Category: U.S. Extemp Page 1 of 28

On June 3, 2024

1. Due to Donald Trump’s conviction, should the Republican Party choose a different presidential nominee?
2. After his conviction, will Donald Trump have to do jail time?
3. Will Robert Kennedy, Jr. qualify for CNN’s presidential debate?
4. What should the U.S. do after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a ceasefire proposal with Hamas?
5. Will the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic play a role in the 2024 presidential election?
6. How will AI affect Internet search results?
7. Will Vermont’s Climate Superfund legislation survive legal challenge?
8. Is Boston’s community policing model working?
9. What cuts in the U.S. military budget should be made?
10. Should the FDA approve MDMA for PTSD?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 27-June 2, 2024

On May 27, 2024

1. Will the Trump campaign recapture the Sun Belt in 2024?
2. Would it be counterproductive for the U.S. to sanction the International Criminal Court over a possible indictment of Israeli leaders?
3. Do U.S. schools have a major grade inflation problem?
4. What killed Red Lobster?
5. Is Donald Trump’s support among African American voters overstated?
6. Does the Biden administration need to push for more school funding to handle an influx of ESL students?
7. Should Samuel Alito recuse himself from criminal cases concerning Donald Trump and January 6?
8. Is American neo-liberalism dead?
9. Should California abandon its bullet train project between Los Angeles and San Francisco?
10. Does it still serve American national interests to engage with international institutions?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 20-26, 2024

On May 20, 2024

1. Should President Biden promote his plans to tax richer Americans and corporations more?
2. Are higher U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles a good idea?
3. Is there too much “punditry” in American journalism?
4. Why are Democratic Senate candidates polling better than President Biden?
5. Is “judge-mandering” becoming a big problem in the American legal system?
6. Will the rise of AI worsen American income inequality?
7. Are the agreed upon debates between Biden and Trump taking place too early?
8. Is U.S. public education collapsing?
9. Can the U.S. economy wean itself off of cheap Chinese goods?
10. Is it more likely that interest rates go higher or lower by the end of 2024?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 13-19, 2024

On May 13, 2024

1. Should Donald Trump lose his Secret Service protection if he is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence?
2. Will TikTok’s lawsuit against the U.S. government eventually reach the Supreme Court?
3. Should media organizations be given greater protection from lawsuits?
4. Does the U.S. need to rethink its approach toward autocratic states?
5. Is President Biden focusing too much of his re-election effort on shoring up his base?
6. Would the collapse of the liberal international order do significant damage to U.S. national security?
7. Does Donald Trump need to select a moderate vice presidential candidate?
8. Should the TSA be abolished?
9. Does the IRS need more funding?
10. Should the U.S. reverse its position on Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 6-12, 2024

On May 6, 2024

1. Is the “American dream” disappearing?
2. Should marijuana be removed from the controlled-substances list?
3. Will the Supreme Court find South Carolina’s congressional redistricting plan unconstitutional?
4. How would a major terror attack in the United States affect the dynamics of the 2024 presidential election?
5. Have university presidents poorly reacted to growing pro-Palestinian protests?
6. How can the U.S. prevent the growth of artificial intelligence systems from becoming a major threat to national security?
7. Are climate risks in the home insurance market becoming a threat to U.S. economic health?
8. How can the U.S. build a reliable rare-earths supply chain?
9. Are campus protests a preview of what could happen after a close result in the 2024 presidential election?
10. Will the strength of fiscal conservatives in the Republican Party grow after 2024?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 29-May 5, 2024

On April 29, 2024

1. If Donald Trump is convicted of a felony before the Republican National Convention, should the GOP nominate a different candidate?
2. Are growing campus protests over Israel’s war in Gaza becoming a major headache for President Biden’s re-election effort?
3. How can Elon Musk reverse the decline of Tesla’s stock price?
4. Does President Biden have a problem with Hispanic voters?
5. Will the Supreme Court crack down on ghost guns in Garland v. VanDerStok?
6. Has the Affordable Care Act failed to make healthcare more affordable?
7. Should colleges reclassify athletes as employees of their respective institutions?
8. How should the Supreme Court rule on former President Donald Trump’s immunity claims?
9. Should the Federal Reserve increase its inflation target to 3%?
10. Is the U.S. stock market in a precarious position?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 22-28, 2024

On April 22, 2024

1. Should U.S. aid to Ukraine come with more oversight?
2. Will Robert Kennedy, Jr. get ballot access in all 50 states?
3. Should Donald Trump’s attendance be required at his New York criminal trial?
4. Is America’s domestic electric car industry in trouble?
5. What should be America’s current foreign policy priority?
6. How should the Supreme Court rule in Grants Pass v. Johnson?
7. What direction would the Republican Party take were Donald Trump to lose this November?
8. Should the Trump tax cuts become permanent?
9. Was the passage of the Ukrainian aid bill a significant defeat for MAGA Republicans?
10. Should the U.S. expand existing sanctions on Israeli settler groups?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 15-21, 2024

