Here is this the second news quiz of 2025! Good luck!

1. Who did Lebanon recently elect as president?

Spoiler
Army commander Joseph Aoun. Lebanon’s parliament had been deadlocked for more than two years in selecting a new president. Aoun had the backing of the United States and Saudi Arabia, while Hezbollah supported Suleiman Frangieh for the post. Frangieh, who once had the support of former Syrian President Bashar al Assad, withdrew last Wednesday, which allowed Aoun to be elected.

2. When does the U.S. inaugurate a new president?

Spoiler
January 20. Per the terms of the 20th Amendment, ratified in 1933, that is the date when a new president takes the oath of office. It ended a length “lame duck” period for the office where a new president would not take power until March 4. So Donald Trump will take the oath of office next Monday.

3. Elon Musk’s interview with which political figure created a firestorm last week?

Spoiler
Alice Weidel, the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Musk endorsed the AfD for Germany’s general elections and his interview with Weidel, which lasted more than an hour, allowed those outside of the country to learn more about the party’s controversial ideas. This led to criticism of Musk trying to influence European elections with his X platform and discussions in the EU of how to prevent it.

4. A genocide was declared in which African nation by the United States last week?

Spoiler
Sudan. It is the second time that a genocide has been declared there since 2000. The U.S. has accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, and its Arab allies have conducted “direct attacks against civilians” that are based on ethnic affiliation. The RSF continues to deny that it is carrying out a genocide as part of a civil war that has engulfed Sudan since 2023.

5. What is the new U.S. unemployment rate?

Spoiler
4.1%. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) last week, the unemployment rate fell as 256,000 jobs were added to the economy in December. However, extempers should be aware that it is a common occurrence for these numbers to be revised downwards. The new 4.1% number is less than the 4.2% unemployment rate for November.

6. The U.S. State Department has placed a financial reward for the arrest or conviction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. How much is this award?

Spoiler
$25 million. The State Department issued the award after Maduro was indicted for narco-terrorism, corruption, drug trafficking, and other charges in U.S. courts in 2020. At that time, the award was $15 million. The U.S. has been critical of Maduro’s leadership but has thus far failed to affect political change in the country, especially after Maduro is widely believed to have stolen Venezuela’s presidential election last year.

7. Which countries have sent troops to Haiti as part of a UN-approved force?

Spoiler
Kenya (leading the mission), Jamaica, Belize, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The mission has so far failed to prevent violence from growing between rival criminal gangs. The UN’s mission calls for 2,500 police officers to be sent from a variety of countries to help the beleaguered Haitian government.

8. Which U.S. city was devastated by out of control wildfires last week?

Spoiler
Los Angeles. More than 6,000 structures have burned and at least 130,000 residents have been placed under an evacuation order. JPMorgan analysts have stated that total economic losses could top $50 billion, which would make it the costliest fire damage in U.S. history.

9. Who is the current mayor of Los Angeles?

Spoiler
Karen Bass. Bass, who was a former member of the House of Representatives and chaired the Congressional Black Caucus, took over after winning the 2022 mayoral election. Her leadership during the city’s wildfires has come under fire as she was on a trip to Ghana at the request of the Biden administration and had previously imposed cuts to the city’s fire department.

10. What are reasons for President-elect Donald Trump’s interest in Greenland?

Spoiler
Trump has discussed Greenland’s strategic significance to the U.S. because it is located between North America and Europe. Also, more shipping lanes are passing through it due to climate change melting some of the Arctic’s ice. Greenland is currently owned by Denmark, which rebuffed a U.S. offer in 1946 to purchase it.