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Zoltan Istvan, a transhumanist journalist, is running for the U.S. presidency as a Republican in 2020, challenging President Donald Trump in the primary.

Istvan, who also ran for president in 2016 on a lesser scale, has written for The New York Times, Vice, and National Geographic, and describes himself as the founder of the Transhumanist Party, the original author of the Transhumanist Bill of Rights, and a frequently interviewed expert on AI, genetic editing, tech policy, and futurism.

His campaign policies for 2020 range from the relatively normal to the quite absurd, from ending the drug war, beating China in the artificial intelligence race, restoring the environment, and providing universal basic income for all, to the development of artificial wombs, nearly open borders, stopping mass shootings and terrorism with drones, robots, AI scanners, and other technology, and licensing parents, or as Istvan explained, requiring prospective parents to pass a series of basic tests, similar to a DMV driving test, to quality and get the green light to get pregnant and raise children.

As a passionate transhumanist (or, as philosopher Max More explains, someone who supports the evolution of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations by means of science and technology), reportedly with a microchip in his hand that allows him to open doors and use his phone, Istvan also wants the Republican Party to reclaim transhumanism from the far-left.

This week, Mediaite got the opportunity to talk with Istvan about his 2020 campaign and the policies within.

Your campaign policies are very interesting. Typical libertarian policies mixed with some quite out-there stuff like artificial wombs, nearly open borders, and stopping borders with drones. What was the inspiration behind such an odd variety of campaign focuses?

I was busted for dealing marijuana I guess maybe 26 years ago, where I was convicted of a felony conviction for distribution of narcotics, which also made me highly libertarian kind of from the start of my adult years. And then as I went through the National Geographic days I began to try to think about what would be better policy so we didnt get in these wars all the time and the government sort of left us alone. But at the same time, its not that I want to be left alone entirely. I think there should be some safety nets.

If you look through some of my 2020 plans youll see theres a lot of liberalism built into it, so it kind of tries to take the very best parts from all the different ideologies that are out there and put it in one. To be honest, I just dont understand why there cant be conservative people like myself who are totally socially liberal, and while thats classic libertarianism, the reality is that the Libertarian Party just doesnt have enough connections, money, and all these other things to run campaigns that can actually win office, which is ultimately why Im now with the Republicans trying to make a difference, trying to get people that might be fiscally conservative to have some sensibility when it comes to being more open-minded.

You say on your campaign website that youre trying to reclaim transhumanism from the far-left. What do you mean by that?

Thats probably my number one policy goal right now, and its because whats happened recently, at least in the last four or five years, is it seems like transhumanism has been growing dramatically. Im excited about that, but its also growing dramatically to the left, and if it continues to grow and grow in that direction it means that it will be almost this socialist dystopia, in my opinion, where everyone thinks they own everything and they can just do what they want.

Innovation, capitalism and Im saying this from an entrepreneur of twenty years it requires free markets in many ways to come up with these creative ideas in the first place. We all love going to Europe. We all love the quasi-socialism that they have there when were there. But Europe hasnt really created anything innovative in fifty years. I mean not much when you compare to, lets say, America. We want to be careful that in order for transhumanism to survive, it doesnt fall into the hands of the new breed of socialists that America is contending with. Silicon Valley is going that direction, Ive been watching that happen over the last ten years, and so I thought it was finally time somebody stood up and said, Wait a second, we need a better balance here. We need a balance of people who are willing to innovate in libertarian-minded economical ideals without bowing down to the far left.

So do you think transhumanism would die out if we did end up with a socialist society?

No. I dont think it would die out. I just think so you gotta understand the number one goal of transhumanism is really to try to overcome biological death by finding technology. And really, what happens when you put socialism into medicine and some of these other things, innovation dramatically stops. So somebody like myself whos 46-years-old, and of course all the other older people that have been involved in the movement forever, if innovation and science and all that other stuff stopped just even for ten or fifteen years, or doesnt go as fast as it is, a huge amount of extra people wont make it to this new generation where well have all these different techniques to keep people alive.

So theres actually a race going on. A race to keep transhumanism in kind of this capitalistic, libertarian somewhat framework so that innovation continues to move forward and that people like myself will have a chance in thirty years to actually benefit from these life extension medications and innovations that come out.

