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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To acces
s a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
This R&D provides resources on the ongoing violence in Burundi. President Pierre Nkurunziza won a third term in July, but the opposition has disputed the results of that election as many of them boycotted it. The opposition claims that Nkurunziza could not run for a third term as the constitution and a 2005 peace treaty disallowed it. The United Nations is worried that the political dispute could lead to ethnic violence and it is wanting to bolster its presence in the country.
With Burundi teetering on the brink, Can the US & UNSC put the lessons of Rwanda into practice? @columlynch reports https://t.co/BgGuJZkEVy
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) November 15, 2015
Deadly violence rocks Burundi’s capital https://t.co/TfKZDqmGNk pic.twitter.com/qwSYAf0iFy
— AJE News (@AJENews) November 16, 2015
Burundi is “going towards an unacceptable path of atrocities,” say @UNRightsWire #HumanRights experts https://t.co/JfdVc2B1Vf
— United Nations (@UN) November 16, 2015
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1. Is a simplified tax code in America’s best interest?
2. How might the Paris terror attacks affect the U.S. presidential campaign?
3. What steps should Baltimore take to curb its rising homicide rate?
4. How should the Supreme Court rule in Woman’s Health v. Cole?
5. Should America’s churches adopt a more liberal outlook?
6. Are America’s schools giving students too much homework?
7. How many candidates should be included in the next GOP presidential debate?
8. Is the U.S. at war with “radical Islam”?
9. Will President Obama be able to close terror detention facilities at Gitmo before the end of his presidency?
10. Is the GOP establishment out of touch with most Republican voters?
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1. What is Russia’s endgame in Syria?
2. If Venezuela does not allow observers from the OAS to monitor its elections, should it be expelled from the organization?
3. Can a nation have a welfare state with open borders?
4. Is a genocide unfolding in Burundi?
5. Does Europe need to conduct more background checks on Syrian refugees?
6. Is Romania doing enough to fight corruption?
7. Can the Islamic State be contained?
8. Is the world making significant progress in the fight against deforestation?
9. What does the opposition’s victory in Myanmar’s elections mean for the nation’s future?
10. Should France pursue a closer relationship with Russia in light of the Parisian terrorist attacks?
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of November 9-15, 2015.
From Missouri to Yale, reasonable protests at universities are being marred by absurd ones https://t.co/CAn4PXsCKC pic.twitter.com/thwosi9rbU
— The Economist (@EconUS) November 13, 2015
Under Obama, Democrats’ losses in state legislatures are among the worst in 115 years. https://t.co/1tVzsi1qvL pic.twitter.com/OhJqmAAY3m
— NYT National News (@NYTNational) November 13, 2015
Weaker growth exposes the downside of ties with China. Taiwan’s economy https://t.co/MctmzcCaj1 pic.twitter.com/9M0KfLkDbw
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) November 12, 2015
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
This R&D provides resources on the Metrojet Flight 9268 plane crash. The Russian plane crashed in the Sinai Peninsula last week, killing all 224 passengers and crew on board. There is speculation that an explosion brought down the plane, which may have been carried out by Sinai militants. The Egyptian government is investigating the bomb theory. If the Islamic State is linked to the blast it could produce a revolution in airline security measures.
GOP chairman: Russian plane crash a ‘game changer’ for airport security https://t.co/2dcvGgTUMg pic.twitter.com/VgBGS2ySWx
— The Hill (@thehill) November 11, 2015
These are the possible theories behind the downing of a Russian plane over Egypt https://t.co/kI9hOOnLZy pic.twitter.com/u3UCwTE0ca
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) November 9, 2015
Foreign spies rather than GCHQ found evidence of Sinai bomb plot https://t.co/Wxxus1FrzN
— The Independent (@Independent) November 10, 2015
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Off-year elections are an often neglected part of the American political discourse. These elections, which take place in odd numbered years, attract little attention due to the fact that they focus primarily on state and local issues with little national significance. Off-year elections do not involve elections to the House, Senate, or the White House and the states that hold these types of contests – Virginia, New Jersey, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky – tend to draw a small pool of registered voters. Nevertheless, off-year elections do matter for the voters of the states that hold them as new governors and state officials are elected and ballot measures are submitted for ratification. For example, in 2015 voters in Houston rejected an equal rights ordinance that would have covered homosexuals and transgender individuals, while Ohio voters rejected a proposal to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Furthermore, the recent elections provide continued evidence that the Republican Party thrives in non-presidential contests as they retained control of Mississippi’s governor’s mansion, won the Kentucky gubernatorial election for the first time since 2007, and fought off a Democratic attempt to win the Virginia Senate. It is unclear whether these off-year elections can affect 2016, but politicians on both sides of the aisle would be wise to pick the data apart and see if there is something to be learned from the successes and failures of various campaigns in the recent election cycle.
This topic brief will depart from our usual format by only having two sections. The first section will summarize some of the major races that were contested in the 2015 elections, while the second will analyze what significance, if any, the 2015 election results have for next year’s national elections.
Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.
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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on the 2015 elections.
