A weekend shutdown of federal highway programs was averted Thursday when the Senate signed off on a 90-day extension approved earlier by the House.

The extension, the ninth for the transportation bill, kicks the can down the road until June 30.

I would hope that during the Easter recess the House would be able to come back with something ... or accept our bill, which is our preference, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said.

But in the heat of an election year, the prospect of either side giving in appears unlikely.

Gov. Rick Scott signed into law Thursday a controversial Medicaid bill, HB 5301, that will require counties to pay more into Medicaid, including 85 percent of what the state claims are years of unpaid bills.

"I respectfully acknowledge the concern this provision may create for some counties," Scott wrote in a letter announcing his signature. " ... To that end, I have pledged to the counties that AHCA and my staff will work diligently with them to certify that any billings for which counties are charged are accurate and valid."

In a case that centers on whether online travel company Expedia could subpoena Rep. Rick Kriseman, a Tallahassee-based appeals court Thursday said state lawmakers have broad immunity from testifying about their legislative actions.

The ruling, by a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal, could set a precedent in Florida. But the judges said it follows longstanding legal principles and also reflects the separation between the legislative and judicial branches of government.

"On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this can be solved, but it's important for him (Putin) to give me space. ... This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility."

By ARTHUR C. BROOKS, EDWIN J. FEULNER AND WILLIAM KRISTOL
Arthur C. Brooks, Edwin J. Fuelner and William Kristol
In an election year, it's all too easy for politicians to defer hard choices until after the polls have closed in November. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) has taken the more difficult road with his "Path to Prosperity" budget.

Maryland -- along with the District of Columbia and Wisconsin -- holds its Republican presidential primary on Tuesday and all signs indicate that Mitt Romney will take most of the 37 delegates that the Old State Line will be sending to the Republican convention in Tampa come August.

Plans for a Miami-Orlando passenger rail service call for fast trains to roll up and down Florida's central east coast -- but not to stop at any of the cities along a 140-mile stretch from Martin to Brevard counties.

"All Aboard Florida" would run on existing Florida East Coast Railway tracks between Miami and Cocoa, and then use some 40 miles of new rails to connect inland to Orlando.

FEC Industries' announcement of the route last week initially excited Treasure and Space coast residents who have been without coastal rail service since Amtrak departed in 1968.

As TV reports move on to show surveillance tapes of George Zimmerman in custody at the Sanford police station, and seemingly without a scratch, Gov. Rick Scott continues to urge legislators to have patience with the investigation into the Feb.26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

Democratic legislators have called for an acceleration of a task force to examine the situation in Sanford, where Martin was killed, and even for a special session to review the states 2005 Stand Your Ground law.

While the California Republican presidential primary is not until June 5, the Golden State is the largest electoral prize on the map and is bringing a whopping 172 delegates to the Republican convention in Tampa come August -- and this week the Republican presidential hopefuls started to focus on California.

While the Golden State looks strong for Mitt Romney, it also looks solidly behind Barack Obama come November.