Here is this week’s news quiz! Good luck!
- How would the removal of Eric Adams as New York City mayor impact the next mayoral election?
- Is income inequality beginning to weigh on the health of the U.S. economy?
- Should the Trump administration be paying more attention to inflation?
- Why have Americans tired of supporting Ukraine?
- Will Trump’s Pentagon purge imperil U.S. national security?
- If federal research funding is cut, will this erode America’s standing as a global technology leader?
- Could mass federal layoffs turn Virginia solid red again?
- Should U.S. schools move away from 1:1 technology?
- Would a U.S. invasion of Mexico to attack drug cartels become Iraq 2.0?
- Should Illinois allow its southeast counties to join Indiana?
- Who was the biggest loser in the German federal elections?
- Will broader use of AI weaken or strengthen authoritarian regimes?
- Is a closer relationship between the U.S. and Russia good for global security?
- What steps should South Africa take to solve its cost of living crisis?
- Should the Ukrainian government hold a presidential election in wartime?
- Is the $LIBRA scandal a threat to Milei’s presidency?
- What can Zelensky do to change Trump’s mind?
- Should Great Britain ban all knives with pointed ends?
- What impact would peace in Ukraine have on international gas markets?
- Are the EU’s tech rules too strict?
It is time for another news quiz! Good luck!
- What should Jordan’s King Abdullah II do if President Trump cuts all U.S. aid?
- Was Iohannis’ resignation a boost for the Romania far-right?
- Which candidate is best positioned to win Ecuador’s presidential runoff this spring?
- Does the integration of the Baltics into the EU’s electric grid enhance European security?
- Has Israel’s war in Gaza made peace in the Middle East easier or harder?
- Why do South Korean presidents frequently overstep?
- To what extent can AI help the global battle against climate change?
- Is Quebec separatism rising again?
- Should the EU have a seat at the table in Ukraine-Russia peace talks?
- When it is time to select the next pope will the Catholic Church move in a more conservative direction?
- Should Pete Buttigieg run for Michigan’s Senate seat in 2026?
- Would cuts to the FDIC’s staff threaten the safety of the U.S. banking system?
- Is the Trump administration prepared to respond to a bird flu pandemic?
- Will Musk’s group win its hostile bid for OpenAI?
- Why has the Democratic Party failed to counter Trump’s opening moves?
- If President Trump gets a Supreme Court appointment, who might he pick?
- Is the U.S. becoming another Hungary?
- Does the Democratic Party need to take significant steps to win back male voters?
- Has U.S. deindustrialization created a national security problem?
- Does U.S. higher education need a shakeup?
New standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are have been posted! These reflects the results of the past month of tournaments that include the James Logan MLK Invitational, the Barkley Forum, the Apple Valley Minneapple, and the Stanford Invitational. Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.
Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) retains the first place spot but Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School (TX) is drawing closer.
The National Points Race concludes this weekend when nearly 300 extempers will attend Harvard’s National Speech and Debate Tournament and more than 150 extempers will compete that the University of California-Berkeley’s California Invitational. As second and third tier events, respectively, these competitions could provide a big shakeup in the standings before postseason tournaments begin.
Last weekend the second online tournament of this year’s National Points Race was held by Stanford University. The Stanford Invitational, upgraded to a fourth tier event because of its online nature, welcomed 56 extempers in International Extemp and 70 in United States Extemp. As expected, the tournament featured a diverse array of talent from across the United States, including many ranked extempers. It was the second of three tournaments in this year’s West Coast swing.
Abhijay Rana of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) led a dominating performance by his school in International Extemp, defeating Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin winner #2 Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School (TX). Rana won the title by four ranks, winning two first place ranks out of five in the final round. Haider, who made his fourth National Points Race final round this season, did not pull a first place rank but was the second choice of three final round judges.
Third place in International Extemp went to #25 Anushka Gupta of Westwood High School, who tied Haider for second place but lost three to two on a judges’ preference tiebreaker. Gupta was the best performing extemper at the tournament, though, as she would perform even better in the United States Extemp portion of the tournament.