WashPost finds glass half-full for Dems after 2015 elections. https://t.co/1Nsj5cohrP
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) November 5, 2015
Bevin has completed a stunning political turnaround https://t.co/7vD0cOBVCm | Getty pic.twitter.com/GJF3nZs7qP
— POLITICO (@politico) November 4, 2015
According to polls, most Ohio voters support legalizing weed yet the measure failed. Why? https://t.co/O9v6wZDQzP pic.twitter.com/kUTy2GN00V
— GOVERNING (@GOVERNING) November 10, 2015
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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To access a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
This R&D provides resources on the ongoing activism against racism on the campus of the University of Missouri-Columbia. University President Tim Wolfe resigned yesterday amid protests by African-American students who accused him of not doing enough to combat racism on campus. Some of the university’s football players said they would boycott games if Wolfe stayed on. Wolfe’s resignation was one demand of the protesters, who are also seeking to bolster minority hiring and enrollment at the university. Critics argue that Wolfe cannot be held responsible for acts of racism on campus and allege that the incident shows political correctness and social justice advocates are gaining too much traction on campuses around the nation.
How college football helped bring down Missouri’s president https://t.co/KSmYYn53Km pic.twitter.com/3h47ScNP4i
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) November 9, 2015
University of Missouri racism walkout spreads to faculty https://t.co/KvrjaOKoAN @henrygass pic.twitter.com/9Sgy3zQrGJ
— CS Monitor (@csmonitor) November 9, 2015
Don’t erase the struggle of Mizzou students and faculty members that preceded the football strike. https://t.co/IYSwXEHRfW
— The Nation (@thenation) November 9, 2015
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1. Should Dilma Rousseff resign?
2. Would the EU be significantly harmed by a Brexit?
3. How can Thai democracy work?
4. Can Jeremy Corbyn become a successful leader for the British Labour Party?
5. Should the United Nations intervene in Yemen’s civil war?
6. Was Myanmar’s election a success?
7. Should the international community be concerned about the state of North Korean-South Korean relations?
8. Is Egypt responsible for the Sinai plane crash?
9. Does India need good relations with Nepal?
10. Who should become Russia’s next president?
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1. What is the appropriate place of technology in America’s schools?
2. Was President Obama justified in rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline?
3. Who should be the next Secretary of Education?
4. Are colleges doing enough to combat racism?
5. Should Democrats worry about the outcome of the 2015 elections?
6. Does the U.S. still have a major drug problem?
7. What reforms should be made to the American prison system?
8. Why is Ben Carson leading the GOP’s primary polls?
9. Does Bernie Sanders have a path to victory in the Democratic primaries?
10. What assistance should the U.S. provide to aid Europe in the current refugee crisis?
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of November 2-8, 2015.
John Gower examines the debate around the UK’s nuclear weapons and discusses the necessity for a strategic view: https://t.co/0EeplXhPX2
— Carnegie Endowment (@CarnegieEndow) November 6, 2015
Opinion: The problem with Israel’s peace camp https://t.co/5j6Av3EWN4 pic.twitter.com/LGNLS6usgh
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) November 6, 2015
As Spain’s media industry changes rapidly, some worry about freedom of the press https://t.co/wCAP0Exjc7 pic.twitter.com/cKFlTjOwJ4
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) November 6, 2015
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
This R&D provides resources on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. The law is in its third year and the open enrollment period for health insurance began this week. The Obama administration is hoping that increased penalties for going without health insurance will cause more people to seek out coverage on federal and state exchanges, but rising premiums and the closure of some healthcare cooperatives are giving ammunition to opponents of the legislation.
Effects of the Affordable Care Act are being felt throughout the health-care system https://t.co/d2kH7xGjv5 pic.twitter.com/nwI92KIL6g
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 2, 2015
Failed co-ops add ammunition to the G.O.P. war on the Affordable Care Act. https://t.co/llAbPRUrSv via @ropear pic.twitter.com/EQzHFTj8We
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) November 3, 2015
They aren’t bragging about it, but lawmakers in Congress have agreed on two fixes to Obamacare. https://t.co/vwWZONy9Br
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) November 4, 2015
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For the last several weeks the House Republican caucus was in turmoil over who would succeed Speaker of the House John Boehner. Boehner’s second-in-command, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, was pegged as his successor, but McCarthy’s gaffe about the Benghazi Committee’s intentions and his inability to win over House conservatives forced him to withdraw. McCarthy’s decision left House Republicans without a moderate alternative to conservative interests championed by the House Freedom Caucus so they went to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Paul Ryan, to gauge his interest in running. Ryan had initially said that he had little desire to become speaker, arguing that he preferred policymaking instead of leading and controlling Republican votes in the chamber. However, after a plea from Boehner and other Republican leaders, and after receiving endorsements from conservative Republicans, Ryan agreed to take the job, thereby becoming the youngest Speaker of the House since the 1860s. Considering that Ryan has a lot of policy experience and has a reputation for compromise, observers are hoping that relations between the White House and the House of Representatives can be improved, and some Republicans hope that Ryan can craft some much needed policy alternatives.
This topic brief will provide some biographical information about Ryan, analyze his legislative priorities, and explain how his leadership could be a boon for Republicans in the 2016 elections and beyond.
Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.