By Rachael Bade and Garrett Ross

JUST IN — Federal prosecutors have charged Sen. BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.) and his wife, NADINE, with acting as unregistered foreign agents for Egypt. The new allegation has been added to the Menendezes’ multicount Manhattan corruption indictment. More from AP

Despite securing the formal nomination to become the next speaker, Steve Scalise still faces a tough task of winning the gavel. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

SCALISE’S MOMENTUM PROBLEM — Not 24 hours after House Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE clinched the nomination to be speaker, the tide appears to be turning on the Louisiana Republican. This morning, several lawmakers have come out and said that they’ll back JIM JORDAN over their own nominee for the gavel.

— Rep. CHIP ROY (R-Texas) was on GLENN BECK’s radio program saying a lot of members are concerned Scalise isn’t up for the job because of his cancer diagnosis. He added that he’s also committed to helping Jordan get the votes to lead.

“We need a trajectory change,” Roy said, decrying “the next-man-up mentality” and calling for a speaker “who's not really of the swamp.”

— Rep. KEITH SELF, another Texas Republican, echoed that in a tweet. “While I had hoped to support the Republican Conference nominee for Speaker, it has become evident that all the agreements and Rules with the former Speaker are null and void… Therefore, I will be casting my vote on the House Floor for Jim Jordan.”

— Freedom Caucus leader SCOTT PERRYtweeted that “no matter what happens, I will never vote for the status quo” — seemingly joining Scalise opponents in suggesting that the majority leader is a KEVIN McCARTHY clone in terms of governing strategy and priorities. (Perry hasn’t said, however, how he’ll vote on Scalise specifically.)

Meanwhile, McCarthy took a not-so-veiled swipe at Scalise this morning. When ABC News’ Rachel Scott asked him about the leader’s prospects, McCarthy said his former No. 2 has a “big hill” to climb — and suggested Scalise had inflated his support in the conference before the nomination vote.

“He told a lot of people he would be at 150 and he wasn’t there,” he said.

“The comments are the latest sign of discord between McCarthy, Scalise and their respective camps,” as Jordain Carney writes. “Scalise backed McCarthy’s speakership throughout his turbulent nine-month run. But some of McCarthy’s backers remain wary of his longtime rival taking over the conference and got frustrated by how quickly Scalise jumped into the race to succeed him.”

We’ve also spoken to a number of senior Republicans this morning who privately expressed pessimism that Scalise will ever get there. The concern is that at this point, more Republicans are coming out against him than come out for him. And right now, they’re not sure what he can do to change that dynamic.

Scalise is convening a GOP conference meeting as we speak to see if he can stem the bleeding. But his problem is that sharks are circling — and his foes smell blood in the water. If goes down, a number of other ambitious lawmakers are hoping that they can rise in his stead to become speaker themselves.

Allies of Jordan still see a path for the Ohio hard-liner to rally the conference. Others have been buttonholing House Majority Whip TOM EMMER about leading. And still a third crop of lawmakers are increasingly looking to empower PATRICK McHENRY with new authority so he can operate as speaker himself.

The big question right now is, what does Scalise do if he can’t turn things around? We’re told by his allies that he is hoping members will give him time to bring members together, but with another government funding deadline looming in a few weeks and war raging in the Middle East, there’s not a lot of patience.

Increasingly, we’re hearing from members who want to have this fight out in public, encouraging Scalise to just go to the floor to hash things out. That’s what McCarthy did when he tried to get the votes last January. But there’s no guarantee that will help his situation.

Follow along with our Hill team on Inside Congress Live for all the latest

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THE LATEST ON ISRAEL — Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN met with Israeli President BENJAMIN NETANYAHU this morning and the two later appeared together at a news conference, where Blinken underscored the level of support the U.S. will provide to Israel in the conflict.

“The message that I bring to Israel is this: You may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to,” Blinken said. More from Matt Berg

Horrifying read: “Hamas took at least 64 captives into Gaza, visual evidence suggests,” by WaPo’s Evan Hill, Joyce Sohyun Lee, Sarah Cahlan and Gabòr Friesen: “Among them were 49 people who appeared to be civilians — nine of them children — and 11 who appeared to be members of the Israeli military, according to The Post’s review. In four cases, it was not possible to determine whether the captive was a civilian or soldier.”

On the Hill: Sens. BEN CARDIN (D-Md.) and JIM RISCH (R-Idaho) said in a statement today that they intend to offer a resolution expressing support for Israel when the Senate returns next week. More from Anthony Adragna

Pence hits Trump: MIKE PENCE this morning took DONALD TRUMP to task over the former president’s criticism of Netanyahu and praise of Hezbollah at a campaign rally last night. “This is no time for any former president or any other American leader to be sending any message other than America stands with Israel,” Pence said on a New Hampshire radio station.

“Hezbollah aren’t smart, they’re evil,” Pence said. “But the former president also said when Russia invaded Ukraine in a similar, unprovoked, unconscionable invasion a year-and-a-half ago, he said VLADIMIR PUTIN was a genius.” More from Adam Wren

Afternoon listen: Israeli Ambassador to Berlin RON PROSOR said the Western world must stand with Israel as it fights the “bloodthirsty animals” of Hamas. Speaking to POLITICO’s transatlantic “Power Play” podcast, he added, “I have to say that we appreciate President [JOE] BIDEN and the United States of America who sent aircraft carriers, a quite clear symbol, and airplanes to the region, giving a clear signal to Iran. It has to think twice if it really wants to escalate here.” Listen and subscribe here

THE ECONOMY

INFLATION NATION — Inflation slightly surpassed expectations again in September, leaving the issue squarely on the plate for Fed Chair JEROME POWELL as the central bank continues its fight to tamp down rising costs for consumers.

