Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. On Sunday, a terrible event took place in Waukesha, Wisconsin. What happened there?
Spoiler
A SUV plowed into a Christmas parade in the town, killing five people and injured another forty-eight. Darrell E. Brooks of Milwaukee has been arrested for the crime and there has been outrage over him being released on a $1,000 for allegedly running over the mother of his child with his car at a gas station.
2. Who did President Biden recently nominate to lead the Federal Reserve?
Spoiler
Jerome Powell. Powell is the current Federal Reserve Chairman, named to the post by former President Donald Trump in 2018. Biden reportedly chose to keep Powell, a Republican, due to Wall Street’s confidence in Powell’s leadership. However, some progressive Democrats like Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts criticized the move, arguing that Powell is not doing enough to orient Federal Reserve priorities on climate change and was in charge during an ethics scandal that rocked the body earlier this year.
3. Which high ranking Democratic senator recently announced that they will not run for re-election in 2022?
Spoiler
Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Leahy is the current president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, a post held by the longest serving member of the majority party in the chamber. Leahy has served in the Senate since 1975, winning election as a “Watergate Baby,” and served as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2001-2003 and 2007-2015. Democrats are expected to hold retain Leahy’s seat next year, so his retirement will not put their majority at risk.
4. Two kidnapped Christian missionaries were released from captivity in which country on Sunday?
Spoiler
Haiti. The missionaries are part of an Ohio-based group called Christian Aid Ministries and were taken with fifteen others last month by the 400 Mawozo gang. The group is demanding $1 million for each of the hostages and is threatening to kill them if their demands are not met.
5. The Chinese government has been under fire about the whereabouts of which tennis star?
Spoiler
Peng Shuai. The sports world was concerned about Shuai’s whereabouts after she made a sexual assault allegation against former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and went missing for three weeks. She recently reappeared after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) raised concerns. The Chinese government argues that the story was done to harm the country’s reputation before hosting the Winter Olympics this February.
6. President Biden’s “Build Back Better” bill, as passed by the House, includes a fee on what chemical?
Spoiler
Methane. The fee is an anti-climate change measure but is opposed by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who will be a critical vote on the “Build Back Better” bill’s fate. Manchin has worries that the methane fee could drive energy companies out of business and some ranching groups have also expressed concern about it.
7. Which European country imposed new COVID-19 lockdown measures this week, the first to do so since vaccines were made available?
Spoiler
Austria. The lockdown means that residents will need to stay home and all non-essential businesses will be closed for twenty days. The Austrian government hopes that the measure will blunt a rise in COVID-19 cases and prevent hospitals from getting too full.
8. Which two candidates qualified for Chile’s presidential runoff?
Spoiler
Jose Antonio Kast, a right-wing candidate that has drawn comparisons to former President Donald Trump, and Gabriel Boric, a left-wing candidate who is a former student leader. In the first round Kast won 28% of the vote, while Boric won 25%. The runoff will take place on December 19 and the winner will inherit a nation on edge as Chile has struggled to battle COVID and solve economic issues over the last two years.
9. What is the purpose of NASA’s DART mission?
Spoiler
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission took off yesterday. NASA will use a spacecraft to deliberately crash into Dimorphos, the moon of the asteroid Didymos, and see if it can change its motion in space. It is part of a NASA project to bolster Earth’s defenses against an asteroid collision in the future.
10. Which European country recently became the fourth in the European Union (EU) to stop using coal power plants?
Spoiler
Portugal. The move comes nine years ahead of schedule and allows Portugal to join Austria, Belgium, and Sweden in phasing out coal power. However, critics argue that Portugal wants to replace it with wood-burning energy rather than trying to enhance the capacity of wind and solar energy sources.
