1. Who should President Biden nominate to replace Justice Stephen Breyer?
2. What impact would consecutive rate increases by the Federal Reserve have on the U.S. economy?
3. Does the size of the U.S. national debt matter?
4. If Stacey Abrams fails to win Georgia’s gubernatorial election, is her political career over?
5. Will the January 6 committee’s investigations eventually find a direct link to former President Trump?
6. Should the child tax credit be means tested?
7. Student loan forgiveness: An economic boon or a political disaster for the Democratic Party?
8. Should New York City makes changes to its bail law?
9. What will the next evolution of the Internet look like?
10. Should the IRS go with an alternative to ID.me to secure Americans tax records?
Month: January 2022 Page 1 of 2
1. Should Western powers agree never to let Ukraine join NATO?
2. Is organic farming a major threat to the global climate?
3. What changes does the EU need to make to its energy policy?
4. Will there be more military coups in West Africa before the end of 2022?
5. What does an inability to choose a new president reveal about the state of Italy’s political system?
6. Will the EU win its trade dispute with China at the WTO?
7. Does the UN need to be playing a part in the growing crisis in Ukraine?
8. Will the U.S. decision not to give military aid to Egypt create instability in the Middle East?
9. Does Germany need to embrace a more hawkish foreign policy?
10. Would Argentina’s economy improve with less government interference?
Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.
This week’s R&D covers the recent coup in Burkina Faso. Last Sunday, a group of soldiers in the country mutinied, arguing that the country’s democratic government was not doing enough to battle Islamic militants or care for soldiers who have been wounded or killed in the struggle. The coup is the fourth to hit West Africa this year and has been criticized by the United Nations, with the United States and the West African economic bloc ECOWAS expressing concern. Despite the criticism from international observers, the coup does have sizeable public support but it is unclear whether the new military junta will enhance the nation’s security.
Ebenezer Obadare says that popular support for the takeover in Burkina Faso is less about support for the military and more about the public’s desire for stability and good governance. https://t.co/auRgTcf9qg
— Council on Foreign Relations (@CFR_org) January 27, 2022
Return of the military strongmen to West Africa in Burkina Faso coup https://t.co/a6YaRq6EqN
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 27, 2022
In Burkina Faso more than 1.5m people have been pushed from their homes in the past three years. Almost 7,000 have been killed https://t.co/3loWmd1MEd
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) January 26, 2022
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. If Russia invades, can Ukraine fight them to a draw with Western aid?
2. Why is there a growing food crisis in the Horn of Africa?
3. If Boris Johnson resigns or is ousted, who should British Conservatives choose to replace him?
4. How should NATO respond if Russia makes a “minor incursion” into Ukraine?
5. Will hosting the Olympics create as many political problems in China as it did for Japan?
6. Should the European Union commit itself to stronger border enforcement?
7. How can the international community best assist African nations in vaccinating their populations against COVID-19?
8. Is Venezuela’s political opposition too divided to make substantial change in the country?
9. Are Iran’s proxy forces becoming more dangerous?
10. Is the BJP failing to protect India’s Muslim population?
1. Does President Biden need to shake up his foreign policy team?
2. Will public education be the biggest victim of the COVID-19 pandemic?
3. What is the Democrats best Senate pickup opportunity in the 2022 midterms?
4. Is the COVID relief bubble in the economy bursting?
5. Will the rise of artificial intelligence be the final blow against organized labor in the private sector?
6. Is the threat of domestic terrorism becoming bigger than terrorism by foreign groups?
7. Will legal problems in New York scuttle former President Trump’s political ambitions?
8. Is Netflix losing the streaming wars?
9. Could Hillary Clinton win a Democratic presidential primary in 2024?
10. What steps can be taken to depoliticize the Supreme Court?
Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.
This week’s R&D covers British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s political problems. Johnson is under fire for hosting gatherings with his staff at No. 10 Downing Street while the rest of Great Britain was locked down under COVID-19 restrictions in spring 2020. The more egregious allegations are that Johnson’s staff partied before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, which had social distance restrictions. Johnson has told the British Parliament that the gatherings were for work and were not social, but the public is skeptical, as are members of the British Conservative Party. Some Conservative MPs are calling on Johnson to resign, noting that opinion polls are showing the Conservative trailing the Labour Party by double digits. Johnson has so far refused and stated earlier in the week that he would fight any no-confidence vote.
Prime minister odds: The favourites to replace Boris Johnson 👀 https://t.co/zFhIT298CL
— The Independent (@Independent) January 19, 2022
🔎 What could a no-confidence vote mean for Boris Johnson?
All the questions you may have, answered 👇 https://t.co/igXeqacQX1
— The Times (@thetimes) January 19, 2022
Vote of no confidence, resignation or survival: what next for Boris Johnson? https://t.co/fTCwVoydvS
— The Guardian (@guardian) January 19, 2022
Updated standings for the 2021-2022 Extemp Central National Points Race have been posted! You can find them by clicking on the “National Points Race” tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.
