President Joe Biden has vowed to do everything he can to fight for reproductive healthcare after the fall of Roe v. Wade, even calling on Thursday for a filibuster carve-out to protect abortion and other privacy rights. But a reported deal with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to appoint a conservative, anti-choice attorney to a federal court in Kentucky could contribute to doubts about the extent to which the administration grasps the severity of the situation — and its commitment to addressing it.

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Biden is planning to name Chad Meredith — a member of the Federalist Society who served as a deputy counsel to former Republican Governor Matt Bevins — to a lifetime federal court appointment as part of a deal with McConnell to get other White House nominees approved by the Senate. The White House did not comment on the reported agreement, saying it does not publicly discuss pending nominations or vacancies. But Kentucky Democrat John Yarmuth said Wednesday that the administration informed him of the coming move, which the Louisville congressman condemned. “I strongly oppose this deal and Meredith being nominated for the position,” Yarmuth said in a statement to the Courier-Journal. “The last thing we need is another extremist on the bench.”

“If the President makes that nomination, it is indefensible,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, told the outlet, expressing hope that the appointment had at least been put “on pause.”

The report of the agreement came as Democratic lawmakers and voters called for stronger action to protect Americans’ reproductive rights in the wake of Supreme Court conservatives’ decision striking down Roe and upholding Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, a move Biden described as the “realization of an extreme ideology” and a “tragic error” by the right-wing justices.

“It just stuns me,” Biden said in an address following that 6-3 ruling. “This is a sad day for the country, in my view, but it doesn’t mean the fight is over.”

That fight is an uphill one, though. For years, Democrats have failed to show the same urgency in protecting abortion rights as Republicans have in seeking to strip them. Now, with states imposing draconian bans on the procedure in the wake of the Dobbs decision, national Democrats have limited options. The Biden administration is working on a slate of executive and agency actions to protect access to abortion medications and contraception and to help those in states where the procedure has been outlawed travel to other states for healthcare. On Thursday, Biden went further still, calling for the filibuster to be amended to allow the passage of legislation supporting privacy rights, including reproductive healthcare. (That came after a report published by Reuters Wednesday stating that “the White House is unlikely to take up the bold steps to protect women’s right to have an abortion that Democratic lawmakers have called for in recent days,” citing anonymous White House officials. A White House spokesperson disputed the report.)

“We have to codify Roe v. Wade into law,” Biden said. “If the filibuster gets in the way, it’s like voting rights. We should provide an exception for this.”

But, as with voting rights, such a carve-out is unlikely to happen right now: Conservative Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema steadfastly oppose doing anything they say would weaken the Senate procedure, and are unlikely to budge. Democrats could make that move if they gain seats in the November midterms; as Senator Elizabeth Warren and others have noted, they may only need to expand their majority by two to get around Manchin, Sinema, and the Republicans.

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Make it a true daily disaster, Alex. Jeopardy! contestants often practice for years before appearing on the quiz show, but they sometimes still find themselves in the middle of a wild moment.

Even Ken Jennings, who holds the longest winning streak ever on Jeopardy!, has flubbed an answer or two. During his original run in 2004, one of his most memorable mistakes happened when he was answering a question in the “Tool Time” category.

“This term for a long-handled gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker,” read late host Alex Trebek. Jennings, who had a commanding lead at the time, rang in with the response, “What’s a hoe?” As the audience began to laugh, Trebek quipped, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! They teach you that in school in Utah, huh?” (The Chase cohost graduated from the state’s Brigham Young University.)

The Planet Funny author later found himself at the center of a Jeopardy! controversy when some of his old tweets resurfaced just before he began his first stint as a guest host for the show following Trebek’s November 2020 death. “Nothing sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair,” read one tweet Jennings posted in 2014.

The former software engineer apologized for the posts, saying that they “worked as jokes” in his mind but didn’t read so well on screen. “Sometimes I said dumb things in a dumb way and I want to apologize to people who were (rightfully!) offended,” he tweeted in December 2020. “It wasn’t my intention to hurt anyone, but that doesn’t matter; I screwed up, and I’m truly sorry.”

Jeopardy! proceeded with Jennings’ gig as a guest host, but the Wall Street Journal later reported that the tweets may have cost him a job as Trebek’s permanent replacement. In August 2021, Sony Pictures announced that executive producer Mike Richards would take over as the syndicated game show’s permanent host, but Richards resigned days later after multiple of his own controversies.

After Richards’ departure, Mayim Bialik, who had been announced as the host for primetime and spin-off specials, began filling in as the show’s interim host. The Big Bang Theory alum has since alternated with Jennings, who is still a consulting producer on the show. As of April 2022, Sony has still not announced a permanent host for the syndicated program.

Keep scrolling for a look back at some of the wildest and most controversial moments in Jeopardy! history.

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We now know a bit more about Beyoncé‘s forthcoming new album, Renaissance.

The superstar singer posted an ethereal photo of herself upon a see-through horse on her Instagram account on Thursday (Friday morning AEST), captioned with some insight.

“Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world,” Beyoncé wrote.

READ MORE: Friends co-creator sends $5.8 million apology for error

“It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom.

“It was a beautiful journey of exploration.”

READ MORE: Dannii Minogue reveals her wildest celebrity encounters from Jennifer Lopez to Lenny Kravitz

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She released her first single, Break My Soul, from the new album last week and it became a quick hit.

The dance track was co-produced by the same team who brought us Single Ladies – Tricky Stewart and The-Dream. Jay-Z is also on the writing credits, as are the writers of Robin S’s 1993 hit Show Me Love, which is prominently sampled in the song.

In an apparent slight to major streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, the song initially appeared only on Tidal – the streaming service co-owned by Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z – three hours before its announced release time of midnight in the US, and on Vevo/YouTube an hour or so later.

Beyoncé has a history of this: her 2016 Lemonade album was available only on Tidal for three years.

Renaissance, the singer’s long-expected seventh album, is set to come out on July 29.

Beyoncé’s last full-length album was Lemonade in 2016 – the singer has actually released four albums since this blockbuster outing, although none of them are full Beyoncé solo albums.

“I hope you find joy in this music,” she said on Instagram.

“I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle. Ha! And to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are.”

Fans have already sleuthed information suggesting the album will contain 16 tracks, and signs of a multi-part release are clear from the billing as “Act 1”.

Sources told Variety the album will feature both dance and country-leaning tracks, with contributions from hit songwriter Ryan Tedder, who co-wrote Beyoncé’s 2008 hit Halo as well as hits for Adele, Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers and Tedder’s own group, OneRepublic.

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Also said to be involved is Raphael Saadiq, who has crafted hits for Mary J Blige, D’Angelo, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Andra Day as well as his own excellent solo albums, and executive-produced A Seat at the Table, Beyoncé’s sister Solange’s widely praised 2016 album.

– Reported with CNN and Variety.

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