Cruz's citizenship in question, Trump links Obama to ISIS and more in the wild week in the 2016 election
The 2016 U.S. presidential race can be difficult to keep up with. More than a dozen candidates still vying to be the nominee of either the Democratic or Republican Party, there's a lot to follow -- but we've got you covered with an easy recap of the buzz-worthy stories people were talking about and the more meaningful moments you might have missed.
SEE MORE: COMPLETE 2016 ELECTION COVERAGE FROM AOL.com
We saw protesters disrupt Donald Trump's rally, Ben Carson's former campaign predict that it's pretty much impossible for him to win, all sorts of people talking about whether or not Ted Cruz can legally be president and even a brand new candidate entered the race for the White House. We've compiled a list of the stories that everyone is talking about as well as the stories that matter the most to help you navigate the 2016 election. See what you may have missed below.
What everyone's talking about:
Republican presidential candidates slammed President Obama's executive actions on "common sense" gun control on Tuesday. Jeb Bush promised to repeal Obama's executive order on his first day in office while Ted Cruz said Obama's executive actions are "not worth the paper they are printed on." Ben Carson warned that Obama's action would "merely regulate the freedom of law abiding citizens" and Marco Rubio tweeted an interview in which he blasted the president for "undermining" the Second Amendment.
Donald Trump was featured in video from the terrorist group Al-Shabaab to recruit new members. The video uses Trump's speech calling for a ban on Muslim immigration to the U.S. "Yesterday, America was a land of slavery, segregation, lynching, and Ku Klux Klan. And tomorrow it will be a land of religious discrimination and concentration camps," al-Qaida leader Anwar al-Awlaki says in the video.
At a rally on Monday, Donald Trump claimed that Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama created ISIS. Trump opened his speech by blasting the Obama administration's approach to Iran and the Islamic State terror group. "They have a bunch of dishonest people," he said. "They've created ISIS. Hillary Clinton created ISIS with Obama -- created with Obama. But I love predicting because you know, ultimately, you need somebody with vision."
During a campaign stop at an elementary school in Iowa on Thursday, Ben Carson tried to ask a crowd of elementary-school-age children a rhetorical question. "As a fifth-grade student, I was a horrible student," he told the crowd. "Who's the worst student?" he then asked. Before he could finish the anecdote about a dozen fifth-graders all pointed to one kid, creating an embarrassing moment the student will never forget.
On Wednesday, Arizona Sen. John McCain said that concerns about Ted Cruz's citizenship and his right to run for president are legitimate. Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother and Cuban father and renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014. "I think there is a question," McCain said. "I am not a constitutional scholar on that. But I think it's worth looking into. I don't think it's illegitimate to look into it." McCain himself was born on a military base in the Panama Canal, causing some to doubt his American birth during his 2008 presidential run.
What you might have missed:
The leadoff Iowa caucuses start on February 1. In less than a month voters to begin to have their say in the 2016 presidential election. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is banking on easily winning the Democratic nomination while GOP rivals battle it out for the Republican nomination. Here are 7 important issues to watch for.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders warned on Tuesday that financial-sector greed is "destroying the fabric of our nation." Sanders delivered a "major policy address" on Wall Street reform in New York. Sanders also slammed Hilary Clinton's financial-reform plan. "My opponent says that as a senator she told bankers to 'cut it out' and end their destructive behavior," Sanders said. "But, in my view, establishment politicians are the ones who need to 'cut it out.'" The presidential candidate ended his speech by promising to end Wall Street's greed.
At a forum on drug addiction on Tuesday presidential candidates got personal while discussing substance abuse. Jeb Bush spoke intimately about his daughter's public struggle with addiction and her recovery; Carly Fiorina spoke in detail about her stepdaughter, Lori, who passed away from addiction in 2009; and Chris Christie called for more candid conversations about drug addiction. While stumping on behalf of his wife this week, former president Bill Clinton, spoke about his personal friends who have had children who suffered from addiction.
According to results from the latest NBC News, Donald Trump still leads the Republican field by a large margin. Among Republican voters Donald Trump has 35 percent support while Ted Cruz has 18 percent and Marco Rubio has 13 percent. This poll was conducted online among a sample of 3,700 adults aged 18 and over.
Libertarian Gary Johnson announced he's running for the White House too. Johnson became a late addition to the 2016 campaign this week with his announcement on Fox. The veto-loving governor ran in 2012 as well, first as a Republican and then as a Libertarian. That 2012 campaign won him more than a million votes -- a big win for a third-party candidate. Johnson bragged in his campaign that he has the ability to take votes from both Republicans and Democrats -- and with his support for Marijuana legalization combined with his fiscally conservative policies, it's possible. As we learned in the 2000, third-party candidates can sway an election, even if they only win a small percentage of votes.
What's next:
Join us on Thursday, January 14 as we cover the Republican Primary debate on Fox Business Network. The undercard debate will start at 6 p.m. ET while the primetime debate will start at 9 p.m. ET. The candidates that qualify for each debate will be announced on January 11, and we'll have all the coverage you need right here on AOL.com.
Follow the 2016 presidential election timeline here.
