1. What should Rishi Sunak’s governing priorities be?
2. Will Belarus join Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
3. Is Uganda’s Ebola outbreak under control?
4. Are climate protesters hurting their cause by targeting famous works of art?
5. Will Macron get his pension overhaul through?
6. If Iran’s Islamic Republic were to collapse, how would it affect the geopolitical situation in the Middle East?
7. Should Israel reform its electoral system?
8. Could violence in Eastern Congo push the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda into war?
9. Will moves by European countries to become more energy independent hurt Turkey’s economic prospects?
10. Should nations prohibit China from setting up “overseas police stations” in their borders?
Month: October 2022 Page 1 of 2
1. Will the Texas gubernatorial election be Beto O’Rourke’s last stand?
2. How will Elon Musk’s reorganization of Twitter affect the company’s operations?
3. Why is New York’s gubernatorial race tightening?
4. Did the Parkland shooter deserve the death penalty?
5. Does the U.S. have a cost of living crisis?
6. One week to go: Does the U.S. get divided government, a divided Congress, or the status quo?
7. After the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband what changes should be made to ensure greater security for members of Congress?
8. Should the U.S. end sanctions against Zimbabwe?
9. Are HBCUs on the rise?
10. Should the Jones Act be reformed?
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. Has the Democratic Party lost its midterm momentum?
2. Is a missile defense system becoming a more pressing priority for American defense?
3. How would a new foreign policy crisis affect the 2022 midterm elections?
4. Should America’s drug laws been decided on a state-by-state basis?
5. Do racial tensions in Los Angeles’ City Council portend larger problems for the Democratic Party’s rainbow coalition?
6. Are U.S. banks insulated enough from a 2008-like financial crisis?
7. Is President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan constitutional?
8. Can Congress do anything to reduce inflation?
9. How much control over education should remain local?
10. Does the Democratic Party need better messaging on crime?
1. Has the AU succeeded in creating regional economic cooperation in Africa?
2. Should the next British prime minister call for a general election?
3. Is Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter a blow for global democracy?
4. Should the West abandon negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program as long as they keep supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine?
5. Is organized crime becoming an existential threat to South Africa?
6. Should Pakistan be worried about the Baloch insurgency?
7. Is a strong dollar bad for the world economy?
8. Will West African floods have a sizeable impact on global food prices?
9. Is Bangladesh becoming less free?
10. Will India become a green superpower?
New standings for the 2022-2023 Extemp Central National Points Race have been released! These results reflect the outcomes of the New York City Invitational. You can find them by clicking on the “National Points Race” tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.
The next National Points Race competition will be the Florida Blue Key, which will take place in two weeks. It will be a fifth tier event that will award points to all finalists and 40 points to the winner.
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
The Bronx High School of Science held its annual New York City Invitational last weekend, attracting a field of forty-three extempers. This year’s tournament was back in person after two years of online competition because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
#1 McKinley Paltzik of Phoenix Country Day School (AZ) won her second consecutive New York City championship in rout, winning the cumulative tournament by sixteen ranks. Paltzik also won the final round by eleven ranks, continuing her streak of winning National Points Race events when she reaches finals.
#11 Theodore Gercken of the College Preparatory School (CA) took second, winning a final round tiebreaker by three ranks over Amy Cao of Ridge High School (NJ).
Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ) was runner-up to Paltzik in the final round but finished fourth because of the cumulative tabbing of the tournament. Like Gercken, Peddi claimed fourth in a final round tiebreaker over #8 Kevin Li of Ridge High School (NJ), defeating Li by one rank.
#17 Matthew Abrahms of George Washington High School (CO) completed the final round with a sixth place finish.
All of the finalists earned a bid to this year’s University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC).
The New York City Invitational is a fifth tier tournament in the National Points Race, so Paltzik will earn forty points for winning. That will extend her National Points Race lead. All finalists will earn points and new standings will be released by the end of the week.
Here are the results of the 2022 New York City Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):
1. When it comes to using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, does the benefit outweigh the cost for Vladimir Putin?
