Washington (CNN) If the weekend news shows were any indication, the next Republican debate in a few days is going to be a doozy.

In a flurry of appearances on Sunday political talk shows, Donald Trump let it be known that he's ready to take off the gloves and hammer Ben Carson . Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was increasingly willing to hit fellow Republicans. And, on the Democratic side, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders indicated he's not going to let Hillary Clinton set her campaign in cruise control, even after two strong weeks.

Hillary Clinton launched her presidential bid on April 12 through a video message on social media. The former first lady, senator and secretary of state is considered the front-runner among possible Democratic candidates."Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion -- so you can do more than just get by -- you can get ahead. And stay ahead," she said in her announcement video. "Because when families are strong, America is strong. So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote, because it's your time. And I hope you'll join me on this journey."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined the Republican field July 21 as he formally announced his White House bid. "I am here to ask you for your prayers, for your support ... because I have decided to run for president of the United States," Kasich told his kickoff rally at the Ohio State University.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined the Republican field July 21 as he formally announced his White House bid. "I am here to ask you for your prayers, for your support ... because I have decided to run for president of the United States," Kasich told his kickoff rally at the Ohio State University.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has made a name for himself in the Senate, solidifying his brand as a conservative firebrand willing to take on the GOP's establishment. He announced he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination in a speech on March 23."These are all of our stories," Cruz told the audience at Liberty University in Virginia. "These are who we are as Americans. And yet for so many Americans, the promise of America seems more and more distant."

Businessman Donald Trump announced June 16 at his Trump Tower in New York City that he is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. This ends more than two decades of flirting with the idea of running for the White House."So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again," Trump told the crowd at his announcement.

Here's a look at three themes that will reverberate through this week:

Trump attacks Carson

According to Trump, Carson is "very weak on immigration," "cannot do with trade like I do" on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and has "super low energy" levels -- lower, in fact, than Jeb Bush

The attacks -- many coming in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" -- signal that Trump has been stung by new polls that show Carson has seized the front-runner's mantle in the first state to cast votes in the presidential nominating contest.

Photos: The week in politics Photos: The week in politics Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Benghazi Committee on Thursday, October 22. Clinton mounted a passionate defense of her response to the attack, which claimed the lives of four Americans in 2012. But she came under repeated criticism from Republicans who tried to prove she ignored pleas from U.S. diplomats for better security. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: The week in politics U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan walks to his office after a news conference on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, October 20. The Wisconsin Republican is pushing ahead with his bid to be the next House speaker. Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: The week in politics A U.S. Marine stands at attention as Air Force One prepares to depart Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Wednesday, October 21. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: The week in politics Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson stand in front his tour bus at a book signing in Edmond, Oklahoma, on Wednesday, October 21. Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: The week in politics U.S. Vice President Joe Biden turns to his wife, Jill, after announcing Wednesday, October 21, that he would not be running for President. The announcement took place at the White House Rose Garden with President Barack Obama. Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: The week in politics Hillary Clinton is reflected on a teleprompter during a campaign rally in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday, October 23. Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: The week in politics Former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb waits in a side room Tuesday, October 20, before announcing that he would no longer seek the Democratic Party's nomination for President. He told reporters in Washington that he would consider an independent bid. Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: The week in politics Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Burlington, Iowa, on Wednesday, October 21. Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: The week in politics U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for President, appears on Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, October 21. Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: The week in politics Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley rolls up his sleeves Wednesday, October 21, as he arrives to host an event at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Washington. Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: The week in politics President Barack Obama holds a pen as he vetoes a defense-spending bill on Thursday, October 22. Obama said the $612 billion National Defense Authorization Act used monetary tricks to circumvent mandatory spending caps that both Democrats and Republicans want to see eliminated. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: The week in politics Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush speaks at a forum in North Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday, October 21. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: The week in politics U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry poses with a guitar that was given to him by Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo during a meeting in Madrid on Sunday, October 18. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: The week in politics Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee ends his bid for President while speaking at the Democratic Party's annual Women's Leadership Forum on Friday, October 23. Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: The week in politics Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum poses with a veteran during a forum in Plano, Texas, on Sunday, October 18. Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: The week in politics President Obama shares a laugh with Agatha Sofia Alvarez-Bareiro, a high-school senior from New York, as he prepares to look at the moon during White House Astronomy Night on Monday, October 19. The event brought together students, teachers, astronomers, engineers, scientists and space enthusiasts for an evening of stargazing. Hide Caption 16 of 16

Trump like to call himself a "counter-puncher," but he's attacked Carson even while the retired neurosurgeon has largely stayed away from initiating clashes of his own.

The aggressive approach suggests Trump is ready to draw the typically more reserved Carson out of his shell when Republicans meet Wednesday in Colorado for the their third debate, this one hosted by CNBC.

"He can't do with a lot of things like I do, so we'll just have to see what happens," Trump said of Carson.

Carson, meanwhile, told NBC's Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press" that he has dropped his angry teenage past, one in which he was violent.

"I do have a tendency to be relaxed," he said. "I wasn't always like that. There was a time when I was, you know, very volatile. But, you know, I changed."

Trump and Carson are also exchanging shots over religion after Trump told a crowd in Florida of Carson's faith: "I mean, Seventh-day Adventist, I don't know about. I just don't know about."

A feistier Rubio

As he settles in the top tier of Republican presidential candidates, Rubio, the Florida senator, is increasingly willing to slam his primary rivals.

He hit Trump on CNN's "State of the Union," saying the real estate mogul is unfit to become commander-in-chief due to his limited foreign policy expertise.

JUST WATCHED Rubio: Trump immigration plan 'borders on the absurd' Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rubio: Trump immigration plan 'borders on the absurd' 01:22

"To this point in the campaign, he has not proven an understanding of these issues or the preparation necessary to be the commander-in-chief of the most powerful military force in the world," Rubio said.

Among the biggest questions of the GOP nominating process thus far has been whether Rubio can eventually overtake Bush as the favorite of moderate and moneyed "establishment" members of the party eager for an alternative to political newcomers and outsiders like Trump, Carson and Carly Fiorina

Rubio has also begun taking aim at Clinton, the Democrat who he says is certain to be that party's nominee.

Look for Rubio to come on strong in the debate this week.

Clinton wears a bigger target

JUST WATCHED Clinton imitates Trump on 'SNL' Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Clinton imitates Trump on 'SNL' 01:28

But with the more solid ground she finds her campaign on now comes a bigger target she'll wear.

With Biden staying out of the race and Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee dropping their longshot campaigns, Clinton now faces a much Sanders says he is not 'shouting' at Hillary Clinton

Sanders showed new willingness to go after Clinton on Sunday, saying on CNN's "State of the Union" that both Bill and Hillary Clinton supported a measure -- the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman -- that was "homophobic." It was the latest in his efforts to cast Clinton as a late comer to liberal causes he has supported for decades.

He said the law, since struck down by the Supreme Court, was pushed by GOP lawmakers -- and "many of them, I'm sorry to say, were homophobic."

"I think everybody at the time knew that it was simply homophobic legislation," Sanders said.

"That legislation was anti-gay legislation. It was playing off the fears of a lot of Americans," he added. "Now the good news -- as Hillary Clinton just indicated -- the culture has changed radically. ... We have come a long, long way since that vote in 1996."