Bellarmine placed two additional extempers in the International Extemp final round as Andrew Lei finished fourth and Samuel Ma finished sixth.
Wedged between Lei and Ma was Sivani Babu of DuPont Manual High School (KY). Babu is the first Kentucky extemper to receive points in this year’s National Points Race.
California was not able to defend its home turf in United States Extemp, though, as Gupta bested five California extempers to win the title. Gupta denied Maximilian Guo of BASIS Silicon Valley the chance to win a second leg of the West Coast swing by one rank. Guo won three of the five first place ranks in the round but a sixth place rank from one of the judges cost him dearly.
#9 Daphne Kalir-Starr of the College Preparatory School (CA) maintained a rigorous travel schedule, notching a third place finish. Kalir-Starr was five ranks back of Gupta and four of Guo. Stanford was her fifth National Points Race final round this year, more than any other extemper.
One rank behind Kalir-Starr was Shloka Chawla of Leland High School (CA), who was followed in turn by Isaac Chen of Gabrielino High School (CA), and George Balan of Miramonte High School (CA).
Several ranked extempers made it to elimination rounds by did not clear to finals. In International Extemp #8 Sahana Srikanth of Mason High School (OH) was eliminated in semi-finals. In United States Extemp #1 Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) was eliminated in quarter-finals. Also, Austin Bauman of Bellarmine College Preparatory, who won last year’s California Invitational, went out in semi-finals.
Since Stanford was a fourth tier event all extempers who reached semi-finals in their respective category will earn points. In the event that an extemper placed in each category, their highest finish will count for points. The tournament’s winners, Rana and Gupta, will each receive 70 points.
Here are the results of the 2025 Stanford Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):
Two weeks ago, Apple Valley High School hosted its annual Minneapple tournament in Minnesota, providing a Midwestern opportunity for credit in this year’s National Points Race. The tournament allowed extempers to compete in International and United States Extemp. 26 extempers competed in IX while 33 extempers competed in USX.
In International Extemp, Mina Bhargava of Edina High School (MN) defeated teammate Devarsh Borah by one rank to claim the championship. Bhargava took three of the five available first place ranks in the final round but pulling a fourth and fifth place rank nearly cost her the title as Borah earned four second place ranks, doomed only by a fifth place rank from the last judge. Bhargava also escaped elimination in the semi-finals, clearing out of her section by one rank.
Eagan High School (MN) dominated the rest of the placings in IX. Aayush Pandey took third, Anokhi Shah finished fourth, and Mia Werden placed fifth.
Minnesota also held serve in United States Extemp where Paul Fertig of Mounds Park Academy earned a convincing five rank win over Rohan Saarang of Eastview High School (MN).
There was a three-way tie for third place between three Moorhead High School (MN) extempers. Ella Larson won the tiebreaker for that spot while Jinu Lee placed fourth and Sam Rein-Strutz was fifth.
The only ranked extemper in the field was #9 Daphne Kalir-Starr from the College Preparatory School (CA). She was eliminated in the semi-finals of International Extemp, missing out on National Points Race points.
As a fifth tier tournament, the top six finishers in each extemp category will receive points. The winners, Bhargava and Fertig, will receive 40 points.
Here are the results of the 2025 Apple Valley Minneapple (Click here for tab sheet):
This year’s Barkley Forum, held on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in late January, drew a large field of 99 extempers, helping the tournament live up to its reputation as one of the biggest Southern tournaments of the year.
Like James Logan’s MLK Invitational held a week before, history was made as Zoe Becker of the School Without Walls (Washington, D.C.) became the first extemper from the District of Columbia to win a National Points Race tournament. Becker took down a field of past and current National Points Race tournament winners, many of whom are ranked in the top 25.
In the final round, which the tournament dubs as the James Copeland Exhibition Round, Becker was the only extemper to win multiple first place ranks among the round’s five judges. That allowed for a four-rank win over Florida Blue Key winner #15 Sven Stumbaeur of Christopher Columbus High School (FL).
Charlotte Reitman of NSU University School (FL) finished in third, the same place as she did at last year’s event. Reitman was one rank behind Stumbaeur but finished one rank ahead of Alexandre Morel of Plano West Senior High School (TX). Reitman and Morel were making their second appearance in a National Points Race final round this season.