2. Should the UN deploy forces to Haiti?
3. Is the global monkeypox crisis over?
4. Should there be an international convention created on the use of autonomous weapon systems?
5. Is the recent agreement between Israel and Lebanon a major diplomatic breakthrough?
6. Should Colombia decriminalize coca-leaf production?
7. Is Mexico’s military becoming too powerful?
8. What structural reforms does the EU need?
9. Is Nigeria living up to its potential?
10. Will the replacement of Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor of the Exchequer calm Britain’s financial markets?
1. What is the biggest threat to American national security?
2. Will former President Trump comply with the January 6 subpoena?
3. Should the U.S. federal government raise taxes to aid the fight against inflation?
4. If Russia uses tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, how should the U.S. react?
5. Should the U.S. stop seeing Saudi Arabia as an ally?
6. Is the SEC’s climate-risk disclosure rule a bad idea?
7. Should there be presidential debates in 2024?
8. Are Democrats relying too much on abortion rights as part of their midterm strategy?
9. Should the U.S. withdraw troops from Syria?
10. Does Tulsi Gabbard’s exit from the Democratic Party matter?
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. Should all states follow President Biden’s executive action on marijuana possession?
2. How should the U.S. respond to North Korea’s recent missile launches?
3. Should states require all schools to have SROs?
4. Five years later, has the #MeToo movement been a success?
5. Are President Biden’s recent remarks about the world being on the cusp of nuclear “Armageddon” unhelpful?
6. Does the U.S. need a more focused foreign policy?
7. How will OPEC+’s production cut affect the U.S. economy?
8. If Democrats prevail in the midterm elections will it be because they won them or Republican lost them?
9. Is the U.S. making progress in the fight against teen vaping?
10. Do sports leagues need to overhaul how they handle player concussions?
1. How confident should Lula’s allies be that he will beat Bolsonaro in a runoff?
2. Will Liz Truss still be Great Britain’s prime minister in January?
3. How should Xi Jinping go about reopening China?
4. Will the appointment of Sergei Surovikin change Russia’s fortunes in its war with Ukraine?
5. What was the biggest driver in OPEC+’s decision to reduce production?
6. Will Qatar’s big bet on the World Cup pay off?
7. Is the killing of ISIS’ leaders making the organization less effective?
8. Does Thailand need greater gun control?
9. Why is the Iranian government struggling to stamp out recent protests?
10. Should the Cuban government push through greater privatization of the island’s economy?
The first standings of the 2022-2023 Extemp Central National Points Race have been released! These results reflect the outcomes of the National Speech and Debate Season Opener at the University of Kentucky and the Yale University Invitational. You can find them by clicking on the “National Points Race” tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.
The next National Points Race competition will be the New York City Invitational, which will take place next weekend. It will be a fifth tier event that will award points to all finalists and 40 points to the winner.
Paltzik becomes the first person in the history of the Yale University Invitational to win it three consecutive times. Prior to this year there had been three extempers in Yale’s history to win back-to-back titles: Josh Bone of Milton Academy (MA) in 2002 and 2003, Daniel Rauch of Millburn High School (NJ) in 2004 and 2005, and Kate Fisher of St. Mary’s Hall (TX) in 2017 and 2018.
It is also the sixth straight time dating back to last year’s Yale tournament that Paltzik won a National Points Race event after reaching the final round.
Katherine Lee of Plano West Senior High School (TX) was the third place finisher, ending up one cumulative rank behind Tubb. If not for Yale’s tabulation system that counts all ranks from prelims to finals, Lee would have finished second as she placed one rank behind Paltzik in the final round and beat Tubb by eight ranks.
Lee’s teammate, Kyle Letterer, finished fourth, while Kevin Li of Ridge High School (NJ) was fifth, and Dana Ko of Pine Creek High School (CO) was sixth.
There were seventy-eight extempers competing at Yale, so all extempers who reached the semi-final round earn a bid leg to the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC). Although the Extemp TOC has not released its qualification system for 2022-2023 it can also be assumed that all semi-finalists earn a bid leg to that tournament as well.
Yale is a fourth tier event in the National Points Race. Paltzik will earn seventy points for her victory and all extempers who reached the semi-final round will earn points. New National Points Race standings will be released on Friday.