Category: U.S. Extemp Page 7 of 55

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of March 21-27, 2022

1. Should Dr. Oz renounce his Turkish citizenship?
2. What steps does the U.S. need to take to achieve energy independence?
3. Is America’s naval power declining at a dangerous rate?
4. Are criminal investigations into Hunter Biden becoming a headache for the Biden administration?
5. Does the U.S. need to invest more in hypersonic weapons technology?
6. How long will it take U.S. schools to recover from the disruptions produced by the COVID-19 pandemic?
7. Should the U.S. end economic sanctions against Venezuela?
8. What impact will the BA.2 subvariant of COVID-19 have on the United States?
9. Should the U.S. fast-track the admission of Ukrainian refugees?
10. Was the end of the MLB lockout a win for the players?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of March 14-20, 2022

1. Should there be a federal gas tax holiday?
2. Will 2022 see a growing wave of teacher strikes in America?
3. How can public health institutions regain the trust of the American people?
4. What impact will Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill have on the state’s education system?
5. With the benefit of hindsight two years later, were America’s COVID-19 lockdowns a bad idea?
6. Was the prosecution of Jussie Smollett necessary?
7. Should state courts have the constitutional power to rewrite gerrymandered election maps?
8. What domestic and/or foreign policy challenges should the Biden administration prioritize as it aims to help Democrats in the 2022 midterms?
9. Should federal authorities prosecute Carolyn Bryant Donham?
10. Is the U.S. right to deny Poland’s request to provide Ukraine with fighter jets?

R&D from Prepd: High Gas Prices

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 from Prepd covers high gas prices.  Gas prices in the United States reached a new record high on Tuesday, prompting calls for a response by the Biden administration.  Higher prices could exacerbate the country’s inflation problem, providing greater hardship for working class Americans.  Experts expect that gas prices will remain near or above $4 a gallon until the end of the year.

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of March 7-13, 2022

1. Should presidents continue to give the State of the Union in person?
2. What impact will higher gas prices have on the 2022 midterm elections?
3. To what extent will Beto O’Rourke’s failed presidential bid be used against him in the Texas gubernatorial election?
4. What should President Biden do if Russia launches massive cyberwarfare attacks on the United States?
5. Should President Biden seek out a new Secretary of Energy?
6. Do more states need to mirror Florida’s example and create an Election Crimes Agency?
7. Should the Biden administration lift its moratorium on federal executions?
8. Will complications with California’s reparations efforts scuttle a larger, national effort?
9. Is it too late for President Biden to salvage his domestic agenda?
10. Will Jessica Cisneros win her runoff election with Representative Henry Cuellar?

R&D from Prepd: The Nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to 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 from Prepd covers President Biden’s nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.  Justice Brown, a graduate of Harvard Law School, is currently on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.  If confirmed, she would be the first African-American woman to serve on the Court.  The Senate is expected to confirm Brown, who’s nomination cannot be filibustered as per Senate rules.

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of February 28-March 6, 2022

1. What impact will sanctions against Russia have on the U.S. economy?
2. Will former President Trump’s comments on the Russia-Ukrainian War come back to haunt him in 2024?
3. If confirmed, how would Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson affect the dynamics of the Supreme Court?
4. Does the U.S. need to use new metrics to inform policymakers decisions on COVID-19?
5. What lessons should U.S. defense officials learn from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
6. Could Russia’s invasion of Ukraine be a springboard for Republican moderates to regain control of the party?
7. Will facial recognition by U.S. Customs make America safer?
8. In light of recent international events, should the Federal Reserve still raise interest rates?
9. Should the Biden administration attempt to revive the Trans-Pacific Partnership?
10. Is self-censorship a growing problem in American higher education?

R&D from Prepd: U.S. Response to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

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 America’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began two nights ago.  President Joe Biden has initiated economic sanctions against Russian financial firms.  While Western Europe has supported this, allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) like Poland and the Baltic states have demanded more action to solidify their security.  Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that actions taken to thwart the Russian advance in Ukraine will be “unprecedented.”

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of February 21-27, 2022

1. Should the U.S. support the Holy Land Confederation plan to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
2. Will Missouri determine party control of the U.S. Senate in 2023?
3. If Russia ever deployed troops to Latin America, how should the Biden administration react?
4. Does consumer sentiment about the U.S. economy match the reality?
5. Should Democrats cease using Iowa as the first leg of their presidential primary process?
6. Will Mayor Eric Adams’ safety plan make New York City’s subway system safer?
7. What updates does the U.S. need to make to its energy grid?
8. Will House retirements cause Democrats to lose control of the chamber in 2022?
9. Should American schools continue a virtual option after the COVID-19 pandemic?
10. Is Meta losing the race for the metaverse?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of February 14-20, 2022

1. Does President Biden need a new chief of staff?
2. Will average gas prices rise above $4 per gallon by the end of the year?
3. Should all U.S. states abolish mask and vaccine mandates?
4. Has President Biden been too partisan during his first year in office?
5. Is it possible for the U.S. to employ Russia as an ally to contain China?
6. Should the INFORM Consumers Act be passed?
7. Is partisan redistricting a threat to American democracy?
8. How can California best combat homelessness?
9. Should a portion of Afghanistan’s central bank assets be used to pay relatives to the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks?
10. How can the Biden administration prevent an Ottawa-like protest in the U.S.?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of February 7-13, 2022

1. What role, if any, should the Federal Reserve play in tackling climate change?
2. Would President Biden’s threatened sanctions on Russia create significant economic hardship in the United States?
3. Meta Platforms: Buy or sell?
4. Will the raid against Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi strengthen or weaken America’s standing in the Islamic world?
5. How forcefully should Republicans push back against President Biden’s Supreme Court pick?
6. What fixes does the U.S. need to make to the child care system?
7. Are recent state efforts to purge CRT from schools constitutional?
8. Is it time for Nancy Pelosi to pass her leadership position off to a younger Democrat?
9. Does the latest jobs report show that the U.S. economy will experience strong growth in 2022?
10. How would positive economic news over the next nine months impact the midterm elections?

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

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.

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of January 31-February 6, 2022

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?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of January 24-30, 2022

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?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of January 17-23, 2022

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?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of January 10-16, 2022

1. Should the U.S. government issue a monthly universal income payment to all taxpayers for January to deal with the effects of the Omicron variant?
2. If the Democratic Congress barred Donald Trump from running for re-election under the terms of the 14th Amendment, would it be constitutional?
3. How can schools reduce the number of days they have to close due to staffing shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic?
4. Can independent, state-level redistricting commissions solve America’s gerrymandering problem?
5. How will the COVID-19 pandemic affect the future of America’s churches?
6. What steps should the U.S. government be taking to prevent another January 6 attack?
7. Should the U.S. reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887?
8. What should be the legislative priorities of the Biden administration in 2022?
9. Is America’s militia movement stronger or weaker than it was a decade ago?
10. What hurdles must be overcome to increase the number of electric vehicles in the United States?

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