Ryan

WASHINGTON – Republicans have tapped Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to deliver the party’s response to President Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, party officials said Friday.

The choice of Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, is meant to signal the party’s commitment to deficit reduction, the officials said. Ryan will deliver the GOP response from the Budget Committee’s hearing room.

“Paul Ryan is uniquely qualified to address the state of our economy and the fiscal challenges that face our country,” Speaker of the House John Boehner said in a statement. “We’re broke, and decisive action is needed to help our economy get back to creating jobs and end the spending binge in Washington that threatens our children’s future. I’m pleased that Paul will be outlining a common-sense vision for moving our country forward.”

For Obama’s first two addresses to a joint session of Congress, Republicans chose governors to deliver the response – first Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, and in 2010, Virginia’s Bob McDonnell. The tradition of the opposition party delivering a formal response dates back to 1966.

Ryan, 40, has represented Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District since 1999. He was a member of Obama’s bipartisan fiscal commission, but voted against the panel’s final recommendations.

Obama is scheduled to travel to Wisconsin on Wednesday in a post-speech barnstorming trip.

mmemoli@tribune.com

KATHERINE Ryan has made a candid confession about motherhood, just three months after welcoming baby daughter Holland.

The comedian, 42, is a mum-of-four and also shares kids Fred, four, and Fenna, three, with her husband Bobby Koostra, while her 16-year-old daughter Violet is from a previous relationship.

And now, Katherine has hinted that there will be no more children to come – something which wasn’t an easy decision.

Sharing a snap of baby Holland in her arms to Instagram, Katherine wrote: “Meanwhile, I gave away a bunch of newborn clothes today and it was heartbreaking.

“I’ve been addicted to pregnancy for give years and giving it up is tough.”

Back in October last year, Bobby described his partner Katherine as the “MVP ” and “Patrick Mahomes of child birth” – referencing the American football player’s famously strong performance on the field.

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In the post, which announced the birth of their daughter Holland, he shared a picture of Katherine sipping on a glass of champagne and revealed she had given birth in just 45 minutes.

Previously, Katherine admitted to The Sun that she “loved” having children and wanted to keep going for as long as possible.

She said in February last year: “I love having children. You can make people – it’s magic.”

“So I’d like as many as we can until it becomes an issue where I can’t spend time with the ones I already have. I think that’s the balance.”

Talking before she had Holland, Katherine continued: “One more, at least, and then if I felt like I had enough attention or life left in me – because I’m also getting old and tired – then I think I’d like five or six children.

“And I do have a Kardashian mindset, in that when I’m gone, or I’m no longer of interest and I’ve got my little pied-à-terre in Marylebone and I’m alone – an eccentric elderly woman watching musical theatre by myself while Bobby’s inside – it’d be so nice for the siblings to get together and have this life beyond me.”

However, parenthood hasn’t been smooth sailing for Katherine either.

Last year, she admitted how “sleep deprived, tired and hungry” both she and Bobby were while juggling their brood.

Appearing on Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s podcast, Newlyweds, she said: “It really tests your relationship. 

“You used to be the most important person in each other’s lives, you cease to be the most important person in each other’s lives. There’s a shift in, you know, roles and responsibilities and focus. 

“You’re both tired and you’re hungry and you’re sleep deprived – that’s how they torture prisoners. I haven’t slept in four years, but I’m kind of fine with it.”

With three kids under five, the sleep is unlikely to come back just yet!

Searle had won 14 consecutive sets without reply to reach his first World Championship quarter-final.

The 38-year-old extended that run to 17 with some clinical finishing in the first three sets against Clayton and a 111 finish in the deciding leg of the fifth, one of his three ton-plus checkouts in the match, helped to secure a spot in the last four.

Clayton scored better for long spells of the quarter-final but too many missed attempts on the outer ring proved costly for the Welsh fifth seed, who landed just 10 of his 40 attempts at doubles (25%).

Searle, in contrast, hit 17 of his 30 attempts (56.7%).

Searle lives with dominant optic atrophy, a genetic eye condition which affects his vision and for which he wears contact lenses.

Speaking to Sky Sports on stage after his win, he said: “I can’t see particularly well.

“Other people who try to play darts, if they can’t see particularly well, try not to let that hold you back.

“I try to be an inspiration to them.”

RYAN Thomas has admitted he almost dumped fiancé Lucy Mecklenburgh after “self sabotaging” during the early stages of their relationship.

The pair are engaged and share two children now but the former Coronation Street star has revealed it all nearly didn’t happen.

The two first met on The Island with Bear Grylls before coming back to the UK and going on proper dates.

On the latest episode of his podcast with his brothers Adam and Scott, The Thomas Bros, the trio were joined by Lucy and Adam’s wife Caroline.