If we are able to overcome death with science by 2030 versus the year 2050, over one billion lives will be saved. So the meaning here is incredibly important, which is why Im very cautious about socialists being in charge.

Are you not worried that we could end up with a Fallout: New Vegas Mr. House situation, where you have a really really rich guy, or a bunch of rich people who are practically living forever, while no one else can get access to this technology?

That is one of my number one fears.

First of all, from a transhumanist perspective, if everyone lives forever, were going to have overpopulation problems, and I already believe we have overpopulation problems. You can see the climate changing and things like that.

But I think the other one is, whats to keep the Mark Zuckerbergs and the other people of the world from taking this radical technology, using it on themselves, and leaving the rest of us behind? This is where I lose a little bit of my libertarianism, and all the libertarians get mad at me. I actually think under these circumstances there should be some government mandate when it comes to healthcare, when it comes to different types of rights to life extension. That we should all have some type of a universal right to life extension and some of these medicines, even it requires government grants and things like that, because the very last thing that I want to do is create a world where only the one percent has access to these technologies, or even beyond the one percent, and the rest of the people get left behind in some kind of dystopia.

So, this is where I kind of break down and say a little bit of big government is fine, especially if its going to protect and make sure everyone has benefits to this new future that were talking about: the Transhumanist Age.

Do you think there are already some minor life extension schemes going on in the one percent?

I dont believe that theres a conspiracy going on with the one percent, because if it is, I havent heard about it. There are companies like Human Longevity. They cater only to the very wealthy But its not that they dont cater to the super poor, its just that their prices are expensive and theyre not covered by insurance, so only the very wealthy use them.

I would be very surprised if even someone like Peter Thiel has a very strict regiment of kind of undercover, secretive longevity people. I think were all working on this together. We realize the humanitarian aspects of making us all live longer. The person who could come up with the magic pill, or 3D-printing organs, however were going to keep ourselves alive longer, I think not only is it the most important capitalistic thing someones going to become a trillionaire off these kinds of innovations but I also think theres a very deep humanitarian aspect to share with your family, your friends. So I dont think people are hording this technology. I just dont think weve come up with the right technologies yet.

But if you look at the statistics, five years ago this was maybe a one or two billion dollar industry when you talk about longevity, and Bank of America recently said its going to be a 600 billion industry by 2025. I mean it is skyrocketing in terms of venture capital and investment. A lot of money is coming into it, so I hope by now in the next two to five years youre going to have a lot more innovation and announcement.

It seems like youre putting up more of a fight this primary to beat President Trump. Last election you put up a fight, but you werent listed on the ballots, whereas this time youre going to be listed on some the ballots, right?

Yeah, were going to be on basically all the ballots we can be until Super Tuesday, and were going to see how we do. Were spending a lot of our funding for ballot access right now, but thats okay. What happened is the first time around, I had some unique ideas. Of course, I had been a writer for a lot of major media, and so people listened and they liked those ideas, but for the Transhumanist Party as an independent, you really cant make any ground unless you have ballot access.

Were hoping that if we do well in New Hampshire, and were hoping that if we do well in Iowa, maybe get a few delegates here, then we could all of a sudden take it to the next level and make a real push to try to compete against Trump.

Id be lying to you if I said, Look, I think were going to win this thing. Thats not really what were trying to do. What were trying to do is get the attention of the Republican Party and say, Isnt it time there could be a new way of looking at things? Does it always have to be fiscally conservative and also conservative moral values? Why doesnt the Republican Party open itself up to socially liberal values? They would make a lot more room for people like myself who fit right there in the middle. Who dont want to necessarily give up all their money to the government, but also want to say to people, Hey you can do exactly what you want to do with your body. This is something that I dont think the Republican Party has had yet from any kind of public figure or anyone whos run a real viable campaign.

If you could address Republican voters right now with a short statement, what would you say?

The premise here with Trump is that we were promised greatness, and that sounded kind of neat in the beginning, and I was excited not to have an attorney at the top of the chain of command in America, but it turns out that Trump didnt really deliver that.

All we have are these squabbles in America. It seems like peoples views are just attacking each other. I really think its time not only just for a professional to be in the White House, but for somebody with really brand new ideas. And I dont mean empty the swamp. I mean lets fly above the swamp. Why do we even need to be in the swamp anymore? This is the kind of thing Im trying to bring.

