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

Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio weighed in on Monday on the death of North Korean strongman Kim Jong Il. "Kim Jong Il was a cruel tyrant who leaves behind unimaginable suffering of the North Korean people, Rubio said in a statement released on Monday. The United States should work with our partners to ensure that this period of transition is seized as an opportunity to persuade North Korea to abandon its hostile nuclear program, open up its society and address the humanitarian crisis that its tyrannical leaders have inflicted."

The Florida A&M board of trustees agreed to keep President James Ammons in his position, rejecting Gov. Rick Scott's call for his suspension pending the results of a state investigation into the hazing death of a band member. "The board wants to reaffirm its authority per Florida statute," said board Chairman Solomon L. Badger III in a statement during the Monday morning meeting.

In second place behind U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas in Iowa, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts garnered two major endorsements this weekend. He was endorsed by the Des Moines Register on Saturday night and also won the backing of former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan. Dole, who was the Republican presidential nominee in 1996, won Iowa in 1988 and 1996.

With two weeks to go, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas now leads the pack of Republican presidential hopefuls in Iowa while former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has come crashing down in the Hawkeye State, according to a poll released late on Sunday from Public Policy Polling (PPP), a firm with connection to prominent Democrats on the national level.