Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. Which prominent U.S. political figure passed away this week at the age of ninety-eight?
Spoiler
Bob Dole. Dole, a World War II veteran, represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate from 1969-1996 and was a three-time presidential candidate, losing the 1996 general election to President Bill Clinton. Known as a compromiser, Dole was important in saving Social Security in 1983 and securing congressional passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.
2. Why did CNN fire broadcaster Chris Cuomo last week?
Spoiler
CNN fired Cuomo after revelations from the New York Attorney General that Cuomo was trying to uncover news pieces and information from other journalist outlets about his brother, Andrew Cuomo, New York’s former governor. Cuomo was also accused by a network employee of sexual harassment.
3. What type of sanctions is the Biden administration looking into to deter Russian aggression in Ukraine?
Spoiler
Reports suggest that the Biden administration will enact stringer economic sanctions. These could include disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT international payment system, restrict the ability of Russian oligarchs to travel, and target Russian banking and credit systems. These could amount to the harshest U.S. sanctions on Russia in recent memory and they are meant to deter Russia from invading Ukraine.
4. Why is former Minneapolis police officer Kim Potter on trial?
Spoiler
Potter is on trial for the shooting and killing of Daunte Wright, an African American man who was stopped for a traffic violation in April. Instead of using her taser during the stop, though, Potter used her gun and killed Wright. She is charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter.
5. Which two candidates jumped into Georgia’s gubernatorial election this week?
Spoiler
Democrat Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost to Republican Governor Brian Kemp in 2018, and former Georgia Senator David Perdue, who lost his Senate seat in a runoff election in January. Perdue will be Kemp’s primary challenger for the Republican nomination, encouraged to run by former President Donald Trump.
6. What is quantitative easing?
Spoiler
Quantitative easing, also known as “QE” for short, is when a central bank will make a large-scale asset purchase in order to expand the supply of money in circulation. Its goal is to expand economic growth. The tool has been controversial due to its inflationary potential. In recent weeks Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has stated that the Federal Reserve is likely to start winding down (or “tapering”) QE to reduce inflationary pressure in the U.S. economy.
7. Why is the U.S. conducting a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics?
Spoiler
The U.S. is conducting a diplomatic boycott, where no official delegation will attend the Olympic Games, because of concerns about China’s human rights record, especially with regards to the Chinese government’s actions in Xinjiang province and Hong Kong. The Biden administration rejected a call by some groups to have a complete boycott of the Games, which the U.S. did for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. That boycott was triggered by the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan the previous year.
8. Who is Germany’s new chancellor?
Spoiler
Olaf Scholz. Scholz served as vice chancellor in Angela Merkel’s government since March 2018 and has been a dual leader of the left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 2019. He will lead a coalition government with the Green Party and Free Democratic Party, which is the first time that the SPD will lead a government since late 2005.
9. Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was recently found guilty of which crimes?
Spoiler
Incitement and violating COVID-19 restrictions. Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years in prison, which was commuted to two years. Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her work as a democratic activist against Myanmar’s military junta. She spent many of the years from 1989-2001 under house arrest and was arrested by the military after their latest coup on February 1.
10. Which mineral resource in the Democratic Republic of Congo is attracting increased investment, especially from the likes of musicians and former sports stars?
Spoiler
Cobalt. The mineral is growing in value because of increasing global demand for lithium batteries. The Democratic Republic of the Congo supplies 70% of the world’s cobalt and experts believe it could possess 50% of the entire world’s supply. Former NBA star Dikembe Mutombo and R&B singer Akon have companies that are investing in cobalt mines. Global human rights campaigners worry, though, that increased demand is not leading to greater safety in the Congo’s mines, some of which are not regulated or registered to its government.