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As Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY hit Capitol Hill today for a last-ditch effort to secure new military aid for Ukraine, his efforts have seemingly done little to sway lawmakers as they remain deadlocked over the White House-backed package.

In the Senate … In a private meeting with senators this morning, Zelenskyy sidestepped the most contentious issue preventing the aid package’s success: the ongoing debate over security at the U.S. southern border. Throughout the meeting, the Ukrainian president “seemingly tried to avoid” the topic of border security when lawmakers brought it up, Burgess Everett and Anthony Adragna report: “Multiple senators indicated that Republicans raised border security in questions to the war-time leader, but said that Zelenskyy didn’t directly address it.”

During the closed-door discussion, Zelenskyy reportedly spoke entirely in English, with one GOP senator telling PBS Lisa Desjardins the gesture was “poignant” and felt like a “sign of respect.” She writes that there were a few times he had to look up definitions of words used by senators: “one word he didn’t know: stalemate.”

Senators’ reactions to the speech ran the full spectrum of opinion.

• Sen. PETER WELCH (D-Vt.) said Zelenskyy made a “compelling” case for more aid, and Sen. BILL CASSIDY (R-La.) noted the U.S. “can still send more weapons in interim” even as it negotiates funding on the U.S.-Mexico border, Burgess reports.

• Sen. ERIC SCHMITT (R-Mo.) summed up the conservative skepticism following the meeting. “Nothing changes … it’s just the same old stuff. There’s nothing new,” he said, per Burgess. “We’ve also been told in previous briefings that they might need another $100 billion next year.”

And in the House … Zelenskyy also met with House leaders, including Speaker MIKE JOHNSON and House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES, aiming to make his case for the new aid package.

One big logistical hurdle: Johnson isn’t keen on holding the House in session over the holidays to work on Ukraine funding, he told Hugh Hewitt this morning ahead of his meeting with Zelenskyy. “I’m not going to have everybody sit here through Christmas twiddling their thumbs,” Johnson said. “The House members will work. We’ve shown that over and over and over, but we’re not getting any cooperation from the White House and the Senate Democrats at all.” More from Katherine Tully-McManus

And at 1600 Penn … The White House declassified new American intelligence on the war in Ukraine as it desperately works to strengthen its pitch for the aid package, Alexander Ward and Lara Seligman report: “The U.S. assesses that Russia believes it is helped by a military stalemate with Ukraine that saps Western support for Kyiv, making its war easier to win. … Further American intelligence indicates the Western-backed Ukrainian campaign is having some success. More than 13,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded and over 220 combat vehicles destroyed along the Avdiivka-Novopavlivka axis in eastern Ukraine since October.”

But let us not forget … “The administration has offered no alternative to getting the mammoth legislation passed through Congress.”

HERE COMES THE SUNUNU — While Republican presidential hopefuls have been battling for CHRIS SUNUNU‘s endorsement for months, the New Hampshire governor is set to declare his support for former South Carolina Gov. NIKKI HALEY, WMUR’s Adam Sexton reports. Sununu is expected to officially announce his endorsement tonight during a town hall gathering in Manchester, N.H.

More details: “Whether that’s what the Republican base wants remains to be seen, but for Haley, who has been steadily building momentum in New Hampshire, this could be the fuel she needs for another boost in the polls that puts her basically in position for a one-on-one contest with [DONALD] TRUMP in the home stretch.”

Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at [email protected].

THE ECONOMY

INFLATION NATION — In the latest sign that inflation has slowed dramatically since its peak, new consumer price index numbers released this morning from the Labor Department showed that prices went up moderately in November. Since October 2023: Prices rose by 0.1%. Since November 2022: Prices rose by 3.1%.

More on the numbers:

• NYT’s Santul Nerkar: “Energy prices continued to tumble in November, as the energy index fell 2.3 percent. That followed a 2.5 percent dip in October; overall, the energy index is down 5.4 percent over the past year.”

• CNBC’s Jeff Cox: “Excluding volatile food and energy prices, core CPI increased 0.3% on the month and 4% from a year ago. Both numbers were in line with estimates and little changed from October.”

The impact: “The release comes as the Federal Reserve begins its two-day policy meeting, during which it is expected to hold interest rates steady for the third consecutive time,” Cox writes. “Following the release, futures pricing continued to indicate virtually no chance of any further rate hikes, with the first cut likely to happen in May.”

2024 WATCH

STAFFING UP — BRIAN FALLON, a former top aide to HILLARY CLINTON and head of Demand Justice, is joining President JOE BIDEN‘s campaign as VP KAMALA HARRIS’ comms director,WaPo’s Tyler Pager scoops.

SURVEY SAYS — A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Biden and Donald Trump locked in a tight head-to-head race, with Trump leading, 38% to 36%. “Overall, the poll showed deep apathy among many voters at a potential Biden-Trump rematch,” Reuters’ Jason Lange and James Oliphant report. “About six in ten respondents said they were not satisfied with America’s two-party system and want a third choice.”

Enter ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. The spoiler factor: The poll showed that RFK Jr. “could draw more support from Biden than Trump. Trump’s lead widened to a 5-point advantage when respondents were given an option to vote for Kennedy. Some 16% of respondents picked Kennedy when given the option, while Trump had 36% support, compared to 31% for Biden.”

THE WHITE HOUSE

ALL IN THE FAMILY — Axios’ Alex Thompson is out with a rare glimpse at President Biden’s emotional state as he grapples with the ongoing legal battle and personal attacks on his son, HUNTER. “In private, no issue is more likely to anger or sadden President Biden than attacks on his son,” Thompson writes. “Only a few long-serving aides feel free to discuss Hunter’s situation with the president, and only at certain moments — knowing that it can prompt both fury and dejection.”

