Ryan’s GOP swept away by a Trumpian revolution

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., tells reporters he will not run for re-election amid Republican concerns over keeping their majority in the House of Representatives, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, April 11, 2018. WASHINGTON - As he announced his exit from public life, Speaker Paul Ryan tried hard to show appreciation for the man who took the Republican Party from his grasp and transformed it into something else.

Paul Ryan’s retirement echoes GOP departures from Philadelphia region

After House Speaker Paul Ryan announced Wednesday that he would not seek reelection, he'll follow up with a very different task Thursday: swearing in the newest Democratic representative, Southwestern Pennsylvania's Conor Lamb. The juxtaposition of the departing GOP leader welcoming a Democrat who won a stunning special election upset last month will briefly encapsulate Republicans' growing fear of a coming political wipeout this fall.

Trump in Twitter war with New York Times as he gets correction wrong

Trump in bizarre Twitter war with New York Times as he wrongly attacks paper for article about Ukrainian's $150,000 foundation donation for 20-minute video speech Trump spoke to a 2015 Kiev conference via video link in exchange for a $150,000 donation to his family charity President claimed Wednesday that The New York Times got it wrong - but his claims agree with what was in the original story Donald Trump's latest Twitter spat with The New York Times left Washington insiders scratching their heads on Wednesday when the president tried to correct a 'phony story' that was already correct.

Ryan bowing out, sending ripples of uncertainty through GOP

House Speaker Paul Ryan announced Wednesday he will retire rather than seek another term in Congress as the steady if reluctant wingman for President Donald Trump, sending ripples through a Washington already on edge and spreading new uncertainty through a party bracing for a rough election year. The Wisconsin Republican cast the decision to end his 20-year career as a personal one, saying he did not want his children growing up with a "weekend dad."

The Latest: Trump: Paul Ryan leaves ‘legacy of achievement’

President Donald Trump says that while Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan has decided not to run for re-election, Ryan leaves a "legacy of achievement." Trump says on Twitter Wednesday: "Speaker Paul Ryan is a truly good man, and while he will not be seeking re-election, he will leave a legacy of achievement that nobody can question.

Diamond And Silk: No, Facebook Hasn’t Contacted Us

Pro-President Donald Trump social media personalities Diamond and Silk denied that Facebook ever reached out to them after their page was labeled "unsafe for the community" and banned by the social media site. The two women appeared as guests and were asked about CEO's Mark Zuckerberg's testimony before the Senate the day before, on Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter's "Mornings on the Mall" radio show Tuesday Facebook spokeswoman Sarah Pollack gave the following statement to The Washington Post about the mislabeling of the women's page: We have communicated directly with Diamond And Silk about this issue.

Trump says ‘missiles coming’ against Syria, ‘new and smart’

Defying Russian warnings against U.S. military strikes in Syria, President Donald Trump said Wednesday that missiles "will be coming" in response to Syria's suspected chemical attack that killed at least 40 people. "Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria," Trump tweeted.

Trump reportedly mulls firing Rosenstein; could the president appoint a replacement?

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing the special counsel's investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election. Trump is considering more aggressive action to rein in Robert Mueller after the FBI's Monday raids on the offices and temporary home of the president's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, two anonymous sources tell CNN .

As Trump fumes over FBI raid, White House lawyers urge restraint

White House lawyers are trying to dissuade U.S. President Donald Trump from seeking to get rid of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, as Trump weighs options after the FBI raided his personal attorney's office and home, two U.S. officials said on Tuesday. White House lawyers Ty Cobb and Donald McGahn have been telling Trump that firing Mueller would leave the president vulnerable to charges of obstruction of justice and have said that he must have "good cause" to order Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to oust Mueller, the officials said.

Trump seethes over FBI raid, ponders firing those he blames

President Donald Trump was so incensed by the FBI's raid of his personal attorney's office and hotel room that he's privately pondered firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and publicly mused about ousting special counsel Robert Mueller. The raid, in which agents seized attorney Michael Cohen's records on topics including a $130,000 payment to a porn actress who alleges she had sex with Trump, left the president more angry than advisers had seen him in weeks, according to five people familiar with the president's views but not authorized to discuss them publicly.

As Trump fumes, senators craft a bill to protect Mueller Source: AP

A bipartisan group of four senators is moving to protect special counsel Robert Mueller's job as President Donald Trump publicly muses about firing him. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware and Cory Booker of New Jersey plan to introduce legislation Wednesday that would give any special counsel a 10-day window in which he or she could seek expedited judicial review of a firing, according to two people familiar with the legislation.

Trump ethanol moves may be worse for farmers than soy tariff

Based on his own back-of-the-envelope calculations, Minnesota farmer Kirby Hettver could lose tens of thousands of dollars of earnings because of President Donald Trump. But damaging as the brewing trade war with China may turn out to be for Hettver and other American soybean farmers, he says the greater financial impact could come if Trump moves ahead with changes to the U.S. ethanol mandate, known as the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS.

Trump looks to pack the courts with conservatives

President Donald Trump, finding it harder than expected to get his legislative agenda accomplished on Capitol Hill, is looking to pack the courts with conservative jurists. The latest step in the process came on Tuesday, when the White House unveiled its 12th wave of judicial nominees, US attorneys and US Marshals, a package of 30 people who will now face confirmation battles in the Senate.

Senators move to protect Mueller as Trump criticizes probe

A bipartisan group of four senators is moving to protect special counsel Robert Mueller 's job as President Donald Trump publicly muses about firing him. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware and Cory Booker of New Jersey plan to introduce legislation Wednesday that would give any special counsel a 10-day window in which he or she could seek expedited judicial review of a firing, according to two people familiar with the legislation.

Gradual deployment of US troops to Mexico border underway

The deployment of National Guard members to the U.S.-Mexico border at President Donald Trump's request was underway Tuesday with a gradual ramp-up of troops under orders to help curb illegal immigration. The Trump administration also announced that Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will visit this week a stretch of new border wall breaking ground in New Mexico, putting additional focus on what Trump has called a crisis of migrant crossings and crime.