Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz!
1. The Pakistani Supreme Court recently made a controversial decision that affect’s the nation’s political system. What did it rule?
Spoiler
Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled on Monday that politicians who have been convicted of crimes can run in election. This overturned a 2018 ruling that banned politicians convicted of a crime from running for office for life. The decision is seen as paving the way for former three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to run in this year’s parliamentary elections. Sharif was removed from office after a corruption conviction involving the Panama Papers in 2017.
2. What new German political party was formed this week and what does it stand for?
Spoiler
Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice (BSW). It was created by Sahra Wagenknect, a former leader of Germany’s Left Party. The party will stand for traditionally left-of-center issues like improving German education and pensions but embrace some social conservative positions such as reducing immigration. Some think the party could pull voters from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has seen its vote share rise over the last decade.
3. Which member of the House of Representatives recently announced that they wanted to switch political districts?
Spoiler
Lauren Boebert (R-CO). Boebert barely won re-election from Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District in 2022. She was set to face another bruising re-election effort against her opponent in that race, Adam Frisch. Boebert announced that she was switching to the 4th Congressional District, which is being vacated by Republican Representative Ken Buck. The 4th Congressional District is the most conservative district in Colorado, having a partisan lean in favor of Republicans by 13 points versus the 7 points of Boebert’s old district.
4. Which country recently suggested that the European Union should create its own army?
Spoiler
Italy. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani recently suggested that the EU should have an army to conduct peacekeeping operations. He also raised the point that the EU cannot have a defined foreign policy presence without a combined military force.
5. What Boeing designed aircraft did the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground last week?
Spoiler
The Max 9. The FAA grounded 171 of the aircraft after a panel on one of the aircrafts flown by Alaska Airlines blew out on a flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California on January 5. The FAA will do an inspection of all 171 Max 9 airplanes. The Max is Boeing’s latest 737 aircraft and they are frequently used for U.S. domestic flights.
6. What is the current U.S. unemployment rate?
Spoiler
3.7%. This was the same unemployment rate as the previous month. According to the Labor Department, the U.S. added 216,000 jobs last month. Most job gains were in government and healthcare. The U.S. is currently enjoying its longest streak of sub-4% unemployment since the Vietnam War.
7. Why is there a controversy surrounding current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin?
Spoiler
Austin, who has been Defense Secretary during Biden’s entire first term, was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on New Year’s Day and did not notify the White House until four days later. Austin was suffering from complicaitons from an elective surgery. Republicans have criticized Austin for not following legal protocols of informing superiors of his absence, saying that it could have endangered U.S. national security.
8. Aside from the 14th Amendment, what other constitutional provision have House Democrats alleged that former President Donald Trump violated?
Spoiler
The Foreign Emoluments Clause, which bans federal officials from taking gifts or benefits from foreign countries. House Democrats released a report last week that Trump’s businesses received at least $7.8 million in payments from foreign governments or foreign entities representing 20 countries while he was president. When Trump assumed office in 2017 he refused to divest from his businesses. Democrats allege that Trump’s hotel and other real estate holdings were a hotbed of foreign activity as governments sought to use money to win influence in his administration.
9. Which group claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Iran last week?
Spoiler
ISIS. Last week the group claimed responsibility for two bomb blasts that killed at least 84 people and injured 284 others near the burial site of deceased military commander Qasem Soleimani. It was the deadliest act of terrorism in Iran since 1978. Iran has clashed with ISIS since ISIS aims to target Shia Muslims and Iran is the leader of Shia interests in the Middle East. Some analysts have cast doubt on ISIS’ claims of responsibility, though, saying that ISIS’ accounts of the attack do not match statements from the Iranian government.
10. Which prominent college president resigned last week due to ongoing controversies over campus free speech, anti-Semitism, and plagiarism allegations?
Spoiler
Harvard President Claudine Gay. Gay was the first Black president in the university’s history but only served six months, making her the shortest president in Harvard’s 388-year history. She was criticized for congressional testimony about whether calling for the killing of Jewish peoples would violate Harvard’s code of conduct. Conservative groups also raised issues about plagiarism in her academic record. Gay’s resignated makes her the second Ivy League president to step down as University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill resigned over similar backlash over her congressional testimony.