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

Note:  Next week will not have a news quiz due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  However, there will be new questions released on Monday, along with a write up of Glenbrooks and new National Points Race standings next week!

1. Which U.S. Senate seat did Republicans lose in the 2022 midterm elections?

Spoiler
Pennsylvania. The seat was the only one thus far to change hands as incumbent Republican Pat Toomey opted not to run for re-election. Dr. Mehmet Oz was nominated by Republicans but was defeated by Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman. The flip proved crucial for Senate control as Democrats have now won fifty seats, keeping control of the chamber because Vice President Kamala Harris can break ties.

2. According to the United Nations, the world now has how many people?

Spoiler
8 billion. This was according to the UN’s projections. Much of the world’s population growth is in Africa’s developing nations. The UN highlights that population growth in this area of the world is straining resources. The UN also notes that the world’s population could reach 9.7 billion by 2050 and 10.4 billion by 2100 and that India is set to overtake China as the world’s most populous country next year.

3. Earlier this week a judge in Georgia ruled that the state’s recent legislation banning abortion was unconstitutional. This legislation banned abortion after how many weeks?

Spoiler
Six. The bill banned abortions after a “detectable human heartbeat” was present, which can occur as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney struck down the law, arguing that it violated the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court precedent.

4. Who has Turkey blamed for the bombing of a pedestrian avenue in Istanbul on Sunday?

Spoiler
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group that operates in southeastern Turkey and Northern Iraq and that seeks an independent Kurdish state. The PKK denies involvement in the attack.

5. Which cryptocurrency exchange declared for bankruptcy last week?

Spoiler
FTX, which was founded in 2019 and was the third-largest cryptoexchange by volume. It suffered a massive liquidity crisis earlier this month and failed to enter a merger with Binance. It is currently being investigated by the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over whether it improperly used customer funds to prop up a trading firm owned by former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.

6. Leaders of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries held an emergency meeting at the G20 this week after reports of a Russian missile landing where?

Spoiler
Poland. A missile strike Wednesday in Poland killed two people. Initial reports suggested that the missile was from Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine. However, yesterday Poland and NATO Secretar-General Jens Stoltenberg announced yesterday that the strike appeared unintentional and that it likely came from Ukrainian air defense systems.

7. Which far-right ally of former President Donald Trump has their House race in “too close to call” territory after last week’s election?

Spoiler
Lauren Boebert, who represents Colorado’s Third Congressional District. As of the time of this news quiz, Boebert led her Democratic opponent, Adam Frisch, by less than 600 votes. A recount is expected and a final counting of military and overseas ballots, along with cured ballots, will take place by the weekend.

8. What were some components of Great Britain’s recent emergency budget?

Spoiler
Higher income taxes on the country’s highest earners, who qualify for the rate at $147,790 (or 125,140 British pounds). A higher cap on energy bills for people in the country that is set at $3,535 (3,000 pounds) per year. A higher windfall profits tax on oil and natural gas companies like Shell and BP, which goes from 25% to 35% and will keep going up until March 2028. The national minimum wage will go up by 9.7% to 10.42 pounds per hour. And state pension payments and benefits increase by 10.1%.

9. For how many years was Nancy Pelosi the leader of House Democrats?

Spoiler
19 years. Pelosi took over the leadership of House Democrats from Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt in January 2003, eventually becoming the first female Speaker of the House when Democrats captured the chamber after the 2006 midterm elections. Pelosi announced yesterday that she would not run for a leadership post.

10. In keeping with question #9, who is expected to become the new leader of the House Democratic Caucus with Nancy Pelosi’s exit?

Spoiler
New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries has represented New York’s Eighth Congressional District since 2013 and is the current chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer, who had served as Pelosi’s number two during her tenure, announced yesterday that he would remain in the House but would not try to run for a leadership position. That was seen as removing an obstacle for Jeffries to take over in the next Congress in which Republicans will be operating with a narrow majority.