Democrats see Wisconsin as proving ground for party revival

Margo Miller thanked her hosts, covered herself in a blue plastic poncho and headed back into the driving sleet Saturday morning, with more doors to knock on in this rural subdivision but with another new volunteer's name on her clipboard.

House panel moves to curb food stamps, renew farm subsidies Source: AP

A bitterly-divided House panel Wednesday approved new work and job training requirements for food stamps as part of a five-year renewal of federal farm and nutrition policy. The GOP-run Agriculture Committee approved the measure strictly along party lines after a contentious, five-hour hearing in which Democrats blasted the legislation, charging it would toss up to 2 million people off of food stamps and warning that it will never pass Congress.

Calif. Republican and allies want renewed immigration fight Source: AP

A quiz: If a bipartisan majority of House members wants votes on a subject that gets sky-high public support, why do they seem likely to fail? And why are they pushing it regardless? Here's some help: It's the politically loaded issue of helping "Dreamer" immigrants. And it's an election year.

Grace Notes: Congress is entering election mode, but flood insurance remains on its to-do list

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., joined from left by, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., meets with reporters following a closed-door Republican strategy session on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 6, 2018. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., joined from left by, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., meets with reporters following a closed-door Republican strategy session on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 6, 2018.

Paul Ryan’s pathetic legacy – Mon, 16 Apr 2018 PST

For someone reputed to be a deep, long-range thinker, outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., showed a surprising lack of foresight in his handling of President Donald Trump. Imagine what will happen if special counsel Robert Mueller concludes that Trump's campaign knowingly colluded with Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 election and that Trump obstructed justice in an attempt to bury the evidence.

Paul Ryan on James Comey: ‘I don’t know the guy’

House Speaker Paul Ryan, speaking in an interview broadcast Sunday, declined to wade into the nasty feud between President Donald Trump and James Comey, the FBI director whom Trump fired last year and who is now promoting a book describing the experience. Ryan, R-Wis., who announced his retirement on Wednesday, has previously defended Comey from Trump's attacks.

Editorial cartoons for April 15, 2018: Cohen is searched, Ryan quits, Zuckerberg testifies

The Federal Bureau of Investigation executed search warrants against the president's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, in an investigation triggered by a referral from Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, announced he would not run for re-election, throwing the campaign for control of the House in the midterm elections into uncertainty.

If Kevin McCarthy wants to be speaker,this may be his biggest obstacle

In the race to succeed Paul Ryan as House speaker, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has one major enemy: time. RyanA s decision to not run for reelection sets up an unusually long race to choose his successor, creating a campaign that is out in the open but almost in a state of suspended animation.

Weather temporarily closes Merrimac Ferry in Sauk, Columbia Counties

The ferry, which is usually open to traffic 24-hours a day, crosses the Wisconsin River between Sauk and Columbia counties and is accessed by Wisconsin State Road 113. County highway department officials say, ordinarily, it closes for the season only until ice forms on the river.

The Russia Investigations: How Solid Is Trump’s Support From The Hill’s GOP Leaders?

The U.S. Capitol is seen at dusk in Washington, D.C. on February 6, 2018. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images hide caption This week in the Russia investigations: How different is the congressional situation now, really? How much might Moscow have depended on straw donors in the United States? After another head-spinning week in Donald Trump's Washington, an important new question is about the strength of the foundation under the support the president has enjoyed from another iconic edifice: The United States Capitol.

Paul Ryan is just about as popular with L.A. Times readers as Preisdent Trump

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan greets President Trump at the National Republican Congressional Committee Dinner in Washington on March 20. Almost as low in our letter writers' esteem as President Trump - and mind you, we're talking about a readership concentrated in deep-blue Los Angeles, writing about one of the most consistently unpopular commanders in chief since the advent of tracking polls - is the politician many consider to have served as the president's most effective enabler, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan .

Smith pursuing House Speaker role amid changes at statehouse – 1:55 am updated:

On Thursday, it was announced Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger was stepping down immediately, moving up a resignation he announced early last week amid talk of an FBI investigation into his activities. Brad Miller, a spokesman for House Republicans, said Thursday that Rosenberger's decision to resign now came at the request of Rep. Kirk Schuring.

Rep. Jim Jordan says he’s open to a run for speaker of the…

Conservative Ohio congressman Jim Jordan - a longtime thorn in the side of Republican leaders on Capitol Hill - said he's open to a run for Speaker of the House following incumbent Paul Ryan's announcement that he won't run for re-election next year. Conservative activists displeased with current GOP leaders have publicly urged the House Freedom Caucus co-founder from Champaign County to seek the job.

Paul Ryan endorses Kevin McCarthy to succeed him as speaker

House Speaker Paul Ryan endorsed Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy -- House Republicans' second in command -- to succeed him as speaker, in an interview with NBC. "I think we all believe that Kevin is the right person," the Wisconsin Republican said in an interview that aired Friday.

As Paul Ryan’s approval climbs, he decides to depart

While Republicans still like Paul Ryan, his imminent departure as Speaker - next January or perhaps sooner - won't break too many up. Polls running from a year ago to more recently show may Americans have become disillusioned with the friendly, wonky, optimistic Wisconsin native who walked down the gangway of that aircraft carrier in 2012 into our national life as the newly-introduced vice presidential running mate of Mitt Romney.

Struggle to replace Ryan could blow up Congress budget deal

A six-month budget truce stitched together by Congress in March could unravel if Republican leaders vying to replace U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan indulge party conservatives who want to renege on critical parts of the pact. At issue is a resurgent move by conservative Republicans to rescind, or cut about $60 billion in non-defense domestic spending increases that were key to winning Democratic votes.