Axios PM

October 11, 2023
Good Wednesday afternoon. Today's PM — edited by Noah Bressner — is 491 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for the copy edit.
💰Axios BFD returns to NYC tomorrow! Exclusive conversations include Boston Celtics lead owner Wyc Grousbeck, OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair and CBS News president Wendy McMahon.
1 big thing — Scoop: Zelensky eyes Israel trip

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to visit Israel in a show of support for the country amid the fighting in Gaza, two Ukrainian and Israeli officials told Axios' Barak Ravid.
- Why it matters: A visit by Zelensky would boost international support for Israel's counteroffensive against Hamas.
Zelensky's office sent an official request to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office asking to coordinate a visit, the officials said. Talks are still preliminary.
- Zelensky said today that in the early days of Russia's invasion, it was critical for Ukraine not to feel isolated. "This is why I urge all leaders to visit Israel," he said.
🔎 Between the lines: Zelensky has publicly supported Israel and equated the Hamas attack to Vladimir Putin's invasion.
- Zelensky was among the first leaders to call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
🖼️ The big picture: Russia hasn't expressed support for Israel or condemned Hamas since the war began.
- Russia has been holding talks with Hamas for years, including hosting official Hamas delegations in Moscow.
2. 🧮 Scalise's tricky path to 217

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) won the GOP nomination for speaker of the House this afternoon, Axios' Juliegrace Brufke and Andrew Solender write.
- Now he has to solve a tricky math problem: securing 217 votes when the speaker's race goes to the floor.
Why it matters: A handful of GOP lawmakers emerged with plans to back other candidates, jeopardizing Scalise's odds of securing the position.
- Scalise defeated House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on a 113-99 vote of Republican representatives.
🔭 Zoom in: Jordan threw his support behind Scalise and offered to nominate him during the House speaker vote.
- But a group of GOP members — including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — have publicly indicated they won't back Scalise.
- He needs support from 217 of 221 House Republicans if every Democrat votes.
3. Catch me up

- 🎒The high school class of 2023 had the worst ACT performance in more than three decades, Axios' April Rubin writes.
- 🇮🇱 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz agreed to form a rare emergency unity government, Axios' Barak Ravid writes.
- 🎰 The biggest Powerball jackpot of the year, now the second-largest U.S. lottery prize ever, is up for grabs tonight, Axios' Kelly Tyko writes.
4. 🐻 1 fun thing: Fat Bear Week champ

Fat Bear Week fans have crowned a new champ: Grazer, a first-time winner.
- She beat Chunk, the runner-up, by more than 85,000 votes, Axios' Ivana Saric writes.
Fans pick the bear who's done the best job fattening up before hibernation season at Alaska's Katmai National Park.
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