Photo courtesy of Zoltan Istvan.

This interview has been edited and condensed for content and clarity.

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Meet the Microchipped Transhumanist Cyborg Whos Running Against Trump in the 2020 GOP Primary - Mediaite

Senator Marco Rubio speaks at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, March 14, 2018.(Joshua Roberts/Reuters)We put plenty of restraints on economic activity. What we dont need is unfettered government.

Enemies of unfettered capitalism, unite!

For as long as I can remember, people on the left have complained about unfettered capitalism. Moderate liberals do it, and of course flat-out Marxists do it.

In his new book, A Bit of Everything: Power, People, Profits and Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz contends that the only way well be able to confront climate change is through a new social contract.

Capitalism will be part of the story, but it cant be the kind of capitalism that weve had for the last 40 years, Stiglitz writes. It cant be the kind of selfish, unfettered capitalism where firms just maximize shareholder value regardless of the social consequences.

Senator Bernie Sanders said earlier this year that we have to talk about democratic socialism as an alternative to unfettered capitalism.

History texts insist that the New Deal followed in the wake of the unfettered capitalism of the 1920s. The Progressive Era, were told, was in part a response to the unfettered capitalism of the late 19th century and the Gilded Age. In 1987, the Milwaukee Journal reported that Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev planned to visit Trump Tower, that glittering monument to unfettered capitalism. In 2016, The Nation, a journal that has been at war with unfettered capitalism for nearly a century, ran an essay explaining that America got President Donald Trump because of Americas brand of largely unfettered capitalism.

Recently, the concern with capitalisms unfetteredness has become bipartisan. Senators Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio have taken up the cause in a series of speeches and policy proposals. Conservative intellectuals such as Patrick Deneen and Yoram Hazony have taken dead aim at unrestrained capitalism. J. D. Vance, the author of Hillbilly Elegy, and Tucker Carlson of Fox News have suggested that economic policy is run by ... libertarians.

My response to this dismaying development is: What on earth are these people talking about?

If the Progressive Era was a response to unfettered capitalism, did it accomplish nothing? Teddy Roosevelt broke up the trusts, regulated the food supply, created the National Park System, and fettered the railroads. The Labor Department was established (by President Taft, a conservative) in 1913. The Federal Employees Compensation Act, enacted in 1916, provided benefits to workers injured on the job. The Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act was passed in 1927. And then theres the New Deal, another famous attempt to slap fetters on the rough beast of capitalism. It created Social Security, formally banned child labor, and established the minimum wage, among countless other restraints on capitalism run amok.

I could go on and on. I mean, I havent even mentioned the Great Society.

A fetter is a chain, manacle, or restraint. If you think there are no restraints on the market or on economic activity, why on earth do we have the Department of Labor, HHS, HUD, FDA, EPA, OSHA, or IRS?

The United States has one of the most progressive tax systems in the world (i.e., the share of taxes paid by the rich versus everyone else). If you take into account all social-welfare spending, we spend more on entitlements than plenty of rich countries.

Now, if you think we dont spend, regulate, or tax enough, fine. Make your case. If you think we should spend and tax differently, Im right there with you. But the notion that the United States is a libertarian fantasyland is itself a fantasy. I mean, by the Hammer of Thor, every summer we get stories of kids being fined for running lemonade stands without a license.

My frustration stems from the fact that we fetter the market constantly. And whenever the fetters yield an undesirable result such as, say, the financial crisis of 2008 the blame always lands on eternally unfettered capitalism.

Just to be clear: Im not an advocate for unfettered capitalism. But I am sick and tired of hearing people advocate unfettered government to fight an enemy that doesnt exist. And Im particularly dyspeptic about the fact that conservatives are now buying into the same fantasy.

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Opponents of Unfettered Capitalism Are Fighting a Phantom - National Review

Picture this: Your whole family is gathered around the table for a holiday dinner. Aunt Becky is on her third glass of wine, and winding up to start throwing darts of judgement at your cousins new artist boyfriend. Dad is still bandaging his hand because he sliced it instead of the turkey. And your niece is reminding you for the trillionth time that she HATES stuffing. But you are cool as a cucumber and actually kind of enjoying yourself. Is this a dream?

