Aug. 31 — Sen. James Lankford and Rep. Ro Khanna, plus Hoda Kotb

President Trump says he will send troops to Chicago and defends his deployment of the California National Guard to Los Angeles despite a ruling today that found the deployment to be illegal. Congress faces a tight deadline to avert a government shutdown as legislators return to Capitol Hill. NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss key races this November.

The White House plans to expand its ICE operations to other major U.S. cities, including Chicago. Chinese President Xi Jinping hosts a regional summit where he joined Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in projecting a united front. President Trump continues to threaten to ban mail-in voting even as members of his own party appear wary.

Former “Today” co-anchor Hoda Kotb joins Kristen Welker for a Meet the Moment conversation about landing her dream job later in life and adopting children in her fifties.

President Trump tests the boundaries of his presidential power after ousting top officials at key agencies. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the former director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss what prompted his decision to leave the health agency. The families of the two children killed in the Minneapolis church shooting speak out as the community continues to grapple with the tragic event.

Minneapolis officials provide updates on the mass shooting that left two children dead and 18 injured as investigators search for a motive. Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the CDC, says he’s witnessing an “all-out assault on public health” after the White House fires the head of the agency.