Since I last wrote about the race for the White House, several candidates have joined Sen. Ted Cruz as 2016 contenders. Things are starting to heat up, especially in light of the upcoming release of the already-controversial book by Peter Schweizer, Clinton Cash.

And though the Clinton campaign camp would like everyone to think that Schweizer’s some rabid partisan member of the press out to get the only current Democratic candidate for 2016, you should know the following facts reported this week in The Hill:

• Schweizer has said that his next book will investigate the finances of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) who is expected to enter the presidential race soon.
• “Schweizer was a vocal advocate for reforms to prohibit members of Congress from using nonpublic knowledge to profit from the stock market. He was centrally featured in a CBS ’60 Minutes’ report on the issue. Reformers’ efforts eventually reached fruition when President Obama signed the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act into law in 2012.”
• Schweizer gave The New York Times and the Washington Post early copies of Clinton Cash on the understanding that they could use his work as the foundation for new reporting. A) That tells me he doesn’t have anything to hide, and B) neither media outlet is exactly known for their right-leaning work.

Now, here’s a brief round-up of some of the more interesting pieces (and some simple summary pieces for those of you who may need to get caught up) I’ve been reading about the presidential race’s current candidates:

Sen. Marco Rubio (R)

• “The talented Mr. Rubio” by David Brooks – The New York Times
• Rubio calls on Americans to “saddle up”-  by Jesse Byrnes – The Hill
• “Here’s what Marco Rubio thinks about the issues” by Andrew Prokop, Vox.com

Sen. Rand Paul (R)

• “Paul’s 2016 bid banks on DC ire” by Jonathan Easley – The Hill
• “Rand Paul’s Internet army” by Tom Bartlett – POLITICO
• “Rand Paul is right to demand reporters ask Democrats about late-term abortions” by Michael Barone – Real Clear Politics

Hillary Clinton (D)

• “Hillary Clinton struggles to contain media barrage on foreign cash” by Nick Gass – POLITICO
• “What does Hillary Clinton believe? Where the candidate stands on 10 issues” by Rachel Wellford – PBS Newshour
• “Hillary wants a piece of the Elizabeth Warren love fest” by Patrick Caldwell – Mother Jones

A read that mentions all of the above

“Not another Bush or Clinton: political dynasties reach for ‘regular Joe’ status” by Dan Roberts – The Guardian

And just because you probably need a good laugh after all of that:

Cover photo credit: Diego Cambiaso, Flickr