President Joe Biden, to fill a Supreme Court vacancy, said he had but one fixed criterion. The nominee must be a black female. On the first day of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing, Sunny Hostin, co-host of ABC’s “The View,” tweeted: “Been crying with pride all day watching Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson breaking this ceiling. Never thought I would feel so very emotional. But I’m all in my feelings.” California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown did not set out to become the first black female nominated to the United States Supreme Court. But had it not been for then-Sen. Joe Biden standing in her way 20 years ago, Brown might well have been on the road to “breaking this ceiling.” Brown, the daughter and granddaughter of sharecroppers, was born in Alabama during Jim Crow. As a single mom, she worked her way through college and law school, graduating from UCLA law school in 1977. Over the next 20 years, she worked in the criminal and civil divisions as California deputy attorney general; became the general counsel for the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency; served as a law professor; and practiced law in private practice. In 1994, California Republican Gov. Pete Wilson appointed her to the California Court of Appeals and two years later to the California Supreme Court. In California, appointees to its Supreme Court must run for reelection. Despite being appointed by a Republican and her reputation as a conservative jurist, she retained her position with 76% of the vote, a higher percentage than any of the other appointees who ran that year. Brown wrote more majority opinions than any other justice of that court. In 2003, President George W. Bush nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, from which more justices go on the Supreme Court than any other circuit. Even though Brown had majority support in the Senate, Sen. Biden filibustered her nomination. According to columnist Robert Novak, Biden’s obstruction represented “the first full-scale effort in American history to prevent a president from picking the federal judges he wants.” Bush renominated her and she was finally confirmed, with Biden again opposing her confirmation. Months later, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor retired, and Brown was reportedly on the short list to replace her. But Biden appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation” and threatened to again filibuster a Brown nomination. Bush backed down. Consider this exchange during Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing: Sen. Lindsey Graham: Do you know Janice Rogers Brown? JACKSON: Yes, I do know her. GRAHAM: How do you know her? JACKSON: She was a judge on the court that I now serve. ...I know of her, yes. GRAHAM: What do you know of her? What’s her reputation? JACKSON: I know that she’s a very well-respected judge on my circuit. GRAHAM: OK. And in terms of family issues, the daughter and granddaughter of sharecroppers, she was raised in Alabama under Jim Crow. Despite this adversity, she threw herself into law school as a single working mother. That’s pretty impressive, isn’t it? JACKSON: Yes, Senator. GRAHAM: Your background is very impressive. You seem to have a great family. If family mattered, we would not have done to her what was done to her here in the United States Senate. Do you realize that she was filibustered for two years when she was appointed to the D.C. Circuit? JACKSON: I didn’t know that. GRAHAM: Did you know that Joe Biden actively filibustered Janice Rogers Brown? JACKSON: I did not know that. GRAHAM: Did you know that he told ‘Face the Nation,’ if Bush nominates her for the Supreme Court, ‘I can assure you that would be a very, very, very difficult fight and she probably would be filibustered.’ Is that news to you too? JACKSON: Yes. GRAHAM: OK. Now that you know that, how do you feel about it? JACKSON: Senator, I can’t speak to something that I just learned two seconds ago in your conversation to with me.” Were it not for Biden, who now considers the filibuster “a relic of the Jim Crow era,” Hostin could have been “crying with pride” 20 years ago.

I always forget about the breadth of games Sega makes and publishes. Some of the best modern RPGs in Persona and Yakuza, top-of-the-line strategy games with Total War, and iconic platformers with Sonic the Hedgehog. So with Metaphor: ReFantazio and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii firmly on the way, there's still plenty to get stuck into. If you've got some gaps to fill then, or just fancy checking out some games you've never played, this new Sega Humble sale has everything you need. Continue reading Snag some classic JRPGs dirt cheap on Humble while you still can MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best JRPGs, Best RPG games, Best story games

If you're still chasing 100% completion in Black Myth: Wukong on PC, you'll be happy to know that the new game update has fixed the issue preventing achievement completion. In addition to this, multiple other PC-specific fixes have landed, including a Turkish language fix, and one for undefeatable enemies. In our Black Myth: Wukong review, we note that the ambitious action RPG is a "GOTY contender of epic proportions." After playing around with the free benchmark tool that was made available before release, everything appeared to be running without issue, but once Black Myth: Wukong was released, it was apparent that some rather disruptive PC-specific bugs needed squashing. Continue reading New Black Myth Wukong update fixes major PC issues including 100% bug MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card, Best gaming PC, Best SSD for gaming

I'm a sucker for pretty games, I'll admit it. From high fantasy worlds like Baldur's Gate 3's Faerûn, to the gore and hopelessness of Diablo's Sanctuary - where there's strong worldbuilding and gorgeous vistas, I'll be there. Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori offers all that and more, with a historical twist that makes this writer smile. 13th century Mongolia is your playground, and your horse the only ally you've ever needed - it's the best part of Red Dead Redemption 2, mixed with an intriguing historical setting brought to life in stunning detail. Continue reading New RPG Windstorm refines the best part of Red Dead Redemption 2 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best RPG games, Best simulation games, Best open-world games

It's Nvidia deals week in the UK, and this means there's never been a better time to upgrade your existing graphics card to a shiny new GeForce RTX 40-series option, with up to £150 in savings available on certain cards. Two of the cards included in this week's deals are on our list of the best graphics cards you can buy right now. In our Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super review, we praise the performance-to-value ratio, with small gains made over the base RTX 4080 and a sub-£1,000 RRP, and this only gets better thanks to the Nvidia deals running for just this week. Continue reading These Nvidia GeForce GPUs just got a lot cheaper, but only in the UK MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GeForce RTX 4070 Super review, DLSS explained, Best graphics cards

She told Congress that a Georgetown administrator gave her email address to a Chinese official.

You've reached Skyrim's peak. You've slain Alduin, taken down Lord Harkon, and even surpassed Miraak, the first Dragonborn himself.

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An employee cleans a BYD during 2024 Wuhan International Auto Show. | Photo by Wang HE / Getty Images The Biden administration proposed new rules blocking the “sale or import” of connected vehicle software originating from “countries of concern,” a move that would effectively ban all auto imports in the US from China. Vehicles with hardware and software from China pose an “acute” threat to the US’s national security, the White House said in a statement. This includes the potential for “sabotage and surveillance, such as remotely disabling a vehicle in the middle of the road.” The rules would cover anything that connects a vehicle to the outside world, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular, and satellite components. It also addresses concerns that technology like cameras, sensors, and onboard computers could be exploited by foreign... Continue reading…