Recent News: 2-7-25

An American Airlines jet carrying 64 people crashed into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29 after it collided with what?

• A bird

• A drone

• A U.S. Army helicopter

• The top of an office building

On Feb. 1, President Trump signed an order to impose extensive tariffs on America’s closest trading partners, Mexico, Canada and China. What is a tariff?

• A government order prohibiting the departure of commercial ships from a country’s ports

• An extra surcharge placed on a good when it comes into the United States

• A restriction on financial transactions between two countries

What directive did the Trump administration issue, and then rescind, this week after the order led to mass confusion and legal challenges?

• A ban on women in the military

• A cap on the price of milk

• A freeze on trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans

What artificial intelligence breakthrough sent shock waves through stock markets and caused U.S. technology giants to quake?

• A little-known Chinese start-up created a powerful A.I. model with far less money than many experts thought possible.

• An A.I. companion reached a level of intelligence comparable to human consciousness.

• A new A.I. chatbot successfully predicted future events 94 percent of the time.

Which artist won album of the year at the 67th annual Grammys, her first win in the category after four conspicuous losses?

• Beyoncé

• Chappell Roan

• Charli XCX

• Taylor Swift

The New York Times reported on the latest release of federal test scores. What was the headline?

• “American Children’s Reading Skills Reach New Lows”

• “New Scores Show Widespread Recovery From Pandemic Learning Loss”

• “Test Results Fell Out of Delivery Truck; All Data Is Lost”

What announcement stunned the basketball world last weekend?

• LeBron James announced his retirement after 22 seasons.

• The N.B.A. canceled its upcoming All-Star Game because of poor ticket sales.

• The 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Why was the Blue Man Group, featured above, in the news?

• Its members have been cast as the villains in a new James Bond film.

• It will be performing at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show.

• The group played its final show in New York City after 34 years.

Waffle House said it would begin charging an extra fee for meals that included what?

• Bacon

• Eggs

• Cheese

• Orange juice

In Lunar New Year celebrations around the world, more than a billion people said goodbye to the Year of the Dragon and welcomed what year?

• The Year of the Ox

• The Year of the Pig

• The Year of the Rabbit

• The Year of the Snake