Tag: extemp files Page 9 of 23

Here is your R&D for February 24th:

Assange to appeal extradition to Sweden from the Sydney Morning Herald
A British judge has ordered the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange today.  However, Assange’s lawyers say he will appeal the ruling.

Wisconsin lawmakers agree to advance budget debate from the Los Angeles Times
Democratic lawmakers in the Wisconsin state assembly have agreed to limit the number of amendments they will introduce to Scott Walker’s budget bill.  The agreement will allow floor debate to end at noon today.

Lawsuit alleges FBI violated Muslims’ freedom of religion from the Washington Post
A class action lawsuit alleges that the FBI violated Muslims constitutional rights by targeting them because of their religion.  The FBI sent informants into Muslim communities in an attempt to find potential terrorists.

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Here is your R&D for February 23rd:

Rahm Emanuel’s rules for victory from Politico
Rahm Emanuel is the new mayor of Chicago after winning the first city election without a sitting mayor on the ballot in 64 years.  This article breaks down how Rahm was able to win.

If Libyan unrest spreads, gas could reach $5 from USA Today
Although extempers should avoid using USA Today in an extemp speech when possible, this article provides insight into how Libya’s unrest could sent gas prices near $5 a gallon.

The scourge of Somalia from the Los Angeles Times
This editorial from the Los Angeles Times contends that a military approach can’t work to end Somali piracy and that what Somalia needs most is a functioning government.

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Here is your R&D for February 22nd:

Starving N. Korea begs for food, but U.S. has concerns about resuming aid from the Washington Post
Amid floods and a foot and mouth outbreak, North Korea has begun to beg the international community for food aid.  However, the U.S. has reservations about sending food aid because it sees North Korea’s disruption system as corrupt.

China hints at possible Web clampdown from the Los Angeles Times
In light of recent protests, Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for “public opinion guidance on the Internet”, which experts believe is a call to crackdown on Internet communications in China.

American Way: Barack Obama, cult figure of 2008, left behind by new anti-spending zeitgeist from the UK Telegraph
From the way that the UK Telegraph sees things, President Obama is not in tune with the public’s desire to cut spending.  Even though the public is not unified in what they want to cut, the Telegraph holds that President Obama’s public position on the deficit is not clear enough.

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Here is your R&D for February 21st:

Libya protests analysis: ‘For Muammar Gaddafi it’s kill or be killed’ from the Guardian
As protests shake Libya, experts believe that leader Muammar Gaddafi sees his conflict with the protesters as a fight for his very survival and that he will not be lodged from power peacefully, as Hosni Mubarak was in Egypt.

Labor faces a moment of truth from Politico
Organized labor, which has relied on organizing public employees for decades, is fretting that if it loses in Wisconsin it could send waves throughout the country and weaken unions in battles with other state governments, which are mostly led by Republican governors.

Iran warships to begin Suez Canal passage Tuesday from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Iran is sending two naval vessels through the Suez Canal on Tuesday.  The passage will cost Iran $290,000, but that is little consolation for Israel, which has said that it views the action as a provocation.

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Here is your R&D for February 18th:

Union battle echoes beyond Wisconsin: ‘We’re fighting for our very existence’ from the Christian Science Monitor
Wisconsin’s bid to break public employee unions is being watched by other states who want to enact similar measures to balance state budgets.  For their part, unions are not going down without a fight.

Dangers in U.S.-Pakistan Rift from the Council on Foreign Relations
U.S. Embassy employee Raymond Davis, who confessed to killing to Pakistani men in self-defense, is at the center of a spat between the U.S. and Pakistani government.  Pakistan wants Davis to stand trial, but the U.S. claims that he has diplomatic immunity.

House, Senate may not agree on government funding bill before money runs out from the Washington Post
Speaker John Boehner has ruled out passing a temporary funding resolution to keep the government operating unless it has spending cuts, thereby laying the groundwork for a government shutdown by March 4th if the House and Senate cannot agree on a budget.

