If it's Friday, state of emergency, cities across America prepare for a potential new surge of migrants

as officials eagerly await a court ruling which is days to go before pandemic-era border restrictions are set to expire.

And speaking of the pandemic, the tripledic threat. Is it coming to a holiday gathering

near you? We'll speak with the top CDC official about the administration's plan as it prepares

for a winter surge in infections. COVID, the flu, RSB, strep throat.

And a new Cold War space race is underway.

This time between the U.S. and China,

as the two superpowers jockey for supremacy in the skies high above the earth.

An inside look at NBC's new documentary, Battlefield Space.

That's ahead.

Hello there, and welcome to meet the press now. I'm Chuck Todd. We begin today with the immigration crisis in this country where an already critical situation could soon be getting more dire.

As communities hundreds of miles from the southern border are now being forced to take action while Congress remains politically paralyzed.

At this hour, we are awaiting a federal court ruling here in Washington to find out

if an emergency request from 19 attorneys general to keep the pandemic era Title 42 border policy

from expiring next week if that is going to happen. Under the banner of coronavirus prevention,

Title 42 has been used more than two million times to turn migrants,

including asylum seekers, away from the border. Action from the district court today could

extend the policy by weeks or months. Officials tell NBC News, the number of migrants crossing

the border, which is already near record highs, may increase by 2,500 a day if Title 42 is lifted.

Put that in perspective, we get about 8 to 10,000 now, so this would get it well over 10,000

a day. All of this could push communities near and far from the border, some of which are

already at the brink due to the current migrant surge over the edge.

...