The details, via CNBC’s Jeff Cox: “The consumer price index, a closely followed inflation gauge, increased 0.4% on the month and 3.7% from a year ago, according to a Labor Department report Thursday. That compared with respective Dow Jones estimates of 0.3% and 3.6%. Headline inflation increased 0.6% in August.”

Meanwhile, Hamas’ deadly attack against Israel and the ongoing conflict in the region “threatens to upend the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation just as the central bank was making solid progress in curbing price spikes,” our colleague Victoria Guida writes.

“The Fed’s concern is that higher energy costs could push up prices elsewhere, from plane fares to industries heavily reliant on shipping. Gas prices — a central focus of the Biden administration’s messaging around improvements in inflation — also make up a sizable portion of consumer budgets and rising costs at the pump could make people more pessimistic about the possibility of more price increases. That’s a situation the Fed wants to avoid as it tries to keep inflation from becoming entrenched in people’s minds.”

Related read: “Social Security benefits will increase by 3.2% in 2024 as inflation moderates,” by AP’s Fatima Hussein

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2024 WATCH

RHETORICAL RE-RUNS — Trump’s recent rhetoric on immigration is a return to some of the same trends as his previous presidential runs, which is “prompting widespread criticism and denunciations of racism and xenophobia from immigrant and civil rights groups,” who warn that Trump’s comments could “inspire violence against minorities,” WaPo’s Marianne LeVine and Meryl Kornfield write. “Trump’s recent comments, coming as President Biden has struggled to contain an increase in illegal crossings at the Southern border, reflect the ex-president’s effort to put the border and immigration at the forefront of his bid to return to the White House.”

ALL POLITICS

THE WILL-SHE-WON’T-SHE — The clamor over whether newly appointed Sen. LAPHONZA BUTLER will enter the already-crowded race to permanently fill the seat of Sen. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-Calif.) continues, with her latest comments on the situation coming to the AP: “I’m going to be honest, I’m not considering very much at this point,” she said, per Michael Blood.

Meanwhile, there is a growing chorus of political insiders in the state who want to see Butler run for governor in 2026, per California Playbook. “Speculation about the governor’s race has picked up among insiders and Sacramento operatives, and now it nearly rivals Butler’s more pressing decision about the Senate. California’s sprawling networks of unions frequently play queen and kingmakers in state elections. Should Butler skip a crowded Senate contest and aim for the state office instead, her history and deep labor connections could scramble the stiff competition for union backing overnight.”

TRUMP CARDS

THE GEORGIA INVESTIGATION — As the sprawling RICO case against Trump and his associates unfolds in Georgia, many of those who stand trial are turning to donations, which “could determine whether they choose to fight their charges or make plea deals,” NYT’s Richard Fausset and Danny Hakim write. “Nearly all of the 18 defendants in the case are counting on donations to help with their legal fees in a case that will take months, if not years, to fully resolve. That includes the former president himself, who has raked in millions of dollars from small donors through his political action committee, Save America.”

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THE ECONOMY

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING — “The Federal Deficit Is Even Bigger Than It Looks,” by WSJ’s Andrew Duehren and Alana Pipe: “The gap between spending and revenue for fiscal year 2023, which ended on Sept. 30, was $1.7 trillion, the Congressional Budget Office projected ahead of the official Treasury Department figures. That would be a roughly $300 billion widening in the shortfall from fiscal year 2022. But the gap was actually much larger. That is because of the odd way President Biden’s attempt to broadly cancel student debt shows up in budget figures.”

POLICY CORNER

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Pressure mounts on Education Department to penalize antisemitism on campus,” by Bianca Quilantan: “The latest wave of activism is putting pressure on the Education Department to release a proposal — one twice delayed by the Biden administration — that could force university leaders to referee pro-Palestinian advocacy and discrimination against Jewish people. It would potentially force college administrators to investigate claims of discrimination against ethnic groups or risk losing federal money, making it harder for them to stay out of debates about campus protests.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

RED VS. BLUE CHECK — “As Red States Curb Social Media, Did Montana’s TikTok Ban Go Too Far?” by NYT’s Natasha Singer, Sapna Maheshwari and David McCabe: “Focusing on issues like giving parents control over their children’s online activities and stopping online content moderation, the states have significantly outpaced their Democratic counterparts in setting rules that tech companies have called aggressive and legally dubious.”

PLAYBOOKERS

OUT AND ABOUT — The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy hosted its 2023 National Celebration of Reading at the Kennedy Center last night. Featured speakers included first lady Jill Biden, Cheryl Strayed, Steven Rowley, Rebecca Yarros, Helena Andrews-Dyer and Jeff Nussbaum. Biden spoke about how “few skills are as essential to democracy” as reading and emphasized the importance of literacy in building engaged and informed citizens. Guests enjoyed a pre-program cocktail reception in the JFK Gallery followed by a buffet-style dinner, including a lettuce wrap bar and a Peking duck station. SPOTTED: Andrew Roberts, Doro Bush Koch, Saudi Ambassador Reema Bandar Al Saud, Mike and Kristi Rogers, Ashley Davis, Jean Becker, Max Angerholzer, Lori Wachs, David Risher, Jonathan Capehart, Oliver James, Sam and Lee LeBlond, Maureen Orth, Franc D’Ambrosio and Brian Boitano.

TRANSITION — Victoria Van de Vate is now director of government affairs at the National Association of County and City Health Officials. She previously managed federal affairs at the Urban Institute.

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