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

1. According to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the U.S. could default on its debt by what date?

Spoiler
June 1. Yellen’s comments come as House Republicans have refused to raise the nation’s debt ceiling unless the Biden White House will agree to spending concessions. President Biden has said that he will not negotiate the issue with House Republicans.

2. What is the debt ceiling?

Spoiler
Also known as the debt limit, the debt ceiling represents the total amount of money that the U.S. government is authorized by Congress to borrow to meet its existing debt obligations. There are often misconceptions that raising the ceiling means that the government is free to spend more money. Raising the debt ceiling simply means that the U.S. can spend money on programs that Congress has already authorized.

3. Who won Paraguay’s recent presidential race?

Spoiler
Santiago Peña, an economist. Peña is part of the ruling Colorado Party. He won with 42% of the vote against Efraín Alegre of the Concertación Nacional coalition, who drew 28% of the vote. The Colorado Party has dominated Paraguay’s politics, only sitting out of power for five of the last seventy years.

4. Earlier this week the World Food Program said it was suspending food aid to which area of the world? And why?

Spoiler
The World Food Program suspended food shipments to northern Tigray due to an investigation that revealed thefts of food shipments. The Ethiopian region has been the center of a two-year civil war that has left five million people reliant on international aid.

5. Federal regulators seized what bank this week?

Spoiler
First Republic Bank. The failure is the second-largest in U.S. history. JPMorgan Chase sweeped in to buy the institutions deposits and assets. Over the last two months, two other midsize banks have failed (Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank), prompting concerns about the health of the U.S. banking sector.

6. It was recently confirmed that a secret peace mission was launched by which organization to end the Russo-Ukrainian War?

Spoiler
The Vatican. Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church is attempting to end the conflict while also trying to repatriate Ukrainian children who have been taken to Russia.

7. When was the last time Hollywood writers went on strike?

Spoiler
2007. Writers that are part of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents television and film writers, went on strike over pay, how writers are compensated by streaming platforms, and future provisions about the use of artificial intelligence in creative work. The strike is shutting down late night shows at the moment. The 2007 strike lasted 100 days.

8. Democratic forces in Hong Kong are alarmed at a new plan to eliminate directly chosen representatives on which body?

Spoiler
Local district councils. These are the last major publicly elected institutions in the country. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said the proposal will reduce the proportion of directly elected seats from 90% to 20%, a number lower than when the British ran Hong Kong in the 1980s. Critics see this as a continued crackdown on Hong Kong’s democracy by the Chinese government.

9. Earlier this week, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy gave a speech to which nation’s parliament?

Israel. McCarthy spoke to the Israeli Knesset. He noted that he would be inviting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress if President Biden does not extend a White House invitation. Netanyahu has not been invited to the White House since being re-elected to office. This is due to American criticism of a Netanyahu plan to overhaul Israel’s judiciary.[/spoiler]

10. Which U.S. senator recently announced their retirement?

Spoiler
Senator Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland. He announced that he would not run for re-election in 2024. Cardin has served in the Senate since 2007, winning his seat as part of a Democratic takeover of the Senate in 2006. One of his signature achievements was the Magnitsky Act, allowing the U.S. to sanction Russian individuals for committing human rights abuses. The seat is likely to remain in Democratic hands but that calculus could change if former Republican Governor Larry Hogan agrees to run. Hogan has long ruled out a Senate campaign, though.