1) The Guardian newspaper in Britain recently reported that the United States government has obtained daily access to the landline and mobile phone call records of the customers of what telecommunications company?
c) Verizon
Specifically, the National Security Administration (NSA) obtained access to Verizon’s records pursuant to a court order issued by a federal judge. The NSA claims that it is using the records to look for suspicious call patterns in an effort to combat terrorism. Many experts assume that if the NSA is collecting call records from Verizon, then it is collecting records from other telecommunications companies as well.
2) The Guardian also reported last week that, in an effort to combat terrorism, the National Security Agency (NSA) has gained direct access to the servers of various internet providers in order to collect information on individual internet use. The information collected includes both search histories and the content of emails, file transfers, and live chats. What name has the NSA given to this data collection program?
b) Prism
The newspaper’s information comes from a top secret 41 slide power point that was leaked to the newspaper by a government IT contractor. Unlike the NSA’s collection of phone record data, the PRISM program does not appear to require the NSA to obtain a court order before gathering the information. All of the major internet providers have denied participating in the program.
https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data
3) Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the police have the right to take DNA samples from individuals arrested for a serious crime. The 5-4 ruling was made in a case arising out of what state?
c) Maryland
The defendant in the case, Alonzo King, was convicted of rape based on DNA evidence collected when he was arrested for an unrelated assault. King claimed that the collection of a DNA sample without his consent was an unreasonable seizure that violated the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.
4) According to a Pentagon report, hackers from this country have gained access to sensitive information regarding many of America’s most advanced weapons system. The hackers are based in what country?
b) China
Most experts believe that the hackers are working for the Chinese government.
5) Last week, President Obama met with what foreign leader?
a) Chinese President Xi Jinping
Among the issues they discussed were climate change, cybersecurity, and North Korea.
https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/09/politics/obama-xi-summit
6) What American politician visited Syria last week?
d) Senator John McCain
McCain is the first American politician to visit Syria since fighting broke out there two years ago. The trip is part of McCain’s effort to convince the Obama administration to provide direct aid to the Syrian rebels in their fight against Syrian president Bashar Assad.
https://news.yahoo.com/mccain-syrian-rebels-heavy-weapons-190000613.html
7) Recently, there have been a number of protests against the government in this country’s Taksim Square. What country?
d) Turkey
The protests began when the Turkish government decided to raze a popular park in Istanbul, but they have turned into a more general protest against the allegedly authoritarian policies of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).
https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-turkey-protests-idUSBRE94U0J920130531
8) According to a recent survey, in what percentage of American households with children is the mother the primary breadwinner?
d) 40
The trend is due to two factors: the rise in single-mother households and the increase in the number of married mothers who make more money than their husbands.
9) United States Senator Frank Lautenberg passed away last week at the age of 89. What state did he represent?
d) New Jersey
Lautenberg was the last World War 2 veteran to serve in the Senate. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie temporarily replaced the Democrat Lautenberg with Republican Jeffrey Chiesa. Christie then set up an October special election to allow New Jersey voters to choose Lautenberg’s permanent replacement.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/06/03/lautenberg-jersey-obituary/2384125/
10) What woman won the French Open tennis tournament last week?
b) Serena Williams
It was Serena’s first French Open title since 2002. Rafael Nadal won the men’s tournament.