1. How might future water shortages reshape Middle East geopolitics?
2. Is the U.S. responsible for Turkey’s currency crisis?
3. Do Cuba’s recent constitutional reforms go far enough?
4. Will Joseph Kabila fully leave the political scene when his term expires?
5. Would “repolonisation” of Poland’s banking industry prove devastating for the nation’s economy?
6. How will Ivan Duque affect Columbia’s relationship with Venezuela?
7. Is Western disunity proving counterproductive to bolstering global human rights?
8. Will efforts by the Chinese government to “Sinicize” religions produce a sizable backlash against the Communist Party?
9. What role, if any, should the EU play in anti-corruption efforts in Eastern Europe?
10. Has Justin Trudeau isolated Canada on the international stage?
1. Should more restrictions be placed on the availability of federal student loans?
2. Is Tennessee’s Senate race the most crucial of the 2018 cycle?
3. Can greater gun control reduce Chicago’s homicide rate?
4. How stable is the current U.S. economic boom?
5. Should Congress constrain U.S. military involvement in the Yemeni civil war?
6. What role should tech giants be gatekeepers of social discourse?
7. Should Europe still be the primary focus of America’s strategic thinking?
8. Is America winning the war on poverty?
9. Should states subsidize the newspaper industry?
10. What steps can states take to secure their electoral systems before the 2018 midterms?
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.
Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of August 6-12, 2018.
NEW REPORT | After the Showdown in Libya’s Oil Crescenthttps://t.co/bk1cwHeNLU
— Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup) August 9, 2018
The vote breakdown in Ohio’s special election this week amplified a trend that’s been building in the suburbs during the Trump erahttps://t.co/sNzuTvoEZo
— POLITICO (@politico) August 9, 2018
Scientists are saying that the earth is on its way to entering a ‘hothouse’ state—a point of no return. Why is it so hard to get people to care?: https://t.co/mbXOlCgJtV pic.twitter.com/en7E0pAFYU
— Maclean’s Magazine (@macleans) August 9, 2018
1. Is a trade war with China in America’s best interest?
2. Does the U.S. need a national abortion reporting law?
3. If Kavanaugh is not confirmed by November, how will that affect the 2018 midterms?
4. Should the New York Times fire Sarah Jeong?
5. Will the current state of the U.S. economy allow Republicans to stifle the “blue wave”?
6. Is there a constitutional right to “religious liberty”?
7. Should Rahm Emanuel resign as mayor of Chicago due to the city’s alarming homicide rate?
8. How can the American media regain its credibility in the eyes of the American public?
9. Will Scott Walker lose his re-election bid?
10. Can the U.S. afford “Medicare for All”?
1. Does the British Labour Party have an antisemitism problem?
2. What would effective sanctions against North Korea look like?
3. Was Mnangagwa’s victory legitimate?
4. Does Germany need to increase defense spending?
5. Will a recent “assassination” attempt lead to more political controls in Venezuela?
6. Should Japan liberalize its immigration system?
7. What steps can regional actors take to bring peace to Afghanistan?
8. Should the international community cooperate to build a “space society”?
9. Is Spain becoming the next battleground in Europe’s migrant controversy?
10. If South Africa confiscates farmland for redistributive purposes, would it be an economic disaster?
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.
Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of July 30-August 5, 2018.
Talk of a new political movement in Britain has been constant since the Brexit vote. The Lib Dems could provide an alternative https://t.co/1McDdzhwJ1
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) August 2, 2018
Opinion: The nail business is getting hammered by Trump’s steel tariffs, writes Chris Pratt https://t.co/GeBeR2rHsS
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 2, 2018
A multilateral framework including both China and India is more likely to restrain Pakistan than intermittent pressure from a distracted United States. https://t.co/92JSgItlOQ
— Foreign Affairs (@ForeignAffairs) August 2, 2018
Welcome to the 2018-2019 season at Extemp Central. We have an updated look for the upcoming year, which will kickoff in a month’s time with the Grapevine Classic in Texas and the National Speech and Debate Season Opener at the University of Kentucky.
The site came back “online” in the second half of last season. This year, Extemp Central will be providing the following content:
- New International and United States Extemp questions will be posted every Monday.
- A “news quiz” for extempers will come back but will only be posted once or twice a month depending upon when I am able to assemble one. This will become a monthly feature and when it is posted it will go up on Wednesdays.
- The weekly R&D feature will return, with tweets of 10-15 important articles provided for extempers’ files on Fridays.
- Coverage of the national circuit will occur. If you go to the “calendar” tab at the top of the page it will show you a season calendar that includes tournaments for the National Points Race, the University of Kentucky TOC, and the Extemp TOC. This is still a work in progress as the dates for some tournaments are unknown. Write ups of tournaments will be posted on Tuesdays or Thursdays. We also welcome the delivery of local tournament results and wish to post those this season. As always, if you have results of national circuit or local tournaments, please e-mail them to us because that is how we can have a timely delivery of them on the site.
- The National Points Race will resume for 2018-2019. The structure will remain the same and can be found at the National Points Race tab.
- When tournament results come in, expect for there to be qualification boards for the UK TOC and Extemp TOC. When we get into the national qualifiers portion of the schedule, there will be a qualification board for that as well.
- Previews of “big tournaments” such as the MBA Round Robin and NSDA Nationals will return.
Providing all of this content will be free, but I do encourage readers to donate to us via PayPal by clicking on the PayPal donation button to the side of the page or embeded into various posts. Give what you can, whether it is $1 or $100, but all donations are appreciated to keep the site going and content flowing.
I look forward to what the 2018-2019 season will bring and wish all extempers and coaches the best of luck.