Talk soon turned to Ryan and Lucy’s relationship as they recalled what happened right at the beginning of their blossoming romance.

Love Island star Scott began: “Ryan asked you to be his girlfriend…”

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Lucy added: “On our first date yeah,” as Ryan jumped in: “But wait wait we’d been on an island for a month.”

Scott interjected: “No no wait but how did it… this is cringing me out.”

Lucy continued: “Well we’ve known each other for like two months, we’d been on the island for a month together.”

“Did you not say ‘Are we official?’, Scott asked as Ryan said: “I would never say that I’m old school.”

Former TOWIE star Lucy then dropped: “It gets worse. He later on told me he was meeting me, because I was working in Manchester, meeting me to say “No, no I’m not interested.’

Ryan interrupted to say: ‘I was just a bit like… ugh I dunno I just found it a bit unattractive that someone actually liked me and once I got them I was like “No it’s not for me.”‘

“Then when I went to meet her…”, he added, as Lucy said: “It’s mad isn’t it.”

Clarifying what he was intending to do, Scott exclaimed: “So you were going to break it off and then you saw her.”

Ryan divulged: “And she looked incredible. And she was like super cool and we had this kiss in the car, yeah in Adam’s car.

“I don’t know why you had your shoes off… but your foot were on the dashboard. And I went ‘Yeah I’m in.’”

The couple got engaged back in June 2019 while on holiday in Italy together.

They welcomed son Roman into the world in March 2020 before having daughter Lilah Rae two years later.

Ryan is also dad to singer and Waterloo Road star, Scarlett Thomas, who he shares with ex Tina O’Brien.

The Celebrity Big Brother star previously opened up about Lucy walking out on him during a big date night.

Speaking on the podcast, he expressed: “We got to the hotel, lovely room, went for dinner in this beautiful new restaurant overlooking the whole of Manchester.

‘It just slowly, I just started to feel it bubbling.

“And every time a conversation come up, it was a debate, right, rather than conversation it was like, you just felt the energy was all off.

“I thought she’s gone to the toilet, 10 minutes has passed, 15 minutes has passed, half an hour passed!

“And I was still sat there. So I text her and said ‘long toilet break’.

“I rang her, and it went boom down, I rang her again, and it went down, and then I was like okay, so she’s not coming back.”

Former captain Ryan Brierley is returning to Salford to become chief executive, the consortium that has won the bid to run the phoenix club has said.

Brierley, one of the players who departed the club midway through the 2025 campaign, has ended his playing career at Oldham in order to take on the role.

He has been appointed two days after fellow former Salford player Mason Caton-Brown’s consortium was successful in applying for membership of the second-tier Championship from the Rugby Football League.

The old Salford Red Devils club were wound up on 3 December after a turbulent year, with a mass player exodus, late wage payments, heavy defeats and ultimately the loss of their Super League status for 2026.

“Salford is in my heart, and I believe saving its rugby league heritage is something that transcends rivalry,” 33-year-old Brierley said.

KATHERINE Ryan has revealed that she has had “serious cosmetic surgery” just eight weeks after giving birth to her fourth child.

The comedian and her husband Bobby Kootstra welcomed daughter Holland in October.

And Katherine, 42, says that the little one came along to the surgery, which took place in York – hours away from their London home.

Talking on her podcast, Telling Everybody Everything, Katherine said she is in “no pain” following the procedure.

Katherine explained: “I went to York, it was three and a half hours, I elected to take the baby with me because she just turned eight weeks that day and I’m still breastfeeding her, obviously, I will be for a long time.

“You can’t breastfeed immediately after surgery but I could obviously spend the night with her before and breastfeed her then.

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“I was thinking to myself, after I got this surgery – which, wait until you see it, is pretty serious surgery – I was like, ‘Katherine Ryan what is your damage? What the f*** are you doing? Why have you brought a baby to surgery.’

“But then i thought, up and down this country, worldwide, everyday, we are giving women C-sections and then saying, ‘Sweet, go keep these twins alive’.”

Katherine clarified that a C section is “much more serious” than the procedure she had.

She joked: “So, what’s an elective cosmetic procedure with a newborn?”

Continuing that she is in “no pain”, Katherine said that while she’d like to share what procedure she has had done, it’s under wraps.

The comedian was joined by a filming crew who captured the whole thing for an upcoming docuseries.

She says there is more information coming soon on the show.

Katherine’s husband, Bobby, revealed in October that the comedian welcomed their newborn in just 45 minutes.

She appeared to have a speedy bounce back, as Bobby even shared a snap of the star enjoying a flute of prosecco in hospital following he birth,

Alongside baby Holland, Katherine and bobby share children Fenna, two, and three-year-old Fred.

The comedian is also a mum to 15-year-old Violet, who she has from a previous relationship.