Mitt Romney appears to be pulling away from Newt Gingrich in the final day of campaigning before the Florida primary. A new NBC News-Marist poll shows the former Massachusetts governor with a 15 point lead over his closest rival. However, the surge in support isn't slowing the front runner.

This morning The Takeaway is exploring the importance of the Florida Primary from the perspective of the diversity of a state that has been decisive in presidential elections going back two decades. The diversity of Florida may be the first real test of the strength of the Republican message nationally whoever wins the primary.

On Saturday, an estimated 2,000 people participated in the Oakland Rise-Up! Festival, an Occupy Oakland demonstration. However, the situation turned violent halfway through the afternoon as protesters began tearing down construction barricades to a building they planned to re-purpose as a community action center. Riot police used tear gas and flash bombs to disperse the crowd, who reportedly retaliated by pelting officers with broken bottles, pipes, and improvised explosive devices. The protesters went on to enter and vandalize City Hall, burning two American flags.

This week, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich battle for votes in the Florida Primary. Republican candidates then move on to Nevada, where the state will caucus on Saturday. Both Florida and Nevada have a significant Latino population, and the candidates will likely use their campaigns to attract Latino voters across the United States. As the Republican candidates duke it out in Florida, the Senate will introduce the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK Act), to prevent lawmakers from trading stocks based on information from Congressional briefings.

Unlike the contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, Florida's Republican base is extremely diverse. With conservative Cuban-Americans in South Beach, military bases in the Panhandle, moderates in Tampa, and predominantly white, liberal-leaning Jacksonville, the candidates' attempts to form cohesive, unique messages will be difficult. 

Syria's government sending soldiers, tanks, and armored vehicles into suburbs of Damascus in an effort to stop protests from reaching the seat of power. The fresh violence comes as state TV says an armed terrorist group has blown up a crucial gas pipeline. There have been several pipeline attacks since the uprising began last March, but it's not clear who is behind them.

One day before the Florida primary the polls show Mitt Romney pulling ahead of Newt Gingrich thanks in part to a $16 million ad blitz across the state by Romney. So has Mitt sealed the deal? Can Gingrich pull out another upset? Romney may walk away with the nomination if he could pull out the Florida victory. We will find out what the field looks like this morning.

Early Sunday morning, approximately 2,000 Syrian soldiers launched an assault on the suburbs of Damascus. Armed tanks rolled into the outskirts of the city where many dissident soldiers have taken up residence. This latest spate of violence comes as the Arab League officially suspended its monitoring mission in Syria citing increasing violence and civilian deaths.

Many banks charge a fee if a minimum balance isn't maintained in a checking account. Frequently this is calculated in terms of an "average daily balance", a running total of where an account holder stands every day in maintaining that minimum average. But no bank provides a way for account holders to track it themselves, nor provide the metric they use. And, as The New York Times has noted, banks frequently don't calculate the average until the end of the month.

How much would you pay for a 2005 Chrysler? Well, an anonymous seller on eBay is asking for a million dollars, but it's no ordinary car. The Chrysler once belonged to none other than President Barack Obama, who used it when on trips home to Chicago when he was just a Senator from Illinois. So is a President's former sedan really worth one million dollars?

The U.S. is out of Iraq. President Obama made that point in last week's State of the Union address. But there are still eyes on Iraq particularly those places where there are still U.S. personnel — such as the U.S. Embassy In Baghdad. Those eyes are in the form of predator drones, watching over Baghdad according to Eric Schmitt terrorism correspondent for our partner The New York Times.

Earlier this month we reported the U.S. was taking steps to talk to the Taliban in Qatar. Plans have been agreed to set up some kind of public affairs office but that move did not play well with the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai. And so he's jump-started the talks by attempting to create his own dialogue with the Taliban.