1. On July 29, President Donald Trump tweeted what threat if Democrats didn’t agree to provide votes for stricter border security, including funding for the wall?

a. Reopening the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails

b. A government shutdown coming Oct.1

c. A full declaration of martial law

2. On July 26, the deadline for the government to reunite the over 2,500 children separated from their parents at the border arrived. How many children did the government report reuniting as of the afternoon on July 26?

a. Over half

b. Under half

c. All of the children

d. None of the children

3. The ongoing tariffs amounting to a trade war with China has impacted farmers in the southern U.S. harshly, with Chinese tariffs, among levies from European nations and Canada specifically targeting agricultural products. Trump has promised how much in aid for the farmers?

a. $5 billion

b. $9 billion

c. $12 billion

4. In April this year, a Montgomery County jury found Bill Cosby guilty of the sexual assault of Andrea Constand. Recently, a Pennsylvania board has recommended what regarding Cosby?

a. A retrial based on insufficient evidence

b. A harsher court sentence in the original finding

c. Designating him as a sexually violent predator

5. On July 23, the trial of Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, in Alexandria, Virginia, had a new development. What was it?

a. The trial was delayed and five witnesses were granted immunity from their own testimonies incriminating them.

b. Investigators found potential jurors were being bought off.

c. Manafort reversed his decision to plead not guilty to charges of bank fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy.

Answers:

1. b. Bloomberg News reported that on July 29, Trump again floated the idea of a government shutdown if Democrats don’t capitulate and agree to provide votes for tighter border security measures, at the forefront of which is the wall. The shutdown, which House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have met with Trump to discuss how to avert, would come Oct. 1, a month before reelection for many Senate seats.

2. a. According to the Los Angeles Times, government officials reported they had reunited 1,442 of the children separated from their parents with their families. On top of that, the government released another 378 into the custody of sponsors or have turned 18 and become legal adults. Of those reunited, 900 have been ordered deported.

3. c. The Los Angeles Times reported that Trump has promised $12 billion in a plan responding to the retaliatory tariffs. The relief is mainly aimed at Midwest soybean farmers, along with other farmers that have been affected by the tarrifs. The trade war has already seen a 9 percent drop in product prices, and the Americans for Farmers and Families organization has condemned trade wars and urged the administration to back down.

4. c. The Pennsylvania board has recommended assigning Cosby the designation as a sexually violent predator, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The designation would require him to register as a sexual offender and undergo treatment. On July 24, a district attorney asked Judge Steven O’Neill to schedule a hearing to determine whether Cosby would get the designation.

5. a. A federal judge in Alexandria approved special counsel Robert Mueller’s request that the trial be delayed until July 31 and immunity be granted to five witnesses, according to Los Angeles Times. The immunity allows the witnesses to give testimony without fear of their testimony incriminating them.