Things To Do In SW Florida

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on the promise that his policies would reduce high borrowing costs and lighten the financial burden on American households.

But what if, as many economists expect, interest rates remain elevated, well above their pre-pandemic lows?

Trump could point a finger at the Federal Reserve, and in particular at its chair, Jerome Powell, whom Trump himself nominated to lead the Fed. During his first term, Trump repeatedly and publicly ridiculed the Powell Fed, complaining that it kept interest rates too high. Trump’s attacks on the Fed raised widespread concern about political interference in the Fed’s policymaking.

On Wednesday, Powell emphasized the importance of the Fed’s independence: “That gives us the ability to make decisions for the benefit of all Americans at all times, not for any particular political party or political outcome.”

Political clashes might be inevitable in the next four years. Trump’s proposals to cut taxes and impose steep and widespread tariffs are a recipe for high inflation in an economy operating at close to full capacity. And if inflation were to reaccelerate, the Fed would need to keep interest rates high. read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin topped $100,000 for the first time as a massive rally in the world’s most popular cryptocurrency, largely accelerated by the election of Donald Trump, rolls on.

The cryptocurrency officially to rose six figures Wednesday night, just hours after the president-elect said he intends to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to be the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bitcoin has soared since Trump won the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5. The asset climbed from $69,374 on Election Day, hitting as high as $103,713 Wednesday, according to CoinDesk. And the latest all-time high arrives just two years after bitcoin dropped below $17,000 following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX.

Bitcoin fell below $102,000 by midday Thursday, but its price is still up nearly 7% over the last day. Even amid a massive rally that has more than doubled the value of bitcoin this year, some experts continue to warn of investment risks around the asset, which has quite a volatile history. read more

SpaceX sent up a commercial satellite late Thursday morning from Kennedy Space Center completing three launches in just under 30 hours among its three active pads in Florida and California.

Liftoff of SXM-9! pic.twitter.com/buCmhClcFN

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 5, 2024

A Falcon 9 rocket on the SiriusXM SXM-9 mission took up the satellite radio company’s hardware built by Maxar Space Systems to geosynchronous transfer orbit with liftoff from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A at 11:10 a.m. under mostly clear skies. This was the third satellite SpaceX has launched for SiriusXM.

The first-stage booster made its 19th launch with a recovery landing downrange in the Atlantic on the droneship Just Read the Instructions.

Falcon 9 landing confirmed, marking the 100th time a first stage booster has landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship and our 380th successful recovery overall pic.twitter.com/yyoNjHXZfs

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 5, 2024

It marked the 380th successful booster landing for the company since 2015 and the 100th alone for Just Read the Instructions, one of three droneships SpaceX uses alongside A Shortfall of Gravitas based out of Port Canaveral and the West Coast-based Of Course I Still Love You. read more

Actor Josh Gad has been making the rounds at Walt Disney World, pulling Candlelight Processional duties at Epcot but otherwise working his way through the theme parks, interacting with cast members, having meta Olaf moments and making a suggestion or two to Imagineers.

Gad, a native of Hollywood, Florida, and an official Disney Legend, was the first narrator for this season’s Candlelight Processional, the long-running holiday event with mass choir, live orchestra and celebrity reader.

Before his first of six readings, he mentioned his Disney credits, including as Olaf the snowman in the “Frozen” franchise and before the first of his six readings, including as LeFou in 2017’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” film. He also referenced his time playing Elder Cunningham in the Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon.”

“This show is going to be very, very different from that one,” Gad told the Candlelight audience. “The only thing those two have in common is the word ‘Hello.’” read more

Roger Simmons will become executive editor of the Orlando Sentinel, the news organization announced Wednesday, replacing Julie Anderson, who will retire this month.

“I’m just very humbled,” said Simmons, a Florida native and University of Central Florida graduate who grew up reading the Sentinel. “I’ve been in awe through the years of all the great reporting this newspaper has done.”

Anderson disclosed the news during an afternoon staff meeting. Simmons, 59, will move into his new role Dec. 14, the day after Anderson steps down.

“He’s a good leader,” Anderson said. “He loves our community. He loves the Sentinel. And I’m very happy that he’s going to continue what we started here, in terms of strong local journalism.”

Greg Mazanec, regional publisher of the Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel, also lauded Simmons. “As I’ve observed Roger these past three years, he has impressed me with his passion for journalism and his strong commitment to serving Central Florida,” he said. “I’m confident he will be a strong leader for the newsroom.” read more