Things To Do In SW Florida

TALLAHASSEE — As Florida leaders call for moving the nation’s space-agency headquarters to Brevard County, Space Florida is launching a study about how NASA and U.S. Space Force operations could be merged at Cape Canaveral.

Space Florida President and CEO Robert Long on Wednesday told board members of the state aerospace agency that a “unified model” would support the ongoing growth of commercial space operations and ensure government missions can be more efficient and sustainable.

“We think that it’s time that we ask ourselves as a nation, what is the optimal model to carry the world’s most active and capable spaceport into the future and enable America to continue to lead in space,” Long said.

How that looks will be up to a “new Cape Canaveral Spaceport master plan,” which Long said will include participation from NASA and the Space Force.

Under Acting Administrator Janet Petro, NASA is looking to consolidate or relocate operations to streamline the organization.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has supported moving NASA’s headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Florida, with backers saying it would put leaders closer to the agency’s operations. The idea has drawn support from most members of Florida’s congressional delegation, including through proposed legislation, the Consolidating Aerospace Programs Efficiently at Canaveral (CAPE Canaveral) Act, which calls for placing the headquarters in Brevard County. read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key U.S. inflation gauge slowed last month as President Donald Trump’s tariffs have yet to noticeably push up prices. Spending by Americans slowed despite rising incomes, potentially an early reaction to higher prices on some imported goods.

Related Articles

• 
  Asked on Reddit: How to stop obsessing about money

• 
  Trump tells US steelworkers he’s going to double tariffs on foreign steel to 50%

• 
  Sellers outnumber prospective homebuyers as high prices and mortgage rates skew the housing market

• 
  Oreo maker Mondelez sues Aldi, alleging grocery chain copies its packaging to confuse customers

• 
  Dozens arrested at construction site during Tallahassee immigration sweep

Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices rose just 2.1% in April compared with a year earlier, down from 2.3% in March and the lowest since September. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.5% from a year earlier, below the March figure of 2.7%, and the lowest in more than four years. Economists track core prices because they typically provide a better read on where inflation is headed. read more

By BERNARD CONDON, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk is leaving Washington after a short but turbulent stint in government and getting back to his numerous businesses, each with their own set of issues for the billionaire to address.

Related Articles

• 
  Chinese student struck a chord emphasizing humanity during Harvard commencement speech

• 
  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says Trump told her he would not pardon men convicted in kidnapping plot

• 
  The Department of Energy axes $3.7 billion in clean energy project grants

• 
  FACT FOCUS: Trump’s claims about remedial math at Harvard don’t add up

• 
  Trump’s education secretary threatens to pull funding from NY over its Native American mascot ban

Start with his electric car company Tesla. While how much Musk accomplished in his role as President Donald Trump’s chief cost-cutter is up for debate, it’s clear his association with right-wing politics damaged Tesla’s brand and tanked sales.

Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter, needs to rebuild its advertising base; his aerospace company SpaceX appears to be financially promising but has seen some recent setbacks; and it’s unclear if his satellite business Starlink can keep striking deals without Trump nearby. read more

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE and ALAN SUDERMAN, AP Technology Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The fate and fortunes of one of the world’s most powerful tech companies now sit in the hands of a U.S. judge wrestling with whether to impose far-reaching changes upon Google in the wake of its dominant search engine being declared an illegal monopoly.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta heard closing arguments Friday from Justice Department lawyers who argued that a radical shake-up is needed to promote a free and fair market. Their proposed remedies include a ban on Google paying to lock its search engine in as the default on smart devices and an order requiring the company to sell its Chrome browser.

Google’s legal team argued that only minor concessions are needed and urged Mehta not to unduly punish the company with a harsh ruling that could squelch future innovations. Google also argued that upheaval triggered by advances in artificial intelligence already is reshaping the search landscape, as conversational search options are rolling out from AI startups that are hoping to use the Department of Justice’s four-and-half-year-old case to gain the upper hand in the next technological frontier. read more

By ALEXA ST. JOHN

In one of the nation’s first wrongful-death claims seeking to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its role in the changing climate, a Washington state woman is suing seven oil and gas companies, saying they contributed to an extraordinarily hot day that led to her mother’s fatal hyperthermia.

Related Articles

• 
  Swiss glacier collapse renews focus on risks of climate change as glaciers retreat around the world

• 
  What would happen if the Amazon rainforest dried out? This decades-long experiment has some answers

• 
  The world’s longest living pygmy hippo in captivity is a California resident

• 
  Looking to keep wildlife out of the ‘emergency room,’ states expand managers’ role

• 
  Oil and gas have boomed in New Mexico. Its schools are contending with pollution’s effects

The lawsuit filed in state court this week says the companies knew that their products have altered the climate, including contributing to a 2021 heat wave in the Pacific Northwest that killed 65-year-old Juliana Leon, and that they failed to warn the public of such risks. read more