Magento 2.4.8 – Uncaught SyntaxError: Unexpected token ‘<', Invalid Form Key, and Braintree JS error

I’m working with a fresh Magento 2.4.8 setup on my local environment (http://local.magento248.com/) and encountering multiple errors related to frontend behavior and checkout.

Error 1 – JSON Parse Error

VM7037:1 Uncaught (in promise) SyntaxError: Unexpected token ‘<‘, “<!doctype “… is not valid JSON

Error 2 – Braintree JS Failing

braintree-card.js:244 Uncaught (in promise) TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'storeConfig')
at Object.<anonymous> (braintree-card.js:244:68)
at mightThrow (jquery.js:3489:60)
at process (jquery.js:3557:49)

Error 3 – Invalid Form Key
Invalid Form Key. Please refresh the page.