If it's Friday, President Biden's Homeland Security Chief heads for the border as communities

brace for a potentially massive, migrant post-COVID surge and the U.S. struggles under the weight

of hyperpartisan political system that makes any kind of problem solving virtually impossible.

Plus President Biden tries to tout a stronger than expected job report and historically low

unemployment as investors and voters grapple with stubbornly high inflation and an alarming

string of recent bank failures.

And the leader of Russia's mercenary group lashes out at Putin's military vowing to withdraw

from a key battle, saying Moscow has doomed their fighters to quote, senseless death.

Welcome to Meet the Press.

Now I'm Chuck Todd reporting in Washington and whether you call it pragmatism, the ability

to compromise or the art of finding common ground, getting things done in a lasting way in Washington

has always relied on the middle, the center, however you want to describe it, or the pragmatist.

But right now in this political climate moderate feels like a dirty word to most politicians

and a lot of their voters and it's leading to some dire consequences.

Let's look at the situation of the southern border.

We're title 42, the pandemic, era policy that blocked hundreds of migrants from crossing

the southern border set to expire next week.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayrucas is at the border today visiting with border

agencies they prepare for the incoming surge that's already pushed border communities

to the brink.

And as he told me on Meet the Press last Sunday, congressional action is needed to fix

a broken system that is essentially being held together with executive branch duct tape

...