NASA announced on Tuesday that their technicians had closed up the aft compartment and that the space shuttle Endeavour, which was supposed to launch its last flight in April, should be taking off on Monday. The 16-day final mission is scheduled to begin at 8:56 on Monday morning. While the crew -- which is commanded by the husband of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who is still recovering from being shot earlier in the year -- is still in Texas, they will be heading back to Florida on Thursday.

Conservative leader Gary Bauer weighed in late Monday on Chinese-backed efforts to drill for oil off the shore of Cuba -- and called for America to do the same thing. In an e-mail sent out to supporters, Bauer, who led the Family Research Council and ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, argued that offshore drilling could lead to lower prices at the pump.

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner appeared to up the ante in debt-ceiling negotiations Monday night when he declared, "Without significant spending cuts and reforms to reduce our debt, there will be no debt limit increase." While Wall Street is apoplectic at the prospect of Congress failing to raise the current $14.6 trillion ceiling, Boehner appears to be standing firm on big spending cuts.

Amid a mounting pile of evidence, jury selection has begun in the high-profile case of Casey Anthony, the Orlando woman accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter. Nearly three years after Caylee Anthony's death, her mother, now 25, could face the death penalty if convicted. Jury selection began Monday in Pinellas County. The cost for moving the trial and sequestering the jury is expected to run at least $400,000.

Scoring four key victories at the 2011 Legislature, the Miami-based Christian Family Coalition hailed passage of right-to-life bills this year:Parental Rights Memorial(HM 557and SM 954): Floridabecame the fifth state to pass a resolution calling for a Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Florida Senate voted 38-0 in favor of SM 954 after the Florida House passed its companion HM 557 by a voice vote.The House sponsor wasRep. Marti Coleyand the Senate sponsor was Sen. Anitere Flores.

Seeking a "constructive national conversation," President Barack Obama speaks in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday about ways to fix America's "broken immigration system." Scheduled to deliver afternoon remarks at the Chamizal National Memorial after touring a cargo facility at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry, the president plans to call a series of "community conversations" in the coming weeks. According to a release issued by the White House:

Has the speculation around Donald Trumps presidential campaign boomeranged and smacked the Donald in the face? The billionaire businessman suffered a bit of a blow on Sunday as the ratings came out for Sundays three-hour episode of "Celebrity Apprentice."

Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, unleashed a scathing attack on Gov. Rick Scott Monday after it was announced that the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail funds he rejected is being dispersed among 15 other states. Altman, who joined Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, in a lawsuit designed to block Scott from rejecting the funds earlier this year, said he "misled the people of Florida" by claiming the rejected money helped a deadlocked Congress reach a budget deal.

Totaling up the bills passed by the 2011 Legislature, Florida TaxWatch figures the state will save more than $1 billion. TaxWatch President and Chief Executive Officer Dominic Calabro commended lawmakers for enacting several of the recommendations of TaxWatch's Government Cost Savings Task Force. If signed into law, as expected, these bills will save the taxpayers well over $1 billion in FY 2011-12, Calabro said.

Is former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson planning on a comeback? Thats the question Alex Isenstadt is asking over at Politico in a fascinating article on what the liberal former congressman, who lost to Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Webster last year, is up to even as he continues to fund-raise. The article reveals that Grayson has his eye on the redistricting process -- and Central Florida is poised to get an extra congressional seat.

Expressing concern about George LeMieux's record as a U.S. senator, the National Jewish Democratic Council challenged him to "come clean" about his position on budget cuts. In advance of LeMieux's appearance at the Republican Jewish Coalition, the NJDC stated: "The GOP's budget proposal is toxic for Medicare and Medicaid and would imperil the lives of Florida's very significant population of Jewish seniors. Does LeMieux stand with Florida's Jewish seniors, or does he stand with the tea party?"

If you lost your shirt on Mucho Macho Man at the Kentucky Derby this weekend (what were you thinking?), there is still hope of a turnaround. The oddsmakers over at bookmaker.com have determined that the odds of Donald Trump committing to a presidential run are 48 percent. Keep in mind, though, that the chances of him not running are placed at 65 percent.

Juan Williams, the guy who was kicked off NPR for being insensitive to Muslims, declared the tea party dead on Sunday. Speaking on a Fox News panel, Williams pointed to raucous town halls and growing skittishness over Rep. Paul Ryan's Medicare reforms as signs that the tea movement is fading as a political force. In its place, Williams said House majority leader Eric Cantor and Speaker John Boehner are "reasserting themselves. That's good for America," he opined.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., who has taken the lead in Congress on taking on pill mills, praised the Legislature for passing a law on Friday taking aim at prescription drug abuse in the Sunshine State. I applaud the members of the Florida House and Senate for taking action on such a critical issue, said Buchanan on Sunday. Now, more than ever, we need to shut down these pill mills that bring untold misery to our children, our families, and our communities.