POLITICO Playbook: Zelenskyy in Washington, Scalise in waiting  —  With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  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.

Zelensky Knows the Clock Is Ticking  —  Ukraine's president is rushing to the United States for good reason.  —  When Volodymyr Zelensky arrives in Washington—his first time leaving Ukraine since the Russian invasion last winter—he will find a city that is even more obsessed with itself than usual.

I've Seen Trump's Tax Returns and Now You Can, Too  —  Sometime soon — possibly within the next few days — a congressional committee led by Democrats will begin doling out former President Donald Trump's income tax returns to the public.  The disclosure marks the end of a bitter, multi-year battle to keep the returns under wraps.

Democrats Frittered Away the Lame-Duck Session  —  A lackadaisical approach led to failure for numerous bipartisan bills, and kept alive Republican goals to take the debt limit hostage in 2023.  —  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) …