Here this week’s news quiz! Good luck!

1. Last week, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced that there will be a regulation requiring food manufacturers to phase out what?

Spoiler
Eight petroleum-based food dyes. This will apply to cereals, sports drinks, and other foods. Health advocates have criticizes the dyes for a long time, saying that they cause neurological problems in children and hyperactivity. The regulations would come down through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which the New York Times notes “regulates 80% of the nation’s food supply.” Kennedy noted that European and Canadian markets have natural color substitutes whereas Americans get the dyes, thereby harming public health. He has long been an advocate of removing various chemicals in the U.S. food supply.

2. Who are establishment Republicans hoping will announce a bid for the U.S. Senate in Georgia soon?

Spoiler
Governor Brian Kemp. Polls show that Kemp has a higher favorability rating than President Donald Trump, who has been willing to disagree with on major positions. Polls also show that Kemp would be in a tossup race against Senator Jon Ossoff, who is finishing up his first term after winning his seat in a 2020 December runoff. Kemp is arguably the best Republican chance to flip the seat and grow their existing Senate majority. Kemp has not provided a timeline for when he might declare his candidacy but has said that he will not keep Republicans waiting long. His second term as Georgia’s governor expires in 2026.

3. Who did President Trump announce last week as his new pick for UN ambassador?

Spoiler
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. New York Republican Elise Stefanik was originally Trump’s choice for the position but due to the slim Republican majority in the House it was thought better that she remain in her congressional seat. Waltz will now need to be confirmed by the Senate for the post.

4. It was announced last week that North Korea was building what to Russia?

Spoiler
A road bridge. Construction started on Wednesday last week, serving as North Korea’s only land connection to Russia. It is another sign of warming relations between the two countries, helped by North Korea’s sending of troops to Ukraine to support Russia’s war there.

5. Brazilian authorities reportedly stopped a bomb attack on which musical performer’s concert last week?

Spoiler
Lady Gaga. The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro announced that it arrested suspects who planned to carry out an attack on her event. They were part of a group that had been spreading hate messages about children and the LGBTQ+ community. More than two million people attended her concert in the city, which went on despite the planned attack.

6. Why was the election for the next German chancellor an embarrassment for Friedrich Merz?

Spoiler
He fell six votes short of being elected in the Bundestag in the first round of voting. The election was supposed to be a formality as Merz’s Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) force is entering into a grand coalition with the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). However, the coalition has just 52% of seats. The far-right Alternate for Germany (AfD) demanded new elections after the vote. That did not happen as Merz won a second vote but it is the first time in Germany’s post-1945 history that a chancellor did not win after coalition talks settled on a governing agreement.

7. Israeli forces struck what other Middle Eastern country this week?

Spoiler
Yemen. Air strikes took place on Monday night, a day after Houthi rebels launched a ballistic missile at Israel’s main airport in Tel Aviv. It is another step in the Israeli-Iranian proxy war in the region.

8. What famous prison facility did U.S. President Donald Trump say that he wishes to reopen last week?

Spoiler
Alcatraz. The prison, located off the coast of San Francisco, is famous for no one successfully escaping it and lodging famous prisoners like Al Capone. It was shut down 60 years ago because of cost of upkeep. Trump floated the idea of using it as a detention facility for migrants.

9. Which African nation confirmed that it was in discussions with U.S. authorities about taking in migrants?

Spoiler
Rwanda. The confirmation came on the heels of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling reporters that the U.S. was searching for countries to take in peoples the U.S. deported, creating a stir by calling them “despicable human beings.” Rwanda previously had an agreement with Great Britain to take in migrants but that went nowhere due to legal challenges in Great Britain.

10. It was reported this week that the Department of Homeland Security will offer illegal immigrants in the U.S. to “self-deport”?

Spoiler
$1,000. Secretary Kristi Noem encouraged those without paperwork in the U.S. to take the offer to have the “best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest.” She also billed it as a “historic opportunity.