©  AP

Former Vice President Mike Pence kicked off his 2024 presidential campaign Wednesday, becoming the only vice president in recent history to challenge his former running mate.

And in his launch speech in Iowa, Pence “offered his clearest rationale yet” for why he’s challenging former President Trump, The Hill’s Brett Samuels writes.

Pence reiterated criticisms of the former president related to Jan. 6, 2021, saying, “The American people deserve to know on that fateful day, President Trump also demanded I choose between him and our Constitution. … Now, voters will be faced with the same choice. I chose the Constitution, and I always will.”

Pence also said that “anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again.”

Jan. 6 wasn’t the only contrast Pence drew between himself and Trump. Samuels reported: “Pence accused Trump of wavering on conservative policy priorities such as curtailing abortion access and balancing the budget and bemoaned Trump’s brand of politics as too divisive.”

Pence is framing himself as a consistent conservative and a candidate poised to appeal to people’s “better angels.” And, while he had plenty of criticisms of Trump, Pence also said he was “incredibly proud” of the Trump administration’s accomplishments.

Pence will participate in a CNN town hall at 9 p.m. ET tonight.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also announced a 2024 campaign Wednesday.

Trump has a strong lead in polls and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is the only other candidate polling in double digits.

If — and how much — that changes as more jump into the race and it develops remains to be seen.

Read more analysis from Samuels on Pence’s launch here.

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.

• The Hill’s Lauren Sforza digs into what’s causing poor air quality across much of the U.S., what to expect in the short-term and where to get up-to-date information on air quality in your area.
  
  

• The first episode of Tucker Carlson’s “Tucker on Twitter” had been viewed more than 70 million times as of noon Wednesday. The episode was posted Tuesday evening.
  
  

• The Hill’s Rafael Bernal looks at the legal moves officials in California and Texas are making in response to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s migrant relocation efforts.

©  The Hill/Greg Nash

A day after the first rule vote failure on the House floor since 2002, a group of House Republicans upset about House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) compromise with Democrats on the debt limit continued to stall proceedings.

Four bills in the hopper can’t come to the floor until the House passes a rule. With 11 Republicans joining Democrats on Tuesday, the rule failed 206-220.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) said, “The Speaker formed a coalition with Democrats to get us a $4 trillion national debt. And I continued to be concerned because he hasn’t repudiated that coalition. And my guess is he’s prepared to do that again on the next three must-pass bills: Farm Bill, NDAA, and the budget.”

It’s not clear what exactly the dissenting Republicans want in exchange for cooperation on the rule vote. McCarthy, for his part, projected calm Wednesday afternoon.

The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Mychael Schnell noted the debt limit deal “got more votes from Democrats than Republicans, though two-thirds of the GOP conference voted for the bill.” Read more here

The federal grand jury in Florida involved in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into classified documents found at former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home is hearing evidence in the case.

Taylor Budowich, a former Trump spokesperson and current head of the MAGA Inc. super PAC, tweeted that he testified before the jury Wednesday:

“Today, in what can only be described as a bogus and deeply troubling effort to use the power of government to ‘get’ Trump, I fulfilled a legal obligation to testify in front a federal grand jury and I answered every question honestly.”

It’s the latest in a series of recent developments suggesting Smith is nearing a decision on whether to bring charges against Trump. The Hill’s Brett Samuels and Rebecca Beitsch have plenty of background info and context on the investigation here.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) introduced a resolution to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress for not handing over a subpoenaed document to the full committee. Wray shared the document with Comer and ranking Democrat Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).

The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch explains it’s a “history-making motion” and also a largely symbolic gesture, since “contempt votes serve as a referral to the Department of Justice, which is free to act on – or ignore – the suggestion as they see fit.”

The committee will vote on the resolution Thursday. If it passes, it’ll go before the full House for a vote. Read more from Beitsch here.

©  AP Photo/Mark Terrill

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) honored drag queen and reality series host RuPaul Charles on the House floor Wednesday to commemorate Pride Month, saying, “RuPaul Charles has become an American phenomenon and an icon; nobody has more charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent than Charles.”

CNN CEO Chris Licht is leaving the role he’s held for a year, news that comes days after a profile of Licht in The Atlantic sparked internal criticism among staffers at the cable network.

From David Zaslav, president and CEO of CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros.: “While we know we have work to do as we look to identify a new leader, we have absolute confidence in the team we have in place and will continue to fight for CNN and its world class journalism.”

“The nation’s teens have traded face time for Facetime,” writes The Hill’s Daniel de Visé in a new report on adolescents’ changing in-person hangout habits, along with trends in loneliness rates and smartphone use. Read it here

“Ron DeSantis’s underrated assets, and his Achilles’s heel” — Frank T. Manheim, an affiliate professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. (Read here)

“Social media algorithms are not protected speech” — Jeffery Atik and Karl Manheim are, respectively, professor and emeritus professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. (Read here)

517 days until the presidential election.

President Biden meets with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the White House and hosts a pride celebration with Betty Who.

9 a.m.: The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will consider a resolution recommending FBI Director Christopher Wray be held in contempt of Congress.

10 a.m.: The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security meets “to examine protecting consumers from junk fees.”

10:30 a.m.: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee meets to consider several measures.

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

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