today on "inside politics," a last-ditch plea. ukraine president volodymyr zelenskyy just left capitol hill after meeting with the entire senate. zelenskyy is trying desperately to secure the critical funding his country needs to defend itself against russia, but time is running out. just moments ago, house speaker johnson spoke to reporters right after his meeting with zelenskyy ended. >> the senate has been mia on this. the house passed hr-2 more than six months ago. it's been collecting dust on chuck schumer's desk. i told him personally that these are our conditions because these are the conditions of the american people. and we are resolute on that. it's not the house's issue right now. the issue is with the white house and the senate. and i implore them to do their job because the time is urgent and wept to do the right thing. >> as you just heard, republicans are insisting they will not back more funding for ukraine unless democrats agree to major border policy changes in the united states. we're covering this story from all angles. let's start with cnn's manu raju on capitol hill nick paton walsh is ukraine. >> despite heez urgent pleas, nothing has changed in terms of the dynamics on capitol hill. you heard speaker johnson right there. that's been echoed down the line by republicans saying that there needs to be a deal on immigration policy is first to deal with the surge of migrants across the border with mexico before they will allow more aid to ukraine to move forward. but the proposals to clamp down on boarder security provide dea with issues about asylum policy, things that democrats say they simply will not accept, which why we are seeing a round of finger pointing despite the efforts to try to unite the two parties behind the cause. a division within congress about how to exactly go about approving that critical aid. now you heard from zelenskyy there or johnson there, but in talking to senators, people who left that meeting they had with zelenskyy, it's clear that divide over immigration still persists with no clarity about how it will get resolved. >> i'm angry and disappointed. angry we would consider walking away from kainukraine at this mt in our history. for almost two years they have fought off, and we standby side. >> there's zero chance an aid package to cukraine and to isral will pass the house without reel meaningful border security. >> reporter: as you heard there, israel aid also caught up in this stalemate. but there is an expectation on capitol hill that lawmakers may actually leave for the christmas holiday and not come back until the new year, punting this issue even further into the new year, even as zelenskyy made the push for money immediately saying it's needed for air missile defense systems and warning about the possibility of ukraine unable to beat back russia if that money doesn't come. he's still counting on u.s. aid to come through. but as you can hear there, unclear if this will continue to drag on as ukraine struggles in its fight against russia. >> what a big, big deal for a war-time leader to come to the united states, walk the halls of the capitol is and meet with the leadership. it looks like he's going to leave in the short-term empty handed. really stunning. especially, thank you, had when you think about what was happening a year ago at this time. last year volodymyr zelenskyy received a hero's welcome, a stand og vags before a joint session of congress which he addressed. cnn's naick paton walsh is live on the ground in ukraine. what does the view look like from there? >> reporter: to be honest, i think many ukrainians confused as to what this bartering over border security, a problem that's been growing for decades, has to do with it. and what necessarily as changed in perception. i think there's a recognition that the counteroffensive didn't go the way that nato and ukraine had hoped. didn't have the glowing success that could have justified the billions spent, but requests from those on the hill for a price tag, misunderstand the nature of the war here. it's essentially about giving russia an adequate setback to potentially ukraine can be happy with imposing terms of peace. but every day here, it's absolutely clear russia will continue to push forward. we're seeing that in the east, where there's heavy fighting in the moment across ukraine right now. clearly, there's been some sort of cyber attack, which is damaging cell phone access. the security services points to the if i canner at russia for that as well. it means here the street lights are going to be turned out manually tonight because cell phones are out. it means in some areas, the system that comes up on your phone isn't going to work. a feeling of infrastructure being attacked by russia here to make this miserable winter more grim. and the front line here we saw ourselves in a city liberated pretty much a year ago but bombarded. just across the oh side of the river in territory. it's a symbol for why they doesn't want to talk about hot peace. and being a new boarder for the. they are worried that they are going to have to live with that sort of aggressive neighbor trying to take more ground as they refit and he equips in the months ahead. the conversations between zelenskyy and senators are a m matter of life and death for the front line soldiers. they are going to have to fight forward because they have no choice. be but they are very aware that u.s. aid is the reason and european aid and that unity is the reason whew they are not currently under russian occupation. this is an existential question for european security. >> pretty remarkable we are at this point now. thank you so much for excellent reporting. appreciate it. let's bring in our panel of political reporters to talk about why we are a where we are. laura lo mess, possess, jeff mason and eva mcend. jeff, i want to start with you. you covered the white house for a few years. how frustrated are they that they cannot convince congress, even republican who is are the most supportive of ukraine, republicans are divided on to fund ukraine, but some say they should, but not before dealing with u.s. immigration policy. >> deeply frustrated. it's not just their concern about ukraine itself and this conflict, which is at the core of why they want to get funding to the ukraine and protect europe and protect democracy, but there's also a legitimate political risk to president biden if this doesn't go through. one of his main foreign policy is victories that he likes to talk about is having coalesced nato, coalesced the west to stand up against russian aggression. if