The new standings reflect the results of last weekend’s James Logan MLK Invitational tournament, which was a fifth tier event in the National Points Race. Extempers who placed in the top six of International Extemp and United States Extemp earned points and if an extemper reached both finals, they were credited with their top finish.
The next National Points Race event will take place in two weeks as Emory University plays host to the Barkley Forum. This will be a fourth tier event that will award seventy points to its champion and award points to all of the extempers that reach semi-finals.
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
The National Points Race moved to the West Coast for last weekend’s James Logan MLK Invitational, hosted by James Logan High School in Union City, California. This year’s tournament was hosted virtually due to ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and offered split extemp categories, with thirty-three competitors clashing in International Extemp and fifty-three in United States Extemp.
In International Extemp the winner was Francis Olakangil of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA). Olakangil, a quarter-finalist earlier this season at Glenbrooks, defeated Vansh Mathur of Cupertino High School (CA) by three ranks in the cumulative tournament. #21 Michelle Jin of the Harker School (CA), the only ranked extemper in the field, placed third, just one rank behind Mathur.
The United States Extemp category was not as close as Gabriel Frank-McPheter of Gabrielino High School (CA), a finalist earlier in the year at Glenbrooks, cruised to an eleven-rank victory over Swadesh Sistla of ModernBrain (CA). Third place finisher William Chien of the Harker School (CA) finished seven ranks behind Sistla.
Nathan Tamkin of George Washington High School (CO) and Luccia Yacoub of Gabrielino High School (CA) made finals in both extemp categories. Tamkin placed seventh in IX and fifth in USX, while Yacoub finished sixth in IX and seventh in USX.
The MLK Invitational was a fifth tier event in the National Points Race, so Olakangil and Frank-McPheter will earn forty points for their victories and the top six in each category will receive points. Tamkin and Yacoub will receive credit for their highest finish.
All extempers who reached semi-finals in each category earn a bid to this year’s Extemp TOC at Northwestern University. The top seven finishers in each category receive a qualifying bid to the University of Kentucky TOC.
Here are the results of the 2022 James Logan MLK Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):
1. Should Democrats expel Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin from their caucus if they do not vote for filibuster reform?
2. Has the expulsion of former President Trump from mainstream social media outlets been a boon for his political fortunes?
3. How can the U.S. economy better weather future strains of the COVID-19 virus?
4. Will conservative efforts to ban critical race theory weaken the performance of public schools?
5. What was the biggest mistake that the Biden administration made in 2021?
6. Are there any changes that Democrats should be willing to make to voting rights legislation to ensure that it can pass the Senate?
7. What does the Supreme Court’s ruling on President Biden’s vaccine mandate mean for the future of American COVID-19 policy?
8. Should the Federal Reserve significantly raise interest rates at its next meeting?
9. How can New York City improve the safety of its subway system?
10. What steps can U.S. states take in the fight against climate change?
1. If you were North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which candidate would you hope wins the South Korean presidential election?
2. Will rising global oil prices trigger Kazakhstan-like protests in other nations?
3. Should Central American countries continue to aid the United States in stopping migrant caravans?
4. If the Labour Party were to return to power in Great Britain, should they restore Britain’s membership in the European Union?
5. Is Russia becoming overextended?
6. Should Serbia press forward with its lithium mining plans?
7. Is it too late for Jair Bolsonaro to mount a successful re-election effort?
8. Should revisions be made to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)?
9. Why is the French Socialist Party struggling to be relevant?
10. Should the Mexican government reject Obrador’s energy policies?
Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.
This week’s R&D covers the political unrest in Kazakhstan. Increasing fuel prices provoked protests in the Central Asian nation last week, leading to wider protests against the country’s autocratic government and its economic policies. Kazakhstan’s leadership called in Russian troops to help restore order and to date more than 9,000 people have been detained by authorities. Experts see the problems in Kazakhstan and the resulting issues as another example of Russia trying to enhance its influence over former Soviet republic states.
A War of Words: Kazakhstan, Terrorists, and Protestershttps://t.co/QjLqLaFIir
— The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) January 13, 2022
In Kazakhstan, the violence has eased but questions loom https://t.co/2murPjw2rX pic.twitter.com/d8jozM9MsH
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 12, 2022
Five questions on the troubled country answered by a former American ambassador https://t.co/6U947uCuiF
— Asia Times (@asiatimesonline) January 13, 2022
Updated standings for the 2021-2022 Extemp Central National Points Race have been posted! You can find them by clicking on the “National Points Race” tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.
The new standings reflect the results of last weekend’s Sunvitational tournament, which was a fourth tier event in the National Points Race. Extempers who made the semi-final round and beyond earned points in the standings.
The next National Points Race event will take place this weekend at the James Logan MLK Invitational, a fifth tier event that will award forty points to the winners of United States and International Extemp.
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!