Signs that Republican hopefuls taking sharper aim at Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Gladiator season may have arrived in the fight for the Republican nomination.

Three days before the next Republican presidential debate, signs abound that some rivals of billionaire developer Donald Trump are taking direct aim at his decisive lead with attacks on his divisive rhetoric and vague policy.

There will probably be more elbows thrown at that debate," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union.

For all of the GOP hopefuls, the CNN debate on Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., is the last chance for several weeks to claim the national spotlight.

Pope Francis is poised to eclipse national politics with his tour of the hemisphere, football season begins and Congress faces serious decisions about whether to fund or close the government.

On Friday, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the leading anti-Trump voice among the GOP contenders, became the first candidate to drop his troubled bid for the nomination.