Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. Who did Panama’s Electoral Tribunal recently rule was ineligible to run in the nation’s May presidential election and why?
Spoiler
Former president Ricardo Martinelli. The Electoral Tribunal disqualified his candidacy because of a 10-year prison sentence that he received last year for money laundering. Martinelli governed Panama from 2009-2014. He was found guilty of money laundering in July when it was found that he used public funds to purchase a media conglomerate. A warrant has been issued for his arrest but Martinelli has found refuge in the Nicaraguan Embassy, which has granted him political asylum.
2. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley won her first primary contest against former President Donald Trump last Sunday. What contest did she win?
Spoiler
The primary in District of Columbia. Haley captured 19 delegates, winning 1,274 votes to Trump’s 676 (the margin was 62.8% to 33.3%). Her victory prevents Trump from running undefeated through the primary calendar.
3. Which U.S. states (and which U.S. territory) voted on Super Tuesday?
Spoiler
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia held presidential primaries yesterday. Alaska held a Republican contest but not a Democratic one. The U.S. territor that participatedby holding a Democratic caucus was American Samoa. Technically, Iowa could count as well because the last day for primary voters there to submit their ballot was yesterday. 874 of the 2,429 total delegates for the Republican Party were on the line yesterday and 1,421 delegates were on the line for Democrats, which is about a third of those available. In the past, Super Tuesday was a way to crown a nominee or definitively establish a leader. However, since President Joe Biden and Donald Trump have crushed their respective competition, this year’s Super Tuesday did not create much of a media buzz.
4. Which U.S. fast food chain was the source of criticism last week afters its CEO floated the idea of introducing dynamic pricing during peak hours?
Spoiler
Wendy’s. CEO Kirk Tanner said on a conference call last week that the fast food chain wanted to look at “dynamic pricing,” which would change menu items using algorithms and AI during higher demand times. While some industries have profited from this like Uber and airlines, customers reacted poorly to the announcement. Wendy’s tried to clarify that it would not be using dynamic pricing to raise prices on customers but rather to reduce prices for discounts.
5. What is the name of the breakaway region in Moldova that some believe could be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s next target?
Spoiler
Transnistria. It is a pro-Russian area that alleged that they were being strangled socially and economically by Moldova’s government and appealed to the Russian government for help to defend their interests. The breakaway region fought the Moldovan government in the early 1990s, with a ceasefire agreed to in 1992 that persists to present day.
6. What action did the U.S. take last week to assist people in Gaza?
Spoiler
The U.S. Air Force dropped 40,000 meals into Gaza where up to half a million people are on the brink of famine. The aid effort is coordinated with Jordan, which has also worked to deliver supplies to the war-torn area. Critics argue that the U.S. needs to do more and that the airdrops will not be sufficient to alleviate suffering but the U.S. argues that it is a symbolic effort to show that it is not ignoring what is happening in the Gaza Strip.
7. France’s legislature moved to enshrine which right into its constitution last week?
Spoiler
The right to an abortion. French President Emmanuel Macron has made the change a priority. Last week France’s Senate adopted a bill to approve the change, following in the steps of the National Assembly that overwhelmingly approved the measure in January. All that awaits now is a three-fifths majority of a joint session of parliament to approve it, which appears to be a foregone conclusion.
8. Which U.S. state was battling massive wildfires last week?
Spoiler
Texas. The state was battling five large fires, with the Smokehouse Creek Fire being the largest. It is the second-largest fire in Texas history that has left at least one person dead. Close to a million acres of land has been burned.
9. What did Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, propose should be used to buy weapons for Ukraine?
Spoiler
Windfall profits on Russian central-bank assets that have been frozen in Western accounts. More than $216 billion of Russian assets are currently frozen by the European Union. The United States has encouraged the EU to seize Russian assets to pay for Ukrainian weapons but there are fears of what Russia might do if its assets are taken. It is unclear whether the European Commission will act on der Leyen’s proposal.
10. Last week, Apple abandoned a decade-long effort to build what?
Spoiler
An electric car. The initiative, called Project Titan, will be shut down and converted to an artificial intelligence operation. Apple’s decision reflects disappointing sales for electric vehicles this year, along with concerns inside of the company that Microsoft and Google are outflanking it in the tech sector.
