The Wall Street Journal is reporting that chain bookstore Borders will likely be shutting down after failing to get a substantive bid during its bankruptcy process, which began in February.

Borders, which began in 1971, has 399 stores nationwide, employing 10,700 people. It has 12 stores in Florida.

On Monday, the American Conservative Union (ACU) revealed that U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio would be speaking to the Conservative Political Action Conference Florida (CPAC FL) meeting in Orlando on Friday, Sept. 23.

Iowa-based American Future Fund PAC (AFF PAC) endorsed former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner for the Republican nomination to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012. AFF PAC pointed to Hasners backing of a federal balanced budget amendment and his support for Israel as reasons to back him.

Reactions are pouring in across the state after state Senate President Mike Haridopolos announced on Monday morning that he was pulling out of the crowded Republican primary to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012.

As Ive said a bunch of times before, the election is a long ways off, noted Nelson on his Facebook page. Right now Im just focused on doing my job. Come Election Day, if folks like the job Ive done, the politics will take care of itself.

State Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, announced Monday morning that he is withdrawing from the 2012 U.S. Senate race. Haridopolos was part of a crowded Republican primary looking to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012.

The Senate president pointed to the difficulties of managing the state Senate while seeking the U.S. Senate seat at the same time.

Businessman and retired Army officer Mike McCalister, who is running in a crowded Republican primary to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, signed the Cut, Cap and Balance pledge on Monday. The pledge opposes raising the federal debt limit and backs a balanced federal budget and lower spending. The measure is backed by a number of prominent conservative organizations, including FreedomWorks, Club for Growth and the Family Research Council. Some of McCalisters chief rivals for the Republican nomination -- namely former U.S. Sen.

Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, who is running in a crowded Republican primary to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, came out swinging at the end of last week, insisting that Nelson and President Barack Obama were pushing to raise taxes.

A delegation of Florida House members sent a letter Friday to the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), asking the federal agency to reject a waiver sought by the state to change its Medicaid program from a fee-for-service system to a managed-care system.

With a constitutional amendment requiring the federal government to balance the budget headed to the floor of the U.S. House next week, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan doubled down on his support of it this week.

First elected to Congress in 2006, Buchanan, who is the Sunshine States only member of the Ways and Means Committee, has been active in pushing for the balanced budget amendment, introducing a version of it as his first piece of legislation.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney signed a letter to President Barack Obama insisting that the federal government continue to keep funding Medicaid, Social Security and military and veterans benefits and salaries even if the debt ceiling is not increased by Aug. 2.