1. To what degree are America’s economic difficulties the fault of the Biden administration?
2. Should progressive groups cease their attacks on Senator Sinema?
3. Will vaccine mandates weaken U.S. economic performance?
4. What adjustments should the U.S. make to the Merida Initiative?
5. Will rising gas prices put the Biden administration’s climate agenda in jeopardy?
6. Should schools abolish gifted and talented programs?
7. Does the U.S. need a “Technology Bill of Rights”?
8. Should the U.S. ends it policy of strategic ambiguity on Taiwan?
9. What regulations, if any, should Congress impose on social media companies?
10. Should Medicaid recipients have to work to access benefits?
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 allegations leveled against Facebook by data engineer Frances Haugen. Haugen argues that Facebook knew some of its services were harmful for teenagers, that its service could be used to spread political disinformation, and misled investors about Facebook’s user base. The charges have spurred congressional inquiry and renewed calls for greater regulation of “Big Tech” companies.
Frances Haugen, the Facebook product manager who leaked internal documents to the @WSJ, was right when she said Congress should “make social media companies liable for content that their algorithms promote,” Roddy Lindsay writes. https://t.co/LzcLLUln8z
— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) October 7, 2021
Revelations brought to light from whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former data scientist at Facebook, have led to what may be the most threatening scandal in the company’s history.
More from her congressional testimony: https://t.co/uMCYTi12UT
— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) October 7, 2021
How Facebook forced a reckoning by shutting down the team that put people ahead of profits https://t.co/KJDeQpK09f
— TIME (@TIME) October 7, 2021
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. Are Louis DeJoy’s postal service reforms a step in the right direction?
2. Does former President Trump have a constitutional right to have his Twitter account reinstated?
3. Should the debt ceiling be abolished?
4. Can water markets solve the Colorado River crisis?
5. Will a real estate licensure scandal scuttle Kristi Noem’s presidential hopes?
6. What should President Biden do to quell the Democratic Party’s growing civil war?
7. Should the U.S. return to a system of mandatory military service?
8. What will be the most consequential case that the Supreme Court will rule on this term?
9. Will Brian Laundrie be found?
10. Should Letitia James run for New York’s governorship?
1. Will Merck’s COVID pill help ease the impact COVID-19 has had on the developing world?
2. How will President Duterte’s retirement affect the future of Filipino politics?
3. Will it ever be in China’s interest to launch a military attack on Taiwan?
4. Did Japan’s LDP pick the wrong leader?
5. What does the German election result mean for Europe’s future?
6. If Kim Yo-jong took power in North Korea, would it have a negative impact on East Asian security?
7. Would Russian mercenaries do a better job combating jihadism in Mali than French forces?
8. Should Australia prioritize AUKUS over a free trade deal with the EU?
9. Is Brazil the unquestioned superpower of Latin America?
10. Does Vietnam’s economy need more diversification?
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 German elections. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) won the largest number of seats, picking up fifty-three in the Bundestag for a total of 206. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) alliance came in second, losing fifty seats for a total of 196. It is expected that the SPD will coalition with the Green Party and the Free Democrats, returning it to power for the first time since 2005.
The victory of the Social Democratic Party in Germany’s election has raised questions over whether center-left parties across Europe could make a comeback.
Here’s a look at the factors that will influence whether a revival is possible.https://t.co/63NBoyTFb9
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 29, 2021
Olaf Scholz has some big shoes to fill.
The German Finance Minister has the best shot at forming a new German government after leading his Social Democratic Party to a narrow victory in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. https://t.co/wVQ2Cli6P0
— CNN International (@cnni) September 27, 2021
Olaf Scholz of Germany’s Social Democratic party says he wants to form a coalition with the Green and Free Democratic parties to tackle climate change https://t.co/vOXhJEGZxa
— New Scientist (@newscientist) September 29, 2021
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
1. Should U.S. states impose stricter homeschool guidelines?
2. Is the Biden administration losing control of its immigration policy?
3. Would more than 2% inflation benefit the U.S. economy?
4. Is Liz Cheney’s political career on borrowed time?
5. Did the Biden administration botch the rollout of the AUKUS partnership?
6. Why did Congress fail to achieve a bipartisan deal on police reform?
7. Does American foreign policy need a dose of “relentless diplomacy”?
8. After the war in Afghanistan should the U.S. cut defense spending?
9. Would it be politically unwise for progressive Democrats to block the infrastructure bill?
10. Will Minneapolis voters agree to the Yes 4 Minneapolis Initiative?
1. How should China respond to the AUKUS partnership?
2. What lesson should Canadian conservative learn from the recent snap election?
3. How closely should the European Union’s foreign policy mirror the United States?
4. Will the Chinese government have to intervene in Evergrande’s collapse?
5. Should the CPTPP include Taiwan?
6. Will Erdogan’s pressure for a rate cut worsen Turkey’s economic situation?
7. Should Kristalina Georgieva resign as the head of the IMF?
8. How will Sudan’s decision to stop supporting Hamas impact the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
9. Should the Arab League readmit Syria?
10. What can the United Nations do to better combat racism?
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 AUKUS partnership. Announced on September 15, AUKUS is a trilateral security agreement between the United States, Great Britain, and Australia. The nations pledge to cooperate on defense issues and is seen by experts to be a counter to Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region, even though British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the British Parliament recently that the partnership is not meant to antagonize China. The European Union was less than thrilled with the agreement, with France recalling ambassadors to the United States and Australia last week after Australia cancelled plans to purchase French submarines for nuclear models from the United States and Great Britain.
