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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) filed paperwork for his presidential candidacy with the Federal Election Commission ahead of a Wednesday night Twitter Spaces conversation with the platform’s CEO Elon Musk, where DeSantis is expected to formally announce his bid.

From The Hill’s Max Greenwood: “In launching a White House bid, the Florida governor is hoping to sell himself to Republican voters as a low-drama, winning substitute for Trump, a one-time political ally who has attacked DeSantis relentlessly in recent months over his presidential aspirations.”

DeSantis faces multiple challenges, including that “much of the GOP’s conservative voter base remains deeply loyal to Trump,” Greenwood noted.

Without being an official candidate, DeSantis has consistently polled second behind former President Trump, with Trump’s margin over DeSantis widening since March, according to FiveThirtyEight’s polling averages. 

Still, it’s early. The first GOP debate is set for August. The field could grow even larger. And the candidates have a lot of campaigning ahead of them.

Five other notable candidates are already in the Republican primary: former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and conservative radio show host Larry Elder. 

Tune into the Twitter audio event beginning at 6 p.m. ET tonight through the “Twitter Spaces” tab on the platform’s mobile app or by joining a link on the desktop version. “Listeners do not need to be logged in to a Twitter account to join,” The Hill’s Julia Mueller wrote.

DeSantis is also scheduled for a Fox News interview with Trey Gowdy at 8 p.m. ET tonight.

Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

• All 213 House Democrats have endorsed a discharge petition to force a vote on a debt limit increase. The petition needs support from at least five Republicans to be successful. Read more here
  
  

• All states except Alaska and South Dakota are suing an Arizona telecommunications company for allegedly sending robocalls to numbers on the Do Not Call Registry.
  
  

• On the one-year anniversary of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) told MSNBC that “while we are healing and it’s going to be a long time before we are whole again, we’re also very hopeful.” Gonzales also discussed his censure by the Texas Republican Party partly due to his support of gun legislation last year.

©  AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, Pool

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said it “seems almost certain that we will not be able to get past early June” without defaulting on the nation’s debt unless there is a debt limit fix. 

Yellen’s comment comes as some in the House GOP have questioned the estimated deadline for addressing the debt limit, suggesting there may be less of an immediate need to compromise with President Biden.

The White House on Wednesday seized on recent comments from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) that some Republicans “don’t feel like we should negotiate with our hostage” amid debt ceiling talks.

“This is a manufactured crisis, plain and simple,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at an afternoon briefing.

“They’re saying the quiet thing out loud, referring to the full faith and credit of the United States as a ‘hostage,’” she added, referencing Gaetz’s remark.

Read more here

The House passed a measure blocking President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan and resuming loan payments that have been paused since 2020. 

“During debates, Republicans have stuck to their messaging about how unfair student loan forgiveness is, saying it would cost each taxpayer around $3,500 for student debt relief,” The Hill’s Lexi Lonas wrote. Democrats, meanwhile, “have said Republicans are hypocritical and were willing to give small businesses debt forgiveness with the Payback Protection Program, but not student loan borrowers.” 

The White House said earlier this week the president would veto the resolution if it made it to his desk. Read more here

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The bipartisan Congressional Sneaker Caucus said in a statement Wednesday that it “unequivocally supports Speaker McCarthy’s and Leader Jeffries’ freedom to wear dress sneakers in the Oval Office,” weighing in on a debate over the congressional leaders’ choice of footwear for last week’s debt limit talk with the president.

The Los Angeles City Council voted to approve the use of a “robot dog” by the Los Angeles Police Department. Proponents see the tech as a life-saving measure, while critics say it may target people of color. Read more about the robot and the debate surrounding its use here.

CNN’s Jake Tapper will moderate a town hall with presidential candidate Nikki Haley on June 4.

“Congress and the debt ceiling circus” — Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., a founder professor in computer science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. (Read here)

“A defining moment for how the White House handles antisemitism” — Arsen Ostrovsky, a human rights attorney and CEO of The International Legal Forum, and Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center. (Read here)

531 days until the presidential election.

9 a.m.: The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade holds a hearing on “Modernizing Customs Policies to Protect American Workers and Secure Supply Chains.”

Last but not least: Singer Tina Turner, known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” has died at the age of 83.

There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: ALaTour@digital-stage.thehill.com

You’re all caught up! Stay with TheHill.com for the latest and recommend this newsletter to others: TheHill.com/Evening. See you tomorrow!