If it's Wednesday battleground brawls in Georgia and Pennsylvania, as the candidates in two of the most important Senate contests fight for their political lives, facing challenges above and beyond the national political environment.

Plus, Russia, arguably at its weakest point in the war, amid new warnings that Putin's forces

are exhausted and increasingly desperate. Does it potentially push us to the brink of a nuclear

confrontation? And inside the Cherokee Nation's historic campaign for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives

as it pushes Congress to make good on a centuries-old treaty with the U.S. government.

Welcome to Meet the Press Now. I'm Chuck Todd.

So with less than a month until the midterm elections, what if I told you that suddenly control of the Senate may not be decided by any of these big national issues like the economy

or abortion rights or President Biden's job writing or crime?

Instead, the fate of control of the United States Senate could hinge on how two candidates

in two very different races face two very unique and individual challenges.

The first is Georgia Senate Republican nominee Herschel Walker, who was facing accusations

that he paid for an abortion

for an ex-girlfriend in 2009, even as he campaigns on his support for banning access

to the procedure. Walker, again, adamantly denied all the accusations in an interview

yesterday, calling his accuser, who happens to be the mother of one of his children, a liar.

Did you ever have a conversation with this woman at any time about an abortion?

No.

Did you ever, to your knowledge, give money to pay for the cost of an abortion?

No.

Is she lying?

Yes, she's lying. Yeah, she's lying.

Are you saying a flat-out denial to any knowledge of an abortion or is it possible

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