No! You can have that sense of peace, calm, and true seasonal joy, if you just follow a few steps to take care of your mind and body leading up to the holiday season. Combatting holiday-related anxiety and stress does not have to be complicated. Especially when you have delicious CBD gummies like these made by Verma Farms to help you keep your cool.

CBD gummies serve a wide array of purposes, from anxiety relief to supporting healthier skin. Gummies that are free of THC will not intoxicate you, and it is virtually impossible to overdose on CBD. Though you should go lighter on dosing until you know how it will affect you, you can incorporate CBD into your daily routines. Plus, CBD is losing its stigma, so maybe grandma will want to try a few, too. This will improve multiple facets of your coping. Keep reading and learn how to set yourself up for the best holiday season ever.

This advice goes for any challenge you face in life. When we start gearing up for the holidays, our bodies hold on to stress hormones. This is why we feel more tense, get more headaches, and have a general feeling of unease around the holidays.

Whatever is wrong, there is a good chance that more water will help. Water flushes out your system, helps your body get rid of toxins, and gets your nervous system communicating again. CBD works with your endocannabinoid system to restore homeostasis. When you combine the power of eight glasses of water a day, with the balancing benefits of CBD, then you prime your body for greatness.

This is the most basic step maintaining calm during the holidays, and likely the easiest. It takes virtually no time at all to pop a few gummies into your mouth and go. The time you spend getting the extra water can be that minute you give yourself to reset in your day.

Athletes use CBD to boost their performance and speed up their recovery. They take a few gummies before they work out to help them focus and stay calm. They take CBD gummies after, to help relax sore muscles, reduce inflammation, and speed healing.

Even if you are not an athlete, you will benefit from working CBD into your workout. If you do not normally work out, then why not get a head start on your holiday resolutions and start now? Exercising can be a rewarding way to manage stress, getting all those feel-good hormones flowing, and clearing out the anxiety.

You dont have to turn into Hercules or run a 5k tomorrow. Even some relaxing yoga or a brisk walk can do wonders for your emotional health. Give yourself an extra boost by taking a few gummies to prevent soreness and help you stay motivated.

When you feel your best physically, it is much easier to deal with the stress and pressure of the holidays. Unfortunately, most holiday foods are loaded with sugar, fat, calories, and salt, which can make you feel sluggish and bloated. It wont kill you to indulge a little on the holidays, but in the time leading up to holiday meals, do your best to keep your eating as healthy as possible. This will help you feel less bloated and grumpy, while also helping you avoid the holiday pounds.

Fill up on fresh fruits and veggies before holiday parties. That way, you wont be as tempted to indulge in a third candy-cane cutout cookie. Keep a bag of sweet gummies on hand to help reduce social jitters. No more stress-eating pretzels and dip. Take a few CBD gummies and get out on the dance floor.

Getting enough sleep during this stressful time is vital. You need sleep for your body and nervous system to repair itself. You need sleep for your immune system to function properly. And you need sleep in order to regulate emotions. When you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, your rest is wrecked. A few CBD gummies a half-hour before bed will help you slip off to dreamland and stay there until your morning alarm. Wake up feeling refreshed and ready to untangle those long strings of lights waiting in your garage.

Your holiday season will get a whole lot easier when you incorporate a few simple self-care steps into your daily routine. Boost your mood and your motivation with CBD gummies. They reduce anxiety and depression, clear up those holiday zits, speed recovery from shopping fatigue, and give you the support you need in order to be your best self this holiday season.

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How CBD Gummies Can Be Used For Holiday Stress Relief - The Libertarian Republic

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. The San Diego Registrar of Voters will send postcards to 1.8 million San Diego County voters to alert them of California's political party rules on voting for president in the March 3, 2020 primary election.

Political parties decide who can vote for their presidential candidates.

RELATED: First-time San Diego voters gather to watch 5th Democratic debate

Anyone who is registered as nonpartisan also known as independent, no party preference or decline to state will not see the presidential race on their primary election ballot at all. To vote for president on March 3, 2020, they must act to get that option.

The American Independent, Democratic or Libertarian parties are allowing nonpartisan voters to cross over and vote for their presidential candidate. But they must request one of those ballots.

