Here is the first Extemp Central news quiz for 2024.  Good luck!

1. What is the Houthi Movement?

Spoiler
A Zaydi Shi’ite movement that has been at war with Yemen’s Sunni-majority government since 2004. In September 2014 the Houthis took over the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and a lot of North Yemeni territory. The movement is supported by Iran while the Yemeni government is supported by Saudi Arabia, creating a proxy struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran in the region.

2. The Houthis have recently threatened trade in which body of water?

Spoiler
The Red Sea. Last weekend, Houthi militants attacked a container vessel there, which is a vital channel for international commerce between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. 12% of all global trade passes through the Red Sea. This was part of a pattern where militants have targeted some ships in the Red Sea for several weeks. The U.S. military took action and sank three Houthi vessels and killed ten of their fighters on Monday. Some analysts see this as an escalation of tensions in the region since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.

3. Which nations have joined a U.S. patrol to protect Red Sea vessels from Houthi attacks?

Spoiler
Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, Spain, and the United Kingdom. However, only the United Kingdom has contributed vessels to the effort so far.

4. Which two states recently banned former President Donald Trump from primary ballots?

Spoiler
Colorado and Maine. Colorado’s Supreme Court and Maine’s Secretary of State have ruled Trump ineligible based on their interpretation of the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause, arguing that Trump did cause an insurrection at the Capitol on January 6. Trump is expected to appeal the rulings to the Supreme Court.

5. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine angered social conservatives las week by vetoing a measure that would have done what?

Spoiler
DeWine vetoed House Bill 68 which would have restricted medical care for transgender minors and banned transgender girls from female sports. More specifically, the bill sought to prevent doctors from prescribing hormones, puberty blockers, or gender assignments surgeries until someone turned 18. DeWine said in his veto message that he opposed efforts to involve the government in people’s medical decisions. The measure may still become law because the bill passed the Ohio legislature with a supermajority, giving lawmakers room to override DeWine’s veto.

6. What natural disaster hit Japan on New Year’s Day?

Spoiler
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake. The earthquake affected the Noto Peninsula, killing at least 57 people and triggering tsunamni warnings along Japan’s western coast.

7. Which South Korean political figure was the target of an assassination attempt this week?

Spoiler
Lee Jae-myung, who is the head of the Democratic Party, South Korea’s main opposition. He was attacked during a visit to the city of Busan yesterday. Lee was touring a new airport. He lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon Suk Yeol by less than 1%. President Yoon has demanded a full investigation into the attack.

8. Several weeks ago, Chicago’s City Council voted 31-16 to reject a measure to ask voters to repeal what?

Spoiler
The city’s sanctuary city status. There was a push to give voters a non-binding question on March 19 about whether the city should continue to be a sanctuary city, something that it has been for 38 years. A sanctuary city refuses to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The measure is a demonstration of how urban areas are feeling the effects of thousands of migrants coming to their cities, often bused there by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Opponents of putting the measure on the ballot said that Chicago’s sanctuary status does not apply to migrants.

9. What justification is Chinese leader Xi Jinping using to eliminate some leaders of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army?

Spoiler
Eliminating corruption. As he has done with other parts of the Chinese government, Xi Jinping is taking his anti-corruption campaign into the ranks of the Chinese military, recently dismissing 9 general snad 3 defense technology officials from a Community Party advisory body. Analysts think this “purge” could destabilize some of China’s military since many of the officials involved are part of China’s rocket program and nuclear missile forces.

10. When will the Republican Iowa caucus take place?

Spoiler
Tuesday, January 25. This will be the first presidential contest of the Republican presidential nominating calendar. Polls show former President Donald Trump with a commanding lead. A win by Trump there, combined with a win in New Hampshire, would likely eliminate rivals and make him the party’s nominee for the third presidential election in a row. That would make Trump the first person to win three consecutive party nominations for the presidency since Frankin D. Roosevelt in 1940.