they are not able to put money where their mouth is, which right now it looks like he won't be able to do, that makes him look weaker going into the 2024 election. >> let's listen to what john kirby, the national security council is spokesman said about what the president plans to talk about with president zelenskyy, which is going to happen this afternoon. >> he's going to make it clear to president seth len skit he want thes to get that supplemental fund ing passed. he and our team will be working with democrats to see if there's some or the of compromise to be had to get that supplemental funding supported and to work with the other side on border security issues. president believes that's important too. >> i think on the border security, it's interesting republicans are say ing that al they want is border security. president biden put in his supplemental request money for the border, specifically on giving more money for officers, for patrol, for any resources that border patrol might need. that's what he was willing to give on what republicans are asking now is to severely restrict asylum patrol systems that the president has used since he's been in office to allow in afghan people, to allow in ukrainians because of the humanitarian crises they are facing in their country. and these proposals would severely restrict that. it would also potentially grand the president any president new authority to completely shut down the border. so is a lot of these are pretty much no goeses for a majority of democrats. so president biden is feeling a lot of pressure from left to not concede on these border policies that would be a lot of things that republicans could throw to their base. >> you have covered the hill for a long time. you know the rhythms of congress and the political pressures that laura was just talking about better than anybody. let's just look for a minute at what we're talking about. the specifics of what president biden is requesting. it's 61.4 billion for ukraine, money for israel, also thaiwan. there is money there for border security, but the point that laura was making, it's not about the money. it's about the policy changes that republicans are demanding as part of this package. >> yeah, it's very important to understand and break this down to who is ploking this. it's not the senate. it's not the house democrats. it's not senate republicans. it's entirely house republicans. it is one of the four caucuses and basically the whole of them have on their speaker. what you saw today in the clip was mitch mcconnell, the republican senate leader, and chuck schumer, the democratic senate leader, walking with zelenskyy. there's public footage of hakeem jeffries walking with zelenskyy. there is no footage of speaker mike johnson walking with him. he would not be seen in public with zelenskyy. it was the same way the last time he visited and kevin mccarthy, then the speaker, hid from public ask would not be seen with szelenskyy. senate republicans, what he told manu, there's seethe vote zero chance it will pass the house. they are doing all of this really because they know that the house republicans cannot support ukraine because of their fear of donald trump. and their fear of what their primary voters will do. this is a small subset of american voters. voters in republican primaries who have scared house republicans and it's going to have a massive global impact. >> it will. that's such ab important way to break it down. eva, you covered mitch mcconnell for a long time, covering the kentucky delegation. it is noteworthy to see the imagery of mcconnell walking with schumer, walking with zelenskyy, and the difference -- certainly that's a show of support, but not like being invited to speak to a joint session last year. >> for mitch mcconnell, he's just being consistent because this is always been his view. he see this is as a national security priority. as time goes on, this was always going to be politically challenging to scene this level of support for ukraine. the immigration policy that republicans are throwing at this now is a bit of a red herring. they know that most democrats are not going to support set policies at the border. it's to mask that so many house republicans don't support ukraine no matter what. i will say this. we don't see democrats outspoken on this issue in the house, but i think that they are glad for republicans to sort of take the fire for this. but also some of these democrats find it challenging to go back to their districts and explain at a time when many americans are suffering why this sustained level of economic support is necessary. >> i mean, that's so interesting because you're right, we're not hearing a ton. we're hearing from senate democrats. let's listen to chris murty of kentucky. >> i don't think that vice president vice president should be given a green light to invade and conquer ukraine ask europe simply because for 40 years, we have had a tough time coming to a conclusion on immigration policy. we're going to work at this. i'm at the table. i hear what republicans have been saying. i'm sitting down with others in good faith this week. >> not giving up. >> he's not giving up. biden is not giving up either. you'll hear him with president zelenskyy giving a press conference. a show of support that will continue, but he needs someone to send and write a check. >> everybody, standby. before we head to a break, this just into cnn. house republicans took another step toward impeaching president biden. powerful rules committee just approved a bill to officially launch an impeachment inquiry. that means the full house could as soon as tomorrow. it's likely to pass after several skeptical moderate republicans have come out in favor of it. but they say it doesn't mean the ready to actually impeeach the president. it is just the beginning of a formal inquiry. one of the most sought after endorsements in the primary season is expected tonight. political news out of of new hampshire rngs sources confirm that governor suhnunu plans to endorse nikki haley. he's all in, one republican close to sununu told cnn. there's no doubt it's a boost for nikki haley, but the question is will it be enough to matter when you look at the big picture. cnn's poll last month had donald trump up by more than 20 points, though haley is a strong second. our political panel was pack with us. you spent a good amount of time with nikki haley on the campaign trail. what's your sense? >> i think the sununu endorsement further reenforces her as the pragmatic choice in the republican primary. she's been honing in on the