Story Timeline

Mar 17, 2026

Tennessee Teens Sue Musk's xAI for AI-Generated Child Sex Abuse Images

The class action accuses Elon Musk's company, with ties to Florida's SpaceX operations, of licensing tech that enabled nonconsensual explicit images of minors via a third-party app.

Three Tennessee teenagers filed a class action lawsuit against Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, alleging its large language model powered a third-party app used to generate nonconsens...

Mar 22, 2026

Ex-FBI Director Mueller, Leader of Trump-Russia Probe, Dies at 81

Mueller's investigation produced indictments that carry weight for Florida voters and the federal institutions serving the Treasure Coast region.

Robert S. Mueller III, the longest-serving FBI director in modern history and the special counsel who investigated ties between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, died Friday night ...

Mar 26, 2026

TSA Warns Funding Deadlock Could Shut Down Airports Serving Treasure Coast

Acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill reports over 480 resignations and 40% callout rates on day 40 of the impasse, threatening travel chaos for local residents at nearby hubs like Palm Beach International.

The Transportation Security Administration's acting administrator warned Congress Wednesday that the agency may be forced to shut down operations at some U.S. airports if a 40-day Department of Homela...

Mar 26, 2026

TSA Chief Warns Congress of Record Waits, Officer Quits Hitting Florida Airports

Acting administrator testifies that hundreds of unpaid TSA workers, including those at Treasure Coast hubs, have quit amid the DHS shutdown, owing over $1 billion in back pay and causing severe financial distress.

TSA officers across the country are owed more than $1 billion in missed paychecks and are experiencing record airport wait times as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown stretches past one mont...

Mar 26, 2026

DHS Shutdown Hits 40 Days, Florida Coast Guard Risks Fuel Shortages

With no deal in sight, TSA officers and Coast Guard members in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties miss third paycheck, facing evictions amid stalled Senate talks.

The Department of Homeland Security partial shutdown reached 40 days Tuesday with no funding agreement in sight, leaving roughly 100,000 federal workers — including TSA officers, FEMA personnel, and C...

Mar 26, 2026

Shutdown Fuels Record TSA Delays, Threatens Closures at Treasure Coast Airports

TSA deputy warns of staffing collapse with 40-50% call-outs and $1B in missed pay, risking small-airport shutdowns before FIFA World Cup impacts Florida travel.

The Transportation Security Administration is experiencing the longest wait times in its 24-year history, with some major airports seeing delays exceeding four hours as a partial federal government sh...

Mar 26, 2026

California Jury Holds Meta, YouTube Liable in Child's Social Media Addiction Case

The landmark verdict, involving a girl hooked on platforms since age 6, could impact thousands of lawsuits, including those with Treasure Coast families.

A California jury found Meta and YouTube liable for harm caused to a child user in a first-of-its-kind social media addiction trial. The verdict came March 25 after more than 40 hours of deliberation ...

Mar 26, 2026

Iran Rejects US Ceasefire, Vows More Strikes as Oil Prices Hammer Treasure Coast Drivers

Florida's Marco Rubio joins the U.S. negotiating team amid Iran's drone attacks on Gulf neighbors and promises of heavy regional blows.

Iran on Wednesday rejected a 15-point American ceasefire proposal and vowed to continue military strikes across the Middle East, even as mediators pushed for in-person talks as soon as Friday in Pakis...

Mar 26, 2026

Montgomery Museum Expands Slavery Exhibit Defying Trump Order Threatening Florida Sites

Bryan Stevenson's Legacy Museum unveils new civil rights display from 1955 bus boycott to 1965 marches, as federal directive targets racial injustice monuments that could impact preserved historical spots in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties.

Human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson is expanding his Montgomery, Alabama, museum chronicling slavery and racial violence in America, even as President Trump has ordered the removal of monuments, plaqu...

Mar 26, 2026

Jury Slams Meta with $375M Fine for Harming Kids on Social Platforms

New Mexico's landmark verdict, exposing sexual solicitations to minors on Instagram and Facebook, may reshape tech rules impacting Treasure Coast families' online safety.

A New Mexico jury found Tuesday that Meta's social media platforms harm children's mental health and ordered the company to pay $375 million in the first jury verdict in what is shaping up as a landma...

Mar 26, 2026

Shutdown Spurs TSA Quits, High Callouts at Florida Airports

Acting TSA chief reports 480 officers have quit nationwide, with callout rates spiking to 40-50% at major hubs, straining security amid financial hardships for screeners in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties.

More than 480 Transportation Security Administration officers have quit since the partial federal government shutdown began. Callout rates at major airports have surged to between 40 and 50 percent — ...

Mar 26, 2026

California Jury Slams Meta, YouTube with $3M in Child Addiction Suit

Verdict on harm to Treasure Coast-linked plaintiff's early social media use could spur local lawsuits against tech giants.

A California jury found Meta and YouTube liable Wednesday for harming a young woman who says she became addicted to their platforms as a child, awarding $3 million in compensatory damages in what lega...

Mar 26, 2026

Hegseth Prays for 'Overwhelming Violence' at Pentagon Service

The defense secretary recited a chaplain's prayer from a Venezuela capture mission, resonating with Treasure Coast Venezuelans amid a lawsuit over the gatherings.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prayed Wednesday for "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy" and that "every round find its mark" at a monthly Christian worship service he ...

Mar 26, 2026

Florida AG Demands NFL Scrap Rooney Rule by May 1 Deadline

Attorney General James Uthmeier warns the league's minority interview policy violates state civil rights law, directly affecting the Miami Dolphins near Treasure Coast counties.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has demanded the NFL suspend its Rooney Rule — the policy requiring teams to interview at least two minority candidates before filling head coaching and top exe...

Mar 27, 2026

Ethics Panel Probes Florida Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick in Rare Public Hearing on Financial Crimes

The House committee's open session escalates scrutiny on the Democrat representing South Florida amid allegations detailed in public records.

The House Ethics Committee convened a rare public hearing on allegations that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Florida Democrat, committed financial crimes, according to public records of the procee...

Mar 29, 2026

Senate Funds Florida-Reliant Coast Guard, FEMA but Snubs ICE, Border Patrol

The vote ends a 42-day DHS standoff, restoring money for hurricane response and maritime security in Treasure Coast counties amid disputes over immigration enforcement deaths.

The Senate voted early Friday to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security through September, ending a 42-day standoff while leaving Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol wi...

Mar 29, 2026

Indicted South Florida Congresswoman Faces Rare Public Ethics Trial

The House Ethics Committee opts for open scrutiny of the Democrat's conduct, a seldom-used process bypassing private settlements in recent decades.

A Florida Democratic congresswoman facing a federal indictment is now set to undergo a rare public trial before the House Ethics Committee, a proceeding that puts the conduct of a sitting member of Co...

Mar 29, 2026

Florida Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick Faces Ethics Trial for Alleged FEMA Fund Theft

The South Florida Democrat heads to a rare House Ethics Committee hearing accused of misappropriating federal disaster relief funds meant for hurricane victims.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) faces a rare formal ethics adjudicatory hearing — effectively a congressional trial — after a House Ethics Committee investigation accused her of stealing FEMA...

Mar 29, 2026

Senate Funds DHS Essentials, Aids Florida's Coast Guard and FEMA Amid Shutdown

The bill ends a 42-day partial shutdown by funding TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard—key for Florida's hurricane-prone Treasure Coast—but skips new money for ICE and heads to the House.

The Senate voted overnight to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, potentially ending a 42-day partial government shutdown that has forced tens of thousands of federal employees — includi...