Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz!
1. Who won last week’s gubernatorial election in Kentucky?
Spoiler
Democratic Governor Andy Beshear. Beshear defeated Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, by a 52.5-47.5% margin. The win was owed to Beshear’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and response to several natural disasters in the state. Some Democrats have touted Beshear as a possible Democratic presidential contender in 2028.
2. Where are President Biden and Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping meeting this week?
Spoiler
The San Francisco Bay Area. In recent weeks the Chinese have signaled that they want to develop better relations with the United States. The goal of the summit between the two leaders will be to develop a framework “for managing successful competition relations between the two powers, with the goal of clearing up misperceptions and avoiding surprises.” The meeting is only the second time that Biden and Jinping have met during Biden’s time in office.
3. According to the U.S. Census Bureau last week, how many people are there in the world?
Spoiler
8 billion. The U.S. Census Bureau announced that the world passed the threshold on September 26, although it said that date was fungible. The United Nations said that the world hit the 8 billion mark last November. The increase is largely owed to people living longer as the median global age has risen to 32.
4. Who won the Mississippi gubernatorial election last week?
Spoiler
Republican Governor Tate Reeves. Reeves defeated public utilities commissioner Brandon Presley 51.5-47.1%, a close race in one of America’s most conservative states. Presley focused his campaign on Medicaid expansion and cleaning up government corruption as Mississippi has seen several well-connected citizens, notably former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, come under fire for taking part in a welfare fraud scheme. Republicans have held Mississippi’s governorship for the last 20 years.
5. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made waves earlier this week when he appointed which person as his foreign secretary?
Spoiler
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron, who does not hold a seat in the House of Commons, was announced as a peer and member of the House of Lords, becoming the first former Prime Minister to be a peer since Margaret Thatcher. Cameron takes over the portfolio from James Cleverly, who was placed in the Home Secretary office.
6. In recent weeks Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin tried to rally state Republicans around what type of abortion restriction for state legislative races?
Spoiler
Youngkin proposed an abortion ban of 15 weeks and made it a centerpiece of a Republican campaign to control the Virginia state legislature. It was an effort to try to find a winning message for the GOP on the issue as it has been losing races since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in the summer of 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade. However, it proved to be an unconvincing message for voters as Democrats won a majority of seats to both houses of the Virginia state legislature.
7. This week the World Food Programme projected that 25% of the population of what country is facing “crisis-level hunger or worse”?
Spoiler
Somalia. The nation has been hit by a severe drought since 2021 and flooding that has displaced more than 450,000 people since October. Experts see it as Somalia’s worst famine since 2010-2011, which killed 260,000 people.
8. Which African nation is holding a presidential runoff this week?
Spoiler
Liberia. Voters went to the polls today to choose between football star George Weah and former Vice President Joseph Boakai. Neither candidate received a majority of votes in October in an election that had lots of allegations of fraud. In the first round Weah beat Boakai by a little more than 7,000 votes.
9. Which European nation is bracing for a volcanic eruption?
Spoiler
Iceland. There have been more than 500 earthquakes in the vicinity of the Fagradalsfjall Volcano near Grindavik, a prelude to another eruption. In 2010 an eruption of a volcano at Eyjafjallajokull grounded air traffic in Northern Europe.
10. Which Republican presidential candidate dropped out of the race late Sunday?
Spoiler
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. Despite some early buzz surrounding him when he launched his presidential bid, Scott’s campaign struggled to get traction in late summer and early fall and he also failed to impress in debate appearances. Scott’s departure could make it easier for former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to consolidate support in her home state. It also leads to speculation about which candidate his supporters will gravitate to.
