He never really wanted to go into politics, and his time as House speaker has been busy and rewarding, and at times frustrating.

So now as he readies for retirement from the House, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan is eyeing something that might be easier. In fellow Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy’s “Plaidcast,” the two joked about driving the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

Ryan said, “The Wienermobile is an easier job, I’ll put it that way. You’re more popular driving the Wienermobile than being speaker of the House.” ....

The first child of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has gone off to college, and the departure wasn’t pretty. He told of how tight-knit Cuban families handle it differently than others during a chat with students at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics & Public Service.

Rubio said, “It’s a family tragedy when your kids go away to school, far away. My daughter just went away, it’s like five hours away, and it was like a catastrophic event, tearing garments and wailing and so forth, and that was just me.”...

When Donald Trump Jr. recently said that he’d rather “starve” than dine with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi or PETA chief Ingrid Newkirk, the trophy hunter got an unexpected invitation from PETA.

Newkirk’s offering to hold a peace summit over a veggie meal. “It may be a shot in the dark, but a healthy vegan meal could mellow Don Jr.,” she said. No answer yet from Trump, who’ll probably need more than a meal at Washington’s Ben’s Chili Bowl to get over all the shots PETA has taken at him. ...