Meet the Press NOW — October 31

As Democrats grapple with what their party stands for, one issue continues to divide them: Israel. The first signs of a fissure came after Israel began its invasion of Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 attacks. Some progressive Democrats demanded a more forceful U.S. response to what they saw as war crimes being committed with the help of American weapons and military aid. By the fall of 2024, a larger movement against the war had grown: More than 100,000 Democrats cast uncommitted ballots in the Michigan primary — a harbinger of Kamala Harris’ ultimate loss to Donald Trump. Since then, polls show that voter support for Israel has continued to decline in both parties. But among Democrats, that erosion has been far more dramatic. So how should the party position itself on Israel policy in 2026 — and eventually, 2028? In this episode of "Here’s the Scoop, Election Edition," we ask two Democrats on opposite sides of this debate: Tariq Habash, a co-founder of A New Policy, a political group that advises candidates like Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, and Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who says he lost his primary because of his position on Israel. swap.fm/l/htsfd

Some Republican candidates break with President Trump as they fight headwinds ahead of November's midterm elections. Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb discusses the president’s attempt to impose a ban on certain media outlets. Physicist and professor Max Tegmark joins Meet the Press Now to share his take on AI regulation as Congress weighs new guardrails.

President Trump welcomes Chinese President President Xi Jinping to Washington on the heels of a court-blocked effort to ban media outlets from the White House grounds. Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and independent candidates Dan Osborn (Neb.) and Brian Bengs (S.D.) weigh in on the data center backlash shaping their races for U.S. Senate. NBC News’ Ryan Chandler reports on the pushback from cattle ranchers on Trump's beef imports.

More Republican candidates appear to distance themselves from President Donald Trump over a state visit with the Chinese President Xi Jinping and high gas prices impacting voters. Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) discuss their bipartisan AI legislation as part of NBC’s Common Ground series. Sebastien Lai calls for the release of his father Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy activist and media publisher, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Hong Kong.

President Trump says he has a “big decision” to make about Iran in his address to the United Nations General Assembly. Steve Kornacki breaks down NBC News’ latest poll showing Trump’s approval hitting a second-term low. Kamala Harris campaigns with Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) join Meet the Press NOW to discuss the Congressional Women’s Softball game.