Hello from CNN, I'm Joe Beck, with the five things you need to know for Thursday, September 21st.

Ukraine's president is in Washington, D.C. today.

Vladimir Zelensky will have a sit-down with President Joe Biden this afternoon, but first he's meeting

with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in Congress.

This comes as House Republicans have been pulling back and raising questions on the amount of aid the U.S. is sending to Ukraine,

while Zelensky has been calling for more.

Take a listen to what House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters earlier this week.

Is Zilinsky elected to Congress?

Is he our president?

I don't think I have to commit anything.

I have questions for him.

Where's the accountability on the money we already split?

What is the plan for victory? McCarthy says he won't be meeting Zolensky, but the Ukrainian leader says he plans to tell skeptical

lawmakers that more aid will lead to a faster victory, saying his country is, quote, on the finishing line.

He'll then head to the White House, and a U.S. official says he'll be leaving with a new aid package

for his country.

We're now less than two weeks away from a potential government shutdown, and as

hardline Republicans are threatening to oust their speaker Kevin McCarthy, House

Democrats are now faced with a big decision.

Do they save McCarthy, who opened an impeachment inquiry into President Biden,

or do they join Republicans in booting him out?

While no decisions have been made yet, some moderate Democrats say they'd be willing to cut a deal to help McCarthy,

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