If it's Wednesday, contrast of character, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey

Governor Chris Christie, and current North Dakota Governor Doug Bergam all launched their presidential

campaigns and all pitch primary voters to back them over Trump.

Plus, the latest twists and turns in the special counsel's criminal probe into the former

president,

including new grand jury testimony and signs that charging decisions could be potentially coming any day now. And smoke from the Canadian wildfires blanket, the northeast, and a

toxic haze, triggering air quality alerts for millions, ground stops at some of the busiest

airports in the country as forecasters try to figure out how long the smoke will

stick around welcome to meet the press now. I'm Chuck Todd reporting from a yes, hazy Washington, D.C.

As the Republican presidential primary is getting hot and, yeah, a little smoky.

Over the last 24 hours, three new candidates have officially thrown their hats into the ring,

all making overt

or covert contrasts of character with the current Fields frontrunner, former President Donald Trump,

including two of them, who were some of the chief enablers of some of Donald Trump's worst

behaviors. Last night, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took square aim at Mr. Trump when he

announced his candidacy at a town hall in New Hampshire,

calling Trump selfish and his presidency a failure. Take a listen.

A lonely, self-consumed, self-serving mirror hog is not a leader. It's amusing anymore it's not entertaining anymore it is the last throws of a bitter angry man who wants power back for himself not for you interesting use of the

word mirror there with those remarks.

Christie appears to be relishing his role as the Trump attack dog in this primary field.

But Christie comes with a heavy amount of baggage on his own.

His gushing endorsement of Donald Trump after the New Hampshire primary in 2016 was one of the first instances where the Republican establishment gave Trump

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