Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump is flying to Beijing today.

There, he'll meet with China's top leader Xi Jinping. NPR's Emily Fang reports one of the issues front and center will be China's relationship with the island of Taiwan.

Calling China, Sizing Ping, an amazing man. Trump said the meetings with Xi later this week will cover energy prices,

the war with Iran, and Taiwan. The Democratic Island, China hopes to control one day. Asked about a delayed

multi-billion dollar U.S. weapons sale to Taiwan, Trump has said he would talk about it with China's

Xi Jinping. A lot of good things can happen. We'll be talking about, I mean, he'll bring up Taiwan.

American legislation requires the U.S. to provide for Taiwan's defense, and that includes

selling Taiwan arms.

Trump has also said who raised the case of imprisoned Hong Kong activist and publisher

Jimmy Lai, as well as an imprisoned Christian pastor in China.

Emily Fang and Pierre News.

The Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to change its congressional maps in a way that consolidates Republican power. MPR's Debbie Elliott reports it's part of a broader push in a

Republican-controlled southern states to redistrict after the court ruled its unconstitutional

to draw district lines

based on race. The Supreme Court is allowing Alabama to use a map that eliminates one of two

largely black congressional districts now represented by black Democrats. In a social media

post, Republican State Attorney General Steve Marshall lods the victory.

We have fought for years against courts forcing Alabama to sort its citizens by race,

and we were right to fight.

Freshman Democratic Congressman Shemari figures of Mobile holds one of the targeted seats.

This is a last-ditch effort, you know, led by the top Republican officeholder in this country, Donald Trump, to be able to stay in a position where he, you know, has unchecked power.

Other southern legislatures are moving ahead with similar redistricting plans.

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