With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

HOLIDAY SURPRISE — Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY is set to visit Washington today in his first known journey outside his besieged nation since Russian troops invaded 300 days ago. Zelenskyy will first visit the White House, meeting with President JOE BIDEN in the afternoon then holding a joint news conference. He is expected to address a joint meeting of Congress in the evening.

Zelenskyy’s visit, which he confirmed in an early morning tweet, comes as the Biden administration prepares to deliver a Patriot missile system to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses and Congress readies approval of another $45 billion in assistance to the country. With aid-skeptical Republicans set to take over the House next year, that money could be the final tranche Ukraine sees for a while.

— “What Zelenskyy wants — but is unlikely to get — from Biden,” by Erin Banco, Jonathan Lemire and Paul McLeary: “Zelenskyy’s visit … came as a shock to senior U.S. officials and lawmakers alike. While there were whispers of a big event unfolding in Washington, none knew the exact details of the Ukrainian president’s arrival or plans. Now that the in-person meeting is confirmed, officials say to expect a standoff over weapons and an attempt by both Biden and Zelenskyy to use the meeting to woo the incoming Congress.”

— “Ukraine’s Zelenskyy preparing to visit DC on Wednesday,” by AP’s Lisa Mascaro, Nomaan Merchant and Zeke Miller: “On Tuesday, he made a daring and dangerous trip to what he called the hottest spot on the 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) front line, the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s contested Donetsk province. In a video released by his office from the Bakhmut visit, Zelenskyy was handed a Ukrainian flag and alluded to delivering it to U.S. leaders. … ‘We will pass it on from the boys to the Congress, to the president of the United States. We are grateful for their support, but it is not enough. It is a hint — it is not enough.’”

Notable: This is likely the last time Speaker NANCY PELOSI, a longtime champion of democracy abroad, will preside over a joint meeting of Congress. “The fight for Ukraine is the fight for democracy itself,” she wrote in her invitation to Zelenskyy. “We look forward to hearing your inspiring message of unity, resilience and determination.”

SPEAKER SCALISE? — As KEVIN McCARTHY struggles to nail down the votes to be House speaker, a group of lawmakers has quietly approached No. 2 leader STEVE SCALISE about running should McCarthy falter, according to multiple GOP members and aides.

Their message? “Steve, just be ready,” according to one member currently backing McCarthy who spoke to us late last night on condition of anonymity. Scalise was uncontested in his bid for majority leader in the new Congress, the lawmaker noted, and “could be a good consensus leader if things don’t go well for Kevin.”

Some of the conservatives opposing McCarthy have privately relayed the same message to the affable Louisianan in recent days, according to members and aides familiar with the talks. While they’ve reiterated the same demands that have been laid out for McCarthy, they have signaled that they see Scalise as a more palatable option.

The conversations have put Scalise in a tough spot. He and his camp are acutely aware that they can’t be seen as agitating against McCarthy — or even taking meetings to discuss the matter. There’s a general consensus that if McCarthy falters, anyone with fingerprints on the knife would alienate the GOP conference and upend their own possible ascent.

Yet lawmakers also want to be sure there’s a Plan B in case the speakership drama turns the GOP House takeover into total chaos.

Scalise has not been organizing support or making calls for a potential run, we’re told. His office declined to comment, instead pointing to the dozens of public statements he has made endorsing McCarthy and insisting he would never run against him. Instead, Scalise has kept a low profile and has been in what one ally called “listening mode.”

“Does he want to be speaker? Absolutely. But is he going to screw Kevin? Absolutely not,” said another person close to Scalise.

Conservatives’ openness to a Speaker Scalise became apparent last weekend, when Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) told the New York Post he was willing to consider the idea. There’s a sense in so-called Never Kevin circles that if they take down one potential speaker, they probably couldn’t — or shouldn’t — try to derail another.

We caught up with one such Republican, Virginia Rep. BOB GOOD, about the matter last night. And while Good refused to discuss Scalise specifically, he said the anti-McCarthy faction has had “number of private conversations” with potential alternatives, “and some of those candidates have expressed interest to us — or that they would be interested once it’s clear Kevin McCarthy won’t be speaker.”

