Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. Which two universities affirmative action policies will be challenged before the Supreme Court this fall?
Spoiler
Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The Supreme Court will hear the cases Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, which have been consolidated for oral argument in the 2022-2023 term. Both cases are urging the Supreme Court to overrule the 2003 decision of Grutter v. Bollinger that said race could be used in admissions to create a diverse student body. The last time the Supreme Court considered affirmative action in college admissions was in the 2016 case of Fisher v. University of Texas, where the court ruled 4-3 that the University of Texas could keep using race as a factor in admissions. However, two justices that were part of that majority decision – Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Anthony Kennedy – are no longer on the Court.
2. Who is the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?
Spoiler
Jens Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg, who served as Norway’s prime minister from 2000-2001 and 2005-2013, took over the leadership of NATO in October 2014, replacing Anders Fogh Rasmussen. He has been at the forefront of efforts to deter Russia from invading Ukraine, arguing that there is a diplomatic way to thwart the conflict and that NATO will use its resources to defend alliance members in Eastern Europe.
3. There are increasing calls for schools to have what opioid antidote?
Spoiler
Naloxone, more popular known as a nasal spray under the brand name Narcan. The recent death of a thirteen-year-old student in Connecticut from a fentanyl overdose has led to greater calls for schools to stock the opioid antidote, along with calls for teachers, support staff, and students to be trained to spot signs of opioid use and overdoses. Experts have been sounding that alarm that fentanyl, a powerful opioid, is starting to appear in marijuana and other illegal substances that younger people are getting a hold of. The National Association of School Nurses has been calling for schools to stock naloxone since 2015.
4. Which Lebanese political figure recently announced that they would not be running in May’s parliamentary elections?
Spoiler
Saad Hariri. Hariri was the son of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005, an event that led to the expulsion of Syrian troops from the country. He served as Lebanon’s prime minister from 2009-2011 and 2016-2020 and was a rival of Hezbollah, a political and militant group that has close ties with Iran and Syria. For a time he enjoyed Saudi Arabia’s backing, but that ended in late 2017.
5. Which famous basketball star lost his season tickets to Gonzaga University basketball games due to his refusal to mask?
Spoiler
John Stockton. Stockton, the NBA’s all-time leader in steals and assists, refused to comply with his alma mater’s mask mandate, causing Gonzaga to suspend his season tickets to home basketball games. Stockton has also become a vocal critic of COVID lockdown measures and COVID-19 vaccines.
6. What concern by airports prompted a last second deal with AT&T and Verizon this week?
Spoiler
The deployment of 5G close to airports. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airline industry were concerned that the deployment could create interference and make it difficult for aircraft to land in low-visibility conditions. As a result, AT&T and Verizon agreed to delay switching on their new telecom towers near major airports.
7. What caused the recent mutiny by soldiers in Burkina Faso?
Spoiler
According to the soldiers involved, the coup was orchestrated due to frustrations with the country’s democratically elected government to handle growing Islamic militants in the country and frustrations about the government’s handling of wounded troops and caring for the families of dead soldiers. The new military junta is claiming to have suspended the country’s constitution, dissolved the National Assembly, and closed the country’s borders. The United Nations, the United States, and the West African economic community ECOWAS have condemned or expressed significant concern over the mutiny and subsequent coup.
8. Where did Western diplomats recently meet with Taliban officials?
Spoiler
The Soria Moria Hotel outside of Oslo. The talks will take place over three days. The Taliban is pushing for $10 billion in assets held by the United States to be released, while the West wants action to create a democratic political system, counter-terrorism efforts, and action on greater human rights, especially on issues affecting the rights of Afghan women. Afghanistan has been facing an economic meltdown since the Taliban came back into power in August and the country is facing a food crisis.
9. What action did the Arizona Democratic Party take against Senator Kyrsten Sinema and why?
Spoiler
A censure, which is a formal reprimand, condemnation or denouncement. The state party was upset that Senator Sinema voted with Republicans and West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin to stop filibuster reform. Senate Democrats wanted to reduce the number of votes need to invoke cloture and stop a filibuster from 60 to a simple majority if the legislation being filibustered concerned voting rights. Sinema supports the Democratic voting rights package, but opposed changing the Senate’s rules to get it passed. She has been attacked by progressives for her stance and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders says he does not rule out supporting a progressive challenger to Sinema in 2024.
10. Which European country recently criticized Russian leader Vladimir Putin for planning to conduct live fire naval drills off its coast in February?
Spoiler
Ireland. Russia’s exercise – featuring 140 warships and 10,000 sailors – will take place in international waters 150 miles off the Irish coast but within territory that Ireland lays claim to as its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).