Meet the Press NOW — August 17

Kristen Welker interviews newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Sara Fagen, Jonathan Martin and former Sec. Jeh Johnson join the roundtable.

President Trump says he will declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory as the war with Iran takes a growing toll on troops, weapons and wallets. Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) discusses his re-election campaign in a district Democrats view as a pickup opportunity. Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal charges before standing trial for the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Democratic primary winners David Crowley (D-Wis.) and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D-Minn.) join Meet the Press NOW to discuss the road ahead to November’s midterms. Former CDC official Dr. Demetre Daskalakis explains why some health officials say they will not adopt the Trump administration's new guidelines on vaccines.

Democrats continue to grapple with divisions inside their party after the latest round of primaries. Democratic nominee for Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District Luke Bronin joins after unseating a longtime incumbent in his primary race. NBC News’ Monica Alba and USA Today’s Susan Page discuss the president’s covert plane switch after July’s NATO summit following an “extremely serious” threat from Iran.

The fight between progressives and establishment Democrats is on full display as voters cast their ballots in primary races across six states. New details emerge about an elaborate plot to sneak President Trump off Air Force One and onto a separate U.S. military plane as he departed Turkey last month amid security concerns posed by Iran. NBC News political reporter Allan Smith talks about the growing relationship between Pennsylvania Senators John Fetterman (D) and David McCormick (R).