Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Quiz: Trump on Puerto Rico, ‘Pocahontas,’ the GOP tax plan and more

Trump tax plan 120117

Jeff Roberson / AP

President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, in St. Charles, Mo.

It was a week that began with two acting directors showing up to work at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and ended with former national security adviser Michael Flynn's guilty plea to lying to the FBI. Heading into the weekend, here's a quiz about a few of the things that happened in-between:

1. During his speech Wednesday in Missouri, what place was President Donald Trump referring to when he said “they’re doing well there”?

A. Atherton, Calif., which topped Bloomberg’s list of the 100 richest places in the U.S. this year

B. Conroe, Texas, where a steel fabricator announced it was planning to reopen a 226,000-square-foot factory it shut down last year and was planning to hire 150 workers.

C. Puerto Rico.

Correct answer: C

2. Which of the following news reports emerged this week from Puerto Rico?

A. The official death toll rose to 58. Meanwhile, there are numerous indications that the toll is actually much higher. After polling more than 100 funeral homes early last month, CNN estimated the number of deaths at nearly 500. And this week, two social science researchers estimated that the death count may be nearly 1,100, or about 20 times the government’s official figure.

B. The Florida Division of Emergency Management reported that more than 208,000 people from Puerto Rico had flowed into airports in Miami, Orlando and Tampa since Oct. 3.

C. Thirty-four percent of the island remained without power, 7 percent has no access to reliable drinking water (and boil water advisories are in effect across the island), and 982 survivors remain in shelters.

D. All of the above.

Correct answer: D

3. Match the statement to the person who said it after President Donald Trump’s “Pocahontas” remark during a ceremony to honor Navajo code talkers from World War II.

A. “The President of the United States wanted to utilize an opportunity to honor native warriors who defended this land to make a political attack. I have one for him, leave the office you bought and take your swamp things with you.”

B. “This was a day to honor them and to insert something like that, that belongs on the campaign trail, it doesn’t belong in the room when our war heroes are being honored.”

C. “The reference is using a historic American Indian figure as a derogatory insult, and that’s insulting to all American Indians.”

D. “I think what most people find offensive is Senator Warren lying about her heritage to advance her career.”

1. John Norwood, general secretary of the Alliance of Colonial Era Tribes.

2. Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

3. Sarah Sanders, White House spokeswoman

4. Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye

Answer key: A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3

4. According to a fivethirtyeight average of surveys by CNN, Quinnipiac University, Morning Consult, ABC/WaPo and YouGov, the GOP tax plans are more popular than which of the following tax initiatives?

A. The first Reagan tax cut in 1981

B. The second George W. Bush tax cut in 2003

C. The Clinton tax increase of 1993

D. The George H.W. Bush tax increase of 1990

E. None of the above

Correct answer: E. In fivethirtyeight’s poll average, 32 percent of respondents approved the new GOP tax plan. The next-lowest approval rating was for the Clinton hike, at 34 percent.

5. Which late-night comedian responded to a challenge by Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore (“If you want to mock our Christian values, come down here to Alabama and do it man to man”) with a tweet saying, “Sounds great Roy - let me know when you get some Christian values and I’ll be there!”

A. Jimmy Fallon

B. Jimmy Kimmel

C. Stephen Colbert

D. Conan O’Brien

Correct answer: B

6. A researcher at Massey University in New Zealand told CBS that glitter should be banned. Why?

A. Birds eat it.

B. Kids eat it.

C. Fish eat it.

Correct answer: C. Most glitter is made of plastic, and it’s contributing to an alarming buildup of microplastics in the oceans. The researcher said that fish, even microplankton, eat microplastics, which is not good for their dietary health. According to one study, there's 268,940 tons of plastic floating in the world’s oceans, and 92.4 percent of that amount is microplastics — pieces that are less than 5 millimeters in length.

7. A PBS News analysis of the Congressional Budget Office report on the GOP’s tax plans showed that it will take how long for households making $30,000 or less per year to achieve the same level of tax savings that households making $1 million per year will make in 2019 ($59,615)?

A. 30

B. 50

C. It will never happen.

Correct answer: C. The analysis says households making $30,000 or less will pay more.

8. In his Missouri speech, Trump cited a new report showing that the gross domestic product had grown 3.3 percent in the third quarter of 2017, saying “we're hitting numbers that nobody thought possible, certainly not in this time.” In how many quarters of President Barack Obama’s presidency did the GDP post quarterly growth of 3 percent or more?

A. Zero

B. Four

C. Eight

Correct answer: C, including back-to-back quarters in 2013 and 2014.

9. This week, the House Judiciary Committee moved forward on the first gun-related legislation since the Oct. 1 shooting in Las Vegas. What would the legislation do?

A. Ban bump stocks

B. Establish universal background checks for gun purchases

C. Ban states from imposing their own rules regarding concealed carry of weapons on visitors from other states.

Correct answer: C. The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act would require states to recognize concealed carry permits issued by any other state.