Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.

1. What is the new U.S. unemployment rate?

Spoiler
3.7%. This was a rise of 0.2% from the previous month’s figure. Unemployment for Black workers was 4.5% and for Hispanic workers it was 6.4%. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. employers added 315,000 jobs last month.

2. Which world figure narrowly escaped an assassination attempt last week?

Spoiler
Argentina’s Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Returning home on Thursday night, she was greeted by a mass of supporters until Fernando Sabag Montiel, the alleged assassin, ran up and aimed a gun inches from her face. The only thing that saved Kirchner was that the gun reportedly jammed. Kirchner, a former Argentinian president, is a polarizing figure and is expected to run for the nation’s presidency next year.

3. Who is the head of the National Republic Senatorial Committee?

Spoiler
Florida Senator Rick Scott. Scott is taking criticism from Republicans for spending money too quickly before this year’s midterms. The New York Times reported on Saturday that the NRSC has already spent 95% of the money it brought in. The GOP, which had high hopes of taking control of the Senate, is on its heels after seeing candidates struggle in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

4. What delayed the launch of the Artemis moon rocket?

Spoiler
A hydrogen leak. NASA has spent more than $40 billion on the vehicle, which is seen as the first step in returning Americans to the moon. A planned launch last weekend was cancelled due to a fuel leak. NASA has emphasized that it does not want the mission to fail because it would risk public support for the space program.

5. Which former leader of the Soviet Union passed away last week?

Spoiler
Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union, taking office in 1985 and governing until 1991. He was known for trying to inject market reforms into the Soviet economy and opening the government up to criticism, a policy known as glasnost. However, Russian nationalists blame him for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend his funeral.

6. Who is Great Britain’s new prime minister?

Spoiler
Liz Truss. She defeated former finance minister Rishi Sunak 57%-43% in the narrowest Conservative Party leadership election since 2001. Before becoming prime minister, she Truss was Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade. She is Great Britain’s third female prime minister, all of whom have been leaders of the Conservative Party.

7. The United Nations declared on Monday that “Famine is at the door” of which African country?

Spoiler
Somalia. The UN reported that nearly half of the country faced severe threats to hunger because of a terrible drought ravaging Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia, as well as security threats from the militant group Al Shabab. In 2011, a famine in Somalia killed 260,000 people, half of whom were under the age of five.

8. There are concerns that the fighting between Russia and Ukraine could threaten which energy facility?

Spoiler
The Zaporizhzhia power plant, a nuclear facility. The International Atomic Agency (IAEA) recently visited and warned that shelling around the plant should cease to prevent a meltdown. Ukraine alleges that Russia is to blame because its military forces have occupied the facility. The IAEA will station two inspectors on a future mission at the plant, which was welcomed by Ukraine.

9. On what grounds did a district court judge bar Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin from holding office?

Spoiler
Griffin was permanently barred from local and federal office in a ruling by District Court Judge Francis Mathew that used the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Passed after the Civil War, it holds that anyone who took an oath to uphold the Constitution can be prohibited from taking office for being in a rebellion or insurrection. Griffin was sentenced to fourteen days by a federal court for entering the U.S. Capitol grounds on January 6. The ruling disqualifies him from his current post as county commissioner.

10. Which major U.S. city saw its first day of classes cancelled by a teacher strike?

Spoiler
Seattle, Washington. Teachers voted overwhelmingly to go on strike for better pay, mental health support, and staffing for special education and multilingual students. The strike comes on a heels of a strike in Columbus, Ohio, where teachers ended a brief strike for a 4% raise. There have been other strikes in recent months in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Sacramento.