TRANSGENDER POLICY BACK TO TRUMP: More than six months after President Trump surprised the Pentagon with a series of morning tweets announcing his intention to ban transgender troops from the U.S. military, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has forwarded his recommendations to White House, officials have confirmed to me.

Nothing changed after Trump’s July 26 Twitter burst and subsequent Aug. 25 directive, at first because there was no policy or legal guidance provided, and then because a series of lawsuits blocked the proposed ban in court. It’s now up to the president to decide whether to accept Mattis’ advice, which he is making a point of giving in private. But Pentagon officials tell me they don’t expect Trump to make an immediate decision, because the Pentagon is operating under four separate court orders that prevent any changes to the Obama-era policy that allows transgender troops to serve openly, and provides medical care for conversion therapy for current service members.

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