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Here is your R&D for February 17th:

U.S. Spies: Iran Split on Nuclear Program from the Wall Street Journal
According to American intelligence assessments, Iran’s leaders are divided when it comes to their country’s nuclear program and that some of this division may be because of sanctions that have been imposed by the international community.

Is Scott Brown beatable? from the Washington Post
Although Democrats are defending more Senate seats in 2012, they believe they may be able to win back the Massachusetts Senate seat that Scott Brown is currently holding.  Brown, who scored an upset two years ago to serve out the rest of Ted Kennedy’s term, will be up for re-election in the next cycle, but can the Democrats find a candidate to beat him?

US clueless about Egypt? from YNet News.com
In an article that has more value in originating AGD ideas, the U.S. Senate’s hearing about Egyptian policy showed that intelligence agencies are largely ignorant about the situation happening there.

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Here is your R&D for February 16th:

Obama describes ‘tough choices’ in budget proposal from the Boston Globe
President Obama defended his latest budget proposal by arguing that tough choices needed to be made.  However, President Obama did not take a stance on entitlement programs, which constitute a large percentage of America’s discretionary spending.

Indonesia’s Political Landscape Offers Path for Egypt from the New York Times
The New York Times speculates that Egypt might want to look at how Indonesia created its democracy after overthrowing the Suharto government in 1998.

Inflated fears from the Economist
Is inflation in China  global problem?  According to the Economist, inflation it is not, but China’s leadership should worry about how it may impact domestic stability.

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Here is your R&D for February 15th:

U.S. tries to line up aid to help stabilize Egypt from the Los Angeles Times
U.S. officials are working with allies to create an aid package worth hundreds of milions of dollars for Egypt in order to assist in its political transition in the coming months.  Officials believe the aid will increase American influence in the area.

Iranian lawmakers condemn protests; call for execution of leaders from CNN
Iranian leaders condemned protests that happened yesterday in Tehran and have called for the execution of opposition leaders.  Iran denied foreign visas to journalists who wished to cover the protests.

The Misleading Metaphor of Decline from the Wall Street Journal (courtesy of RealClearWorld)
In this op-ed, Joseph Nye, professor at Harvard, argues that America’s decline is overstated by the global media and international actors.  According to Nye, America is likely to remain powerful for decades, although the number of powerful allies and adversaries is likely to increase.

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Here is your R&D for February 14th:

The Enemies of Good Government from Newsweek (courtesy of RealClearPolitics)
In this op-ed, Newsweek columnist Robert Samuelson discusses why government investment in high speed rail is a poor choice.

China Surges in Americans’ Views of Top World Economy from Gallup
A recent Gallup poll shows that 52% of Americans believe that China is the world’s economic leader.  32% of Americans believe that the United States is the world’s economic leader and only 7% say that for Japan.  Few Americans are confident the U.S. will change the dynamic anytime soon.

Gaddafi tells Palestinians: revolt against Israel from Reuters
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has urged Palestinian refugees to mass at the borders of Israel to force the Israeli government to give into their demands to return to the lands they lost in 1948.  Gaddafi hopes that Palestinians can use the recent uprisings in the Middle East to their advantage.

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Here is your R&D for February 11th:

Crisis Flummoxes White House from the Wall Street Journal
U.S. intelligence officials believed that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was stepping down yesterday, but he shocked them by taking a more defiant stand.  The move has reportedly thrown the White House foreign policy staff into disarray.

Republican divisions on display at conservative summit from the BBC
The divisions in the Republican Party were apparent at the recent CPAC.  Fiscal, social, and national security conservatives butted heads and reports were that CPAC attendees were not too keen on any of the 2012 presidential hopefuls.

Foot-and-mouth outbreak hits North Korea from the Financial Times
North Korea’s food shortages are expected to get worse after a foot-and-mouth outbreak has reportedly sickened oxen, cattle, and pigs in the country.  It is estimated that more than 10,000 of these animals are infected.

