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

1. A few days ago, FOX News fired which notable prime time commentator?

Spoiler
Tucker Carlson. Carlson, a darling of the populist right in the United States, was turfed by Fox News earlier in the week. Insiders allege that the firing was due to Carlson’s criticisms of FOX executives in e-mails that were found in discovery during Dominion Voting Systems libel lawsuit against the company. Others point to a harrassment lawsuit that has also been served to FOX over the workplace culture that Carlson presided over. His absence will be tough for FOX News to fill as he drew some of the network’s highest ratings in an 8 p.m. EST timeslot.

2. Speaking of the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit, how much money did FOX News settle the lawsuit for last week?

Spoiler
$787.5 million. Dominion was seeking more than $1 billion in damages in a lawsuit that was about to move to the trial stage. Dominion was seeking compensation for being libeled about how its voting systems were rigged during the 2020 presidential election. The payout is a major blow to FOX, which had $4 billion of cash on hand as of the end of last year. The settlement is seen as a reason for Tucker Carlson’s departure.

3. Earlier this week the Chinese government has to refute the remarks of its French ambassador Lu Shaye. What did Mr. Lu say?

Spoiler
In a television interview, Mr. Lu argued that countries that were once part of the Soviet Union don’t have “effective status in international law.” This provoked a fierce reaction in the Baltic states, which were some of the first countries to assert their independence from the Soviet Union as it began to fracture in 1990. The Chinese embassy in France later said that Mr. Lu’s remarks were not an expression of official Chinese policy.

4. Who is the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia that is responsible for presiding over an investigation into former President Donald Trump’s behavior during the 2020 presidential election?

Spoiler
Fani T. Willis. Fulton County is Georgia’s largest county, home to more than one million people. Willis, a Democrat, was elected district attorney against Paul Howard, Jr., a six-term incumbent in 2020. Her office is currently looking into alleged attempts by former President Trump to influence Georgia’s vote count, which has centered on a call that Trump made to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” votes for him to win the state. Earlier this week Willis said that any criminal charges against the former president and his advisors would come out between July 11 to September 1.

5. Which two nations were responsible for a three-day truce between warring parties in Sudan?

Spoiler
The United States and Saudi Arabia. The truce is meant to help countries evacuate their diplomatic personnel from a nation that has been fighting break out between top generals since April 15. Thus far, calls for a diplomatic solution have been ignored by each side.

6. Which Latin American nation’s leader recently visited Taiwan and pledged strong support?

Spoiler
Guatemala. It is one of only 13 countries that have diplomatic ties to the island nation, which China claims is its own territory. China is putting pressure on Taiwan’s remaining allies to cut ties to it, dangling aid packages to get its way. Honduras shut down diplomatic ties with Taiwan last month after getting $2.5 billion in aid from China.

7. Who did Colombia expel from its territory this week?

Spoiler
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. Colombia argues that Guaido entered its country through improper channels. Guaido was in Colombia as part of an international conference on the state of Venezuela’s political crisis. Currently, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist, is trying to mediate between the Venezuelan government and opposition parties.

8. Which U.S. state passed a law that bans nearly all abortions in the state?

Spoiler
North Dakota. A bill was signed into law by Governor Doug Burgum is a near total ban as abortions are only allowed in the first six weeks for victims of rape and incest. An exception exists for medical emergencies such as ectopic pregnancies. Currently, 13 states have bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy. This has concerned some Republican legislators that worry the issue is becoming toxic for their candidates in state and federal races.

9. Mexico has recently tried to enlist Chinese help to limit exports of chemicals that can produce what drug?

Spoiler
Fetanyl. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has urged Chinese companies to limit their exports of fentanyl precursors so that drug gangs cannot use them. According to th Drug Enforcement Adminisration fetanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. As a result, it can cause overdoses in small quantities. Obrador’s plea to China comes as U.S. lawmakers in the Republican Party have expressed a desire to label Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations and use the U.S. military to squash their operations.

10. Who entered the Democratic presidential primaries last week?

Spoiler
Environmental lawyer and activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Kennedy, whose father is the famous “Bobby” Kennedy who was assassinated during his 1968 presidential bid, announced that he would be pursuing a presidential bid to stop lies in media and the government. While lauded by many on the left for his environmental positions, Kennedy gained notoriety in recent decades for taking anti-vaccine positions, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unlikely that he would be able to unseat President Joe Biden in a primary, but polls show him at 14% support among Democratic constituencies.