4.12.2018

All your news in a single email. We scour 100+ sources so you don't have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more - all packaged in a 5-minute read below.
 

Paul Ryan to Retire.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R, WI-01) rocked Capitol Hill early yesterday as reports emerged that he will not seek reelection in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections. The former vice presidential candidate will continue until the end of his current term, stepping down next January. As one of the most powerful figures in Washington (see a 101 on the Speaker of the House), the move would leave a power void at the top of the Republican party. Sources indicated that Ryan, who needed to be convinced to step into the Speaker role in 2015 after the retirement of John Boehner, had been mulling retirement since passing comprehensive tax reform last December. Tax overhaul had been one of Ryan's top objectives during his 10-term stint in the House. Current House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (who was injured in a politically-motivated shooting last June) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (who declined the job after Boehner's 2015 retirement) are top contenders to replace Ryan. In comments to reporters, Ryan said his decision was motivated to spend more time with family. 

Though it has never happened, House rules allow for anyone to be elected Speaker - even if that person is not a member of Congress. 

Reporters to Face Charges for Rohingya Reporting.
Two reporters will face charges for reporting on the Rohingya crisis after a judge in Myanmar declined to dismiss a case brought against them by the national government. The two reporters - Wa Lone and  Kyaw Soe Oo, both on duty for Reuters - were arrested for violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act after reporting on a September massacre of Rohingya villagers by the Myanmar military. The killings were part of a larger systemic crackdown on the Muslim minority population, which forced over 620,000 villagers into neighboring Burma amid reports of wholesale massacres of villages. According to published accounts, the pair were arrested in a sort of sting operation where police passed them papers allegedly containing secrets - for which they were promptly arrested for possessing. Their prosecution - as well as the broader massacre - has brought widespread condemnation against the government of Nobel Peace laureate and head of state Aung San Suu Kyi.

Make sure to check out the special report that led to the arrests.

Missouri Gov. Under Pressure to Resign.
Missouri Governor Eric Greitens (R) is facing impeachment threats after a report was released detailing unwanted sexual advances made by Greitens on a woman with whom he was having an affair. The report was released by the Republican-controlled Missouri House of Representatives (read here). The affair came to light in January 2018 - Greitens was subsequently indicted on a felony charge of invastion of privacy, under accusations that he blackmailed the woman to remain silent. Greitens - a former Navy SEAL and rising GOP star - denied the accusation, calling the affair consensual and referring to the report as part of a "political witch hunt". 
 

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Yale's super popular happiness class is now available free online. 

The creators of HBO's Westworld conducted an elaborate troll against the internet.

The amazing story of a blind software engineer at Amazon.

...In related news, this new typeface combines braille with written text. 

Colleges are beginning to allow pets in dorm rooms. (paywall)

Reports say Kim Jong Un may not have an airplane capable of flying across the Pacific. 

Clickbait: Man robs bank, throws cash on Taylor Swift's yard to impress her. 

Historybook: RIP Clara Barton (1912); RIP Franklin D. Roosevelt (1945); HBD David Letterman (1947); Yuri Gagarin becomes first person to orbit Earth (1961); RIP Joe Louis (1981).
 

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
 

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