1. Is protectionism bad for the U.S. economy?
2. Should there be more regulations on private equity firms?
3. Has Trump lost his mojo?
4. Should Vice President Harris pursue a Sun Belt strategy or a Rust Belt strategy?
5. Does the Montana or Ohio Senate race have a better chance of going red?
6. Would a Harris administration impose stricter gun measures?
7. Does Donald Trump need a major shakeup of his campaign staff?
8. Would a greater disengagement from European affairs by the U.S. make nuclear proliferation worse?
9. Are colleges restrictions on protest activity before this school year a violation of free speech principles?
10. Would price controls be an effective tool against inflation?
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1. Is a good offense the best defense for Ukraine in its fight with Russia?
2. Should Macron work with the Popular Front or fight against it?
3. Has Sudan become the next Syria?
4. Who should be Japan’s next prime minister?
5. How can the WHO best contain mpox?
6. What steps can India’s government take to reduce violence against women?
7. Should Great Britain and France increase the size of their nuclear arsenals?
8. What economic reforms does Ethiopia need?
9. Should Israel pre-emptively strike Iran?
10. Is Lula failing in his effort to help Brazil’s indigenous populations?
1. How much of a setback for Russia is Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk?
2. Will recent riots force the British government to increase social media regulations?
3. Is the Chinese economy stuck?
4. Should European multinational institutions expel Hungary?
5. Is Kenya’s police mission in Haiti working?
6. Why was Sheikh Hasina forced out?
7. How will Iran respond to Israel’s assassination of Ismail Haniyeh?
8. Is Japan engaging in unfair currency practices?
9. Has COVID become endemic?
10. Should South Africa reorient its foreign policy to be more friendly to the West?
1. Was Walz a good pick?
2. Is there still a substantial number of undecided voters for the 2024 presidential election?
3. Will the U.S. economy go into recession in 2025?
4. How will the Google anti-trust ruling affect the tech sector?
5. Should the Trump tax cuts become permanent?
6. Was the recent stock market decline a blip or a sign of things to come?
7. Is Governor Gavin Newsom taking the wrong approach to clearing homeless encampments?
8. Are expectations about AI inflated?
9. Is a vote for Harris a vote for a second Biden term?
10. Should there be more regulations on sports betting to prevent use by underage users?
Here are the first extemp questions of the 2024-2025 season! We will be rolling out some additional content this month as it can be completed. Remember that news quizzes will resume Labor Day week (September 4).
1. Should Trump ditch Vance?
2. Will protests be a major problem at the Democratic National Convention?
3. Has the Federal Reserve waited too long to reduce interest rates?
4. Should the Arizona school voucher experiment discourage other states from trying it?
5. Will there be a presidential debate between Trump and Harris?
6. How should President Biden spend the remaining months of his presidency?
7. If the 2024 presidential election is centered on culture wars does that benefit Trump or Harris most?
8. Will white collar employment be devastated by the rise of AI?
9. Should the U.S. continue to do prisoner swaps with Russia?
10. How should the U.S. respond to the stolen election in Venezuela?
Note: These will be the last practice questions for the 2023-2024 season. Check back for new questions on August 5.
1. Was the result of the Indian elections a major setback for Narendra Modi?
2. Is America’s national debt imperiling the global economy?
3. To what degree should Claudia Sheinbaum stick with AMLO’s agenda?
4. Could the Conservative Party finish third in the British parliamentary elections?
5. Is there anything the West can do to push China to improve its human rights record?
6. Would “deglobalization” make the world less safe?
7. Should Germany consider a nuclear weapons program?
8. Would it be in Turkey’s best interest to form a closer relationship to China?
9. Will battles over “culture war” issues inhibit cooperation among nations in the Americas?
10. How can South Africa best tackle income inequality?
Note: These will be the last practice questions for the 2023-2024 season. Check back for new questions on August 5.
1. Can the U.S. prepare for simultaneous wars in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East?
2. Will President Biden’s new asylum restrictions have a significant effect on migration levels into the United States?
3. Should the U.S. be alarmed at growing marijuana use?
4. Will Amazon’s entry into the grocery business fail?
5. Should more U.S. states pass legislation to ban smartphones from schools?
6. Is it too late for President Biden to change the way voters perceive the state of the U.S. economy?
7. Due to the growth of legalized sports gambling, will sports betting scandals become more common in U.S. sports?
8. How should Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson handle upcoming negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union?
