Here is this week’s news quiz! Good luck!

1. The arrest of which college student has prompted a debate over campus speech?

Spoiler
Mahmoud Khalil, who is a graduate student at Columbia University and was active in protests about Israel’s war with Hamas, had his green card revoked by the Trump administration, which is aiming to deport him. That action has been blocked by a federal judge. He is married to an American citizen. The incident demonstrates a clash between the Trump administration and various U.S. universities that saw protests against Israel’s military actions after Hamas’ October 7 attacks in 2023.

2. In a new book, what did the Dalai Lama announce concerning his successor?

Spoiler
The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, wrote in a new book entitled Voice for the Voiceless that he will be reincarnated outside of China in the “free world.” He has warned Tibetans not to follow any successor chosen by the Chinese government, which put town a Tibetan uprising in 1959 and considers the Dalai Lama a separatist.

3. Which former world leader was arrested on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant yesterday?

Spoiler
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. The Philippine government arrested Duterte after receiving an ICC warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity for an anti-drug crackdown during his time in office from 2016-2022. Under Deterte, the Philippines withdrew from the ICC but the ICC maintains jurisdiction over cases that occurred when a former state was a member. Duterte’s team has called his arrest unjustified and unlawful.

4. What are components of an Egyptian plan for Gaza’s reconstruction?

Spoiler
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi announced at a summit of the Arab League in Cairo that there should be a five-year plan that would cost $53 billion to rebuild the area. Over the course of six months, rubble would be removed and new housing units would be built. By 2030 there would be housing for three million, an airport, and an industrial zone. The Israeli government was critical of the proposal, arguing that it did not address the disarmament of Hamas. However, the United Nations and the European Union backed the Egyptian proposal.

5. How long of an extension did President Trump give Canada and Mexico on proposed tariffs?

Spoiler
A month. After fears of a regional trade war following retaliatory tariffs from Canada and Mexico, the Trump administration pulled back from enacting 25% tariffs on many goods from the two nations. In response, Canada has refused to revoke the first way of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. orange juice, peanut butter, coffee, appliances, footwear, cosmetics, and other products.

6. How did many House Democrats protest President Trump’s recent address to Congress?

Spoiler
Several dozen House Democrats held up small circular signs during the President’s speech in order to protest his leadership or policy goals. The Congressional Progressive Caucus was responsible for the idea. Critics on the left and right said it was an empty protest. And it was lampooned by some comedians.

7. Who is the leader of the Congo River Alliance and what does it aim to do?

Spoiler
Corneille Nangaa. He has led the group since its founding, which unifies various rebel groups against the Democratic Republic of the Congo and seeks to overthrow its government. One of the rebel groups, M23, has seized several mineral-rich areas of the eastern part of the country in recent weeks and this has led to the Congolese government offering a reward of $5 million for the arrest of Nangaa and M23 leaders Sultani Makenga and Bertrand Bisimwa.

8. What religious group was the victim of many recent attacks in Syria this past week?

Spoiler
The Alawites, a branch of Shi’a Islam. Syria’s former leader, Bashar al-Assad, came from this sect, which is a minority in the country. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights at least 1,000 Alawites were killed over the past week, although some Western media outlets like the BBC have questioned the number. Violence broke out after loyalists to the old Assad regime attacked forces of the new Syrian government on Thursday.

9. Why have elements of President Trump’s base turned against Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett?

Spoiler
President Trump’s supporters have not been happy that Barrett provided a key vote in a Supreme Court decision last week that ordered the Trump administration to pay $2 billion to USAID contractors. She also voted against the President in cases involving his payment scheme to Stormy Daniels, his presidential immunity case, and dissented in Fischer v. United States concerning the January 6 riots that narrowed the interpretation of what it took to obstruct an official proceeding.

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

Spoiler
4.1%. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the U.S. added 151,000 jobs in February. The recent number is a slight increase from the 4.0% unemployment rate that was reported in January. There has been caution, though, that next month’s number will better gauge the recent federal layoffs that have been happening under the Trump administration.