-Logan Scisco
1. Can Imran Khan deliver stability to Pakistan?
2. How can governments best protect their elections from foreign interference?
3. Can the Iranian government continue to support proxy forces in Yemen and Syria over the long-term?
4. Does the life of Theresa May’s government hinge on the Chequers Plan?
5. Can decentralization bring about peace in Syria?
6. Does Macron have the political capital to continue reforming the French economy?
7. Is it in Russia’s best interest to be a friend or foe of the United States?
8. Do declines in the global bee population signal foreshadow a global agricultural crisis?
9. Will a recent global heatwave give greater impetus to multinational climate change efforts?
10. Have the BRICS crumbled?
1. What can the federal government do to encourage more Americans to save for retirement?
2. Does Ocasio-Cortez represent the future of the Democratic Party?
3. Has California done a poor job attacking poverty?
4. How can Kirsten Gillibrand best position herself for a presidential run in 2020?
5. In the event of a military confrontation over Taiwan, how would the Trump administration react?
6. To what extent should the U.S. engage Emmerson Mnangagawa after Zimbabwe’s recent election?
7. Should the Trump tax cuts be made permanent?
8. Is the recent decline of Facebook’s stock a short-term aberration or a canary in the coal mine?
9. Should the RNC aggressively target the New Jersey Senate seat?
10. Are Trump’s economic policies repelling foreign investment?
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Prepd – the software startup behind popular applications for Extemp and Congress – released a major update this week. New versions of Prepd’s iPhone and Android applications are now available. With Version 1.2.0, you can save articles directly to Extemp folders and Congress bills from your phone. Also, the app supports dedicated news reading apps, like Apple News.
Prepd’s blog provides additional details about the mobile app update. Prepd’s mobile initiative is a major focus for the company. Prepd coaches and debaters can expect to see new mobile features soon.
Perhaps of greater interest to those competing at NSDA Nationals or attending a summer camp, Prepd will be entirely free to use from now until September. Although Prepd has offered free membership options in the past (Free Team accounts for groups of students that want to collaborate, and Free One accounts for those who file and compete independently), the free accounts were limited to saving 100 total articles. Now, those restrictions have been removed. You can create a Free Team or a Free One account and save up to 250,000 articles, which is the same article limit enjoyed by Premium (paid) accounts.
To join Prepd for free, visit signup.prepd.in. You will first create an individual user account.
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Note: Due to NSDA Nationals next week, this will be the last set of practice questions until the first week of August.
1. If the Democrats win the midterm elections, who would get the biggest political boost from the triumph?
2. Should more U.S. schools examine alternatives to suspension?
3. If one more state ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment, would it become the Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the Constitution?
4. Should the U.S. deploy an anti-missile system in Germany?
5. Will Medicaid expansion undermine state budgets in 2020?
6. Should cities have the legal right to take custody of homeless peoples?
7. What is behind President Trump’s recent “pardon spree”?
8. How should the U.S. deal with an Iraqi government headed by Muqtada al-Sadr?
9. Should California make alterations to its primary system?
10. Does a U.S. president have the constitutional authority to pardon themselves?
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Note: Due to next week being NSDA Nationals, this will be the last set of extemp practice questions until the first week of August.
1. Is Iran’s continued presence in Syria a threat to Israel’s national security?
2. What role should France play in the EU’s efforts concerning defense cooperation?
3. After the downfall of Mariano Rajoy, should Pedro Sanchez immediately call for new elections?
4. Should OPEC work to maintain the price of oil where it is or try to get it to $100 per barrel?
5. Will the reinstatement of fuel subsidies produce significant harm to Brazil’s long-term economic prospects?
6. How can Taiwan’s government engineer higher levels of economic growth?
7. Should the international community worry about a Syrian-North Korean “axis”?
8. How can Eastern European governments best battle corruption?
9. Why is Modi’s popularity slipping in India’s rural areas?
10. Should Great Britain hold a second Brexit vote?
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1. Would an Italexit pose a bigger threat to the EU’s future than Brexit?
2. What is the significance of Colombia becoming NATO’s first “global partner” from Latin America?
3. Is free trade the key to unlocking Africa’s economic potential?
4. Has the Mercosur trading bloc failed to live up to its potential?
5. How can the international community better combat slavery in modern times?
6. Are Indonesia and the EU headed for a trade war?
7. How can Martin Vinzcarra restore trust in Peru’s public institutions?
8. Is the trial of Diane Rwigara a sign that Rwanda’s political system is growing more intolerant of dissenting views?
9. Are Argentinian criticisms of the IMF valid?
10. Is Spain headed for a snap election?
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1. Was Donald Trump wise to cancel his summit with Kim Jong-un?
2. Should the U.S. enter into new arms control accords with Russia?
3. Did the U.S. win its recent trade spat with China?
4. What regulations should be imposed on e-cigarettes?
5. Is the U.S. economy operating at full employment?
6. Are Trump’s recent moves against Planned Parenthood counterproductive to Republican aims to keep control of Congress in 2018?
7. Will the NFL’s recent anthem policy create more problems for the league?
8. Is MS-13 a significant threat to U.S. national security?
9. Should the “data economy” be regulated at the federal level?
10. Will Stacey Abrams become Georgia’s first black female governor?
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1. Is support for Israel becoming a wedge issue within the Democratic Party?
2. Should American foreign policy reorient its way away from Europe and more toward an embrace of Asian nations?
3. Is Arne Duncan’s call for a school boycott unwise?
4. Will the “war on terrorism” ever end?
5. In terms of constitutional procedure can Mueller indict Trump?
6. What demands should the U.S. be making in its trade talks with China?
7. Are high gas prices a sign of a robust American economy?
8. What is the best way to prevent the mentally ill from acquiring firearms?
9. Are Republican chances to retain the House in 2018 increasing?
10. Should “regime change” still occupy a prominent place in U.S. foreign policy?