Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including President Biden proposed increasing taxes on wealthy Americans to boost Medicare funding; French workers hit the streets in massive demonstrations against plans to raise the age of retirement; The Justice Department sued to stop JetBlue from buying Spirit Airlines, and more.

National

Biden previews tax hike on wealthy to boost Medicare funding

Responding to trustee reports about the imminent insolvency of Medicare, President Joe Biden's upcoming budget will propose a 25-year source of funding through increased taxes on people earning more than $400,000.

President Joe Biden speaks at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference in Baltimore on March 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Hidden costs of funding for US special ops raises flags at Senate

Just days before the Department of Defense will unveil its spending plan for the 2024 fiscal year, Senator Elizabeth Warren told the general who heads the U.S. Special Operations Command that programs like his are “gaming the system” to squeeze extra cash out of government coffers.

General Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, testifies before members of the U.S. Senate on March 7, 2023. (Screenshot via Courthouse News)

With more opportunities than ever, why are teen girls so depressed?

A staggering CDC report showing extremely high rates of depression and suicidal thinking among teenage girls has left experts — and parents — scrambling to solve the mystery of what’s causing it.

(Image by Cyn Yoder from Pixabay via Courthouse News)

Merger plans for JetBlue and Spirit Airlines spur government pushback

In its continuing effort to stop consolidation in the airline industry, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit Tuesday to stop the JetBlue Airways from buying low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines.

Passenger flights land and take off at Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., across the Potomac River from Washington on Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Regional

Benefits, disparities of keeping remote court hearings weighed in California Senate

California’s rapid move to allow remote litigation during the pandemic has transformed the state’s courtroom access ecosystem — and exacerbated disparities among some communities.

In this June 15, 2020, photo provided by the Supreme Court of Missouri, Supreme Court Clerk Betsy AuBuchon answers a procedural question for attorneys shown on a video screen before the beginning of remote arguments in the state Supreme Court chambers in Jefferson City, Mo. The public was not allowed in the courtroom because of coronavirus precautions. Most judges and also participated remotely. (Beth S. Riggert/Supreme Court of Missouri via AP)

Mississippi Senate advances controversial bill to appoint judges in Jackson

The Mississippi Senate on Tuesday passed legislation to create an appointed judicial district in the capital city of Jackson, a proposal some Democrats initially characterized as a racially motivated attempt by the majority-white, Republican-controlled Legislature to strip Black residents of local control.

The Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

International

France hit by massive strikes against pension reforms

French workers on Tuesday hit the streets in massive demonstrations against French President Emmanuel Macron's deeply unpopular plans to raise the age of retirement from 62 to 64.

Protesters gather at a demonstration against pension reforms in Marseille, France, on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Op-ed

War machine: A visit to Roskilde

Sunk 1,000 years ago, a Viking ship recovered from the muck is sleek, beautiful in its lines, and built for speed.

The remains of a Viking ship, sunk to prevent an invasion. (Photo from Vikingeskibs Museet website via Courthouse News)