To vote for a presidential candidate with the Green, Peace and Freedom or Republican party, nonpartisan voters must re-register with that party.

Voters who are already registered with a political party will get only that partys ballot with their presidential candidate. To vote for a candidate in another party, the voter will need to re-register with that party.

During a news conference Thursday morning, Registrar of Voters Michael Vu said its imperative to know the rules and verify your registration to confirm your party status.

We want to make sure every registered voter who wants to cast a ballot for president in the March 2020 primary election has that opportunity, said Registrar of Voters Michael Vu. That means voters need to act sooner rather than later to make sure theyre not caught by surprise on Election Day.

Voters can double check their registration, re-register and register to vote at sdvote.com. Voters who have moved, changed their name or visited the DMV recently will also need to re-register.

For more information, call (858) 565-5800 or visit sdvote.com. You can find additional resources about the upcoming election here.

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Californians have to register with a political party to vote in the 2020 primary - CBS News 8

By Kate Keely

On Nov. 5, I headed to the courthouse around 4 p.m. to vote. The clerk explained there was no voting at the courthouse, only local polling stations, because it was such a small election. Another woman who came to vote was as disappointed as I was.

I headed for my polling station, the Las Cordovas Community Center. The building was gated and there were no signs or lights on. I went to the old armory where a small sign on the locked door stated the armory was no longer a polling station.

I called the phone number on the sign and was told Las Cordovas had been closed because of a gas heating problem. The substitute polling station was at a firehouse across the street from the sanitation plant. I drove up and down the dark road in front of the plant looking for lights or signs, but found none. The water tower across the street was the only thing visible.

When I got home, I was pretty unhinged that, despite traveling to four polling places, my dogged persistence hadn't enabled me to vote. I belatedly remembered being unable to find that firehouse years ago. I learned afterward that the polling station was across a side road, not the main road. Perhaps if it had been lighted, I might have seen it.

How difficult would it have been to redirect voters with signage and lighting from a closed to an open polling station? The voters are not the problem; the infrastructure is. Since the courthouse, the backbone of our voting infrastructure, was already set up for early voting, why not continue accepting voters on election day?

Since media communication is a critical pillar of this infrastructure, perhaps the Taos News could assign one reporter to cover on-the-ground digital updates on where and when to vote and any polling redirects in the system.

Taos has a noble history of proactive, political involvement. With proper, efficient media, lighting and signage, we could potentially better utilize our powerful sense of civic duty and thereby increase our voting numbers.

I realize it was a small election and the school board members ran unopposed. But the point is to make voting an ingrained habit, a commitment, that can be easily accommodated. As the only political power we exercise, voting ascends to a sacred duty. We have to show up.

Our historically weak participation in voting indicates insufficient value is being placed on our citizenship and our democracy. Ours is the only successful democracy in history. Citizens who are too busy, don't think their vote matters or opt to not let daily politics aggravate them, forfeit a rare privilege that could easily be lost due to collective apathy. Then what? A renewed battle against tyranny and dictatorship? All those valiant soldiers who died to maintain our democracy would roll over and moan in their graves.

Let's push to make voting day a national holiday, or at least legislate that workers be released to vote. In order to offset election interference from abroad and voter suppression at home, we will need massive voter turnout. That power is in the hands of the people.

The success of the 2018 elections and the recent election of Democrats and progressives in Kentucky, Virginia, Louisiana, San Francisco and Seattle were outstanding steps forward. This is the beginning of what needs to be an all-out movement to retake our democracy. We must remember that if we don't work constantly to keep it alive and well, our government by the people can slip away in an instant.

Our presidential primary in June will be one of the most important elections in our history. Since our state primaries are still not open, voting will be limited to registered Democrats, Republicans and libertarians. Registered greens and independents will be turned away. Those voters should register temporarily as Democrat, Republican or libertarian, and then reregister back to their party of choice after the primary. It's easy to do at nmvote.org.

Our Climate Generation can now, for the first time, vote in the primary in June as long as they will be 18 by November, 2020. Let's get them registered.

We need to vote like our lives depended on it - because in many ways they do.

Kate Keely is a retired teacher and social worker who lives in Ranchos de Taos.

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Voting infrastructure: Let's iron out the kinks - taosnews