First Coast Ledger

TRUMP PLAYS PAKISTAN CARD: U.S. Seeks Off-Ramp as Iran and Afghanistan Wars Rage Simultaneously — With Operation Epic Fury underway against Iran and Pakistan locked in open war with Afghanistan, the Trump administration is betting that a revived... [Apr 6] firstcoastledger.com/trump-plays-pa…

TRUMP DROPS F-BOMB ON IRAN: 'OPEN THE STRAIT, YOU CRAZY BASTARDS' — Reviving a page from Nixon's Cold War playbook, President Trump is deliberately projecting unpredictability toward Iran, demanding the Strait of Hormuz remain open with language that... [Apr 6] firstcoastledger.com/trump-drops-f-…

CHINA OWNS THE COPPER SUPPLY CHAIN — TRUMP AND JAPAN MOVE TO CLOSE THE GAP — For decades, the U.S. talked supply chain resilience on critical minerals like copper while China quietly seized dominance over refining and production — leaving America's... [Apr 6] firstcoastledger.com/china-owns-the…

ALTMAN'S POWER PLAY: OpenAI CEO Publishes Blueprint for Government to Tax and Control AI Wealth — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has released a detailed policy blueprint calling on government to tax, regulate, and redistribute wealth generated by AI — technology... [Apr 6] firstcoastledger.com/altmans-power-…

SOCIAL SECURITY CHECKS HIT WEDNESDAY: $5,181 CAP, HERE'S WHO GETS PAID FIRST — April's first round of Social Security payments — capped at $5,181 — hits bank accounts Wednesday, April 8, for retirees born on or before the 10th of the month. A second... [Apr 6] firstcoastledger.com/social-securit…

EDGE Communications Plants Flag in Palm Beach County, Eyes Florida's Power Center — EDGE Communications has opened a new office in Palm Beach County, positioning the firm closer to Florida's increasingly influential political and government hub. The... [Apr 6] firstcoastledger.com/edge-communica…

BRENT CRUDE TOPS $110 AS IRAN WAR RATTLES GLOBAL OIL MARKETS — Brent crude climbed more than 1% to above $110 a barrel Sunday as mixed signals from the Iran conflict continue to roil global energy markets and squeeze consumers at the pump. President... [Apr 6] firstcoastledger.com/brent-crude-to…

IRAN DEFIES TRUMP: 'STRAIT OF HORMUZ WILL NEVER RETURN TO FORMER STATE' — OIL TOPS $110 — Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard has flatly rejected Trump's ultimatum, declaring the Strait of Hormuz permanently closed to U.S. and Israeli interests — sending... [Apr 6] firstcoastledger.com/iran-defies-tr…

TRUMP MOVES IRAN RESCUE BRIEFING TO WHITE HOUSE PRESS ROOM AS OIL TOPS $110 — On Easter Sunday, the White House expanded Trump's Iran rescue mission press conference from a small Oval Office gathering to the full briefing room — a signal the... [Apr 6] firstcoastledger.com/trump-moves-ir…

DONALDS LAUNCHES STATEWIDE TOUR AT THE VILLAGES — HEALTHCARE COSTS IN CROSSHAIRS — Byron Donalds is taking his gubernatorial ambitions on the road, launching a series of policy-driven events across Florida with healthcare costs as the opening salvo —... [Apr 5] firstcoastledger.com/donalds-launch…

SCOTUS TORCHES TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER — PRESIDENT WALKS OUT BEFORE ARGUMENT ENDS — President Trump made the unusual move of attending Supreme Court oral arguments in person to watch the challenge to his birthright citizenship executive... [Apr 5] firstcoastledger.com/scotus-torches…

DEMS QUESTION TRUMP'S MENTAL FITNESS OVER 'UNHINGED' IRAN STRIKE THREATS — President Trump spent Easter weekend firing off Truth Social warnings demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face military consequences — and congressional Democrats... [Apr 5] firstcoastledger.com/dems-question-…

DEMS FLOAT MASSIVE TAX HIKES ON WEALTHY AS 2028 JOCKEYING BEGINS — With Republicans potentially vulnerable on cost-of-living heading into the midterms, a crop of early 2028 Democratic hopefuls is betting on class-warfare economics: sweeping tax relief... [Apr 5] firstcoastledger.com/dems-float-mas…

DEMS SPRINT FROM 2020 RECORD: Party's Would-Be 2028 Contenders Hope Voters Have Short Memories — Democrats weighing 2028 presidential runs are actively distancing themselves from the policy positions they championed in 2020 — on border security, DEI,... [Apr 5] firstcoastledger.com/dems-sprint-fr…

MTG TURNS ON TRUMP: 'NOT CHRISTIAN' FOR EASTER IRAN THREAT — Former Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene went scorched earth on the president Easter Sunday, declaring he is 'not Christian' after Trump posted a profanity-laden threat demanding Iran open the... [Apr 5] firstcoastledger.com/mtg-turns-on-t…

GALLEGO EYES 2028 WHITE HOUSE RUN, BETS LATINO VOTE WINS IT — Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is openly floating a 2028 presidential run, arguing his centrist positioning on immigration, the border, and Israel makes him the Democrat best equipped to rebuild a... [Apr 5] firstcoastledger.com/gallego-eyes-2…

POPE PREACHES PEACE, TRUMP PROMISES HELL: Easter Split Screen on Iran War — Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, used his Easter address to call on those who "unleash wars" to lay down their weapons — a message that landed squarely amid the... [Apr 5] firstcoastledger.com/pope-preaches-…

TRUMP GIVES IRAN DEADLINE: 'OPEN THE STRAIT OR LIVE IN HELL' — President Trump has issued a blunt ultimatum to Tehran, demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday or face consequences — and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner... [Apr 5] firstcoastledger.com/trump-gives-ir…

TRUMP: 'WE'RE BLOWING UP THE WHOLE COUNTRY' IF IRAN REJECTS DEAL — President Trump told NBC News on Sunday that the United States would destroy Iran entirely if the regime refuses to accept a U.S. peace proposal — the most direct threat he has issued... [Apr 5] firstcoastledger.com/trump-were-blo…

SOFT JUDGES, HARD LESSONS: HOW LIBERAL COURTS ARE PUTTING CRIMINALS BACK ON YOUR STREETS — A new in-depth report from the Washington Examiner pulls back the curtain on a pattern of judicial leniency in Democratic-run jurisdictions, where repeat... [Apr 5] firstcoastledger.com/soft-judges-ha…