The last time Iowa and Michigan met, the Hawks came up a bit short: (2 minutes)

I make no apologies for this: I am a basketball fan, mostly a college basketball fan. This year college basketball is probably as scrambled as it has been in a long time, maybe ever. That is on the men’s side. On the women’s side there seems to be something of a pecking order, but still somewhat scrambled.

Our family has been solid women’s basketball fans since our girls were small. Sundays at Carver Arena watching C. Vivian Stringer put out solid teams year after year. Lisa Bluder has kept that tradition up in a big way. This year’s team is really special. This afternoon at 3PM on ESPN2 they face off against league leading Michigan. As I understand it, if Iowa wins they are regular season champions.

We can’t get to the Arena anymore, but thanks to TV we have seen most of the games. Watching Caitlin Clark has been a real pleasure. She is simply one of the most exciting players I have ever seen, male or female. The whole team is solid. With some breaks and some smart play I look for the Hawks to go deep in the tourney.

We watched Thursday’s game with Stringer’s current team, Rutgers. Unfortunately Stringer is on a leave of absence this year. But we did get to see Michelle (Ice) Edwards as an assistant coach for Rutgers. Thus we got to see two of Iowa’s greatest basketball players ever on the same floor – Ice Edwards and Caitlin Clark. Don’t get much better than that.

Back to your regular scheduled reality.

A) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dominated world news this week. Who is the president of Ukraine?

B) The State of the Union address takes place Tuesday night. Who did the Republicans pick to give their response this year?

C) The head of Russians space agency threatened to let what happen in retaliation for western sanctions against Russia?

D) At this transition between black history month and women’s history month we ask – who was the first black woman to lie in honor in the US capitol?

E) ‘Putin is a genius” stated what disgraced US leader last week?

F) What Iowa politician was put in “Facebook jail” for posting material that was deemed “false information”?

G) The site of what nuclear disaster has been taken over by Russian soldiers who are holding it “hostage”?

H) Four major US drug manufacturers agreed to pay $26 Billion to settle claims in lawsuits concerning what?

I) Huge protests are taking place illegally against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in what country?

J) the waiting is over and we have a nominee for the SCOTUS. Who is it?

K) Cardinal of Eldon became the 4th school district in Iowa to adopt what unusual school schedule?

L) What country came to Russia’s aid by lifting all restrictions on wheat purchases on Russian wheat thus giving Russia some needed money?

M) What major tech billionaire and his brother are under SEC scrutiny for insider trading?

N) As we lurch toward the first black woman nominee to SCOTUS, who was the first black Justice?

O) Who was the first woman poet laureate of the US?

P) Finnish Skier Remi Lindholm finished in 28th place in the 30KM cross country skiing but more famously suffered what injury in last week’s Olympics?

Q) What animated kids series ended a 25 year run of PBS?

R) A 500 pound black bear with what nickname has been cited as the bear breaking into many homes near California’s Lake Tahoe?

S) The verdict in the trial of the three policemen who were with Derek Chauvin when George Floyd was murdered was what?

T) In Michigan, all three Republican candidates for Attorney General said they opposed what SCOTUS ruling that outlawed prosecuting married couples for using birth control?

I’m old enough to remember when folks who stole classified documents were called spies.. – Eileen Marie Sarah tweet

Answers:

A) Volodymyr Zelensky

B) Kim Reynolds

C) He threatened to let the space station fall out of orbit. If that happened it would be unlikely to fall on Russia.

D) Rosa Parks

E) the former president

F) Chuck Grassley

G) Chernobyl

H) opioids

I) Russia – right near the Kremlin.

J) Ketanji Brown Jackson

K) 4 day weeks

L) China

M) Elon Musk of Tesla

N) Thurgood Marshall

O) Rita Dove (1952)

P) He suffered a frozen penis

Q) Arthur 

R) Hank the Tank

S) Guilty 

T) Griswold v. Connecticut  – this is where the republicans are going, folks

Am I the only journalist who remembers that Donald Trump’s first impeachment was over his withholding aid to Ukraine as he tried to get info from Zelensky on Hunter Biden to use against Joe Biden in the 2020 election? – Victoria Brownworth