Happy Wednesday! Turns out Eminem didn’t like Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s Iowa State Fair rendition of the rapper’s classic hit “Lose Yourself.” The music licensing agency BMI has informed the Ramaswamy campaign of Eminem’s request that the candidate stop playing his music on the campaign trail, the Daily Mail reports. 

Up to Speed

• Federal judge Tanya Chutkan has ordered the trial for President Donald Trump’s federal election interference case to begin on March 4, 2024, one day before Super Tuesday, when a number of states are holding their Republican presidential primaries. Special counsel Jack Smith had requested a January 2024 trial, while Trump’s lawyers had asked Chutkan to postpone the trial until 2026.
• Miami Mayor Francis Suarez dropped out of the Republican presidential race, writing in a Tuesday social media post that “it was a privilege to come so close to appearing on stage with the other candidates at last week’s first debate.”
• President Joe Biden’s campaign team has officially opened its headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, ramping up the incumbent’s 2024 bid four months after he officially announced for reelection. 
• Nikki Haley raised $1 million from grassroots donors in the 72 hours immediately following last week’s Republican debate, the presidential contender tells Fox News. It was by far the former South Carolina governor’s best fundraising day since launching her 2024 campaign in mid-February and consistent with post-debate polls showing GOP primary voters were impressed with her performance. Haley also saw increased engagement and traffic on her digital platforms, her campaign previously disclosed to The Dispatch.
• In a poll for NBC News, the Des Moines Register, and Mediacom, 46 percent of likely GOP Iowa caucusgoers described themselves as “MAGA Republicans.” The term MAGA derives from former President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” The survey, conducted in mid-August by expert Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer, also found 23 percent of likely Republican caucusgoers described themselves as “anti-Trump.” Trump led Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the poll 42 percent to 21 percent. 

Roll Tide? RNC Plans Alabama Debate

The Republican National Committee plans to host a third presidential primary debate at the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa this fall, four GOP sources tell The Dispatch.

Our sources caution that details are still preliminary: The RNC is eyeing late October or early November but has not settled on a firm date. A media partner to televise the debate has not been selected yet, and no contracts have been signed. But Republicans familiar with RNC planning say the party is hopeful that holding the third debate in Alabama would entice Donald Trump to participate, as the former president is exceptionally popular in the Yellowhammer State.

Tentative event specs were confirmed by multiple Republican sources, including two RNC members. “We have heard that there will be [a debate] in Tuscaloosa,” one says, although the second RNC member emphasizes preparations for an Alabama debate are “fluid due to candidates’ schedules” and other factors. (In an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie referred to Tuscaloosa as the site of the third debate.)