Welcome to this week’s installment of In Case You Missed It, a weekly news roundup that focuses on some of the biggest news stories from around the globe every week. So, in case you missed it, here’s your week in review:
Augustus Invictus Leaves the Libertarian Party
An angered Augustus Invictus, former Libertarian candidate for United States Senate in Florida, called his now-former party an “organization fanatically devoted to losing,” in a livestream today.
“The one time they came to win something at the federal level, it was to stop me to from challenging Marco Rubio for the United States Senate in Florida,” Invictus explained.
Invictus went on to cite a number of reasons why he left, including baseless attacks by fellow libertarians. Over the course of his campaign he was called a “devil worshiper, a genocidal maniac, a fascist neo-Nazi hate monger, a white supremacist, and a hundred other things.” Invictus was a victim of attacks from LP members, all the way up to the former Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Florida, and the national party chairman.
He continued with his statement trying to provide constructive advice about how to fight against statism and fight for liberty. He suggested that libertarians should fight to win, and that if a party is going to exist, that it should play to win. He sees his party switch as a move from “the collegiate level, to the big leagues,” joining a party that likely will “not welcome [him] with open arms” but is at least playing to win and fight against the tyranny of the left.
You can watch his full statement here.
Donald Trump Goes Libertarian on Education
President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to begin pulling the federal government out of K-12 education.
This order, dubbed the “Education Federalism Executive Order,” follows through on his campaign promise to bring education back down to the state and local levels.
According to The Washington Times, a 300-day review of “Obama-era regulations and guidance for school districts” will soon begin. The order will direct “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to modify or repeal measures she deems an overreach by the federal government.”
This order is a huge move for the Trump administration in terms of advancing the principles of liberty and small government. Getting the federal government out of national education standards — leaving it up to the state and local jurisdictions — is an amazing advancement for liberty.
Rwanda Reportedly Kills Criminals Without Trial
Human Rights Watch reports that “at least 37” people accused of petty crimes in Rwanda have been executed rather than given a trial, between the times of July 2016 and March of 2017.
According to BBC News, “most of the alleged victims were accused of theft – in one case stealing bananas. Others were accused of smuggling marijuana, illegally entering the country, or using illegal fishing nets.”
Human Rights Watch believes that the executions are part of a plan by the Rwandan government to “spread fear, enforce order and deter any resistance to government orders or policies.”
The Rwandan government denies that any of the killings took place.
If true, this is an awful display of disregard for human rights by the Rwandan government.
That’s all for this week. Check back next Friday for another weekly news round up, in case you missed it.
Photo Credit: The Miami Herald
Nicholas Amato
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