Things To Do In SW Florida

By ALEX VEIGA

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. ticked up this week to slightly above 7%, the highest level in eight months.

Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, said in an interview on Wednesday that the president-elect is exploring options to “preserve” TikTok.

By The Associated Press

The Transportation Department is stepping up enforcement of persistent flight delays with a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines and a fine against Frontier Airlines.

The agency said the U.S. District Court lawsuit it filed in California on Wednesday alleges that Southwest illegally operated chronically delayed flights and disrupted passengers’ travel plans. It says it’s seeking “maximum civil penalties.”

“Airlines have a legal obligation to ensure that their flight schedules provide travelers with realistic departure and arrival times,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Today’s action sends a message to all airlines that the Department is prepared to go to court in order to enforce passenger protections.”

The Transportation Department said its investigation found that Dallas-based Southwest operated two chronically delayed flights – one between Chicago Midway International Airport and Oakland, California, and another between Baltimore, Maryland and Cleveland, Ohio. read more

By Anna Helhoski, NerdWallet

After the fanfare of President Donald Trump’s swearing-in ends, he’ll get to work on enacting his agenda, including several economic priorities like tariffs and tax cuts.

As Trump did in his first term, he is likely to rely on executive orders to enact some promises like his tariff plans. Strictly legislative plans, including tax cuts, will need to go through Congress, where Republicans hold a thin majority in both houses. And if the most recent government shutdown drama is any indicator, the GOP may not be in sync with each other, let alone with Trump.

Here’s what’s on Trump’s list to address the economy in his first 100 days.

Taxes, border security and energy in ‘one big, beautiful bill’

On Jan. 5, Trump wrote on Truth Social that GOP members of Congress are creating one large piece of legislation to enact some of his biggest campaign promises. “One big, beautiful bill” — as Trump called it during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt — would include several of his proposed measures related to border security, taxes and energy. Trump also told Hewitt that he’d be open to two bills. read more

Blue Origin could try again to send up its New Glenn rocket for the first time with an overnight launch early Thursday, but the weather forecast could pose problems.

The heavy-lift rocket for Jeff Bezos’ company is trying to become a competitor for SpaceX and United Launch Alliance. Dubbed NG-1, the mission has a launch window from 1-4 a.m. set to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 36, and a backup window early Friday during the same timeframe.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts only a 40% chance for good launch conditions during the Thursday window, and projects a moderate chance for bad conditions downrange where the company will attempt to recover the rocket’s booster. A 24-hour delay sees conditions improve to 90% for good weather at the launch site, but still a moderate chance for bad weather in the Atlantic.

The attempt follows an early Monday morning scrub that had great weather conditions, but ultimately fell victim to issues at the launch pad. The company stated that ice had formed on a purge line of an auxiliary power unit that powered some hydraulic systems. Blue Origin recycled the countdown clock several times trying to work through the problem, but ultimately called it off. read more