Now that all of the revelations of government surveillance are out in the open, there's nothing to report this week, right? Well, take our news quiz and see if that's true.
Here are some random but real hints: While there, he can continue to get the inside scoop on the U.S. networks they're hacking; it's not a room; he wants Assad also to become a former president; and TBD. Answers are at the bottom of the quiz.
1. Who told the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference: "I can recall no utterance of Jesus in favor of war or any acts of aggression. In fact, his message to his disciples was one of non-resistance."
a. President Barack Obama
b. Former President Bill Clinton
c. Rev. Al Sharpton
d. Senator Rand Paul
2. Where did Edward Snowden, the man who admits releasing secret documents about U.S. government surveillance programs, seek to avoid U.S. arrest?
a. Cuba
b. Russia
c. Hong Kong
d. Saudi Arabia
3. What country's leader sent in troops to clear protestors out of Taksim Square?
a. Iran
b. China
c. United Kingdom
d. Turkey
4. What did Pope Francis say actually exists at the Vatican?
a. The bones of Martin Luther
b. The Holy Grail
c. A gay lobby
d. A 4,000-pound kraken in Vatican Lake
5. Former President Bill Clinton has broken with the White House and called for the U.S. to intervene more in what conflict?
a. Iran's presidential election
b. Syria's civil war
c. Turkey's Taksim Square protests
d. The impasse between North and South Korea
6. Fed Vice Chair Janet Yellen is considered the favorite to replace whom as chair of the Federal Reserve?
a. Alan Greenspan
b. Ben Bernanke
c. Christina Romer
d. Joseph Stiglitz
7. What former African leader is in the hospital with a serious lung infection?
a. Hosni Mubarak
b. Robert Mugabe
c. Muammar Gaddafi
d. Nelson Mandela
8. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to raise what controversy with President Obama during his visit to Berlin next week?
a. U.S. internet surveillance
b. Withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan
c. Interest rates
d. Austerity economics
9. What politician debuted on Twitter with the message "Thanks for the inspiration @ASmith83 & @Sllambe -- I'll take it from here... "?
a. Chris Christie
b. Hillary Clinton
c. Jerry Brown
d. Recep Tayyip Erdogan
10. The trial of what famous alleged mobster began this week in Boston?
a. James "Whitey" Bulger
b. John Gotti Jr.
c. Daryl "Death Dealer" Roune
d. Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
BONUS. Which of the following is not a real recent headline?
a. Mayor Bloomberg Floats Plan to Cover Manhattan with Giant Umbrella
b. Drunk Grandma Has Boy, 10, Drive Her Around: Cops
c. NBAer "Enjoyed Hitting Fan"
d. George Takei: Does He Write His Own Facebook Posts?
The news and the quizzes don't stop there! Join us for our next live Week to Week political commentary program with a news quiz at The Commonwealth Club on July 26 in San Francisco, featuring Carla Marinucci, Debra J. Saunders, and Dr. Larry Gerston.
ANSWERS: 1) d. 2) c. 3) d. 4) c. 5) b. 6) b. 7) d. 8) a. 9) b. 10) a. BONUS) a.
EXPLANATIONS OF THE HINTS: China has been fingered as the culprit in a number of high-profile cyber-breakins of U.S. government and corporate systems; he means a different kind of lobby; Bashir al-Assad is Syria's president, for now; Hillary Clinton listed "TBD" at the end of her Twitter bio.