9. Is there a case the SEC could bring against Keith Gill for market manipulation?
10. What can lawmakers do to solve America’s housing crisis?
1. Due to Donald Trump’s conviction, should the Republican Party choose a different presidential nominee?
2. After his conviction, will Donald Trump have to do jail time?
3. Will Robert Kennedy, Jr. qualify for CNN’s presidential debate?
4. What should the U.S. do after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a ceasefire proposal with Hamas?
5. Will the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic play a role in the 2024 presidential election?
6. How will AI affect Internet search results?
7. Will Vermont’s Climate Superfund legislation survive legal challenge?
8. Is Boston’s community policing model working?
9. What cuts in the U.S. military budget should be made?
10. Should the FDA approve MDMA for PTSD?
1. How should the results of the South African elections be interpreted?
2. Is Netanyahu right to reject President Biden’s three-phase deal to end its war with Hamas?
3. Do democracy activists in Hong Kong have any more cards to play?
4. Is the international community failing to cure the causes of refugee flight?
5. Have drug cartels damaged the credibility of Mexican elections?
6. Will the fighting in el-Fasher decide the outcome of Sudan’s civil war?
7. How should South Korea respond to North Korea’s trash balloon campaign?
8. Will Rolexgate shorten the presidential term of Dina Boluarte?
9. Is it too soon for the European Central Bank to lower interest rates?
10. Will the new Dutch coalition live up to its pledge to reduce immigration?
1. Will the Trump campaign recapture the Sun Belt in 2024?
2. Would it be counterproductive for the U.S. to sanction the International Criminal Court over a possible indictment of Israeli leaders?
3. Do U.S. schools have a major grade inflation problem?
4. What killed Red Lobster?
5. Is Donald Trump’s support among African American voters overstated?
6. Does the Biden administration need to push for more school funding to handle an influx of ESL students?
7. Should Samuel Alito recuse himself from criminal cases concerning Donald Trump and January 6?
8. Is American neo-liberalism dead?
9. Should California abandon its bullet train project between Los Angeles and San Francisco?
10. Does it still serve American national interests to engage with international institutions?
1. Who will be Iran’s next president?
2. Will China squeeze, rather than seize, Taiwan?
3. Would an ICC indictment of Benjamin Netanyahu hasten the end of the war in Gaza?
4. Does Germany need an early election?
5. Are Haiti’s gangs getting stronger?
6. Is a summer election more advantageous for the Conservative Party than holding an election in the fall?
7. Should the West ease its rules on what its weapons in Ukraine can be used for?
8. Is the Philippines doing enough to stabilize Mindanao?
9. Should Mexico follow El Salvador’s approach to crime?
10. How can wealthier nations increase the number of people willing to do military service?
1. What does the sacking of Sergei Shoigu signal about the future of Russia’s war in Ukraine?
2. Should the EU shrink its existing membership?
3. Does Tajikistan have a jihadism problem?
4. How will rising unemployment impact the South African elections?
5. Are the high debt levels of Western European nations too high?
6. Is North Korea gearing up for an invasion of South Korea?
7. Should Panama shut down migrants passage through the Darien Gap?
8. Has Mexican democracy slid backwards under AMLO?
9. Is the rise of digital ID systems a threat to privacy rights worldwide?
10. How would the end of Israel’s wartime coalition affect its war with Hamas?
1. Should President Biden promote his plans to tax richer Americans and corporations more?
2. Are higher U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles a good idea?
3. Is there too much “punditry” in American journalism?
4. Why are Democratic Senate candidates polling better than President Biden?
5. Is “judge-mandering” becoming a big problem in the American legal system?
6. Will the rise of AI worsen American income inequality?
7. Are the agreed upon debates between Biden and Trump taking place too early?
8. Is U.S. public education collapsing?
9. Can the U.S. economy wean itself off of cheap Chinese goods?
10. Is it more likely that interest rates go higher or lower by the end of 2024?
1. Should Donald Trump lose his Secret Service protection if he is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence?
2. Will TikTok’s lawsuit against the U.S. government eventually reach the Supreme Court?
3. Should media organizations be given greater protection from lawsuits?
4. Does the U.S. need to rethink its approach toward autocratic states?
5. Is President Biden focusing too much of his re-election effort on shoring up his base?
6. Would the collapse of the liberal international order do significant damage to U.S. national security?
7. Does Donald Trump need to select a moderate vice presidential candidate?
8. Should the TSA be abolished?
9. Does the IRS need more funding?
10. Should the U.S. reverse its position on Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries?
1. Do more open migration policies by Western governments make it easier for totalitarian states to hold onto power?
2. Are the fates of Ukraine and Taiwan interconnected?
3. How significant is the global competition for semiconductors?
4. Should Israel have been allowed to compete at Eurovision?
5. How will East Asia’s demographic crunch affect global politics?
6. Has the Israel-Hamas war proved that Hamas is incapable of governing?
7. What does a warming global climate mean for global health outcomes?
8. Would it be a mistake for the Democratic Alliance to coalition with the ANC after the next South African election?
9. Is China winning its “cold war” with the West?
10. Will the result of the Panamanian presidential election produce positive economic results?