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By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell in January as rising mortgage rates and prices put off many would-be homebuyers despite a wider selection of properties on the market.

Sales fell 4.9% last month from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.08 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Friday.

Sales rose 2% compared with January last year, marking the fourth straight annual increase. The latest home sales, however, fell short of the 4.11 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet.

Home prices increased on an annual basis for the 19th consecutive month. The national median sales price rose 4.8% in January from a year earlier to $396,900.

“Mortgage rates have refused to budge for several months despite multiple rounds of short-term interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “When combined with elevated home prices, housing affordability remains a major challenge.” read more

Spirit Airlines, citing “broad support” from a “supermajority” of its leading bondholders, said Thursday its reorganization plan has been approved by a federal bankruptcy court in New York, paving the way for its exit from Chapter 11 “in the coming weeks.”

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane said he would back Spirit’s restructuring plan, which gives control of the Dania Beach-based discount carrier to a bondholder group that includes Citadel Advisors, controlled by billionaire hedge fund operator Kenneth C. Griffin, Pacific Investment Management Co. and Western Asset Management Co., court records show.

“Today’s approval is a major milestone as we progress toward the successful conclusion of our in-court process,” said Ted Christie, Spirit’s president and chief executive officer in a statement. “We will emerge as a stronger airline with the financial flexibility to continue providing Guests with enhanced travel experiences and greater value. Throughout this process, we’ve had virtually unanimous support from our bondholders, who recognize Spirit’s value and potential. As we move forward, our leadership team remains focused on reducing costs while also advancing our strategic initiatives to transform our Guest experience and position Spirit for success.” read more

By AMANDA SEITZ and BRIAN SLODYSKO

WASHINGTON (AP) — The wealth of Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has swelled in part from for-profit health care companies over which he’d wield significant power if confirmed, according to a newly filed government ethics report.

Elon Musk’s latest space-related hammer throw is to call for the International Space Station to be deorbited as soon as two years from now.

In posts to X, Musk said, “It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting the (space station). It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility. Let’s go to Mars.”

When pressed for whether or not he meant to up the current schedule that calls for it to be safely brought down after 2030, Musk said, “The decision is up to the President, but my recommendation is as soon as possible. I recommend 2 years from now.”

SpaceX has a contract to build a deorbit vehicle based on its Dragon spacecraft to do the deed, but also has potentially several crewed trips to the space station for both NASA and commercial companies visiting the station as well.

SpaceX also flies cargo missions twice a year to the ISS.

One of Musk’s buddies, billionaire Jared Isaacman, who has flown twice to space with SpaceX, is President Trump’s nominee to become the next head of NASA. read more

By Elizabeth Renter, NerdWallet

Free File is a program that allows the majority of taxpayers to file their federal income tax returns for free through participating software companies. But the service remains woefully underused.