After 10 Glorious Years, Sunshine State News and I Are Passing the Baton

Previewing what could be another dreary jobs report on Friday, Gallup said U.S. unemployment hit 10.3 percent in February -- up from 9.8 percent at the end of January and essentially unchanged from the 10.4 percent in February 2010. The "official" monthly Labor Department figures, which are seasonally adjusted, are due to come out Friday. The administration reported that January jobless rate had declined, even as the number of new jobs continued to bump along at lower-than-replacement rates.

On Thursday, former Gov. Charles Buddy Roemer of Louisiana launched an exploratory committee for running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

A group of clinic owners, doctors and staged-accident "recruiters" was arrested Wednesday in Miami by a state task force cracking down on auto insurance fraud. "Operation Dark Horizon" netted 17 arrests, with eight more individuals being sought by investigators. Authorities said the scam involved a Personal Injury Protection (PIP) racket, where auto accidents were staged to bilk insurers through phony claims.

Fiscal hawks, led by tea party favorite U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, attempted on Wednesday to forward a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to pass a balanced budget. While the measure failed, as expected, Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said he was proud to back it.