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

1. Pro-Russian forces won a disputed general election in which European country on Saturday?

Spoiler
Georgia. The pro-Russian ruling Georgian Dream claimed victory with 54% of the vote. However, President Salome Zourabichvili said she did not recognize the victory since it was allegedly owed to electoral fraud and Russian interference. Hungary has recognized Georgian Dream as the winner despite the U.S. preparing sanctions against various Georgian leaders. If it stands, the election result is likely to torpedo Georgian hopes of joining the European Union (EU), something that 80% of Georgia’s population supports.

2. Why were the recent Japanese parliamentary elections a blow to the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)?

Spoiler
The LDP lots its majority in parliament. The LDP and its coalition partner Komeito won a combined 215 seats but 233 seats are needed to establish a government. This will force the LDP to work with an opposition party to create a government. The LDP suffered losses because of a political fundraising corruption scandal and inflationary woes. It is the first time since 2009 that the LDP has lost its parliamentary majority.

3. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe sparked a bipartisan backlash for remarks made about which U.S. territory at Donald Trump’s recent rally at Madison Square Garden?

Spoiler
Hinchcliffe, who has made a career out of roast comedy, received criticism from Democrats and Republicans for a joke that referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” The Trump campaign quickly distanced itself from Hinchcliffe’s remarks as Trump earned criticism for his response to Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico in 2017. Puerto Ricans are a demographic that could swing various Rust Belt states, so it remains to be seen if the remarks will be a deciding issue in the election.

4. Which two prominent U.S. newspapers declined to endorse a presidential candidate last week?

Spoiler
The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. The Post, which has been endorsing presidential candidates for the last 36 years, saying that it trusted its readers to make their own decision. The decision not to endorse either candidate angered the editorial boards of each paper. For the Time, its editorial editor and two members of its editorial board resigned. Analysts say that the decisions are due to papers not wanting to anger dwindling readership and cause subscription cancellations.

5. If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the presidential election and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz goes to Washington, D.C., who would become Minnesota’s new governor and why would this be historically significant?

Spoiler
Peggy Flanagan. If Flanagan becomes Minnesota’s governor she would be the first governor of Native American descent in American history. Flanagan is a citizen of the White Earth Nation. When she was elected as lieutenant governor in 2018 she became the first woman of color elected to statewide office in Minnesota.

6. If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the presidential election and becomes America’s first female president, what would her husband’s official title become after January 20, 2024?

Spoiler
First gentleman. Currently, Doug Emhoff, Harris’ husband, is referred to as the second gentleman of the United States. Like his current role, he would set precedents for how a first gentleman would operate.

7. McDonald’s was affected by what kind of outbreak last week?

Spoiler
An E.coli outbreak that was tied to its famous Quarter Pounders. The outbreak sickened 75 people in 13 states and one was killed. U.S. states affected by the outbreak had the Quarter Pounder removed from their menus. Colorado had the most number of cases with 26.

8. Last week Turkey struck Kurdish targets in which two countries?

Spoiler
Syria and Iraq. The Turkish air force launched strikes on suspected Kurdish militants in those countries after Turkey blamed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for attacking the headquarters of a Turkish national aerospace company last Wednesday, which left five people dead. Turkey’s government is not a supporter of Kurdish separatism, fearing that it could create a secessionist movement within the country.

9. A former member of former President Donald Trump’s administration called him a fascist last week. Who was this?

Spoiler
Marine General John Kelly, who served as Trump’s chief of staff from July 2017-January 2019. Kelly said last week that Trump’s leadership style was “dictatorial,” “fascist,” and “lacking in empathy.” The comments were seized on by Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign to argue that Trump is not fit to return to the White House.

10. What does the recent pact between Russia and North Korea pledge each nation to do?

Spoiler
The pact, which was termed as a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” obligates both nations to assist each other with “all means” if either is attacked. Analysts say it forms the strongest link between Russia and North Korea since the Cold War. American national security commentators believe that it poses a danger to U.S. interests because Russia could share sensitive missile technology with North Korea that would aid the North’s drive to build an ICBM capable of hitting the United States. There were reports last week that 3,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to Russia. The U.S. believes its a matter of time before those troops are used in Ukraine.