Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of April 15-21, 2024

Clarence Thomas, who is 75 years old. Appointed to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, Thomas has been a cornerstone of the Court’s 6-3 conservative majority. He was also the Court’s sole Black justice until the confirmation of Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson in June 2022. He missed oral arguments on Monday and no reason was given for his absence.

The country has been locked in a civil war for a year that has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than eight million. The United Nations argues that fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has led to 25 million people needing humanitarian assistance. And a lack of aid, which the UN estimates will cost $2.7 billion, and the war’s destruction of food production and distribution networks mean that a widespread famine could take place by the end of the year.

The Libertarian Party. If Kennedy had pursued and won the Libertarian nomination it would have unlocked ballot access across the United States and the District of Columbia. He opted not to pursue that option in an announcement last week. Kennedy is currently polling around the 7-8% range but only has ballot access in Utah so far.

7.7 million people, which is more than 25% of the country’s population. The United Nations Refugee Agency registers it as the world’s second-largest refugee crisis. People have fled because of bad economic and political conditions under President Nicolas Maduro, which have included soaring rates of inflation and crime. The nation’s healthcare system has also been in disarray.

O.J. Simpson. Simpson, who became the first NFL running back in history to run for more than 2,000 yards in a season in 1973 and later became an NFL Hall of Famer, became best known in the 1990s as a suspect in the murders of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994. Simpson was acquitted on all charges in a polarizing trial the following year. He was later ordered to pay civil damages to Brown and Goldman’s families, which he only paid 1% of for the rest of his life. His estate executors have said that they will try to prevent payment of the $33.5 million judgment.

Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles at Israel. Early estimates were that Iran sent 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles at Israel in its first direct strike on the Jewish state. The United States worked to intercept most of the drones and missiles, bringing down more than 90% of them. Western nations condemned the attack, arguing that it was a destabilizing move for the entire Middle East. The Israeli government kept open the door for retaliation, although Iran told the United Nations that it would conduct no further attacks.

The state’s highest court ruled that an 1864 law that predated Arizona statehood that prohibited abortions with no exceptions except for whether a mother’s life was in jeopardy could go into effect and that doctors could be prosecuted under the law. It tossed out a lower court ruling that created a 15-week window for abortions in the state. The ruling, which will go into effect from anywhere from two weeks to two months, puts the abortion issue back in the spotlight for this year’s presidential election. Democrats are hoping it can boost turnout for President Joe Biden. And Republican nominee Donald Trump is on the defense, arguing against a national ban like other Republicans but under fire for appointing justices that helped overturn Roe v. Wade several years ago. Since Arizona will be a swing state in the election, the ruling is even more important.

The opposition Democratic Party (DPK) and smaller parties won 192 of 300 seats in the National Assembly. It was a landslide win for the DPK, which will maintain its legislative majority. The outcome was seen as a blow to President Yoon Suk Yeol and his People Power Party (PPP). The PPP hoped that they would win the elections so that they could fast track elements of their agenda. Top voter concerns in the election were inflation, a doctor’s strike, and how South Korea plans to deal with an aging population.

The Pact on Migration and Asylum requires all European Union (EU) members to manage asylum applications and if they do not want to accept applicants they have to provide other assistance to support a fund for migrants in other EU countries. In adition, EU states that have high migration levels can distribute applicants to other member states. And border facilities will be created to screen and host asylum seeks, seeking back those quickly who are not eligible. The Pact will only go into effect after a vote of all 27 EU nations in April in the European Council. Last year, it is estimated that nearly 400,000 people illegally crossed into European nations, which was the highest migration level since 2016.

3.5%. This was up from 3.2% in February. If core prices are factored in for food and energy, it was 3.8%. Experts tied the higher rate of inflation to growth in gas, rent, and auto insurance premiums. It marks the third straight month that inflation has been above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target for inflation, showing that above average inflation levels are stuck. It could make the Federal Reserve decide to keep interest rates where they are rather than lower them at subsequent meetings this year.