News from the Note:
House Speaker Paul Ryan won’t seek re-election: ‘I like to think I’ve done my part’
He reminded reporters that he took the job “reluctantly” in 2015, when he took over from John Boehner, but Ryan also said he has no “regrets.”“I like to think I’ve done my part, my little part in history to set us on a better course,” Ryan said.
Florida Rep. Dennis Ross Retiring After 8 Years
Ross is the 28th GOP lawmaker — and 25th Republican House member — to announce they will not seek re-election in 2018.
Jim Mattis: “We are still assessing” chemical attacks in Syria
“We are still assessing the intelligence ourselves and our allies. We’re still working on this … We stand ready to provide military options if they are appropriate as the President determines.”— Defense Secretary Mattis
TRUMP IS SO ANGRY, HE MOSTLY JUST EATS AND WATCHES TV: REPORT
Two people familiar with the situation told The Times the president had watched a Fox News piece about the so-called “deep state” working to bring him down, pushing him further into a bad mood.
After he viewed the program, Trump told advisers he wanted to get rid of officials in the Department of Justice who were working against him, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Ousted NSC staffer Cohen-Watnick joining DOJ as Sessions adviser
A Justice Department spokesman confirmed that Ezra Cohen-Watnick, who left the NSC in August, had joined the department. He will reportedly serve as an adviser to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on counterintelligence and counterterrorism.
“He has entered a period of impulsiveness at DEFCON 5,” said one Republican strategist with ties to the White House. “We’re in uncharted territory, where anything can happen.”
Deputy national security adviser Nadia Schadlow resigns
Schadlow is the third senior national security official to resign or be pushed out in the wake of national security adviser John Bolton’s entrée to the White House. She submitted her resignation on Tuesday, according to a copy of her resignation letter obtained by CNN, and a senior White House official said she will remain in her role until April 27 to assist with the transition.
