The news quiz is back with 15 questions! Good luck!

1. Which of president-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominations withdrew from consideration two weeks ago?

Spoiler
Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, who was named by Trump as his attorney general. Trump called Gaetz on Thursday morning and told him that there were not enough Senate votes to get him confirmed to the post. Gaetz was facing scrutiny from many senators for ethics complaints against him, along with various allegations of sexual misconduct. Gaetz had resigned him position in the House after being named as Trump’s attorney general choice. It is unclear whether he will try to claw back the resignation, try to win a special election back for his seat, or take a different position in Trump’s administration.

2. Who did president-elect Donald Trump name as his pick for the Secretary of Education?

Spoiler
Linda McMahon. Best known for building the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now known as WWE, with her husband, Vince, McMahon previously worked for Trump as his administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017-2019. In 2010 and 2012 she tried to run for the U.S. Senate from Connecticut, but was defeated by Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, respectively. Her nomination is a surprise as many thought Trump would pick a more conservative person to a department that he has said he wants to abolish.

3. Two weeks ago the International Criminal Court (ICC) handed down three indictments for the Israeli-Hamas war. Who was indicted?

Spoiler
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoa Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif. All three were charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu is the first Israeli leader charged by the ICC. The United States, who is not party to the Rome Statute that created the ICC, rejected the indictment but the European Union (EU) has said that it should apply to all members. The indictment means that if Netanyahu, Gallant, or Deif were to travel to an ICC member, that member is obligated to arrest them. Some U.S. politicians, such as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, have raised the prospect of the U.S. sanctioning those who were with the ICC if they were to arrest Netanyahu or any Israeli leaders and hand them over for trial.

4. Why did Brazil arrest four soldiers and a police officer a couple of weeks ago?

Spoiler
The five individuals were arrested for allegedly being part of a plot to poison and kill president-elect Lula da Silva and his running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, on December 15, 2022. Lula won a narrow victory over President Jair Bolsonaro that year and there was a storming of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace by Bolsonaro’s supporters on January 8, 2023. Prosecutors allege that a criminal organization was formed to kill Lula, whose government has sought to prosecute those responsible for political unrest surrounding the 2022 election.

5. Why was FIFA accused of a “whitewash” of Saudi Arabia’s bid for the 2034 World Cup?

Spoiler
FIFA gave a glowing evaluation of Saudi Arabia’s bid for the 2034 World Cup, which will be hosted in the winter. It gave it the highest score of any hosting nation even though there are concerns about the treatment of migrant workers and environmental concerns. Human rights advocates have accused FIFA of ignoring these issues just to award the event to Saudi Arabia because of financial incentives.

6. Last week, Syrian rebels took over a good amount of which city?

Spoiler
Aleppo, which is the second-largest city in the country. It was a surprise offensive for a civil war that has been going on since March 2011. The rebels met almost no resistance from the Syrian government. The BBC reported that the advance was met with Russian airstrikes, the first that have taken place in Aleppo since 2016.

7. Last week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he was willing to cede territory to Russia as part of a peace deal in return for what?

Spoiler
Ukraine becoming part of NATO’s security umbrella. Zelensky made the claims in a Friday interview, which are a shift from his previous position that Ukraine would not give up territory. However, Russia has said that Zelensky’s condition would not be acceptable as part of a peace deal as it does not want NATO influence on its borders. It has been reported that President-elect Donald Trump favors some security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a peace deal so as not to allow Russia to re-arm and attack Ukraine from new positions in the next few years.

8. What is the name of the advisory body that President-elect Donald Trump has created to suggest ways to downsize government?

Spoiler
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Its operations are being led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. It can only provide recommendations and has no regulatory power. There have been signals by Musk and Ramaswamy that they wish to significantly cut the number of federal employees, eliminate regulations, and also reduce spending that they view as wasteful.

9. Which government agency did Elon Musk call for the abolition of last week?

Spoiler
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It is an independent agency that has existed since July 2011. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren advocated for its creation in 2007 when she was a Harvard Law School professor. It has jurisdiction over banks, credit unions, money lenders, debt collectors, and foreclosure relief agencies, among others. As a result, many in those industries hate what they view as too much regulation from the agency.

10. Who has President-elect Donald Trump selected to lead the Treasury Department?

Spoiler
Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager. He has a past history of donating to Democratic and Republican political candidates, giving money to Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. He is also openly gay, which would make him the first openly gay Treasury Secretary in American history. Business leaders have largely welcomed the choice.

11. Which policy from New York Governor Kathy Hochul has been poorly received by some New Yorkers?

Spoiler
To impose a congestion fee on traffic into New York City starting on January 5. Motorists will be charged $9 to drive into or within Manhattan’s central business district. It is being sold as a way to reduce traffic and pollution but it is unpopular with many suburban New Yorkers who commute to work in Manhattan. Republican Congressman Mike Lawler has said that he will look for ways to overturn it through congressional legislation or executive decree under President-elect Donald Trump. The plan is likely to dent Hochul’s popularity, which is at an all-time low.

12. What level of a tariff has President-elect Donald Trump suggested he may levy against Mexico and why has he said he will do this?

Spoiler
25%. Trump argues that Mexico must do more to stop the flow of migrants and fentanyl over the U.S. border. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has threatened retaliatory tariffs if the U.S. takes that action. In a call between the two leaders, Trump suggested that Sheinbaum agreed to close the southern border but she later told reporters that was not true.

13. Which party won the most seats in Ireland’s general election?

Spoiler
Fianna Fail. It won 48 seats. Sinn Fein, the nation’s main opposition party, won 39. Fail’s coalition partner since 2020, Fine Gael, finished third with 38 seats. It is likely that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael will coalition again but they will need another party as they have 86 total seats but need 88 for a majority. Neither want to coalition with Sinn Fein, which insists that it wants to be part of any coalition government talks.

14. Why was South Korean politics plunged into uncertainty on Tuesday?

Spoiler
President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, the first time it has been used since South Korea became a democratic nation in 1987. Yoon argued that it was needed to guard against threats from “anti-state forces” but it was read by observers as his frustration with political deadlock over the last few years. After protests and the National Assembly’s vote to block the order, Yoon lifted it.

15. What action did Romania’s Constitutional Court take concerning the first round result of its presidential election?

Spoiler
The Court upheld the result after ordering a recount. The recount confirmed that far-right candidate Calin Georgescu finished first, advancing to a runoff on December 8 against centre-right candidate Elena Lasconi. The outcome was shocking as Georgescu’s candidacy came out of nowhere. There have been accusations of meddling by Russia.