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

1. According to reports, Russia is looking to recruit military personnel from which country to do battle in Ukrainian cities?

Spoiler
Syria. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier in the week that Russia has offered volunteers in Syria $200 and $300 to go to Ukraine. The U.S. government could not confirm the claims, but Russia has yet to comment on them. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Russian military personnel to Syria in 2015 to help support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

2. Which hacking group has declared war on Russia?

Spoiler
Anonymous. The vigilante hacking group claims that it managed to hack into Russian state television and streaming services after Russia passed a bill last Friday that threatens journalists with fifteen-year prison terms for questioning the war in Ukraine.

3. By what percentage have gas prices risen in the United States over the past week?

Spoiler
10%. Yesterday, the average price of gasoline in the United States reached $4.17 a gallon, breaking 2008’s record for $4.11 per gallon. Gas prices rose nearly ten cents per day last week and drivers are now paying $1.40 more than they were per gallon last year. Experts link the rising gas prices to Russia’s war in Ukraine, along with growing demand.

4. What was the last U.S. state to lift its requirement for indoor masking?

Spoiler
Hawaii. Government David Ige kept the state’s indoor mask mandate in place despite recent CD guidance that areas of low and medium risk do not need to wear a mask indoors, guidance that applies to more than 70% of Americans. The state’s existing mandate was set to expire on March 25 and Governor Ige announced yesterday that it would not be extended.

5. The Supreme Court recently ruled that congressional maps in which two states are constitutional?

Spoiler
Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The Supreme Court rejected requests by Republicans to overturn court-imposed congressional maps after those courts found that Republican legislatures improperly gerrymandered them. The move should benefit Democrats in each state, although the Supreme Court could later rule that state courts cannot change congressional maps. As the New York Times discussed this week, such a change will not happen before the 2022 midterms.

6. In 2020, what were the top five places that U.S. petroleum imports came from?

Spoiler
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, here were the top five sources of U.S. petroleum (including crude oil) imports in 2020: Canada (52%), Mexico (11%), Russia (7%), Saudi Arabia (7%), Colombia (4%). Obviously this will change in 2022 with the Biden administration’s recent decision to ban Russian oil imports.

7. After a century of failure, the U.S. Senate finally passed what kind of bill this week?

Spoiler
An anti-lynching bill. The bill was named after Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old boy who was lynched while visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955. Before that case, Ida B. Wells was noted in the 1890s and later decades for trying to get Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation. However, Southern Democrats blocked those efforts. On Monday, the Senate approved the bill with unanimous consent, making lynching punishable by up to thirty years in prison, and it will now go to the White House for final approval.

8. Which country is holding its presidential election today?

Spoiler
South Korea. The top two candidates are Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Suk-yeoi, battling to replace outgoing president Moon Jae-in. The race has been noted for its toxic character, with some observers calling it “The Squid Game Election.” Major issues have included how to help the economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea’s relations with the U.S. and China, and national security threats from North Korea.

9. What are the Baltic countries (or Baltic states)?

Spoiler
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All of them are on the east coast of the Baltic Sea and are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Each of these countries has asked for a stronger NATO presence after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and forceful Western action be taken against the Russian government.

10. Teachers in which major U.S. city are going on strike?

Spoiler
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Teachers there are asking for smaller class sizes and higher wages. They are calling for a starting salary of $35,000, better conditions to recruit a diverse workforce, and more mental health supports for students. In contrast, Ed Graff, the superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools, says that declining enrollment makes teachers’ demands unaffordable. The shutdown, which began yesterday, is affecting 30,000 public school students.