CONGRESS/ELECTION/PAUL RYAN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Speaker Paul D. Ryan announced Wednesday [4-11-18] that he will not seek re-election in November, ending a brief stint atop the House and signaling the peril that the Republican majority faces in the midterm elections. Mr. Ryan said he will serve until the end of this Congress in January, which will mark 20 years in Congress. He insisted he will be ‘leaving this majority in good hands with what I believe is a very bright future.’ But his retirement, at the age of 48, is sure to kick off a succession battle for the leadership of the House Republican Conference, likely between the House majority leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, and the House majority whip, Steve Scalise of Louisiana. And it could also trigger another wave of retirements among Republicans not eager to face angry voters in the fall and taking their cue from Mr. Ryan. As if on cue, Representative Dennis Ross, Republican of Florida, announced his retirement an hour after Mr. Ryan. Mr. Ryan’s intentions were first reported by Axios.”
-Jonathan Martin and Nicholas Fandos, “Paul Ryan, the House Speaker, Will Not Seek Re-election in November,” The New York Times online, April 1, 2018