Feb. 9 Weekly News Quiz: How is King Charles Doing?

In a significant familial moment in February 2024, Prince Harry returned to the UK following King Charles’s cancer diagnosis. Buckingham Palace announced King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer, discovered during treatment for a benign enlarged prostate. It was explicitly mentioned that King Charles did not have prostate cancer but was treated for another form of the disease.

An atmospheric river is a phenomenon where moisture gathers in the atmosphere and moves with the wind. This forms long, narrow bands that transport significant amounts of moisture. These rivers in the sky are crucial in determining global precipitation distribution. “Pineapple Express” refers to a specific type of atmospheric river that brings warm subtropical moisture from near Hawaii to places like California. This moisture can lead to heavy rainfall and snow, causing beneficial water supplies and potentially severe flooding. For instance, California braced for “life-threatening” flash flooding due to an atmospheric river event expected to bring the season’s largest storm, as reported in early February 2024.

In a blunder that made headlines on Feb. 2, 2024, Target faced backlash for misidentifying Black leaders on products intended to celebrate Black History Month. Target swiftly removed these items and apologized. The mistakes in the Civil Rights Magnetic Learning Activity went viral after a Las Vegas high school teacher found them and posted them on TikTok.

In a move that surprised many and confirmed some suspicions, Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host known for his divisive commentary, secured a landmark interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This interview, conducted in Moscow, marks the first engagement of its kind since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years prior. Carlson’s trip and subsequent interview have been framed as an effort to bring an alternative perspective to the American public, contrasting with what he describes as biased coverage of the Western media. The decision by the Kremlin to grant Carlson, a figure criticized for promoting conspiracy theories and extremist views, this exclusive opportunity has sparked discussions about the motivations behind it.

The core of the disagreement lies in Taylor Swift’s active political involvement and endorsement of Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential elections. Her potential influence on the 2024 presidential race, especially among young and female voters, has sparked conspiracy theories involving the Pentagon and the NFL from right-wing media and MAGA supporters. They view her as wielding significant cultural influence that could sway the election.

Taylor Swift’s legal squad is not amused by Jack Sweeney’s hobby of tracking her jet-setting lifestyle. Sweeney, a rather resourceful college student, decided that the world needed to know whenever Swift’s private jet took to the skies. He created a Twitter account using publicly available flight data that served up real-time updates on Swift’s aerial comings and goings. Swift’s legal team, in a move that was more about privacy and safety than stopping high-flying gossip, sent Sweeney a cease-and-desist letter in early February 2024.

In a groundbreaking moment at the 2024 Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift shattered records by winning Album of the Year for “Midnights,” marking her as the first artist in history to win this coveted award four times. Swift’s previous wins in this category include “Fearless” (2010), “1989” (2016), and “Folklore” (2021), with “Midnights” (2024) being the latest addition to her Grammy collection. This historic win propelled Swift past music legends Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Frank Sinatra, who each held three wins in the Album of the Year category.

Beyoncé has an illustrious Grammy history with a record-breaking tally that cements her as one of the most awarded artists. However, amidst her vast collection of golden gramophones, the Album of the Year award is a conspicuous absence. Despite being nominated for this prestigious category multiple times, Beyoncé has yet to clinch the title. This leaves her with zero Album of the Year Grammys on her shelf. Jay-Z highlighted this fact during his acceptance speech for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the 2024 Grammys. He emphasized the discrepancy between Beyoncé’s significant Grammy success and the absence of an Album of the Year award.

Carl Weathers’ portrayal of Apollo Creed, the charismatic and formidable boxing champion, is a defining feature of the “Rocky” movie series. Apollo Creed started as Rocky Balboa’s rival in the original 1976 film and evolved into one of his greatest allies and friends throughout the series. On Feb. 1, 2024, Weathers died at 76. Beyond the “Rocky” series, Weathers starred in the film “Predator” alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and appeared in Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore.”

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” ended its illustrious run with its 12th season. Larry David, the mastermind behind the series, confirmed in his press engagements that, despite previous seasons where the end was teased, season 12 marks the definitive conclusion.

Music producer Mark Ronson and acting legend Meryl Streep are connected through matrimony — well, not theirs, but close enough. He married her daughter, actress Grace Gummer, in 2021. During the 2024 Grammys, host Trevor Noah brought attention to this fascinating familial link by pointing out that Streep was in attendance as Ronson’s mother-in-law.