Category: R&D Page 3 of 63

R&D from Prepd: Justice Stephen Breyer’s Retirement & Replacement

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On February 4, 2022

In R&D, U.S. Extemp

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 provides resources on Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement and replacement.  Breyer, a moderate liberal who has been on the Supreme Court since 1994, recently announced his retirement from the bench, allowing President Joe Biden the opportunity to make the first Supreme Court pick of his administration.  Biden announced that he will fill the vacancy with a Black woman, fulfilling a campaign pledge.  Rumored candidates include U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra R. Kruger, and U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs.

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R&D from Prepd: Burkina Faso Coup

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On January 28, 2022

In R&D

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.

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R&D from Prepd: Boris Johnson’s Political Problems

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On January 21, 2022

In International Extemp, R&D

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.

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R&D from Prepd: Kazakhstan Unrest

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On January 14, 2022

In International Extemp, R&D

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.

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R&D from Prepd: Vice President Kamala Harris

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On January 7, 2022

In R&D, U.S. Extemp

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 Vice President Kamala Harris.  The last few months have been turbulent ones for America’s first female vice president as Harris has seen staffing departures, rumors that she is upset at the lack of a defined role in the Biden administration, and concerns about her electability if President Joe Biden does not run for re-election in 2024.

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R&D from Prepd: Abortion Rights

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On December 17, 2021

In R&D, U.S. Extemp

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 abortion rights.  The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments for the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that questions the constitutionality of a 2018 Mississippi state law that bans most abortion after fifteen weeks of pregnancy.  In addition, the Supreme Court sent a lawsuit over Texas’ controversial abortion law, that bans most abortions after six weeks, back to the appellate level yesterday and has left the law intact at the moment.  Pro-choice advocates warn that the Supreme Court is on the verge of overturning the landmark 1973 case of Roe v. Wade that constitutionalized the right to abortion, and if that happens, more than twenty states would immediately ban the procedure.

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R&D from Prepd: Iran’s Nuclear Program

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On December 10, 2021

In International Extemp, R&D

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 ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.  The United States backed out of a 2015 framework on Iran’s nuclear program during the Trump administration, something that President Biden is looking to reverse.  However, ongoing talks in Vienna, Austria between Iran and negotiators from the United States, Russia, China, Great Britain, Germany, and France are deadlocked over Iran’s demand that all American sanctions against it end.  Some fear that the U.S. not joining a new nuclear accord could mean that Iran gets a nuclear weapon, potentially triggering a military conflict with Israel, who fears a nuclear Iran threatens its survivability.

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R&D from Prepd: The Omicron Variant

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On December 3, 2021

In International Extemp, R&D, U.S. Extemp

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 omicron variant of COVID-19.  First discovered in South Africa, the variant is still under study and as of the time of this R&D’s creation, a handful of cases have been identified in the United States.  There are fears that the new variant might infected vaccinated individuals and be more contagious than the delta variant from India.

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R&D from Prepd: Chile’s Presidential Election

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On November 26, 2021

In International Extemp, R&D

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 Chilean presidential election.  Last Sunday the country voted in the first round of its presidential poll and right-wing candidate Jose Antonio Kast and left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric advanced to a runoff as neither won more than 50% of the vote.  The runoff will take place on December 19 and, as noted in this week’s quiz, the winner will inherit a messy social and economic situation as Chile is still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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R&D from Prepd: Russian Provocations

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On November 19, 2021

In International Extemp, R&D

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 recent Russian provocations.  Over the past week, Russia has added to global anxieties by testing an anti-satellite weapon – causing the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) to seek cover from space debris – and massing troops on its border with Ukraine.  France and Germany warned Russia earlier this week that harming Ukraine’s territorial integrity would met be met with “serious consequences.”

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R&D from Prepd: Inflation in the U.S. Economy

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On November 12, 2021

In R&D, U.S. Extemp

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 inflation in the U.S. economy.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported this week that consumer prices rose by 6.2% in October and inflation is standing at its fastest increase since 1991.  Shortages of consumer goods due to supply chain issues, all of which exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, are making the problem worse and are wiping out some recent wage gains made by American workers.  The inflation issue is also becoming a political problem for President Joe Biden, who is seeing his approval ratings crash near the end of his first year in office.

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R&D: The COP26 Summit

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On November 5, 2021

In International Extemp, R&D

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 COP26 Summit, the twenty-sixth meeting of nations that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1994 and later agreed to the Paris Climate Accord in 2015.  The leaders of the attending nations are trying to work out a framework to prevent global temperatures from increasing by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit over the next twenty years.

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R&D from Prepd: The Tigray War

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On October 29, 2021

In International Extemp, R&D

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 violence in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.  Fighting has engulfed the area since November.  Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered the country’s armed forces to go to Tigray after there was an attack on a national military base.  Tigray’s major political party governed Ethiopia’s affairs for almost thirty years until Ahmed took power in April 2018.  To date, the violence has claimed more than 8,000 lives.

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R&D: Global Supply Chain Bottlenecks

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On October 22, 2021

In International Extemp, R&D

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 global supply chain bottlenecks.  As an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated shutdowns, the world is facing a massive supply chain crisis.  Prices of groceries, automobiles, and energy sources are skyrocketing and the lack of resources is making things difficult for large and small businesses alike.  In the United States, the Biden administration has committed to keeping West Coast shipyards open 24/7, while also modifying truck driver licensing requirements.  However, experts warn that it could take more than a year to undo the damage.

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R&D from Prepd: COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

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On October 15, 2021

In R&D, U.S. Extemp

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 COVID-19 vaccine mandates.  While 57% of the U.S. population has received one variation of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Biden administration believes that the number can be higher with employer mandates.  States like California have issued a mandate for schoolchildren when vaccines become available for them, while other states like Kentucky and Texas are moving to pass legislation prohibiting vaccine mandates.  Mandates are becoming problematic as pilots, healthcare workers, teachers, and others are refusing to get vaccinated, creating spillover effects in essential institutions.

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