservative majority took issue with a

district that was drawn to create a second majority black district. Louisiana is expected to

redraw its map soon as well, which could add to the growing number of safe seats for Republicans.

The party now has a slight edge heading into this year's midterm elections. Ashley Lopez, NPR News.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent a couple of

hours at the Vatican today trying to smooth over tensions between the Trump administration and the

First American Pope. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports that Iran and Cuba were among the topics discussed.

President Trump has called the Pope soft on crime and on Iran, but none of those tensions were on display as Rubio exchanged gifts with the Pope and met with him privately.

The State Department says the meeting underscored the strong relationship between the U.S. and the Holy See, and said they discussed the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere.

Rubio's State Department has been working with the Catholic Church in Cuba to deliver aid.

The Vatican has expressed concerns about a humanitarian crisis there, as the U.S. cuts off most fuel

shipments, and as Trump talks about a, quote, friendly takeover of the communist island.

Michelle Kellerman and PR News, the State Department.

Public health experts are raising concerns about why the U.S. government hasn't had a more

public response to the hauntavirus outbreak that started on a cruise ship.

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