Good said it’s tough for his cadre to float names because that would expose those people to blowback from McCarthy supporters. Scalise, in fact, might already be feeling a little himself: A tipster pointed out that five of the 54 recent Republican statements backing McCarthy, first reported Tuesday by Axios, made some mention of Scalise.

“Steve Scalise is a dear friend and I thank God every day for his miraculous survival from his attempted murder,” Rep. FRENCH HILL (R-Ark.) wrote in one, making reference to Scalise’s near-assassination in 2017. “But, on January 3rd, first or last ballot, I’m committed to our Speaker-elect Kevin McCarthy.”

While McCarthy allies helped draft some of the statements, we’re told, it’s unclear whether they encouraged members to sideline Scalise. One person familiar with their drafting said some Republicans saw the New York Post story and wanted to chasten the No. 2 leader.

Scalise’s quiet support on the hard right complicates two axioms that McCarthyland is peddling to help him secure the gavel: (1) that there is no alternative and only McCarthy can lead and (2) that Scalise would face the same problems McCarthy is facing in winning over the hard-liners.

The right’s willingness to embrace Scalise is frustrating McCarthy backers, who believe the two men have overwhelmingly similar views and voting records. “Scalise is apparently viewed by these guys as more conservative because he’s from the South as opposed to California,” said one member close to McCarthy.

The lawmaker added that Scalise could do more to help McCarthy. “If Steve came out and said, ‘I’m out voting for Kevin, ballot one through ballot 50’ … I think that would put a lot of us at ease.”

Another GOP lawmaker told us last night that that’s ridiculous: “Only Kevin McCarthy can address those concerns and fix those broken relationships. To find a scapegoat and blame those problems on somebody else seems small, and it reeks of desperation.”

The reality is that if conservative darlings like Reps. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) and MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) can’t convince McCarthy’s opponents on the right, there’s not much Scalise could do to help.

Amid growing worry among McCarthy cheerleaders that his critics are unpersuadable, a so-called Only Kevin movement of GOP lawmakers is vowing to vote for McCarthy over and over until he gets the gavel. But some of those same members are privately admitting that if McCarthy can’t secure the votes after several rounds, they’ll likely be singing a different tune. Will the lyrics go “Speaker Scalise”?

Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. What do you think, is McCarthy gonna get there? Drop us a line — and better yet, if you know something, send us a tip: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

EYEBROW RAISER — NY Mag’s David Freedlander is out this morning with a comprehensive look at SEAN McELWEE, the erstwhile progressive wunderkind who is now facing sharp questions about his relationship with accused mega-fraudster SAM BANKMAN-FRIED and other questionable dealings.

Freedlander writes: “McElwee was accused of pressuring one of his employees to participate in a straw-donor scheme similar to the kind that Bankman-Fried was indicted for, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. 'Following reports of potential misconduct that violated Data for Progress’s mission and values, the board of Data for Progress and fiscal sponsor Tides Advocacy immediately terminated Sean McElwee’s employment,' a spokesperson said in a statement.”

TEEING UP TRUMP’S TAXES — House Ways and Means Committee Democrats voted Tuesday to release to the public several years worth of DONALD TRUMP’s tax returns in the days ahead, ending the long-running battle over the documents’ secrecy. “Lawmakers said it would take some time to first redact sensitive information from the documents, such as Trump’s Social Security number and address,” Brian Faler and Benjamin Guggenheim write. The panel released a summary of the returns late Tuesday and issued a report claiming that the IRS did not audit Trump’s returns as required until Democrats pressed them. Read the Ways and Means Committee report … Read the Joint Committee on Taxation summary of Trump's returns

What we know so far: “Donald and Melania Trump Reported Negative Income In Four Years From 2015 Through 2020,” by WSJ’s Mark Maremont and Richard Rubin: “The Trumps paid some form of taxes every year, but paid $750 or less in income taxes in three of the six years.”

PHOTO OF THE DAY

ALL POLITICS

AUTOPSY REPORT — “How Abrams’ campaign spending led to ‘incredibly bad’ cash crunch,” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein: “Several staffers said the campaign rented a home near Piedmont Park to be a ‘hype house’ for TikTok videos that wound up largely neglected. Some aides commandeered the vacant five-bedroom craftsman-style house, now available to rent at $12,500 a month, as a makeshift office.”

