Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy are set to meet later today. Here's what to know

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House on Monday to discuss how to end Russia’s three-year war in Ukraine. Months of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting haven’t made headway, but the stakes have risen since Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. After that summit, Trump abandoned the requirement of reaching a ceasefire in order to hold further talks and aligned with Putin’s position that negotiations should focus on a long-term settlement instead. The presence of several European leaders at the talks in Washington shows how central the conflict — and any settlement — is to wider security questions on the continent.

Joining us to help summarize where things stand, following the meeting with President Putin, and what’s to come from this morning’s meeting with President Zelenskyy, is Ron Elving, senior editor and correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News and Benjamin Radd, political scientist and senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations.

With files from the Associated Press

The California-Texas redistricting process continues. We hear the latest.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday his state will hold a Nov. 4 special election to seek approval of redrawn districts intended to give Democrats five more U.S. House seats in the fight for control of Congress. The move is a direct response to a similar Republican-led effort in Texas, pushed by President Donald Trump as his party seeks to maintain its slim House majority in the midterm elections. The nation’s two most populous states have emerged as the center of a partisan turf war in the House that could spiral into other states — as well as the courts — in what amounts to a proxy war ahead of the 2026 elections. Texas lawmakers are considering a new map that could help them send five more Republicans to Washington. Democrats who so far have halted a vote by leaving the state announced Thursday that they will return home if Texas Republicans end their current special session and California releases its own recast map proposal. Both were expected to happen Friday. However, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to call another special session to push through new maps.Today on AirTalk, we get the latest on the potential new redistricting maps for California with Melanie Mason, senior political reporter for Politico, and Sara Sadhwani, assistant professor of politics at Pomona College, and she is part of the Citizens Redistricting Commission for the State of California. We also want to hear from you! What do you think about the possible redistricting of California to gain more Democratic seats? If Texas and other states also re-draw their maps, do you think it’s only fair for California to do the same? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.

With files from the Associated Press

SoCal History: Los Angeles' historical Black cultural sites

The city of Los Angeles and the Getty have designated six sites as historically and culturally significant to the Black community in L.A. as part of the African American Historic Places Los Angeles project. The sites include: StylesVille Barbershop & Beauty Salon in Pacoima, St. Elmo Village, Tom and Ethel Bradley Residence in Leimert Park, Jewel's Catch One in Mid-City, the building that housed the California Eagle newspaper in South L.A., and New Bethel Baptist Church in Venice. Each place will get its own plaque designating it as a historical landmark and protections against any major alterations to the buildings’ appearances. The project is still ongoing, with six other historic sites to be named soon. Today on AirTalk, we talk about the African American Historic Places Los Angeles project and the historical significance behind these first six sites to be recognized. We’re joined by Rita Cofield, associate project specialist at the Getty Conservation Institute and leads the African American Historic Places Los Angeles project, and Ken Bernstein, principal city planner for Los Angeles City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources. We also want to hear from you! What historically Black places or buildings in L.A. do you think should be recognized? Do you have any memories of the places that have already been designated? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.

You can read more about the project and the sites already designated here or at LAist.com. 

CA senate bill looks to regulate self-checkout—here's what to know

Last year, in an effort to regulate grocery and drug stores, the California legislature introduced a bill that would create staffing minimums for those looking to implement self-checkout kiosks. In that bill, it required one employee to monitor two self-checkout stations, which received pushback from critics in the grocery and drug store industries. This year’s bill has looked to adjust itself, with SB 442, now requiring one manual station to be made available to customers if a grocery store wishes to add self-checkout as an option. Helping us better understand what additional changes have been made is María Elena Durazo, Democratic state senator representing the 26th district, which includes Vernon, Boyle Heights, Koreatown, Eagle Rock, and Los Feliz, and Daniel Conway, vice president of government relations at the California Grocers Association.

We also want to hear from you: What’s your view on self-checkout stations? Whether you’re a customer or employee, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.

Proposed FAA rules could make drone delivery dreams a reality

For seemingly years now, getting your goods delivered by drone has been a reality that's always just around the corner. Yet the long-promised technology has been slow to take off in the United States. More than six years after the Federal Aviation Administration approved commercial home deliveries with drones, the service mostly has been confined to a few suburbs and rural areas. That could soon change. The FAA proposed a new rule last week that would make it easier for companies to fly drones outside of an operator’s line of sight and therefore over longer distances. A handful of companies do that now, but they had to obtain waivers and certification as an air carrier to deliver packages. Today on AirTalk, Larry speaks with Politico reporter Sam Ogozalek and principal research scientist and director of research of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics Matthias Winkenbach about whether commercial drone usage is about to take off.

With files from the Associated Press.

What is the best age to be?

Many look back fondly on their college days as some of the best years of their life. And while those late teens and early twenties can certainly be fundamental to personal growth, do they outweigh the experiences that come later in your 30s and beyond? Today on AirTalk we want to hear from you! What do you think has been your best age and why? Was it an age in your early childhood or perhaps later in life? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.