A new security partnership, AUKUS, will deliver nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. This sets a troubling precedent for nuclear nonproliferation policy.@james_acton32 highlights this precedent and what can be done to offset its consequences: https://t.co/VpeKV7FV2H
— Carnegie Endowment (@CarnegieEndow) September 22, 2021
Balance is needed between the hard power of AUKUS and the collaboration and rules-based competition with China that are required for climate diplomacy and trade https://t.co/yddCnaUr2p
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) September 23, 2021
“Raising the costs for major Indo-Pacific powers of going to war is in Indonesia’s interests, but not if that means China has greater maritime capabilities which threaten Indonesia or are used in grey-zone operations.” Read @SecurityScholar on #AUKUS: https://t.co/ZbQWbkdFsm
— Brookings FP (@BrookingsFP) September 23, 2021
Updated standings for the 2021-2022 Extemp Central National Points Race have been posted! You can find them by clicking on the “National Points Race” tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.
The new standings reflect the results of the Yale Invitational, which was a fourth tier event. The next National Points Race competition will take place in a few weeks at the New York City Invitational, a fifth tier competition.
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
Paltzik’s victory is the first time that a Yale champion has repeated since Kate Fisher of St. Mary’s Hall (TX) accomplished the feat in 2018.
Since Yale is a cumulative tournament the final round winner is not always the person that emerges as the champion. That was the case this year as Cameron Roberts of Jack C. Hays High School (TX) was victorious in the final round with a twelve composite, two ranks better than Paltzik and three better than Kind. However, not enough ground was made up to win, so Roberts placed fourth behind Paltzik, Kind, and Charles Hou of Plano West Senior High School (TX).
For the second straight weekend, Colorado had a finalist in a National Points Race event. This time it was Peter Alisky of Smoky Hill High School, Colorado’s reigning state champion in United States Extemp, who placed fifth.
Solon High School (OH) continued its run of placing extempers in the top tier of national circuit events. Vikram Sundaram, who placed sixth at the University of Kentucky two weeks ago in the Season Opener, replicated that finish at Yale. Sundaram’s teammates Dev Ahuja and Michelle Park reached the semi-final round.
Other notables fell short of making the final round at Yale. These included last year’s NSDA International Extemp final round winner Mukta Dharmapurikar of Durham Academy (NC), who dropped in semis; NSDA United States Extemp national finalist Katelyn Cai of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ), who dropped in octo-finals; and NSDA International Extemp semi-finalist and Season Opener third place finisher Marc Zavarro of Western High School (FL), who dropped in quarter-finals.
Paltzik’s victory at Yale will give them seventy points in this year’s National Points Race. Kind’s second place finish will be enough to keep him on top of the rankings, though, until the New York City Invitational in a few weeks. New National Points Race standings will be released late on Thursday night.
The number of entries at Yale means that all extempers reaching the quarter-finals earned a bid to this year’s University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC). Quarter-finalists also earn a bid to the Extemp TOC at Northwestern University.
Here are the results of the 2021 Yale Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):
1. Should Latin America form a European Union-like political and economic bloc?
2. How should the international community interpret North Korea’s latest missile test?
3. Is Macron overreacting to the cancellation of France’s submarine deal with Australia?
4. Should the Taliban be forced to equalize gender access to education in order to receive international recognition and aid?
5. Can international sanctions force a change in Ethiopia’s behavior in Tigray?
6. Is Iran benefitting from Lebanon’s economic turmoil?
7. Can AUKUS effectively counter Chinese influence in the South China Sea?
8. How can the Argentina’s Peronist Party recover from a poor midterm election showing?
9. Who will win Canada’s snap election?
10. Will protests force Tunisian President Kais Saied to reduce his executive powers?
1. Do the results of the California recall election bode ill for Republican chances in the 2022 midterm elections?
2. Should the U.S. put more priority on global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines instead of booster shots for those already vaccinated?
3. Is President Biden beginning to pivot his policies too far to the left?
4. Should Democrats make election reform the key piece of their 2022 midterm campaign?
5. Will Senate Republicans eventually vote to raise the debt ceiling?
6. Should TikTok be held liable for damages caused by #deviouslicks?
7. Will ethics issues at the Federal Reserve scuttle Jerome Powell’s chances at being renominated as Fed chair?
8. Should President Biden push for a revival of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?
9. Are the Abraham Accords worth saving?
10. Should more states follow California and New York in banning the sale of new fossil fuel vehicles by 2035?