AMERICAFEST DISPATCH — “Conservative youth group disses McDaniel in race for RNC chair,” by Natalie Allison in Phoenix: “HARMEET DHILLON, who was promoted extensively at the four-day conservative youth gathering, won the straw poll with 58 percent support.”

IF YOU AIN’T FIRST — “New Hampshire Democrats escalate first-in-nation primary fight,” by Elena Schneider

MARC ELIAS INC. — “Inside the New Election Legal Industrial Complex,” by Jesús Rodríguez in Atlanta for POLITICO Magazine: “After Trump attempted to use the courts to change the results of the 2020 election, many Republicans borrowed a page from that playbook. Now Democrats — with the aid of one powerful D.C. law firm — are mounting a counteroffensive.”

TO MICHIGAN AND BEYOND — “How Democrats could use their big Michigan win to set up the 2024 race,” by Zach Montellaro: “The party will have complete control of the Michigan state government for the first time in decades next year. … It comes at a big moment, with consequences that could reach far beyond the state’s borders.”

FOLKS … “Chris Sununu launches 2024 early state Facebook ad,” by FWIW’s Kyle Tharp

THE WHITE HOUSE

BACK TO WORK — “White House Looks at Benefits to Lure Americans Back Into Workforce,” by WSJ’s Annie Linskey: “Top White House economic officials are considering a renewed push for a suite of policies aimed at luring more Americans back to work, including enhanced child-care and eldercare benefits, as they hammer out priorities for the coming year.

“The question of how to find enough workers has emerged as a significant issue as the country emerges from the pandemic, with a smaller share of adults working or looking for work than in early 2020. White House economic officials expect to brief President Biden on their thoughts over the holiday break as the administration shapes its agenda for 2023 and plans for Mr. Biden’s State of the Union address.”

CONGRESS

SPENDING BILL EYES A LANDING — “Senate trudges toward vote on $1.7T spending bill amid conservative pushback,” by Jordain Carney, Katherine Tully-McManus and Caitlin Emma: “Republican leaders are hoping the proverbial scent of jet fumes calling senators home, combined with the threat of a snowstorm that will blanket half the country, will help deliver a holiday miracle: final passage of the bill as soon as Wednesday.”

But, but, but … Some lawmakers are eying eleventh-hour tweaks. This morning, Playbook has learned, the families of victims of 9/11 and other tragedies are imploring Congress to add a newly negotiated deal that would allow payouts from the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund to previously ineligible widows and children.

For the 9/11 families, it’s been a half-decade-long fight. While legislation addressing the issue passed the House 400-31 in September, Sen. TOM COTTON (R-Ark.) stalled the bill in the Senate because he wanted to add families of the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing. We’re told Cotton and Sens. BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.) and DAN SULLIVAN (R-Alaska) came to an agreement and found pay-fors for both just this week. Senate leaders late Tuesday hotlined a unanimous consent agreement that would set up a floor vote today attaching the deal to the omnibus. Read the families’ full letter

McCONNELL TROLLS McCARTHY — Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL waded into House Republicans’ headache over who will ascend to the speakership, saying that he is supporting McCarthy in his bid to take the gavel. “I'm pulling for Kevin. I hope he makes it,” McConnell said at his weekly news conference. “McConnell's support comes even as McCarthy on Tuesday vowed that legislation put forward by any Senate Republican supportive of the government funding bill this week, like McConnell, would be ‘dead on arrival’ in the House next year,” our colleague Anthony Adragna writes for Congress Minutes. Video

ON THE RUN — “See Romney run? Trump’s top GOP foil eyes Senate reelection,” by Burgess Everett: “[Utah Sen. MITT] ROMNEY’s ultimate decision on reelection will say far more about the state of the Republican Party than any other safe red seat.”

What Romney told Burgess: “I’ve faced long odds: Getting the nomination in 2012 was a long shot, becoming a Republican governor in one of the most liberal states in America, Massachusetts. ... So I’m convinced that if I run, I win. But that’s a decision I’ll make.”

