A. Novice Extemporaneous Event Prompts
9:00 - Round 1 (Ext Draw at 8:45 in )
Speaker 1
- Is it good news or bad news for the US economy that home-price appreciation cooled in September?
- From an economic policy perspective, does Jerome Powell deserve to stay on as the head of the Fed?
- Assuming the Amazon unionization vote happens again, should we expect different results?
Speaker 2
- From a policy perspective, does the Biden Administration decision to tap into the strategic oil reserve make sense?
- Should US consumers welcome the renewed strength of US labor unions?
- Is Janet Yellen right when she tells Congress that Build Back Better will lower deficits in the long run?
Speaker 3
- On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), how concerned should consumers be that Fed Chair Powell thinks it’s time to retire the word “transitory” regarding inflation?
- As Parag Agrawal takes over Twitter, what should be his first priorities?
- Assuming you had $200,000 to invest domestically for retirement, considering the current US economic state, where should you put your money?
Speaker 4
- On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), for retailers how promising will be this year’s Christmas shopping impact?
- Is the nine-month low in consumer confidence justified considering the perception that the US job market is getting better?
- To what degree will any good come from the FTC’s study on supply-chain problems and shortages?
Speaker 5
- From a policy perspective, should House Democrats follow through on the proposal to raise the cap for deduction for state and local taxes (SALT) from $10,000 to $80,000?
- How concerning is it that Congress continues to use stopgap funding continuing resolutions instead of actually reaching a real agreement on funding the federal government?
- Should consumers welcome Fed Chair Powell’s assertion that the pace of tapering should wrap up sooner than expected?
Speaker 6
- With California Inland Empire warehouse vacancy rates at an all-time low, how bad will this be for the holiday shopping season?
- Political posturing aside, should Congress accept Richard Cordray’s nomination as the top federal banking regulator?
- On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), how justified are Americans in giving consumer confidence a nine-month low?
11:15 - Round 2 (Ext draw at 11:00)
Speaker 1
- How should the Supreme Court rule in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization?
- What’s the bigger threat to the Biden Administration’s agenda- GOP opposition or the lack of Democrat unity?
- Is the turmoil and turnover with coaching changes at so many traditionally important schools good for the health of college football?
Speaker 2
- What grade should Los Angeles and San Diego schools get for wanting to de-emphasize grades?
- Should the omicron variant push retailers to deploy vaccine mandates?
- On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), how big a threat to free and fair elections is the GOP push in Wisconsin to take over the state’s election system?
Speaker 3
- Democrats claim they learned their lesson from the debate over Obamacare and will successfully apply it to the Build Back Better agenda- but will they?
- After her initial comments about Representative Omar, is Representative Boebert justified in saying her Twitter apology to “anyone in the Muslim community” should suffice?
- Does the wave of free agency spending mean it’s more likely a possible Major League Baseball lockout will be a short one?
Speaker 4
- How should the Supreme Court rule in the Bill Cosby case?
- As redistricting efforts are finishing up, will gerrymandering be any better or worse this time around?
- How admirable, if at all, are the resignations of Stephen Hayes and Jonah Goldberg over what they call a pattern of incendiary and fabricated claims by Fox opinion hosts in support of former President Trump?
Speaker 5
- How many House Republicans are going to face serious primary challenges because they voted for Biden’s infrastructure bill?
- What does the federal appeals court decision to uphold California’s ban on large-scale ammunition magazines portend for the larger national effort to deal with gun violence?
- How concerned should former President Trump be about the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 riot?
Speaker 6
- As a matter of law, should former President Trump be able to block the release of his January 6 documents?
- FiveThirtyEight argues it’s still not time to pay attention to 2024 polls, so should Democrats relax for the moment?
- Should Moderna’s warning about the impact of the omicron variant be understood more as an honest concern or a way to help the company’s bottom line?
2:15 - Finals (Extemp Draw at 2:15)
Speaker 1
- Is South Africa justified in saying the current system actually penalizes them for being quick to reveal the development of the omicron mutation?
- Assuming there is an early election, what are the odds that President Erdogan and the AKP are voted out of office?
- Should the US be taking a more aggressive position on Central American kleptocrats?
Speaker 2
- Will leftist opposition candidate Xiomara Castro actually take power as Honduras’ next president?
- What should India’s farmers do now that they successfully faced down the Modi government?
- How much is the NATO message to Russia that there would be a “high price to pay” if it were to use force against Ukraine bluster or a serious threat?
Speaker 3
- Should the IOC have done more to protect Pen Shuai?
- On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), how successful do you predict the US “Summit for Democracy” is going to work out?
- Is Vladimir Putin at risk of overplaying his hand by exploiting or instigating several of the crises facing Europe?
Speaker 4
- On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), what is the likelihood that there will be an agreement coming from the latest round of Iran nuclear deal talks?
- Greece plans to fine unvaccinated residents over the age of 60: Boon or Bane?
- Critics contend that Saudi Arabia and China are using sports to cover up human rights abuses- is it working?
Speaker 5
- How should the world’s central banks deal with omicron’s inflation risk?
- Are the Russian and Chinese complaints about the US “Summit for Democracy” justified?
- To what degree is there hope that Ethiopia’s breakup doesn’t have to be violent?
Speaker 6
- How should the US adapt its Africa foreign policy in light of China’s growing influence?
- What are the odds that this week’s special session of the World Health Organization arrives as a viable global treaty covering pandemics?
- On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high) how likely will Germany’s “traffic light” coalition succeed?
Speaker 7
- Does the plunge in the price for Oman crude make it more or less likely OPEC+ will restore supply in response to the challenges created by the new omicron variant and US-led coordinated releases from national reserves?
- What’s the likelihood that Eric Zemmour can win against President Macron in next year’s election?
- Assuming you had $200,000 to invest outside of the US for retirement, considering the world’s economic state, where should you put your money?
Speaker 8
- What does the latest covid mutation reveal about the international vaccine inequalities?
- What level of optimism should Sweden’s newly elected Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson bring to the office considering she had to resign the position last week?
- In light of the 27 deaths from drowning, what should France and the UK do about migrant boat crossings?