1) Congress recently passed – and President Obama signed – a budget for FY 2016 that included how much in spending for the next fiscal year?
c) 1.1 trillion
The bill was viewed as a compromise where both Republicans and Democrats got some of they wanted, but not everything they wanted.
2) The Federal Reserve recently agreed to raise interest rates for the first time since 2008. What were the rates previously?
a) 0
The Fed’s decision is based upon its belief that the US economy is finally strong enough to withstand a hike.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/12/who-wins-and-who-loses-feds-rate-hike
3) What two Republican presidential candidates lead in the most recent Iowa Caucus polls?
d) Donald Trump and Ted Cruz
The caucus will take place on February 1.
4) Armed militiamen took over a federal building in what state on Sunday?
c) Oregon
They are protesting the prosecution of two ranchers who set fire to federal land.
5) What country executed 47 people last weekend including a well-known Shia cleric?
d) Saudi Arabia
Iranian protesters have responded by setting fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/02/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east
6) Iraqi forces recently reclaimed what important town from ISIS?
a) Ramadi
ISIS took the city in May of 2015.
7) What country recently fired a missile dangerously close to an American aircraft carrier?
a) Iran
The American carrier, the Harry S Truman, was in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz.
8) In his final address of the year, Pope Francis called for an end to what?
c) Indifference
He said that “the enemy of peace isn’t only war, but also indifference.”
9) What company recently made history by landing a rocket?
c) Space X
No one had ever before launched a rocket and then brought it back to earth in one piece. SpaceX is run by Tesla founder Elon Musk.
10) What comedian accidentally crowned the wrong contestant at the Miss Universe competition?
d) Steve Harvey
Harvey originally declared Miss Colombia as the winner before realizing that Miss Philippines was the winner and correcting the mistake.