CONWAY CONUNDRUM — “Durbin hints at ethics violations in Kellyanne Conway’s business transaction,” by Kelly Hooper

JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH

COUNSEL BLUFFS — “Trump’s former White House ethics lawyer told Cassidy Hutchinson to give misleading testimony to January 6 committee, sources say,” by CNN’s Katelyn Polantz, Pamela Brown, Jamie Gangel and Jeremy Herb: “CNN has learned that STEFAN PASSANTINO, the top ethics attorney in the Trump White House, is the lawyer who allegedly advised his then-client, former White House aide CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, to tell the committee that she did not recall details that she did, sources familiar with the committee’s work tell CNN.”

— NYT’s Maggie Haberman and Luke Broadwater report that Passantino “took a leave of absence from his law firm on Tuesday and defended himself against what he said were false insinuations by the panel that he had interfered with his client’s testimony.”

TUCKED IN THE SPENDING BILL — “Government funding bill would give DOJ extra money for Jan. 6 prosecutions,” by NBC’s Sahil Kapur and Ryan Reilly

GRIN AND TEAR IT — “Trump aide testified he saw Trump ‘tearing’ documents; Meadows also once told him, ‘Don't come into the room,’” by CBS’ Robert Costa, Chrissy Hallowell and Grace Kazarian

MOVING ON — “What Comes Next After the Jan. 6 Report?” by Garrett Graff for POLITICO Magazine: “The big question hanging over Washington this week: Will the Jan. 6 report be the beginning of Congress’s work — or the end?”

POLICY CORNER

IMMIGRATION FILES — “U.S. asks court to end asylum limits, with a short delay,” by AP’s Morgan Lee, Giovanna Dell’Orto and Rebecca Santana in El Paso, Texas: “The U.S. government asked the Supreme Court not to lift the limits before Christmas in a filing a day after Chief Justice JOHN ROBERTS issued a temporary order to keep the pandemic-era [Title 42] limits on migrants in place.”

— On the border: “With rifles and razor wire, National Guard and state troopers are blocking migrants at the border in El Paso,” by the Texas Tribune’s Uriel García and Alex Nguyen

— What comes next: “How will asylum work after Title 42 ends? No one knows yet,” by AP’s Elliot Spagat

CRYPTO CRISIS CONTINUES — “FTX Wants to Claw Back Sam Bankman-Fried’s Donations,” by WSJ’s Patricia Kowsmann and Paul Kiernan

YOU’VE GOT (CLEANER) MAIL — “Postal Service will electrify trucks by 2026 in climate win for Biden,” by WaPo’s Jacob Bogage

BRACING STAT — “DEA seized enough fentanyl to kill every American in 2022,” by ABC’s Quinn Owen

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

“2 Americans held by the Taliban have been released,” by CNN’s Haley Britzky and Kylie Atwood: “It was not immediately clear what spurred the release of the two Americans and if any deal was made with the Taliban to secure it.”

“Russian Hackers’ Latest Target Is Cab Dispatch Line at J.F.K., U.S. Says,” by NYT’s Benjamin Weiser and Nate Schweber

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

EARTHQUAKE ROCKS NORCAL — “Two dead in 6.4 magnitude earthquake that causes widespread damage,” by SF Chronicle’s Julie Johnson, Jessica Flores, J.D. Morris and Jill Tucker

GUNS IN AMERICA — “Democrats prime statehouses to rewrite ‘red flag’ gun laws,” by Liz Crampton and Shia Kapos in Chicago: “Motivated by tragedy and a frustration with Congress, Democratic lawmakers in states that have recently experienced highly publicized mass shootings like Illinois, Michigan and Colorado are preparing their own gun safety agendas for the new year. At the top of the list: enacting or expanding ‘red flag’ laws that allow courts to temporarily confiscate guns from someone deemed dangerous, and Illinois lawmakers may act as soon as next month.”

DeSANTIS DOWNLOAD — “DeSantis lays out ‘blueprint’ to elect more conservatives on school boards,” by Andrew Atterbury in Tallahassee, Fla.

