Good morning. It is Sunday, July 9th. I'm Ali Velci. The field of Republican presidential

candidates is growing, and a date has finally been locked down for the first Republican primaries

and caucuses. Yesterday, the Republican Party of Iowa announced that it will hold its first in the nation caucus

on January the 15th, 2024. Momentum is really going to pick up next month when the Republican

Party holds its first primary debate in Milwaukee on August 23rd. That'll be the first real

opportunity for the country to see most, or at least some, of the candidates together. At least a dozen Republicans will be competing to be the first real opportunity for the country to see most, or at least some, of the candidates

together. At least a dozen Republicans will be competing to be the GOP nominee in 2024, but only

five of those declared candidates have met the requirements to qualify for the first debate so

far. Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramoswamy, Tim Scott, and the former President Donald Trump,

the undisputed frontrunner in the race right now. Now, it's difficult to overstate just how

unusual this race is turning out to be. The Republican frontrunner has already been impeached

twice for abusing his power as president, yet he is running for that position again,

and he is leading the pack

by a lot. Not only that, but he's been criminally indicted twice so far, and he could face

multiple trials in between campaign stops during primary season next year. But crucially, on top of

all of that, he appears to remain in control of the narrative and the trajectory of this race.

Take, for example, how candidates have responded to Trump's federal criminal indictment last month

and how those responses have evolved in the weeks since.

Vivek Ramoswamy quickly made a pledge to pardon Trump.

Tim Scott said that the indictment is, quote, a serious case, but with serious

allegations. But at the same time, he condemned President Biden and the Justice Department

alleging that they were, quote, targeting and hunting Republicans. More interesting is how the

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