NFHS Extemporaneous Speaking Topics
November 2025

Domestic

Closed-Ended

1. Will deployment of National Guard troops to more American cities lead to greater unrest in those communities?

2. Will James Comey succeed in his efforts to have criminal charges against him thrown out of court?

3. Will the spread of fake content on social media undermine users’ trust in the medium?

4. Will rising iPhone sales strengthen Apple’s position in the increasingly competitive smartphone market?

5. Will the Walt Disney Company be able to recover from the loss of business that occurred after the brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show?

6. With early prototypes now available, will “flying cars” become mainstream?

7. Does the US Department of Justice have a strong case against John Bolton?

8. Should the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment extend to illegal drug users?

9. Are US tariffs leading companies to consider bringing factories back to the United States?

10. Has the federal government shutdown done damage to the US economy?

11. Are secret collectible toys, such as Labubus, encouraging gambling behavior among young people?

12. Will Congress be able to come to an agreement that preserves subsidies for the Affordable Care Act?

13. Are US airstrikes on boats in the Caribbean legal?

Open-Ended

1. How will the lengthy shutdown of the federal government impact Americans’ perceptions of Congress?

2. How will recently articulated hypotheses regarding the origins of Autism in children impact the advice doctors give parents?

3. What will be the consequences for higher education institutions that reject the White House’s deal for future federal funding?

4. What steps can high school football take to continue to reduce the risk of the sport for students?

5. What steps is the Trump administration taking to ensure American access to rare earth minerals?

6. What insights can we gain about the 2026 midterm elections from the results of the New York City mayoral elections?

7. Who is best suited to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)?

8. What steps can the federal government take to bring the cost of college under control?

9. Why have inflatable costumes captured so much attention at recent protests in major cities?

10. How is the AI boom helping San Francisco’s economy?

11. How will the federal government shutdown impact US unemployment rates in coming months?

12. How will delays by SpaceX and Blue Origin impact NASA’s strategy for returning to the moon?

International

Closed-Ended

1. Will America’s financial support to Argentina finally bring the Argentine economy the stability it needs?

2. Will mediators be successful in getting Israel and Hamas to agree to additional stages of peace negotiations in Gaza?

3. Should Venezuela anticipate a military invasion by the United States?

4. Will the fragile cease fire between Pakistan and Afghanistan hold?

5. Are protests led by Gen Z a growing threat to world governments?

6. Will the military in Madagascar return power to a democratically elected civilian government or hold on to power themselves?

7. Should Ukraine give up control of land currently occupied by Russia to bring a quicker end to the war?

8. Was María Corina Machado a good choice for the Nobel Peace Prize?

9. Is Qatar’s mediating role critical to achieving peace in the Middle East?

10. Is China’s government succeeding in its war on corruption?

11. With the re-election of its pro-European government, will Moldova move forward with its efforts to join the European Union (EU)?

12. Is Britain’s Labour Party vulnerable to losing power?

13. Should India’s government change its position on purchases of Russian oil?

Open-Ended

1. How will the recent theft of jewels from the Louvre in Paris, France change the security measures taken by major museums around the world?

2. With the fracturing of Japan’s governing coalition, what must the Liberal Democratic Party do if it wishes to retain control of government?

3. How will Rodrigo Paz’s election impact Bolivia’s government?

4. How will the United States’ decision to deny Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine impact the ability of the country to continue its resistance against Russia?

5. How will the impeachment of Peru’s president impact the stability of its government?

6. Why is China cracking down on unauthorized Christian churches?

7. What steps can the European Union take to prevent the Western Balkans from sliding into Russia’s orbit?

8. How will the election of Andrej Babis impact the Czech Republic’s policy toward Ukraine?

9. What steps can Baltic nations take to protect themselves against the “dark fleet” of unofficial Russian naval vessels?

10. Why has illegal immigration to Europe reduced significantly in recent years?

11. What steps can the United Nations take to regain international credibility?

12. How do Israeli arms exports to Europe shape the relationship between the two parties?