Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. Which U.S. state paused lethal injections?
Spoiler
Tennessee. Governor Bill Lee paused all executions in the state Monday after it was revealed that the state was not insuring that the drugs used for lethal injections were properly tested. Tennessee requires the execution drugs be tested for potency, sterility, and endotxoins and an endotoxin test was not done. Lee has appointed former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton to review what led to the failed testing.
2. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that which U.S. city violated a group’s First Amendment rights?
Spoiler
Boston, Massachusetts. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Boston’s denial of an application by a group called Camp Constitution to raise a Christian flag on a city flagpole outside of City Hall was a violation of the group’s First Amendment rights. The Court ruled that the city’s flag-raising program was not government speech and as a result Boston was not right to restrict who could raise a flag.
3. A recent leak at the U.S. Supreme Court sparked outrage earlier this week. Why?
Spoiler
On Monday night it was leaked that the Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that granted a constitutional right to an abortion through the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. It is unclear who leaked a first draft of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The leak prompted President Biden to call on Congress to pass legislation safeguarding the right to an abortion.
4. What do “refuge bills” proposed by LGBTQ+-friendly politicians in more than sixteen states aim to do?
Spoiler
These bills, modeled after an effort by California state Senator Scott Wiener, reject out-of-state court judgments that call for removing a child from a parents’ custody because that parent (or parents) are allowing for gender-affirming healthcare. As the Associated Press reports, they have been pushed in the wake of Texas Governor Greg Abbott trying to order state organizations to place transgender children in foster care and other states moving to prohibit gender-affirming healthcare treatments for transgender youth.
5. How much in student debt relief are progressive politicians calling for?
Spoiler
At least $50,000. The Biden administration is reportedly looking into cancelling some of the $1.75 trillion that students owe federal and private lenders, but early signals suggest the number might end up around $10,000. Advocates say that relief will boost the economy, while opponents say it amounts to an income transfer from working class peoples to those in higher-earning professions.
6. Why did Israel condemn Russia’s foreign minister this week?
Spoiler
Israel demanded an apology from Russia after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler “had Jewish blood.” Lavrov made the comments while being interviewed on Italian television just days are Israel commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day. Russia’s government has tried to justify its invasion of Ukraine to purge a “Nazi” presence from the country.
7. Which terrorist group is increasing its attacks in Afghanistan?
Spoiler
ISIS. Over the last two weeks more than 100 people in Afghanistan have been killed in terror attacks launched by the group, which is targeting Shi’ite and Sufi Muslims in the country. ISIS is also trying to weaken the standing of Afghanistan’s Taliban regime. The group’s affiliate in Afghanistan goes by the name Islamic State Khorasan or ISIS-K.
8. Russia wants European countries to pay for natural gas in what currency?
Spoiler
Russian rubles. The move is aimed to prop up Russia’s currency, which has taken a hit after Western sanctions were levied following the invasions of Ukraine. Russia cut Poland and Bulgaria’s natural gas off last week after it refused to comply. The only European Union (EU) nation to agree to Russia’s demand is Hungary, which opposes EU sanctions on Russia’s energy markets.
9. What did Honduras’ government recently repeal?
Spoiler
The Honduran government abolished self-governing zones for foreign investors last week. The new Honduran government, led by President Xiomara Castro, argues that the zones, which were created via constitutional amendment and an enabling law in 2013, are a threat to Honduran sovereignty. The zones, called ZEDEs, gave exemptions from import and export taxes and allowed those running the zones to create their own governments, courts, schools, security forces, and social service systems.
10. What procedural change in the United Nations making?
Spoiler
On Tuesday the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that will require it to hold a debate on a situation that leads to a veto by one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. This will force the nation using the veto to make their case about why they did it and allow countries that oppose them to be heard as well. It is part of an effort to shed light on nations that use their vetoes to block resolutions that attempt to remedy human rights abuses.