On April 15, 2024

1. Should Democrats save Johnson’s speakership if it is threatened with a motion to vacate?
2. Are the Crumbley convictions an important precedent for preventing future school shootings?
3. Is the Biden administration taking too long to finalize its Title IX updates?
4. Can the U.S. drive a wedge between Russia and China?
5. Is the Arizona Supreme Court ruling on abortion rights in the state a significant blow to Republican efforts to win its presidential and Senate votes this November?
6. Do growing geopolitical problems make Biden’s chances of re-election better or worse?
7. Should there be a federal right-to-repair law for automobile owners?
8. Will there be a lot of swing voters in the 2024 presidential election?
9. Are higher rates of inflation the new normal for the U.S. economy?
10. Will growing bird flu in the United States make inflation worse?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 8-14, 2024

On April 8, 2024

1. Does the U.S. have an “accountability crisis”?
2. Is it time to take the level of U.S. national debt seriously?
3. Has the U.S. lost the ability to set the world’s agenda?
4. Who should pay for the repair of the Francis Scott Key Bridge?
5. Are President Biden’s recent student debt relief measures unconstitutional?
6. Why was No Labels unable to field a presidential candidate for 2024?
7. How can the U.S. best counter Chinese cyber attacks on the homeland?
8. Will California’s minimum wage hike prove counterproductive?
9. What does a looming retirement crisis mean for the future of the U.S. economy?
10. Will Florida’s abortion ballot measure put the state in play for President Biden in the 2024 presidential election?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 1-7, 2024

On April 1, 2024

1. How should the Supreme Court rule in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine?
2. Should President Biden continue his opposition to Nippon Steel’s proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel?
3. How can Boeing restore trust among its airline customers?
4. Will New York City’s debit card program for migrants be successful?
5. How can the U.S. get more Mexican cooperation in battles against drug cartels?
6. Are Democrats undermining their “protect democracy” message by trying to keep Robert Kennedy, Jr. off of state ballots?
7. Should U.S. media organizations platform individuals who deny the outcome of elections?
8. Are telecom firms doing enough to protect their customers’ data?
9. How should the U.S. government deal with growing numbers of citizens in Russian jails?
10. Will the settlement by the National Association of Realtors make homes more affordable?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of March 25-31, 2024

On March 25, 2024

1. What impact will President Biden’s EV mandate have on the U.S. auto industry?
2. Should graduation rates be scrapped as a measure of school accountability?
3. Are Republicans heading for a 1964-like wipeout in the 2024 elections?
4. Should Sonia Sotomayor retire before the end of President Biden’s first term?
5. Will third party support rise or fall as November draws closer?
6. Should the U.S. withdraw from the UN Refugee Treaty?
7. Does the U.S. need to better enforce the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act?
8. Has President Biden’s engagement policy with Venezuela failed?
9. Due to continued resignations and Republican Party turmoil, could Democrats gain control of the House before the 2024 midterms?
10. Would a personal bankruptcy or criminal conviction do the worst damage to the Trump presidential campaign?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of March 18-24, 2024

On March 18, 2024

1. How should the U.S. handle an anticipated influx of Haitian refugees?
2. Are American airlines headed the way of the American auto industry?
3. A U.S. Supreme Court without term limits: Friend or foe to the American people?
4. What can be done to make rents affordable again?
5. Will France’s solidification of the rights to an abortion affect the issue in the United States?
6. What’s the skinny on the safety of the new weight loss drugs?
7. Is the U.S. federal government justified in taking action against TikTok?
8. Do school book bans violate the First Amendment?
9. Should U.S. states adopt age verification systems for users to access adult material?
10. Will Boeing’s problems become problems for the wider U.S. economy?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of March 11-17, 2024

On March 11, 2024

1. Have ongoing legal battles strengthened or weakened Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy?
2. Will No Labels end up fielding a presidential candidate?
3. Should U.S. colleges reverse their test-optional policies?
4. Has the Israel-Hamas war done significant damage to America’s position in the Middle East?
5. Does the U.S. need a policy “reset” on Haiti?
6. Should Nikki Haley have ended her presidential campaign sooner?
7. Is Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s decision to not run for re-election a boost for Gallego or Lake?
8. Can a more populist economic agenda get the Biden presidential campaign back on track?
9. Should Kroger’s merger with Albertsons be blocked?
10. How can the U.S. fight a better war against fetanyl?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of March 4-10, 2024

On March 4, 2024