The context, of course, is that Hunter is currently facing several felony and misdemeanor tax and gun charges — and could possibly face contempt of Congress charges if he fails to appear for a deposition tomorrow before the House GOP committee leading the impeachment inquiry into his father.

“It’s unclear whether the GOP’s focus on Hunter will be politically damaging to the president,” Thompson writes. “But aides fear it will be emotionally grueling.”

CONGRESS

SPEAKING OF IMPEACHMENT — Senate Republicans remain skeptical as their House counterparts close in on a vote on an official impeachment inquiry into Biden, fearing the “the move will only take away energy from other priorities and exacerbate already high partisan tensions on Capitol Hill,” Anthony reports.

What they’re saying:

• Sen. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-Alaska): “Impeachment used to be taken pretty seriously. It should be taken pretty seriously.”

• Sen. MITT ROMNEY (R-Utah): “[T]here’s been no evidence provided to the public yet — or certainly to me — to suggest an impeachment inquiry or impeachment itself is justified.”

• Sen. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-Iowa): “If it’s being done for the purpose of investigation and congressional oversight, and they won’t get the information they’ve asked for? I think it’s the right thing to do … But I want to make sure that that goes with the word ‘inquiry’ and not with the word ‘impeachment.’”

• Sen. MIKE ROUNDS (R-S.D.): “They should be able to make a strong case before they actually do an impeachment inquiry … Otherwise, what they can do is be seen as crying wolf, and that would hinder future abilities to actually get the job done.”

Across the Capitol campus, Johnson again hedged on the outcome of the inquiry but argued for its legitimacy: “[We’re not] going to prejudge the outcome of this. We can’t, because — again: It’s not a political calculation. We’re following the law … we are the rule of law.”

Meanwhile, Biden’s reelection campaign is pushing back against the inquiry in a blistering new memo, accusing Johnson of “taking marching orders” from Trump by pursuing the vote, NBC News’ Katherine Doyle reports.

TRUMP CARDS

GIULIANI AT IT AGAIN? — The judge presiding over RUDY GIULIANI’s civil trial stemming from allegations he defamed Georgia election workers said the former NYC mayor may have defamed the same workers once again outside of the courthouse yesterday, Kyle Cheney reports.

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

ISRAEL-HAMAS LATEST — “Biden will meet Wednesday with families of American hostages abducted by Hamas, official says,” by CNN’s MJ Lee and Michael Williams

Related read: “Senators call for U.N. to open independent probe into Hamas and sexual violence,” by NBC News’ Julie Tsirkin and Zoë Richards

DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released a broad report this morning that urges the U.S. to cut more financial ties with China, arguing it has been left vulnerable from a “multi decade campaign of economic aggression” from Hong Kong, NYT’s Ana Swanson and Alan Rappeport report. “The 53-page report included nearly 150 recommendations that Congress and the administration could take to offset those vulnerabilities. They ranged from imposing new tariffs on older types of Chinese chips to further cutting off the flow of capital and technology between the world’s largest economies.”

The report comes as U.S. companies are still struggling to avoid overreliance on China for production needs. WSJ’s Stella Yifan Xie reports that “[t]rade data, corporate announcements and new academic research show that a large portion of the products shipped to the U.S. from places such as Southeast Asia and Mexico are being made in factories owned by Chinese companies, which are expanding overseas, in part to avoid U.S. tariffs.”

Related read: “Three Months After Biden, It’s Xi’s Turn to Court Vietnam,” by NYT’s Damien Cave

FOR YOUR RADAR — CNN: “FBI chief in India following explosive US assassination plot indictment”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

THE DCCC GOES NUCLEAR — “Democrats weaponize nuclear power against House GOP,” by Wes Venteicher: “The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is attacking Republican Rep. DAVID VALADAO over his position on California’s last remaining nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon.”

MIRROR, MIRROR — “Kari Lake wanted Arizona to pass ‘carbon copy’ of Texas abortion law at center of legal fight,” by The Arizona Republic’s Laura Gersony

PLAYBOOKERS

SPOTTED yesterday at Dorothy Heights Elementary School for a reading of “Paddington”: British Ambassador Karen Pierce and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the Motion Picture Association on last night for a special screening of “Dumb Money” which featured a Q&A with actor Paul Dano and screenwriters and executive producers Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Rohit Chopra, Vivek Viswanathan, Steve Stromberg, Burden Walker, Daniel Schuker, Teddy Downey, Susan Wheeler, Ben Kane, Ngoc Nguyen, Glen Roberts, Andrew Reinsdorf, Jon Deuser, Bob Hickmott, Gail MacKinnon, Katherine Grayson, Jonathan Mantz, Lyndon Boozer and Mark Irion.

TRANSITIONS — Reed Elman is now campaign manager for Eileen Filler-Corn’s campaign for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. He previously was campaign manager for New Jersey state Sen. Joe Lagana and is a DCCC alum. … Sujith Cherukumilli is now education and workforce policy adviser for the Senate HELP Committee Democratic staff. He previously was education and labor policy adviser for Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.).

ENGAGED — Darcy Merline, legislative director for Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), and Cody Sims, a legislative assistant for Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), got engaged on Saturday at the Jefferson Memorial. The couple first met down in their home state of South Carolina but started dating after an internship with Scott’s office in 2018. Pic… Another pic

WEEKEND WEDDING — Madeleine Colaiezzi, manager of government affairs and advocacy for Dow, and Robert Peters, senior associate director of government relations at APCO Worldwide got married on Saturday at the Union League of Philadelphia. They met on a blind date after being set up by friends. Pic ... Another pic

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, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.

CORRECTION: This newsletter has been updated to reflect the fact that the article about Russian casualties in Ukraine has since been updated to read that 13,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in eastern Ukraine since October.