eligibility argument in a general matchup. i would be a better person to go up against president biden than donald trump. but it could also serve as a liability. some of these republican primary voters don't want thematic choice. they want someone who is going to throw them more red meat and someone who is closer, if not trump, closer to trump, which would be governor ron desantis. we'll see how much this helps her. certainly, it could help with fundraising, as she continues to get more and more momentum. >> one of the key factors in new hampshire that i don't think we could forget is that new hampshire is a primary process in which independents can vote. democrats can dissipate if they want to. they can change. particularly since there's no democratic primary, that's a real viable possibility. and that could change the dynamic when it comes to how the primary will look. >> it could very well help her because this endorsement could, with those independents that you mentioned, new hampshire more than iowa and some of the other early states has a contingent of right-leaning independents or republicans that aren't exactly in favor of trump. we have seen where candidates like chris christie and nikki haley seem to be getting a bit more attention in a state like new hampshire because there are more independent-minded republican voters there. that being said, in the grander scheme of things, do i think this endorsement helps haley surpass trump, no. right now, republican voters or the republican base in poll after poll has demonstrated they are not interested in the type of policy-forward campaign she maybe trying to run. they are interested in the emotions and the revenge of donald trump. >> i want you to listen to what nikki haley said yesterday about donald trump. >> it's not about fitness. he's hit to be president, it's should he be president. i don't think he should be president. i thought he was the right president at the right time. i agreed with a lot of his policies. the problem is you have seen our country is in disarray. our world is on fire. and you can't defeat democrat chaos with republican chaos. and donald trump brings us chaos. >> he's fit to be president, but she shouldn't be president. >> she's trying to thread that needle. in new hampshire you had that poll up there. trump is at 42%. that's basically where he has been for almost six months now. every poll shows him at 42, 43. there's a large pocket of voters that don't want trump. she is trying to corral all of them. christie is getting 14%. those are voters that most likely would go to her, if he were to bow out and endorse her. she's trying to corral as many of them as possible, but then still sort of awe peel to trump voters as i don't hate him, i just don't think he can win. >> on the christie factor, i was in alabama last week and a talked to the former new jersey governor after the debate, where he really came to nikki haley's defense and asked about that dynamic. listen to this. >> it seemed as though you were forming a bit of ab alliance with her. >> not me forming an alliance with nikki haley. wait until you see what's going to happen over the next seven weeks. we're going to be competing hard to try to win new hampshire, i suspect. >> 14% is not nothing. >> it's not nothing. and new hampshire is a place to take down donald trump if they are going to take him down. iowa and new hampshire, the earlier states, the only chance republican candidates have of changing the trajectory in this race is to do it early. the sununu endorsement helps because it gives her a little momentum. but christie staying in and fighting her doesn't help what i think is probably a joint cause, even if they are still running against each other. they both want to bring down the form er president. >> but in a very different way. he answers the question to whether or not donald trump is fit to be president by saying, no, he's not. >> yes. >> everybody, standby. up next, we're going to talk about what this news out of new hampshire means for governor ron desantis' campaign. that's whehen we return. fewer than five weeks until the iowa caucuses, republican candidate ron desantis is in the hawkeye state where he will join cnn for a town hall tonight. here with me now is ron desantis' campaign manager. thank you so much for being here. let's begin in new hampshire, where governor sununu is poised to endorse nikki haley. you remember when the iowa governor kim reynolds endorsed your candidate last month. the governor touted it as very meaningful. is this meaningful for nikki haley in new hampshire? >> sure, it's meaningful, but i think the thing that's going to influence new hampshire the most is the very first in the nation state to go out and vote. the iowa caucus. i think on january 15th, when people go out and cast their vote and everybody sees ron desantis as the true trump alternative when they see him below projections and expectations out of the water, that momentum will go into new hampshire. that will certainly be more important than any one endorsement. but let's not forget ron desantis has endorsements from over 60 state legislators. hnikki haley has fewer than fiv. he's the grass roots candidate. he's building this campaign from the bottom up. we expect there to be a lot of momentum because his theme is freedom, making florida the free state focusing on freedom from government overreach, eliminating state agencies, medical freedom, that theme ties in nicely in new hampshire and people love it. >> you talked about the endorse mentes that your candidate has. in addition to the iowa governor, he has the top evangelical leader in iowa. and he visited all 99 counties in iowa, the full grassley. so given all of that, why is ron desantis still trailing donald trump in iowa by more than 30 points? what's happening? >> i know you guys like the polls. the polls are the polls. the same polls that predicted donald trump would win the iowa caucus in 2016, they were not accurate. the same polls that predicted a sweeping red wave for republicans, they were inaccurate. no public poll predicted that ron desantis would soar above expectations with a 20-point win. it's the organization. team desantis has an organization that's second to none. it's the most robust infrastructure of any presidential primary team in iowa. county chairs in every single county, precincts captains, hundreds of people spread across the state, inclusive of church leaders that are going to make sure when it's freezing on caucus night that their strong network of supporters goes out to make their case to bring their friends, bring