Category: Weekly Questions Page 1 of 38

On June 10, 2024

Note: These will be the last practice questions for the 2023-2024 season. Check back for new questions on August 5.

1. Can the U.S. prepare for simultaneous wars in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East?
2. Will President Biden’s new asylum restrictions have a significant effect on migration levels into the United States?
3. Should the U.S. be alarmed at growing marijuana use?
4. Will Amazon’s entry into the grocery business fail?
5. Should more U.S. states pass legislation to ban smartphones from schools?
6. Is it too late for President Biden to change the way voters perceive the state of the U.S. economy?
7. Due to the growth of legalized sports gambling, will sports betting scandals become more common in U.S. sports?
8. How should Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson handle upcoming negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union?
9. Is there a case the SEC could bring against Keith Gill for market manipulation?
10. What can lawmakers do to solve America’s housing crisis?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of June 3-9, 2024

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: International Extemp Questions for the Week of June 3-9, 2024

On June 3, 2024

1. How should the results of the South African elections be interpreted?
2. Is Netanyahu right to reject President Biden’s three-phase deal to end its war with Hamas?
3. Do democracy activists in Hong Kong have any more cards to play?
4. Is the international community failing to cure the causes of refugee flight?
5. Have drug cartels damaged the credibility of Mexican elections?
6. Will the fighting in el-Fasher decide the outcome of Sudan’s civil war?
7. How should South Korea respond to North Korea’s trash balloon campaign?
8. Will Rolexgate shorten the presidential term of Dina Boluarte?
9. Is it too soon for the European Central Bank to lower interest rates?
10. Will the new Dutch coalition live up to its pledge to reduce immigration?

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: International Extemp Questions for th Week of May 27-June 2, 2024

On May 27, 2024

1. Who will be Iran’s next president?
2. Will China squeeze, rather than seize, Taiwan?
3. Would an ICC indictment of Benjamin Netanyahu hasten the end of the war in Gaza?
4. Does Germany need an early election?
5. Are Haiti’s gangs getting stronger?
6. Is a summer election more advantageous for the Conservative Party than holding an election in the fall?
7. Should the West ease its rules on what its weapons in Ukraine can be used for?
8. Is the Philippines doing enough to stabilize Mindanao?
9. Should Mexico follow El Salvador’s approach to crime?
10. How can wealthier nations increase the number of people willing to do military service?

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

On May 20, 2024

1. What does the sacking of Sergei Shoigu signal about the future of Russia’s war in Ukraine?
2. Should the EU shrink its existing membership?
3. Does Tajikistan have a jihadism problem?
4. How will rising unemployment impact the South African elections?
5. Are the high debt levels of Western European nations too high?
6. Is North Korea gearing up for an invasion of South Korea?
7. Should Panama shut down migrants passage through the Darien Gap?
8. Has Mexican democracy slid backwards under AMLO?
9. Is the rise of digital ID systems a threat to privacy rights worldwide?
10. How would the end of Israel’s wartime coalition affect its war with Hamas?

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: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 13-19, 2024

On May 13, 2024

1. Do more open migration policies by Western governments make it easier for totalitarian states to hold onto power?
2. Are the fates of Ukraine and Taiwan interconnected?
3. How significant is the global competition for semiconductors?
4. Should Israel have been allowed to compete at Eurovision?
5. How will East Asia’s demographic crunch affect global politics?
6. Has the Israel-Hamas war proved that Hamas is incapable of governing?
7. What does a warming global climate mean for global health outcomes?
8. Would it be a mistake for the Democratic Alliance to coalition with the ANC after the next South African election?
9. Is China winning its “cold war” with the West?
10. Will the result of the Panamanian presidential election produce positive economic results?

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

On May 6, 2024

1. Should Ukraine lower its mobilization age further?
2. Is “lawfare” having a detrimental impact on Spain’s politics?
3. Has the Scottish nationalist movement collapsed?
4. Should the Japanese government stop defending the yen?
5. Is an anti-Iran alliance emerging in the Middle East?
6. How will Colombia’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with Israel affect its economy?
7. What is the biggest challenge that will face the next Mexican president?
8. How would a non-junta government in Myanmar affect its neighbors?
9. Has Venezuela scrapped plans to invade Guyana?
10. Does Japan need to reform its immigration policies?

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

By geniao44446

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: International Extemp Questions for the Week of April 29-May 5, 2024

By geniao44446

On April 29, 2024

1. Could anger over Israeli operations in Gaza produce a new “Arab Spring”?
2. What is the biggest obstacle for India becoming a great power?
3. Can a pro-Russian electoral bloc in Moldova keep the country out of the European Union?
4. Could the Philippines, instead of Taiwan, serve as the starting point for a military clash between China and the United States in the Pacific?
5. Will favorable views of Russia and China in the Sahel last?
6. Is anything working when it comes to global climate policy?
7. Should the “Global South” reject the current international system?
8. Is the British NHS falling apart?
9. Should the level of France’s public debt be a cause of concern?
10. What should be the first priority of Haiti’s transitional council?

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

By geniao44446

On April 22, 2024