The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Pence running; Sununu opts out

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* 

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically. 

2024

Pence files for 2024 presidential bid:

Former Vice President Mike Pence isn’t shying away from taking on his one-time boss and ally in former President Trump.

After a lot of speculation and a high-profile appearance in Iowa over the weekend, Pence has filed paperwork to seek the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.

Things could get interesting, depending on how personal they want to make things after their four years in office together.

There’s obviously no love lost between the two, as Trump has repeatedly attacked Pence after the former vice president was a target of the angry mob that attacked the capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (The Hill)

GOP field is getting a bit cramped, some Republicans say: 

Is it going to be 2016 all over again? The GOP presidential primary field is getting crowded, and that’s causing heartburn for Republicans who want to move past former President Trump‘s grip on the party.  

Pool’s open, the water’s fine: Former Vice President Mike Pence has officially jumped into the race and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie plan to launch his campaign in the coming days. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin could end up jumping into the race, despite already saying he would pass and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, relatively unknown on the national political stage, is also expected to formally launch a presidential campaign soon.  

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, long seen as Trump’s top rival for the GOP nomination, has hit several stumbles in recent weeks, encouraging more candidates who think they have what it takes to leapfrog into the race’s top tier. 

The quandary: Many top Republicans in Washington are skeptical that Trump can win the 2024 general election when facing Biden again. They are afraid that too many Trump-alternative candidates will split the primary vote, creating a path for him to again win the GOP nomination.

Remember: Trump, the former reality TV star whose candidacy was not initially taken seriously when he jumped in the 2016 race, fought off more than a dozen traditional GOP rivals in 2016, including Sens. Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, as well as former Govs. Christie, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Bobby Jindal, Jim Gilmore, Mike Huckabee, Scott Walker and Rick Perry. 

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton has the story here.

NOT RUNNING: After toying with the idea, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) has decided he isn’t getting into the race, he said Monday. (The Hill)

It’s Monday, June 5. I’m Elizabeth Crisp, filling in for Cate with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. Send me your tips, add me to your media list, share your funny animal videos and pass along your White House or 2024 campaign gossip: ecrisp@digital-stage.thehill.com and follow me on Twitter @elizabethcrisp.

In the House

Lonely at the top – McCarthy faces backlash over debt ceiling deal:

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) helped the U.S. successfully stave off a federal default with a bipartisan agreement in a deeply divided Congress while bringing the White House to the table with his caucus’ demands for spending cuts. 

But some of his far-right GOP members aren’t happy about the deal, and it could ultimately threaten his leadership post. 

“My constituents are furious,” Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) told The Hill.  

He said his office has been swamped with calls from constituents who are upset with both the deal and McCarthy.  

“They are not only [saying], ‘Vote against this bill,’ but they are [saying], ‘Take McCarthy out,’” Buck said. “That’s what the calls are coming in.” 

The House passed the debt ceiling bill, which keeps the issue off the table through the 2024 election cycle, with more votes from Democrats (165) than Republicans (149). 

Remember: It took McCarthy 15 rounds of voting to get the support he needed to become Speaker in the newly Republican-dominated House earlier this year. One of his key concessions to skeptics was a rule that would make it easier to call for a vote to remove him from the post. 

Because of that change, it takes just one member — Democrat or Republican — to bring up a “motion to vacate,” forcing a vote on whether McCarthy should remain as speaker. It also would need only a simple majority of the House to sign off on McCarthy’s ouster. 

“The discussion about the motion to vacate is going to happen in the next week or two,” Buck said. “The people in our [districts], outside the Beltway right now, are saying, ‘$4 trillion is too much, you’ve got to get a new Speaker.’” 

The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Mike Lillis have more on where McCarthy stands. 

NEW FROM THE LEFT: 

The pro-President Biden Building Back Together has unleashed a new ad highlighting the debt ceiling deal and Biden’s ability to work across the aisle. The nonprofit has launched a six-figure ad buy today that includes spots on Fox News. 

👰 In other news 

No rush – Americans waiting longer to get married: 

The share of U.S. adults who are married by age 21 has fallen from about one-third in 1980 to just 6 percent in 2021, new research shows, and the share who take the plunge by age 25 has fallen from nearly two-thirds to 22 percent over that period, according to Pew Research’s findings. 