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Here is your R&D for February 10th:

GOP cuts deep as right revolts from Politico
In an effort to appease the Tea Party, House Republicans proposed tens of billions of dollars in spending cuts yesterday, but the cuts have come under fire as hurting minorities and the poor.

Egypt Foreign Minister Warns of Military Intervention from the New York Times
As the Egyptian protests entered their seventeenth day, the country’s foreign minister warned that if the situation becomes more chaotic that the army will intervene.

Shaky Restart to Inter-Korean Talks from the Council on Foreign Relations
Recent talks between North and South Korea appear to be going nowhere, as North Korea continues to accept responsibility for the sinking of the Cheonan and shelling of Yeonpyeong Island.

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Here is your R&D for February 9th:

Republican-led House fails to pass short-term extension of Patriot Act from the Los Angeles Times
In what is seen as the first setback for the House Republican leadership and potentially the first revolt of the Tea Party, the House rejected a short-term extension of the USA Patriot Act yesterday.  Republican leaders sought a vote that would require two thirds approval so that amendments could not be added, but they fell six votes short.  Twenty-six Republicans voted against the measure.

No room at table for Muslim Brotherhood from the Boston Globe
Should the Muslim Brotherhood be able to sit at the negotiating table to fashion Egypt’s new political course?  According to the Boston Globe, no they should not because they are using liberty and justice to abolish liberty and justice within Egypt.

Armenia and Azerbaijan:  Preventing War from the International Crisis Group
Armenia and Azerbaijan have had border tensions for over a decade and international observers worry abut an arms race between both countries.  Read the full report (by clicking on “full pdf report” on the side of the webpage) from the International Crisis Group to get a better handle on the situation.

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Here is your R&D for February 8th:

Obama says businesses must hire, invest to grow economy from the Washington Post
President Obama addressed one of his harshest detractors, the Chamber of Commerce, yesterday and urged them to hire workers and invest in the economy.  President Obama also emphasized how companies need to share profits with their workers.

Palestinians to hold local elections July 9 from the Associated Press
The Palestinian Authority announced today that local elections will take place in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on July 9th.  However, Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, rejected the announcement.

‘New’ Eta political wing rejects violence from the Guardian
The ETA, a Basque terrorist group, has launched a new political party and has announced that it does not approve of the use of violence against the Spanish state.  The ETA hopes that the Spanish government will legalize the party and that it can stand for local elections in May.

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Here is your R&D for February 7th:

The Other Egyptian Nobelist in the Political Fray from Time
Mohamed El-Baradei isn’t the only Nobel Prize winner that Egyptian political observers should be watching.  1999 Chemisty Nobel Prize winner Ahmed Zewail, who is a professor at the California Institute of Technology, has also played a role in some of the latest political developments in Egypt.  As an interesting sidenote, Zewail is the father of Nabeel Zewail, who is currently second in the Extemp Central National Points Race.

Is Barbour’s Southern Handicap Overstated? from RealClearPolitics
Mississipi Governor Haley Barbour is considering a run for the presidency in 2012.  Observers believe that his southern roots would hurt him in the GOP primary and general election, but is that really the case?

Laid-back David Cameron should tighten his grip from the UK Telegraph
As Britain experiences stagflation and a reduced international reputation, British Prime Minister David Cameron is taking criticism for a lax and slow management style.

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Here is your R&D for February 4th:

Jordan: Heightened Instability, But Not Yet a Major Crisis from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Jordan is experiencing protests that mirror those happening in Egypt.  However, King Abdullah was quick to fire his government and that appears to have taken some momentum out of the protests for the time being.

Military Insider Selected as Myanmar’s President from the New York Times
Thein Sein, an army bureaucrat and former prime minister, was elected as Myanmar’s new president today.  The election was done by Myanmar’s new parliament, meeting for the first time under a new constitution.  However, it is expected that General Than Shwe will still be controlling the government’s actions.

Factbox: Groups challenging Yemen’s government from Reuters
In this factbox article, Reuters breaks down the groups that are challenging the Yemeni government.  This is a good background article that extempers can utilize in any speech about unrest in Yemen.

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