There was a tie for fifth place between Rehan Buvvaji of Plano West and #9 Daphne Kalir-Starr of the College Preparatory School (CA). Buvvaji won it by a judges preference tiebreaker three to two. Kalir-Starr was making her fourth National Points Race final round appearance after a runner-up finish at the James Logan MLK Invitational.
A few other ranked extempers made it to elimination rounds. #8 Sahana Srikanth of Mason High School (OH), #22 Kaitlyn Fan of Plano West, and #25 Anushuka Gupta of Westwood High School (TX) made it to semi-finals. #5 Al Zaidi of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (FL) dropped in quarter-finals.
Since the Barkley Forum was a fourth tier event, all extempers who reached semi-finals will receive some points toward the National Points Race. Becker will receive 70 points for her victory.
Here are the results of the 2025 Barkley Forum (Click here for tab sheet):
Here is this week’s news quiz! Good luck!
- Why has the NPT failed to achieve its goals?
- Will Saudi Arabia reconsider its rejection of President Trump’s Gaza plan?
- Is it in Colombia’s best interest to continue fighting an aggressive drug war?
- If the liberal world order is collapsing, what is replacing it?
- Should the WHO be rebuilt?
- Is Japan on the wrong path to achieve fiscal health?
- Could Trump’s Gaza plan cause significant unrest in Egypt and Jordan?
- Will Bayrou’s no-confidence victory be short lived?
- Is Vucic’s grip on Serbia slipping?
- Will Ahmed al-Sharaa be a warlord, jihadi, nation builder, or some combination thereof?
- Would it be a mistake for the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip?
- Should Casey DeSantis run for the Florida governorship?
- To what extent is President Trump living up to his campaign pledges so far?
- How would the abolishment of the Department of Education affect special education students?
- Are the foundations of the U.S. economy weakening?
- Would another strike strengthen or weaken the Chicago Teachers Union?
- What should the Supreme Court’s liberal wing do in this era of high court conservative dominance?
- Will the move to dismantle USAID significantly damage U.S. foreign policy goals?
- Should the day after the Super Bowl be a national holiday?
- Will Republicans seek to do entitlement reform during the Trump presidency?
Here is this week’s news quiz! Good luck!
The West Coast Swing of the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race began several weeks ago over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend when James Logan High School hosted its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Invitational. 77 extempers competed in International Extemp and 72 competed in United States Extemp, with most competitors coming from California.
National Points Race history was made in International Extemp when Sadie Zwonitzer of Cheyenne East High School (WY) beat #9 Daphne Kalir-Starr of the College Preparatory School (CA), becoming the first Wyoming extemper to ever win a National Points Race tournament. The outcome was not close as Zwonitzer won the cumulative tournament by ten ranks and won the final round by five.
Kalir-Starr, who was the highest ranked extemper in the James Logan field of either extemp category and made her third National Points Race final round this year, finished one rank ahead of third place finisher Andrew Park of Archbishop Mitty High School (CA).
In United States Extemp, Maximilian Guo of BASIS Silicon Valley (CA) won a two-rank decision over Andrew Zheng of Acalanes High School (CA). Zheng, who was the best overall extemper at the tournament by also finishing seventh in International Extemp, won the final round by three ranks, winning three of the five available first place ranks.
The race for third place in United States Extemp was close as Ali Malik of Monta Vista High School (CA) defeated Natalia San Lucas of Gabrielino High School (CA) by one rank. Malik and San Lucas tied in the final round.
Several notables who finished well in other parts of the tournament included a fifth place finish in International Extemp by Joy Hu of the Harker School (CA) and a semi-finalist placing in International Extemp by #22 Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA).
Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) turned in a strong finish as a school, placing an extemper in the International Extemp final round and four additional semi-finalists.
This year’s James Logan MLK Invitational was a fifth tier event in the National Points Race so the only extempers who will earn points are the top six finishers. Zwonitzer and Guo will receive 40 points for winning their respective extemp categories.
Here are the results of the 2025 James Logan MLK Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):