Month: August 2023

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of August 28-September 3, 2023

1. Should Saudi Arabia join the BRICS?
2. What does the election of Bernardo Arevalo mean for Guatemala’s future?
3. Has the West undermined the promise of Ukraine’s counteroffensive?
4. How will the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin affect the future of the Wagner Group?
5. Should more petrostates embrace “sportswashing”?
6. Is the AfD a significant threat to German democracy?
7. Can Srettha Thavisin reduce the political temperature of Thai politics?
8. Is Xi Jinping’s growing power in China a cause of its economic woes?
9. Should Japan be allowed to release radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant?
10. Who will win the Ecuadorian presidential runoff?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 28-September 3, 2023

1. Will high gas prices drive the U.S. economy into recession?
2. Is it wise for GOP presidential candidates to support a national abortion ban?
3. Will the BG.5. COVID variant cause a resumption of mask mandates across the country?
4. Does the U.S. need to do more to support Mexico’s war on drug cartels?
5. Should the U.S. Department of Education be abolished?
6. If the BRICS expand, how should the U.S. react?
7. Will private equity ownership be bad for Subway?
8. Could Mark Thompson fix CNN?
9. Would a legal conviction constitutionally bar former President Trump from office?
10. How can organized labor revive sagging membership?

Prepd Offering 25% Discount on Renewals!

Prepd, the leading software for speech and debate teams, is offering a 25% discount on all renewals until September 1st! This offer extends to new teams as well as Early Renewals, and the remaining months of their existing membership will be prorated accordingly.

Visit prepd.in to sign up by the end of August and secure your 25% discount. If your team is already using Prepd, make sure to renew this month to benefit of the reduced price.

Extemp Central endorses the Prepd product as the most convenient filing tool developed for the activity!

National Points Race Champion Interview with Daniel Kind

Daniel Kind competed for Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Florida. He was the 2022 NCFL national champion, 2022 NSDA national runner-up, Florida state champion, 2022 Extemp Central Points Race champion, while also breaking the single-season record for single-season wins (7), top-three finishes (12), and final round appearances (12). Daniel is attending the University of Chicago, where he studies public policy and urban studies.

Editor’s Note:  This interview happened in the fall of 2022 but we decided to embargo it until the start of the 2023-2024 season.

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 21-27, 2023

1. Will mortgage rates continue to climb by the end of the year?
2. Why does former President Trump lead GOP polls despite his legal woes?
3. How can cities best turn vacant lots into new housing?
4. Should U.S. schools ban cell phone use on campus?
5. How can the growing cost of higher education be curtailed?
6. Is former President Trump making a mistake not participating in the first GOP presidential debate?
7. Has the AI boom ended?
8. To what extent is the Biden administration responsible for high levels of inflation in recent years?
9. What changes need to be made to the U.S. Postal Service?
10. How can the DEA best combat Tranq?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of August 21-27, 2023

1. How would a Javier Milei presidency change Argentina?
2. Is Russia conducting ecocide against Ukraine?
3. What are the chances that a diplomatic pact can be brokered between Saudi Arabia and Israel?
4. Is it still in China’s interests to protect North Korea?
5. Why is Syria’s Civil War in a never-ending endgame?
6. How can Germany guarantee that its green energy ambitions do not disrupt the country’s manufacturing sector?
7. Is the world on the cusp of another space race?
8. Has China become too risky for foreign investment?
9. Are Western moves toward drug legalization making Latin American nations more unstable?
10. Is Ethiopia heading back toward civil war?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of August 14-20, 2023

1. Is Ukraine’s counteroffensive failing?
2. Does globalization make the world safer?
3. Is the era of high economic growth in China over?
4. Why are ISIS outfits succeeding in West Africa?
5. Is Netanyahu becoming an autocrat?
6. What steps does Ecuador need to take to bolster public safety?
7. How can Latin American nations benefit from the next commodities boom?
8. Is Kenya the right nation to lead a multinational force to stabilize Haiti?
9. Could NATO effectively operate without the United States?
10. Is Modi’s government responsible for recent sectarian violence in Manipur?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 14-20, 2023

1. Should Glenn Youngkin enter the 2024 Republican primary?
2. How much of a threat are legal proceedings against Hunter Biden to President Biden’s re-election bid?
3. If Iran were to successfully test a nuclear weapon, how should the U.S. react?
4. How much longer should the U.S. fund Ukrainian military efforts against Russia?
5. Will studios or unions win the Hollywood strikes?
6. How should the DNC respond if New Hampshire holds its primary before South Carolina?
7. What adjustments, if any, should the U.S. make in its foreign policy with Turkey?
8. Should corporations be allowed to purchase single-family homes?
9. What would be the best “No Labels” ticket for 2024?
10. Should the Biden administration designate Travis King as a prisoner of war?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 7-13, 2023

Note:  These are the first extemp questions for the 2023-2024 school year.  Throughout August, the primary content that will appear here will be questions.  We will also be updating the tournament calendar, updating state champion lists, and doing other maintenance.  News quiz content will start the week of Labor Day in September and run through the end of April.

1. Will former President Trump drop his 2024 bid as part of a legal plea bargain?
2. What is the best use of artificial intelligence in the classroom?
3. Is the August GOP presidential debate a “make or break” moment for Ron DeSantis?
4. Has the Federal Reserve tamed inflation?
5. Does the Supreme Court need an ethics overhaul?
6. Should the U.S. Congress pass the Protecting Athletes, Schools, and Sports Act?
7. Which of former President Trump’s indictments is the biggest threat to his political career?
8. Does the U.S. have any leverage remaining to deter North Korea’s nuclear ambitions?
9. Is “tipflation” bad for the U.S. economy?
10. How will the end of affirmative action affect the college admissions process going forward?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of August 7-13, 2023

1. If Spain holds an election repeat, what should the People’s Party do to get a governing majority?
2. Is Russia’s military machine crumbling?
3. Should West African nations mount a military intervention in Niger?
4. Is Pakistan’s election delay unwise?
5. Should NATO consider expansion beyond Europe?
6. Will Italy regret its decision to leave the Belt and Road Initiative?
7. Should the LDP consider Taro Yamamoto a threat to its political standing?
8. Does Canada need to increase its military spending?
9. How should Poland respond to Wagner fighters on its border with Belarus?
10. Have the benefits of Nayib Bukele’s gang crackdown outweighed the negatives?

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