Inside and outside of elections, Libertarians are making the news across Nevada and the US!

One of our hometown heroes, Robert "Vegas Don" Strawder was recognized by KTNV 13 (ABC News Las Vegas) for putting together and hosting the Inaugural Vegas Teen Choice Talent Showcase, a talent show for at-risk teens to experience validation for using their energies creatively and productively.

KTNV's Cinthia Maldonado writes, "The... Showcase did more than recognize talent in Las Vegas. It reminded at-risk teens they can overcome any barrier regardless of where they come from." When interviewed, Strawder commented, "I know a lot of kids out there don't have a father figure, don't have the right parenting system. I’m just giving them an outlet to showcase their talents and make them believe themselves. Believing is the hard battle."

Up in Northern Nevada, our party Vice Chairman David Colborne proved in the Nevada Independent that he's dedicated enough--and crazy enough--to read all the Assembly bills in Nevada. It's actually a big deal to have Libertarians staying on top of the bills and who are close enough to the stat capital to holler at the legislators, and it does make a difference.

Now, let's get to what everyone really wants to read about: the 2020 presidential election!

In the last edition of LP in the News and Even More LP in the News, the news media had covered that Governor Bill Weld had left the Libertarian Party, but the media was left wildly speculating on his next move. Now that Weld has declared he's challenging Donald Trump in the Republican primary, everybody's writing about him and mentioning the Libertarian Party: the Boston Herald, Washington Times, Washington Post, CBS News, Esquire, CNN, Vanity Fair, USA Today, Yahoo News, and dozens of local news venues and blogs.

Frankly, this is one of the best possible outcomes for the LP. Him stepping into the GOP primary helps the LP protect its brand from the "Republican Lite" association and it opens up the spotlight for more radical LP candidates who can say what the rank-and-file party members really mean: end the War on Drugs NOW, bring our troops home NOW, slash taxes and federal spending NOW, and respect ALL civil liberties, including gun rights and marriage equality under the law (but less laws in general, dammit).

Also, primarying Trump can ONLY hurt the GOP, no matter how slight. That keeps them somewhat at bay from their usual hobby of keeping the LP off the ballot at all costs. After using the courts to get the entire LP slate kicked off the Arizona ballot in 2018, the GOP has it coming.

Now that Weld has left the LP, pragmatic LP members is left in search of the next big name to be the 'mainstream' candidate (i.e., the more moderate and palatable one for the masses). Some of the mainstream center-left media outlets really want the LP nominee to be ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. We the LP members will be a lot more interested in his views on each of the pro-freedom policy outcomes that we demand NOW.

With Weld out of the LP primary, the current front-runner is longtime activist, author, and former talk show host Adam Kokesh. He was photographed being interviewed by Free Talk Live, and that photo appeared in a February article of Forbes on cryptocurrencies. 

Antigravity Magazine, New Orleans' popular guide to alt-culture, wrote a negative review of his book Freedom in which they're mad that he's not trying to abolish corporations or free trade. At least they read it and wrote about it, and now their readers will read the book just to get angry over it. Then, Ken Webster Jr.'s Pursuit of Happiness Show interviewed Kokesh in-studio on KPRC AM 950, and he also appeared on the SIDETRACKED podcast.

Kokesh scares the hell out of some people with radical legal arguments like "The Declaration of Independence is a higher legal authority than the Constitution because the Constitution merely outlines the powers and functions of government, whereas the Declaration creates the US government and outlines the criteria by which governments can be altered or abolished." Now, consider the average not-yet-Libertarian voter we're trying to win away from Bernie or Trump in the 2020 general election. These statists NEED to hear a radical and audacious platform like Kokesh's over and over again if they're ever support the mainstream LP candidate with his more moderate platform, like bringing our troops home NOW and cutting 1 trillion dollars in federal spending NOW--in their eyes this is already very radical. If nothing else, it would be golden for Libertarians to endlessly hold it over all these MAGA cult members and their flag-waving and warmongering that the Libertarian was a combat marine while the incumbent Republican dodged the draft.

Kokesh and former LNC Vice Chair Arvin Vohra were both mentioned in a Springfield News-Sun article on all the known presidential contenders so far. The Federalist Radio interviewed ex-primary candidate John McAfee and also sat down with Matt Welch to talk about cybersecurity, the 2020 election, and the future of the LP. If McAfee seeks the nomination, he may have difficulty with LP members who remember his 2016 promise to stay in the party, and how quickly that fell by the wayside.

Last but not least, Al Diamon of Keep Me Current wrote about the LP's favorite comedy candidate, Vermin Supreme, and in a much better light than Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and the rest of the GOP! "If elected, he promises he’ll give everyone a free pony. He also wants zombie-apocalypse training and time-travel research (neither of which would cost as much as a border wall and both of which make more sense)."

This isn't even all there is to the week's Libertarian headlines! Look out for this week's edition of Even More LP in the News!

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Trump/Weld image courtesy of Stellar Sparks on YouTube. Robert Strawder photo courtesy of Robert Strawder.