LONDON -- During the Second World War, a future prime minister, Harold Macmillan, said America is "the new Roman empire and we Britons, like the Greeks of old, must teach them how to make it go."

Florida continues to ramp up its efforts in the war against prescription drug abuse. At the state Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi sponsored a measure to mark Aug. 27 as Prescription Drug Take-Back Day" -- a day when Floridians will be able to return unused and expired medications at more than 70 pharmacies and law-enforcement centers in 21 counties across the state. The measure passed without opposition.

In a 5-2 ruling, the Florida Supreme Court struck down an executive order issued by Gov. Rick Scott halting all new rules and mandating executive approval before their implementation.

The order was Scotts first, issued in January in the early days of his term. He wanted to decrease the amount of new and existing rules and regulations promulgated by state agencies, saying they impede job creation. But the Supreme Court ruled his executive order encroached upon the legislative branch and the authority of the Legislature to enact policy and direct rule-making procedures.

Roy Moore, the former chief justice of the Alabama state Supreme Court, who made national headlines for his defense of a Ten Commandments monument in his courtroom, has left the door open to running for president on the Constitution Party line.

Last week's Republican debate at Ames, Iowa, and the straw poll Saturday did more than sort out the Republican field for 2012.

Two public universities are poised to ask the State University System governing board for permission to start a dental school despite a recent health department report that questions whether there is a need for more dentists.

Last week, in preparation for a September board meeting, the University of Central Florida and Florida A&M University both submitted formal requests with the Board of Governors to start new dental schools. These requests are pitting several universities against each other in the quest to lure dental school students and research dollars.