COLD CHRISTMAS INCOMING — “U.S. braces for dangerous blast of cold, wind and snow,” by AP’s Margaret Stafford, Josh Funk and Juan Lozano

MUSK READS

ABIDING HIS TIME — @ElonMusk responded to his poll asking whether he should step aside as head of Twitter: “I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job! After that, I will just run the software & servers teams.” More from NYT’s Ryan Mac and Kate Conger

— The Verge’s Mitchell Clark notes: “Given that the social networking site is mainly made up of software and servers (especially after the massive layoffs), it’s clear Musk will still have direct control over the company, even if he doesn’t have the explicit CEO title.”

LOCATION TRACKING — “From Jared Kushner to Salt Bae: Here’s who Elon Musk was seen with at the World Cup,” by WaPo’s Dalton Bennett, Samuel Oakford, Gerrit De Vynck and Monique Woo

Kevin Cramer thinks GOP senators need to save House Republicans from themselves.

Chuck Grassleyis proud of his Twitter habits.

Gabby Giffords and Gwyneth Paltrow are apparently second cousins.

Donald Trump has a copyright problem.

Henry Zachs was handing out a bunch of $2 bills at the White House Hanukkah party.

Could “Papa” John Schnatterrun for Kentucky governor?

IN MEMORIAM — Henry Berg-Brousseau, deputy press secretary for politics at the Human Rights Campaign, died by suicide at 24. A “lack of acceptance took a toll on Henry,” wrote his mother, Kentucky state Sen. Karen Berg, in a statement. “He long struggled with mental illness, not because he was trans but born from his difficulty finding acceptance. Colleagues described Henry as ‘an absolute light.’” Full obituary

OUT AND ABOUT — Husch Blackwell Strategies and CJ Lake co-hosted a holiday reception at Succotash to celebrate Lynn Jacquez and her team joining HBS. SPOTTED: Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), Gregg Hartley, Lacy Clay, Michael Kubayanda and Jon Baselice.

SNEAK PEEK — CNN is releasing a new four-part documentary series on the arc of Rudy Giuliani, titled “Giuliani: What Happened to America’s Mayor?” featuring archival footage and interviews with influential friends and former colleagues. The series will air over two weekends, launching with two episodes on Jan. 8. Watch an exclusive first-look trailer

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Independent Women’s Forum is announcing its spring 2022 visiting fellows: Keri Ingraham, Ellie Krasne, Karina Lipsman, Shrileka Palle, Erin Perrine, Kimberly Ross, Madeline Fry Schultz, Emma Posey Waters and Havilah Wingfield. Madeleine Kearns, Kaylee McGhee White and Mary Vought have been added to its roster of senior fellows.

— Abby May, Rachel Kline and Kevin Porter are joining Rep.-elect Wiley Nickel’s (D-N.C.) office. May will be chief of staff and previously was campaign manager. Kline will be deputy COS and legislative director and currently is deputy COS and legislative director for Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.). Porter will be comms director and currently is comms director for Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.).

TRANSITIONS — Mariana Perera is now D.C. scheduler for Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.). She most recently was a Fulbright research fellow and is an Eric Swalwell alum. … Andrew Leppert and Abby Baerveldt are joining Rep.-elect Mark Alford’s (R-Mo.) office. Leppert will be comms director and previously was campaign manager for Eric Schmitt’s Senate campaign. Baerveldt will be press secretary and digital assistant and previously was digital director for Schmitt’s campaign. … Anna Taylor is departing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office as economic policy director after serving for 11 years. She is also a Blanche Lincoln alum.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) … WSJ’s Annie Linskey … WaPo’s Karen Heller … John Coale … Kelly Sadler of The Washington Times … Fox News’ Caroline Whiteman … Kelly Wallace … CBS’ Vlad Duthiers … Elena Waskey of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth … Rich Galen … Sam LaHood of the International Republican Institute … Roz Brooks … Jessica Brady Reader of the Pew Charitable Trusts … Colleen Litkenhaus … Lisa Kountoupes of KDCR Partners … Alejandra Lopez-Fernandini … Boston Globe’s Josh Miller … Lyndsey McKenna … White House’s Michael Negron … David Goldfein … former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin … Brian Heindl … Jane Fonda … Precision Strategies’ Cameron Trimble … Dave Stroup … French President Emmanuel Macron

Send Playbookers tips to [email protected] or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.