Meet the Press NOW -- April 28

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance barnstorm key battleground states, hoping to boost their party despite significant political headwinds. The Vatican announces Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer and had a had a lower lobe of his right lung removed. Democratic candidate Johnny Garcia of Texas joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss his bid for the redrawn 35th congressional district.

President Trump kicks off a busy week of campaigning with a visit to Ohio as he defends a diesel deal with Russia that is drawing bipartisan criticism. Iran-backed Houthi militants attack Saudi Arabia’s airport in Riyadh in the deadliest attack on a Gulf ally since the start of the Iran War. NBC 5's Phil Prazan joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss his interview with U.S Senate candidate James Talarico (D-Texas) who is dismissing rumors about his health after a multi-day absence from the campaign trail.

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D) sits down for an exclusive interview with Meet the Press less than a month out from the midterm elections.

Kristen Welker has exclusive interviews with Abdul El-Sayed and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Michael Lewis discusses his new book about DOGE. Stephen Hayes, former Sec. Jeh Johnson and Amna Nawaz join the roundtable.

As early voting gets underway ahead of the midterms, Garrett Haake goes behind the scenes of America’s elections to ask a fundamental question: Can voters trust the results? Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt explains how officials are preparing for everything from cyberattacks and AI-generated misinformation to voter intimidation and potential federal interference. Then, NBC News senior reporter Jane C. Timm takes us inside Georgia’s election system, where Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is turning to security measures, audits and a lot of data to combat distrust. Plus, why counting votes takes time, what makes voting by mail secure, and what election officials are most worried about this November. swap.fm/l/htsfd