1. Midterm elections concluded Nov. 6, with some races still tallying ballots and too close to call. However, the results nationally were largely set by the morning of Nov. 7. Previous to the election, Republicans held a majority in both chambers of Congress. How did the results shake out?
a. Republicans managed to maintain their majority control in both chambers of Congress.
b. Republicans lost majority control in the Senate but gained it in the House.
c. Republicans retained majority control in the Senate but lost it in the House.
d. Democrats gained majority control in both chambers of Congress.
2. Sanctions against Iran’s banking, energy and shipping industries went into effect Nov. 5. In order to remind everyone, President Donald Trump tweeted what, which has since been removed?
a. A political cartoon of the American flag with the line, “God Bless the U.S.A. Sanctions November 5.”
b. A movie-poster style image of himself with the line, “Sanctions are Coming. November 5.”
c. A political cartoon of a nuclear weapon with the line, “No more bombs. November 5.”
3. At Maywood High School in Los Angeles, a teen yelled racial slurs at a black music teacher and threw a basketball at the teacher, which prompted the teacher to respond. In what way did he respond?
a. Referring the child to the principal’s office and the discipline officer.
b. Calling the child’s parents and referring him to the principal’s office.
c. Punching the child in the face.
4. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which began in the Obama administration, was revoked in a September 2017 decision by the Trump administration, sparking a yearlong legal battle. The Trump administration just made what move in an attempt to end the ongoing legal fight?
a. Imploring the Supreme Court to step in and decide whether or not the government has the power to end the immigration policy.
b. Threatening military action against illegal immigrants in a scare tactic.
c. Pressuring appeals courts to review the decision made by lower courts that concluded ending DACA was either unlawful or likely unlawful.
5. One of the cases that came before the Supreme Court on Nov. 5 was concerned with a three-decade old ban in Virginia on mining what element? The case, which a mining company and the U.S. government backed, hopes to lift the ban.
a. The ban is on mining uranium.
b. The ban is on mining copper.
c. The ban is on mining lanthanum.
Answers:
1. c. Republicans retained their majority control in the Senate but Democrats took the House, according to the Los Angeles Times. The majority control in either chamber was unclear as of the morning of Nov. 7, with several races too close to call, but Republicans managed to flip at least three seats in the Senate while only losing one. Final results in all races are expected by Nov. 9.
2. b. Trump’s tweet featured a movie-poster image of himself with the text, “Sanctions are Coming,” echoing the phrase “Winter is coming,” from the popular HBO show Game of Thrones. The image used similar design features to the show’s branding. According to Bloomberg News, HBO quickly responded, tweeting, “How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?” HBO then told CNBC that they “would rather their trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes.”
3. c. Teacher Marston Riley punched the student across the face, which led to a brawl between the two, according to the Los Angeles Times and Independent. The two fought for several seconds before finally being separated. The child was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries, and Riley was arrested and then released after posting $50,000 in bail. Supporters of Riley started a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his legal fees, and as of Nov. 5, the page had more than 2,400 contributors and had raised over $61,000.
4. a. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue in order to attempt to end the legal fight decisively, according to Roll Call. This appeal, on Nov. 5, is the second appeal to the court, which had not made a statement after the first appeal. Justice Department officials have asked appeals courts to review the decision as well, but the appeals courts have yet to act.
5. a. Virginia placed a ban on mining uranium three decades ago, according to Roll Call. The largest deposit of uranium in the country is in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Three Republican lawmakers, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Ted Cruz of Texas and James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, have expressed the hope that the court will rule in favor of the mining company. They have argued upholding the ban could undermine national defense and would hamper national security as development of uranium is at an all time low in U.S. history.