“There’s a longer checklist of items you need to complete before you’re considered marriageable,” Susan Brown, professor of sociology and director of the Center for Family and Demographic Research at Bowling Green State University, told The Hill. 

“You need to get a quote-unquote real job. You need to be living independently,” she said. “All of these milestones take time to achieve, and as we all know, many people aren’t ever going to achieve them.” 

Read more from The Hill’s Daniel de Visé on what’s happening here. 

CNN’s Licht apologizes to staff for ‘distracting’ headlines:

After a bombshell report in The Atlantic over the weekend (that was the topic of much discussion in media circles), CNN CEO Chris Licht is apologizing for making himself the main story. 

Licht, who has been running the network for about a year, acknowledged that his personal approach has overshadowed the news organization’s work. 

“I know these past few days have been very hard for this group,” Licht said during a network-wide editorial call, the media reporter and former CNN staffer Brian Stelter noted in a Twitter thread detailing the call Licht had with employees Monday. “I fully recognize that this news cycle and my role in it overshadowed the incredible week of reporting that we just had, and distracted from the work of every single journalist in this org. And for that, I am sorry.” 

Yikes!: “As I read that article, I found myself thinking, CNN is not about me,” Licht said. “I should not be in the news unless it’s taking arrows for you. Your work is what should be written about.” 

🐥 Notable tweets 

Did YOU hear it?!:

There was a military sonic boom that rocked the DMV on Sunday. But a lot of people missed it. Our friends at BarredInDC ran a poll that suggests most people were busy with brunch, hangovers or just indifferent to whatever was going on, as is D.C. life.  

A public service text alert went out at just before 4 p.m. saying that despite the “loud ‘boom’ … There is no threat at this time.” 

Text reassurances aside, something was clearly amiss, as President Biden was soon briefed on the situation and why military jets were needed in the situation. 

CNN’s Pete Muntean (a pilot himself who is always up on the top aviation news!) says that the pilot of a private jet, which had been traveling from Tennessee to New York, somehow became “unresponsive,” and ultimately overshot his destination “by 300+ miles,” with four passengers onboard, including a 2-year-old. There were no survivors found after the small plane ultimately crashed in Virginia.

More details from The Hill. 

Cardona hits back at banning books ‘based on personal preference’:

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has a simple message for the wave of book-banning controversies hitting GOP-controlled states: “Banning books based on personal preference is ridiculous,” he tweeted over the weekend. 

Cardona’s tweet comes after a South Florida elementary school restricted access to a book version of a poem written for President Biden’s inauguration, after a parent objected to it. 

But Cardona’s tweet drew swift backlash from people who back banning books that have LGBTQ content. 

The “Libs of TikTok” account, which has drawn praise from former President Trump and other conservative leaders because it goes after liberals and LGBTQ people, retweeted Cardona’s message, asking “Why does the US Secretary of Education want kids reading porn like this in school?” racking up nearly 2 million views and more than 5,000 retweets. Cardona’s original tweet has just over 100 retweets, for perspective. 

⏱ On tap 

The House comes in at noon, and the Senate is out until Tuesday. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in D.C. 

• 10 a.m.: President Biden received the Presidential Daily Briefing. 
• 1:30 p.m.: Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark at the White House.  
• 1:45 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will brief reporters. 
• 3 p.m.: House Rules Committee meets. (Details) 
• 4:30 p.m.: Biden will welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to the White House to celebrate their championship season and victory in Super Bowl LVII. 

🗓️ Check out the rest of this week’s committee meetings as things get back on track after the debt ceiling dominated the discussions in recent weeks. 

All times Eastern.

🍔 In lighter news 

Today is National Veggie Burger Day!(If that gets your taste buds tingling, go for it. But no judgment here if you’re not feeling it and want to get the real thing. Go for the beef. We won’t tell.) 

It’s also National Hot Air Balloon Day! Look to the sky and maybe you’ll spot one. 🎈 

GIF: https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7aDdxM3uB4GVGUne/giphy.gif 

Credit: GIPHY / Visit The USA 

And because you made it this far, check out this pup who is also having a case of the Mondays. 🛌