“Mattis did not ‘freeze’ the trans ban, and he is not buying time in some potentially insubordinate effort to buck Trump. In reality, the secretary is doing exactly what Trump directed him to do in a recent memo.” The military’s transgender ban is on hold, as President Trump comes up against the normal process for getting such things done.

+ Mattis isn’t directly blocking Trump. But the ban is by no means a sure thing. And it could be Trump’s own words that prove to be his biggest hurdle. (Prediction: The ban never happens.)